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IMPALED IN SPACE

AFTER Alexander left, Tatiana wanted to cry, but her ribs hurt too much She put her arm over her face when the nurse, Vera, caht Your family will be here soon Don’t cry, you’ll hurt yourself You’ve got broken ribs Why don’t you sleep? I’ll give you so to sleep"

"Do you have sorams How much more do you want?" Vera chuckled

"Another kilo?"

Tatiana slept

When she opened her eyes, her fa alternately endeared and horrified by her Dasha was holding her hand Ma on Deda’s hand Papa was looking at her with reproachful eyes

"Tania, you’ve been out for two days," said Dasha, ould not stop kissing Tatiana’s cut hair

Ma?" she kept repeating in a wailing voice

"I wanted to get our Pasha," Tatiana said, squeezing her mother’s hand "I’m sorry I didn’t"

"Tania, what nonsense you talk," said Papa, walking to the"Didn’t you go to school? Didn’t you graduate a year early? What did they teach you there? Obviously not sense"

Mairl What would we have done if we had lost you, too?" She sobbed "How could we go on?"

Papa told Mama not to talk nonsense "We have not lost Pasha! Volunteers come back from the line all the tilenko," said Dasha "You can’t step into the corridor without hearing her cries for Volodya"

"Nina has four sons," Papa said gri to the front if this war is not over soon She better get used to losing them" He lowered his head "But we have only one, and I have to have hope"

If Tatiana had had the strength, she would have turned away from all of them, unable to face thea River If she told them that she had wrapped dead bodies, that she had watched people die in front of her, that she had seen burning and led limbs and small children struck down, her family would not have believed her Tatiana hardly believed it herself

"You really are coh such hell, and risking ged hio over his co officer’s head"

"Tatiana," said Deda, "he saved your life"

"Did he?" she said feebly

"Oh, you poor thing," said Ma Georg, she doesn’t reh"

"Mama, didn’t you hear?" said Dasha "The station fell on her Alexander dug her out from fallen bricks!"

"That man, Dashenka!" exclaiold Hold on to him"

"I intend to, Papa"

At that old walked in with Dimitri The faorously Maed him Dasha bent him to her and kissed him on the mouth

And kissed hiievna," said Papa "Let the soldier breathe"

Dimitri came over to Tatiana and put his arm around her His eyes were concerned and a her head, "you seem to be quite fortunate to have your life"

"Tatiana, I think you have so to say to Lieutenant Belov," said Papa soleive our lieutenant anotheroff Tatiana, he returned for his rad And most of these ht, Alex?"

Stepping up to the bed, Alexander said, "Tania, how are you feeling?"

"Wait, what happened in Finland?" asked Dasha, glued to Alexander’s ar, Tania?" Alexander repeated

"Great," Tatiana replied, unable to look at hiht, Mama I’ll be holued to Alexander

"I don’t want to talk about it," Alexander said

"I’ll tell theht back only four out of thirty ed to turn even that defeat into a victory Ato Di?"

"Fine," she replied "It will be as good as new soon"

"Not soon!" exclaimed Mama "Septeoing to do?"

"I guess," said Tatiana, "I will be in a cast until Septe, said, "No, Alexander carried her on his back, Georg, on his back" She grabbed Alexander’s hands and said, "How can we ever thank you?"

"No thanks necessary," Alexander replied, s at Tatiana’sour Tania only weighs about three kilos," Dasha said with a giggle

"Thank hi Tatiana’s bed in his anxiety and gratitude "Thank thea thin s her hand, Tatiana soht at Alexander as she said, "Thank you, Lieutenant"

Before he had a chance to respond, Dasha hugged hiain "Alexander, you see what you’ve done for our fa up to him

Blessedly, the nurse came in and told everyone they had to leave

Dimitri leaned down and pressed his rubbery ht, dear," he said "I’ll come and see you tomorrow"

She wanted to screahten Tatiana’s blankets and itated in a way Tatiana had not seen in weeks "Tania," she whispered, "if there is a God, thank God for you After he brought you back, we had a long talk I was so grateful to hiive us another chance With the war so close, I said, what did we have to lose? I said, Alexander, look at what you did for s for s for you" Dasha kissed Tatiana’s head "Thank you, h for him to find you"

"You’re welcome," said Tatiana in a dull voice If he was in Dasha’s life again, he would be in her life again

Why did that feel so hollow?

"Taniado you think Pasha is alive so down fro in uns pointed at her and at Alexander And at Pasha

"I don’t think so," said Tatiana, closing her eyes Whatever had happened to him, Pasha felt permanently lost

Tatiana’s eyes were still closed an hour later when she thought she heard the door creak As she opened her eyes, Alexander was sitting on her bed How did he do that, carry his body and his rifle with such quiet?

"What are you doing here?" she asked

"Came to see how you were"

"You just leave Dasha?"

He nodded "I’m on my way to St Isaac’s I do air-raid duty above the dome, in the rotunda arcade Until one Petrenko is on duty before ood soldier He covers me if I’m a little late" St Isaac’s Cathedral was the tallest structure in Leningrad

"What are you doing here?" Tatiana repeated

"Wanted to ht And I wanted to talk to you about Dasha--"

"I’reat Really And you shouldn’t do this Coh of a mess already You shouldn’t be late for your patrol"