The NoteHH
Summary: The men find a suicide note from Lebeau can they get to him in time?
…
Carter climbed down into the tunnel. Kinch wasn't at his radio yet. It was still early. Just after roll call. The young man walked closer to the table and was about to turn away down another tunnel when something caught his eye. He looked closer. It was a piece of paper. He picked it up. Was it a note for the Colonel from London that Kinch had forgotten to get to Hogan? Carter read it.
It was addressed to all of them from Lebeau. It was hard to read though. He could pick out some words.
"W-we-wept?" Just that word had Carter concerned. He tried to read on. "Wept all night?"
"Su-Sus-no- sui-suicide…"His heart constricted. He was trying to pick out easier words to read now and sounded them out. "App- App- appreciation." Carter stopped to think. Had they not been giving him enough appreciation? Had they been so cold hearted and insensitive? He looked back to the note. "Gre-Great Pain, in… my ...heart. Oh No!"
Carter took the note and ran back up to the barracks. When he got up there he was so panicked that the men thought he was having a heart attack or something. The young man was on the verge of hysteria. "Colonel!" He choked out.
"Carter! What is it?" Hogan ran to the man's side.
Carter handed him the paper when he wasn't even out of the tunnel yet. Hogan took it. Carter who was shaking pointed to words. "S-Suicide." He gasped. "Wept all night. He has a pain in his heart. We didn't appreciate him!"
Hogan could feel Carter shaking next to him. The note was signed by Lebeau.
Everyone was leaning over trying to see the note. In the upper corner there was a red drip. Blood? They weren't sure. Had he hurt himself? He had been quiet that day before he disappeared.
Hogan didn't hesitate. "Search the camp!"
Everyone filed out and hustled all over camp to try and find the Frenchman. However when they returned to report to the colonel, it was all negative. "Maybe we're jumping to conclusions." Hogan sure hoped he was right.
Newkirk shook his head. "Sir, he's French! You know how emotional Frenchman are!"
Newkirk was right Hogan was sure of that. But how could he have not seen this? How could have not seen the man declining? He looked back at the note. He had tried to leave once to aid his fellow Frenchmen. He stayed because of his friends hadn't he or was it his duty? Hogan got a sick feeling in the bottom of his stomach. "We've got to try looking outside of camp." Hogan said.
"But Sir, how are we going to do that?" Newkirk asked concerned.
Hogan saw a familiar guard coming toward them. "Schultz!" He ran up to the guard.
Schultz turned. "Oh, Colonel Hogan!"
"Schultz, Lebeau is missing!"
Schultz's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "What? The Cockroach?"
Hogan nodded. "He left a suicide note!" He showed the large man the note.
"Suicide!?" Schultz asked worried. "This is terrible!"
"We need to find him!"
"Who is going to make me strudel?" Schultz asked terribly upset.
"Schultz!" Hogan wasn't happy.
"He is my little friend Colonel Hogan! You can't let him!" Schultz was pleading with Hogan.
"We need your help to search outside of camp, just incase."
Shultz nodded. "I will do all that I can." he stopped and thought. "What if the Kommandant finds out?"
"We can't let him!" Hogan said harshly.
"Yah! I could end up on the Russian Front!" Schultz said leading Hogan to the gate. "Wait, We have to find him by tonight!"
"Why?" Hogan asked.
"Colonel Klink wants him to make dinner for General Burkhalter tonight."
Hogan looked around. "Alright." He wanted to find the Frenchman before that night so that was fine by him. He just hoped they could do it.
Hogan looked back to his men. Newkirk was comforting Carter, who was taking it pretty hard, but Hogan could tell that Newkirk was really worried, even frightened. The two were searching and pacing and trying to think of a place that the Frenchman could be.
Kinch was searching the tunnels still and even making radio contact with underground agents whom Lebeau had made contact with recently to find out if they knew anything.
Schultz led Hogan outside the gate to look for Lebeau. He wasn't anywhere on the outskirts of the camp. They doubled back to trace around the camp.
"SCHULTZ!"
Hogan and Schultz turned to see a rather angry looking Klink approaching them. "Uh-oh."
"What do you think you are doing outside the camp?" Klink demanded.
Shoot how were they going to hide the fact that Lebeau was missing. "I lost something out here on our last work detail I was hoping I might find it." Hogan used the only excuse that came to mind.
Klink looked at him unamused. "Do you really expect me to believe that?" Klink asked.
"Yes, because it's true!" and it was… he had lost one of his men. He just prayed that the man wasn't lost for good.
Klink turned to Schultz. "You know prisoners aren't allowed out of camp without permission from ME."
"Yes, Herr Kommandant, but uh he…" Schultz stuttered for an explanation.
"No excuses!" Klink shouted.
"But Herr, Kommandant!" Schultz pleaded.
"Do you want to find yourself on the Russian Front?"
Schultz gulped. "N-no Herr Kommandant! But you see-"
"Enough! You're pushing me." Klink warned.
Hogan could see that Schultz couldn't take it much more.
"Herr Kommandant a prisoner is missing!" Schultz shouted then clamped his hand over his mouth. He turned to Hogan "I-I'm sorry."
Klink looked shocked. "A missing prisoner? And you weren't going to tell me?" Klink was even more enraged. Before anyone could speak Klink asked. "Which one?"
"Lebeau." Hogan said forlornly.
"What?" Terror struck the German Colonel. "The Frenchman?"
Hogan and Schultz nodded solemnly.
"I need him to make a dinner for the General tonight! Why did he leave?"
Hogan pulled the note from his pocket. "He left this suicide note."
Klink realized this was more serious than he thought. "Suicide? Oh my." Klink was solemn for a moment then with new determination said, "We will find him! There has never been a successful escape from Stalag Thirteen." Klink turned and called the guards.
"I'll help!" Hogan offered.
"No Hogan, you stay here, if General Burkhalter comes and sees you outside of camp I could be sent to the Russian Front!" Klink turned to leave.
"Sir, wait!" Hogan called.
Klink turned. "What is it Hogan?"
"Be careful with him." Hogan said sadly.
"I will, don't worry." Klink could see the terrible worry in Hogan's eyes.
Hogan and his men returned to the barracks.
They waited for hours, it was the longest hours of their lives. Finally Schultz came into the barracks.
Everyone crowded around him worried that Lebeau had been found injured or worse.
Schultz put his hand up. He looked weary from the search. "We found him he said quietly."
"Is he alright?" Hogan asked breaking through the wall of men.
"Blimey, tell us if 'e's alright!" Newkirk pleaded.
Schultz nodded. "He is alright. Confused I think, but alright."
The men looked between each other. Had Lebeau thought that they wouldn't worry or go looking for him?
"Where is he?" Carter's quiet voice came from the bunk beside the door.
"He is with the Kommandant." Schultz said. "I'm supposed to tell you he's alright and then bring him here. So wait here." Schultz turned.
"Schultz is Klink going to punish him?" Hogan asked worried.
Schultz shook his head. "He won't. For two reasons. One he doesn't want him committing suicide in the cooler or making things worse for Lebeau and two he needs him to cook the dinner."
Hogan let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, we'll wait here for him."
Schultz nodded and left.
Hogan retrieved the note left by Lebeau from his pocket and looked at it. It seemed like ages before Schultz finally brought Lebeau to the barracks.
Schultz opened the door and Lebeau walked in first. Newkirk went to him placing his hands on the other's shoulders and looking the Frenchman in the eyes. "Mate, you had us so worried! I'm so sorry for everything!"
"Me too!" Carter said jumping up and wrapping Lebeau in an embrace.
"And me!" Came the voices of other men.
Hogan came forward. "Lebeau don't ever think you would have to resort to such a thing! You know we care about you very much! We're always here to help!"
Lebeau just looked around, confusion evident on his face. "What are you guys talking about?"
Carter let go of him. "What do you mean? You went off to hurt yourself!"
"What? Don't be ridiculous!" Lebeau said waving his hand dismissively.
Newkirk looked Lebeau in the eyes. "Mate, you didn't go off to commit suicide?"
"Of course not! I went into the town to meet a girl!" Lebeau said cheerfully, then playfully nudging Newkirk in the ribs added. "and boy was it worth it."
"What?" They all asked in unison.
"I left you a note!" Lebeau said worried they might be angry with him.
They turned to look at the note that Hogan held in his hand. "You mean this?" Hogan asked handing Lebeau the paper.
Lebeau took it and glanced at it. "Yeah this is it." Then it hit him. "If you had the note why were you so worried?"
"Because you went and wrote that you were going to commit suicide!" Carter said half annoyed half relieved.
"What? No I didn't! Where does it say suicide anywhere in this note?" Lebeau read the note.
Carter and Newkirk pointed to the word.
Lebeau laughed. "That says Susette, not Suicide! That was the girl I went to meet!"
"But what about this, it says that you 'wept all night'. Newkirk said pointing to a phrase on the paper.
"No it doesn't it says, I went into town!"
"What about here, it says you weren't appreciated!" Carter added pointing to another set of words.
Lebeau looked at him dryly. "It says 'Apartment'. I gave her address if you needed me! Didn't you guys even TRY to read this?"
"Mate don't push!" Newkirk warned. "What about this, it says 'there is a great pain in my 'eart."
"What? I could see how you MIGHT have confused the other words with what you thought, but that isn't even close! It says, 'Be back later. Can you do my laundry?'"
"Mate, I oughta knock your block off for worryin' us like that!" Newkirk said ready to do so.
"Well, it's your own fault for not READING the note." Lebeau argued.
"You need penmanship lessons!" Newkirk countered.
"Alright! Alright!" Hogan said calming them down. Well, calming Newkirk down he was the one who needed it.
"Blimey." Newkirk said turning away and rubbing his forehead.
"What's the red stuff in the corner of the page?" Hogan asked making sure.
Lebeau looked at it. "It's wine. I took a bottle with me when I went to Susette's. I must have spilled some. Here smell."
Hogan did so to find it was indeed wine.
"I'm glad you don't want to hurt yourself Lebeau." Carter said quietly.
Newkirk sighed. "Yeah, but next time, at least tell SOMEONE, or type up the note so we can read it."
Lebeau smiled. "Sure. This does explain why Klink was so nice to me when he caught me and why Schultz was acting all worried."
Everyone sighed at Lebeau.
"But you wouldn't ever even think of suicide would you?" Carter asked.
Lebeau shook his head. "Don't be ridiculous!"
That night Lebeau made dinner for the Krauts and was treated very well to say the least.
…
It was morning roll call and everyone was out and ready. Schultz was finishing up calling names when Newkirk asked him. "'ey Schultz, why do you call Klink, Hair Kommandant? He'd bald remember?"
Lebeau whispered. "Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear."
Carter chuckled and added. "Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair!"
"Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't Fuzzy was he?" Newkirk finished casually.
Schultz laughed and said. "Jolly Jokers!"
"REPORT!" Klink shouted as he stomped out to the assembly.
"All present and accounted for Herr Fuzzy Wuzzy! I mean Kommandant!" Schultz stuck his foot in his mouth.
Klink brought up a fist. "What did you call me?"
The prisoners all started laughing.
"Quiet! All of you! Or you'll find yourself in the cooler for a month!" Klink ordered.
That didn't scare anyone away from laughing. Instead Klink turned around and stomped back into his office.
The men were dismissed, still laughing. What were they going to do with those two?
Schultz ran into the Kommandant's office to apologize and pray he wasn't sent to the Russian Front.
Inside the barracks, Newkirk sat Lebeau down for some penmanship lessons to begin the day. He prayed that the man would improve his hand writing. At least a little.
[AN] My try to turn Drama on its ear.