Chapter 10

After what seemed like an eternity, Wilson walked over to join the others. Colonel Klink looked miserable and kept his handkerchief pressed against his nose and mouth tightly.

'So? What's wrong with the Engländer?' the Colonel asked anxiously.

Wilson looked at Hogan, who nodded at him.

'Corporal Newkirk has a concussion. He needs rest – ' Wilson explained, but Klink interrupted him: 'How did he get a concussion? Did that happen when he collapsed?'the German colonel asked eagerly.

Wilson looked at Hogan again, and then nodded.

'Yes. I did not see what happened, but I am sure he hit his head when he fell,' the medic continued.

Klink nodded, but he was not completely. 'Yes, but why did he collapse? What are you hiding from me? How bad is it? Is it contagious?'

Wilson shook his head. 'Colonel, I can assure you that Corporal Newkirk does not have any contagious diseases. He collapsed because he is exhausted.'

'Exhausted?' Klink dropped his handkerchief and stared at Wilson in disbelief. 'Are you sure?'

Wilson nodded, but did not continue. Hogan stepped in: 'Kommandant, the men have been working very hard recently – Newkirk here always volunteered. He's been clearing away snow pretty much non-stop for the past weeks. And as you know, we haven't been getting enough food recently. No wonder he's exhausted.'

Klink frowned and looked at the English prisoner who was resting on the bed.

'He looks ill. Are you sure there's nothing else wrong with him?'

'Well, there is the concussion,' Wilson piped up. 'I don't know how bad it is. He's quite confused at the moment and I think that rest is what he needs the most right now. Someone should stay with him at all times to make sure he isn't getting worse,' he explained.

Klink nodded. 'Does he need food?' he asked, looking at the prisoner more closely. 'He's quite thin,' he observed, a hint of guilt creeping into his voice.

'I doubt he'd want to eat right now, Kommandant. He's probably feeling too poorly because of the concussion. My men and I are going to watch over him – Carter, LeBeau, Kinch…and I'm going to stay right here and take the first shift.' Hogan said and swiftly moved towards the bed, eager to get an impression of Newkirk's condition.

'Colonel Hogan, General Burkhalter said that Corporal Newkirk must not have contact with other POWs unless one of us is present,' Klink piped up.

'Schultz is here, Kommandant. I am sure he's able to guard two prisoners…' Hogan continued swiftly and sat down on the corner of Newkirk's bed.

He looked at the Englishman, who had closed his eyes and appeared to be sleeping. Klink was right, Hogan noticed: Newkirk really did look ill. The Corporal's face was paler than usual and even his lips had lost most of their colour. Hogan still wasn't entirely sure what had happened to Newkirk, but it was obvious that he was not well at all.

'Colonel Hogan, you know that you cannot stay here. It's against General Burkhalter's orders,' Klink insisted, and Hogan sighed. Getting Klink into trouble with the General would not help any of them.

'All right, Colonel. I understand. But maybe we could make a deal…you give me five minutes alone with Newkirk…' Hogan tried to appeal to the German officer, but Klink shook his head.

'Colonel Hogan, you know I cannot give you permission to do that.'

Hogan sighed again. 'Kommandant, just put yourself into Newkirk's situation: you're in a foreign country, you're ill and….'

Klink sighed and shook his head. 'Colonel Hogan, you can have five minutes. But you won't be alone with Corporal Newkirk. Sergeant Schultz is going to be here with you, and he'll report everything you say back to me.'

'Thank you, Colonel.'

Klink left the room quickly, still not convinced that Newkirk's condition was not contagious after all. Corporal Langenscheidt escorted Wilson back to his barracks, and Hogan turned to face Newkirk.

He touched the Corporal's shoulder, surprised when Newkirks eyes opened immediately. The Englishman tried to sit up, but Hogan pushed him back gently.

'Lie down, Newkirk. You need to rest. How are you?'

Newkirk looked around and frowned. 'I'm…' he paused and looked around. 'Where am I?'

'You're in Klink's guest quarters.' Hogan explained, 'What's the last thing you remember?'

Newkirk frowned and finally shrugged tiredly. 'It's all a bit…fuzzy.'

His disorientation began to scare Hogan, who reminded himself that Newkirk's confusion was a result of his concussion, and that it would probably pass as he recovered.

'What do you remember?' he continued, trying to judge the severity of the Englishman's amnesia.

Newkirk shrugged again. 'You're Colonel Hogan. We're POWs in Stalag 13. And Schultzie here does not want to know what else I remember…but I don't know how I ended up here. Last thing I know, I was playing cards with Andrew and Louis was cooking that ruddy fish stew…' Newkirk explained and smiled weakly. 'Just thinking about it makes me feel queasy.'

Hogan smiled reassuringly, relieved that Newkirk's amnesia seemed to be limited to more recent events. 'Don't worry. I'll make sure he'll make you something nice. Just concentrate on getting better,' he said and patted Newkirk's shoulder.

'Why am I here?' Newkirk asked as he looked around the room once again.

'General Burkhalter and Colonel Klink talked to you earlier and decided that this is the best place for you. They want to continue the conversation when you're feeling better, ' Hogan explained.

'What did we talk about? I don't remember,' Newkirk admitted.

'To be honest, I am not entirely sure myself,' Hogan evaded the question because he did not want to worry or upset the injured Corporal. 'I am sure you'll find out soon enough. I have to go now, but I'll be back as soon as possible,' he continued, but Newkirk's eyes had already closed again. Hogan rose carefully and walked over to Schultz, who had been watching from a seat near the door.

The German guard shook his head. 'He's really ill, isn't he? Poor Newkirk, I've never seen him look quite as bad as this. Well, maybe when he first came here, but not since you arrived.'

He looked at the Englishman who seemed to be sleeping and continued in a softer voice: 'Colonel Hogan, you have to go back to your barracks now,' he whispered.

Hogan nodded and left the room. He did not want to annoy Klink by staying longer than permitted.

When he emerged from the building, Wilson was already waiting for him and his men were waiting nearby. Hogan was glad to see that the men were no longer confined to their barracks.

'Wilson! Just the man I wanted to see!' the he greeted the medic. 'I just talked to Newkirk. He's fairly confused, but I guess that's the concussion. What's your diagnosis?'

'You're right. He's confused because of the concussion – it's difficult to tell, but I am sure he hit his head before roll call. Was he on a mission last night?'

'Yes, he was. He said he was fine, but you know Newkirk…' Hogan trailed off, wondering whether he should have taken a closer look at the Englishman when he had returned from the mission.

Wilson nodded. 'I do indeed. He's one of my most difficult patients. And I wasn't lying to Klink – Newkirk may have collapsed because of his concussion, but he's in pretty bad shape overall. He has definitely lost weight and I remember thinking that he's been looking unwell recently. Has he been sleeping? Eating?'

Hogan frowned. 'I think so,' he replied slowly. He hadn't noticed anything unusual about Newkirk's behaviour . Wilson looked at him closely, as if he did not want to believe his own ears.

'I guess he has been worrying about his sister recently – she stopped replying to his letters. Apart from that, I did not notice any changes in his behaviour,' he continued, suddenly feeling incredibly guilty. He realised that he did not know much about the English Corporal. He had not noticed that Newkirk had been injured last night – who knew what else he had missed?