Dr. Siegfried walked down the hall, having just left the operating room. He ran a hand through his hair, feeling exhausted. He hadn't gotten much sleep since Newkirk had arrived at the hospital, as he felt that it was his duty to protect him. He knew that he needed some rest as soon as possible, though, and planned to drag a cot into Newkirk's room to grab a nap.

As he passed the receptionist's desk, she called out to him. "Dr. Siegfried! You have a call."

He turned and headed over, taking the phone. "Hello?"

"Is this Dr. Siegfried?" he heard.

"Yes."

"The real Dr. Siegfried?"

The doctor blinked. "The only Dr. Siegfried, in this hospital."

"Oh, good," the voice said, suddenly dropping the German accent. "Doc, you gotta get to Newkirk's room, Major Hochstetter from the Gestapo is on his way to question him! If Newkirk tells him anything, we're all sunk!"

A chill shot down Siegfried's spine. "I vill do vhat I can!" With that, he hung up and ran down the hall. I vill give him a sedative, he thought. That vay, he vill not vake up, and therefore cannot be questioned…His thoughts came to a halt when he rushed into the room to find the Major already inside.

"Doctor," said the Major. "I need some information about zis man. Has he said anything suspicious, regarding sabotage activities and zee like?"

Siegfried pretended to be surprised. "Sabotage? No, he has said nothing of zee sort, and thanks to zee morphine, he mumbles quite a lot."

Hochstetter nodded, before looking back at Newkirk, just in time to see his eyes snap closed. "Aha, so you are awake, Corporal."

Newkirk's heartbeat had instantly sped up when he woke to the sound of the Major's voice, and he'd stared in shock, wondering if he was hallucinating. His brain felt foggy, and he'd re-closed his eyes a split second too late.

"Look at me, Corporal," Hochstetter said. "I have some questions for you."

Newkirk opened his eyes. "Well, I 'ave no answers," he said. He blinked, before waving a hand. "Can ya get that tree outta 'ere on ya way out?"

"Tree?" Hochstetter said, before looking around the room. "There is no tree in here, Corporal."

"Oh," Newkirk said, before closing his eyes again.

Hochstetter reached over and rudely shook him. "Tell me of Papa Bear."

"Who?"

"Papa Bear!"

"Oh," Newkirk said, eyes still closed. "I know all about 'im."

Siegfried's heart sank.

"Do you!" said Hochstetter, happily. "Tell me."

"Well," said Newkirk, sleepily. "There's this cottage in the woods…"

"Yes?" the Major said, excitedly. "And?"

"Well, Papa Bear lives in it."

Hochstetter frowned. "He lives in a cottage in the woods?"

"Right." Newkirk yawned behind the oxygen mask. "An' 'e lives with Mama Bear an' Baby Bear. One day, they made porridge, but it was too 'ot, so they decided to go for a walk—"

"Bah!" Hochstetter yelled. He stood up and leaned over the bed. "Do not play games with me, Corporal!"

"Games?" said Newkirk, reopening his eyes. "Are we playin' a game? Where's me deck of cards?" He blinked. "An' by the way, me name's not Corp—Crop—Cop…um, whatever ya said."

Hochstetter had to mentally count to ten before he could speak again. "Who is Papa Bear? Is it you? Is it Hogan?"

Newkirk blinked again. "Can't ya tell that we're not bears? We're men, just the same as you…I think."

Hochstetter wanted to bang his head against the wall. Suddenly, he noticed a syringe on the nightstand. "Is zis morphine?"

Reluctantly, Siegfried nodded.

Hochstetter grabbed the syringe and stabbed it into Newkirk's arm.

The Englishman gave a cry of shock and pain.

"No!" Siegfried exclaimed, dashing forward and grabbing it. Looking at the plunger, he saw that it was empty. "It vas not time for his next dose! You may just have signed his death certificate!"

"I highly doubt that a little extra morphine is enough to kill a man," Hochstetter replied, watching Newkirk, whose eyes turned very glassy before suddenly closing again.

"It has caused him serious side effects! Vhat do you think zee oxygen is for?" the doctor shot back, too upset to realize that he was currently yelling at a Gestapo agent. He grabbed his stethoscope to listen to Newkirk's heart.

Hochstetter had to admit—to himself, at least—that he might've gone too far. He didn't actually want to kill Newkirk…yet. If he truly was Papa Bear, he wanted him to be tortured, go on trial, and be tortured again before he shot him himself. There was nothing to do now but wait and see what happened.

"Corporal Newkirk," Hochstetter said.

No reply.

Hochstetter remembered that 'corporal' might not be his actual rank. "Newkirk."

Still no reply.

Maybe that is not even his real name! "Nimrod?" he tried.

Newkirk twitched.

Hochstetter's heart jumped in his chest. "Are you Nimrod?"

Newkirk said nothing.

"This is London," said Hochstetter, trying to drop his German accent and adopt an English one. "We have vital information to pass on."

Newkirk gave no reaction.

Hochstetter reached over and lightly shook him, before doing it again more roughly.

Siegfried grabbed onto Newkirk, in an effort to stop him. Sending Hochstetter a glare, he placed a hand on his patient's chest. "He's barely breathing."

Hochstetter growled before stepping away from the bed. He paced a few times before pointing at the doctor. "I vill not leave until I get zee answers I came for!"

"Vell, it looks like you just ruined your chance," Siegfried said. "You can't get answers out of an unconscious man!"

Hochstetter made another annoyed sound, and Siegfried suddenly got very scared at the implications of defying a Gestapo agent. "Forgive me, Herr Major, if I seem uncooperative. I am a doctor, and have a responsibility to my patients. Of course you have zee right to do your duty, and if I can assist in any way, it vould be my pleasure." As he spoke, he went back over to the oxygen machine and raised the percentage. Please don't tell me to do anything to him, he thought. Please…

"All you can do for me at this point is keep him alive," Hochstetter said. He looked at his watch and appeared to think for a minute. "I vill be back."

He's leaving! Siegfried thought, with shocked relief. He watched as the Major walked out the door, before listening to Newkirk's heartbeat again.

"Doctor."

The sudden voice startled him, and he turned to see the receptionist standing in the doorway.

"Colonel Klink from Stalag Thirteen called earlier, asking to be informed when Major Hochstetter left."

Siegfried nodded. "Get a nurse in here."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hogan loitered outside Klink's office, waiting for Dr. Siegfried to call. When the phone rang, he looked expectantly at Helga.

"Please hold," she said. "It's the hospital!" she told Hogan.

He nodded and dashed into Klink's office.

The Kommandant looked up, annoyed at the interruption, and opened his mouth to voice his displeasure.

Hogan cut him off. "The hospital is on the line," he said, picking up the phone.

Klink grabbed it out of his hand. "Hello, this is Colonel Klink. Yes, I asked to be informed of the actions that Major Hochstetter took…he what?"

Hogan frowned, and a knot grew in his stomach.

Klink listened, shocked at what the doctor was telling him. He looked up at Hogan's face, and saw how desperately he wanted to know what had happened. "All right, keep me posted," he finally said, before hanging up.

"What did he do?" Hogan urgently asked.

Klink told him, and wasn't surprised at all when the American nearly hit the roof.

"He could've killed him! Newkirk could be dying as we speak!" Hogan paced back and forth, before leaning forward on Klink's desk. "Kommandant, you have to do something before he goes back there!"

"What can I do, Hogan!" Klink whined. "He threatened me!"

"You can call General Burkhalter, and tell him that Hochstetter is abusing your prisoners!"

Realization dawned on Klink's face. "Yes…yes, Hogan, that I can do!" He picked up the phone. "Get me General Burkhalter in Berlin…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

An hour later, an enraged Hochstetter slammed down the phone, his ear ringing thanks to the shouting done by Burkhalter, who'd had quite a lot to say to him. He wasn't surprised that Klink had gotten the General involved, after what he'd done to the English corporal. But Burkhalter doesn't understand, Hochstetter thought. I must find out the truth! With a sigh, he made a fist. "This is not over, Hogan," he said, aloud. "This is not over."

TBC