Chapter 10

Kinch and Klink watched Carter, Newkirk and LeBeau, who they thought were running in their direction suddenly detour and head directly towards barracks two.

"What is going on here?!" Klink demanded watching the gates close behind the staff car.

"I'll tell you as soon as I know, Kommandant!" Kinch shouted as he raced down the steps and headed to the barracks himself. He suddenly had a bad feeling that something was terribly amiss and whatever it was involved Colonel Hogan. The four men reached the barracks at just about the same time. "What's wrong?" asked a scared Kinch.

"Carter walked into the Gov'nor's quarters concerned about 'im and caught that bloody general with his hands on the Gov'nor!" Newkirk gasped, opening the door of the barracks at the same time.

"Oh God!" Kinch uttered as they hurried to the colonel's quarters and opened the door. What they saw not only stunned them, but broke their hearts.

Hogan was sitting up in bed, his face buried in his hands. He didn't look up or even acknowledge their presence in his doorway. The men noticed blood spots on the gauze around his wrists as well as on the right pajama leg.

"Colonel, you are hurt!" said a frightened LeBeau. "What did those filthy Bosche do to you?"

"Go away," Hogan muttered, keeping his face buried. "Just go away and leave me alone. Please, guys. I need some time to myself for a while."

"Colonel, you need to have Wilson take a look at you. Your leg and wrists injuries are bleeding." Newkirk began softly.

"Just go."

"But Colonel…" Kinch began.

"I don't want to talk about it! Just leave!"

"Yes, sir," Kinch replied. "We'll be right outside if you need anything."

Hogan didn't reply or give any indication he had even heard what his radioman said. But his body language told them the colonel was very upset; upset and angry. The men left the room, closing the door quietly. As they silently walked towards the table to sit down, Kinch looked at the Frenchman.

"LeBeau, go get Wilson and tell him to come right away but don't give him any details. Just bring him here. I'll fill him in when he gets here."

"Oui. Right away," LeBeau replied. He quickly left the barracks as the others sat down at the table. Kinch and Newkirk looked at still shaken Carter.

"Andrew, start at the beginning and tell us exactly what you saw," said Kinch.

"Do I have to?" Carter asked nervously. "If you don't mind, I'd rather forget the entire thing."

Newkirk gently touched the young sergeant's arm. "Andrew, whether you realize it or not, you saved the Gov'nor from those bloody bastards. But if we're gonna help him, we need to know exactly what you saw and what happened. So, can you tell us, mate?"

Carter looked at both of his friends and was about to open his mouth when the barracks door opened and LeBeau, followed by Wilson, walked in.

"What's happened, Kinch?" the medic asked. "All LeBeau would tell me was that you needed to see me. Has something happened to the colonel?"

"Yeah, it did. To make a long story short, we had three visitors from the SS stop here. They wanted to see the colonel despite hearing he was sick with pneumonia. Carter walked in and found two of them holding him down with the third one touching him in an inappropriate way."

"Damn!" Wilson muttered angrily. "Did they hurt him?"

"We don't think so. Not that way anyway. But his wrists and leg wound are bleeding, and we wanted you to take a look at him."

"I'll do that right now and let you know what I find." Wilson headed in the direction of the private quarters. They watched him knock on the door. He knocked again after a few minutes. Then, gripping the doorknob and twisting it, Wilson opened the door and entered, closing the door behind him.

Wilson stood with his back against the door. Hogan had not moved from when the men had last seen him and his face was still buried in his hands.

"Colonel, it's Wilson."

"Go away and leave me alone."

"I'm here to examine your injuries to your wrists and leg. I notice the blood spots."

"No examination. No nothing. Just get out and leave me alone."

Wilson slowly made his way toward the colonel's desk and placed his medical bag on top. Opening it, he removed his stethoscope. "Colonel, Kinch told me about your visitors. Do you want to…"

"I don't want to talk about it! I told you to get out and leave me the hell alone!"

"Colonel…" Wilson put a hand on Hogan's shoulder and felt his body stiffen from his touch. The colonel looked up glaring at the medic. Wilson could see the burning rage smoldering in Hogan's eyes, and knew he'd better be careful. "I have to treat your injuries, sir."

"Joe, you all lied to me! You and my men!"

Wilson had a feeling to what Hogan was referring, but wasn't about to take any chances if he was wrong. "What are you talking about? Lied to you about what?"

Hogan found himself shouting now. "Don't stand there and pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. All of you knew what happened to me and you lied." Wilson's guilty expression didn't escape Hogan's eyes. "That's right. I remember everything! Even if I could understand the men keeping it from me, that's no excuse for you, Joe. None at all." Hogan's face turned a deep crimson. "Just get out and leave me alone!"

"Colonel…"

"I said I don't want to talk about it! What part of get out and leave me alone don't you understand, Sergeant!?"

Wilson let out a deep breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Slowly, he pulled out the chair from Hogan's desk and sat down facing the bed. He put the stethoscope on the desk. "Fine. You don't have to talk then, just listen. Colonel, I'm sorry we lied about what happened to you, but don't blame the men." Wilson rested his arms on his thighs allowing his clasped hands to dangle between his knees. "But how were we suppose to tell you the truth? How? In my opinion you weren't capable of handling that knowledge so I thought it was better if it was kept from you at that point and advised the men to do the same. But Colonel, you have to understand we did what we thought best to protect you at least for a while. You'd been both brutalized and traumatized. Were we suppose to add to that by telling you what happened? I think not. So, in my opinion, I thought it best to let you heal physically and mentally and hoped you'd remember yourself before we had to tell you. If we were wrong in caring enough to want to protect you from possibly having a complete mental breakdown by not telling you at that exact time, then blame me. Your men went along with my decision. Now, if you still want me to leave I will right after I check your leg and wrists." When Wilson got no response from Hogan, he decided to give it a few additional minutes. He then saw Hogan slowly turn and look at him.

"I suppose this was why you had to sedate me whenever you examined me?" Hogan asked, his tone still bitter.

Wilson rubbed his hands together. "Yes. But mainly because with your outbursts of anger whenever somebody touched you, I didn't want to get punched out while doing my job."

"I suppose the entire camp knows?"

"No, sir. Only your team. They decided to keep it that way."

"How much do they know about what happened?"

Wilson paused a moment. "Everything."

"Oh God," Hogan muttered. He was embarrassed, humiliated, and ashamed enough remembering the assault itself, but to now know his men knew what happened was too much to handle. He pinched the bridge of his nose with closed eyes. Wilson could only imagine what the Colonel was feeling right now.

"Colonel, they're livid over what was done to you both in the woods and here. What was done to you was done strictly for the amusement of four sick individuals who thought it would be entertaining for them."

Hogan seemed to be mulling over what the medic had told him. Finally, he let out a deep breath. "Sergeant, could you have the guys come in. I need to see them."

"I will, Colonel. I promise. But first, I'd like to check you over and re-wrap those wrists and check your leg. I'd also like to check your other injuries."

"Fine." Hogan snapped. He then saw Wilson preparing to fill a syringe. "There's no need for the sedative."

Wilson put the syringe and vial on the table and picked up his stethoscope. "I'm gonna take your word for it right now, Colonel. But I'm going to check all your injuries regardless. So prepare yourself."

"Damn them!" Newkirk declared slamming his fist onto the table after Carter had told them what he had seen. "Of all the bloody gall to waltz right into this camp and attack the Gov'nor again like that."

LeBeau let loose a string of French obscenities.

Kinch scratched his chin. "I don't think they came here just to attack the Colonel. I think there was another motive."

"What other motive could there be than trying to rape the Colonel again?!" asked LeBeau.

"Think about it. They came all the way to Stalag 13 with one of them disguised as an SS General. They heard the Colonel was sick but insisted on seeing him anyway. Why? There was no need for them to see him. My guess? I think they were purposely looking for the Colonel with the express purpose to make sure he didn't tell anybody what they had done."

"I don't understand," said a confused Carter. "I mean, who's gonna believe a prisoner of war was sexually assaulted by a German other than other prisoners of war?"

"I think, Andrew, that these guys are afraid that the Colonel just might find someone to believe his story without admitting he was outside the wire when it happened," explained Kinch. "And the punishment for that by a German guard is sterilization because the Krauts would look at a guard who did something like that as being homosexual. I think they were hoping to get him to remain quiet and probably figure by attacking him again it would make him too humiliated and embarrassed to say anything. I also think they hoped to scare him."

Newkirk smirked. "It's obvious they don't know our colonel at all."

"Oui, but it may not stop there," said LeBeau with a frightened look. "Since Carter interrupted them in the Colonel's quarters, they might think what they did was not enough to ensure his silence."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying,?" asked Carter. "I mean, you don't think they'd…"

"Oui, I do. I believe they were looking for the colonel and now that they found him here, I think there's a possibility they might intend to kill him to assure his silence."

Newkirk and Kinch both looked at each other and then at LeBeau. The little Frenchman could tell from their eyes the same thought had occurred to them. Only Carter was having a hard time accepting what the Frenchman had said.

"And now that they know he's here, they probably also guessed he has a way of getting in and out of this camp without detection," the Englander remarked.

"And that makes them dangerous to the operation," Kinch added. "In addition to being a danger to Colonel Hogan."

"They definitely must die now," LeBeau said seriously. "We have no choice anymore."

"I agree," Kinch said.

"Wait a minute, guys," Carter interrupted them. "All this talk about definitely killing them and everything is fine for you guys. But did anybody stop and think whether these guys recognized any of us from that night? I mean, that general sure looked at you Kinch like he recognized you. And if he did, wouldn't it be risky for me and Newkirk to go into SS headquarters now?"

"He's got a point, mate," Newkirk looked at the radioman. "That general was looking at you like he thought he'd seen you before."

Kinch scratched his chin. "Carter, when you entered Colonel Hogan's quarters, did you have a feeling any of those guys recognized you from before?"

Carter shook his head. "Not that I could tell. They seemed totally unaware of who I was."

Kinch nodded. "I don't think they recognized anyone, possibly not even me. And you and Newkirk will be in disguise. And the two of you speak the best German of all of us. But it's up to you guys. If you and Newkirk would prefer we have someone from the underground go instead I'll make a call right now. I won't force you two to do this, but you have to let me know now."

Newkirk and Carter looked at each other for a long moment. The Englander saw Carter nod at him before he turned and looked at Kinch. "We'll do it, Kinch. It was bad enough what they did to the Gov'nor in the woods, but when they came here and attempted to do it again, those bastards crossed the line thinking they could come onto our turf, so to speak, and get away with it."

"Plus nobody hurts Colonel Hogan while we're around. Do they Newkirk?" asked Carter in a child-like voice.

"Damn right they don't, mate," Newkirk replied with a grim smile.

They stopped talking when the door to Hogan's quarters opened and Wilson emerged. He closed the door and approached the table with four pairs of worried eyes staring at him.

"Relax," the medic said resting his bag on the table. "He'll be fine. The stitches in his leg wound ripped and his wrists had to be re-wrapped. The bruises on his shoulders and the abrasions and tears are healing nicely. I would go so far as to say the soreness he feels should be gone in a day or two. And I didn't have to sedate him this time. He stiffened when I touched him, but for the most part he didn't lash out. I think now that he's aware of what happened to him helped there, although I don't approve of how he found out." He noticed the men relax at hearing his words. "He also wants to see the four of you. He's very angry right now, especially at you guys for not telling him what happened, but I told him I was the reason you didn't tell him, and I suggest it stay that way. I'll report to Colonel Klink and then be back later this evening and check on him again." He grabbed his bag and left after the men gave their thanks.

The men all looked at each other nervously before they slowly got to their feet and walked towards the closed door. Kinch knocked. He opened the door when they heard the voice on the other end bid them to enter. They entered quietly. Hogan was still sitting up with his back against the paper-thin pillow, fresh gauze wrapped around his wrists.

"Close the door," Hogan ordered tersely. "I don't want anybody to hear our conversation." He waited until Newkirk had closed the door; then, the four men came closer to the bed. "Have a seat. I promise I won't bite."

Not able to even smile at their commander's attempt at dry humor, the men all found places to sit and wait for Hogan to begin. They could tell from his face he was angry and suspected they were in for it. But all they could do was wait.

"Take your time, mon Colonel," LeBeau stated with a slight smile. "We're in no hurry."

Hogan glared at all of them, but momentarily smiled as his eyes fell on Carter. "Carter, I am so sorry you saw what was happening. But I do thank you for helping me."

Carter, his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets, looked down at the floor as he shuffled his feet. He shrugged his shoulders and looked up. "Gee, Colonel. You can't protect me from everything. I mean, we're at war. And in a war there's always the ugly side of things. Even I know that. Besides, you don't have to thank me. I mean, I couldn't let them do that to you again. Not after the last time. They had no right. Nobody has any right to do that to anybody."

"But still, Carter…"

"Colonel, it's okay. Really. Don't worry about it. Besides, I know there's more good guys in this war than bad guys anyway," he said with a child-like grin.

"How are you doing, sir?" asked Kinch. "I mean really doing?"

Hogan's eyes hardened again and his voice cold. "I'm all right," he lied. "But never mind how I'm doing. You men had no right to keep the truth from me. Absolutely no right! I could have handled knowing what happened. You had no right to determine what I could and could not handle!"

Newkirk rubbed his hands up and down his thighs. "Colonel, we didn't mean to keep the truth from you. We just thought…"

"That's just it, Newkirk. You didn't! None of you did! I'm not a child that has to be protected from bad news. I suggest you keep that in mind! Do we understand each other!?"

"Colonel," Kinch began, then saw Hogan's face. "Yes, sir. We're sorry, sir."

"Good!" Hogan said, now a bit depressed. "I suggest all of you leave me alone right now."

The men silently got to their feet and left the small room, closing the door behind them. Alone, Hogan let out a deep breath and leaned the back of his head against the wall with arms wrapped around him.

Standing outside the closed door, LeBeau, Kinch, Carter and Newkirk all paused and exchanged worried looks. Words did not have to be spoken for each of them to worry that what happened to their commander had not only changed him, but that he might never again be the man they knew.