The rest of the day passed with more of the same…Newkirk seeming to almost reach consciousness, only to fall out of its grip before fully reaching it. They managed to get some more water into him late that afternoon, but it wasn't until almost nine o'clock that night that he almost woke up again, startling everyone with a sudden coughing fit.

This time, LeBeau had some soup broth warming on the stove, and they managed to feed him some before he dropped right off again.

By now, even Hogan was wondering if Newkirk would actually recover, though he'd never admit it. He'd learned a long time ago the importance of morale, and as the senior-ranking officer in the camp, he felt that it was his job to keep everyone's spirits up. He certainly didn't want to worry the others more than they already were.

Their fears increased a few hours after midnight when Newkirk unexpectedly grew restless: a dramatic change from having lain motionless for so long. His breathing was too fast, and he moved around in the bed.

Wilson checked his temperature, and found it to be exactly 104. "We need to cool him down right now!" he told the others.

"LeBeau," Hogan said. "Quick, go yell for Schultz!"

The short Frenchman dashed to the door and shouted for the German guard, who came running.

"What? What?" Schultz exclaimed.

Hogan darted over and grasped his arm. "You have to tell the guards to let us out. Newkirk's temperature is 104 and we need to put him in a tub of water or he'll die!"

Schultz was shocked at the news. "Stay here one minute!" he told Hogan, before running out the door and shouting in German loud enough for the entire camp to hear.

Hogan went back into his quarters, to find a terrified Carter literally pouring water on top of Newkirk's body. He automatically opened his mouth, to reassure his poor sergeant, but for the first time that he could remember, Hogan couldn't find any words to say.

Schultz ran back in. "You can come out, no one will shoot! Some of the guards are getting water."

"Make sure it isn't cold!" Wilson said, gathering his supplies. "It needs to be room temperature!"

"Jawohl!" Schultz said, forgetting to speak English as he ran back out.

The barracks erupted in a flurry of activity, everyone who'd been sleeping now wide-awake.

Kinch once again picked Newkirk up, and they left the barracks and into the dark, which was suddenly illuminated by the nearest searchlight. A few of the men instinctively flinched, before they all realized that the guard was lighting their way towards the bathing hut.

Once inside, they spotted the tub that had water in it, and Wilson stuck his hand in to check the temperature. "Someone run back to the barracks and heat up a pail of water. It's a little too cold."

Four men nearly knocked each other over in their rush to go back.

Kinch sat on a nearby bench, still holding Newkirk, who was as limp as a rag doll.

Hogan heard a sniff, and looked at Carter, who was standing beside him. The sergeant was fidgeting, and Hogan could see him visibly shaking. Knowing that words wouldn't help in a situation like this, he simply put a hand on the younger man's shoulder.

The men quickly came back, dumped the water into the tub, and Kinch placed Newkirk inside, clothes and all.

Suddenly, someone was pushing their way through the crowd, and Hogan realized with a start that the splint on Newkirk's broken arm was easily visible.

Colonel Klink—wearing a hilarious outfit of his bathrobe, boots, and hat—made his way to the side of the tub, looking in shock at the English corporal before looking at Hogan, crouched beside the tub with his arms in the water, holding Newkirk still so his head wouldn't slip under. The fact that Hogan hadn't even wasted the time to pull up his sleeves showed Klink how deathly ill Newkirk was.

Klink wasn't as hard a man as he tried to show his fellow German peers, and really did feel sympathy for the prisoners. It seemed to take him a minute to figure out the right words to say. "If there is anything you need, the guards have my permission to assist you," he finally said.

Hogan nodded. "Thanks, colonel."

Klink nodded back, taking one more look at Newkirk before leaving the room.

Hogan sighed with relief before pulling his arms out of the tub, grateful that he'd succeeded in hiding Newkirk's broken arm from Klink's view. He shook his sleeves, before seeing a towel thrust into his vision.

He took it, and found that Schultz was the one holding it out to him. "Thanks, Schultz." He reached out and squeezed his arm. "Thanks for everything."

The stalag guard nodded. "You're welcome. You know me, Colonel Hogan…" he looked around, making sure no Germans could hear him.

Hogan smiled. "I sure do. We couldn't've picked a better enemy."

Schultz chuckled at that.

The next two hours passed at a turtle's pace. Carter knelt beside the tub the entire time, dribbling water onto Newkirk's face and quietly talking to his unconscious friend until Wilson decided that Newkirk could be taken out of the tub. His temperature had been coaxed down to a more 'safe' level of 102.4.

Kinch and Hogan lifted him out, and they brought him back into Hogan's quarters, where they laid him onto the bunk still wet, hoping it would continue to help the fever.

Wilson sighed and sat down. "He's a fighter, I'll say that much…though I don't know what he's fighting with."

Hogan and Carter nodded. It amazed them that Newkirk was still hanging on, despite his body having had to deal with so much.

"The fact that he's made it this far—and managed to get through a 104-degree fever—makes me more optimistic of his survival," Wilson continued.

Carter perked up at that, and looked at Hogan with a smile.

"Don't raise your hopes too far just yet," said the medic, wanting to ease their fears but not give false hope. "He still has a long way to go."

"He'll make it," Carter said, finally letting himself believe it. "He knows that his friends are here, and that's where he's finding the strength to fight."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When roll call approached, Klink allowed the inhabitants of barracks two to stay inside, having Schultz do a head-count instead. Klink came inside with the sergeant, taking a peek at Newkirk.

"How is he doing now?" he asked Hogan.

The American colonel shrugged, with a sigh. "Better as far as his fever goes. The water lowered it to 102.4, and that's still where it's at right now."

Klink nodded. "I wonder how he became so ill? What a relief that it is not contagious." He suddenly looked around. "You're still sure that it isn't?"

Hogan nodded. "Oh yeah. Look at us…we all live in here with him," he said, gesturing to the other prisoners. "If anyone could've caught it, we probably all would've by now."

Klink nodded. "True, true."

Schultz approached them. "Everyone in barracks two is accounted for, Herr Kommandant!"

"Of course we are," said Hogan. "I made a motion to the Escape Committee to put a hold on all escape plans until Newkirk is well enough to come with us!"

"Mfph!" Klink said, before turning and walking out of the room.

"Jolly joker," said Schultz.

Hogan chuckled, giving him a friendly slap on the back as the sergeant followed after Klink.

TBC