Cohen tensed, and Hogan suddenly felt that both of their breathing was incredibly loud. And it was hot in here, all of a sudden.
Two pairs of boots knocked against the floor and Hochstetter grumbled something unintelligible.
They heard him up the clipboard, and then drop it back.
"This must be him," He said after a moment, snarling.
"Do you recognize him?" His subordinate asked.
Hochstetter scoffed. "Nein. I have never seen him before. He must be from a different Hammelburg."
"I don't know that there is a dif-"
"Quiet, Braun."
There was a mumbled "Jawohl" and Hochstetter growled (again), and strode out.
"Waste of time," They heard as he departed.
They breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief and then Hogan started to move.
The footsteps came back.
Cohen pulled in a soft breath and Hogan froze.
The curtain slid open, there was a short pause, and then a noncommittal grunt. He walked away again.
The door closed and this time they held still for several seconds, until Hogan said, "Okay."
He pushed the door open and the two burst out, gasping for air.
Barnes pulled the sheets off of his face and shifted back up with a tight frown. "Close call."
"Boy, no kidding," Cohen agreed. "Hey, how you been?"
"Well, they took the tube out of my chest," Barnes said.
"That's a plus," Hogan moved to switch the clipboards back around.
"Hey, so what all happened, anyway?" Cohen asked. "I haven't heard anything since I left."
Hogan blinked - "That's right! You weren't there. Well, Barnes is alive."
Cohen glanced at him and ribbed, "Well, you wouldn't think it to look at him."
"I'd say the same for you," Barnes retorted, but he was smiling. "Where've you been?"
"A floor down, the past two days. Colonel Hogan needed an excuse to snoop around in here."
"You didn't get worse?" He was tiring, but doing his best to glean all the information he could.
"Just a little bit. Apparently I'm better now."
Barnes half-laughed, and winced. "Mm - well, you look like death, still."
"I did almost die. Several times." He puffed up as if it was a point of pride, and Hogan recalled using near-death experiences as bragging rites in his earlier years.
"Alright, you two sickos." He said. "We gotta get going before Schultz has a heart attack."
"Here would be the place to have it."
Hogan rolled his eyes. "Barnes, when are they kicking you out of here?"
"This Saturday, Colonel. Sounds like they're giving me money for a train ticket and tossing me out. Oh, they're replacing my uniform, too."
"Newkirk'll like that," Cohen observed.
"Can you meet us at Max's? Probably a half-hour's walk from here, and safer than us picking you up right outside." Hogan frowned at him. He wasn't sure he would make it ten feet right now, but hopefully it was just because he was so tired at the moment. "How bad are you hurting?"
"I'm fine. I can make it to Max's." Barnes said, and Hogan nodded warily.
"Alright, then, that'll have to do. We'll see you then. Stay safe and stay out of Hochstetter's path."
"Will do," Barnes lifted a tired hand in good-bye and Cohen waved innocently as they left.
They found Schultz and Langenscheidt frantically searching the third floor, and if Schultz had been any more intimidating, his rant the whole way home would have been unnerving. As it was, though, it was nothing more than fair banter for Colonel Hogan and an amusing show for Cohen and Langenscheidt. The idle back-and-forth was a relief, and he enjoyed the verbal sparring, although it was not so much a spar as it was a downhill battle, an easy way to keep his wit sharp, which he liked.
It did not, however, mean that he didn't worry.
They arrived back at camp and Hogan left Cohen to be welcomed by the others, tutted over by LeBeau, and silently, evaluated from a distance by Newkirk. After quickly explaining the situation with Barnes, he called Kinch into his office with a jerk of his chin.
He rambled over his concerns; Barnes was weak, could he even make it so far? What if the exertion was too much? And what if Hochstetter found him? Or if Stein and Fischer, or anybody suddenly figured out the ruse? Klink finally thought too hard about the occupants of Barracks 2, and who was and wasn't there? Because surely there were records elsewhere of Barnes' existence, it wouldn't be hard to unearth everything.
And for each issue Kinch offered a reprieve; although not always a solution. Barnes was strong, it was more than likely he'd be fine, and the people of Hammelburg were kind enough to help a man. And if the walk to Max's did cause any harm, Wilson was capable, and there wasn't much better than a capable medic. Hochstetter wasn't likely to see him, it was doubtful he spent much of his free time walking through the quaint little shops of Hammelburg. Stein and Fischer were well gone, and far too caught up in their own little Nazi propaganda machines to care much about old business. Klink was fretting enough about Hochstetter, he wasn't about to stir up more problems, and if he really did it would only be a matter of a little beer and a lot of roundabout talking.
In the end, it didn't do a lot of help, but, Hogan had long reasoned, it was better to have the confidence of your men, however misplaced he might think it was, than none at all.
"Thanks, Kinch," He sighed finally.
"We only have to hold it together until Saturday, Colonel, and then we can put this behind us," Kinch said.
Hogan smiled. "Boy. Watch, we get Barnes back Saturday and Sunday London'll want us to blow something up."
"Hey, Carter'll be happy."
They chuckled, and had stood to rejoin the group when the conversation in the other room turned into several excited exclamations, and there was a rattle of furniture as people crowded around the door.
Hogan and Kinch exchanged glances and Hogan quickly opened the door. "What's going on?"
Everyone was clustered around the door and window, and Olsen said eagerly, "I think the SS-men are packing up, Colonel!"
"They are not -" Hogan was quickly granted the front-row peephole, and he frowned out the crack in the door. "They are!"
Sure enough, the guards were climbing up into the waiting trucks, and Hochstetter stood next to Klink and Captain Gruber. Hochstetter looked to be seething, Klink giddy, and Gruber mostly tired and a bit out-of-place.
"Hmm." Hogan walked across the compound, and greeted them with an animated cheeriness. "Hello! Kommandant, Major, Captain. Sad to see you leaving so suddenly, Major, what happened?"
Hochstetter snarled and Klink answered, "Major Hochstetter's superiors -"
"KLINK!" The man thundered, and Gruber flinched. "Does the prisoner need to know our business?"
"Oh, well, ah -" Klink half-giggled. "I suppose not, Herr Major, quite right. Hogan!" He turned on the Colonel. "You are dismissed."
Hogan huffed. "Fine. I can tell when I'm not wanted." He gave Klink a spitefully proper salute, spun on his heel, and strode back to Barracks 2.
He stopped just outside the building as the last of the trucks moved forward, and several others came out to watch as it rolled out, the guards shutting the gates so quickly it was almost treason.
Hogan sighed happily, "Fellas," He said, "There goes the most miserable little man in the whole Third Reich."