Ties That Bind Us
Corporal Delia Louise Newkirk knocked twice, paused and knocked again. She was standing on the front porch of a small cottage, surrounded by many trees, with a huge yard. Corporal Louis LeBeau was with her.
The two prisoners from Stalag 13 were on a mission to retrieve a map containing the location of new war-plants in the area. The door opened and a medium sized but young women opened the door and peeked out.
"The daisies grow well," she commented.
"When we eat meatballs for dinner," LeBeau continued.
"And blue birds pull worms from the ground," the lady spoke.
"As we drink champagne and eat caviar," Delia Louise finished.
The women opened the door and greeted them with a smile.
"Come in, come in," she gestured.
"It's so good to see you Khristina ," LeBeau gushed, giving her a peck on the cheek.
"Ahh and you too Louis and Delia Louise," Khristina replied.
"Where's Otto?" Delia Louise asked, looking around.
"Oh he is putting little Gretchen to bed," Khristina replied. "Come sit down and I will get you some coffee."
"Merci," LeBeau said, sitting down on the couch.
Delia Louise sat next to him. She looked up as Otto, a handsome man and the wife of Khristina came down the stairs.
"Louis, Delia Louise!" he cried, rushing to greet them. "We're so glad you made it!"
"We always get worried," Khristina confessed.
"Oh you don't have to worry about us," Delia Louise guffawed.
"We should probably be getting on with business," Otto said. "You two must be back for roll call soon."
Delia Louise and LeBeau nodded. Khristina walked to a small pantry and ducked inside. She returned a moment later carrying a rolled piece of paper. Otto took the roll from her and sat down across from LeBeau and Delia Louise. He opened it and showed them the map, explaining its layout.
Delia Louise looked up as she heard a little pitter-pat pat sound.
"Auntie Delia Louise! Uncle Louis!" a small girl cried.
"Gretchen Marie what are you doing up?" Khristina scolded.
"I heard voices and I wanted to see who it was," Gretchen replied, climbing into Delia Louise's lap. She fidgeted and then climbed into LeBeau's lap.
There was a noise outside. Khristina went to the window to look.
"Gestapo!" she whispered.
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Otto thrust the map into Delia Louise's hand and shoved her toward the stairs. LeBeau picked up Gretchen and hurried after. Silently they crept along in the dark until finding themselves in a bedroom.
"Hide in the closet," Delia Louise whispered. "Keep Gretchen with you and make sure she stays quiet."
LeBeau opened his mouth to protest but closed it. He watched as Delia Louise got down on her belly and inched out into the hall.
Delia Louise stayed as silent as humanly possible to try and catch any of the conversation.
"You are under arrest for treason!" one of the Gestapo officers bellowed.
"We received word from an informant that you have been participating in clandestine activities," another man spoke.
Delia Louise recognized the voice. Major Hochstetter. Chills went down her spine.
"We know nothing of any underground activities," Otto answered.
"We will get out of you what we want to know later," Major Hochstetter cackled. "Arrest them!"
Two of Major Hochstetter's men grabbed Otto and Khristina and dragged them outside.
Delia Louise's heart dropped when she heard him utter the 3 words she dreaded. Search the house.
Quietly she slithered back to LeBeau and Gretchen.
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"They are going to search this house," she announced, in a low voice. "We need to get out of here."
"What about Gretchen?" LeBeau whispered back.
"We'll take her with us," Delia Louise said. "I sure as 'ell ain't going to leave 'er here."
"How are we going to get out?" LeBeau questioned.
"I don't know," Delia Louise replied, looking around.
LeBeau looked up and noticed a grate on the ceiling.
"Dais?" he whispered, pointing upward.
"Hmmm," she thought. "We'll need something to pry it open with. And that's not going to be easy to do without making noise."
"Where's my mommy and daddy?" Gretchen whispered.
Delia Louise couldn't bear to tell Gretchen her parents were being taken away by the Gestapo.
"I don't know honey," Delia Louise replied. "But you need to be very very quiet"
"OK," the small girl whispered.
By now the noise downstairs was getting louder. Delia Louise and LeBeau could tell the Gestapo were tearing through everything. They also knew that it wouldn't be long before the men headed upstairs. Then it would be all over. Not only for Delia Louise, LeBeau and little Gretchen but also for the rest of the men in the operation back at Stalag 13.
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Slowly Delia Louise crawled back out on her stomach. She reached a window and carefully peered outside. She saw no cars, no Gestapo men and no dogs. They were in a room at the back of the house. And to her amazement there was a trellis. She crawled back to the closet. Boy I feel like a snail, Delia Louise thought.
"We're going down the trellis," she announced in a hushed tone.
"And where from there?" LeBeau asked.
"We'll worry about that when we get down," Delia Louise replied.
"I'll take Gretchen down on my back," LeBeau said. "Delia Louise you go down first and see if you can find us some shelter."
"All right," she replied and slithered across the floor again.
Carefully Delia Louise got to her feet and opened the window as far as it would go. It creaked something awful and nearly sent Delia Louise into a panic. When she was sure no one had heard she swung a leg over the sill and got a foothold on the trellis. Slowly and cautiously she made her way down. With her back pressed flatly against the house she looked around for some kind of shelter. Seeing nothing plausible Delia Louise decided they would have to make a break for the woods. Though they would be swarming with Gestapo she was pretty sure she could find the way back to camp without getting caught. She looked up as LeBeau came down the trellis with Gretchen on his back. When he'd come down far enough Delia Louise took the small girl and brought her down the rest of the way.
"We're going to have to break for the woods," she whispered.
"That's going to be risky," he whispered back. "The woods will be filled with SS men."
"I want my mommy and daddy," Gretchen said, sniffling.
"Gretchen listen to me," LeBeau said. "We're going to play a game."
"I like games," she said. "My daddy and I played games all the time."
"Good," LeBeau responded. "We're going to see who can be quiet the longest. Whoever talks first loses."
"I can play that game," she said, with that 5-year-old I-know-it-all tone.
LeBeau put Gretchen on his back and they took off for the woods. Just as they hit them the Gestapo burst into the room they had been hiding in and tore it apart.
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"I'm cold," Gretchen whispered, forgetting about the game.
"I know honey," LeBeau replied. "We'll get you someplace warm"
"Not to much farther," Delia Louise announced, quietly. "We can go in through the Emergency tunnel."
"Can you take Miss Sweet Potato here?" LeBeau asked, smiling at the little bundle on his back.
"Sure," Delia Louise replied, helping Gretchen off of LeBeau. She knelt down so Gretchen could hop on her back.
They walked for another 20 minutes before stopping to rest. LeBeau huddled the tiny girl close to him. It didn't stop her teeth from chattering. The night air was stinging even to LeBeau and he wasn't wearing a nightgown.
"Ok we better get a move on," Delia Louise said. "Can't stay in one place for to long."
LeBeau hiked Gretchen on his back and the group continued their journey.
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"Where could they be?" Corporal Peter Newkirk, Delia Louise's twin brother mused out loud.
"Khristina and Otto were picked up by the Gestapo," Col. Robert Hogan Senior POW officer, spoke, rubbing his chin. "Louis and Delia Louise might have been picked up too."
"I hope little Gretchen is ok," Sergeant Andrew Carter spoke up.
"Who?" Col. Hogan asked.
"Gretchen is Khristina and Otto's little 5 year old daughter," Carter explained.
Out of the small group Carter, Delia Louise and LeBeau were the only ones who ever met Khristina and Otto at their home. No mention of them having a daughter came up until now.
"They are being held by the Hammleburg Gestapo," Sergeant James Kinchloe, the groups radio man announced.
"And if they live through that on to Berlin," Col. Hogan said quietly.
No one spoke. None of them could express what they were feeling. Not only for their comrades but also for Otto and Khristina and especially little Gretchen.
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Delia Louise had left LeBeau and Gretchen behind a little ways until she found the tunnel entrance. She looked around and saw the spotlight headed toward her. Dropping to the ground, she rolled out of the way as the beam hit the spot where she'd been standing. When she was sure the coast was clear she crawled back to Louis and Gretchen. She motioned them to follow. LeBeau handed Gretchen to Delia Louise and opened the lid of the tunnel. He climbed down a bit and then took the little girl under one arm. When he's reached the bottom Delia Louise followed, closing the entrance behind her.
The other men rushed to greet their comrades.
"God we thought you'd been caught by the Gestapo," Newkirk spoke.
"We got lucky," Delia Louise replied. "When Khristina warned us we got up the stairs fast."
"We grabbed Gretchen and the map and hid," LeBeau said. "Then Delia Louise heard the goons say they were going to search the house."
"We climbed down the trellis!" Gretchen screeched, scrambling from LeBeau's arms and racing to Newkirk. She jumped up and down until he picked her up. He took the hat off his head and put it on Gretchen's head.
"Hehe," she giggled.
"I'm Peter," he said introducing himself.
"I'm Gretchen," she answered. Spotting Carter she scrambled out of Newkirk's arms and ran to him. "Uncle Andrew!"
"Hey munchkin," he said, scooping Gretchen up.
Gretchen calmed down enough to take a look around at the others in the tunnel. She knew Andrew, LeBeau and Delia Louise and had just met Peter. But there were two other men she'd never seen before. One of whom was black. He fascinated her. She had never seen anybody who was a different color before. Becoming shy, Gretchen buried her head in Carter's jacket and shoved a finger into her mouth.
Col. Hogan sighed.
"We're going to have to get her to England," he finally spoke.
"The Gestapo are going to be all over when they find out she's missing," Delia Louise pointed out.
"Then we'll keep her here until they stop looking," Col. Hogan replied.
"We can have someone take her to the sub in a week or so," Kinch spoke
Col. Hogan nodded. He was a little leery about having a child around. They didn't have any toys or clothes or anything children needed. To tell the truth he was actually afraid of the little people. When his sister let him hold her first baby he thought he was going to have a heart attack. He became paranoid that he might drop her. And the worst part was when the baby had started to scream. True, Gretchen wasn't a baby but he still felt nervous around her.
"I can measure her for some clothes Col.," Newkirk spoke, breaking Col. Hogan's train of thoughts.
"All right," Col. Hogan replied.
Newkirk took Gretchen from Carter and carried her to the clothing area of the tunnel. Col. Hogan heard him telling her stories of England.
"Kinch you better contact London about her," he said. "They better make arrangements for a family to look after her."
"Any word about Otto and Khristina ?" LeBeau asked.
Col. Hogan shook his head.
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"Peter?" Gretchen timidly spoke.
"Hmmm?" Newkirk mumbled, through a mouth full of pins, as he measured Gretchen.
"Where are my mommy and daddy?" she asked.
Newkirk sucked in a breath, almost forgetting about the pins. He took them out of his mouth and thought for a moment. How do you tell a 5 year old that her parents are probably at this moment being beaten and tortured and if they live will only be sent to a camp where masses of people are killed everyday?
"Some bad men took your parents away honey," Newkirk explained.
"Will they come back?" she questioned.
"I'm not sure," Newkirk replied.
"Why did they take my mommy and daddy?" she asked.
"Your parents were very brave people," he started. "They knew that Hitler and the Nazis were bad people and that they hurt others. So they did things to help people not be hurt by the bad men."
"How come the bad men hurt people?" Gretchen inquired.
"Do you know who Hitler is?" he asked.
"Yes," Gretchen replied, nodding. "He's the head guy in Germany."
"Well Hitler is a very persuasive man," Newkirk spoke.
"What does pervasive mean?" Gretchen asked, scrunching her face.
Newkirk giggled at her mis-pronunciation of the word.
"That's persuasive missy," he answered. "And it means that Hitler is able to get people to do what he wants by promising them things."
"What kind of things?" Gretchen questioned.
"He promises them that they will be the masters of the world," Newkirk answered, trying to explain in a way that a 5 year old would understand.
"So my mommy and daddy helped the good people?" she said.
"Yes," Newkirk replied, waiting for her to spring another question. But she didn't. All she did was sigh and look forlornly at the floor.
"What's going to happen to me?" she finally asked.
"That's up to Col. Hogan," Newkirk replied, sticking another pin in the fabric.
"Who is Col. Hogan?" she questioned.
"He's the man that has on the brown jacket and hat," Newkirk replied. "He'll make sure you're safe."
Gretchen yawned. "I'm sleepy."
"I'm almost done," Newkirk said, looking at his watch. It was nearly midnight. "A few more pins and then we'll get you to bed."
Newkirk finished his pinning a few moments later, and then he slipped the crude cloth off the little girl and picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder. He carried her into the main room and she fell asleep on his shoulder.
"What are we going to do about sleeping accommodations?" Newkirk whispered, gesturing to the sleeping child.
"We can't keep her down here," Col. Hogan replied, a twinge in his heart. Seeing Gretchen reminded him of his sisters when they were that little.
"I think there's an extra bunk upstairs," Delia Louise said. "Near the door to your office."
"If someone comes in we'll just have to get her in there quick," LeBeau said.
"I guess it'll have to do," Col. Hogan sighed. "You uh…better get her upstairs"
Newkirk nodded and carried the little bundle into the main room of the barracks. He pulled back the top blanket on the empty bunk, and gently set Gretchen on the mattress and pulled the blanket back over her.
Carter was already upstairs, sitting at the table with Kinch. He yawned and Newkirk noticing, jokingly stated, "Awww sleepy Carter. Would you like me to tuck you in too?"
Kinch laughed. Carter snickered.
"I stopped being tucked in when I was 20," He replied proudly.
This set Newkirk and Kinch into giggles. They quickly remembered Gretchen sleeping across the room and quieted down.
"I should probably get to work on Gretchen's clothes," Newkirk said, sighing.
Carter sipped his coffee and looked toward the tunnel entrance as Col. Hogan and LeBeau came up.
"All right let's get to bed men," Col. Hogan ordered, hitting the panel that closed the tunnel. "Before Klink or Schultz comes in."
The men nodded and started changing into long-johns. Delia Louise grabbed her pajamas and headed into Col. Hogan's office. She came out a few minutes later, buttoning her top button. Col. Hogan smiled at her as he passed into his quarters.
Everyone climbed into their bunks. Newkirk sat on his and started sewing Gretchen's skirt. He yawned but continued to work until his eyes started to blur over. Then he set the fabric on the table, climbed back onto his bunk and fell asleep.
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Gretchen sat on one of the benches at the main table of the barracks swinging her legs back and forth. She watched in fascination as LeBeau made scrambled eggs on a little stove that plugged into a light hanging on the ceiling.
"I like eggs," she announced, smiling.
"I wish I could cook you more of a gourmet meal but unfortunately supplies are a little short," He replied.
"That's ok," she conceded, picking at her pajamas.
"I think Peter is almost done with your clothes," LeBeau remarked, figuring that she was obviously tired of wearing a nightgown. "And Delia Louise went into town to get some shoes and other things for you."
Gretchen sighed.
"What's wrong little one?" he asked.
"I miss my mommy and daddy," she said quietly.
"I know you do," he replied, gathering the little girl into his arms. "We all miss our families."
Gretchen giggled.
"What's so funny?" LeBeau asked.
"The eggs are burning," she replied, giggling and pointing.
"AH!" LeBeau shrieked and rushed to salvage the burning meal.
Gretchen continued to giggle.
"Oh you think that's funny do you?" LeBeau jokingly asked. He grabbed Gretchen and began to tickle her.
"Stop! Stop!" she shrieked, between laughter and trying to wriggle out of LeBeau's grasp. When he stopped tickling her she climbed back up on her stool.
"I'm hungry," she stated.
"Here you go," LeBeau replied, spooning eggs out on a plate and setting it in front of her. He found a fork and buttered a piece of bread and handed those to her also.
"Thank you!" Gretchen said and began to eat.
She looked up as Newkirk emerged from Col. Hogan's room.
"Hey doll," he greeted her. "I finished these for you."
"Yay!" she shrieked, forgetting she had a mouthful of eggs. They dribbled down her chin and shot across the table.
"She eats like Carter," Newkirk said, laughing.
LeBeau snickered and cleaned up the eggs.
"Finish eating before you change," he told her.
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When LeBeau heard the familiar noise that someone was down in the tunnel and wanted to come up he hit the panel. Delia Louise and Kinch popped up. Kinch's face looked solemn. Delia Louise was holding a pair of little shoes and a brown bag.
"What's wrong Kinch?" Newkirk asked.
"I'd rather not say in front of Gretchen," he whispered.
"I'll take her and get her changed," Delia Louise said, walking over to the little girl. She took her by the hand and led her to Col. Hogan's office.
"I just got word from one of our informants," Kinch began. "Gretchen's mother died this morning."
Newkirk's heart dropped.
"What about her father?" he asked.
"They're going to try and question him more," Kinch replied. "If he doesn't tell them anything in the next couple of hours he's going to be put in front of a firing squad."
"How…" LeBeau began. "How are we supposed to explain to that little girl in there that her parents are dead?"
"That's not the worst part," Kinch spoke. "The Gestapo is looking for Gretchen."
"What!" Newkirk yelled. "What the bloody 'ell do they want with a 5 year old child?"
"For some reason they think she knows something," Kinch answered.
"That's flippin ridiculous," Newkirk growled, angrily.
"The sub will pick her up in about a week and a half," Kinch announced, hoping this would cheer the others up at least a little. It didn't.
They looked up as Carter burst through the door out of breath.
"Major…Hochstetter," he panted. "Here…"
LeBeau, Newkirk and Kinch rushed to the window.
"He's probably here searching for Gretchen," Kinch said.
"I doubt he's here for a nice dinner and champagne," LeBeau said sarcastically.
"Cripes!" Newkirk yelped. "'E's heading this way!"
Delia Louise came out of Col. Hogan's office holding Gretchen's hand. Before she could even ask what was going on Kinch picked up the little girl, opened the tunnel and took her downstairs. After a quick reminder to be quiet he came back up and closed the tunnel.
"What's going on?" Delia Louise finally asked.
"Hochstetter's here," Newkirk explained.
"Everybody act casual," Carter ordered.
"Where's Col. Hogan?" LeBeau asked.
"Haven't seen him since-" Kinch began but was interrupted by the door flinging open. Major Hochstetter sauntered in, behind him were Col. Klink, Schultz, Col. Hogan, and a few of the major's SS men.
Quietly Delia Louise backed into Col. Hogan's office and looked for a place to stash Gretchen's nightgown. She opted to shove it in the Col.'s locker, inside one of his uniform shirts. Thinking quickly, she took her hat off and came back out of the office.
"What were you doing?" Major Hochstetter demanded to know, pointing at Delia Louise.
"I left my hat in Col. Hogan's office," she explained, holding up the hat and then putting it back on her head. Major Hochstetter glared at her menacingly.
"I am here to search the barracks," he explained, walking around. "We are looking for a small child. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?"
"About a small child?" Newkirk asked. "Well I can tell you where they come from. You see it all starts when two people love each other very much. Or in the case of my parents-"
"Bah!" Hochstetter bellowed. "I am not interested in stories Corporal. Until we find that child all Luft Stalags will be watched by the Gestapo."
Major Hochstetter ordered his men to search the barracks. When finding no trace of anything suspicious he grumbled and then left, his men, Klink and Schultz following behind.
"That…." Newkirk began. "Was too close."
The others nodded. Kinch walked over to the tunnel entrance and opened it. Gretchen stood at the bottom staring up at him, her eyes wide.
"You can come up now," he said.
She cautiously climbed the ladder. Kinch helped her over the side when she got up.
"Was one of the bad men here?" she asked.
"Yes," Col. Hogan spoke. "One of the bad men was here."
"Are they looking for me?" Gretchen questioned, looking at the floor.
No one answered.
"They want to find me," she continued. "Because I know things."
"What?" Col. Hogan asked, flabbergasted.
"I know things," Gretchen replied, calmly.
Col. Hogan found it hard to believe this admission.
"What kinds of things?" he asked her.
"Sometimes late at night I heard my mommy and daddy talking," she started, pausing for a moment. "One night when I was being really quiet I sneaked into their room and I saw my daddy talking on a radio. The man he was talking to sounded like Auntie Delia Louise and Uncle Pete"
"Did you hear any of the conversation?" Col. Hogan questioned.
Gretchen nodded her head.
"They were talking about blowing something up," Gretchen told him.
"Do you remember what it was?" Newkirk asked, kneeling down next to Gretchen.
"I think it was a bridge," she replied. "But I don't remember. Then a few nights later I heard my mommy talking about how it never got blowed up."
"Did you ever tell anybody about this?" Col. Hogan asked.
"No!" she replied, defensively. "But one day at school a man came to our class and talked to us. He had a black uniform with one of those funny signs on it."
"All right you don't need to tell me any more," Col. Hogan said, patting Gretchen's shoulder apprehensively.
Now it was becoming apparent that Gretchen was not just any ordinary 5-year-old.
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"Gin!" Gretchen screeched, tossing her cards down on the table and clapping her hands.
"Beaten by a 5 year old, Peter," Delia Louise joked. "Boy…you're losing your touch."
"I wouldn't be surprised if she could crack safes and pick pockets," Carter interjected.
"Leave off," Newkirk replied, annoyedly, dealing out another hand of cards.
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Meanwhile down in the tunnel, Col. Hogan and Kinch had found out some interesting things.
"Gretchen wasn't really Otto and Khristina 's daughter," Kinch explained. "She's the daughter of Jewish farmers. When the deportation started Gretchen was just a baby. Her biological parents gave her up to Otto and Khristina , hoping she'd be safe. As they knew there was no way to get out of the country with her. Her real name was Gretchen Bennui"
"What happened to her real parents?" Col. Hogan asked.
"They were caught trying to flee the country and sent to a concentration camp," Kinch explained. "Both of them are dead."
Col. Hogan swallowed. He felt a surge of anger bubble inside him. What had this little girl done to deserve a life like this? What had any of the children and the adults caught in this war done to deserve any of what went on? Damn Hitler. Damn him all to hell. Someone should throw that bastard into a concentration camp and let him rot there. But Col. Hogan didn't see that happening any time soon. He would keep killing until he got what he wanted. Complete power.
"Any word on Otto?" Col. Hogan asked, trying to force his anger to the back of his mind. Kinch had told him earlier about Khristina .
"Not yet," Kinch replied, standing up. He put a hand on the Col.'s shoulder. "What say we go and see what LeBeau's cookin for dinner."
"All right Kinch," Col. Hogan replied, smiling.
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"Mmm," Carter hummed, breathing in the aroma of LeBeau's cooking. "Smells great."
"Merci," the chef replied, smiling.
Newkirk and Gretchen were sitting on the floor playing with a set of paper dolls Delia Louise had cut out of some scraps she'd found in the tunnel.
"Who's this?" Newkirk asked, holding up a doll with brownish hair.
"That's Mavis," Delia Louise replied. "She's a nurse."
Newkirk gulped.
"Mavis?" he questioned, his voice quivering.
"I named her after Auntie Delia Louise and your sister," she replied. " Auntie Delia Louise told me about her and how she lives in England."
"And who is this?" Newkirk asked, holding up a smaller female cutout.
"That's me!" Gretchen squealed. "And this is you."
She held up a male cutout in a blue uniform.
"Is this Andrew?" Newkirk asked, holding up another one.
"Yep," she replied. "And this is Uncle Louis, and Auntie Delia Louise and Uncle James, and Uncle Col."
"Uncle Col.?" Newkirk questioned, laughing.
"I don't know his real name," Gretchen replied, defensively.
"Well I'll let you in on a little secret," Newkirk whispered. "It's Robert"
"Ok," she spoke. "Then this is Uncle Robert"
"I'm going to go see how dinner is coming," he told her, standing up. "You keep playing."
"Ok," she said, completely absorbed in her own world.
"That little kid is something," Newkirk whispered to LeBeau, watching Gretchen have a conversation with two of the dolls.
"She sure is," LeBeau replied.
"It makes me angry that she has to go through all this," Carter said, coming up to Newkirk and LeBeau. "It makes me angry that any kid has to go through war. I mean it bothers me that adults have to go through it too…. but kids are another story altogether."
"I know exactly how you feel Andrew," Newkirk sighed and put his hand on Carter's shoulder.
"We all do mon amis," LeBeau said comfortingly. "Now let's get dinner on the table before the stampede."
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Newkirk and Carter helped LeBeau set the table. Dinner was ready 15 minutes later and everyone sat down together to eat. It reminded Carter of dinners back home. Of his brothers and sisters arguing, and his parents and whatever relative happened to be eating with them talking about things beyond the comprehension of a child. One incident stuck firmly in his mind. It was Easter Sunday and after church almost all of his relatives had come over for dinner, bringing with them a dish to pass. Carter was about 5 and his sister Anna was 3. They snuck into the kitchen and found a huge pot sitting on one of the counters. Finding no chairs to stand on they decided to get the mystery pot down by themselves. When they did so it fell, crashing to the floor, spilling soup all over and causing Andrew and Anna to slip in the mess. Mr. and Mrs. Carter came rushing into the kitchen along with the rest of the guests. And there were Andrew and Anna sitting in the middle of a steadily growing puddle of soup. Both children were crying hysterically but everyone thought the incident was so funny they weren't punished.
Carter was brought back to reality by someone calling his name.
"Andrew?" Newkirk asked.
"Huh?" Carter replied, jerking his head up.
"Are you all right?" Newkirk questioned. "You've been sitting there staring for 10 minutes."
"Yeah I'm fine," Carter answered, putting a forkful of food in his mouth. "I was just thinking about something."
Newkirk nodded apprehensively and turned back to his own meal.
Gretchen reached across the table for the salt, knocking Col. Hogan's glass over and sending water into his lap and across the table. He jumped up, knocking his stool over.
"Ahh!" he shrieked.
Gretchen stood up and ran across the room, covering her ears and kneeling in a corner. She started to cry.
Newkirk ran to comfort her while Carter grabbed a towel to mop up the water on the table.
"I'm going to go change my pants, Col. Hogan spoke, wringing some of the liquid from the bottom of his jacket. He walked into his office and shut the door.
"I didn't mean to!" Gretchen screeched her hands over her ears.
"Shhh, " Newkirk soothed. "It was an accident. It's all right."
"Uncle Robert hates me!" she wailed.
Newkirk wasn't quite sure how to respond. It was true that Col. Hogan had tried to steer clear from Gretchen as much as possible. He didn't seem to bond with her like the rest of the heroes did.
"He doesn't hate you," Newkirk started. "He just…doesn't know how to act around you."
"Why not?" Gretchen replied, sniffling and taking her hands away from her ears.
"I don't know," Newkirk replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Now why don't you come back to the table and finish your dinner."
"Ok," she tentatively responded, taking Newkirk's hand and following him back to the table.
The rest of dinner was spent in silence. Col. Hogan stayed in his office the rest of the night. Gretchen played with her dolls for 20 minutes before falling asleep on the floor. Once she was asleep, activity in the barracks had to be kept to a minimum. Finally everyone else decided to just go to bed also.
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The next morning the men and Delia Louise went out on a work detail. Col. Hogan, being an officer did not have to work. He stayed back at camp to catch up on some paperwork. This meant he was on babysitting duty. Gretchen sat on the floor outside his open door playing with her cutouts. He didn't realize she was watching him. Gretchen got up and walked into the office. She stood next to his desk and stood on tiptoes to see what he was doing.
"What are you writing?" she asked.
"This is a list of what the prisoners want from the Red Cross for the month," he explained nervously.
"Can I sit in your lap?" she questioned.
"I guess," he answered, helping Gretchen up.
"What's on the list?" Gretchen asked.
"Oh…things like soap and aspirin and new toothbrushes," Col. Hogan explained.
"How come you have to ask for those things?" she wanted to know. "My mommy and daddy never had to ask for soap or a new toothbrush."
"That's a good question," Col. Hogan spoke, laughing at the little girl's inquisitive nature.
"I think it's silly that you have to ask for things like that," she stated, scrunching up her face.
"I totally agree with you," he replied.
A noise outside came to his attention. He lifted Gretchen off his lap and hurried to the window, opening it a crack. Major Hochstetter's car had pulled into camp. Col. Hogan watched as the Gestapo man got out and went into Klink's office. He was dragging Delia Louise by the arm.
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"Come on Gretchen," Col. Hogan spoke, quickly. You've got to go down in the tunnel."
"Are bad men here?" she asked, her voice quivering.
"Yes they are munchkin," he replied, picking her up and hurrying to the tunnel entrance. Quickly he hit the panel and made sure she was safely down before closing it. He turned around and spotted the paper dolls on the floor and Gretchen's nightgown hanging from the end of a bunk. Quickly he snatched both of these things up and looked around for a place to hide them. He opted to put them in the fake fire wood bin. Just as he closed the lid the door burst open. Major Hochstetter stormed in, clutching on to Delia Louise's arm. There was a cut on her face but she didn't seem too phased by it.
"What's going on here?" Col. Hogan demanded. "How dare you treat one of my crew like that"
"Someone in town spotted this women Colonel," Hochstetter spat. "Explain that!"
He swung Delia Louise around, wrenching her arm. There was a crunching sound and a dull pop. Delia Louise wailed and sank to the ground holding her injured limb. Col. Hogan winced and made a move toward her. Major Hochstetter kicked her in the thigh.
"GET UP!" he bellowed, yanking her up by her injured arm.
Col. Hogan couldn't believe that Hochstetter was doing this in front of him. He stepped in.
"Touch her again and you'll be sorry," he warned.
"You dare to tell me what to do?" Hochstetter growled.
"Damn right," Col. Hogan retorted. "Go ahead and beat me but leave Delia Louise alone. What kind of country beats women? What kind of country beats anyone for that matter?"
Hochstetter glared at Col. Hogan with piercing eyes. He grabbed his gun from the holster and backhanded Col. Hogan across the face with the butt of it. The officer spun, falling backwards and cracking his head against the stove. An evil smile crossed Hochstetter's face as he turned the gun around and aimed the barrel at Col. Hogan.
"The end of the line Col. Hogan," he snarled, pulling back the hammer.
"NOOOOO!" Delia Louise shrieked, diving at Hochstetter. She knocked him to the floor and tried to wrestle the gun from his hand. He pulled the trigger and a shot rang out, missing Delia Louise's head by inches and going through the ceiling. She continued to struggle with him, the pain in her arm intensifying. Major Hochstetter fought back, trying to force Delia Louise to point the gun at herself.
"The end of the line Major Hochstetter," Delia Louise growled. Quickly she flipped the gun just as the major pulled the trigger. It went off, going through his chest. Delia Louise knew that she would be accused of killing the major. She grabbed a handkerchief and wiped off the gun, placing it in Hochstetter's hand to make it look like he had shot himself. Then she threw the handkerchief into the stove and burned it. She stood and tried to walk to Col. Hogan but the pain in her arm was so severe she couldn't keep conscious any longer and collapsed on the floor.
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Delia Louise opened her eyes slowly and found herself looking at the bottom of a bunk. Her arm was draped across her chest and bound in a sling. She was covered with a blanket. Newkirk was sitting next to the bed.
"Hey," he spoke quietly.
Delia Louise tried to move and pain shot down her side.
"Don't move," Newkirk ordered.
"Gretchen…Col. Hogan," she whispered weakly.
"They're both fine," Newkirk comforted. "Gretchen's with Carter. Col. Hogan just has a mild concussion and a bruised jawbone. What the bloody 'ell went on here?"
"Major Hochstetter dragged me back here," Delia Louise started. "I guess someone saw me in town buying shoes and identified me. He wrenched my arm out of the socket and then when Col. Hogan stepped in he 'it him across the face with the butt of his gun. When the colonel fell back and cracked his head against the stove Hochstetter was going to shoot him. I dove and knocked him over and a shot hit the ceiling. Then I turned the gun on him and he pulled the trigger."
"Kinch did some fancy footwork to get them to believe that Major Hochstetter killed himself," Newkirk explained. "They were ready to take you to the firing squad"
"I guess I really owe Kinch one," Delia Louise said.
"London has arranged a pickup for Gretchen in two days," Newkirk announced. "After being informed of what happened they decided that for our safety and Gretchen's it would be better. She's going to be staying with Mavis and Michael."
"What?" Delia Louise asked, turning and wincing at the pain.
"They are making adoption arrangements for Gretchen," Newkirk explained. "I'll explain more later. Right now you need to get some rest."
Delia Louise nodded. Newkirk got up and walked across the room. In just a few minutes Delia Louise was fast asleep.
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It was two days later. Everyone was in the tunnel preparing for Gretchen's trip to England. Even Col. Hogan had come down after much protesting from the other men about his condition. Aside from a huge discolored bruise on his face he said he was fine.
Lily, who was one of their underground contacts, would take Gretchen to the sub. She was holding a small suitcase that Carter had packed. After Gretchen had given everyone a hug goodbye she promised that she would write when she learned how.
"I had fun playing with you all," she said, smiling.
"We had fun playing with you too love," Newkirk replied, giving her a peck on the cheek.
"You be a good girl in England Gretchen," Delia Louise told her and gave her a hug.
"I will," she assured them.
They watched as Lily and Gretchen left the tunnel.
"It was kind of fun having a little kid around," Col. Hogan spoke.
"Yeah," Carter conceded.
"It seems kind of empty without having her here," Delia Louise said.
Everyone nodded. They all knew though that the sooner they got back to their regular activities the better.
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It had been almost 3 months since Gretchen had been at Stalag 13. In the time that passed the heroes received word that Otto had indeed been sent in front of a firing squad. The news saddened them all. But a letter from Gretchen arrived a few days later. It had come in code and was signed by Mavis and Michael. When Kinch decoded it he found it was written in the usual kid-like manner. With a few spelling mistakes and such. But everyone understood it.
February 27
Dear Uncle Louis, Uncle Andrew, Uncle Robert, Uncle James, Uncle Peter and Auntie Delia Louise,
Hi! It's mee, Gretchen. Mommy Mavis is helping me write this letter. I wanted to write to all of you. England is funn. I turned 6 yeers old last month and I started skool. I also have a new big sister. Shee is nice and takes me to skool sometimes. Thank you fore taking care of mee when I was at Stalge 13 and not letting the bad men gett mee. I miss you all and I hope you can come visite mee soon. Bye.
Love,
Gretchen
"I'm glad she's all right and is doing good," Newkirk spoke.
Everyone else agreed.
"I miss her being here," Carter said.
"We all do," Delia Louise replied, putting her arm around Carter's shoulder. " We all do. But just remember that she is safe."
Everyone nodded and Newkirk dealt out the cards for a game of Gin.