The T.V. show Hogan's Heroes belongs to Bing Crosby Productions. No ownership of the Hogan's Heroes characters is implied or inferred, and no infringement is intended.

Chapter Four

Yesterday's Heroes

"Can you hear me? What is your name?" Dr. Weinzaphel opened the prisoner's eyes and shined a light into them, checking for pupil reaction, which was a mistake. Hogan attempted to fight him off. Three orderlies were quickly at Weinzaphel's side. "Get him strapped down!" Weinzaphel ordered. Turning back to Biedenbender, he asked, "How aggressive do you want me to be in order to save him?"

Biedenbender looked at the unconscious prisoner, "It is the Fuhrer who wants him alive. I suggest you do everything in your power!"

Weinzaphel paled and mumbled, "Why didn't you say so in the first place?" He turned back around and cut through the bandage Hogan had fashioned for himself, and asked again, "What is your name?" There was no response.

Weinzaphel glanced at Biedenbender. "He's not responding." The doctor began his examination and probed the wound on Hogan's abdomen. This elicited a reaction and Hogan moaned pulling at the restraints. His eyes opened partially and a tear ran over the dried blood on the right side of his face.

"He seems to be responding now," Biedenbender observed.

"Not cognitively." Weinzaphel answered. "He needs surgery, which means he'll need blood. I can't give blood to a prisoner without a signature. Are you willing to authorize treatment?" Weinzaphel asked as he continued his examination.

Biedenbender nodded, "Tell me where to sign."

"All right then." Weinzaphel began calling out orders to the nurses and orderlies and Hogan was soon being whisked away. Biedenbender followed Weinzaphel into the surgical suites and stood at the sink listening as the doctor scrubbed for surgery. Weinzaphel ran through a list of the prisoner's injuries. "I'm not making any promises."

Biedenbender stepped to the surgery room doors and looked through the windows at his prisoner. Hogan alternated between writhing in conscious agony, and blessed unconscious oblivion, as he was undressed and positioned to expose his injuries for surgery. "This man has information I…the Fatherland wants," Biedenbender mumbled, in answer to the surgeon. You cling to life, Commander. Biedenbender nodded approvingly to himself. We are both determined men.

Ahem! Weinzaphel cleared his throat and Biedenbender turned to look at him.

"What? Oh!" The Oberst stepped back allowing the doctor to pass.

Weinzaphel entered the operating room and, holding his surgically scrubbed hands up in front of him, paused at the bedside for one last evaluation of Hogan's awareness. "Colonel, Colonel Hogan, can you hear me?" he questioned from behind his surgical mask. Looking closely at Hogan's closed eyes he thought he saw movement under the lids. Was this recognition?

Dr. Klein, the anesthesiologist, began to place the anesthesia mask over his patient's mouth and nose."Wait!" Weinzaphel stopped him and leaning toward Hogan tried again. "Colonel Hogan, can you hear me?" Hogan ever so slightly opened his eyes and managed a guttural broken sound before closing them again as the mask settled onto his face.

"His blood pressure is dropping; we'd better get started." Klein began administering the ether.

Weinzaphel glanced back toward the door where Biedenbender was peering in, and nodded to him, as he called out, "There appears to still be some acknowledgment there. It may not be a lost cause, after all."

Biedenbender nodded back, "Good. I will wait for you to finish. Find me when you are done!" Biedenbender left the operating room suites to join Rolf.

Weinzaphel was gowned and gloved as his assistant and scrub nurse placed surgical drapes over their patient. Stepping up to the sterile operating field, Weinzaphel placed the hand held retractors into the larger more serious abdominal wound and handed them to his assistant. The wound opened up exposing the shrapnel embedded within. After closer examination, he looked at the anesthesiologist. "Are you ready to start giving him blood? When I take this out he's going to start bleeding profusely and it goings to take me a few minutes to get everything tied or clamped off."

Klein nodded. "I've already accessed the vein and have a slow drip going. All I'll have to do is increase the flow. I'm ready when you are."

Weinzaphel nodded as the circulating nurse in charge of maintaining the sterility of the operating field dabbed at a bead of perspiration dripping down Weinzaphel's right temple. Weinzaphiel waited for her to finish and then grasped hold of the irregularly shaped piece of metal with a surgical clamp and pulled while announcing, "Here we go!"

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"Where is he?" Rolf asked as he returned from phoning their superiors and telling them that Commander Hogan had been found…alive.

"They've taken him to surgery. I authorized it."

Rolf's expression turned more serious, "Aren't you sticking your neck out a little, Heinrich?"

Biedenbender shrugged, "I don't think so. The original order was alive if possible."

"Yeah, but it didn't say anything about taking him to surgery to do it. You know there is a shortage of everything with the war," Rolf reminded.

Biedenbender looked into the concerned face of his friend and laughed. "If the higher ups don't like it, I'll have them take the blood he's given back before we shoot him."

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Four hours later Weinzaphel returned with the news the surgery had gone well and the patient was in recovery.

"Keep him sedated. I don't want him getting up and walking out of here," Biedenbender ordered. "I wouldn't want General Burkhalter to get here and not find a patient."

"General Burkhalter is coming?" Weinzaphel asked. "When were you notified?"

Biedenbender nodded, "While you were in surgery. He and a few other officers are coming to see the prisoner. The General wants credit for authorizing treatment on the Allied flyer and will be the one to sign your papers. They will also want to go through his belongings."

"I see. Well, you needn't be concerned. There is no way your prisoner can get up and walk out of here. But I will keep him sedated…heavily sedated. How long do you plan on leaving him here?" Weinzaphel asked. "We'll be using up supplies and bed space."

"Only until moving him won't kill him. Colonel Hogan will be going to Kommandant Killinger for interrogation at the Durchgangslager der Luftwaffe. He only has to be strong enough to speak coherently and answer our questions."

"Very good. Tell Kommandant Killinger he should be able to have his prisoner in seven to ten days, barring any complications. Is there anything else, Herr Oberst? If not, I have patients who are deserving of my attention to see."

"I won't keep you from your duties any longer, doctor." Biedenbender paused and then added, "Oh, there is one more thing; I don't want my name mentioned to the American Colonel."

"Don't worry; I won't mention your name! And he won't remember anything. He had lost too much blood and was in shock before his surgery. Auf Wiedersehen!" Weinzaphel ended the conversation abruptly and quickly disappeared down the hall.

Biedenbender turned and started off in the opposite direction. "Where are you going now, Heinrich? I thought we were going to swing by Auswertestelle West and talk to Kommandant Killinger and then get on with our lives!" Rolf trotted along beside Biedenbender as he made his way toward his undisclosed destination. They stopped outside a swinging door and Biedenbender looked through the window before stepping inside. His eyes soon fell on a figure lying on a gurney in a corner of the room. A nurse had just spiked and hung an IV bottle whose tubing was running into the patient's arm. Biedenbender approached the bed, while the nurse picked up a moist cloth and dabbed at the perspiration on the man's face.

"Mmmm," the patient moaned and his eyelids parted just a bit.

"Shh, Herr Colonel, Go back to sleep."

Biedenbender stepped closer and watched as Hogan's body, still in shock, trembled and he again closed his eyes. Yes, Colonel, you're still alive. You have caused too much pain and suffering to be allowed to die. That would be too easy…too quick.

"Oh! Who are you?" the startled nurse asked, turning to see the two officers standing behind her.

"That is not important! Go about your business," Rolf demanded.

"This man cannot talk to you; he is still groggy from surgery," the nurse informed them.

"We are not here to talk, nurse. Now leave us!" Rolf continued firmly.

"Well, if you don't want to talk, what do you want?" the nurse continued to question.

Biedenbender, having looked again at the face of his enemy, was satisfied he would not forget it. You don't look nearly as menacing lying there on your back, Colonel! Seeing you like that one might make the mistake of thinking you were human, instead of an ogre capable of inflicting pain and destruction on our people. Biedenbender tore his eyes away from the broken man laying on the gurney, and turned to the nurse. "Don't worry, nurse, we're leaving." Biedenbender clicked his heels and turned for the door, with Rolf again close by his side.

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