As always, my thanks go to Marilyn, who makes all the difference.
Chapter NineEven prepared and at full strength, Newkirk could not support one hundred seventy pounds in free-fall. Hogan's nosedive jerked him off his feet and he fell heavily over his CO's upper back. Winded, he struggled to get off the motionless body beneath him.
"Cuh-" Newkirk gasped, floundering and then managing to push himself off Hogan's back and onto his knees. "Colonel Hogan! Colonel!"
He tugged and pushed Hogan onto his back. Cajoling, begging and slapping had no effect. Murmuring apologies, Newkirk resorted to desperate measures and shoved down hard on the officer's injured shoulder, hoping the pain would rouse Hogan as it had before. Not a twitch or moan. The officer was deeply unconscious. Too deep for even pain to reach him.
Newkirk sought out the slow beat in Hogan's neck, flinching at the skin's corpse-like iciness. He stared, his mind spinning in fear.
Fell like a stone. Out like a light. Cold as ice. Dead to the world.
The last cliché broke his control. Newkirk clutched Hogan's shoulders, leaned close and called to him, trying to reach the officer with his voice.
"Guv'nor, please. Wake up. We're close. Just a little further. You can do it."
Warmth blurred the vision in Newkirk's eye. Impatiently, he brushed the back of his hand across it, then stilled, startled again by the sight of blood on his hand.
Lovely. Must have re-opened the cut when we fell. Doesn't matter.
Using his sleeve, he blotted the stickiness away from his eye, then wasted no more time on his own needs. The longer Hogan went without help, the closer he moved to death's door. And in Newkirk's vivid imagination, his CO already had one foot across the threshold with the Grim Reaper's skeletal hand locked around his wrist pulling him onward.
Carry him? Can I? Never know until I try. Got to try.
Realistically, he knew his chances at actually accomplishing the feat were slim to none. His exertions had warmed him, even dried his clothing in places. But he felt shaky, sapped of most of his strength from having been so cold, and his head was throbbing with sickening intensity.
Not going to stop me from trying. I'm not letting you die, Guv'nor.
"You hear that, Guv'nor?" Newkirk demanded, staggering to his feet. "You," he hissed, leaning down to grab up Hogan's good arm. "Are not . . . " he pulled the limp body into a sitting position, then taking a deep breath, hauled him onto his back. "Going to die!"
He managed two tiny steps - and then fell flat on his face, Hogan's weight pinning him to the ground. Groaning in pain, Newkirk closed his eyes and pillowed his aching head on his arm.
"Oh, well done, Peter."
HH HH HH HH HH
"Where is that –" Bensonmuttered under his breath, raking the trees with another seething glare. He did not believe anything had happened to the fiery Italian. But if he did not show up in the next sixty seconds, Benson was going to make certain something did.
Maddux's nostrils flared in anger and he took a single, measured step toward Benson. "Hold on one daggone minute. Tivoli would never-"
"No, I wouldn't."
The Italian seemed to magically appear at the edge of the trees behind Jones, Broughton and Maddux. He sauntered closer and stopped in front of Benson, hands coming to rest on his hips. A smirk curled his lips.
"I found a way across."
HH HH HH HH HH
"Look, Katie. There's one of your friends over there by the nature path. What was her name again? Oh, yes. April. Nice name, that. Looks like she's got a new bicycle. Do you want to go play with her? I can finish this another –"
"Steady on! No need to yell so loud. My hearing isn't that bad. I was teasing you lot. Not done yet, by far. Just let me get a drink from the fountain over there first. There's still some telling to this tale and I'm a bit parched. Be right back."
"See. Didn't take long, even with this bum leg. Benjamin, where did you put that gum you were chewing on? Katie? Teddy? A little help, here. Where did he – Oh, that's good. You did good, little mate. What? Well, it's wise to always check things out before sitting. Especially in a park with wee ones around. And gum. And pigeons. Remember that. Saves on the cleaning bills."
"Now, if we're all comfortable again, let's get back to the tale."
HH HH HH HH HH
"Wait a minute," Benson ordered Tivoli, not realizing his words nearly echoed Maddux's from a moment before. Shifting his gaze to Maddux, Benson said, "Follow that patrol. If they don't find Newkirk and Hogan, go directly back to camp. If they do find them, don't do anything, no matter how much you want to. Just beat it back to camp and let Baker know about it. Got it?"
Maddux glanced at Tivoli, then back at Benson. "Got it." He moved forward, but Benson stopped him with a hand to the chest.
"Be careful. I've gotten used to seeing your ugly mug hanging around."
Maddux studied him for a long moment, then took off into the trees after the Germans. Benson turned to Jones.
"This is it for you and Olsen –"
"Hey!" Olsen's whisper vibrated with indignation. "What –"
"Let them know what's going on," Benson continued stolidly, ignoring Olsen's glare. "Baker's probably going ape by now."
Tivoli let out a quiet snort of amusement, turning his head to stare out at the river. Determined he was not going to be ignored, Olsen stepped around Benson and into his field of vision.
"Benson, I –"
Benson grabbed him by the nape of the neck and pulled him off to the side. "Look, Olsen. I don't have time to sugar this up. The night's almost gone and we need to move fast. You're running on fumes and I can't be worrying about you passing out somewhere when I'm not looking. At this point, you're more hindrance than help. You've done all you can. Now go with Jones." He looked into the dark, wounded eyes, softening his harsh words by murmuring, "I understand how you feel."
Olsen slowly exhaled, all the fight draining out of him. Giving Benson a shaky grin, he swung around to face the others, who were waiting with ill-concealed impatience.
"You heard him, Jonesie. Let's go home."
Benson watched the two men until they disappeared from view, conscious of Tivoli and Broughton watching him in turn. Steeling himself, he pivoted on his heel to face them.
"We're not crossing."
HH HH HH HH HH
"Now, now. I'm coming to that. All in good time, Teddy. You get much farther out on the bench and you're going to fall off. Sit back now. Katie, what did I tell you about that shoe? On, young miss."
"Tivoli wasn't all that bad, little mate. But he seemed that way when he first came to Stalag 13. Prickly as a pear, that one, with a chip on his shoulder so big it would have given a gorilla pause. Many a time, we asked Colonel Hogan why he didn't send him packing. But the guv'nor would just tell us to 'give him a little more time.' "
"Always suspected the colonel of being clairvoyant or some – Clair-voy-ant, Benjamin. Say it slow, like. That's right. Wrap your tongue around it. What's it mean? Tell him, Teddy. That's right. It means being able to see into the future. Katie, that gypsy lady with the crystal ball was no clairvoyant. No, sweet, she was not. Those numbers she gave me didn't play out at all. Like flushing my money down a drain."
"Is the colonel a gypsy? Sorry, Katie, I didn't mean to laugh so. But I don't think he has a drop of gypsy blood in him. Well, yes, poppet. He did have that black hair, but that didn't make him a gypsy."
"All right, then, Teddy. There'll be no more talk of gypsies. Now, I believe we left Tivoli and Benson about to butt heads . . ."
HH HH HH HH HH
"Why aren't we crossing?" Tivoli demanded, stalking toward Benson.
"I don't need to give you a why," Benson fired back, stopping the Italian with a hard, level stare. "But I will, anyway. Any attempt to cross the river while it's in flood would be dangerous, especially when we've already got people searching that side. Now you give me an answer. Why are you so determined to get over there?"
"Newkirk and Fearless Leader don't have time for us to stand ar—"
"That's right!" Benson snapped, taking a step forward. "They don't! And I'm sick and tired of hearing you call the colonel 'Fearless Leader'! His name is Hogan. Colonel Hogan." Without thinking, he pressed the point home by stabbing his finger to the hard muscle of Tivoli's chest.
Tivoli's hand locked around Benson's wrist with crushing pressure. Benson schooled his expression, refusing to show any sign of pain. Staring calmly into the black eyes, he ordered, "Let go."
Broughton restlessly shifted his feet, his gaze passing back and forth between the two men.
"That wasn't a request," Benson snarled, feeling the pressure on his wrist increase. Tendons screamed and bones creaked, perilously close to the breaking point. He showed no outward distress, but for the first time, felt a flicker of unease. A spasm of pain suddenly shot up his arm, sending sparks dancing across his vision.
Some indefinable emotion flickered over Tivoli's face and his grip abruptly relaxed. Benson carefully withdrew his wrist, resisting the desire to flex it or rub the bruised flesh.
"Give me a good reason, or drop it, Tivoli."
Tivoli spun and walked away. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides while he paced a small circle, clearly fighting with himself. Benson watched impatiently for a few moments, then glanced overhead. Dawn was only a few hours away.
As though he had heard, the Italian whirled and in two quick strides, was in Benson's face again.
"You want to know why? Because we haven't seen any sign of them over here, other than those clothes and they may have nothing to do with Hogan and Newkirk at all. Because those 'people' searching on the other side are Krauts and might do the same thing my CO did when we got shot down."
Benson found the small bit of personal information interesting, but still said nothing. His lack of response stoked the Italian's anger.
"The cowardly S.O.B. left me!" Tivoli snapped. "He saved his own sorry butt and left me in our plane, bleeding to death! He wasn't hurt - could have gotten me out, but when he heard that Kraut patrol coming, he tucked his little yellow tail between his legs and ran away, damnit!" He paused, visibly fighting for control. In a calmer, steadier voice, he went on. "I swore to never turn my back on anyone like he did me. If Colonel Hogan had been in that plane with me, he would have done all he could to get me out."
"We'll miss roll call if we do cross over," Benson countered.
"Do you thinkthe colonelwould let that stop him?" Tivoli challenged with a sly smile.
Benson pursed his lips, then turned to Broughton, who was staring at Tivoli like he had never seen him before.
"Keep searching this side for another hour, then go home." Benson held up an index finger, forestalling arguments. "One hour. Then home."
Broughton responded with a sharp nod and disappeared into the woods, leaving Benson and Tivoli alone. Later, it would occur to Benson that for the first time, Broughton had not looked to Tivoli for counsel. And that Tivoli had not seemed bothered by it.
"All right," Benson sighed, hoping he had made the correction decision. "Show me what you found."
To be continued. Thank you for reading and your reviews!