A routine meeting at night gone wrong
Or another version of S1 episode "It Takes a Thief Sometimes"
Summary: Colonel Hogan and one of his men are out at night for a routine meeting with a new underground group, which ends in a totally unexpected way with dire consequences for the Colonel. Will the underground lose its most important member Papa Bear? Will the men in camp have to evacuate and return to London? Or will everything return to normal for the men in Stalag 13?
CHAPTER 1
It is late in the evening, way past lights out, when the men of barracks two start their nightly activity. While the rest of the whole compound of Luft-Stalag 13 is asleep in their bunks, the men under the command of the senior POW officer Colonel Hogan make their way into the tunnels beneath the Stalag, using their bunk entrance, while Olsen keeps watch at the door. Sergeant James Kinchloe goes down first, followed by Sergeant Andrew Carter and Corporal Peter Newkirk. The last ones to head down are Corporal Louis LeBeau and the Colonel himself. Once down in the tunnel, Hogan and LeBeau walk over to their wardrobe section and start changing from their uniforms into all black camouflage clothing for the night.
Having information from their talkative Sergeant of the Guard Hans Schultz that a new underground group is active in the area around Hammelburg, Hogan has set up a meeting with them. Now he and his man LeBeau are heading out to meet the new underground group in an abandoned barn around five miles away from camp. A distance easily done on foot for trained men. Newkirk hands out the guns to his mates; a machine gun for LeBeau and a handgun for Colonel Hogan. Checking their weapons and foregoing the use of face paint this time around, Hogan sets out with LeBeau in tow. Using the emergency tunnel exit, they make their way into the woods, trying to not be seen by any patrols.
After about a good twenty minute fast walk, they reach the barn. A burning light could be seen from miles away, giving away the position of whoever is inside. Checking the perimeter directly around the barn, Hogan and LeBeau find no sentry being posted to give a warning should danger arise; two things to never be done in this kind of business. Shaking his head in annoyance about the audacity of this new group, Hogan barges into the barn, gun drawn, his face set in a dangerous scowl. LeBeau follows directly behind, waving the machine gun around to show he means business, should any of them try to go for their guns.
Hogan approaches the small group settled around a fire roaring in an old oil barrel, his gun still aimed at them. "Your light could be seen for miles. There is no sentry outside and your weapons are out of reach. Anyone could have walked in on you, even the Gestapo."
The three men, two young blonds and one dark haired elderly, stay quiet after hearing those words. But the young woman with them speaks up, albeit softly and not looking up to the speaker. "We are still young Monsieur. We didn't know."
Shortly looking down to the young female, Hogan states "The pace you are going at, you won't get old."
Needing to put this meeting to an end, Hogan sends LeBeau out as look-out, while he takes a seat on one of the straw packs used as benches, right beside the young woman. No introductions are made; instead Hogan gets right down to business, trying to sort this mess out. The woman watches him shyly, trying not to be too obvious.
Their talk is interrupted as LeBeau comes in, looking anxious. "Bombers, Sir; British ones; they are coming close."
Hogan replies to all "It's probably the railyard they are after."
Getting up and closer to the door, he listens closely. While the young men still sit, the older one and the woman have gotten up too. The woman, a French one judging by her accent, follows Hogan to the door, waiting anxiously. Hearing the telltale sound of falling bombs, the high whistle, Hogan turns to the woman. "We have a better chance outside. " To the men he says "Douse the light. Or you'll be a sitting target."
That said, he opens the barn door and takes a leap into the small trench right outside the barn, taking the woman with him, propelling her forward with a light push to the small of her back. Once in the relative safety of the trench, Hogan keeps the woman as close to his body as possible, talking to her in soft tones, trying to calm her, while the bombs keep falling around them. She answers equally in a light tone, even complimenting him on his good looks. Just as they are about to kiss, one of the bombs explodes very close to their position, showering the whole area with all kinds of debris, metal, wood and concrete parts. Knowing the possible danger they are in, Hogan crawls over and covers her whole body with his, sheltering her from harm, using his body as a living protective shield.
Also trying not to crush her with his superior weight, he can't completely avoid contact and she seems to enjoy their close proximity thoroughly, smiling slightly up at him. But his returning smile turns into a grimace of pain as he feels something hitting his back. Moments later he nearly cries out as another searing pain explodes in his side. He barely holds onto consciousness, trying not to worry his female company. But his tenuous hold on any awareness vanishes completely as another bit of debris hits him on the side of his head, knocking him out cold instantly. The last thing he hears before everything turns blessedly black is the shocked cry from the woman beneath him.
LeBeau is on his way to inform his CO that the bombers have moved on, hears the cry and runs over. What he sees shocks him, making his heart nearly skip a beat or two. Cautiously coming closer, LeBeau can make out two human forms in the trench, outlined by the scant moonlight. Both are not moving. Fearing the worst, he bends down right beside the trench. The young woman hears another person close by and shouts hoarsely "Help me out!"
Stepping into the trench, LeBeau manages to get Hogan partially rolled over so that Michelle can climb out beneath him and then seeing the blood on the side of his Colonel's head, makes a run to the barn, where Michelle's friends are still waiting in the dark.
Opening the door, he shouts to the two men "I need your help! My friend is hurt! Please!"
The two men look at each other than at LeBeau. The taller of the two asks "Where is he? And how bad is he hurt?"
LeBeau remembers the blood and replies "He has a bleeding head wound and is unconscious. He needs to be carried."
The two men look around the barn and spying a wooden ladder, cry out together "We have found a stretcher!" Like two little boys they run exited over and take the ladder, putting it down on the hay covered floor. The older of the two thinks out loud "This is too hard for him to lie on. We should use our jackets as cushions. Maybe we can even find an old blanket lying around here somewhere."
Together they once again search the barn and finally one of them comes up with an old grey blanket. He shakes it out to get rid of the hay and then puts it over their jackets onto their improvised stretcher. The three Frenchmen exchange gazes and finally they introduce each other fast and to the point.
Now with his two new friends, Maurice and Jean in tow who carry their home-made stretcher, LeBeau returns outside to the young Frenchwoman and his still unconscious Colonel. Before they start on lifting the Colonel, LeBeau once again introduces himself to the woman. She answers her name is Michelle Marie Bernadette. Smiling slightly despite their situation, LeBeau says "Enchante, Mademoiselle."
Nodding his head towards his CO, he tells her "This is my commanding officer, Colonel Robert Hogan, US Army Air Corps."
Michelle nods and makes room for them to carefully transfer Hogan onto the stretcher. Once that move is completed, Michelle uses her small jacket to at least cover Hogan's upper body, to help keep him warm, preserving his body heat as long as possible.
Then they start to make their perilous way back to the camp, which is under normal circumstances a twenty minute walk. But carrying the stretcher and having to avoid patrols in the woods it takes the small group about forty-five minutes to reach the outside perimeter of the camp. Halting near the tree stump entrance, LeBeau explains what will happen next.
But first they set down the stretcher and hide behind some trees, avoiding the searchlight. LeBeau then tells them that they have to time it right, getting into their tree stump entrance, without being seen. They all nod in understanding. Maurice, being the strongest of the two of Michelle's comrades, easily accepts the duty of carrying the Colonel down into the tunnel in a fireman's carry over his shoulder.
Michelle, Jean and LeBeau grab the jackets from the stretcher as well as the blanket, leaving the bare wooden ladder lying there to be found. On a whim, Jean uses his heavy boot to damage the ladder a bit. This way he manages to break at least a few of the rungs, making the ladder unusable for whoever might find it.
Michelle is the first one down the ladder, followed by Jean and then Maurice with his burden. Jean lends him a hand in getting down into the tunnel. LeBeau comes in last and closes the hatch, securing it. Once down, he shouts for Kinch, Carter and Newkirk. They all come running, having heard the opening of the emergency tunnel exit. Nearing the entrance they all come to a sudden halt. Seeing three new people and their CO lying unconscious on the floor, shocks them all. Newkirk runs over and kneels down by his Colonel, feeling for a pulse at his neck. "Cor, blimey! What the hell happened out there?"
Kinch also kneels down and looks his CO over, looking for injuries. He turns to Carter "Andrew? Go, get Wilson. Tell him he is needed immediately down in the tunnels."
Nodding Carter takes off at a run, making his way to barracks 12, where Wilson is located in.
LeBeau explains to his mates what happened out at the barn and Kinch confirms the bombing raid on the railyard, by the RAF, as London has informed them of it. Newkirk is beyond angry for this oversight from the London brass. London knew about the planned meeting with the new underground group, the time and the location. So why did they bomb that damn yard, while Papa Bear was this close by, obviously accepting the possibility of one of their best agents being killed in the process. Clenching his fists in sheer disbelief, Newkirk makes his anger known "Them ruddy blighters. Taking not a care in the world that the Gov'ner was out there, conducting their business. I so would love to introduce them to my letter opener or just my bloody fists. If the Gov'ner doesn't make it, I'll swim to bloody England and throttle every one of them."
LeBeau agrees "D'accord. I would take them out too, if Mon Colonel dies now because of their negligence. Mon Dieu."
Just then Carter comes back with Wilson and his assistant, a young American Corporal named Jones into the main tunnel room, where Hogan is already lying on a spare bunk, covered with blankets. Seeing the head wound, Wilson and Jones start their work, sending everyone else out, so that they can work in peace without interruptions. All the men file out and head back to their respective barracks. Kinch shows Maurice and Jean where they can stay until the Colonel is awake again and can make a decision regarding them. Michelle insists on staying, wishing to help the two medics, treating Hogan, the man who undoubtedly saved her life out there at the barn. Contemplating the offer for a moment Joe Wilson accepts the additional help.
In no time they discard the blankets to the floor, closely followed by the Colonel's black clothing, which they just cut off of his body with their scissors. Michelle carefully slips of his boots setting them on the ground beside her, telling herself that later she will clean them of all the mud.
Now she is ready to help save the man who saved her, not afraid of seeing blood, as this is war and they are all in the middle of it. After all outer clothing is gone and the Colonel is lying before them clad only in his boxer shorts, the extent of his injuries becomes visible. Michelle gasps when she sees the deep gash in the Colonel's right side, above his hip, oozing blood, already forming a pool beneath him and on the tunnel floor.
Wilson and Jones grab clean clothes, drenched in alcohol and start cleaning the wounds. Jones takes care of the one on Hogan's head and Wilson treats the one in his side. Luckily the head wound is just a slight graze which is already starting to clod. Jones just puts a gauze pad on the wound and wraps a clean bandage around the Colonel's head to keep it in place.
After Wilson has cleaned the wound in Hogan's right side thoroughly with several pads drenched with alcohol, he turns to Michelle. "I know you are eager to help him, Ma'am", at her nod he continues, "Could you just sit by his head and maybe talk to him, keeping him calm? We don't need him moving around restlessly, especially when I'm putting a needle into his flesh? You could also hold onto him, if you like."
Michelle nods again and moves over to the head of the bunk, taking a chair from the table on her way, to sit on. Once seated, she puts her hands on both sides of Hogan's head, holding him gently, caressing his cheeks and stroking through his thick mane of black hair, talking in soft, gentle tones with him, hoping he might hear her, even though he is out of it.
Wilson and Jones smile encouragingly at her and without further ado start they work on getting the heavily bleeding wound closed. While Jones holds both sides of skin as closely together as possible, Wilson uses a thread and needle and carefully stitches the gash, making sure that the stitches are as close to one another as possible, reducing the scarring afterwards. Thirteen tense minutes later the wide gash above the Colonel's hip is finally closed. Wilson wipes the wound one last time, while Jones already packs up their things, clearing out and heading back to barracks 12. Now alone with Michelle and his patient, Wilson puts a thick gauze pad over the stitched wound and fixates it with medical tape, keeping it in place there.
Then he readies an injection and gives it to the Colonel, hoping to avoid an infection from setting in.
Smiling at Michelle, who hasn't left her place by the Colonel's head, Joe tells her "Don't worry, Ma'am. The Colonel is the strongest and toughest man I have ever met. With lots of rest and good food, he will make a full recovery in no time. Believe me, before you know it, he is running this camp again. – Now I take my leave. If you need anything at all, or something is wrong with Colonel Hogan, his men know how to reach me; until then."
With those words, Wilson grabs his medical bag and exits the main tunnel room too, heading back to his barracks. As soon as he is gone, Hogan's men, Kinch, Carter, LeBeau and Newkirk come in, wanting to know how their Colonel is faring.
Seeing him lying there on the cot with a beautiful bird taking care of him, makes them smile a little. LeBeau walks over sensing l'amour in the air around the pair. "How is Mon Colonel doing, mademoiselle Michelle?"
Smiling back at his men, she answers "The medic just left. He said he is sure that Colonel Hogan will make a full recovery with enough rest and food."
LeBeau assures "Do not worry. We will get Mon Colonel up to his room, where he can rest as long as he needs to. And food? I will make him the finest broth he has ever tasted. That will have him up in no time."
Laughing lightly at their mates comments about his cooking, Kinch, Carter and Newkirk come over and together they lift their Colonel gently from the bunk and carry him over to the ladder that reaches up to barracks 2. With no other option available, Kinch lays the Colonel over his shoulder and climbs up the ladder, Newkirk and Carter right behind him, to assist if necessary. But they reach the upper end of the ladder without incident. At the bunk entrance, Olsen, Garlotti and Sam reach out to take the burden from Kinch. With the utmost care, they lift the Colonel from their mates shoulder and carry him into his room. There they lay him down into his lower bunk, covering him with blankets to keep him warm. Once that is done they leave the Colonel's quarters and close the door softly.
Out in the main room of the barracks his core team sits together at the table, nursing a cup of coffee each, contemplating their next moves. Kinch, who is in charge as 2IC when Hogan is unavailable, tries to come up with a story of how to explain the Colonel's injuries to the camp Kommandant. Newkirk then snaps his fingers, unconsciously mimicking one of their CO's usual gestures, when coming up with a genius plan and announces "I got it mates! Why not just tell the Krauts that the Gov'ner had some vivid nightmare and during his tossing and turning, fell out of the upper bunk, hitting his head on his foot locker, hence the bandage on his head?"
Kinch nods "That is a good idea, Peter. And as long as Klink won't take away the blankets when he comes in to have a look at the Colonel, the story will hold. So we go with that. We also have to make up a pattern of who will be sitting with the Colonel and for how long. We will take shifts. We can also include Michelle and her two men, Maurice and Jean into that cycle. The more people who can sit with the Colonel, the better it will be for all of us. Don't forget that we have to attend roll-call. Our guests won't have to, so they can be with the Colonel while we have to stand outside, or have to clean the compound and other things; any questions?"
Newkirk and LeBeau shake their heads. Only Carter lifts his hand shyly, like a boy in school trying to get his teachers attention. Grinning slightly, Kinch asks "What is it Carter?"
Carter looks around and then settling his gaze on his big, dark mate, replies "Can I be the first to sit with the Colonel? I can't sleep anyway, so I could do at least something useful with my time."
Kinch nods, while Newkirk slaps his mate on the back "Ruddy good of you mate, to go first. Gives us poor blighters some more time for a bit of shuteye; until that damn 'Raus, Raus' call from Schultzie. Right, mates?"
They all nod in unison and get up from the table. LeBeau collects their mugs and brings them to the sink to wash and dry. Kinch and Newkirk settle down in their bunks, just like the rest of the men in barracks 2. Carter picks up his coffee mug and heads over to the Colonel's office. Inside he grabs the chair from the desk, sets it beside the bunk and sits down. He is relieved to see the constant up and down movement of the Colonel's chest, indicating a regular, but soft breathing pattern. Only the bandage around his head and his still too pale complexion are signs of what he has been through.
Glad that his CO is still alive, Carter leans forward and takes the Colonel's right hand into his, squeezing it, trying to let the Colonel know that he is not alone. He even starts speaking softly, his voice catching here and there as silent tears are rolling down his cheeks. Andrew couldn't fathom the thought of losing the Colonel. He looks up to him, adores him and even thinks of him as a second father figure; someone who took him, Andrew Carter, under his wing and gave him the self confidence that he lacked when coming to Stalag 13. Without Colonel Hogan, he wouldn't be who he is now and that is something he will never forget.
Shaking his head at himself, Carter looks up into the still face of his CO, wishing desperately for him to open his eyes and to tell him that everything will be okay. But nothing happens and the only sound in the room is that of the Colonel's soft breathing.