Chapter 1:
Newkirk, Carter, LeBeau, and Kinch all gathered around the table in barracks two for a game of poker. Because it was against camp regulations, instead of money, the boys used different types of cookies as their chips and money wages. Stacked in the center of the table was an assortment of chocolate chip, snicker doodles, macaroons, peanut butter, and sugar cookies, all waiting to go to their victor to be savored and munched on for the next couple of weeks.
It was currently Carter's turn, and it had been three minutes since Newkirk made his move and told the young man to start. The other three men were growing ornery and impatient with their friend's inability at making a decision, and the Englishman had finally lost all means of self control. He let his fist fall to the table and gave an irritated glare to Carter. "Blimey, Andrew, just lay a card down and be done with it already," he said.
"Give me a minute," Carter answered, biting his lip as he scanned his hand quizzically. "I'm thinking."
"That was your first mistake," Newkirk remarked, pulling out a cigarette to light.
"I swear, Carter," Kinch said. "You keep this up, and we'll be sitting here till Halloween."
LeBeau furrowed his eyebrows together and lifted his gaze to the radioman. "Qu'est-ce que c'est: Halloween."
As Kinch opened his mouth to explain, Carter nodded as if an epiphany had hit him. "Oh," he said, as if it were blatantly obvious. "I know what's wrong here."
"You had the nine upside-down and thought it was a six?" Newkirk asked teasingly.
"No, I got a royal flush in diamonds," the sergeant said, a wide grin coming to his face as he lay down his hand.
The other three groaned and threw their hands in, Carter scooping the delicious goodies in his direction and putting them inside an empty Red Cross package for later.
"Blimey, Carter. What the bloody hell do you got underneath those gloves of yours; another deck of cards?"
"Don't be silly, Newkirk. I don't ever cheat." The young man leaned towards LeBeau and muttered, "I'll leave that for the British to do." He got a smirk from the Frenchman, but earned an annoyed glare back from Newkirk.
"Bloody charming," the corporal said, taking a drag on his cigarette.
Kinch, who had gathered up all the cards, began shuffling them like a professional black-jack dealer in Las Vegas as he looked around the table at his friends. "Well," he began. "Anyone up for another round?"
Before anyone could answer, the door to barracks two swung open, and a love-struck Kalina Klink, 15 years old and wearing a light blue flowered dress with a white long-sleeved shirt underneath, came waltzing in singing a romantic melody in German. She stopped at the other end of the room, leaned against one of the bunks, and clasped her hands together as she daydreamed of her newly found crush: an American-Italian corporal named Anthony Toscano that lived in barracks seven. Pearly white teeth, thick black hair constantly slicked back with hair gel, and just at 18 years old could win over any girl he desired to have. He had won Kalina's naive heart the minute the girl had laid eyes on him over six months ago. He was her Prince Charming, but to her dismay, Toscano had shown little to no interest in her up until now. In fact, no one was even sure he even knew she existed with all the letters he got from girls back home in the United States every day.
Kinch, slightly amused, shook his head. "Oh my," he said.
"Chums, I think me little mate is in love." Newkirk added.
Kalina, completely blinded with bliss, continued swaying and singing as Hogan left his room to see what all the fuss was about. Beaming brightly, he stopped a few feet behind the kommandant's daughter and tapped her on the shoulder, briefly bringing her back to reality. "A certain someone on your mind there, or are you on another one of your lovey-dovey romance phases," the colonel kindly teased.
"Corporal Toscano, Colonel Hogan," Kalina said, with glee. "He just winked at me as I walked over here. He knows I exist, Colonel Hogan." She sighed dreamily. "My heart's all aflutter." She began singing again as Hogan crossed his arms and shook his head with amusement. He could not help but find Kalina's first crush a bit adorable. He could remember his first crush all too well. It never went any further than being a crush, which he knew would be the same for Kalina and Toscano, but he had danced around and sung love melodies just like the little Klink was currently. He just only hoped Klink did not find out about his beloved daughter's newfound love. To Klink, his perfect baby was too good for any boy that walked the earth. Finding out there was a new boy in Kalina's eyes, especially one of Hogan's men, would probably cause the Kommandant to have a heart attack...right after throwing a fit, that was.
As Kalina continued to dance and sing, the door to barracks two again opened, and Schultz wandered inside this time. His facial expression became puzzled as he spotted his commanding officer's daughter so gleeful and turned to Hogan for an explanation as he pointed in the little teenager's direction.
"Colonel Hogan," he said. "What is wrong with Little Kalina? She is more love-struck than Cupid."
Hogan looked back at Kalina and gave a small smile. "Kalina's got her first crush."
Schultz's eyes widened in horror as he recalled Corporal Toscano and how Kalina had spent the last several months staring at him googly-eyed and trying to get his attention. He had no problems with the young man, and Toscano never aroused any trouble with anybody in camp, but because he was an American, he knew Klink would be deeply upset if he found out. He would be upset just because Toscano was a boy, let alone an American.
"Not the Italian corporal from barracks seven," Schultz said, almost as if it were a plea to hear his thought was wrong. When he received no response, the fluffy sergeant closed his eyes and shook his head. "Oh, Colonel Hogan, please, Colonel Hogan. If Kommandant Klink finds out that Kalina is in love with a boy, let alone one of your men, it would be worth my life!"
"Come on, Schultz; it's just an innocent little crush, nothing more." Hogan replied, trying to save the guard from an oncoming panic attack.
"Crushes are not innocent. Crushes turn into relationships, and relationships turn into engagements, and engagements turn into...oh please, Colonel Hogan. The Kommandant will send both of us to the Russian Front if he finds out."
"Schultz, first crushes never go further than being a crush. Didn't you ever have a crush on anyone, and it never went further than that?"
Schultz thought about it for a brief moment, when a nasty memory emerged from the depths of his brain. A nasty memory that was enough to make him shudder a bit externally. "Frieda Claussen from Grundschule," he answered. "She called me 'Tubby' after I fell in love with Heike Johner a few years later." (1)
It took all of Hogan's strength to keep himself from smiling. Typical Schultz, he thought to himself. Though sentimental and gentle hearted, Schultz had his eye on every pretty girl that crossed his path. One day it was the barmaid at the Hofbrau, the next it was the girl selling flowers in the streets of Hammelburg. But he knew the sergeant had not barged into barracks two just to talk about crushes and Kalina's blinded love for Toscano. Something else was on Schultz's mind, and the colonel was intrigued to know what it was. Especially when it was after evening roll call.
"Schultz," Hogan began. "As much as I would love to stand here and discuss past love interests, what is it that you came in here for anyways? Surely you don't have a strudel fix soon after dinner."
Schultz's face became a bit somber, and he lowered his voice slightly as he answered. "There is something wrong with Kommandant Klink. Something ver-ry wrong."
"Why, he put his monocle on backwards after cleaning it?" Hogan earned an unamused gaze back from Schultz.
"Jolly joker," the sergeant said. "Colonel Hogan, would you come with me and tell him to take it easy? He listens to you better than to me. He's so pale. And he's sweating, can barely walk at points, and his stomach hurts so bad."
Hogan let out an exasperated sigh. "Alright, Schultz. Probably nothing more than stress, but I'll come with you just to make sure everything's alright with our illustrious Colonel Klink."
Leaving Kinch in charge of everything, the colonel followed Schultz out of the barracks and across the compound to the kommandantur.
Klink sat at his desk, diligently doing paperwork in order to distract himself from the God awful pain in his stomach. He had felt nauseous, hot, and lightheaded all day, stabs of searing pain hitting him abruptly before going back to being an uncomfortable aching feel. It hurt to stand up or sit down, and he needed to hold his belly tenderly as he did either or to keep himself from collapsing to the ground in agony. If he thought about food or smelled it, he only felt like throwing up even more, causing him to miss every meal that day, including the untouched plate of dinner Schultz had brought him fifteen minutes ago. He had occasional sips of the glass of ginger ale that sat to his right, but that was as far as eating went.
Once finished with a set of documents, Klink picked them up and straightened them out into a neat pile before setting it back down in front of him. He slowly rose to his feet to put the documents into his filing cabinet, when another sharp stab of pain hit him. The kommandant clutched his middle as he grimaced and did all he could to keep himself from screaming out. His mouth dropped for a moment as it intensified briefly, then clenched his mouth shut, took a deep breath in through his nose, and slowly let out of his mouth.
He was gently rubbing his belly, when the door to his office opened, and Hogan and Schultz entered inside. Immediately, the American could see what Schultz had been talking about. What Klink had been masking with very short roll calls all day long. His color was off, resembling a creamy white color, while his usual crystal blue eyes were hazed over with an unsettling fog. He gripped onto the desk with his left hand to steady his slightly shaking form, and he had his hand firmly placed on his belly like it was helping the miserable pain inside him. Pain that felt like a sharp knife twisting and slicing his organs all at once.
"Kommandant," Hogan said, as if he could see nothing wrong with his German counterpart. "I wanted to see you for a mome…"
"Hogan, please," Klink begged, his tone meek and in misery. "I'm not up for any requests today."
Hogan looked over to see the untouched plate of food, felt even more concern rise within him, then looked back at Klink and pointed at the full plate. "Kommandant, you haven't touched a thing from your dinner yet."
"I'm not hungry, Hogan. You eat it; take it as a reward for good behavior," Klink said, waving his dinner off dismissively.
Now certain that something was seriously wrong, Hogan and Schultz exchanged a brief glance of worry, then looked back at Klink. "Are you feeling alright, Kommandant?" Hogan asked, genuinely concerned. "You look horrible."
Klink looked up at his Senior POW and gave him an unamused gaze with his sick eyes. "Thank you, Hogan," he answered sardonically. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear."
"Colonel Klink, why don't you call it a night and go to bed; get a goodnight sleep and rest up a bit. You look ready to drop to the floor, Sir. You sure you're feeling alright, Kommandant? I don't like the way your eyes look."
"No," Klink answered, slowly rounding his desk to the front so he could slightly sit down again. "No, I'm not alright. I feel...sick. I'm hot and...feel like throwing up. My stomach feels like someone's squeezing it and...ripping it out of my body." He placed his hand back on his belly as said pain returned with another wave. He grimaced and let out another slow breath of air to try and ease himself.
As Hogan opened his mouth to say something, the office door again opened, and Kalina waltzed in, still under the effects of her blinded love for Toscano. She was again singing her romantic melody and twirling around, eventually leaning against the filing cabinet and clasping her hands in front of her as she swayed back and forth.
Klink raised his eyebrow in growing suspicion as he turned his watchful gaze from his daughter to Hogan, who shifted uncomfortably on his feet.
"Hogan, what did you do to my daughter?" The kommandant finally asked, sounding more like an order than a question.
"You ever heard of 'love at first sight', Kommandant?" Hogan remarked innocently.
Klink stared at the American for a brief moment, when it clicked in his mind. He narrowed his eyes as he wagged his finger at his daughter, who had fallen silent at the growing tension in the room. "Wait a minute," he said. "That corporal, Toscano. He's got my daughter wrapped around his finger, doesn't he."
"You mean technically?"
Klink balled his left hand into a fist and shook it angrily at Hogan. "Hogan, why you…" he began. "You have completely brainwashed my daughter's mind and now have her all in lo…" He never finished his sentence as the worst stab of pain of all hit him just then. He doubled over while clutching his middle, his mouth opened a bit as he fought back an oncoming scream.
"Kommandant?" Hogan asked worriedly, Schultz and Kalina sharing the same frantic expression on their faces as on the colonel's.
Klink shuddered at the searing pain consuming his entire torso and collapsed to the ground, his desk becoming a backrest as he slipped to the ground.
"PAPA!" Kalina shrieked, bolting for her father's side with Hogan by her side.
"Kommandant!" Hogan exclaimed, as the duo knelt down on either side of Klink's.
"What's wrong with him?!" Kalina cried, hot unshed tears welling in her eyes.
"Schultz, call an ambulance now," Hogan ordered, slightly looking over his shoulder at the fluffy sergeant, who had briefly entered a state of shock at the turn of events.
"Ja ja ja jawohl, Colonel Hogan!" Schultz stuttered, giving a shaky salute before darting for the outer office telephone.
Once Schultz was out of the room and had paramedics on the line, Hogan returned his eyes back to Klink and Kalina, who had the back of her hand across her father's face after seeing how bad he was sweating. Tears began to stream down her face when she felt how hot he was.
"Colonel Hogan, he's burning up," she sobbed.
"Come on, Kommandant, stay with us now, come on," Hogan said encouragingly, feeling his body be engulfed with a blanket of anxiety as he saw how bad Klink's body was racking with pain. "I know it hurts, Kommandant, but just hold on until the ambulance gets here. Help is coming, help will be here soon." He swallowed a large knot forming in his throat as the ugly possibility of Klink dying from whatever this was came to mind. "I hope."
(1) Grundschule - Grade school