**Thanks to Snooky for her suggestion used later in this chapter.**

Chapter 13

Alice was alone at the nurses' station when out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a man in a Luftwaffe uniform enter the front door. She sighed wearily when the man came closer; there was no mistaking that walk or the way he carried himself. She immediately recognized Sergeant Karl Dietrich, her estranged husband. She sighed wearily wondering what he was doing here as they did not exactly part on the best of terms. And she had disapproved of their sons becoming members of the Hitler Youths but as usual, she was overridden by her husband. He always got his way throughout their marriage using threats, intimidation and sometimes verbal abuse. That was the primary reason she had not yet divorced him; he had threatened to kill her and take the children. Also, she was very afraid of him still. So they reached an agreement; he would allow her to leave with the children but on his terms only. And those were that the boys were to become members of the Hitler Youths and he would dictate what his sons were to do in life, and there would be no divorce.

"Karl," she said as he now stood in front of her at the nurses' station. "Why are you here?"

Dietrich smirked. "You have an American POW Colonel here by the name of Hogan, I understand."

"We do. What interest is it to you?"

"I want to see him." He leaned forward. "Now," he whispered chillingly.

"Nobody can see him," Alice explained. "There are three Gestapo guards posted outside his room forbidding anybody to enter other than Dr. Prust and those he has personally chosen to care for the American. I cannot even enter his room." Her eyes narrowed while she looked at him. "Why are you so interested in this American anyway?"

"That is none of your concern. So, there are three Gestapo guards outside his room." Alice could see her husband's mind working. She had no idea what he wanted with the American nor did she want to know. She just wanted for him to leave and not come back. His presence always meant trouble and made her nervous even though they were no longer together. She sensed that whatever he had in mind it was not good and she wanted no part of it.

Dietrich leaned forward again, and seeing nobody paying them any attention, roughly seized her wrist so tightly she winced, and tried unsuccessfully to pull free which caused Dietrich to tighten his grip causing Alice to grit her teeth.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked in a small voice.

Smiling at her apparent discomfort and fear, Dietrich released her and watched her massage her wrist. "That's better, Alice," he sneered. "What I want you to do is draw one of those guards away from the American's door for me."

Alice's eyes widened. "You want me to do….how am I suppose to do that?"

Just then, Alice spotted one of the other young nurses approach and walk behind the nurses' counter. She smiled at Alice and Dietrich who eyed her approvingly up and down. Maybe some other time he told himself. He watched her pick up something before turning and walking away, giving Dietrich a smile again as she did so. The sergeant smiled back at her before turning his attention to his wife. "I'm certain you will find a way, my love," he whispered. He checked his watch. "It's now nine o'clock. I'll give you one hour to get one guard out of the way. I will get a second guard out of the way. If you don't, I'll see about getting you out of the way." He leaned in and gave the frightened woman a quick peck on the cheek, then turned and walked away in the direction of Hogan's room.

At nine-forty, LeBeau and Carter, both dressed in their 'blacks' with matching wool caps, their faces smeared with grease for camouflage, made their way through the woods after climbing out of the emergency tunnel. They hoped they wouldn't run into any patrols on this clear, cloudless night. With the moon casting it's brightness over the area, they knew they would have to be extra cautious because there was a better than average chance they could be spotted by a patrol. So far they had seen none, and hoped their luck would continue; it did.

Carter really hated to leave Newkirk's side in the infirmary, but he had promised Kinch he would go with the Frenchman for one simple reason; it was for Colonel Hogan. Carter knew Newkirk was looked after and safe in the camp infirmary, and that was because Sergeant Dietrich was off-duty and away from camp according to Corporal Langenscheidt. But Colonel Hogan was still somewhat vulnerable despite having three underground operatives posing as Gestapo guarding him. Especially with someone as clever as Dietrich on the loose. Reaching the rendezvous place they crouched low in the bushes and waited.

"I hope they show up soon," Carter remarked rubbing his hands up and down his arms to keep warm. "It's kinda chilly out here."

"Quit your complaining," said LeBeau checking his own watch. "We still have five minutes before they have to be here." Suddenly LeBeau touched his friend's arm. When Carter looked at him and then where the Frenchman was pointing. He saw the signal of a flashing light once (pause) a flash (pause) and on more flash. LeBeau flashed his response of two flashes (pause) one more flash. He and Carter stepped out from where they were hidden at the same time Otto and Dieter appeared. The men greeted each other before Otto and Dieter followed LeBeau and Carter back to the camp.

Dietrich casually walked up to the three Gestapo guards standing outside Hogan's room. He smiled warmly. He suspected they weren't really Gestapo because as far as he knew the Gestapo had never been contacted, only General Burkhalter's office. But still he could be wrong, so he would just have to be careful.

"Excuse me, my name is Sergeant Wilson from Stalag 13. I was sent by Sergeant Kinchloe to check on Colonel Hogan." He looked from one guard to the other and could see suspicion already on their part. He would've been worried if they weren't.

"We had no word that Sergeant Kinchloe was sending anybody," one of the guards said looking Dietrich up and down. "And if you're the camp medic, why are you wearing a Luftwaffe guard's uniform?"

Dietrich chuckled. "This thing? Well, I couldn't very well walk out of camp in my Allied uniform now could I?"

"We guess not, Sergeant. But still, no one is allowed inside Colonel Hogan's room without authorization. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad to see you are taking such good care of the colonel. Look, we can solve this entire matter very easily. Why don't one of you come with me and we can contact Sergeant Kinchloe. This way you can verify that he did send me." With a pleasant look on his face, Dietrich waited as the guards looked at each other. Finally, one of them, a sergeant, grinned at Dietrich.

"Fine. I will go with you." He looked at the other two. "You both remain here and stand guard. We'll be right back." He then led the way to the nurses' station where Alice was still alone. She nervously looked up when she saw her husband and one of the guards from outside the American's room coming towards her. She swallowed hard. The two men paused at the nurses' station.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" she stammered, her eyes never straying far from Dietrich's cold stare.

"Ja," Dietrich replied sweetly. "We would like to use a telephone where we can have some privacy. Can you please direct us to a phone?"

"Ja, Sergeant," Alice replied. "There is a phone in the waiting area for visitors to use. There is nobody there right now. You can use that one."

"Danke, gnadige Frau," Dietrich replied touching the brim of his cap as he and the guard walked in the direction of the waiting area. A quick look around verified that indeed there was nobody there. Dietrich picked up the receiver and dialed his own home phone number knowing nobody was home. After a few minutes he began his fake conversation.

"Kinch, it's Wilson. I'm at the hospital. Can you please tell one of the Gestapo guards what I'm doing here. They won't allow me to see Colonel Hogan. Hold on." He then held out the receiver to the guard. "He wants to speak with you."

Taking the receiver from Dietrich, he stepped in front of him to speak on the phone. But before he could ask why the phone on the other end was still ringing, a heavy blow to the back of his head caused him to slump, unconscious towards the floor. Dietrich, however, caught him before he hit the floor and, looking around, dragged him to a nearby closet where he stuffed him inside, rifle and all, and closed the door. He hung up the receiver and returned to the nurses' station.

"You know what you have to do," he told the head nurse. "And you'd better make it work. Otherwise…." he didn't finish, but instead, drew his forefinger across his throat in a slicing manner. He stood there as Alice handed him a syringe filled with a sedative which he concealed in his pocket and leaned against the wall opposite the nurses' station. After Alice left and walked in the direction of the American's room, he took the receiver of the phone at the nurses' station off it's base and after laying it down beside the phone, returned to the wall. Minutes later, Alice returned with one of the two remaining guards and pointed to the phone.

"You can take it here, Corporal," she said pointing to the receiver. She returned to her post behind the counter, her eyes never straying from Dietrich as he and the corporal exchanged pleasantries and the corporal picked up the receiver. He suddenly felt an arm encircle his neck and as he struggled to break free, a syringe was plunged into the side of his throat, it's contents injected. A few short seconds later, the guard ceased his struggling, and slowly slid to the floor as the fast-acting sedative took effect. Dietrich noticed a stainless steel gurney nearby with a folded sheet on top and, dragging the unconscious man over to it, and with some effort, picked him up and laid him on top of the gurney and covered him with the sheet. He glimpsed at his frightened wife.

"You did very well, my dear," he sneered. "You get to continue living a while longer." He strolled down the hall in the direction of Hogan's room where now stood a single guard on duty. The guard, hearing footsteps approaching, looked around and spotted Dietrich. He grinned.

"Where is Corporal Schneider and Sergeant Wasserman?" he asked.

"You sergeant is still speaking with Sergeant Kinchloe, and I saw Corporal Schneider on the phone at the nurses' station. I think he was speaking to your commander about something. I thought I'd keep you company until one of them returned." He sided up to the young corporal. "So, how is Colonel Hogan? Any improvement? The men and I have been awfully worried."

"I'm not sure. I only know that whenever Dr. Prust or Dr. Szell leaves his room, they seem pleased. So he must be improving then."

"I'm glad," Dietrich said calmly, his hand resting on his weapon. "Sergeant Kinchloe will be pleased when I return to camp and let him know. He sent me here because they aren't able to come themselves at this time. So, here I am." He chuckled. From the corner of his eye he could see the corporal was becoming at ease. "Oh, here comes your sergeant now." Seeing where Dietrich was looking down the hall, the young corporal turned to look when an arm wrapped itself around his throat and the cold steel of a blade entered his lower back up to the hilt, and was yanked upward. Dietrich felt the body go limp in his arms. He reached behind him and felt for the doorknob. Twisting it, he opened the door and after checking both ends of the hall, dragged the dead guard inside, pushing the door closed with his foot. He removed the dagger from the guard's back and shoved the body in the corner of the room near the door. He then turned his attention to the man lying in the bed.

LeBeau and Carter returned to the tunnel with Otto and Dieter climbing down the ladder behind them. Kinch was there to meet them. He shook hands with the two underground operatives. They were concerned upon seeing the radioman's arm in a sling.

"What happened?" asked Otto, worried.

"I ran into the same Luftwaffe sergeant who shot the colonel," Kinch explained. "That's the reason we asked for this meeting."

"Oui," LeBeau agreed hastily. "That same sergeant put Newkirk in the infirmary after nearly beating him to death."

"How is Newkirk?" asked Otto. "Will he recover?"

"According to our medic he was lucky. He should fully recover in time. But this sergeant has already killed one man and is suspected by London in two other killings as well," Kinch continued.

"Sounds like a charming person," Dieter said sarcastically. "Is he the same one who is still after Papa Bear."

"He is," Kinch said. "That's why we want extra protection for the colonel in addition to the three guards you already have posted outside his hospital room. Can you supply at least two additional men inside his room as well?"

"I don't see why not," Dieter replied. "We can have two additional men there in the morning. We'll also inform Michael Prust for you."

"Thanks. We suspect this Sergeant Dietrich will try and finish off the colonel while he's in the hospital, and if he somehow gets past the guards outside Colonel Hogan's room, he'll have a surprise waiting for him inside his room. Just out of curiosity, Lance is usually the one who impersonates a German officer when we need one from the underground. We thought he would be this time as well."

"And he would have been this time as well," Otto said with a faint smile. "But he is recovering from a bullet to the leg after our last sabotage mission. German patrol."

"Sorry to hear that," Kinch said sincerely. "Will he be okay?"

"It was only a flesh wound. He will be all right thankfully," Dieter explained.

Dietrich approached Hogan's bedside and studied the unconscious man. The American was breathing on his own, with an IV saline solution hanging from a pole with a tube running from the bottle to a needle inserted into his arm. Using his dagger, Dietrich slit open the hospital gown to expose the scar in his chest showing where the surgical site was. He smirked.

"Too bad I can't do to you what I did to Corporal Sanger, Colonel," he said to the unconscious man. "It would've been so much fun before I killed you. Of course, you were suppose to die when I shot you. But no, you had to somehow survive. Well, I'm going to remedy that oversight right now." Using his dagger, he carefully placed it's tip on the surgical site on Hogan's chest. Then, gripping it's handle with both hands, he slowly raised it high in the air and prepared to bring it downward and plunge it into Hogan's chest where the surgery had been performed.

"Farewell, Colonel Hogan," he smirked evilly.

Rachel and Mara were returning from break as they were working the night-shift and were heading back to the nurses' station.

"Why don't we stop by and look in on Colonel Hogan just to make sure he's resting comfortably," suggested Rachel.

"I know why you want to look at him again, Rachel," Mara replied with a grin. "He is awfully handsome, isn't he?" she asked blushing slightly.

"Isn't he?" asked Rachel in response. She suddenly stopped in her tracks and looked down the hall where Hogan's room was. "Where are the guards that are suppose to be outside his room?"

"I don't know," Mara replied, equally concerned. "There should be at least one of them there."

Rachel grabbed her arm. "Come on," she said. "I have a bad feeling." The two women quickened their pace until they were outside Hogan's room. Mara, noticing small droplets on the floor outside the door, suddenly knelt down and with her fingertips, touched one of them. She examined her fingertips closely.

"This is blood," she said looking up. Standing, she looked at the closed door as did Rachel.

"Mara, find the hospital security guards. I'm going to see if Colonel Hogan is all right." She grabbed the doorknob when Mara stopped her.

"Don't go in there alone," Mara said. "You don't know what's happened in there. Somebody could be in there hiding."

"I can't take the chance that Colonel Hogan might be in trouble. He's sedated and vulnerable. That's why the guards were posted. I have to see what I can do to help him. Now go and find the hospital security guards. Hurry!"

Nodding, Mara ran as quickly as she could to the nurses' station to call hospital security. Meanwhile, Rachel gripped the doorknob again and twisting it, quietly opened the door. Her eyes widened at the sight she saw in front of her before she screamed as loudly as she could.