Chapter 27
Hogan looked at Newkirk, concerned. "Derrick? Sergeant Barry Derrick? Are you sure?"
"As sure as me name's Peter Newkirk, Gov'nor."
Hogan looked at Wilson who recognized the look on his commander's face. "Colonel, I know that look and the answer is no. You just got out of the hospital yesterday after receiving a serious gunshot wound. You almost died. You can't go running around."
"Joe, if I don't get out there soon Derrick is either going to shoot Dietrich and end up shot dead himself. Or the guards will kill him outright. Not to mention Kinch is out there as well. You know as well as I do if Derrick shoots a German soldier the Gestapo could get involved and our entire operation could be in serious trouble. I have to get out there. Now are you going to help me or do I have to do it by myself? Either way, I'm going out there." Seeing Wilson hesitating, Hogan threw back the blanket and struggled into a sitting position with his feet on the floor.
"Gov'nor, you can't go out there," Newkirk said genuinely concerned. "You're still recovering from a serious operation."
"It doesn't matter," Hogan replied struggling to stand up.
"Hold on a minute, Colonel. You'll never make it by yourself," said Wilson as he gripped Hogan's arm and helped him stand up. He helped the Colonel put on a robe which Hogan quickly belted. Once done, he allowed Wilson to hold onto his arm and lead him to the door of the infirmary.
Just outside the infirmary, Sergeant Barry Derrick held his lugar in a shaky hand pointed at Dietrich.
"Sergeant Derrick, where did you get that weapon?" asked Klink nervously although he made no attempt to disarm the prisoner.
"Barry, listen to me," Kinch stepped slowly in front of Dietrich. "Give me the gun. You don't have to do this. Dietrich is under arrest and he'll be punished for his crimes. Don't make things worse by stooping to his level and killing him no matter how much he may deserve killing." He took a step towards Derrick, his eyes keeping watch on the Sergeant's shaking hand. Derrick took a step back keeping himself out of Kinch's reach. However, Kinch looked over Derrick's shoulder and spotted three guards slowly approaching with rifles raised knowing Burkhalter and Klink saw them as well. He hoped they would not shoot.
"Don't come any closer, Kinch," Derrick said, his voice filled with emotion. "He has to pay. He killed Sanger. He was just a kid, Kinch. A kid, and he killed him; shot 'im in the back like the coward he is after he molested him with his rifle." He saw Kinch's raised eyebrows. "That's right. I know about what happened. I overheard him telling Colonel Hogan about it." Derrick's blazing eyes burned into Dietrich. "How could you do that to that kid? You have to pay."
"And he will pay," said Hogan as he finally appeared in the doorway of the infirmary. The others turned and saw Hogan, with Wilson holding onto his arm, slowly make his way outside. "We have his confession on tape and the General and the Kommandant heard everything over a walkie-talkie. He's finished." By now, Hogan was standing beside Kinch. "Now give me the gun." Hogan held out his hand towards Derrick.
"Stay away from me, Colonel. I have to do this. I have to do this for Sanger. I don't want you to get hurt."
Hogan took an unsteady step forward as beads of sweat were breaking out on his forehead. He was weaker than he thought. "I know you don't. And I don't like seeing anything happen to any of my men. Unfortunately, I couldn't save Sanger, and I couldn't stop Kinch and Newkirk from being injured. But this isn't going to help anything, it'll just make matters worse for you and for everybody. He will be punished; I promise you." He took another step forward. "Have I ever lied to you, Barry?"
"No, sir," said Derrick. His hand was shaking worse. Hogan glanced at it and then back at the Sergeant. He knew if Derrick fired he would be dead before he hit the ground with a bullet in the heart.
"Then you have no reason to doubt me now when I say that he will pay for everything he's done since he's been here. Now please just give me the gun." Hogan was now within an arm's length of Derrick. He had noticed the guards slowly approaching Derrick from behind and sensed they appeared indecisive as to whether they should shoot or wait and see what happened first. His gut told him they thought better of things and decided to wait and see, thus giving Hogan a chance to resolve the potentially explosive situation first.
Hogan was feeling very shaky right now as his legs were giving way but he was determined not to collapse despite the dizziness he was beginning to feel. He knew Wilson could see he was running strictly on adrenaline.
"Barry, I give you my word as an officer Dietrich will pay for what he did to Sanger. Please give me the gun."
Derrick had tears running down his cheeks as his eyes shifted back and forth between the German Sergeant and his commanding officer. Finally, letting out a deep breath, Derrick put the safety back on the weapon and handed the gun to Hogan who in turn handed it to Langenscheidt just before he felt his knees begin to buckle. It was only with the strength of Wilson holding him tightly that Hogan didn't hit the ground.
Klink decided to flex his muscles in front of the General and waved to the guards who were behind Derrick. "Guards! Take Sergeant Derrick to the cooler where he will serve thirty days!"
The guards, lowering their rifles, hurried forward; but Derrick gave them no resistance as one of them took his arm and led him away.
Dietrich smirked at Hogan. "You protected me from one of your own men, Colonel?" he sneered.
Hogan sneaked a look of disgust at the German. "I didn't give a damn about you. I didn't want to see more innocent people pay with their lives because of you."
Klink, seeing Hogan was about to collapse, looked at Wilson. "Sergeant Wilson, get Colonel Hogan back inside. He doesn't look well, and should be in bed."
"My sentiments exactly, Kommandant," the medic agreed as he put an arm around Hogan's waist to hold him up. But Kinch was immediately at the Colonel's opposite side to help the medic get the officer back inside. They had just gotten Hogan to the doorway when Langenscheidt suddenly called out.
"Herr Kommandant! Herr General!" said Langenscheidt. "You must see this." Everybody stopped and looked at him.
"What is it, Corporal?" asked an obviously still nervous Burkhalter.
"This lugar has no magazine in it. It is unloaded."
"What!" Burkhalter and Klink said at the same time. Langenscheidt handed the weapon to the Kommandant.
"See for yourself, sirs. There is no magazine in the butt end of the weapon. Sergeant Derrick held us at bay with an unloaded weapon. He must have only wanted to scare Sergeant Dietrich. Klink and Burkhalter exchanged confused looks before Klink gave the weapon back to the Corporal.
Burkhalter sighed wearily. "Klink, I think I will head back to Berlin and put off the inspection for another time. There has been too much excitement here today." He started walking away followed by Klink and the others. But before he led the prisoner away, Langenscheidt looked at Hogan and gave him a wink which Hogan understood. He gave the Corporal a weak smile of gratitude in return.
It was about a month after Hogan had been released from the infirmary that Newkirk was released; and although he was a bit stiff and sore, the Englander was able to move around. As promised, LeBeau had made two separate special dinners; one to welcome Hogan back, the other to welcome Newkirk.
The week Hogan had been released he decided Derrick had suffered enough. He went to the Kommandant's office and in less than thirty minutes, had walked out with Klink ordering Sergeant Derrick released from the cooler. He spun what he thought was a classic yarn and that was besides the weapon having not been loaded, but because the weapon had been planted on Derrick by Dietrich with the intent of setting him up for probably the shooting of the Kommandant and that, in Hogan's opinion, Derrick had been framed and shouldn't pay with thirty days in the cooler. Besides Hogan pointed out, if Derrick intended to actually shoot Dietrich, why use an unloaded weapon? Scared to death with the thought that Dietrich had planned to shoot him and that the gun had been planted in advance, Klink caved in immediately.
Hogan stood in his familiar spot during roll call this particular morning, glad that Dietrich was gone and didn't especially care where to. He smiled as Schultz came closer as he counted the prisoners. When the obese guard neared the American officer, Schultz paused.
"Colonel Hogan, danke for what you and your men did for me."
"Anytime, Schultz," Hogan said with a smirk. "Anytime. Just don't make it too often."
"Hey Schultz," Kinch said. "Did Klink apologize to you?"
"Ja. The big shot apologized but he made it sound like he was pleading his case to General Burkhalter." He chuckled. "I will not forget what all of you did. And I'm glad Colonel Hogan that you and Corporal Newkirk have recovered and are back. Maybe now things can get back to normal again."
"We'll see, Schultzie," Newkirk added with a grin. "Time will tell."
It was shortly after the men had finished breakfast, Schultz walked into the barracks and informed Hogan that the Kommandant had ordered him to bring the American to his office because he wanted to discuss something with him and that the Kommandant was very upset with Hogan. Letting out a deep breath, Hogan rolled his eyes, exasperated, and followed Schultz out of the barracks and across the compound in the direction of the Kommandantur.
"What does our fearless leader want now, Schultz?" asked the Colonel.
"I know noth-ing! Noth-ing!" the guard replied. Then he leaned close to the Colonel. "But I think the big shot is still upset about his garden."
Hogan smirked. "And I thought it was something important."
Klink was seated behind his desk signing some papers when there was a knock on the door. "Come in," he said not stopping what he was doing. He only looked up when the door opened and Schultz walked in and saluted.
"Herr Kommandant, Colonel Hogan is here as ordered."
"Very good, Schultz," said Klink returning the guard's salute. Schultz then stood aside allowing Hogan to enter. The Colonel, not waiting for an invitation, plopped down in the chair facing the Kommandant's desk and casually tossed his crush cap on the point of the pickelhaube sitting on the corner of the desk. Schultz's eyes widened in horror at the American's nerve. Klink removed Hogan's cap from the pickelhaube and tossed it back at him. He caught it against his chest before putting it on the edge of the desk. The Kommandant then noticed Schultz was still present.
"Schultz, disssss-misssed!" he said saluting.
"Jawohl, Herr Kommandant," said Schultz before he left the office, closing the door behind him. Once alone, Klink folded his arms atop his desk and stared at his American counterpart. Hogan looked bored. "You wanted to see me, Kommandant?" he asked.
"Colonel Hogan, I ordered you here because I am still upset about the flowers having been pulled from my garden for your little scheme in the infirmary."
"My little scheme?" Hogan's eyebrows arched and he sounded innocent. "Kommandant, everybody knows the plan was thought up by your brilliant, razor sharp mind. I could never have come up with anything so brilliant. Never."
Klink, puffing out his chest and looking proud as a peacock from the praise, got to his feet and walked over to his liquor cabinet; he poured two glasses of schnapps. While he was doing that, Hogan pilfered three cigars from the humidor on Klink's desk and stuck them inside his inner jacket pocket. Returning to his desk, he handed Hogan a glass of schnapps before sitting down himself.
"Now Hogan, seeing as it was one of your men that ruined my garden, I think it's only fair that you and your men fix my garden by planting new flowers to replace the ones that are missing. Don't you agree?" He sipped his schnapps.
Hogan downed his schnapps in one gulp and put the empty glass on the desk. "Request denied," he said calmly.
Klink sighed knowing that Hogan was negotiating again. "I'll give you thirty minutes of electric lights and an extra slice of bread per man."
Hogan rolled his eyes. "One hour of electric lights and you can keep the sawdust. "
"All right, all right, all right," Klink conceded, not in the mood for another of the American's long negotiating sessions. He felt it was just better to give in now and have done with it. "One hour of electric lights and one slice of white bread per man."
Hogan sighed as he examined his fingernails. "Make it two slices of white bread and we have a deal."
"Very well. One hour of electric lights and two slices of white bread per man in exchange for planting new flowers in place of the missing ones."
"Deal," Hogan said reaching into his jacket pocket and removing two cigars. He handed one to Klink and stuck the other one between his own lips. Picking up the lighter from the Kommandant's desk, Hogan lit the Kommandant's cigar and then began to light his own. As he was doing that, Klink took the cigar from between his lips and looked at it, nodding his head in approval.
"Excellent cigar, Hogan," he said admiringly.
"Sure is, Kommandant," Hogan replied after taking a puff. He crossed his legs and allowed himself to relax. It was the most relaxed he had felt since before Dietrich had shown up in Stalag 13.
"Hogan, let me ask you a question."
"Sure. What is it, Kommandant?"
"You must tell me where you get these cigars. They're excellent. Much better than the ones I smoke."
Hogan chuckled. "Kommandant, actually I only get a couple every now and then in my Red Cross packages." He took another leisurely puff on his cigar. Gradually, a lopsided grin appeared on his face as he continued puffing on his cigar. Yep, now everything is back to normal around here.
The End