Chapter 3-The Morning After
Hogan yawned as he stretched his arms over his head; his eyes quickly adjusting to the room's darkness. His internal clock told him it was still night although very late. Why is my bunk and pillow so darn comfortable? he thought. Then he remembered what had transpired earlier in the night, and the corners of his lips curled upwards. Turning onto his side, he was surprised to see her staring back at him with a warm smile. She pressed her body against his, resting her head on his shoulder as she drew lazy circles on his bare chest with a finger.
"All I say is wow," Hogan chuckled. "I never knew such a thing could be done."
"I can show you several other things if you'd like," Gertrude cooed looking into Hogan's brown eyes. Even in the darkness of her bedroom, she could see the twinkle in his eyes. She pressed her lips against his briefly.
"Maybe later," Hogan replied first with a grin, then, he became serious. "Are you all right?" he asked, concerned.
"I've never been better. What about you? Are you all right?"
Hogan thought for a few minutes then grinned as he wrapped his arms around Gertrude and pulled her closer. "Other than being tired, I have to admit I feel extremely relaxed and sated." Then he frowned. "But I'm sorry in a way. I mean, I feel like I took advantage of you and…" He didn't finish as Gertrude put a forefinger on his lips silencing him.
"Don't be sorry, Colonel. If anything, I want to thank you."
"After this, I think you can call me Robert or Rob."
"Then I want to thank you, Robert," Gertrude repeated.
Hogan lifted his head gazing into Gertrude's eyes, puzzled. "Thank me? For what?"
Gertrude raised her head and pressed her lips against Hogan's again, kissing him with all the passion she had in her, her tongue seeking and gaining entrance. Pulling back, she smiled. "I want to thank you for making me feel like a woman again."
Hogan's face softened as he grinned. "My pleasure," he added before pressing his lips against hers firmly. As their lips were together, Hogan felt a stirring and knew from Gertrude's muffled laughter that she felt it too. He secretly wondered if he had time for a repeat performance. Breaking apart for air, he turned slightly and grabbed his watch off the nightstand checking the time. He frowned. "I'm afraid I have to return to the barracks. It wouldn't do for me to be seen leaving your guest quarters." Sliding his watch on his wrist, he noticed a slight frown on her face. He kissed the tip of her nose and pressed his lips to hers.
Hogan then winked at her as he threw back the duvet and put his feet on the floor before standing up. He bent down to retrieve his clothes and shoes and suddenly felt a pair of eyes watching him. Standing up and looking back, he saw Gertrude staring at him with a smile. Hogan looked at her inquisitively with an arched eyebrow.
Gertrude laughed softly. "I always enjoy a beautiful view, Colonel," she said as if knowing what he was thinking. "And I just saw one."
After climbing out Gertrude's bedroom window, Hogan silently made his way from her guest quarters to the back of barracks two, making sure to keep to the shadows. Standing outside the window of his private quarters for a minute, he first looked around checking that nobody had spotted him; then quietly opened the shutters before climbing into his room and closing the shutters. Knowing he had about two hours before roll call, he quickly removed his leather jacket and Allied uniform, and put on his pajamas before climbing up to the upper bunk and stretched out under the thin blanket, hoping to get some sleep before Schultz woke everybody for roll call. But sleep didn't come right away as memories of Gertrude Linkmeyer and the things she did to him flooded his mind. Despite having ten, maybe fifteen years on him, she certainly knew how to satisfy a man, that was proven immediately. And her stamina equaled his own. She seemed just as eager and ready for another round as himself. A sly smile slowly appeared on his face as he closed his eyes knowing he would have pleasant dreams.
Now alone, Gertrude Linkmeyer was unable to go back to sleep since Hogan had departed. She lay on her back in the full-size bed staring at the ceiling. Glancing over at the now empty space beside her, she ran a hand up and down the now cool impression that remained on the mattress. Oddly, she didn't feel depressed or lonely at this moment; instead, she felt happy and at peace with herself.
She shifted her body, a smile on her face as thoughts of Hogan flooded her mind. The American officer certainly had surprised her last night in many ways. Besides being a gentle, patient, and passionate lover, he definitely knew how to please a woman. But more than that, he cared about how she felt afterwards. He was concerned about her feelings instead of his own. That had surprised her more than anything. She had always thought Americans in general were just like anybody else, which was an opinion not shared by many of her fellow Germans, as well as by her brother who always complained about the insolence of one Colonel Hogan whenever he returned from Stalag 13. Gertrude had to admit in the past whenever she had accompanied her brother to the camp, that she had always found the American very courteous and polite, yet very flippant with a 'devil may care' attitude. In addition, she found him, as a woman, to be charming and extremely handsome. But that was as far as it went.
But last night she saw a whole different side of Hogan. She saw a man with the weight of every prisoner in camp on his shoulders alone. But in his eyes she saw something else, she saw a man weighed down by loneliness, and a need to be cared for so he could forget the war if just for a little while. Turning onto her side, she held the pillow Hogan had used close to her, inhaling his scent. She could understand loneliness, and maybe easing Hogan's loneliness would help her with hers if just for a short while. Closing her eyes she let a smile appear as dreams of last night filled her mind.
"Raus! Raus! Everybody out for roll call!" Schultz bellowed as he stepped inside the barracks and slapped the side of Newkirk's upper bunk startling the Englander awake.
"Can't you be a bit quieter, Schultzie?" he asked with a wide yawn, wiping the crustiness from the corners of his eyes. Carter slowly sat up on the edge of his bunk, feet on the floor. He yawned as he stuck his cap on his head after running his fingers through his hair.
"If you boys weren't up to monkey business last night you wouldn't be so tired this morning," the rotund guard replied with a smirk.
"We don't need monkey business to be tired, Schultz," Carter yawned again. "We're just tired period."
"Monkey business? What monkey business you talkin' about?" Newkirk asked leaning over the edge of his bunk looking down at the barracks guard.
"You know what monkey business." Schultz wagged a forefinger at the Englander. "Don't play dumb with me, Newkirk."
"I think Schultz is losin' it," Kinch added with folded arms.
"You have to have it in order to lose it," LeBeau pointed out tiredly running both hands down his face while yawning.
"Jolly joker. Didn't you hear that explosion last night? The shaking made me fall right out of bed last night."
"And here I thought that noise was an earthquake," LeBeau snickered. There were chuckles among the other prisoners.
Before Schultz could respond, Hogan emerged from his quarters, dressed, but looking extremely tired. He hid a yawn behind the back of one hand.
"You all right, mon Colonel?"
"I'll live," Hogan replied as he walked over to the stove and poured himself a cup of left over coffee and took a drink. He winced at the taste, but admitted it was better than nothing. "Schultz, you really need to warn us if you're gonna be falling out of bed during the night. I was having a great dream and suddenly thought the world was coming to an end. What's this about an explosion last night?"
"Somebody blew up the new ball bearing plant about three miles from here last night," said Schultz.
Hogan arched both eyebrows upward. "Now who would do a thing like that? That's terrible."
"Bloody awful."
"Some people are so inconsiderate," Carter added.
"Do they know who might of done it?" asked LeBeau feigning curiosity.
"They suspect the underground and are searching for the guilty parties." Schultz sided up to Hogan and lowered his voice. "Colonel Hogan, you and your men didn't have anything to do with what happened last night, did you?"
Hogan took another drink of coffee. "We had nothing to do with helping you fall outta bed. Besides, if we did that we'd all be in the infirmary with bad backs." He patted Schultz's large belly. "You're not exactly skinny."
"This is not fat but all muscle," Schultz explained with a grin as he pointed to his own belly.
Newkirk rolled his eyes. "Fat muscle you mean."
Schultz made a noise of frustration and looked at Hogan. "Jolly jokers. Now, did you have anything to do with the explosion or not!"
Hogan feigned hurt feelings. "Schultz, you know I was with the General and Klink last night, and you took roll call as well and reported all men were present. So how could we have done anything? Besides, where would we find the time?"
Schultz thought for a few seconds then shrugged. "Just thought I'd ask." He turned, headed for the door and exited, closing it behind him.
Hogan sighed as thoughts of last night returned to the front of his mind again. Last night was a one time thing, he told himself. But it can't happen again. She's Burkhalter's sister and I could end up in front of a firing squad if he finds out. I cannot let it happen again. "Let's not keep our Kommandant waiting, gentlemen," he said as he finished his coffee, put the cup on the table, and headed for the door.
The men fell out into the chilly morning air making two lines. Hogan, zipping up his jacket, spotted Burkhalter and Frau Linkmeyer standing on the porch of the Kommandantur; the General with what seemed to be a scowl on his face. Hogan couldn't be certain, but he believed the General was staring directly at him. Or was it his imagination? With a lack of sleep it was hard to tell. He swallowed hard. She told him, he thought. I'm dead. I'll be lucky if I see a firing squad. He inhaled and exhaled through his mouth, eyes straight ahead as Schultz began to count each man.
Gertrude noticed the look on Hogan's face from where she stood. Last night had been wonderful, she told herself. But as wonderful as it was, it couldn't happen again. I am a General's sister after all. But first I must make sure he understands that Albert will never find out.
"Schuuuuulllltz, repooooooooortttt!" Klink's voice boomed in the early morning air. Hogan sighed hoping the German wouldn't go into a long rambling spiel about the illustrious Third Reich. He badly needed some sleep; but first, he had to speak with Gertrude and find out what she had told her brother. But by the look on the General's face, Hogan figured he already had his answer.
"Herr Kommandant, all prisoners present and accounted for," Schultz announced saluting the Kommandant.
"Excellent, Schultz," Klink replied returning the salute. Then, with his swagger stick tucked under one arm, and his other behind his back, he looked up and down the two rows of men with a frown. "Prisoners, I'm quite sure you all heard the explosions last night."
"Explosions, sir?" Hogan, thumbs hooked in the pockets of his jacket, arched his eyebrows. "We thought that was the sound of Schultz falling out of his bed." There were snickers and guffaws among the men.
"Silence!" Klink hissed. "Hogan, those explosions were not caused by Sergeant Schultz falling out of bed."
Hogan arched an eyebrow. "It wasn't? Gee, maybe it was Burkhalter who fell out of bed then." More snickers and guffaws.
"Hogaaaaaannnnn! Those explosions were our new ball bearing plant being destroyed by saboteurs. Now let me assure you those responsible will be found and be dealt with severely. And despite this setback, the illustrious Third Reich will still surge victoriously forward." Klink ignored the boos and snickers from the men before him. Eying each man's face, Klink paused when he saw his Senior POW officer roll his eyes towards the heavens and shake his head. He stormed up to the man and stood toe-to-toe with him. "Are we boring you?"
"Not at all, sir. I enjoy a good science fiction story just like the next person."
Klink shook his fist at the American. He refused to allow Hogan to aggravate him with the General here. "Hrmph! Schultz, dismiss your men!" He abruptly turned and stormed back to the Kommandantur.
Once the prisoners were dismissed, Hogan followed his men inside after glancing back over his shoulder at Burkhalter and Frau Linkmeyer; the General still had a scowl on his face. Hogan then walked inside and closed the door behind him. As he did so, LeBeau tied his apron around his waist and went about preparing breakfast. Hogan began pacing back and forth.
"Something wrong, Colonel?" asked Kinch.
"Huh?" Hogan asked as if he hadn't heard Kinch's question. He sighed. "I'm sorry. Didn't get much sleep last night."
Newkirk smirked. "Listenin' to Klink and Burkhalter natterin' on for hours is enough to keep anybody up all night."
"Why don't you get some rest until breakfast is ready, mon Colonel?" asked LeBeau. "You look like you could use it."
Hogan smiled at his men's concern for him, but they could never find out what happened the night before. He could never explain it to them. Hell, he couldn't even explain it to himself.
It was near lunchtime and Gertrude paced nervously in her guest quarters, her disagreement with her brother from the morning still fresh in her mind. She needed to speak with Hogan without attracting attention, and she knew exactly how she would do it.
Burkhalter looked at his sister as Klink stepped up onto the porch. "I am going to be busy looking through Klink's books for a while. No doubt you would find that most boring. What do you plan doing while I am doing that?"
"I think I will take a short nap until lunch. I am still a bit tired from our trip here and didn't sleep well last night."
The smirk on his face turned into a frown. "Are you sure you're all right? I can put off looking at Klink's books for one day and spend the day with you if you'd like. I know this is a rough time of the year for you." His face brightened. "Perhaps we could take a drive into town and have lunch."
Klink looked puzzled. "Is something wrong, Herr General?"
The General sighed. "This Thursday would have been my sister's thirty-second wedding anniversary had Otto lived. The day of their marriage is a difficult time for her."
Gertrude's face darkened and her eyes hardened. "Otto is not dead, Albert! He is missing! And it's your insistence that he's dead that is making this time all the harder. Until I have concrete proof that my Otto is dead, he is only missing! And the sooner you understand that, the happier I'd be!" She started to turn away but Burkhalter gently grabbed her by the arm stopping her.
"I did not mean to upset you, but you must face the real possibility that Otto is very likely…" He didn't finish as she roughly jerked her arm away and glared at him.
"No! I will not hear you say it! Just go do what you plan on doing and give me some space! I'll be all right." She abruptly turned and began to step off the porch.
"Herr General, I know it's none of my business, but shouldn't you go after her?" she heard a concerned Klink ask.
"You are so right, Klink. It is none of your business. She will be fine after she'd had some rest. Now, let's have a look at your books."
As she walked away, her eyes began to sting as she fought not to cry in front of the guards and prisoners. As she continued walking away, she could feel her brother's and Klink's eyes watching her receding back.
Hogan became more nervous as he suspected Burkhalter was toying with him by letting him believe he didn't know anything, and making the American officer suffer. It was a good way to torture the man. Why Hogan was putting off speaking with Gertrude he had no idea, and the longer he put it off, the more anxious he became. Also, his men were starting to notice his edginess.
Just then, the barracks door opened, and Schultz trudged inside, closing the door. He approached Hogan hesitantly. "Colonel Hogan, Frau Linkmeyer wishes to speak with you right away."
"What does she want to speak with me about?" Hogan asked feigning innocence.
"I have no idea, but I think it has something to do with the big shot and his girlfriend."
Hogan exhaled deeply through his mouth. "Looks like old Klink was finally right about something. Burkhalter probably does have a hidden agenda and plans on breaking them up afterall."
"But why would Frau Linkmeyer want to speak with you, Colonel?" asked LeBeau. He saw Hogan shrug.
"Who knows. Guess I'll find out when I speak with her. Okay, Schultz, lead the way."
With Hogan following, the obese guard walked to the guest quarters. As they neared the front door, Hogan paused as it opened to reveal Gertrude, her eyes red and puffy, standing there waiting. The Colonel suspected her tears were over what happened between them the night before. His guilt began to eat at him again for causing her such pain. You caused her this pain, he thought to himself.
"Danke, Sergeant. You can leave now. I assure you I am in no danger from Colonel Hogan," she said forcing a smile to her face that didn't reach her eyes.
"But, Frau Linkmeyer, Colonel Hogan is a dangerous prisoner and I cannot leave you alone with him."
Hogan looked at the guard with feigned hurt feelings. "Dangerous? Who, me?"
Gertrude wasn't to be swayed. "I said you can leave us now. And I suggest you tell no one about me wanting to speak with Colonel Hogan in private."
"Jawohl, Frau Linkmeyer," Schultz replied before glancing at Hogan shrugging, then turning and walking away.
Now alone, Hogan's eyes narrowed as he studied her face. "Are you okay? You seem quite upset. Maybe we should talk later."
"Nein. I'm alright. And you're right, we need to talk, but not out here where somebody might overhear. Come inside, bitte." She stood aside and allowed Hogan to enter the room reminding herself the entire time that there cannot be a repeat of last night. Hogan followed her into the living room telling himself he can't let what happened last night to happen again. Gertrude then motioned for Hogan to have a seat on the sofa. Removing his crush cap, the American tossed it on the coffee table and sat down beside her, waiting.
"I needed to speak with you, Colonel."
"And I needed to speak with you. I can tell you've been crying, and I cannot help but believe that I am the reason for your tears. I mean, I believe more than ever before that it was my taking advantage of you that has caused you such distress. And for that I am truly sorry. I can only hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. From your brother's expression this morning during roll call, I gather he knows what happened and made things uncomfortable for you?"
Gertrude was silent for so long Hogan began mentally preparing himself and biting his lower lip waiting for the tongue-lashing he knew he deserved. He was caught off guard when he saw a small smile cross her face.
"Robert, please believe me when I say you are in no way responsible for my tears, and shouldn't feel guilty. On that you can rest easy. What happened last night was wonderful and I thank you. Also, I have no regrets at all. Albert has no idea and never will because I will never tell him. He just had a hangover from last night is all. He is rather irritable in the morning when he has a hangover. What took place between us remains between us, and is nobody's business but ours. I hope you believe me." It was a statement rather than a question. She thought she saw Hogan's face relax but just slightly. "Is there something else?"
"Yeah. If I'm not responsible, then please tell me why you've been crying. I might be able to help somehow."
Gertrude put her fingers against Hogan's lips. "Again, you did not take advantage of me. Nothing happened between us that I did not want to have happen. As I told you before, you made me feel like a woman again, and for that I shall always be grateful. So do not feel guilty. You were wonderful." What am I doing? I sound like I want it to happen again, she thought to herself. It cannot happen again.
Hogan felt a tinge of red come to his cheeks. "You were wonderful yourself." C'mon, Hogan. Get a grip. You know it can never happen again. You're not thinking with your head. You'd better take a cold shower once you return to the barracks. That's what I'll do.
"So, can you tell me why you were so upset when I saw you a few minutes ago?"
Gertrude bowed her head and sighed. Perhaps talking about what she was feeling might help afterall. Perhaps Hogan would see things differently than her brother and not kill her hope. She slowly looked up into his eyes. "This Thursday will be my thirty-second wedding anniversary. Albert believes Otto is dead and that I should move on. But Otto is only missing in action and has been for three years. In my heart I feel he is still alive." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Do you think I'm being foolish to keep believing my husband is still alive after all this time?"
Hogan pursed his lips and remained silent for a few seconds as he organized his words. He gently gripped one of her smaller hands in both of his larger ones. "I don't think it's wrong to believe your husband is alive, nor are you being foolish. Until there is irrefutable proof your husband is dead, you have every right to believe him alive. Your brother is wrong to try and take away that hope from you, no matter how slim it might be. Hope is what it's all about in this war."
Tears glistened in Gertrude's eyes as a smile appeared. "Thank you, Robert. I knew somehow you would understand." She stood up as did Hogan still holding her hand.
"You're welcome." He sighed wearily. "Glad I could be of help. But I think I'd better get back to my men." He leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek, but at the last moment she turned her head ever so slightly and his lips met hers. Whether on purpose or by accident neither would ever know. They both pulled apart and stared at each other for a split second before Hogan crushed her against him and plundered her mouth as she ran her fingers through his thick black hair, promises of it not happening again no longer a thought in either of their minds.