Chapter 7-Marathon
Carter squeezed his eyes shut, shook his head, then reopened them before looking through the window again. He could not believe what he was seeing. He wanted to leave but found himself frozen in place. It was like watching an accident; one could not watch it, but couldn't turn away either. He continued to watch as if waiting to see if anything was going to happen.
Hogan and Gertrude pulled apart then pressed their foreheads together. As they did so, Gertrude's fingers unzipped Hogan's jacket, then started working on the buttons of his shirt. But this time, Hogan covered her fingers with both his large hands stopping her from proceeding.
Carter couldn't watch anymore. He quickly left his perch outside the window, and nearly forgot to keep to the shadows while hurrying back to the barracks. All Carter knew right now was that he had to let the others know what he had seen, and maybe then they could help him make sense out of it.
The young Sergeant was so disoriented from what he had seen, by the time he reached the barracks, he slipped in through the front door, just missing being caught by a searchlight. Taking a moment to compose himself, Carter immediately grabbed Newkirk's arm and began shaking him.
"Newkirk, wake up!" he continued shaking the Englander. "Newkirk!"
"Wha…who…" Newkirk cried out as he thought for a moment he was being attacked. But after his eyes had time to focus, they landed on Carter, and he rolled his eyes, annoyed. "Blimey, Andrew, what the bloody hell's wrong with you, waking me up like that? You've finally gone bloody crackers you have." He then saw Carter's face and his eyebrows knitted as his eyes narrowed. "Carter? What's wrong? You all right?" Not receiving an answer from the man he considered his best friend, Newkirk threw back his blanket, swung his legs over the edge of the bunk and jumped down.
"Hey!" Somebody shouted from the darkness. "Keep it down! People are trying to sleep!"
"Bloody comedian," Newkirk mumbled under his breath to the anonymous person who spoke. He then draped an arm around Carter's shoulders. "Are you all right, Andrew? You look like you've seen a ruddy ghost. Now tell me what's wrong."
"It's…it's the Colonel," Carter stammered.
"What about the Gov'nor?" asked Newkirk, worried. The younger man didn't respond; didn't even look as if he had heard the Englander. Newkirk was now beginning to worry. He approached the lower bunk which doubled as the cover to the tunnel entrance and on which Kinch was sleeping. The Englander gently shook Kinch's shoulder.
"Kinch?" Newkirk said in a low voice so as not to alarm the entire barracks. "Wake up, mate. Something's going on with the Colonel." The radioman's eyes opened and he slowly leaned upward on one elbow.
"Huh? What's wrong?" asked a sleepy Kinch.
"I don't know," replied Newkirk. "But Andrew says something's goin' on with the Colonel." They watched Kinch move to the edge of the bed and sit up, feet on the floor.
"What's wrong with the Colonel, Pierre?" asked LeBeau, looking over the edge of the bunk above Kinch's. It was obvious even to him that the others hadn't been able to sleep either with their worry about their commanding officer.
"Now," Newkirk began keeping his voice low. "What's going on with the Gov'nor?"
Carter bit his lower lip. "I…I saw the Colonel leave his quarters and decided to follow him," He saw the others jaws all drop in shock.
"That wasn't very smart," Kinch reminded him.
"Kinch is right," Newkirk added. "What if the Colonel had caught you? He'd be madder than a wet hen he would."
"Never mind that, mes amis," said LeBeau. "Andre, where did the Colonel go?"
Carter nodded. "He…I…I followed him to one of the guest cottages."
"And?" asked Newkirk becoming impatient at trying to get information out of Carter; it was like pulling teeth so to speak.
The young Sergeant swallowed the lump in his throat. "I…I saw him kissing Frau Linkmeyer." Looking at the other three he saw them looking at him as if he had lost his mind.
"Kissing Frau Linkmeyer," said Newkirk as a statement and not a question. "C'mon, mate. You've really gone around the bend this time."
"But it's true," Carter pleaded his case.
LeBeau shuddered. "You must have been dreaming, mon ami. Even the Colonel is not that hard up."
"You got that right, mate," Newkirk agreed.
"Now wait a minute," Kinch interrupted holding up both hands, palms forward. "There's very simple way to resolve this. We'll just go to the Colonel's quarters and check on 'im."
"Are you crazy?" asked LeBeau asked excitedly in a hushed voice. "You want to go and wake up the Colonel because of Andre's stupid dream?"
"No, we're not gonna wake him up. He needs the sleep. No, we're just gonna look inside and make sure he's there and all right."
"Let's go then," Newkirk suggested as he, Kinch and Carter headed for the smaller room.
"Wait for me," LeBeau chimed in jumping down from his upper bunk and joining them. They moved quietly and gathered outside Hogan's quarters.
Kinch, who was first, glanced over his shoulder at the others as he gripped the doorknob and opened the door silently. Looking in, he frowned. "He's not here," he said. He went inside with the others following, closing the door behind them.
"Told ya," Carter smirked. "Now do you believe me?"
Newkirk turned and faced Carter. "You said the Gov'nor was in Frau Linkmeyer's guest cottage?" Carter nodded.
"I say we go over there and see what's going on," LeBeau added frantically. "He may be in trouble or need our help." He and the Englander started towards the door of Hogan's quarters only to be stopped by Kinch who moved faster and blocked the door.
"Get outta our way, mate," Newkirk objected. "We're gonna get the Colonel."
"Nobody's going anywhere," Kinch insisted firmly.
"Don't make me have to belt you, mate or no mate. This is the Gov'nor we're talkin' 'bout. He could be in trouble."
Kinch stood firm. "With General Burkhalter yes, but not with Frau Linkmeyer. Besides, we don't know if the Colonel needs any help. Second, he apparently didn't ask for our help before he left on his own. And lastly, do you want to explain to him why you're busting in on him while he's doing whatever it is in Frau Linkmeyer's quarters? Whatever it is, it obviously doesn't involve us, so I say let's wait until he returns and then ask him."
"But I saw him kissing her," Carter reminded them. "How do we know what happened after I left?"
"Doesn't matter," Kinch said. "And we all know Colonel Hogan. He would never cross that line no matter what. I'm sure whatever you saw there has to be a reasonable explanation for it. I say we give him a chance to explain instead of busting in on whatever he's up to with her."
Newkirk and LeBeau knew Kinch was right and reluctantly agreed to wait until they spoke with Hogan. But Newkirk figured they needed to know more than they did before they spoke with their commanding officer. The Englander crossed his arms, turned, and faced Carter. "Okay, Andrew, start from the beginning and tell us what you saw."
"I missed you," Hogan murmured capturing Gertrude's lips in a passionate kiss which he dragged out until they had to separate for air.
"I could tell how much you missed me by how energetic you were, Robert," she teased as the two lay in bed facing each other. Gertrude had recalled how she could tell Hogan was growing impatient when he kissed her in the living room, and she felt his growing excitement rubbing up against her, causing her own body to react like it had with her Otto. Impatient herself, she took Hogan's hand and led him into her bedroom where their clothes were hastily discarded all over the room just before he placed her on the bed, lying down on top of her.
As their bodies became entwined, a soft moan issued forth from Gertrude as she arched her body upward to meet his downward movements. Today was Wednesday and their nights together were rapidly growing to a close, and she wanted, no, needed to feel him as much as she assumed he needed her.
Now, nearly an hour after they were done the first time, a devious smile crossed Gertrude's face causing Hogan to grin. He arched an eyebrow.
"Do I want to know why you're grinning like a cat with a mouse?" he asked.
In response, she began to kiss down one side of his neck, across his collarbone and up the other side of his neck, and any other erogenous areas she could. She heard a low moan from Hogan telling her that her administrations were having the required effect. As she continued, she cupped one side of his face in her hand, running the pad of her thumb across his lips before plundering his mouth like a hungry animal.
Hogan felt his body react eying Gertrude hungrily. As she started pulling away, he cupped the back of her head, his fingers entwining in her short, soft hair, and held her head still as he crushed his mouth to hers. Realizing time was growing short, he needed this, and he was going to make the best of the night.
Hogan's hands danced over every available inch of Gertrude's body sending waves of ecstasy throughout. The man certainly knew what he was doing, just like her Otto did. Gertrude found she was unable to stop herself from wrapping her legs tightly around Hogan's waist as they came together and moved as one person.
Afterwards, Gertrude contently fell asleep in Hogan's strong arms, her head resting on his chest listening to his heartbeat. Their loneliness just a distant memory for now.
Hogan awoke a couple of hours later, and stretched his aching muscles, but remained in bed. Not wanting to awaken Gertrude who still had her head on his chest, one arm draped over his stomach, and one leg over his, he only smiled and gently kissed the top of her head without moving.
He thought back to the two love-making sessions. The first was fast-paced yet passionate, almost like two people giving in to animal lust, while the second one was a bit slower, yet just as passionate. Hogan suddenly felt Gertrude's body shift against his and looked down to see her smiling up at him with tired eyes. He smiled back and kissed her forehead. Suddenly, he felt a hand on a part of his anatomy and fingers working their magic. He soon found himself becoming aroused again.
"I'm surprised you're awake, Robert," she said teasingly, her fingers massaging still. "This will be the first time I've ever done it three times in one night. Even Otto and I never made it past two times in one night."
"It's a first for me as well," Hogan said in a strained voice. He smirked. "You're insatiable," he felt himself springing to life again. Then they made love again, this time slowly and with a deliberateness until both were completely sated. Then afterwards, as they lay in each other's arms in the shine of the afterglow, they found themselves talking about what each expected when the end of the war arrived. Hogan discussed how he couldn't wait to see his family back home again, and to see his home period. He also admitted with a chuckle that he had a six-year-old motorcycle back home that needed repair before he'd be able to take it out on the dirt road and ride it like he did before he joined the military.(1).
"What about you?" Hogan asked quietly looking into her brown eyes.
"That's simple," Gertrude replied instantly. "There's only one thing I want when the war's over, and that is for my Otto to come home alive. I already know he will be different from the man I married; the war always changes a person in some way. But as long as he comes home to me, I can adjust to the changes."
Hugging her closer to him, Hogan lifted her chin to him and kissed her gently. "Then I hope you get what you want when this war is over."
An hour before roll call, Hogan climbed out of the bedroom window and paused when his feet hit the ground. Normally he would have left through the front door, but considering he only had an hour before roll call, he felt leaving this way made it more possible not to be seen by the guards. A small smile appeared on his face as he thought about the wonderful memories of last night. And boy was he stiff and sore from last night. He covered his mouth with the back of his hand and hid a yawn. All he wanted now was to get back to the barracks before any of his men noticed he was missing.
Slowly straightening up, Hogan inhaled and exhaled through his nose and inwardly groaned as his body protested the movement he just made; but he didn't have any time for aches and pains right now. He needed to get back, and there would be no time for any sleep before roll call either, so it would have to be afterward.
He crept along the sides of the buildings noticing the sky was lightening as the early signs of daylight started to make its appearance. Hogan increased his pace to get back quickly. Finally, he found himself outside his window in the back of barracks two. Quietly pushing open the shutters, Hogan gingerly climbed inside and then just as quietly shut them again. The room was still somewhat dark. He turned on the small lamp on his desk.
"Blimey, Gov'nor, we were worried 'bout you," a familiar British voice said causing Hogan to nearly jump out of his skin. He turned and found himself face-to-face with his team.
"We've been waiting here all night, mon Colonel, wondering where you had gone." LeBeau stood with arms crossed, eyes narrowed.
"What's going on, Colonel?" asked Kinch with arms crossed standing with legs apart, eying his commanding officer.
Hogan, looking at each of his men separately, was speechless. He'd known he'd have to come up with a cover story eventually, but he didn't think he'd have to come up with one this soon. Shit! he thought to himself.
(1) Bad Day in Berlin, Season 4.