Chapter 7---Four Attempts; Four Failures
Morning came with Schultz banging on the barracks door. "Raus!! All prisoners report for roll call!!! Mach schnell!!!!"
About thirty minutes later, all the prisoners emerged from barracks two, grumbling and muttering amongst themselves as they fell into formation.
Hogan was the last to come out. Carter, Kinch, Newkirk and LeBeau could all see their commanding officer hadn't slept at all the night before. There were circles beginning to form under his eyes. And he looked more exhausted than he did the day before.
Schultz counted each prisoner with Hogan being the last. Even Schultz noticed that Hogan seemed tired. "Colonel Hogan, you should stop looking at those girlie magazines until all hours of the night," he said in a low voice. "And what happened to your chin?"
With hands clasped behind his back, Hogan glanced at the rotund guard, his face impassive. He shrugged his shoulders.
"Can't resist the pictures, Schultz," he replied, his voice even sounding tired. "And I cut myself shaving."
"Schuuullltttzzzz!!!! Repooooorrrrrrttttt!!!!" bellowed a voice getting closer. Schultz rolled his eyes to the heavens before turning around and saluting his commanding officer, Colonel Wilhelm Klink, Kommandant of Stalag 13. He saluted Schultz.
"Herr Kommandant, all prisoners present and accounted for."
Klink looked up and down the two rows of prisoners until his eyes fell on his Senior POW officer. Even to Klink, Hogan didn't look well.
He approached Hogan. "Colonel Hogan, are you feeling all right? You don't look well at all. And what happened to your chin?"
"I'm all right, Kommandant. Just didn't sleep well last night. And as I told Schultz, I cut myself shaving. That happens when you try shaving while you're half asleep."
Klink seemed to accept Hogan's explaination. "Just see to it you get some sleep tonight. And that's an order."
"Whatever," Hogan replied with complete disinterest in what Klink was saying. "Are we dismissed, sir?"
Klink looked at Schultz. "Schultz, dismiss your men." He saluted the rotund guard, turned, and marched back towards the Kommandantur. Schultz spun around and faced the prisoners.
"All prisoners dissssmissssed!" He then turned and slowly trudged away as the prisoners dispersed except for Hogan, Kinch Carter, Newkirk and LeBeau. The men looked at each other, and then at their commanding officer who sat down on the bench outside the barracks and pinched the bridge of his nose. LeBeau motioned with his head for the others to leave him alone for a few minutes. Kinch, Carter and Newkirk entered the barracks.
LeBeau sat beside Hogan on the bench. "Mon Colonel, can we talk pour une minute(1)?"
Hogan looked at the Frenchman. "What is it, LeBeau?"
"Mon Colonel, whatever is troubling you, let us help. We are worried about you. It's obvious something is worrying you. You didn't get any sleep last night."
"You can tell something's troubling me, eh?" asked Hogan, looking out at the activities in the compound.
"Oui, Colonel. Please. Let us help."
"Sorry, LeBeau. But there's nothing wrong. So there's nothing for you or the others to worry about." He got up and walked away.
Sighing, LeBeau got up and entered the barracks. Kinch, Carter and Newkirk immediately greeted him.
"Well?" asked Newkirk.
LeBeau shook his head. "No luck. He just got up and walked away in the direction of the guardtower."
"Blimey," Newkirk replied. "This is gonna be harder that we thought. In the direction of the guardtower you say?"
"Oui."
Newkirk dropped his cigarette on the floor and crushed it out with his foot. "Let me take a crack at 'im. Hopefully, he'll open up to me." Newkirk headed out the barracks door and let his eyes scan the compound until they found Hogan's pacing along the fence near the guardtower. Newkirk walked quickly to where the Colonel was until he caught up with him. "Checking out the grounds, Gov'nor?" Newkirk asked with a smile.
Hogan glanced at him with a blank expression. "Newkirk, I'm going to tell you the same thing I told LeBeau. There is nothing wrong, and nothing to worry about. I just need to be alone right now."
"But Colonel...."
Hogan sighed wearily. "Newkirk, just go and leave me alone!" he said a bit harsher than he planned.
"Sorry, Gov'nor," Newkirk apologized. "Didn't mean to disturb you." He started to turn when Hogan grabbed his arm. Newkirk looked into Hogan's face and could see the pain in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Peter. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. I'm just really tired is all."
"It's okay, sir. Really. I'll just leave you be then." He gently pulled his arm out of Hogan's grasp and headed back to the barracks with Hogan watching him leave.
"Damn!" Hogan muttered under his breath. "I didn't mean to hurt his feelings." He watched as Newkirk entered the barracks.
Newkirk shook his head as the others looked at him. "The Gov'nor went off on me," he explained. "I know he didn't mean it, but he's really wound up tighter than a main spring."
Carter and Kinch looked at each other. Carter slowly opened the barracks door and walked outside. He immediately saw the Colonel sitting on the steps of the Kommandantur. He slowly approached and sat down beside the Colonel. Hogan looked at him.
"It's your turn now, Carter?" he asked.
"I don't you know what you mean, Colonel," Carter replied. "I'm worried about you. I mean somebody obviously hit you, and you have bruises on your wrists that anybody can tell are from being tied too tightly. Sir, I wish you felt you could trust us and tell us what's wrong. I mean, we sorta feel like you don't trust us anymore."
Hogan hung his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Carter," he said without looking up. "It's not that I don't trust any of you. It's just that there's nothing to tell. Now I wish all of you would drop it."
"But Colonel...." Carter began.
"Carter, drop it!" Hogan stared at Carter. "Please! Just drop it! Okay?"
Carter looked into Hogan's eyes. Sighing, Carter got up and started walking away. Hogan shook his head and looked up.
"Carter, wait!"
The young sergeant stopped and looked around. "It's okay, Colonel. You don't need to apologize. I didn't mean to bother you." He then turned and headed back towards the barracks and went inside. Hogan watched him go. He rubbed his forehead trying to deal with the way he was treating his men. He knew they were worried about him and wanted to help. But he couldn't let them in. Not this time. They could not be involved. He sighed. He was positive Kinch would be next, and it didn't surprise him when he saw Kinch leave the barracks and approach.
He got to his feet and waited.
"Colonel," Kinch said casually.
"Kinch," Hogan replied.
"Can we talk, Colonel?"
Hogan let out a deep breath and stared into the face of his second-in-command. He was becoming angry at his men, one following the other, approaching him, trying to get him to open up. If only he could. But they must not be involved, Hogan told himself. I can't get them involved. I have to protect them. I'm supposed to take the hit. Not them.
Hogan just shook his head. "Kinch, I've already insulted two of my team. I don't want to make it three."
"Newkirk and Carter know you didn't mean the things you said, Colonel. We're all worried about you. You haven't been the same since you got back from that meeting with Skyhawk last night. And it's obvious you didn't get any sleep. Colonel, if you don't let somebody in, whatever's troubling you is gonna eat you alive. I know you know that."
"Yes I do, Kinch. Problem is there is nothing to tell. If there was I would tell you. But there's just nothing to tell. Now I wish all of you would just get off my back!" Hogan marched past Kinch and stormed into the barracks slamming the door behind him, leaving Kinch staring after him. Hogan marched past the other members of his unit and into his quarters, slamming the door behind him.
LeBeau, Carter, Newkirk stared at the closed door to Hogan's quarters. They turned as the barracks door opened and Kinch walked in closing the door behind him.
"What happened, Kinch?" asked Newkirk. "The Colonel came marching in here like a bloody bat outta hell and went into his quarters and slammed the door."
Kinch folded his arms and sighed. "I've got a feeling the Colonel is in serious trouble. Don't ask me how I know, it's just a feeling I have."
(1) "pour une minute" means for a minute.