Chapter 8---Confirmation and Making Plans
The message came over the radio in the late afternoon. Kinch was monitoring the radio with Carter, LeBeau and Newkirk keeping him company. They all knew Hogan was in his quarters. Especially after they had all ganged up on him earlier to try and get him to open up. Kinch flinched when he discovered the message was from Skyhawk. When the message ended, Kinch removed his headset and tossed it aside. He looked at the others, worried, and let out a deep breath.
"What's wrong, Kinch?" asked Newkirk. "Who's the message from?"
"Skyhawk," Kinch said. "He wants to meet the Colonel tonight at 2300 hours at the same place as last time."
"Well I'll tell you chaps one bloody thing," Newkirk remarked. "I'll be damned if the Colonel's gonna met this Skyhawk alone a second time. Not after what happened last time."
"I agree with you there, Newkirk," LeBeau agreed. "But you know the Colonel is not going to allow any of us to go with him just like the last time."
"Then one of us will have to go with him without him knowing," replied Newkirk.
"How are you going to do that?" asked Carter, confused.
"Simple, Carter," Newkirk said, draping an arm around the young sergeant's shoulders. "I will allow the Colonel five minutes headstart and then follow him."
"But what if you get caught?" asked Carter.
"I'll just have to make sure I don't get caught is all," said the Englander as he lit a cigarette.
"But what will you do if there's trouble?" asked LeBeau, concerned. "If you have to help the Colonel should there be trouble, he may appreciate the help at the time, but will be furious when you both get back to camp."
Newkirk shrugged. "Then he'll just have to get furious. But at least he won't get hurt this time, or worse."
"Sounds like a good idea to me," Kinch agreed. He got up from his seat. "One of us better take this message upstairs to the Colonel."
"I'll take it," said LeBeau reaching for and taking the message from Kinch's hands. He folded the message in half, and started to leave when a hand on his arm by Kinch stopped him. He looked up at the radioman.
"Something wrong?" the Frenchman asked.
"No. Take Carter with you."
"Why? I can deliver a message by myself," LeBeau replied.
"That's not what I mean," Kinch told him. "What I mean is before we go following the Colonel on his meeting tonight I think we'd better make absolutely certain there's something to worry about. And the only way to do that is to get a look at his other wrist. All we saw were bruises on one wrist and a cut on his chin. If he has bruises on both wrists, then we'll know for certain that someone not only had the Colonel tied up very tightly but struck him as well. So, while you're delivering the message to the Colonel, I want Carter to go get Wilson and bring him to barracks two right away. And Carter...."
The young sergeant looked at Kinch. "Yeah, Kinch?"
"Make sure you tell Wilson that Colonel Hogan says he suffered a fall last night and injured his chin and his wrist and they require some treatment. But make sure he also understands what we suspect so this way he'll check both wrists. And if he has bruises on both, then we'll know for sure and proceed from there."
"You got it," Carter replied as he and LeBeau hurried from the radio room.
After they had departed, Newkirk took a long drag on his cigarette. He looked at Kinch.
"Don't tell me you now suspect the Colonel might be telling the truth about his injuries after all?" he asked.
"No. But this way there will be no doubt whatsoever. You'd better get back upstairs."
"What about you, mate?"
"I have to monitor the radio for awhile. I'll be up later."
Back upstairs in the common room, LeBeau waited until Carter had left the barracks before he knocked on Hogan's closed door. He heard the Colonel's permission to enter. LeBeau opened the door and noticed Hogan laying on his lower bunk, reading a paperback. Hogan looked up at the Frenchman.
"What is it, LeBeau?" he asked.
"Kinch received this message for you. It's from Skyhawk." LeBeau approached the Colonel's bunk and handed him the message as Hogan sat up. Unfolding the paper, Hogan's eyes scanned the brief message and then crushed it in his hand and shook his head.
"Something wrong, mon Colonel?" asked LeBeau.
"No. Nothing's wrong."
LeBeau, nodding, started to leave the room quietly.
"LeBeau?"
Halfway out the door, LeBeau turned. "Oui, Colonel?"
"I'm sorry for earlier today. I hope you can forgive me. I'm just overtired."
LeBeau smiled affectionately at his commanding officer. "Nothing to forgive, mon Colonel. Forget it."
Hogan smiled grimly. "Is there any coffee left?"
"We just made a fresh pot. It's still hot."
"Thanks, LeBeau. I could use a cup." Hogan got up and followed LeBeau out into the common room. He tossed the crushed message inside the stove, then grabbing an empty cup off the table, poured himself a full cup of coffee. He saw Newkirk sitting at the table playing cards with one of the other prisoners. Newkirk glanced up momentarily at his commanding officer and went back to the game.
"Newkirk...." Hogan said softly as he sat down at the table.
Newkirk paused and looked up. "Yes, Gov'nor?"
"I want to apologize for my behavior outside earlier. I had no right jumping on you like I did. Please forgive me."
Newkirk smiled warmly. "There's nothing to forgive, Colonel. You didn't get any sleep last night so you had every reason to be cranky, sir. Forget it." He went back to his game and with a grin, laid his cards on the table. "Gin," he said.
Hogan chuckled as he watched. Just then, the barracks door opened. Hogan looked up and saw Wilson enter carrying his medical bag. He closed the door behind him.
"Hi, Joe," Hogan greeted the camp medic. "What brings you here? Somebody sick?"
"In a manner of speaking, Colonel," Sergeant Joe Wilson, the camp medic, replied, sitting his bag on the table near Hogan. He folded his arms and looked into Hogan's brown eyes. "Colonel, I heard you had a fall last night and injured your wrist and apparently your chin. I'd like to have a look and make sure everything's all right."
Hogan's eyes went from LeBeau to Newkirk and back to Wilson. "What's going on? I don't need a doctor."
Wilson gently lifted Hogan's head to get a look at his chin. "That cut looks like it might be getting infected. I'd better have a look at it. And don't argue with me."
Hogan let out a deep breath as Wilson gently removed the bandage from the Colonel's chin to examine to cut. It was discolored but seemed to be healing nicely, but Wilson needed an excuse to look at it. He opened his medical bag and removed a bottle of alcohol and some cotton and cleaned the cut thoroughly. He then applied some salve to it before applying a clean bandage.
"Fortunately I don't need to give you an antibiotic to ward off infection. Now, I'd like to see your wrists."
"I only injured one wrist when I fell," Hogan protested.
"You might not have noticed an injury to the other wrist. So, I must insist you show me both."
Sighing in annoyance, Hogan removed his bomber jacket and rolled up both sleeves of his khaki shirt. The bruises on both wrists were quite visible. Wilson examined both wrists.
"These bruises are quite ugly, Colonel," said Wilson as he applied salve and then bandaged both wrists. "Leave these bandages on for about a week. I'll check back at that time and see how you're doing."
It was then that Carter walked into the barracks. He smiled when he noticed Wilson. "Hi'ya, Joe. What brings you here?"
Hogan eyed Carter as he rolled down his shirt sleeves. He began to suspect Wilson's visit wasn't an accident. He slipped his bomber jacket back on and zipped it halfway up.
"Just checking on a prisoner, Carter," Wilson said with a smile.
"Gee, I hope whoever it is isn't real sick or anything like that."
"Don't worry, Carter," Wilson replied, patting the sergeant's shoulder. "He's going to be fine. I have to go." Wilson left the barracks quickly.
Hogan fingered his coffee cup in silence. Finally, he looked at Carter, Newkirk and LeBeau as he got up.
"Carter, LeBeau, Newkirk, in my quarters. NOW!!!"
The three men exchanged nervous looks. They knew from Hogan's voice and face he was angry. They slowly walked into the Colonel's quarters with Hogan holding the door open to allow them to enter.