Wilson pealed the bandage off of Hogan's shoulder wound. "It looks good, sir."

"It itches," Hogan said trying to sit still. Although he'd never say anything, he hated having bandages replaced and always had been that way since childhood.

"That's means it's healing," Wilson check the injury for signs of infection. "How's the pain level."

"Decreased immensely. It's just annoying now."

"Looks like it will heal properly, and I doubt you even have a scar from this one." Wilson cleaned the wound. What the Colonel called annoying most men would say was painful.

"How's Carter doing?" Hogan asked

"Impressively well. That airdrop saved his life. I doubt he'd be with us if we hadn't received the medications to stabilize him after so much blood loss. I'm letting him sit up in his bunk, and in a couple of days, he'll be able to move around a little more. Earlier I delivered the medical report to Klink describing the injury as Carter fell on a stick that went deep into his thigh. He seemed to accept it as plausible. I asked him if he wanted to come see for himself since I needed to change the dressing. For a half a second I think he really considered it; then our fearless Kommandant decided against it when I told him how the flesh was torn out from the invading object. He did authorize me a can of sulfur powder to stave off infection, which of course I took and put in the stash of medicines," Wilson applied sulfur powder on Hogan's wound.

"You're getting good at coming up with explanations," Hogan grinned.

"Had enough practice, wouldn't mind not needing to exercise that particular skill so much. In that spirit, I checked out François after he fell into Kinch's fist. Wanted to make sure the brain cells that might help with rockets weren't permanently injured. Although he had a raging headache, there was no concussion. Gave him a couple of aspirin, but told him that was all I could spare," Wilson finished applying a new bandage. "Would you like some aspirin? We really do have plenty."

Hogan started to decline then changed his mind taking the pills. There was enough going on that he didn't need the distraction of his shoulder hurting. The aspirin took the edge off and let him concentrate on things which were more important. "Need to talk to you about Olsen. That was a good call asking LeBeau to slip him a sleeping pill. I was about to order him to take one. We spoke earlier and I gave him today to figure out what's causing him so much distress about the situation. It's never easy taking a life, so I expect some amount of trouble while he deals with it, but this has gotten out of hand. Any suggestions on how to handle it?"

Wilson placed his supplies back in his bag. "I'd be happy to talk with him. Honestly, I don't think it's battle exhaustion*, but instead the incident is reminding him of something he doesn't want or can't bear to face again. Whatever the original incident was, he didn't deal with it when it happened, and now it's coming back to haunt him so to speak. Since this is out of character for him, my recommendation is that he doesn't leave camp until it's resolved. Although he looks better, he still needs more rest and if we have to force him into that sleep, I have no trouble sedating him."

"Don't worry he's grounded and won't leave the camp until he's back to normal. If he's unable to sleep tonight, I'll order him to take a sleeping pill."

"Olsen is good at hiding things, and convincing you that nothing's wrong, almost as good as you are. Watch for the subtle signs that he can't hide. If in doubt, it won't hurt him to get another good night's sleep," Wilson said.

"Thanks, that's what I needed to know."

"Where is Tiger?"

"She's gone to town and will be back in a couple of days," Hogan replied, walking Wilson out the barracks.

Tiger opened the door to the apartment she was staying in in Hammelburg. She placed the explosives in a secured hiding spot then went to the kitchen, filling the teapot and placing it on the stove. Next, she undressed and took a hot shower. One thing she missed while staying at Stalag 13 was the ability to bath appropriately. She couldn't use the showers there and had to resort to a bucket and water, which worked but a hot shower was always her preference.

After dressing, the teakettle signaled the water was hot and she made a nice cup of tea. Taking it to the bedroom, she sat down on the bed. When she left with Hogan a few days ago, they didn't make the bed. It still held his smell. Picking up the pillow, she held it close inhaling him. Hogan was unlike any man she'd ever known, and the complete opposite of her husband. He didn't judge her and accepted her even with her stigma. She'd only ever told one other man, and he thought she was less than a woman and broke off their relationship. When Hogan learned, he held her close and said he was sad for her loss, but it didn't change how he felt about her. That's when she knew her heart could be complete again. Her mind wondered back to the awful time that took away her very womanhood.

France 1937

Marie hated her life, she'd had such high hopes, and now it all seemed impossible. She loved school but François decreed she didn't need any more education to be a housewife. She longed to attend the university and study science. The best she could do locked in the house was to read his textbooks on engineering, mathematics, and chemistry. He would ridicule her saying she'd never understand what she read. However, she did understand most of it, but kept that knowledge to herself. She learned how to make explosives from ordinary household chemicals and thought it would be a way to escape from the hell her life had become. For weeks, she quietly gathered the supplies she needed to blow the door off their apartment and escape. But then news came that made her think she'd never escape. She was pregnant. Barely seventeen years old, how would she support herself and a baby? Just her, she could live on the streets until she found another way, but she couldn't do that to her child. François was over the moon about the pregnancy, but Marie was fearful of the type of father he'd be. He thought nothing of hitting her for any perceived misconduct. She couldn't allow that to happen to her child, but had no idea how to stop it. The tiny life growing inside of her terrified her for the future. She had no one to turn to and her family was no help. Her mother had died in childbirth and her brothers were as useless as their father was. Childbirth terrified her, she was eight when her mother died and she'd been in the birthing room. She could still hear the way her mother screamed out in pain, and see all the blood that came gushing out as her youngest brother, Troy, was born. Her mother never got to see him; she died within minutes of his birth. Would the same thing happen to her? She shudder thinking of François raising a child. She felt so helpless and alone.

François was working in the living room as she went down to do the laundry and hang it out to dry. A stranger came into the building, he asked Marie for directions then left. Marie carried her basket of clothing upstairs. François came out demanding to know what they talked about, but didn't believe her when she told him. They were standing on the landing between the first and second floor. He became so enraged that she spoke to another man that he backhanded her. Marie fell down the stairs landing on the first floor unable to move due to the pain. The landlord came out of his apartment to find out what was going on and knelt beside her. François came down saying that she'd fallen taking the laundry upstairs. Fortunately, the landlord helped get Marie to the hospital.

The next day she awoke in severe pain, François sitting at her bedside. The doctors and nurses thought he was such a caring husband never suspecting the truth. That's when she was told the news, she'd lost the baby. Even worse, she'd never be able to have a child because the fall had damaged her uterus so badly they had to remove it. Marie cried for weeks broken hearted. François ridiculed her for being clumsy and inept as to lose their baby. He wanted an heir, and often took his rage out on her in the form of beatings. When he started his affair with the woman upstairs, Marie felt immense relief. He would leave her alone on the days he had sex with Juliet; she began to pray they had sex daily.

Tiger shivered pulling herself out of the memories. Her scar was where they removed her ability to have children and it caused her deep shame and remorse. She always wanted a houseful of kids, and now even more so. She thought she and her mon amour would have made beautiful babies. Now François may have even managed to damage her chance at love with Hogan, and she couldn't let it happen. Her gut said that François was hiding a dangerous secret and she knew how to find out what it was. Putting the teacup down, gathering up the undergrounds supplies, Tiger headed out determined to find the truth out about François.

He snuck back into Stalag 13 doubting anyone even knew he was gone. Major Hochstetter came through and now he had a huge slice of chocolate cake with which to bribe Schultz. The cake was delicious and it was a shame to feed it to a traitor. However, if it got him to be the new guard in Barracks Two it was worth it. Soon he'd be able to avenge his brother's death.