A couple days went by, and Klink had brought back Hogan's men to the hospital to visit with Hogan. They all got to the 6th floor and after lecturing them on no escaping or it was the cooler for all of them, then Klink released them. The excited four hurried to Hogan's room and came in smiling and cheerful. They had lots of good news for their commanding officer to hear, including Kinch's plan to get rid of Matthews once and for all. Newkirk sat by Hogan's legs grabbing his left hand, Carter sat in his chair, LeBeau stood in front of Newkirk, and Kinch stood behind Carter, like they always did.
"Hey again, Gov'nor! We're back again to bother yah, sir." Newkirk joked, chuckling softly.
"Boy, do we got good news for you! Wait till Kinch tells you all about the plan to get rid of Matthews!" Carter cheered.
"It's brilliant, mon Colonel. It's as brilliant as one of your ideas!" LeBeau said, proud of his friend.
"Isn't that great, Gov'nor?!" Newkirk asked, smiling boldly.
No response.
Newkirk merely chuckled.
"Alright, sir; you're just pulling my leg, now. Seriously, Gov'nor, you can squeeze my hand, now."
Nothing came.
Newkirk was beginning to grow frustrated.
"Gov'nor, come on, now! I know you can hear us, sir." Newkirk spoke, getting agitated.
Nothing again.
"Blimey, Gov'nor; I don't know what's up with yah, right now, but let me just say…" Carter cut Newkirk off, who was quivering and fighting back tears in his eyes.
"Newkirk...look at his skin color."
Newkirk looked at Hogan's face more closely and noticed his skin was a slight pale gray color. He began shaking and began to grow frightened.
"Gov'nor...Gov'nor...come on, Colonel. Squeeze my hand, wiggle your toes, tap your fingers on your middle, anything, Gov'nor!" Newkirk begged, starting to panic.
Dr. Klaussner walked in without the four being aware and sighed sadly.
"He won't do anything, Newkirk."
Kinch walked over to Dr. Klaussner, worry read all over his face.
"Doctor...is he alright?" Kinch asked, praying the answer was 'yes'.
Dr. Klaussner sighed and shook his head slowly.
"I'm afraid Colonel Hogan has suffered a relapse of unconsciousness. A couple nights ago, someone tried poisoning and killing him with injecting Zyklon B into his IV stream." Dr. Klaussner began.
"Zyklon B," All the men cried.
"He'll be alright though, Doctor; won't he?" LeBeau spoke, as if he were begging Dr. Klaussner to say 'right'.
Dr. Klaussner hesitated before answering.
"...I don't know,"
"What do you mean, Richard?" Kinch asked.
"...I don't know how long Hogan suffered from the poisoning. When I found him, he was suffering convulsions, trouble breathing, and a dramatic drop in blood pressure. His lungs were collapsing, and I fear blood did not travel to the brain part of the episode." Dr. Klaussner answered, softly.
"What are you trying to say, mate?" Newkirk quivered.
Dr. Klaussner gulped and was very quiet before answering the Englishman.
"Colonel Hogan may have severe brain damage...and I don't know if he can recover from it...I don't know if he'll survive, now."
"No...no, no, no, Colonel, no!" Carter wailed. He hugged Hogan and began crying.
"Please, Dr. Klaussner; tell us it isn't true!" LeBeau begged, fighting back from crying.
"There's gotta be something you can do, Richard!" Newkirk pleaded.
"I've done everything I can for Hogan...it's up to God now whether he'll live or die...I would seriously consider ending life support." Dr. Klaussner said, sadly.
"You've gotta be bleeding joking me, Richard!" Newkirk cried.
"We can't; we don't know for certain!" LeBeau wailed.
"Richard, you gotta give Colonel a chance. He did it once, he can do it, again." Kinch said, trying to clean up the mess.
"I'll give him a week before consulting with your Kommandant regarding the choice...but I would highly recommend you men to consider the fact of Sergeant Kinchloe becoming your new commanding officer...I'm sorry, Kinch." Dr. Klaussner said, sadly. The old doctor sadly walked out of the room and left the four men to themselves.
Carter had lifted his head slightly to look at his friends, then laid his head back onto Hogan's chest and continued softly crying.
"I'll kill the sorry bloke who did this to Gov'nor." Newkirk hissed, his green eyes flashing with a vengeance.
"Colonel...come back to us, Colonel...you did it once, you can do it, again, mon ami. I know you can, Colonel...you're strong and stubborn...don't let this thing win, sir." LeBeau pleaded, tears streaming down his face.
"Please, Colonel...come back to us, buddy...please come back to us, Colonel." Carter whimpered.
Kinch let out a shaky sigh. He hung his head then lifted it again to his friends.
"We gotta get heading back, now, guys. Our plan has to happen, the minute we get back." Kinch sadly said.
"We can't leave the Colonel!" LeBeau pleaded.
"We've gotta do this plan for Colonel, guys! To honor him; if he dies, we have to do this to pay back for everything he ever did for us." Kinch said, kindly.
LeBeau nodded, wiping tears from his eyes.
"Yes, Kinch," LeBeau sadly said.
Newkirk nodded swallowing a knot forming in his throat.
"For Colonel," The Englishman croaked.
Carter wiped his eyes and nodded.
"Colonel, don't you quit fighting...we're gonna come back as soon as we can. I'll try to bargain with Kommandant to allow us more visits with you regarding your change in condition...we miss you, Colonel...we need you to come back, sir." Kinch said, sadly.
"Please, Gov'nor, please...please come back, Gov'nor." Newkirk begged, and he began softly crying himself.
The men returned to Stalag 13 and were now more determined than ever to get rid of Matthews. They would fight through this situation for honor and memory of Hogan.
The four of them were leaning against the wall of barracks two. They both had seen Burkhalter and Hochstetter go into Klink's office to talk more about the investigation of Hogan being behind the ball bearing plant explosion, and those two being around were key to the success of their plan.
They saw Matthews standing over by the front gate smoking a pipe and was near the volleyball court, where a game was taking place. Kinch glanced over at Newkirk, who was standing next to him. Carter and LeBeau were sitting on the bench to the right with their heads propped up by their hands. They were still devastated about the news about Hogan.
Kinch glanced again at Newkirk and snapped his head slightly up. The signal to have Newkirk begin the plan.
Newkirk nodded slightly and began casually making his way into the volleyball game, which the prisoners gladly made room for him, being in on the plan. A prisoner hit the volleyball as hard as they could.
"I got it, mate!" Newkirk cried.
He ran backwards to receive the volleyball and purposely ran into Matthews, and dropped the ID card to the ground casually, as if it had fallen out of Matthews's jacket from the blow.
"Watch it, England pipsqueak!" Matthews hissed.
"Sorry, mate; didn't see yah there." Newkirk said, innocently.
"Well, keep your eyes open next time!" Matthews snarled.
Newkirk nodded, then looked to the ground and grew interested in what he saw, as if he had never seen it before. He picked the ID card up and read it deeply interested in what he saw.
"What's this little thing, Colonel?" Newkirk asked, waving it in front of him. Matthews tried grabbing for it several times, but Newkirk with his talents, was too quick to be grabbed by the gestapo officer.
"Hey, everybody! We got ourselves a German prisoner!" Newkirk yelled out.
Kinch, Carter, and LeBeau all hurried to Newkirk's side.
"A German?!" Kinch asked, pretending to be stunned.
"No way, Pierre. You must be joking." LeBeau said.
"Oh, yeah; check it out. Captain Hans Freitag, Commanding Officer Major Wolfgang Hochstetter." Newkirk replied, pointing to the details on the ID.
"Give that back to me, now!" Freitag hissed.
The four men turned to the Kommandantur's and started yelling to get the three German officers' attentions and bring them outside to the scene.
"Major Hochstetter!" LeBeau cried.
"Hochstetter, Kommandant!" Kinch called out.
"Ay, Kommandant, Hochstetter!" Newkirk chimed in.
"Hochstetter, Kommandant, Burkhalter!" The four men all yelled.
The door to the Kommandantur's slammed opened, and Hochstetter steamed down over to the prisoners. Klink and Burkhalter arrived to the four men shortly afterwards.
"What is the meaning of all of this?!" Hochstetter hollered.
"Kommandant, do you know you gotta gestapo officer playing 'prisoner of war'?" Kinch asked.
"Ha! Impossible!" Klink laughed.
"I would beg to differ, Kommandant. Look at the ID that fell out of good ol' new guy, here." Newkirk said, handing the ID to Klink. Both he and Burkhalter gasped then snapped their attention to Freitag.
"Captain, what do have to say for yourself?" Klink ordered.
"Major Hochstetter sent me here to find the hidden operation these goons are hiding!" Freitag said, no longer hiding his German accent. The young man had snapped to attention as soon as his commanding officer had come into sight.
"And you failed terribly, Captain!" Hochstetter snarled stomping his foot a few times.
"And while we're being so honest with one another, I'm the one that poisoned and tried to kill Colonel Hogan four nights ago! I have no regrets whatsoever, knowing he still may die!" Freitag snapped.
All four of Hogan's men, Klink, Burkhalter, and Hochstetter all gasped.
"How dare you!" LeBeau hollered.
"I swear if Colonel Hogan dies, I'll track down your no good sorry gestapo hinder and kill yah with my own two hands, and I don't care what Major Hochstetter will do as consequences!" Newkirk snarled. Kinch was holding onto both of Newkirk's hands to restrain him from hitting the man. It was difficult, though, since Kinch wanted to shoot the man dead himself for what he did. The four of them may lose their commanding officer and best friend because of the man standing before them.
"I will handle my own men, Corporal!" Hochstetter hissed.
"Major, I am beginning to doubt your thoughts of Colonel Hogan being involved with the explosion." Burkhalter said, turning to Hochstetter disapprovingly.
"What; you said yourself that you may have been wrong about my assumptions the entire time!" Hochstetter hissed.
"I said 'beginning to doubt', Major. Push your luck any farther, and I will close the investigation entirely!" Burkhalter threatened.
The gestapo major started turning dark red and snapped his attention to the captain, who he was considering at the moment putting in front of a firing squad.
"I told you not to attempt to kill Hogan! Captain, we will go back to headquarters, and not only will I strip you of your ranking as captain, but I will also confine you in solitary confinement until further notice!" Hochstetter hollered.
"Arrest this man!" Klink ordered, furious with Freitag.
Hochstetter slapped handcuffs on Freitag and harshly yanked him to his staff car. The outraged major started the car and drove out of camp. Burkhalter and Klink watched the car, until it disappeared, then the big general turned to face Klink.
"Klink, let us go back to your office. I wish to speak with you more regarding this 'Captain Freitag'." Burkhalter ordered.
Klink gulped.
"Yes, Herr General." Klink tremored.
The two Germans hurried themselves back into the Kommandantur's. After making sure they were out of sight and hearing range, the four started cheering and celebrating.
"Kinch, your plan was beautiful, mate!" Newkirk commended.
"Très fantastique!" LeBeau said, smiling.
"Boy, Kinch; you're almost as good as Colonel!" Carter cheered.
Kinch chuckled.
"Ah, thanks, guys." Kinch said, blushing.
"Now all we have to do is get Jerry out of Germany." Newkirk softly said.
Kinch sighed sadly.
"Not tonight, guys." Kinch said.
"Why not, Kinch?" LeBeau asked.
"I'm just upset about Colonel, is all."
The three hung their heads and began to grow sad, as well.
"Me too, mate." Newkirk said, sadly.
"I sure hope he'll make it through...I don't know what I'll do, if I lose him." Carter trembled, fighting back from crying.
"Come on, mes amis...let's all go grab a cup of coffee to drink." LeBeau said, sadly.
The four men sulked off to the barracks, as they began hoping and praying with all their hearts that Hogan would recover and finally come back to them once again.
A week went by, and Klink had taken Kinch, Newkirk, Carter, and LeBeau back to the hospital to visit with Hogan, which they prayed would not be for the last time. The four sadly knew if today no change had occurred, Dr. Klaussner would be confiding with Klink of whether or not to continue life support for the American officer. Taking their usual positions, the four began socializing with Hogan. Newkirk grabbed hold of Hogan's hand tight, begging he would once more squeeze his hand. He needed reassurance, and he needed Hogan to survive...he was not exactly sure how losing him would affect him, but his guilt had been haunting him for several nights now in dreams. Newkirk would soon go crazy, if they did not cease by tonight.
"Hi, Colonel…" Newkirk swallowed. He kept praying that tonight would not be the last night he ever spoke to Hogan, again. "We're here, Colonel; we're all here with you, sir."
"Hi, Colonel...Kinch's plan to get rid of Matthews...or Freitag, worked out really well. All we have to worry about now is getting Colonel Winters out of Germany, so we can fool Hochstetter and save the operation." Carter said, trying to force a small smile.
"You gotta come back to us, Colonel...Richard's gonna pull the plug on you, otherwise." Kinch quivered.
"We won't allow him to do so, Colonel. We know you can come back to us, again. You did it once, when the odds were against you, you can do it twice, Colonel." LeBeau pleaded with his commanding officer.
Nothing came as response.
"Blimey, Gov'nor, open your eyes, please, Gov'nor! I can't stand to lose yah, sir; it'll simply kill me!" Newkirk begged.
Nothing again came.
Carter began to silently cry. He knew what his commanding officer's future held in store for him.
Newkirk had tears streaming down his face, but he was angry and kept scowling.
"I'll kill that bloody Kraut, if I ever see him, again! I promise, Gov'nor, this won't go unavenged." Newkirk hissed, thinking of Freitag and how he wanted to strangle the man. He was going to lose the best commanding officer and friend he ever had, and it was all thanks to a man trying to poison and kill Hogan, when he was just starting to come back to his men.
"You were the best commanding officer...I ever had, mon Colonel." LeBeau said, beginning to weep.
"We'll never forget you, Colonel." Kinch sadly said.
Carter placed a hand on Hogan's shoulder, leaned his head on it, and continued crying.
"You'll always be my best friend, Colonel." Carter wept.
"You'll always be our Gov'nor, Colonel." Newkirk choked.
The four men all hung their heads in silence, as they were remembering their commanding officer and everything he had done for them.
The hand that Newkirk was holding in his grasp started slowly wiggling its fingers and slowly closed its hold on Newkirk's hand. It then gave it a gentle squeeze and released its hold slightly.
Praying to God he was not imagining things, Newkirk shot his head up and looked at Hogan, hope in his eyes.
"Gov'nor...Gov'nor, can you hear us?!" Newkirk begged. The Englishman snapped his head down, when he felt a hand beginning to close on his hand. Hogan's left hand closed and squeezed Newkirk's hand gently, again and softly patted his hand four times, letting his men know everything was going to be alright, and he was going to be alright, too. Newkirk beamed through his tears and looked at his friends.
"He did it, mates! Colonel squeezed my hand!" Newkirk cheered.
"Colonel, you're okay!" Carter cried, with glee.
"I knew you could do it the whole time, Colonel! I knew you could do it!" LeBeau said, cheerful.
"That a boy, Colonel; keep fighting, the rest of the way, now." Kinch encouraged, smiling.
Newkirk smiled at Hogan. His commanding officer had squeezed his hand, again.