Sorry it took me so long. RL is crazy at the moment. I'll try to update more regularly. There's some German in this – translations can be found at the end of the chapter.

Chapter 13

Hogan followed the short Frenchman and watched as he sorted through his pots and pans and began to mix batter for the crêpes he intended to make.

'Thank you for telling us, LeBeau. You know more about Newkirk than I thought you did. I knew all the facts – about his time in prison and all that – because London gave me that information,' he smiled. 'They thought that he was not trustworthy enough to join our operation here.'

LeBeau returned the smile. 'When I first met him, I thought I'd have to kill him. But we got used to each other. He was complètement fou – totally crazy – when we met. He tried to escape all the time, spent more time in the Cooler than anywhere else. Pierre did not know when to stop. He was always in trouble, stole from guards and prisoners. I don't think he cared if he lived or died.'

Hogan sat down with a cup of coffee and listened to the French Corporal. 'He calmed down when he started receiving letters from home. Nobody wanted anything to do with him, but I decided to give him a chance and then…voilà…we became friends and tried to get home so that we could fight the Germans again. Pierre seemed happier when he had a mission. And then Klink came along…and you came along…' he shrugged and continued cooking.

'And what are you planning to do now, LeBeau?' Hogan asked as the French Corporal poured the batter into the pan.

'You wouldn't believe it, mon Colonel. When the crêpes are ready, I'm going to go take them to Pierre. Schultz is guarding him, and maybe he's going to let me spend a few minutes with Pierre if I give him some crêpes. C'est tout.'

Hogan thought about it for a while and smiled. 'You know, it's so simple it might even work. Do you want to go on your own? I'm sure Carter would love to come with you.'

LeBeau smiled. 'I'd prefer to go alone, mon Colonel, but I'll take Carter along. I'm sure Pierre would like to see him.'

'Good, LeBeau. See if you can get some information out of Schultz. And tell Newkirk to get well soon.'

'I will, mon Colonel.' LeBeau smiled and concentrated on the crêpes. Ten minutes later, the delicious looking pancakes were ready, and LeBeau covered the pan with a plate. 'Come on, Carter, let's go and visit Newkirk!' LeBeau called the American Sergeant, who was sitting on his bunk, shuffling Newkirk's deck of cards and daydreaming.

'Really?' Carter jumped up and put the cards into his pocket. He put on his gloves and jacket while LeBeau picked up his own jacket and hat.

'Good luck, LeBeau!' Hogan called as the two men left the barracks.

'How are we doing this, Louis?' Carter asked as they walked across the compound. 'Alors, I have crêpes, Schultz wants crêpes…and we trade them for time with Pierre.' LeBeau explained and Carter nodded enthusiastically.

Nobody stopped them as they walked through the snow. They moved quickly and confidently, hoping that Corporal Langenscheidt would not realise that they were doing something that was strictly 'verboten'.

The door to the VIP quarters was unlocked, and LeBeau raised his hand to stop Carter while he opened the door and looked in. He discovered Schultz, asleep in an armchair facing the door, his rifle on his lap, and what looked like a pile of blankets on the bed. He signalled Carter to follow him quietly and entered the room. Carter followed and promptly tripped over the carpet. Schultz snored and lifted the rifle sleepily. 'Wer ist da?' he asked, eyes still closed. 'Carter and LeBeau, Schultzie. Now go back to sleep.' LeBeau answered in a soothing voice, and Schultz smiled. 'Carter und LeBeau…' he mumbled as he fell asleep again.

LeBeau shrugged and made his way to the bed. Very carefully, he lifted a corner of the blanket and looked at Newkirk, who had curled up in bed. The Englishman was very pale and seemed to be asleep, and LeBeau almost felt sorry for disturbing him. But to his surprise, Newkirk frowned and opened his eyes. 'Wha…' Newkirk croaked and frowned again. He tried to sit up, but LeBeau held him down gently. 'Don't try to sit up. Wilson says you have a concussion and need to rest.'

Newkirk sank back down and smiled faintly as Carter rushed over and sat down next to him on the bed. 'Boy, it's good to see you. How are you?' Carter beamed at his friend, who looked at him in confusion.

'Where…why…?' Newkirk stammered, trying to focus. 'You're in Klink's VIP quarters. Don't worry,' LeBeau explained, also taking a seat on the corner of the bed. Newkirk looked terrible. Pale, with tousled hair and an unfocussed expression on his face. He was still wearing his uniform, which looked crumpled and damp.

'Are you hungry? LeBeau has brought you some pancakes,' Carter chimed in.

'They're not pancakes, they're crêpes…' LeBeau grumbled, 'Would you like some?' He offered the pan to Newkirk who suddenly seemed to go even paler. 'Sorry, Louis, I'm not hungry right now,' Newkirk replied weakly.

'Was ist denn hier los?' thundered Schultz, who had finally woken up. 'Carter! LeBeau! What are you doing here?'

He had jumped up and was aiming the rifle at the two prisoners.

'Hey, Schultzie, keep it down. We're just visiting Newkirk. LeBeau's made some…some food for him.' Carter explained. He, too, had jumped up and was standing in front of the bed with his hands in the air.

'You know that nobody is supposed to see the Engländer,' Schultz lowered the rifle and sat down again.

'But we're just here because we were worried about him,' LeBeau explained, 'And we were right to worry.'

Schultz shook his head. 'Excuses. He has a nice bed in a warm room – what else does he need?'

LeBeau counted on his fingers: 'First of all, he is still in his uniform. It's damp and uncomfortable. Second, he has no tea. Third, no food. And last but not least, he's all alone. All we wanted to do was to bring him some food and cheer him up.'

Schultz nodded, clearly convinced. 'Alright, alright. You can stay for a while…and the pancakes can stay, as well.' He eyed the pan hungrily.

'Yes, you can eat them if Newkirk does not want any,' LeBeau answered with a smile and handed over the pan. Schultz's eyes sparkled as he accepted the gift.

'I see nothing…' he smiled, turned the other way and started eating.

Carter and LeBeau turned back to Newkirk, who had managed to sit up in bed after all. He was still pale, but more aware of his surroundings. 'It's good to see you,' he said quietly. 'When can I get out of here? Nothing against a bit of luxury, but I'd rather sleep in me own bunk.'

LeBeau smiled back at him, relieved that his friend seemed to be feeling somewhat better. 'Hey, Newkirk, I brought you something!' Carter chimed in and reached into his pocket to pull out the deck of cards with a dramatic gesture. Unfortunately, the cards slipped from his grasp and spread all over the bed. Newkirk shook his head and laughed as his friend clumsily tried to pick up the cards.

Suddenly, Newkirk frowned and stopped laughing: the dizziness had returned. He groaned and lay down slowly.

'Hey, I'm sorry, Newkirk…' Carter stared at his friend, wondering whether he had done something to hurt him.

'S'alright, Carter.' Newkirk managed, and LeBeau shook his head. 'You didn't do anything, Carter. He shouldn't have sat up.'

The short Frenchman sighed and shook his head again. 'I don't like this. You shouldn't be here on your own. Le Colonel has to find a way to get you out of here…'

'General Burkhalter…' Schultz interrupted, his mouth full of food.

'I know that General Burkhalter has ordered this, Schultz, but…'

'General Burkhalter is coming back!' the German sergeant continued as he stared out of the window. 'Schnell! You have to leave!'

LeBeau and Carter jumped up and looked for an escape route, but the General was approaching quickly. There was the door to the bathroom and a big wardrobe. Carter wanted to make a dash for the bathroom door, but LeBeau held him back, realising that the General might see them through the window if they rushed across the room like that. He crouched down, pulling the American sergeant down with him, and together, they crawled to the wardrobe and climbed in. Instead of closing the door completely, they left it slightly ajar, so that they could see what was going on outside.

As the General entered, Schultz jumped up and saluted. To his surprise, the General was not alone: a tall, blonde woman followed him into the room. In the wardrobe, Carter and LeBeau craned their necks to get a better look at the strange woman. She was very thin and looked arrogant. Her long hair was pinned back in a very unflattering bun, and her face displayed an expression of disgust.

'Feldwebel Schultz – Frau Doktor Schäfer.' General Burkhalter introduced the woman.

'Frau Doktor Schäfer wird sich um den Engländer kümmern.'

With that, Burkhalter turned and left the room.

'Heil Hitler!' the doctor greeted Schultz, who replied immediately. 'Heil Hitler, Frau Doktor.'

The woman's voice suited her overall appearance, LeBeau thought. It was fairly high-pitched and somewhat unpleasant. She looked at Newkirk with a frown.

'Ist das der Patient?' she asked, leaning forward to get a better look at the Englishman. It was clear that she did not want to get closer than absolutely necessary.

'Jawohl, Frau Doktor. Corporal Newkirk.'

She took a step closer, lifted the blanket and shuddered. 'A filthy Englishman. He needs to be cleaned up before I can treat him,' she said in English to make sure Newkirk understood what she thought of him.'Disgusting.'

Dropping the blanket, she took three steps back and turned to face Schultz again.

'Sorgen sie dafür. Sie haben eine Stunde Zeit.'

With that, she turned and left the room.

'Charming bird,' Newkirk commented as the door closed behind the German doctor and Carter and LeBeau stepped out of the wardrobe.

'I guess I'd better go and have a shower…' Newkirk continued and tried to get out of bed.

'No!' both LeBeau and Schultz protested.

'You need to stay in bed,' LeBeau added, and Schultz nodded energetically. 'Genau. You're too ill to get up. AND you're not allowed to leave this room.'

Schultz started pacing. 'You're not allowed to leave this room, I'm not allowed to leave this room. And you – ' he pointed at LeBeau and Carter, 'are going to leave this room…and you've never BEEN in this room. What are we going to do? What ARE we going to do?'

'Le Colonel always knows what to do. You could go and get him and we stay here and look after Newkirk until you're back.' LeBeau suggested lightly.

Schultz stopped pacing and stared at LeBeau, seriously considering his offer. Then, he shook his head. 'No, no, no. I have to stay here. If the General comes back and I'm not here and you are here…no. You're leaving now, and I'm going to call Langenscheidt…' he pushed them towards the door. Carter and LeBeau stumbled along. 'We'll be back, Newkirk!' Carter shouted before they both rushed away from the building as quickly as possible without attracting attention.

'Langenscheidt!' they heard Schultz holler as they entered the barracks. Colonel Hogan and Kinch were already waiting for them.

'What did you find out?' Hogan asked almost immediately. 'How's Newkirk?' Kinch added.

The two men exchanged glances. Carter was the first to speak: 'Oh boy,' was all he managed.

'Colonel, it's as you said. He's not very well,' LeBeau added.

'What happened when Burkhalter returned? I did not have time to warn you,' Hogan inquired, glad to see that his men were not in trouble.

'We hid in the wardrobe.' LeBeau explained.

'Who's the woman?' Kinch asked.

'They went to Klink's office, but we couldn't listen because Corporal Schmidt was guarding us,' Hogan explained.

'She's a German doctor and – ' LeBeau started, but Carter interrupted him: 'She was really mean to Newkirk.'

'Oui. She called him a 'disgusting filthy Englishman', and won't examine him until he has been 'cleaned up'', LeBeau explained angrily.

Just in that moment, the door opened and Corporal Langenscheidt entered, red-faced and out of breath.
'Colonel Hogan! Colonel Hogan! Mitkommen! Come with me! Schnell! Sergeant Schultz wants to see you,' he stammered.

'Well, I guess I'd better go and see Schultz,' Hogan stated and followed the German corporal.

Translations:

Frau Doktor Schäfer wird sich um den Engländer kümmern

Doctor Schäfer is going to look after theEnglishman.

Ist das der Patient?

Is this the patient?

Sorgen sie dafür. Sie haben eine Stunde Zeit.

Take care of it. You have one hour.