Ultimatum

"Why ain't she wakin' up, Wicki?" Aldo asked as he, Wicki, Donny, and Hugo stood over the sleeping girl.

Wicki folded his arms over his chest. "I gave her quite a small handful of painkillers and medicine that will hopefully clear up the infection."

The Basterds had crossed into Austria only hours ago; Hugo had sacrificed himself to carry Daniela the entire way. He did not complain once nor did he show signs of fatigue in carrying her all that way.

"She's bound to wake up soon, sir," Wicki said. "She's been sleeping for over twelve hours."

Aldo nodded, taking his snuff box out of his pocket and quickly dipping his finger in and huffing twice. He snapped it closed loudly. "I'll have the young'ens set the tent up; meanwhile I want Hugo to stay with the gurl til she wakes up."

Hugo nodded.

Hugo watched over Daniela for most of the afternoon while the tent was being assembled. He began sharpening his knife to pass the time. Many of the men asked if she had showed any signs of waking up; they were all very eager to hear this stranger's story, as was he.

"She still asleep?" Donny asked as he approached.

"Yes," Hugo replied. "I think Wicki might have overdone it with the medicine."

Donny laughed and then continued on to look for firewood since it was nearing sunset.

"You sure she ain't dead, Wicki?" Aldo shouted from across the campsite. "The damn gurl hasn't even moved."

"Sir, I assure you that I gave her just the right amount," Wicki said as he pulled on a clean pair of slacks, a cigarette hanging lamely between his lips.

Hugo held his finger under Daniela's nose and felt the hot air of her breathe rush over his skin.

"She is alive," he announced, silencing Aldo and Wicki.

Wicki sat beside Hugo once he had finished dressing himself. He sat cross-legged with his rifle beside him. He looked at Daniela and then up to Hugo who was running his finger over his blade, testing its sharpness.

"How do you know this girl, Hugo?"

"Her brother and I were good friends before we enlisted in the German army," Hugo answered.

"Ah," Wicki said quietly.

Hugo watched Wicki's eyes scan Daniela's shapely body. He knew what Wicki was thinking as all men thought the same thing when they looked at Daniela.

"She is very beautiful, Hugo," Wicki said, sounding sad. Hugo had never heard anyone say it in that manner, but it only intrigued him more.

Wicki then looked up at him, Hugo could see the emotion in his eyes. "No woman deserves such treatment."

"I agree," Hugo said, going over different scenarios in his head for why Daniela had ended up like this.

Hugo and Wicki sat in silence for a few moments. Both of them became entranced by the crackling fire that Hirschberg had started.

Hugo's ear perked when he heard the softest moan from behind him. He turned around to see Daniela struggling to sit up. Quickly, he stood from his place and eased his hands under Daniela's arms.

"Slowly now, Daniela."

Daniela let out a sharp yell as Hugo helped her into a sitting position; her yell had gained everyone's attention.

"Ah, 'bout fuckin' time there, gurlie," Hugo heard Aldo say but didn't pay any attention to his words. He could see Daniela's eyes glaze over with tears.

"Are you in pain?"

Daniela nodded weakly. "Yes, but nothing I can't handle."

"Are you strong enough to sit by yourself?" he asked.

Daniela muttered, "I'm not sure."

The light from the fire had been blocked when Aldo stood in front of it. "D'you speak any Anglish?"

"Yes," Daniela said, voice strained as she looked into Aldo's face.

"Good. Now I want ta know why I hadda make my men carry yer sorry ass through ten miles of no man's land just fer yew."

Hugo saw confusion cloud Daniela's face and he quickly explained that he was the one who suggested they get as far away from the base as possible after they found her.

"Hugo vas right in doing zis," Daniela told Aldo.

"Why?" Aldo asked, "What makes yew so emportent?"

Daniela sighed and Hugo watched as she looked down at the gold wedding band on her finger.

"I vas a prisoner and I escaped."

"News 'round here says that yer the kid of sum highly ranked officer. That true?" Aldo asked.

Daniela nodded. "Yes, zat is true. I'm assuming zat Hugo zold you zat..."

Aldo nodded.

"How did you get those wounds?" Hirschberg asked, who was standing beside Aldo.

"I vas vhipped, obviously," she replied roughly.

Hugo could see that Aldo was slowly losing his cool. He didn't like not knowing things. He wanted every detail from Daniela but she was not going to give up her story that easy, she knew better than that.

"Stop bein' short," Aldo demanded, "How are we ta trust ya if we don't know exactly who yew are. And I suspect that yew ain't as innocent as Hugo has made yew seem."

Daniela grew smug. "Maybe I am, or maybe not. But you can't expect a voman to tell you all her secrets vhen she doesn't even know zeh name of zeh person interrogating her."

Hugo smiled, although it was a very small smile; he knew that Daniela was playing with Hugo as she often did when men asked her too many questions about her life. She was doing it out of habit, but Hugo could tell that Daniela knew she was getting under his Lieutenant's skin, and enjoying her place there.

"Fine." Aldo crossed his arms and peered down the end of his nose at her. "My name is Lt. Aldo Raine; ya may 'ave heard me be called Aldo the Apache round the kind of folk you keep company with."

"I have heard of you, Lieutenant."

"What have you heard?"

"Zat you brutally kill every Nazi you meet even if they beg for zhere life. I've even had za pleasure of seeing your craftsmanship."

"Have you now?" Aldo had allowed himself to smile.

Daniela nodded. "I've vitnessed dozens of temper tantrums by zeh Fuehrer due to your carvings. He doesn't like you very much," Hugo watched her scan the crowd of dirty faces and stopped when she saw Donny. "And he really doesn't like you, Bear Jew."