Disclaimer: The Rat Patrol is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.

Matchmaking

By Suzie2b

Hitch had noticed the new nurses—there three of them. Two brunets and a blond—all very pretty. But then he saw "her" and stopped in his tracks. She was talking to Charley outside headquarters. Red hair rolled into a tight bun at the back of her head, only slightly taller than Charley with a great figure that made even her drab army uniform look fantastic.

After a couple of days of watching her every chance he could, Hitch found Tully and Charley having lunch in the mess hall. He grabbed some food and sat down before he asked, "Care if I join you?"

Tully smiled. "Be our guest."

Charley asked, "What have you been up to?"

Hitch started to stab at his macaroni and cheese with his fork. "Not much. Troy threatened me with bodily harm if I didn't stay out of trouble while he and Moffitt are in meetings with Major Gleason and Captain Boggs."

Charley smiled impishly. "Well, if you're bored, I'm sure I can find you something to do."

Hitch paused to look at her to see if she was serious. Then said, "No, no, I'm good." He put a forkful of macaroni in his mouth and chewed as he thought. After he swallowed, Hitch said, "I need to ask you something, Charley."

Charley pushed her empty tray aside. "Oh, what would that be?"

"Well, I saw you talking to someone yesterday and I was wondering…"

"I spoke to at least a dozen people yesterday. Can you be more specific?"

Hitch said, "You two were outside headquarters. She has red hair and a great smile."

Charley grinned. "That would be Daisy Moore. She arrived with the new nurses a couple of day before you guys got back from that last mission. She's very nice. We had lunch together."

"Is she a nurse?"

"Nope. At the moment she's working as a filing clerk and typist at headquarters."

Tully asked, "You thinkin' of meeting her?"

Hitch sighed, then admitted, "I was hoping maybe Charley would introduce me."

"Since when do you need to be 'introduced' to a girl?"

"I suppose I could just walk up to her and say my usual, 'Hi, I'm Mark. Want to go to a movie on Thursday?' But somehow she looks different. I'm thinking this could be more than a short-term relationship. I want to do this right."

Both Tully and Charley stared at him silently with their mouths open in surprise. Tully finally said, "You're joking?"

Hitch frowned slightly. "I'm serious…"

Charley interrupted, "All right. Since you haven't even spoken to Daisy yet, I imagine you're going on her looks at the moment." Hitch started to say something, but Charley held a hand up to stop him. "Tully says you guys are leaving on another mission tomorrow. I'll talk to Daisy while you're gone and ask her if she's interested."

Hitch broke into a broad grin. "Thanks, Charley. We should be back in four or five days."

She looked at Tully with a smile and said, "So I've been told."

##################

A couple of days after the Rat Patrol left Ras Tanura, Charley and Daisy went to lunch together. They chitchatted and laughed as they ate, enjoying each other's company. Finally, Charley decided it was time to broach the subject of Hitch. "Daisy, I have a friend that would like to meet you. Would you mind if I introduced you two?"

The pretty redhead said, "I'd love to, but I have a boyfriend. He's embedded with the 104th Battalion."

"Oh, well then, I'm sure my friend will understand the circumstances."

Daisy smiled. "Out of curiosity … who is he?"

Charley returned the smile easily. "His name is Mark Hitchcock. He's part of the Rat Patrol with Tully."

"That means he must be the cute blond I've seen around. He's got the bluest eyes."

Charley giggled. "That would be him."

Daisy sighed, feigning disappointment. "Too bad I'm spoken for."

"Like I said, he'll understand."

##################

Tully caught Hitch daydreaming while on watch when he went to relieve him. He stopped next to his friend and asked quietly, "Anything to see?"

Startled, Hitch jumped and knew he'd been caught not paying attention. He quickly scanned the dark desert as he said, "Um … nope, nothing."

Tully grinned. "What were you thinkin' so hard on?"

Hitch sighed. "I was just wondering how my first date with Daisy will go."

"Making plans already? What if she's not interested?"

Hitch frowned as he shook his head. "That can't happen. I've just got to get to know her. I bet she's smart and funny. We probably have a lot in common. I know she has a beautiful smile…"

Tully shook his head, amused. "Just take one thing at a time. First she has to want to meet you. Then you can fawn all over her."

"Yeah, you're right. But I can dream, can't I?"

"Sure you can. Why don't you take your dreams and go get some sleep."

##################

The week passed quickly for Charley. Fellow couriers Terrence and James were off base on missions, so she was constantly busy. She hadn't had a chance to talk to Daisy since they'd last had lunch together.

After another long day, Charley left headquarters to have a late dinner at the mess hall. When she walked in, she saw only one person. She was sitting alone at a table. It was Daisy. Charley got some chicken with rice and a cup of fruit cocktail, then went to join her friend. She smiled and asked, "Is this seat taken?"

Daisy looked up, startled from her thoughts, then smiled. "It will be when you sit down. You're eating late tonight. It's nearly eight o'clock."

"I had to get some paperwork finished that Major Gleason wants first thing in the morning." Charley sat across from the other woman and said, "You seemed to be lost in thought. Everything okay?"

"To be honest … I'm not sure."

"Wanna talk about it?"

Daisy took a sip of her coffee while Charley began to eat. When she finally spoke, she said, "I got a letter from Gary today. Most of it was about a nurse he's met. Her name's Jennifer. He goes on about how she's so friendly, and pretty, and fun to be with. How they talk for hours when they have time off." She sighed. "Gary has commented before in his letters that he's lonely for female companionship, but…" Daisy shrugged, but didn't continue.

Charley swallowed and said, "It sounds like he's found a friend. Someone he can talk to other than the guys he works with."

"Yeah, I suppose that's a possibility. But … what if she's a 'friend with benefits'?"

"I hate to say this, Daisy, but you and Gary aren't married. And a long-distance relationship is a difficult thing, especially in the middle of a war."

Daisy nodded as she thought about it, then said, "I guess I just thought we were exclusive. When we were both stationed at Benghazi, we spent as much time as possible together. Then he got orders … then I got transferred … and here we are."

Charley asked, "How long has it been since you've seen each other?"

"Nearly two months now. I want to be angry at him. After all, I'm lonely too. Am I worried about our relationship? Yes. Am I angry? No." Daisy looked frustrated as she asked, "Why can't I get angry about this?"

Charley smiled a little. "Maybe you understand more than you realize. You said you're lonely, so go make friends. I know your situation is different from mine. I may be married to Tully, and I do get lonely when he's away on long missions, but that hasn't stopped me from making friends—both male and female."

"I never thought about it. When I've dated before, I've always been exclusive until we broke up."

"Didn't you have friends of both sexes when you were in school?"

"Of course I did, but once I started dating in high school…" It suddenly dawned on Daisy and she said, "So you're saying there's nothing wrong with me having guy friends when I'm in a 'relationship'?" Charley nodded as she sipped her tea and Daisy continued, "Even if it turns into 'friends with benefits'."

"That is strictly up to you."

"I can't believe how naive I've been!" Daisy thought for several moments, then asked, "Does the offer to introduce me to Mark Hitchcock still stand?"

Charley's brow furrowed a bit. "Yes, I suppose so."

"I'd like to meet him as soon as he gets back here."

"Are you sure you don't want to sleep on that before you decide?"

Daisy said, "I'll sleep on it, but I won't change my mind."

##################

With their mission a success, the Rat Patrol headed back to base to make their report. After leaving the jeeps in the motor pool for service, Troy and Moffitt went to check in with a verbal report to Captain Boggs. Hitch and Tully were officially off duty until further notice and went their separate ways.

Tully unlocked the apartment door and went in with a tired sigh as he began to relax. Charley was on the bed reading and looked up with a smile as she said, "Welcome home. How'd it go?"

Tully sat down and began to untie his boots. "We got the information Boggs and Gleason wanted without the Italians being the wiser."

"Great, I always like successful missions."

Tully kicked his boots off as Charley moved to sit next to him. "First a kiss, then a shower."

Charley pressed her lips against her husband's mouth and he responded greedily.

##################

The next day Hitch went looking for Charley. He found her as she exited the supply depot. Hitch smiled and said, "Hey, I've been looking for you."

Charley smiled. "You have, huh. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I was wondering if you've talked to Daisy about me yet."

"As a matter-of-fact I have and she wants to meet you."

Hitch's grin got impossibly bigger as he asked excitedly, "When and where?"

"We'll meet you in the mess hall for dinner tonight … say around six o'clock." Charley hesitated, then said, "Look, Hitch, there is one thing you need to now first. Daisy is in a long-distance relationship with a guy that's with the 104th Battalion…" As his smile faded, she quickly continued, "But she does want to meet you and see what might … develop."

Hitch nodded as he processed this information, then said, "Okay, I'm willing to give it a shot. I'll see you at six."

That evening Hitch walked into the mess hall as his watch read six on the dot. He had showered, shaved, and put on a clean uniform. As he looked around, Hitch felt a nervous twinge when he saw Tully and Charley … but no Daisy.

He moved across the room and sat down next to Tully. "Did she change her mind?"

Charley smiled. "No, Daisy will be here. She had a little work to finish first."

Tully took in his friend's expression with amusement and asked, "Are you nervous?"

Hitch said quickly, "Of course not!" Then he chewed his bottom lip and admitted quietly, "Well, maybe a little."

"I've never seen you like this when it comes to a girl."

"Daisy's special. I really want this to work."

Tully grinned. "How can you know she's special? You haven't even talked to her yet."

Hitch stared at the door as he said, "I just know, okay." A few minutes later, a pretty redhead hurried into the mess hall and he gasped, "There she is."

Daisy scanned the room and spotted the threesome. A smile appeared on her face as she walked towards them.

Tully stood up and had to nudge Hitch to do the same. The nervous young man stood up so quickly the chair nearly tipped over. Tully sighed, took the kepi off Hitch's head, and dropped it on the table as he whispered, "Quit staring and close your mouth."

Hitch's jaw snapped shut.

Charley sat there trying hard not to laugh.

Daisy said, "Sorry I'm late. Captain Timmons dumped a load of filing on me at the last minute."

When Hitch didn't respond, Tully smiled and said, "That's okay. It's just a few minutes."

Charley said, "Daisy, this is Mark Hitchcock. Hitch, this is Daisy Moore."

Daisy put her hand out. "I'm glad we have this chance to meet, Mark."

Hitch looked at the hand anxiously. Tully rolled his eyes and nudged him again. Hitch blinked and gently took her hand as he stammered, "Um … Nice to meet you too. Would you like to … um … sit and talk?"

Tully stepped away from his chair and joined Charley on the other side of the table. As she stood up, Charley said with a smile, "Okay, I've done my job. You two talk and have some dinner."

Hitch looked nervously at them. "You don't have to go."

Daisy slid into the chair next to him and said with a smile, "Yes they do."

"But what about dinner?"

Tully said, "We've already eaten. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

#################

Well, Tully didn't talk to Hitch the next day or the day after that … or the day after that. He did however see Hitch several times … arm-in-arm with Daisy as they strolled around the base and once at the movie.

In fact, Troy, Moffitt, and Tully didn't speak to Hitch until they were given their next mission.

Troy dropped his spent cigarette butt and ground it out with his boot as he looked at his watch. He growled, "He's late!"

Tully asked, "Want me to go find him, sarge?"

Before Troy could answer, Moffitt said, "Here he comes now."

Troy and Tully turned to see Hitch jogging into the motor pool. When he reached the jeeps, he said, "Sorry, I over slept."

Troy frowned. "Moffitt and I knocked on your door. You didn't answer."

Hitch said tentatively, "That's because I wasn't there."

Tully chuckled, knowing where his friend had spent the night.

Troy shook his head as he turned and said, "Let's get going."

Moffitt only grinned as he got into the jeep while Tully quickly circled it to get behind the wheel.

#################

Charley and Daisy met for lunch the day the Rat Patrol had left Ras Tanura. They sat down with their trays and Charley asked, "Other than work, how have things been going?"

Daisy smiled. "Wonderfully. Mark's a dream. He's so polite and he makes me laugh. We talk so easily and we actually have a lot in common."

Charley swallowed the bite of spam sandwich she'd taken and said, "Tully and I saw you two at the movie Thursday night."

Daisy giggled. "It's funny. I don't remember one thing about that movie."

"Well, I'm glad things are working for you two. I don't usually play the matchmaker. I suppose, since the guys are going to be gone for a few days, you'll write Gary about your new friendship."

"You mean friendship with benefits."

Charley nearly dropped the fork she's just picked, her eyes went wide. "You mean…"

Daisy nodded with a mischievous smile. "He spent last night with me. We did some talking and one thing led to another."

"Daisy, do you think this is a wise course? You've only known each other a few days."

"Wise? Probably not. But the last few days have been the best I've had since Gary left to join the 104th."

#################

The full moon's light silhouetted Hitch as Tully walked out to relieve him on watch. Hitch glanced his way and said quietly, "You're early."

Tully leaned on the jeep next to his friend. "Yeah." He looked at Hitch's profile for a few seconds, then said, "I guess you and Daisy are getting on pretty good."

Hitch smiled. "We're getting along great."

"You know she has a boyfriend elsewhere, don't you?"

"He's with the 104th Battalion. Daisy told me all about him."

Tully asked, "Doesn't that concern you?"

Hitch shrugged. "Not really. It's not like he's on base and I stole his girl. We're just friends."

"Friends. Don't you mean friends with benefits?"

Hitch looked at Tully. "What's wrong? You don't usually take much notice of who I sleep with."

Tully sighed. "It just seems that you and Daisy are moving a little fast. I don't want to see either of you get hurt."

"Thanks, Tully, but Daisy and I know what we're doing. We'll be fine."

#################

The Rat Patrol finished their recon mission with only minor injuries—Tully got a few bruises when he and a German guard got into a little hand-to-hand combat and then Troy sprained his ankle when he dropped down off a wall when they were getting out of the German base.

They returned to Ras Tanura tired and sore, but with the information Captain Boggs had sent them to get.

Tully caught up with Charley when he saw her making deliveries around the base. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and said, "How's the most beautiful girl in the world?"

Charley turned in his arms with a smile. "You'd better be careful. My husband is due to be back any time."

Tully whispered, "Just let him try to keep us apart."

Charley giggled and gave him a quick kiss. "How'd it go? Looks like you walked into a door."

Tully smiled slightly. "It was more like walking into a brick wall … but I won."

"Everyone else okay?"

"Troy sprained his ankle. Moffitt and Hitch are no worse for wear." Tully kissed her on the forehead and said, "I'm gonna go home a get cleaned up. I'll meet you when your shift is over."

Several hours later, Tully and Charley walked hand-in-hand into the mess hall for an early dinner. They got their food and went to find a table in the crowded room when they saw Hitch sitting alone. They walked over and Charley asked, "Want some company?"

Hitch said, "Sure, have a seat."

Tully looked at his friend. He looked unset … sort of sad. "What's wrong? I thought you'd be with Daisy."

"That was the plan. I got showered and put on clean clothes before I went to her quarters, but when I got there she had company."

Charley began to cut her meat as she said, "Well, that's a bit of a disappointment, but I'm sure you'll get together later."

Hitch sighed and pushed his untouched food away. "Maybe not. Daisy introduced me to PFC Gary Carmichael."

Charley stopped and looked at him with a frown. "You mean the Gary Carmichael that's with the 104th?"

"That's the one. Daisy said he's here for a few days while his battalion is reassigned."

"I'm sorry, Hitch. But you had to know this was a possibility."

Hitch nodded. "Yeah, I guess." He sighed sadly as he stood up and said, "I think I'll just go to bed."

#################

The next day, when Tully and Charley went for breakfast, they saw Daisy sitting with another man. They got their breakfasts and sat down. Charley said quietly, "That must be Gary."

Tully responded, "Yep." After a few minutes he asked, "Are you gonna talk to her about this?"

"What would I say? She's a grown woman. I just hope she's explained thinks to Gary." Charley chewed and swallowed a bite of her eggs as she absently stared a Daisy and Gary, then said, "Yeah, maybe I will say something."

Hours later, after Charley had finished her deliveries, she returned to headquarters. She happened to see Daisy finishing some filing and push the drawer shut. Charley walked over and said, "Let's take a break outside."

Daisy saw the expression and her smile faded. "All right." The two young women sat on a stone bench in the shade and Daisy asked, "What's wrong?"

Charley hesitated, then said, "You hurt Hitch."

Daisy sighed. "I know. I could see it in his eyes. I'm going to talk to him as soon as Gary leaves."

"Have you told Gary about you and Hitch?"

"I have. We had a long talk and we've come to the conclusion that a long-distance relationship isn't going to work for us. I met Jennifer, Gary's friend. She's real nice. They'll be good together."

Charley asked, "What does Gary have to say about Hitch?"

Daisy responded, "At first he seemed upset, hurt maybe. But by the time we'd discussed everything, he understood."

"So the split is amiable? There won't be any trouble?"

Daisy smiled. "No, everything's fine. Gary and I are still friends."

Charley let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "When does Gary leave with his battalion?"

"They leave the day after tomorrow. He couldn't say where they're going, but promised to write as soon as he can."

"Daisy, would you mind if I told Hitch that things are going to be okay?"

She nodded. "In fact, do you have a pen and paper in that satchel of yours?" Charley quickly retrieved the items and handed them to Daisy, who wrote out a short note as she said, "Give Mark this note when you see him. Hopefully it will ease his mind until I can see him face-to-face again."

Charley took the folded note and tucked it into her pocket. "If I don't see him today, I'll give it to Tully to give to Hitch when they go on patrol in the morning."

"Good. So is everything okay between us?"

Charley grinned. "Everything's great! Shall we go back to work?"

Daily gave a nod. "Let's go."

#################

Troy, Moffitt, and Tully walked into the mess hall after returning from their day long patrol. Tully immediately spotted Charley and said to his friends, "Join us for supper?"

Moffitt looked around the room. "I don't see Linda." He smiled and said, "I'd love to join you."

Troy had scanned room as well and said with a smile, "Sorry, Diane's saving me a chair. I'll see you both in the morning."

Moffitt and Tully got their food and sat down with Charley. Tully kissed her and said, "Hi."

Charley grinned. "Hi yourself." She looked at Moffitt and said, "Good evening, Jack. How was your day?"

Moffitt smiled. "Not terribly exciting, I'm afraid. The Germans kept to themselves."

"Well, I for one am glad you all were so bored." Charley looked around and asked, "Where's Sam and Hitch?"

"Troy's eating with Diane. Hitch said he wasn't hungry and probably went to his quarters."

Tully shook pepper onto his meat, mashed potatoes, and gravy. "Did you talk to Daisy?"

Charley nodded. "I did. She had a talk with Gary and they came to an understanding. They're still friends, but their relationship is over."

"What about Hitch?"

"As soon as Gary leaves with 104th, Daisy's going to sit down with him and talk. She wants to stay with Hitch."

Moffitt swallowed and said with a smile, "Well, that's a relief. I know Troy will be happy when Hitch loses his rather morose attitude."

Charley reached into her pocket for the note and handed it to Tully. "Give this to Hitch tomorrow morning. It's from Daisy. His attitude should start to improve when he reads it."

Tully took it with a nod and slipped it into his jacket pocket. "When is the other fella leaving?"

"The day after tomorrow."

#################

Tully was in the motor pool checking over Olive ahead of leaving on patrol when Hitch wandered over. He glanced up from the engine and asked, "Have breakfast?"

Hitch shook his head. "Not hungry."

"You're gonna have to start eating again eventually. If you make yourself sick, Troy'll have your head." Hitch simply shrugged and Tully remembered the note. He took it from his pocket and handed it to his friend as he said, "Read this. Maybe it'll help your appetite."

Hitch took the note and unfolded it. First his eyes got big, then he broke into a face-splitting grin. Then he looked at Tully and said, "It's from Daisy."

Tully chuckled. "I know." Hitch's stomach suddenly growled noisily and he said with a knowing smile, "Go get some breakfast. I'll start on Bertha as soon as I'm done here."