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

Samawah

By Suzie2b

The Rat Patrol was getting the upper hand over a German patrol when Troy caught a bullet that knocked him out of the jeep. Moffitt and Tully covered the unconscious sergeant while Hitch quickly returned for him. Tully helped him get Troy into the back of the jeep and they were able to get away without further injury.

The two jeeps stopped as soon as they were able to find cover. As soon as the engines were shut down, Moffitt hurried to check on his friend and fellow sergeant. Troy was still unconscious with a badly bleeding wound in the left side of his chest.

Moffitt removed his ascot to press against the wound as he said, "Tully, keep watch. Hitch, get the med kit."

With the bleeding under control Moffitt examined the wound and said, "We need to get him to a surgeon."

Hitch asked worriedly, "Can't you take it out?"

"The bullet's too close to his lung. I'm afraid I'd do more damage than good if I tried. The nearest hospital is in Ras Tanura, about three hours away."

Tully stood in the back of the other jeep watching the desert for signs of life as he said, "Samawah's about an hour from here, sarge. They've got that Red Cross hospital there, remember?"

Moffitt thought briefly about the severe leg injury Tully received during one of their repair visits at the orphanage. "I do indeed."

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

They crested the hill not far from Samawah and came to an abrupt halt. Something didn't appear right. There was a suspicious camp set up outside the village along with halftracks, a tank, and a staff car. Through binoculars Moffitt saw the swastikas on the side of the vehicles. "There's a German camp set up outside the village."

Tully was also checking out the camp with binoculars. He watched carefully as a Captain walked out of a tent to give orders to some of his men. "It's Dietrich. What the heck is he doing there?"

Hitch looked at Troy in the back. "What're we gonna do?"

Moffitt said, "Let's go around to the back of the orphanage. We can hide the jeeps there. Hopefully Sister Kathryn can fill us in."

At the rear of the orphanage, the jeeps were parked as close as possible to the side of the building. They would be out of sight of the camp there. Moffitt said quietly, "Tully, you and Hitch cover the jeeps and wait here with Troy. I'll see if the sister is available."

Moffitt opened the back door quietly and looked around the kitchen. Sister Mary was busy washing dishes from lunch and had her back to him. Moffitt silently closed the door, crept across the room, and put a hand over the sister's mouth. She froze, hands still in the soapy water, as he whispered, "Not a sound, Sister Mary."

She nodded and Moffitt released her. Mary turned to face him and said quietly, "It's not safe for you to be here, Sergeant Moffitt."

"Yes, we saw the German camp. Are any of them in the house?"

Mary shook her head. "No."

Moffitt handed the young woman a towel and said, "I need to talk to Sister Kathryn immediately."

Sister Mary nodded and left the kitchen. Not thirty seconds later Sister Kathryn burst into the kitchen. Her eyes showed the fear she felt. "Jack, you shouldn't be here!"

Moffitt gave a nod and said, "We had no choice. Troy's badly wounded and the Red Cross hospital here was the closest medical help."

"Oh dear. You'd better take me to Sam."

They went outside and found Hitch with the jeeps and Tully standing at the corner of the house keeping watch. Kathryn nodded a greeting to Hitch as he pushed the tarp back to reveal Troy in the back of the jeep. Hitch whispered, "He's got a bullet in his chest, sister. He's been unconscious since it happened."

Kathryn put a hand on Troy's clammy forehead and checked his pulse. "You'd better bring him inside."

Hitch and Tully carried Troy inside and followed Sister Kathryn to a door in the side of the staircase to the second story. "Take him down into the basement. I'll be right there." As they started down, the sister turned to Sister Mary and said, "Bring some bedding down."

Several spare mattresses were leaning against one wall. Moffitt lowered one to the floor and helped Mary with sheets and blankets. Then Hitch and Tully settled Troy onto the makeshift bed."

Sister Kathryn then told Mary, "Go to Dr. Collins at the hospital. Do not run or draw attention to yourself. Tell him what's going on. Be very careful that no one else hears you."

Mary nodded. "Yes, sister."

When he heard the door close at the top of the stairs, Moffitt asked, "Where's Sister Elizabeth?"

Kathryn replied, "She's in the classroom with the children."

"We can't have the children know we're here just now."

"I understand. I'll go tell her what's going on. She can keep them occupied while Dr. Collins is here."

Moffitt questioned, "Won't the Germans get suspicious if the children aren't outside at some point?"

Sister Kathryn shook her head. "We've been keeping the children inside as much as possible since the captain and his men arrived three days ago."

Tully asked, "What're they doing here anyway?"

"He had four badly wounded men and said he'd heard there was a hospital here. One of the men has since passed on, but the others are being treated at the hospital and will most likely recover."

Moffitt asked, "Has there been any trouble since they arrived?"

Kathryn answered, "No. The captain keeps his people out of the village and goes twice a day to the hospital to see how his men are doing."

"You've spoken to him then?"

"Yes. He seems to be a gentleman and doesn't appear to want any trouble. He came to me personally to suggest the children not play outside while they're here. That's why we're keeping them inside. They are a curious lot and we don't want any of them accidentally hurt."

Moffitt nodded. "Good. You'd better go talk to Sister Elizabeth now. The doctor should be here soon."

Hitch was kneeling next to Troy when he caught the sergeant looking up at him with pain in his eyes. The private gave him a smile and said, "Great, you're finally awake."

Troy managed in a voice that was little more than a whisper, "What happened?"

"You got hit in the chest. The doctor should be here soon."

"Where?"

"The orphanage at Samawah." Troy grimaced as he tried to take a deeper breath and Hitch said, "Just take it easy, sarge."

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

Sister Mary walked into the hospital and looked around, but didn't see the doctor. She went to Nurse Charlotte and asked, "Where's Dr. Collins?"

The nurse smiled. "He's in his office, sister."

Mary hurried across the room and knocked lightly on the door. When she heard the doctor's voice, she entered and closed the door behind her.

Dr. Collins looked up from the chart he was working on and smiled. "Sister Mary. What a surprise. What can I do for you?" He sobered a bit as he said, "It's not one of the kids is it?"

Sister Mary said quietly, "No, doctor. The children are fine. It's Sergeant Troy."

"Sergeant Troy? This isn't the time for him and his men to be here."

"He's been badly wounded. Sister Kathryn has hidden them in the basement."

Dr. Collins stood up and reached for his medical bag. "How bad?"

Mary said, "He was shot in the chest. It looks like he's lost a lot of blood."

The doctor grabbed a surgical kit, ether, plasma, and anything else he thought he might need. What wouldn't fit in his bag, he placed in the canvas bag he used when he had to go out into the field. He told Nurse Charlotte he was going to the orphanage and he headed for the door with the sister. As Dr. Collins and Sister Mary walked outside, Captain Dietrich arrived to check on his men. "Good afternoon, sister, doctor." He noticed the medical bags the doctor carried. "Is there an emergency? I hope everyone is all right at the orphanage."

Dr. Collins was quick—maybe a little too quick—to explain, "Apparently, one of the kids fell down the stairs and may have broken an arm. I'm just going to go check the boy out and take care of it."

The captain looked at Sister Mary. "I'm sorry to hear that. I do hope it is not too serious."

The usually somewhat defiant Sister Mary didn't look at him as she said, "Thank you, captain. I'm sure all will be put right."

Dietrich watched them as they quickly walked away. Something seemed odd about the exchange, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Then he shrugged and went inside.

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

Sister Kathryn took Dr. Collins down to the basement. He examined Troy's wound and decided to operate immediately. "Do one of you know how to use the ether?"

Moffitt nodded. "I'll do it."

While the ether was being applied the doctor started Troy on plasma. He cleaned his hands with alcohol and donned surgical gloves before prepping the wound for the surgery.

An hour later Dr. Collins was done. As he finished off the bandage, he said, "That's all I can do for the moment. He's stable and I don't foresee any problems. I wish we were at the hospital though so I could keep an eye on him. But as you know, that's not possible." He removed a second unit of plasma from the bag. "Give him the second unit as soon as that one is finished. I'm also leaving you with penicillin and morphine. Keep him quiet and don't let him move around. I'll drop by tomorrow to check on him."

Moffitt shook the doctor's hand. "Thank you, Dr. Collins. You took a big risk coming here to help us."

"Yes. Well, it's what I'm trained for." The doctor looked at Sister Kathryn. "Mary and I ran into the good captain as we were leaving the hospital. When he asked I told him that one of the boys fell down the stairs and possibly broke an arm. If he asks about the boy, I'll tell him it wasn't broken, just sprained."

Kathryn smiled. "Thank you, doctor. Let me walk you out."

Later that day there was knock at the door. When Sister Kathryn opened it, Captain Dietrich was standing there. She smiled and said, "Good evening, captain. What brings you here?"

"I heard that one of the children may have broken an arm. I only wished to check to see how the boy is doing."

"Thank you for your concern, captain. As it turns out, Aden's arm wasn't broken. However, it was sprained. Not as serious, but still painful."

Dietrich smiled. "It is good to hear it was not a break, sister. I'm sure the boy will heal quickly."

Kathryn said, "I'm sure he will. I was just going to call the children for supper. Would you care to join us?"

"Thank you, but no, sister. I have a meal waiting for me at camp."

"As you wish, captain. I will say good night then."

As Dietrich said his good night, he noticed Sister Elizabeth behind Kathryn come out of a door in the staircase carrying a tray of dishes. She closed and locked the door before heading for the kitchen. The captain didn't question anything, but as he walked away, he briefly wondered if something was going on they didn't want him to know about.

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

The next day the captain observed Dr. Collins go to the orphanage. An hour later, as the doctor left, Dietrich noticed something hanging out of the medical bag he was carrying. Curious, he quickly grabbed his binoculars to take a look. He saw what appeared to be a strip of bandage and what could only have been blood. Again Captain Dietrich felt suspicious that something was being kept from him. He decided it was time to go for a walk.

The captain strolled around the building that housed the orphanage. He didn't know what he was looking for, but if there was something to find he was determined to find it.

Eventually, Dietrich got to the back of the house. When he rounded the corner, he saw the covered jeeps. He lifted the camouflage tarp on one, then the other to make sure they belonged to the soldiers he thought they did. They were indeed the jeeps driven by the Rat Patrol, and in the back of one the captain saw several smears of what looked like dried blood. Dietrich didn't think anything of the smears, knowing they could've been there for weeks.

Dietrich's first reaction was to gather some of his men and search the house. The four man team was no doubt being hidden by Sister Kathryn. Then he thought, "They could have attacked before we knew what was happening. Possibly wiping out the rest of my men. But they didn't. Why?" Then he looked at the blood again. Maybe it wasn't weeks old, but only two days. "Could it be that one of them is wounded and they came here seeking help?" The captain dropped the tarp back into place and walked back to his camp.

That evening when Captain Dietrich arrived at the hospital to check on his men, he requested to speak to Dr. Collins. "How are my men progressing, doctor?"

Dr. Collins replied, "They're healing nicely, captain. Today they were started on diets of soft food or liquids, depending on their injuries."

Dietrich nodded. "Good. Do you think they can be safely moved?"

The doctor thought for a bit, weighing the pros and cons, then said, "Yes, I would say they could. Are you thinking of leaving us?"

"As long as my men are well enough to be moved, I believe it is time to take them back to my base."

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

Midmorning the next day, Sister Kathryn appeared at the bottom of the basement stairs and said, "It looks like they're getting ready to leave."

Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully crept upstairs to have a look. Sure enough, the Germans were packing up. And it wasn't too long before the three wounded men were transferred by ambulance and carried aboard one of the halftracks. Dr. Collins was seen giving Dietrich instructions and a bag of what was assumed to be enough medication to get the wounded men back to their base.

Soon Captain Dietrich and his men rolled away from Samawah. As Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully watched, Dietrich stood in his staff car staring back at the village. More specifically, at the orphanage.

Moffitt said quietly, "He somehow knows we're here."

Hitch frowned. "Then why didn't he capture us?"

Tully suggested, "Maybe he didn't want to cause a ruckus with the orphanage. Even he wouldn't take a chance on hurting kids."

Moffitt sighed. "Could be. I guess we'll never know sure, will we." Then he said decidedly, "Tully, you and Hitch take a jeep and go keep an eye on them. Make sure they really are leaving the area. I want to get Troy moved to the hospital."

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

Two days later Sister Kathryn went to the hospital to visit Troy. She found him sitting up having a breakfast of soft boiled eggs and toast. "Well, you're looking much better today, Sam."

Troy smiled. "Good morning, Sister Kathryn." He pointed at his food with the spoon he was using. "Been a while since I've eaten real eggs."

Kathryn grinned. "I'm glad you're able to enjoy them." She sat down next to the bunk. "What's Dr. Collins say about your condition?"

"Another day or two and he's going to send me back to base."

"That is good news!"

Troy dragged a piece of toast through the soft eggs. "Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully haven't been in yet today. How are they doing? Driving you crazy yet."

Sister Kathryn laughed. "Never! The children keep them busy. Jack said he'd be by to see you after their baseball game." She laughed again and said, "You should see it, Sam! Wilbur went crazy when he realized Tully was here. That silly donkey has been following him around like a puppy, and Afina follows Wilbur wherever he goes anyway so it's quite the sight. It's so much fun to watching Moffitt, Mark, and Tully with the children."

Troy chuckled as he finished his breakfast. "You, the other sisters, and the kids are good for them. Gets their minds off the war for a while."

"What about you, Sam? Do you come here to forget about the war for a time?"

Troy sighed. "To tell the truth, the only other place I'd rather be is back home. Being here, watching the kids … watching my men act like kids. It does a lot to lift the spirit in the middle of it all."

Kathryn sobered as she said, "I was afraid when they brought you in while the Germans were nearly right outside our door."

"You took an awful big chance hiding us like you did."

"Jack seems to think that the captain knew you all were there. Do you think he's right?"

Troy said, "He could be. Captain Dietrich may be the enemy, but he's an honorable man. He probably thought it better to take his men and head for home then to start a skirmish."

Sister Kathryn growled, "I don't think he'd have dared with me standing in the door."