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

The Talk

By Suzie2b

Troy was in the mess hall the morning after their return to base having a final cup of coffee after breakfast. When he saw Moffitt walk in, look around, and hurry over to his table, Troy asked, "How're Hitch and Tully doing?"

Moffitt looked a bit worried as he sat down. "Not as well as I would like. They're both complaining of headaches and are having trouble staying awake. They each spiked fevers this morning too."

Troy frowned. "Lieutenant Moore said they shouldn't have a problem, especially with the antidote."

"The doctors don't think this is caused by the Soman. They think Tully and Hitch may be reacting to the antidote."

"Did you get a vial to Major Butler?"

Moffitt nodded. "As soon as Tully and Hitch were settled, I got one to him. He said he'll have a breakdown of the antidote as soon as possible."

Troy sighed. "Where's Charley?"

"She hasn't left the hospital. Slept between two chairs watching over both of them. Terrance and James are going to take care of her rounds and anything else that comes up until this crisis is over."

Troy grimaced at the thought of Charley sleeping on those hard wooden chairs. "We'd better go see Captain Boggs and find out if Major Butler has made any progress."

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

The captain's aide Corporal Green knocked on the office door and announced that Troy and Moffitt wanted to see him. Captain Boggs nodded and said, "Send them in." He closed the file he'd been working on as the sergeants walked in and the corporal closed the door. "What can I do for you?"

Troy said, "Hitchcock and Pettigrew are having a hard time of it, sir. We were wondering if Major Butler has made any progress."

"I haven't heard anything yet. I was under the impression the privates were in the clear as far as that nerve gas was concerned."

Moffitt said, "The doctors think they're having a reaction to the antidote, captain. They both have fevers, headaches, and can't stay awake."

Boggs nodded. "I see. Let me get ahold of the major and find out if he's found out anything. I'll let you know what he says."

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

From Captain Boggs' office Troy and Moffitt went to the hospital to check on their men. They found Charley bathing both men's faces and chests with cool, wet compresses. Troy asked, "How are they doing?"

Charley sighed worriedly. "Their temperatures are still at 103 and haven't been even slightly awake in over an hour. Were you able to talk to Major Butler?"

"We spoke to Captain Boggs. He's going to find out if there's any information."

Charley wrung out another compress and replaced the one on Hitch's forehead. She tried to suppress a yawn and asked, "And the doctors are sure this isn't caused by their exposure to the nerve gas?"

Moffitt replied, "According to the blood work the gas isn't responsible. It's most likely caused by the antidote."

"Then why can't we just stop the antidote?"

"The instructions say that those exposed to the gas need to take it twice a day for a full five days to assure recovery." Moffitt went to Charley as she slumped exhaustedly onto the chair next to Tully's bunk and said, "Why don't you go home and get some sleep?" She shook her head. "You're not going to do anyone any good if you make yourself sick."

Charley again shook her head. "But what if Tully wakes up and I'm not here?"

Moffitt said, "Then one of us will come and get you. Tully will understand."

Troy gently took her arm and said, "Come on. Let's go get you something to eat and then I'll see you home."

Charley stood up with a sigh. "You promise to come get me when he wakes up?"

Moffitt smiled and held out the little finger on his right hand. "Pinky swear."

Charley smiled tiredly and hooked her pinky around his. "Thank you."

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

After making sure that Charley ate and then walking her home, Troy returned to the hospital. He took the compress from Hitch's forehead and dipped it into the basin of water. "Hear anything from Captain Boggs?"

Moffitt said, "He sent a message a few minutes ago. Major Butler and his people is still running tests. Hard to say when they'll have anything for us."

Troy pressed the cloth against Hitch's forehead, then pulled one of the chairs to the private's bedside and sat down. "Why is it taking so long?"

Moffitt sat down on the chair next to Tully as he replied, "They need to be certain. Check and then double-check the findings."

Troy couldn't argue with Major Butler's diligence, but growled, "It's taking too long."

The sergeants stayed at Hitch and Tully's side throughout the morning, dutifully keeping the compresses changed and worrying about every fevered sigh or soft moan their friends uttered in their sleep.

Moffitt wrung out another compress as he said, "Why do you think they did it, Troy? They knew how high the risk was."

Troy shrugged. "I don't know. They must've felt they didn't have a choice. The Germans couldn't shoot into that truck and Hitch and Tully weren't able to get out without being shot."

"I guess it was a good thing they went to that seminar."

Troy smiled slightly. "Yeah, they both tend to suck up information like sponges."

Tully curled onto his side and groaned softly as he wrapped the arm that wasn't splinted for the IV around his stomach. Moffitt asked, "What is it, Tully?"

The private didn't open his eyes as he whispered, "Stomach hurts."

"All right, I'll get a nurse."

Nurse Vicky brought Dr. Baker to check on Tully before treating this new symptom. After his examination, the doctor asked, "Has Private Hitchcock developed the same symptom?"

Troy said, "He's been restless and has moaned a few times."

Dr. Baker nodded and turned to Nurse Vicky, who was looking at a thermometer she'd just taken from Tully, and asked, "Temperature?"

She replied, "It's up. 103.8."

"All right. Start them both on 15 mg of Hyoscine butylbromide every four hours as needed. Keep up the compresses. Let's hope Major Butler comes up with something soon."

Soon after the shots were given, both Tully and Hitch settled back into sleep.

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

About six hours after she'd gone to bed, Charley awoke, showered, and hurried back to the hospital. She found Moffitt sitting between Tully and Hitch reading quietly from a book. Charley recognized the words as those from one of her favorites—"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain. She sat down on the chair next to Tully and smiled at the sergeant as she said, "What, no crime or mystery novel this time?"

Moffitt looked at her with a smile of his own. "I found this among the comic books in Hitch's pack. Judging from the short note on the inside cover it came from his mother. How are you feeling?"

"Better. How are they doing?"

Moffitt sighed. "They both developed stomach cramps, which are being treated. Their fevers are slowly but steadily rising."

Charley touched Tully's cheek and felt the heat that radiated from him. "Any word from Major Butler?"

"Just that he's working on it."

"Where's Sam?"

Moffitt said, "Getting some rest."

Charley nodded. "You should probably do the same."

"Actually, I'm still doing fine. However, I must admit things are easier with two people watching them."

"Well then, you continue reading while I take care of the rest."

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

When Troy returned to the hospital he found Charley reading while Moffitt switched out compresses and wiped down Hitch and Tully's necks and chests. "Any change?"

Moffitt shook his head and Charley said, "And there's been no word from Major Butler or Captain Boggs."

"I stopped by the captain's office on the way over here. Apparently the major is close to figuring things out." Troy looked at Moffitt and said, "Go get some rest. I'll take over here."

And so it continued. Reading, compresses, treating symptoms, and waiting. Taking a break from Huckleberry Finn, Charley was sitting next to Tully holding his hand in between changing compresses. The hospital had grown quiet as the day wore into evening. The few other patients were resting or having their supper.

Moffitt changed the dry, warm cloth on Hitch's forehead for a cool, damp one, then said, "Have you thought about the 'talk' you want to have with them, Troy?"

The sergeant moved a king to the empty spot in the line of cards on the chair in front of him. Troy looked at his friend and counterpart and said, "Yeah, I've thought about it. At first I wanted to be angry at them for taking the chance they did. But the more thinking I did I couldn't get myself that worked up enough to be mad. Now I'm just not sure what I'm going to say. What about you?"

"It doesn't seem right to reprimand them after what they're going through."

"They did put some kind of thought into what they did before they actually did anything."

Moffitt nodded. "Hitch was able to affix a fuse that worked perfectly. The gas did its job on the Germans before they knew what was happening. It's a good thing Lieutenant Moore made sure we all had gasmasks."

Troy shuffled the deck of cards and started dealing out another game of solitaire. "It's even a better thing that the truck didn't blow up with all those crates of gas bombs in it."

Charley shivered at the thought. "So are Tully and Hitch really going to be in trouble after they recover from this?"

Troy smiled slightly. "Not too much. I just want to make sure they understand what could have happened. I don't want this kind of thing to happen again."

Moffitt added, "I for one want nothing more to do with chemical warfare."

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

It grew late, but Troy, Moffitt, and Charley stayed at the hospital. The head doctor and nurse—Dr. Lewis and Nurse Lois—on the night shift checked Hitch and Tully over before they went about their rounds. Their fevers had risen to 104.

Suddenly, Major Butler burst into the ward and asked, "When did they last get a dose?"

Charley replied, "Of the antidote?" The major nodded. "About 6pm … why?"

"I can't believe I didn't see it sooner!"

Troy stood up. "See what?"

Major Butler pointed at Charley. "I need to talk to Dr. Lewis immediately."

As she hurried away, Moffitt asked, "You found what's causing their reaction?"

"Yes … it was so simple! I could just kick myself…"

Charley returned with Dr. Lewis and Nurse Lois, and the doctor asked, "What have you discovered, major?"

Butler explained, "The antidote the Germans developed is made up of several wide spectrum antibiotics. Their instructions say to use it twice a day for five days. It's obvious that the German scientists didn't test their 'antidote' enough before okaying it for use. They must've rushed it through."

Troy asked impatiently, "What exactly does that mean, sir?"

"It means, sergeant, that your men are sick because they've got too many drugs in their systems. I found three antibiotics and at least two other drugs in that cocktail we've been feeding them. At that strength it should have been one shot a day for maybe three days instead of two shots for five days."

Doctor Lewis turned to Nurse Lois and said, "Completely cancel the antidote from the privates' regimen. Continue treating the headaches and stomach cramps until the other drugs work out of their systems."

Charley asked tentatively, "So Tully and Hitch are going to be all right?"

"They should be now. As the drugs wear off, their temperatures should go down and the other symptoms will also abate."

Charley sighed and didn't try to hide the tears of relief that were suddenly in her eyes.

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

Over the next twenty-four hours Hitch and Tully's fevers slowly started to go down, the headaches and stomach cramps stopped, and they showed no signs of illness from the Soman gas they'd been exposed to.

Hitch was the first to wake up. He blinked groggily at Moffitt, who was reading. His voice was scratchy as he quietly said, "Hey, sarge…"

Moffitt set the book aside and stepped over to the private's bedside. "You're looking better. How are you feeling?"

"Better … I think. Where's Tully?"

Moffitt pointed to the next bunk over. "Still asleep, but he's improving as well."

Hitch sighed. "Was it the gas?"

"Indirectly. It was actually the antidote that made you both sick. It turned out to be too strong. Once you were taken off of it, you both started to improve." Moffitt poured a little water into a cup and helped Hitch drink. "Just a sip."

"Are Tully and I in trouble over this?"

Moffitt smiled as he set the cup aside. "We'll talk about it later. For now just rest."

An hour later Charley showed up and was happy to hear that Hitch had awakened. She sat down next to Tully, took his hand, and whispered, "It's your turn."

A short time later Charley heard a soft sigh and watched as her husband's eyes opened. Tully looked up at her and managed a slight smile as he said, "Hi."

Charley grinned. "I missed those eyes of yours. How do you feel?"

"Like I've been sick for a while. What happened?"

"It was the antidote. The Germans instructions had them giving you and Hitch too much. But you're both on the mend now."

Tully looked over at the peacefully sleeping Hitch. "We're in trouble, aren't we?"

Charley said, "Sam did say something about having a discussion about what happened when you two feel up to it. But that's probably a couple days away at best. For now you and Hitch are to rest and get better."

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

The doctors were satisfied with their continuing recovery. Two days later Hitch and Tully were sitting up, taking in soup and water without issue, and the best part was the fact the IVs were gone. But their bodies were still healing from the bombardment of drugs and they both still had low-grade fevers.

Charley read the last line of "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and closed the book. She looked at Hitch and said, "I'll make sure this gets to your quarters."

The private smiled. "Thanks, Charley. I know my mom will want to know if I liked it. I can truthfully say I did."

Charley took the empty lunch tray from Hitch and set it on the floor before going over to Tully. "Finished?"

He smiled at her with a nod as he handed her the tray. "Yep. I'll be glad when they start us on something a little more solid though."

Hitch said, "Yeah. Cookie's soup is good, but even a simple piece a bread with it would be a nice change of pace."

Charley took the tray to put with the other as she said, "Well, Vicky told me doctors Baker and Lewis have agreed that you can have eggs in the morning."

Tully chuckled. "Hmm, powered eggs have never sounded so good."

Troy and Moffitt walked up and Moffitt smiled as he said, "You two seem to be doing quite well. Glad to have you back."

Hitch said, "It's good to be back. I hope no one else ever has to go through what we went through."

Troy asked, "What's the good word from the doctors?"

Charley said, "As soon as their temperatures are normal and stay that way for twenty-four hours, they'll be able to leave this fine establishment."

Moffitt gave a nod. "That's great to hear. I'd like to get my driver back sooner rather than later."

Troy said, "What, you don't like my driving?"

"As a matter-of-fact I do not. You drive too fast when there's no need to and hit way too many holes and rocks."

"Captain Boggs sent us on a short recon mission this morning and he's been complaining like an old woman ever since we got back."

Moffitt feigned indignation as he said, "Now see here, Troy. I do not complain … I simply state the truth."

After a good laugh, Troy sobered a bit and said, "Charley, Moffitt and I would like to talk to Hitch and Tully. Would you mind?"

Charley gave Tully a quick kiss, then said, "Not at all, Sam." She picked up the trays. "I'll just take these back to the mess hall and do some chores. I'll see you all later."

As Charley walked away, Moffitt moved one of the chairs to the center of the space between Hitch and Tully's bunks and sat down. Troy began to slowly pace around Moffitt.

Hitch and Tully looked at each other a bit nervously, then at the sergeants expectantly. It was Moffitt who spoke first, "Why in the world would you use that gas like you did?"

Hitch said, "We were trapped in that truck and didn't know how many of the Germans had survived the explosions."

Tully added, "And we couldn't be sure when you'd be able to come help us."

"I figured, since we were supposed to destroy everything but the bombs, why not use one. I had some fuse left over so…"

Troy stopped and looked gave Hitch a stern look. "You both could've died!"

Hitch shook his head. "I never would've considered doing it if we didn't have those gasmasks with us, sarge. We knew there was a chance of exposure, but we agreed it was worth the chance."

Tully said, "We didn't realize how dense the gas was going to be though, and got a little turned around for a few seconds. Took us longer to get out of there then we'd planned. The Germans didn't have a chance to get to their masks and were dropping like flies as we ran for it." He hesitated before he asked, "Are we in trouble, sarge? It was the only thing we could think of to do at the time."

Troy sighed. "No, you're not in trouble. Captain Boggs spoke with Major Gleason and, though they weren't happy about it, they decided you two did what you thought was right. And Major Butler was glad to have the bombs to analyze."

Hitch asked, "We're not going to develop our own gas bombs, are we?"

Moffitt said, "I hope not. Major Butler and his people are trying to figure out just how the bombs work and how that antidote works on countering the gas exposure. The major is hoping to find the correct dosage as well so the Allies can use it if it comes to it."

Tully said, "Charley mentioned it was the antidote that made me and Hitch sick, not the gas. The dosage was too strong or something."

"That's right." Moffitt smiled and said, "Sometimes the cure can be worse than the illness."

Troy looked at the privates. "So, I'm satisfied that this kind of thing won't happen again. You both seemed to realize what you were doing and what could've happened if you didn't. Am I right?"

Hitch said, "Definitely, sarge."

Tully nodded. "Those chemicals are nothing to play with. If it hadn't been for that seminar, we wouldn't have had a clue what we were dealing with."

Moffitt stood up. "Well, let's hope we don't have to deal with it again."

Troy said, "Let's get going, Moffitt, so these two can get some rest."

After the sergeants left, Hitch and Tully settled down under the blankets to sleep. Tully rolled onto his side and noticed Hitch rubbing his stomach and asked, "You okay? Having cramps again?"

Hitch nodded. "Just a small one I think." He smiled and said, "Or maybe I'm just a little gassy."

Tully groaned at the pun, but couldn't help but smile in return.

Yep, they were on the road to recovery.