Disclaimer: The Rat Patrol is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.
My Men, My Friends
By Suzie2b
Troy strolled over to where Tully was working on the jeep. "How's it going?"
Tully didn't look up from his work. "It's goin', sarge. Bullet parted the water hose. I'll have it fixed in a jiffy."
Troy nodded as he turned and walked away. He looked up at Hitch, who was standing look out on a boulder not far away. He leaned back against the jeep he shared with his young driver and thought, "I remember the day he showed up. It was about an hour after I met Cotter. Smiling and chewing that ever present bubble gum, but very respectful. He's a good kid." Troy smiled slightly. "A kid. He may be ten years or so younger than me, but he's no kid. He's got a good head on his shoulders. He's brave and will fight for his friends at the drop of a hat. Takes orders and follows them through without question. He does have his opinions, though." Troy shook his head. "Sometimes he can get a little mouthy, but he's easy enough to get along with. Great sense of humor. What's that catchphrase he uses? 'Who was there, you or me?' Hitch is a great mechanic and he's no slouch as a driver. He's hauled my butt out of a lot of tight situations."
Troy looked at his second in command, Sergeant Jack Moffitt. At the moment he was taking the opportunity to peruse the maps. Troy thought, "It didn't really start out great. We'd just lost Cotter. Hitch, Tully, and I were given seventy-two hours leave. That didn't last long though. We got called to the colonel's command tent. Moffitt was there for a mission to destroy a munitions dump. I remember the colonel wasn't too happy with my attitude about the whole thing. I didn't trust Moffitt then. How could I trust him when I didn't know him or anything about him? We'd just lost a man and this smiling Brit shows up to take his place. I know he got under Tully's skin on that first mission. But he does know what he's doing out here, and that knowledge has helped us out many a time. Now I can't see this unit without him."
Tully cursed softly when he banged his knuckles, drawing Troy's attention. He chuckled to himself. "Best kid moonshine runner in Kentucky. Crack shot and ace mechanic. He and Hitch keep the jeeps purring like kittens. Strong silent type, but when he has something to say he says it. Doesn't complain much … even when he's been wounded and in pain. Worries too much about everybody … especially Charley. Tully's really changed since she came into his life. He still goes out for a few beers now and then … and it's not like he's not fun to be around anymore, but he's not the hell raiser he once was." Troy grinned. "That's one thing I'll never miss. I trust him as much as Moffitt and Hitch. Not because I have to, but because they've all earned it."
Troy watched as Tully got a jerry can out of the back of the jeep. "About ready to roll?"
Tully nodded. "Just have to top off the radiator." He stopped and looked at the sergeant's smile curiously. "What are you so happy about?"
Troy sobered a little and cleared his throat. "Nothing important. Just thinking."