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

Author's note: The consensus is there should be a sequel.

Separation Anxiety

By Suzie2b

Hitch and Daisy had been together for nearly a month—a record for Mark Hitchcock—and were rarely separated when Hitch was on base. Then Daisy was picked to be a part of Major Gleason's entourage going to London, England for a series of meeting.

The Rat Patrol picked up Daisy at the women's barracks to drive her out to the Ras Tanura airfield. Hitch hopped out to load her small suitcase into the jeep while Troy made himself comfortable on the radio in the back.

As Hitch held her hand, Daisy slid into the passenger seat with a smile and said, "I'm honored to have such an escort just to go to the airfield."

Troy smiled. "Don't let it go to your head. We're leaving on patrol as soon as we drop you off."

Hitch started back around to get behind the wheel as he said, "I would've been here for you regardless, Daisy."

"Thank you, Mark."

The ride to the airfield didn't take long and they arrived just after Major Gleason's staff car. The jeeps stopped behind the car as the Major and his two aides were exiting it. Troy hopped out of the back and joined Moffitt and Tully so Hitch and Daisy could say their good-byes in private.

Hitch sighed as he leaned in for a kiss, which Daisy didn't hesitate to give, then he said, "I wish you weren't going. Two weeks is a long time. I'm going to miss you."

Daisy smiled. "I'm going to miss you too … terribly. But you'll see, the time will pass and before you know it I'll be back in your arms."

"It can't pass quick enough as far as I'm concerned."

Major Gleason's aides were taking care of their luggage as the major called, "It's time to go, Private Moore!"

Daisy gave Mark one last peck on the lips before they both got out of the jeep. She called back, "On my way, sir!"

Hitch carried the suitcase as they hurried passed the staff car. One of the major's aides took it from him and followed the major up the stairway onto the plane.

Daisy gave Hitch's hand a gentle squeeze as she said quietly, "See you in two weeks, Mark."

Hitch gave her a smile. "Two weeks and no more. Be careful." Once Daisy was on her way up the stairway, Hitch returned to the jeeps, where he found Troy in his place in the passenger seat and all three of them staring at him with grins on their faces. Hitch frowned questioningly and said, "What?"

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

The Rat Patrol watched the plane take off before they drove out into the desert. Captain Boggs wanted them to check out a report of enemy activity in an Allied held sector southeast of the base.

When they arrived at the coordinates the captain had given them, they began a sweep of the area. However, after hours of searching, they found no sign of either the Germans or Italians.

They pulled into the cover and shade of a waterhole for a break. Troy had Moffitt code a message to send to headquarters. And then they waited.

Two hours later an answer came. Moffitt decoded the message and handed it to Troy as he said, "The powers that be want us to keep looking."

Troy sighed. "Yeah, they sent new coordinates."

Tully asked, "Are we heading out then, sarge?"

"No, it's too late. We'll stay here tonight." Troy handed the coordinates back to Moffitt and said, "Get the maps and let me know where we're going tomorrow. In the meantime, Tully, you're on KP. Hitch, you're on watch."

In unison the privates said, "Right, sarge."

After he ate, Troy sent Tully out to relieve Hitch so he could eat.

Tully asked, "Want me to clean up first?"

Troy replied, "Hitch can do it after he eats."

Tully walked out to where Hitch was and asked, "How're you holding up?"

Hitch smiled. "I'm hungry."

Tully chuckled. "I mean, are you missing Daisy yet?"

"I always miss her when I'm not with her, but it's going to be worse when we get back and she's not there. Now I really understand what you go through with Charley. Do you get used to it?"

"Nope, you just learn to live with it. You better go eat while it's hot."

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

The next morning, after breakfast, the Rat Patrol headed north. Headquarters was adamant that the enemy was out there in Allied territory … somewhere. As Troy had once said, "It wouldn't be much of a war if one side didn't try to push the other around."

Moffitt and Tully led the way. The sergeant kept checking his map, compass, and for landmarks along the way. They continued for about 129 kilometers to the coordinates they'd been given. Tully stopped the jeep and Hitch pulled up next to him.

Moffitt said, "Well, we're here. Where shall we start?"

Troy looked around at the stark and arid desert. "I think we should…"

Hitch interrupted with, "Hey, do you guys hear that?"

Tully was the first to agree. "Gunfire?"

Troy said, "Sure sounds like it."

Moffitt gave a nod and offered, "Could be who we're looking for."

"Let's go check it out."

Hitch and Tully quickly turned the jeeps west towards the sounds. It wasn't long before they stopped again. Troy and Moffitt stood on their seats with binocular to check things out.

Moffitt scanned the horizon and said, "They're German all right."

Troy agreed. "Yeah, but what are they shooting at?"

"It would appear there's someone on top of that dune just beyond where they've stopped."

Troy shifted and caught sight of the reflection off a rifle barrel. He lowered the field glasses and said, "Let's go around to the backside of that dune and find out who's there."

Hitch and Tully expertly guided the jeeps around while staying out of sight of the Germans as well as whoever was shooting at them. Moffitt was the first one to spot the eight Arabs at the top of the dune. He got Troy's attention and pointed. Troy gave a nod when he saw them. And from the looks of their clothing, these Arabs were part of a tribe that fought against both the Allies and Axis Forces.

Hitch and Tully got them as close as possible while Troy and Moffitt moved to man the 50 caliber machine guns. The privates grabbed machine guns from their holsters and took cover behind the jeeps. On Troy's cue they all opened fire. The Arabs never saw it coming.

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

The Germans heard the unmistakable sound of the 50s and the quick bursts from the machine guns. Then there was silence. They waited and watched the top of the sand dune for nearly a minute, wondering what had happened. Then the Rat Patrol flew over the crest of the dune and opened fire with the 50s, catching the Germans totally off guard.

After a slight hesitation, the commander of the German patrol shouted orders to get moving and return fire. It was little more than a squad of five halftracks with eighteen armed men and their drivers.

Unfortunately for the Germans, the jeeps of the Rat Patrol were faster and more maneuverable. One at a time they devastated the German patrol and took no prisoners.

Then they were gone. Speeding off, leaving the smoldering halftracks and dead men behind.

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

After spending the night in a wadi, the Rat Patrol got back to base before noon. Troy and Moffitt went to report to Captain Boggs, leaving Hitch and Tully to take care of the jeeps.

The privates inventoried the jeeps and got the requisition ready to be signed. Tully asked, "Want to do the supplies now or after lunch?"

Hitch shrugged with a sigh. "Ya know … I'm not really hungry right now. Why don't you go meet Charley for lunch? I'll take care of the supplies."

"Are you sure? If I take off now, I can get a quick shower first."

"Go on. I'll get something to eat later."

Tully hurried home, took a shower, and put on a clean uniform. Then he jogged towards headquarters and found Charley just leaving the building. She smiled when she spotted Tully and waited for him to catch up.

Tully stopped next to her with a smile of his own. He gave his wife a quick kiss and asked, "Ready for lunch?"

Charley nodded. "I'm starved."

Tully put his arm around her and steered her in the direction of the mess hall. "Let's go then."

Charley reveled in the feeling being close to her husband gave her. She inhaled his scent and said, "You've been back long enough to get a shower."

"Yep. Hitch volunteered to resupply the jeeps. So I took the time to clean up."

"How's Hitch doing with Daisy gone?"

Tully replied, "He misses her. When we're out on patrol, we stay busy and don't think as much about missing our ladies. But now that we're back and Daisy's gone, I think it's going to hit him hard." He gave Charley a little squeeze. "I know that feeling."

After lunch, Charley had to go back to work, so Tully went to go check on Hitch with the jeeps. He wasn't there, but the jeeps were stocked and ready to go again. He made a mental note to do the same for Hitch when Daisy got back.

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

The next morning Tully and Charley found Hitch in the mess hall. They got their breakfasts and sat down with him. Charley said, "Good morning, Hitch."

He smiled slightly. "Morning, Charley, Tully."

"How're you doing?" Hitch sighed as he took a bite of his eggs with a shrug. Charley smiled knowingly and said, "Separation anxiety?"

Hitch finally said, "I miss Daisy more than I've missed any other girl." He looked at Tully. "I really do know how you feel when Charley's gone."

Tully smiled. "Have Troy and Moffitt been by yet?"

"I haven't seen them. I hope we get a mission. I really don't want to hang around on base."

Charley finished her breakfast, said her good-byes, gave her husband a kiss, and left to go to headquarters, leaving Hitch and Tully to wait for Troy and Moffitt.

About ten minutes later, the sergeants arrived in the mess hall. There was no mission for the Rat Patrol, but Captain Boggs put them on daily patrols until further notice. Hitch said, "I guess that's better than nothing. At least I'll stay busy most of the time."

They left the mess hall and headed for the motor pool.

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

After four days of patrols, and seeing nothing but Allies as they moved through the desert, Captain Boggs finally had a mission for them. They were all in the captain's office when he gave a folder to Troy and went to the large map on the wall as he said, "We've gotten reports from our spotters that say the Germans are close to pushing through our lines…" Boggs pointed out several places on the map. "Here, here, and here. High Command thinks they're trying to converge on the Allied base…" He circled a place on the map with his finger and continued, "Here. This is one of our largest bases and its only ten miles from the American/German lines. At the moment, along with the troops stationed there, there are three battalions as well."

Troy had looked over the report and had handed it to Moffitt, then said, "If they take that base, it would be a big win for the Germans, captain."

Boggs simply nodded. Then he said, "The picture in that folder is of General Bruno Huber. He's supposedly the one in charge of this operation. At last report, he's reported to be managing the operation from Jabalia Oasis."

Moffitt said, "Jabalia Oasis would put him at least five miles from any one of his three companies, sir. Wouldn't it be rather difficult to direct his men when he can't see at least some of the action?"

Boggs said, "Difficult, but not impossible, sergeant."

Troy asked, "Where do you want us, sir?"

"I want you to go to Jabalia Oasis and shut things down there. Without someone to direct the operation, those German companies will be blind. Also, High Command wants you to bring back General Huber."

"What about the troops that are headed for that base, captain?"

Boggs said, "Men have already been sent to head the Germans off. We need you to get to General Huber first."

Hitch questioned, "Captain, if that base has so many men, can't they take care of this themselves?"

"They have no idea what's coming. If we try to warn them, we risk the Germans intercepting the message and changing tactics before we get there. Even a coded message is too risky because we can't be sure if they've cracked our latest code yet or not."

Moffitt asked, "This report says the general is with a platoon, sir. That could be up to fifty men. Is there any way we can get a number of some kind so we have an idea what we're up against?"

Captain Boggs shook his head. "What's in the report is the only information I received."

Troy said, "I guess we'd better get going then, sir."

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

The Rat Patrol drove as far as they could before dark, and ended the day by taking shelter in a wadi.

After Hitch had eaten his dinner of meat and vegetable stew, Moffitt said, "Hitch, go take over on watch so Troy can eat."

Hitch said, "Right, sarge." Before he walked away, he asked, "How long do you think this mission will take?"

Moffitt smiled, knowing why the question was being asked. "Hard to say. We should be at Jabalia Oasis tomorrow. Time will be needed to see what we're up against and make plans. When does Daisy return?"

"In seven days."

"Well, I would imagine we'll be base at Ras Tanura before her."

Hitch nodded with a sigh, then walked away. Tully watched him as he started to spoon stew onto a plate for Troy, then said, "I sure hope Major Gleason's meetings don't go beyond that or Hitch will explode."

Moffitt chuckled and went back to his tea.

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

The jeeps were left at the bottom of a tall sand dune and the four Allies had climbed to the top. They were lying on their bellies as they looked down at Jabalia Oasis and the Germans that were camped there.

Troy said, "Well, there they are. How many do you think?"

Moffitt said, "Looks to be thirty to forty men."

Tully asked, "Do you want to go in tonight, sarge?"

Troy replied, "Not tonight. We have a little time yet. We'll watch them and make some plans before we go in tomorrow night."

The rest of the day passed slowly under the desert sun. It was discovered that the Germans were quite confident that the Allies didn't know they were there. Guards were minimal even after dark, and there had been no patrols at all throughout the day.

Tully went up to take over for Hitch on the dune. He crawled the last few yards and stopped next to his friend and asked quietly, "Anything?"

Hitch said, "Nothing worth mentioning. These guys are real boring."

Tully chuckled softly. "Looks like this mission's going to be fairly easy to pull off. We'll take 'em totally by surprise." He glanced at Hitch in the moonlight and asked, "How're you holding up?"

"Fine … as long as I keep my mind on things that don't include Daisy."

"Why don't you go get some sleep? At least you can dream about her."

Hitch sighed. "Do you dream about Charley when you're apart?"

Tully grinned. "Every night."

"How do you get used to it?"

"You don't. You just learn how to deal with it."

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

The next day the Rat Patrol continued to watch the activities at Jabalia Oasis. Eventually, General Bruno Huber was spotted as he left one of the tents. He was a formidable man—tall, barrel-chested, dark hair neatly trimmed and combed under his cap. His men snapped to attention whenever he walked by, though he never appeared to acknowledge them except to give orders.

Troy and Moffitt discussed plans to get into the camp, grab the general, and get out. Moffitt said, "It's obvious that General Huber is very confident that his plans haven't been discovered."

Troy agreed and said as he looked over the map of the oasis he'd been drawing, "Yeah, in my opinion he's a bit lax in the watch department."

Moffitt nodded. "True … but he's probably allowing the captain we've seen to be in charge of the men. General Huber is only here to direct the action in the field. He quite possibly has no idea how many men are on sentry duty, or even in his camp."

Troy thought for a few moments, then said, "You're probably right about that." He handed the map to Moffitt. "Check that over and add anything I might've missed. I'm going to take another look." Troy passed Hitch working on something in the jeep. He got curious and detoured over to the private as he asked, "What are you working so hard on?"

Hitch looked at the sergeant and held up a cluster of three German grenades he'd taped together. Troy looked into the back of the jeep and saw a half dozen clusters Hitch had already made as the private said, "I thought these might come in handy."

Troy smiled. "They just might. Good thinking." He continued on to the top of the dune and settled down next to Tully. Troy took the binoculars as he asked, "Anything new?"

Tully said quietly, "Just one thing. General Huber came out, said something to the captain. Then the captain hurriedly put together a small patrol and sent them east … away from us."

"How many?"

"Three halftracks. Only one had a mounted 30 caliber. I saw three armed men in the back of each."

Troy said, "That means they still have no idea we're here."

Tully asked, "How're the plans comin'?"

Troy continued to scan the camp as he said, "We'll have something in place well ahead of tonight." He set the binoculars down and looked at the private. "Hitch talks to you about his girl issues more then he talks to Moffitt or me. How's he doing with Daisy being out of town?"

Tully shrugged. "He's not doing bad, sarge … as long as he stays busy. He's missin' her a little more than usual."

"Yeah, that's what I thought. He's pretty serious about her."

"I've never seen him stay with just one girl for more than a week, two at most."

Troy smiled as he rose to his hands and knees. "Maybe it's what he needs." The sergeant backed down the dune a ways before getting to his feet.

Plans were worked out by midafternoon and the rest of the day was a waiting game. Once the sun was gone, the four Allies sat together on the sand dune and watched as the camp slowly went dark as the Germans not on duty went to bed.

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

It was nearly midnight when General Huber and the captain exited the tent that Moffitt had determined was designated for the general's operations. As the two German officers separated and walked to their tents, the light inside dimmed, but didn't go out.

Troy said, "The radioman is staying on duty tonight."

Moffitt nodded. "I would appear so."

"They must be expecting something … or someone."

Hitch added, "That patrol never did come back."

Troy lit a match just long enough to read his watch. "Okay, let's get to the jeeps and get this show on the road. Any questions?"

Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully shook their heads. It was a straight forward plan, as usual.

Hitch and Tully moved the jeeps slowly and as quietly as possible around the dune. They stopped when they were in place and waited for Troy to give the word. The sergeant checked for the German guard on that were on that side of the camp, let him pass on his circuit, then gave the order.

Bertha and Olive lunged forward, throwing up plumes of sand as Hitch and Tully floored the accelerators. Almost immediately the 50s came to life as they entered the camp and split up.

Hitch and Troy headed for General Huber's tent while Moffitt and Tully went first for the radio, and then the supply tent.

Heavy slugs tore through the sleeping men's tents. A good many of the Germans died in their sleep, others died as they ran out into the dark in their underwear with rifles in hand.

Hitch slid to a stop at General Huber's tent and Troy hopped out of the back. As the sergeant reached for the tent flap, a hand holding a Luger pistol appeared and got off a shot before Troy could stop it. He grabbed the wrist and pulled a half-dressed general outside, disarming him at the same time.

The general protested loudly as Troy quickly pushed him into the passenger seat of the jeep and yelled at Hitch to take off as he climbed into the back.

Tully drove through camp to where the radio was. He stopped just long enough to arm one of Hitch's cluster grenades as Moffitt continued to lay down cover fire. As they headed for the supply tent, the grenades went off, sending a short-lived ball of fire into the air. Tully wondered briefly if the radioman was inside.

The supply tent was next and again Tully armed a cluster to toss inside, but he suddenly felt a bullet tear into his left thigh and fumbled the grenades, which fell into the passenger seat. Without hesitation, the wounded private grabbed the bomb and was able to throw it into the tent, barely getting them away before it exploded, taking guns and ammunition with it. The fireball went high and lit a good portion of the camp. As Tully turned to get them out of there, another explosion went off. He and Moffitt knew that the Germans fuel supply was now gone, which told them that Troy and Hitch had their quarry.

They stopped a few miles away, just long enough to tie General Huber's hands behind him and gag him to stop his constant threats and complaints. Then they would get as far away from the Germans as they could before sunup.

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

The jeeps pulled into a waterhole so their occupants could get a little rest. Moffitt slid out of the passenger seat and started around the back to help with the prisoner when he heard Tully say, "Hey, sarge…"

Moffitt stopped. "What is it, Tully?"

"I think I need a little help here."

Moffitt walked over to stand next to the private and suddenly noticed Tully's left hand pressing against a large stain of blood on his thigh. The sergeant quickly and gently moved the hand as he said, "You should have said something."

Tully grimaced as the sergeant tore open the material. "I didn't exactly have a chance back there, sarge."

Using his ascot, Moffitt quickly tied it snuggly around the wound. "It's nearly stopped bleeding. Just sit still. I'm going to check on the others."

That's when he heard Troy call urgently, "Moffitt! I need some help!"

The British sergeant knew before he turned that something was wrong and he had a good idea what it was. Moffitt hurried over to where Troy was helping Hitch out of the jeep. "What's happened?"

"Hitch took a bullet in the side." The two sergeants lowered the injured private down in the shade next to the jeep as Troy said, "He didn't say a word until now."

Moffitt started to open Hitch's shirt to examine the wound in his right side. "Tully's got a bullet in his leg. He didn't say anything either."

Hitch asked quietly through gritted teeth, "How bad is Tully?"

"The bullet must've missed the artery. The bleeding was nearly stopped when I left him in the jeep."

Moffitt looked at the wound in Hitch's side and Troy said, "He must've got hit when General Huber got a shot off just before I grabbed him. Is it bad?"

Moffitt stood and got a med kit from the jeep. "He's not bleeding too badly, but I can't tell if the bullet hit anything vital."

Tully appeared and leaned heavily on the jeep. "What's goin' on?"

Moffitt frowned, but didn't look at his friend as he said, "I told you to sit still."

"I got lonely over there. I wanted to see what was happening." Tully peered down at Hitch and asked, "Will he be okay?"

Hitch closed his eyes and put his head back on the tire. "I'll be fine, Tully. Heard you got hit in the leg."

Tully began to sink to the ground. "It's not too bad."

Troy hurried to Tully and helped him sit down as he growled, "I should reprimand both of you for not saying anything before we got here." He looked at each of his wounded men. Tully gave him a wane smile. Troy straightened up and stood with his hands on his hips as he thought silently, "But they all know I won't."

They spent several hours at the waterhole. General Huber remained in the jeep, still tied up, the gag was removed after Moffitt impressed upon him that he would get no water if he didn't keep his opinions to himself. The general had given a reluctant nod.

The Rat Patrol pulled into Ras Tanura sometime after dark. First Hitch and Tully were dropped off at medical. Troy and Moffitt watched as the stretchers were carried away by the corpsmen.

Troy sighed tiredly. "I'll take General Huber to the stockade. You go get Charley."

Moffitt questioned, "You're sure you want to go alone?"

They both looked at the very glum, tied up, half-dressed general, and Troy nodded as he said, "I don't think he'll give me a problem. I'll go to headquarters and leave a message for Captain Boggs."

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

The next day Major Gleason and his entourage arrived at the base airfield a few days ahead of schedule. Daisy thought nothing of the fact that Mark wasn't there to meet her. She rode in the major's car and was dropped off at the women's barracks.

Daisy walked to the quarters she shared with one of the nurses. She let herself in and dropped her suitcase on her bed. She turned as she removed her uniform jacket and noticed a note on the table. It was from her roommate, who was doing her shift at medical. Daisy paled as she read it, then dropped it back on the table before rushing out the door, barely taking time to close it.

When she walked into the hospital ward, Daisy quickly located Charley where she sat between two bunks reading. As she got closer, Daisy realized her friend was reading softly aloud. She sat down on the chair next to Mark and looked at his relaxed, sleeping face as she asked, "Are they going to be all right?"

Charley nodded as she marked her place in the book with a piece of paper. "Hitch was shot in the side. He lost quite a bit of blood, but the bullet missed his vital organs. Tully was hit in the leg. They're both going to be fine." She realized what day it was and said with a bit of a smile, "You're back early."

Daisy said, "Things were going very well … and then there was an air raid. We all got to the shelter in time, but the building was hit."

Charley looked worried and asked, "Is everyone okay?"

"Yes, but it was decided it would be better to finish the meetings at a later date." Daisy took Mark's hand and held it gently as she asked, "Do you think they hear you reading to them when they're asleep?"

Charley smiled as she took her husband's hand. "I know Tully does. He likes to hear familiar voices at times like this."

They sat quietly for a time, then Daisy asked, "How do you get used to this? The worry when he's away. The fear of this very thing happening."

Charley sighed. "You don't really get used to it. You just learn how to deal with it."