A Bad Decision
By: AliasCWN
Colonel Dan Wilson reread the message in his hand for at least the fourth time. He fought the urge to crumple it into a ball and toss it into the garbage can next to his desk. The contents of the message had come as a surprise to him. When he had first read it he'd thought that there had been a mistake. Now, several phone calls later, he knew the message had been deliberately sent. The reasons for it still eluded him. And he couldn't shake the feeling that, deliberate or not, someone was making a big mistake.
A knock on his door announced the arrival of the men he had been expecting. He put the paper on top of the pile on his desk and called for them to enter.
Sargents Sam Troy and Jack Moffitt walked into his office expecting to be told that they had a new assignment. Colonel Wilson hated the news he was about to give them.
"Is something wrong Colonel?" Jack Moffitt, always tuned to his surroundings, sensed the Colonels' distress. At the question, Sam Troys' eyes sharpened with concern, waiting for the Colonel to explain the problem.
"Sit down gentlemen." The Colonel said gravely.
The two sergeants exchanged puzzled glances. Troys' quick mind went over everything they'd done since they'd last seen the Colonel. He couldn't think of any reason why they would be in trouble. Even the two privates had been behaving themselves.
They took seats facing the Colonels' desk and waited.
"Did we do something wrong Colonel?" Troy finally ask the question when the officer just stared at them. Troy was confused, usually their 'fire eating' commander had no trouble finding the words to express his displeasure. Finding him at a loss for words was disconcerting to say the least.
With a sigh the Colonel walked around his desk and took his seat. His hand rested on a pile of papers for a minute before he picked one off the top and handed it to Troy.
The look on his face made Troy uneasy. He took the paper and glanced at it, confused. The first thing that he noticed was that it was from British headquarters. The second was that it was addressed to Colonel Wilson. He looked up at the Colonel, not sure why it had been handed to him.
The Colonel nodded, "Read it Sargent."
Troy dropped his eyes and began to read. The more he read, the less he understood.
Jack Moffitt watched as Troy read the paper. He noticed Troys' expression turn from confusion to anger and then back to confusion.
"Why Colonel? Why now? I thought they agreed that we make a good team."
The Colonel shook his head. "I don't know Sargent. I ask the same thing. They couldn't, or wouldn't give me a good answer."
"Isn't there something we can do?"
The Colonel shook his head again. "I've been on the phone all morning. British headquarters says the decision has been made. I'm afraid it's out of my hands Sargent."
"What seems to be the problem Troy? Perhaps I could talk to them one Brit to another?" Jack Moffitt flashed a disarming smile to demonstrate the charm he could bring to bear.
"That's the problem." Troy grumbled.
Moffitt looked confused. "I don't follow you Sam." Moffitt looked from Troy to the Colonel, a question in his eyes.
"You are being recalled back to your old unit Sargent." The Colonel explained.
"Yeah, it seems that they have this idea that you still belong to the British army and they want you back." Troy finished for him. "Don't they understand that you're doing good work here?"
Moffitt was shocked. There had been no warning, no rumors of a recall. Everyone involved had seemed satisfied with the present arrangement. His being on loan to the Rat Patrol had worked out well for both armies. Either army could benefit from their services and either one could propose new assignments. And he had to admit, he liked the status quo just the way it was.
"Maybe if we talk to them Colonel." Troy handed the message to Moffitt to read.
"I've talked to everyone who will listen Sargent." The Colonel explained. l"They say that General Lynch has the final say and he wants Sargent Moffitt to return to his unit. I haven't been able to get him on the phone yet but I will keep trying." He watched Moffitt read the message. "That is, if Sargent Moffitt wants to remain with the Rat Patrol"
Troys' head snapped up and he cast a worried glance at his second. "Of course he does, don't you Moffitt?" His look dared the other sargent to deny it.
Moffitt allowed a sad smile to cross his face. "Of course I do Sam." I've gotten rather used to you and the others. We make a good team."
Troy looked back at the Colonel triumphantly.
"But General Lynch has final say." Moffitt continued. "It appears that it doesn't matter what I want, I have been ordered back immediately."
"Jack?"
"I'm sorry Sam. What it comes down to is that we are all soldiers and we must follow the orders of our superiors." He handed the message to the Colonel. "I'll begin packing right away Sir."
"I'll keep trying Sargent." The Colonel threw the message on his desk. The best commando team he'd ever had and the British wanted to break them up. He started to make a mental list of people he could call. With a start he realized that both sergeants were still standing before him. "Dismissed Sargents. Sargent Moffitt, I want to see you before you leave."
"Yes Sir." Moffitt answered in a subdued voice.
He led the way out, too preoccupied to pay much attention to the look in Troys' eyes.
Breaking the news to Tully and Hitch had been hard. Tully had chewed on his matchstick and remained silent. He had followed Moffitt back to his tent and quietly watched him pack.
Hitch had ranted about the stupidity of the 'brass'. He couldn't understand why they would break up a winning combination. He declared that someone on the Generals staff must have given him some bad information. He even spit out his gum so he could complain louder.
"Sarge, we gotta do something." Hitch stayed in his tent with Troy after Moffitt and Tully left.
"And just what do you think we ought to do Hitch?" Troy ask bitterly. "Moffitt is all set to go and the Colonel can't stop it."
"We can't just let them take him!"'
"He doesn't belong to us Hitch! He technically belongs to the British army! They only loaned him to us, we didn't buy him or anything."
"Maybe you could put in another request!"
Troy turned away. "Don't you think I thought of that? I told the Colonel we wanted him to stay. He told the British. They said General Lynch, whoever he is, has final say. What do you want me to do, kidnap him?"
"Would it work?"
Troy turned back to stare at Hitch. The kid had a defeated look on his face. Troy hated to admit that there was nothing he could do but he didn't see how they could keep Moffitt. "No Hitch." He shook his head sadly. "It wouldn't work. At least not for long."
Hitch tried to smile but failed miserably. It looked more like a grimace of pain. "So that's it then? We just give up?"
"I don't know Hitch." Troy admitted. "That's not normally an option. But maybe this time it's all we've got."
"You always tell us we should never give up. You always say that there's always another way."
"Maybe I was wrong." Troy answered softly. "Maybe sometimes you just have to accept that there is nothing you can do."
"That's crap and you know it!" The blond rushed from the tent before Troy could see the tears threatening to spill from his eyes.
Troy let him go, having heard the hurt in his voice. He'd not only let Moffitt down, now he'd managed to disappoint the rest of his team too. Leaving the tent, he decided to take a walk and clear his head.
Jack Moffitt finished packing under Tullys' watchful eye. His lanky driver had not uttered a word since he had informed them that he was leaving. "Nothing to say Tully?"
Tully chewed on his matchstick and stared toward the door. Moffitt waited, letting Tully organize his thoughts. Finally Tully pulled the matchstick from his mouth and spit out the pieces he had bitten off.
"We're gonna miss you Sarge. You were the best second in command we ever had. Sarge is gonna miss you, even if he is too stubborn to admit it."
Moffitt couldn't hide a smile at that observation.
"Hitch and I make a good team. We're good with the jeeps. We have a knack for knowing when to dodge , which way and how far. But the real decisions are made by you and Sarge. You 're a good team too. The best. You make the decisions that keep us alive. We trust you like we never trusted anyone else. Hitch would be right here telling you the same thing if he wasn't so mad at the world right now."
"Thank you Tully. You have no idea how much that means to me."
"I think I do Sarge. I know how much it means to me to know that you trust me with your life every day."
Moffitt waited, knowing Tully wasn't finished.
"Don't they realize that a team like this doesn't come along every day? We work good together. We get the job done every time. Not many teams can say that. Doesn't that count for anything Sarge?"
"I don't know Tully. You would think that it would mean something to someone. That somewhere our success record would be appreciated." Moffitt closed his final bag. "I suppose I should go see the Colonel. He wants to see me before I leave. Maybe the four of us can share one last meal before my transport leaves."
Tully made a face at Moffitts' words.
"Sorry." The sargent apologized. "I guess I should have phrased that a bit differently. But you know what I mean."
Tully nodded, silent again.
"Well I'd better go see the Colonel." Moffitt left the tent feeling saddened and oddly lost. Tully followed him out and watched him walk away.
After their meeting the Colonel wished the sargent good luck and sent him on his way. Moffitt headed for the tent he'd shared with Troy. He figured he would share a meal with Troy and the others before he left for his new assignment. He couldn't find Troy but Tully and Hitch were sitting in their tent deep in conversation. They stopped talking when he stuck his head in the door.
"Anybody hungry?"
They exchanged looks and both nodded. Moffitt looked from one to the other, wondering what he had interrupted.
"So where are you going to be stationed?" Hitch ask as he idly pushed his food around on his plate.
"Near the coast." Moffitt named the base where he had been assigned.
"That's not so far. Maybe we could come visit sometime." Tully drawled quietly.
"I'd like that." Moffitt smiled at them.
"That General Lynch, is he stationed there too?" Hitch ask casually. Moffitt tried to see if there was something in the question to concern him but the blond just seemed curious.
"Yes." Moffitt answered cautiously. "Why?"
Hitch looked up from his plate. "You don't think he'd mind if we visit do you?"
Moffitt smiled. "Of course not Hitch. I don't think he would mind at all."
"Then that's what we'll do. Won't we Tully?" Hitch looked at Tully and once again Moffitt felt as if he had missed something.
Troy arrived as they were leaving for the transport. He walked along with them helping Moffitt carry his gear. Troy, Tully and Hitch were still standing there watching when the truck turned the corner and drove off the base.
Sam Troy waited until the next day to check on his messages. He'd pulled every string he could and called in every favor owed him to try to keep Moffitt. His messages didn't leave him very optimistic about his chances.
"Sgt. Troy."
He looked up to see a corporal standing right next to him. He'd been so lost in thought that he hadn't heard him approach.
"Colonel Wilson wants to see you."
Troy nodded and changed directions to head for the Colonels' office. The Colonel was waiting when he arrived.
"You wanted to see me Sir?"
"Yes Sargent. We need to discuss a replacement for Sargent Moffitt. Have you given it any thought?"
"No Sir." Troy admitted. He didn't mention that he was still hoping to get Moffitt back.
"Well if you have any preferences get the names to me within the next few days."
"Yes Sir. I'd like to discuss it with Tully and Hitch and see if they have any suggestions."
"They're on leave Sargent. Didn't they clear it with you?" The Colonel watched Troy closely for his reaction to the news.
Troy tried to hide his surprise.
They didn't tell you." The Colonel stated positively.
"No Sir, they didn't." Troy was forced to admit.
"Tell them to come see me when they get back."
"Back Sir?" Now Troy was really confused.
"Yes Sargent. They ask permission to hitch a ride to go visit someone."
"Where'd they go Sir?"
"I thought you knew. They went to see someone stationed near the coast." The Colonel growled, obviously displeased. "They said their sargent said it would be alright to visit."
"Moffitt."
"Come again Sargent?"
"They must have gone to visit Moffitt Sir." Troy wondered if they had ask while he had been preoccupied. He was sure he would have remembered. "Sargent Moffitt gave them permission to visit Sir."
"For pete's sake Sargent, he's only been gone since yesterday." The Colonel threw his hands up in surrender. "You may go Sargent but I want to see those to miscreants the moment they get back."
"Yes Sir." Troy hurried from the office worried about what the privates were up to.
Jack Moffitt received the summons from the General just as he was finishing his evening meal.
"In trouble already eh Jack?" One of the other sergeants teased.
"I have no idea why, I haven't even finished unpacking yet."
"Better not keep him waiting, he doesn't like that much." Another soldier warned.
Moffitt just nodded and hurried to answer the summons.
The General was waiting for him when he arrived. He was shown directly into the inner office. As he stepped through the door, he froze. Standing to one side of the room were four MPs. And standing in front of them were two privates, two very familiar privates. They both nodded at him when he looked their way but neither smiled or spoke.
"Do you know these men Sargent?" Those were the first words out of the Generals mouth when he saw Moffitt.
"Yes Sir, actually I do." Moffitt cast the privates a worried frown. "They are half of the American team I have been working with Sir."
The General nodded before turning to the MPs. "Take them out into the outer office and hold them there."
Hitch and Tully were ushered out without a word.
"I'm sorry Sir."
The General turned to Moffitt after watching the MPs and the privates leave. "And what are you sorry about?"
"I don't know why they are here, but I suspect that it may have something to do with me. They're young Sir. They can be rather impulsive."
"Impulsive?! Is that what you call it? I came back to my office to find them standing in here waiting for me. Apparently my clerk had stepped away from his desk to run an errand. This is highly irregular Sargent!"
"Yes Sir." Moffitt agreed, hanging his head. "But then," he looked the General in the eye, "our", then he paused to reconsider his choice of words, "their, little commando team has been very successful by being 'irregular' Sir. Doing things their way has not only kept them alive but helped them become the most lethal team in North Africa. Their record is impressive if I do say so myself Sir."
"I've been reading some of those records Sargent."
Moffitt hesitated at the tone of the Generals voice. Thinking about the privates, he decided to continue. "Sargent Troy and those two privates," Moffitt nodded toward the outer office, "accepted me into their little group and allowed me to become one of them Sir. We're all very close. That's what makes us such a good team. We know each other, respect each other, and we take care of each other."
The General didn't speak as Moffitt made his little speech.
"They didn't mean any harm Sir. They want me to stay with them. They were just trying to help."
"By calling me a bloody idiot?"
Moffitts' breath caught in his throat. "They didn't do that, did they Sir?"
For the first time the General allowed a small smile to show. "Not in those exact words Sargent. But they did say that anyone who would break up such a good team was a bloody idiot. I am just going to assume that they didn't know who actually made this decision. Surely they wouldn't have said such a thing if they had known that I was that person."
"Of course not Sir." Moffitt assured him hurriedly.
"I thought not Sargent." The General agreed smugly. He walked around his desk and sat in his chair. He indicated that Moffitt should take a seat. "Alright Sargent, suppose you start at the beginning and tell me all about this team of yours."
Moffitt talked until his throat was dry. The General listened raptly, interrupting only to ask a question or clarify a point.
"You know Sargent, one of our units had the good fortune to capture a German panzer commander just the other day." The General watched the sargent closely. "Your name was mentioned while he was here, in this office. I believe someone ask about your recall. He actually seemed pleased to learn that you were being recalled to your old unit. I was rather surprised that a German officer recognized your name."
"Would that be Captain Dietrich Sir?"
"You know him?"
"Yes sir." Moffitt smiled. "Our favorite nemesis. A rather remarkable and capable officer."
"He spoke highly of you too." The General seemed to be searching for words. "I can't just ignore the fact that those two privates entered my office without permission. " He again studied the sargent. "There will have to be a report sent to their commanding officer."
"Colonel Wilson, Sir."
"Yes, Colonel Wilson. I will have to send a messenger with a report."
"You could send it back with them Sir." Moffitt suggested. "They would make sure the Colonel receives it."
"Unopened Sargent?"
"Yes Sir."
"You're sure about that Sargent?"
"Of course Sir. They're good soldiers. As I said, a bit impulsive, but completely trustworthy."
"And will they try to wiggle out of this Sargent?"
Moffitt shook his head. "They take responsibility when they're wrong Sir. They'll tell the Colonel what they did. " Moffitt was about to say more but stopped.
"Go on Sargent. What aren't you saying?"
"I was just thinking Sir. They're going to be much more worried about facing Troy than about the Colonel." The sargent smiled crookedly. "Troys' punishment will hurt them much more than anything the army decides to do."
"I see. Alright sargent, I think I'm getting a much better picture here. Please step outside and tell the MPs to bring the Americans back in."
"You did what?" Sam Troy faced Hitchcock and Pettigrew in disbelief. "How could you? What in heavens name made you think that that was a good idea?"
"It was the only thing we could think of Sarge." Hitch mumbled. "We had to do something!"
"Idiots!" Troy hustled the two privates across the base. "The Colonel wants to see you right away. He left orders that you were to report to him he minute you got back."
"We have to see him anyway." Tully told him.
"Yeah. The General sent a report for us to give to the Colonel. I guess he wanted to make sure we told the Colonel what we did." Hitchcock explained.
"When the Colonel is done with you, whenever that is, you belong to me." Troy growled. "You'll be lucky if you get away without a court martial."
"We had to try." Tully told him.
Tully and Hitch announced themselves to the Colonels' aide. He ushered them into the Colonels office without delay. Troy waited anxiously outside. Through the door he could hear the Colonels raised voice. When the yelling stopped, the office got quiet. Troy couldn't decide which worried him more. When the door finally opened he expected the Colonel to call for the MPs.
"Sargent Troy."
"Yes Sir."
"Take these men to their tent and make sure they stay there. They are confined to quarters except for when they are on patrol until further notice."
"Yes Sir."
Troy hurried his men away from the headquarters building before the Colonel could change his mind. Neither private spoke as they walked to their tent.
"Are you satisfied?" The sargent demanded "He could still press charges. Maybe the General hasn't officially filed a complaint yet."
"It would be worth it if we got Moffitt back." Tully groaned. "I guess we didn't convince the General."
"We tried Tully. At least Moffitt knows we tried." Hitch was just as down as the red head. "I guess we only made matters worse Sarge. We're sorry."
Troy paused to study the faces of his men. He'd done his best to keep Moffitt but in the end, he'd failed too. He couldn't really blame them for trying, it was only the method they'd used that had him worried. Too bad it hadn't worked.
"Okay, let's just deal with this one day at a time. You're confined to quarters so get in there and stay there." Troy sent his men into their tent. They went without protest, seemingly resigned. Hitch led the way but he stopped so suddenly that Tully ran into his back. Both of them stood staring into the tent. Suddenly they rushed into the tent calling Moffitts' name. Puzzled, Troy followed. Moffitt stood facing them, a smile lit his normally reserved features.
"Well Moffitt, to what do we owe this visit?" Troy rushed forward to greet his friend. A thought suddenly occurred to him and he stopped back to study the English sargent. "The General isn't here is he?"
The privates turned to stare at him.
"Don't tell me the General decided to make sure that the Colonel didn't let them off too easy. Did he send you to report on the punishment?"
Moffitt smiled with an amused twinkle in his eye. "Actually Troy, I'm back. The General has had a change of heart. I've been reassigned, again, to you. It seems that he has been bombarded with calls about his decision to break up the team. Then when Hitch and Tully showed up in his office to plead their case, he decided to find out more about us." He smiled at the two privates. "Calling him a 'bloody idiot' may have been a bit extreme. But to make a long story short, he decided that they were correct, it was not a smart move. So here I am, you're stuck with me again I'm afraid."
Troy grinned happily. "I guess we can live with that." Then his smile turned to a frown. "That's is if Hitch and Tully don't wind up in the stockade for the next ten years."
"Is that what the Colonel is planning?' Moffitt ask. He glanced at the two men in question with a worried look on his face.
Troy shrugged. "Right now they are confined to quarters until further notice. Only allowed to leave to go on patrols."
"At least they can still go on patrols." The Brit responded. "I'm sure Dietrich will be surprised to see us all together."
"Why is that?" Troy ask, confused.
"It seems that the good captain was captured a few days ago by the generals men. He overheard a mention that I was being sent back to my old unit. He made the mistake of showing his pleasure at the thought."
"I don't understand." Troy frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"
Moffitt laughed. "The General was already having second thoughts. When he saw Dietrichs reaction to the news, he really had to reconsider. He said that any decision that pleased the captain that much just couldn't be good for the Allies."
Troy laughed at that comment. "So the captain is a guest of the Generals?"
"Not anymore." Moffitt grinned. "He managed to overpower his guards and escape last night. By now he is back with his own unit."
The four of them shared a laugh, forgetting for the moment that their troubles were not over.
"Tully?"
"Yeah Sarge?"
"One thing has been bothering me." Moffitt spoke slowly. Tully glanced over at the sargent. "Why did you tell the Colonel that I gave you permission to visit the General?"
"We didn't Sarge," Tully grinned around his matchstick. "We said you gave us permission to visit. We never said who you said we could visit." Tully looked pleased with himself.
The four of them were playing poker with matchsticks when they got their new orders. The jeeps were ready so they headed out right away, glad to get out of the tents.
The Colonel stood by his window and watched as the two jeeps drove off the base. "Yes General," he spoke into the phone, " they just left for another patrol. I don't know for sure how long they'll be gone. It depends on what they find when they get there." He paused to listen to the voice on the other end. "Yes Sir, I'll keep them confined to quarters between patrols for another week or two and then I'll let them off the hook." He paused to listen again. "Yes Sir, they certainly are different, but it works for them General. Yes Sir, and thank you General, I'd really hate to lose them. I appreciate your understanding. We'll keep in touch."