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

Friends to the End

By Suzie2b

After Moffitt had been knocked out of the back of the jeep when a mortar hit the sand just behind them, Tully made a sweeping turn to get back to the sergeant. Bullets ricocheted off the side of the jeep as Tully slowed enough for Moffitt to quickly scramble into the passenger seat.

Tully drove up into the cover of a sand dune and stopped the jeep next to a couple of stunted trees. "You okay, sarge?"

Moffitt sighed. "A few bumps and bruises. Nothing serious." He watched Tully pull his kerchief out of his jacket pocket. "Are you all right?"

Tully began to wrap the kerchief around his left thigh. "A stray bullet nicked me when I was pickin' you up. I'm fine."

"Let me take a look at it." Moffitt got out and went around to the driver's side. He moved the kerchief and Tully's hand away. A quick look at the badly bleeding wound told Moffitt they may be in trouble. He tore open Tully's pant leg. "It's a bit more than a nick. We need to get this bleeding stopped."

As Moffitt tied the kerchief tightly above the wound, a second jeep crested the dune and stopped next to them. Troy jumped out of the back, saying, "We saw you get knocked out of the jeep. You two okay?"

Moffitt pressed his ascot against the wound. "Tully took a hit in the leg. He's bleeding badly. The bullet probably hit the artery."

Troy hurried around to join the other sergeant. Blood was already soaking the ascot as Moffitt applied as much pressure as he could. He looked at Tully and could see the color draining from his pained face. Troy said, "Hitch, get a blanket for Tully to lay on. Let's get him out of there so we can elevate that leg."

Tully groaned softly and clung to Troy and Hitch's shoulders as they lifted him out of the jeep while Moffitt continued to apply pressure. It was like a well-choreographed dance as they gently set him down on the blanket. A piece of wood from a fallen tree and a folded blanket were used to raise Tully's wounded leg.

Tully's breathing was becoming shallow and rapid as his blood pressure dropped.

Moffitt said, "He's going into shock."

Tully began to shiver and Troy settled a blanket over him as he watched his friend pass out.

After too many minutes, thanks to the tourniquet and pressure, the bleeding finally stopped. Moffitt relaxed a bit and took a deep breath.

Troy surveyed the bloody mess and asked, "How much do you think he lost?"

Moffitt replied quietly, "Too much I'm afraid. He definitely needs a transfusion."

Hitch quickly said, "Tully and I have the same blood type…"

"Yes, but we don't have the equipment we need to do it."

Troy said, "Can we get him to a doctor?"

Moffitt shook his head. "I wouldn't dare move him. If that wound starts bleeding again…"

Hitch said, "Well, we have to do something. What if we bring a doctor here?"

"The nearest field hospital is about eighty kilometers from here at the Zufar Oasis."

"I can get there and be back with help in two, three hours tops."

Moffitt looked from Hitch to Troy. "It's worth a try."

Troy nodded. "Okay, let's shake it, Hitch."

After they left, Moffitt set about cutting away Tully's pant leg so he could carefully clean the wound. Before he dressed it, Moffitt loosened the tourniquet until blood began to seep from the bullet hole. Then he slowly tightened it again just enough to stop the blood flow. After applying sulfa to hopefully prevent any infection, Moffitt wrapped the wound snuggly in a bandage.

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

As the jeep skimmed the desert floor, Troy and Hitch nearly ran into the same Germans that had caused their emergency. As much as they wanted to, there wasn't time for another battle. Hitch quickly and easily went around the column.

Troy said nothing as Hitch concentrated on his driving. The sergeant's thoughts were on his wounded private. They would save him. There was no question about it.

Hitch probably set a land speed record in a jeep getting to the field hospital at the oasis at Zufar. He pulled to a stop next to the medical tent and got out with Troy. They observed that there were three ambulances being unloaded and Hitch said, "They sure are busy."

Troy frowned. "Yeah. The fighting in the south must've picked up again."

They went inside. There were wounded soldiers everywhere and the nurses were busy doing triage. Troy grabbed the first nurse he could reach and said, "We need to see a doctor."

She looked at him. "Are you injured?"

"No…"

"Then you'll have to wait."

Troy took a breath, swallowing the urge to yell. "I have a badly injured man in the field. He can't be moved and he needs blood."

The nurse gently pulled out of his grip and said, "As you can see, we're very busy. All of our doctors are in surgery. It's going to be some time before you'll be able to talk to one of them."

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

Moffitt surveyed the horizon with binoculars, hoping to see the jeep returning with an ambulance. He heard a groan and cough behind him. Moffitt returned to his wounded friend and knelt next to him. He looked at the pale face and dull eyes. "How's your pain level, Tully."

His grimaced as his shivering sent shocks of pain through his leg. His voice was barely a whisper. "I'm okay. Just feel … real dizzy and weak."

Moffitt helped Tully take a drink of water as he said, "Troy and Hitch should be on their way back by now with help. You just keep still so your leg doesn't start to bleed again."

"I'm in bad shape, aren't I?"

Not wanting to lie, Moffitt said quietly, "Yes, you are. But you're going to pull through." As Tully squeezed his eyes closed and groaned with the flaring pain, the sergeant got a dose of morphine out of the med kit. As he administered the shot, he said, "Just hang on, Tully." Seconds later he watched the private slip back into unconsciousness. With a heavy sigh, Moffitt adjusted the blanket and stood up to resume his watch.

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

Troy and Hitch found a place out of the way to wait. They watched the wounded come in. One by one they were either sent into surgery or covered with a sheet and taken away for burial.

Hitch had watched the controlled chaos with silent impatience for as long as he could. However, everyone has a breaking point. "This is taking too long, sarge. We should've been on our way back a long time ago."

Troy sighed. "I know, but we don't have a choice. We've got to get a doctor and blood to Tully."

When a doctor finally came out of the surgery for a quick break, the nurse that Troy had spoken to said something to him and pointed to Troy and Hitch.

The doctor joined them where they waited near the door. "I understand you have a wounded man in the field."

Troy said, "Yes. He took a bullet in the leg that probably hit the artery and he's lost a lot of blood."

"I see. Unfortunately, we're under staffed as it is and we've been receiving a steady stream of wounded since the fighting started up again in the south. I can't spare a doctor to go with you right now."

They watched as another stretcher was brought in with a gravely injured soldier on it.

Hitch furrowed his brow and said, "Well then, what about a medic and an ambulance?"

The doctor frowned. "You want a medic…"

Troy said quickly, "He's right, doc. Let us take a medic with an ambulance and some blood. He'd be able to stabilize my guy so we can get him here for treatment."

The doctor thought for a moment then nodded. There was no other choice. He looked around and spotted a medic leaving with an empty stretcher. "William, a word please."

The corporal set the stretcher against a wall and detoured over to the doctor. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"William, I want you to go with these two men. They have a wounded man that can't be moved at the moment. Take your ambulance, some plasma, and antibiotics. Don't try to remove the bullet. Just get the man stabilized and bring him back here as quick as you dare." The doctor looked back at Troy. "He's one of the best medics I've worked with. He'll do the job for you. Now if you'll excuse me…"

Troy nodded. "Of course. Thanks, doc." As the doctor walked away, he turned to the medic. "I'm Sergeant Troy and this is Private Hitchcock."

"Corporal Johnson."

"Are you ready to go?"

"I need to load up my medical kit and get the plasma first."

Troy said, "Okay, we'll give you a hand."

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

Moffitt had checked the tourniquet again, and again had to retighten it enough to stop the bleeding. He gently pressed a hand against Tully's forehead and cheek, noticing his skin was cool and clammy. Moffitt looked at his watch for the umpteenth time and wondered aloud, "Where are they?" He stood up and went to check the horizon again. "They should've been here over an hour ago. I hope they didn't run into trouble." He glanced back at Tully. "If only you hadn't had to come back for me, then this wouldn't be happening."

Moffitt paced the dune. It would be dark in another few hours. The cold desert night would not bode well for Tully's condition.

Then he thought he saw the sun glint off something in the distance. Moffitt stared through the binoculars until he could make out a jeep followed by what appeared to be an ambulance. He couldn't tell if Troy and Hitch were the ones in the jeep, but he knew it had to be them.

When the vehicles stopped in the cover of the dune, Moffitt met the jeep. "What took you so long? I was beginning to worry."

Troy got out of the jeep. "Fighting's picked up down south. That field hospital is overbooked."

"I see. At least you were able to get back with a doctor."

The corporal stopped in front of them with his medical kit slung over his shoulder. "Corporal Johnson at your service. Where's the patient?"

Hitch walked up behind him with a box that held units of plasma. "Follow me. He's over here."

Moffitt stared as Hitch led Bill to where Tully was laying. Then he looked back at Troy. "You brought a medic?"

Troy nodded. "They couldn't spare a doctor. The one we spoke to said Johnson is one of the best. He's brought plasma and antibiotics. As soon as Tully is stable, we'll get him to the hospital for treatment."

Tully cried out weakly as the corporal did some serious work to stabilize him. The tourniquet was checked and retightened. The bullet wound was carefully examined and rewrapped. Antibiotics were administered and two units of plasma were pumped into Tully before Johnson would even consider moving him into the ambulance.

By the time Corporal Johnson was satisfied with Tully's condition it was dark. "We should leave now. I'd like to get him to a doctor as soon as possible."

Troy nodded. "It's not the best time to be traveling, but we shouldn't have to worry about German patrols. We'll just take it slow and steady."

"Can one of you drive the ambulance? I'd like to keep an eye on my patient."

Moffitt said, "I'll drive."

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

When they arrived at the field hospital, Tully was quickly evaluated and his condition warranted immediate surgery.

Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch thanked Corporal Johnson before he went back to his duties. Moffitt said, "Thank you, corporal. You did an excellent job. Have you ever considered becoming a doctor?"

Johnson smiled. "Nah. Back home I'm a trained medic and lifeguard. I worked at a public pool. It's a good job and all year 'round since it's in Florida. My boss promised me my job back when I get home."

Troy said, "Well, I'm glad you were here to help. Don't know what we would've done without you."

And then the corporal was gone, leaving Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch to wait until word came that Tully had made it through surgery and was in recovery.

Troy took a deep breath, feeling like he hadn't taken a full breath in hours. "Okay, why don't we get something to eat and then see if we can get a place to sleep." He saw the look on Hitch's face and said, "The doctor said Tully wouldn't be awake before midmorning at best. There's nothing more we can do right now."

Hitch sighed. "But he's my friend. He shouldn't be alone."

Moffitt smiled. "Tully's our friend too, Hitch. He won't be alone as long as we're nearby."

By morning, there was a lull in the fighting and the wounded had stopped arriving soon after. Patients were now being shipped out to base hospitals as their conditions allowed. But the field hospital was still full, with cots set up in every available space.

Hitch managed to make just enough space for a chair and was sitting next to Tully's cot. His friend was still in serious condition, but he looked a whole lot better than when they'd brought him in.

Hitch had found an outdated newspaper and a two month old edition of Life magazine. He was quietly reading the comic section of the newspaper, describing each panel and reading what each character was saying.

The patient in the next cot asked, "I take it he's a friend of yours."

Hitch stopped in the middle of a Li'l Abner panel and looked at the soldier. "Yeah, he's one of the best."

"Why are you reading to him like that?"

"To let him know I'm here and he's not alone."

The patient said, "You don't really think he can hear you, do you?"

Hitch smiled. "I know he can."

There was a faint groan and Hitch looked down at Tully as his still dull eyes opened. "Hey, you're finally awake."

Tully blinked to clear his vision and croaked, "I am?" He shifted slightly and pain shot through his leg, making him hiss. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Want me to get a nurse? It's just about time for a dose of pain killer."

Tully grimaced as his leg began to throb. "Yeah, might be a good idea about now."

Hitch set the paper aside and stood up. "Be right back."

After Hitch walked away, the patient in the next cot said, "You've got a good friend there. He's been sittin' there all morning reading to you."

Tully sighed. "Yeah, he's just one of three best friends I have."

"Can you really hear him? He seems to think you can."

Tully managed a wane smile as pain throbbed through his leg. "Let's just say, when he gets back I'm gonna have to ask him what Li'l Abner said to Daisy Mae after she caught him during the Sadie Hawkins Day race."