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

Stung

By Suzie2b

It was midday and the Rat Patrol had been out checking for enemy movement in Sector E. They decided to take a break among some rocks and boulders where they would be hidden.

Troy tossed a K-ration box to Tully. "Go up and keep a look out."

Tully stuffed the box in his jacket, grabbed a canteen, machine gun, and binoculars out of the jeep. "On my way." He climbed onto one of the larger rocks and sat down.

After he ate the canned cheese on crackers and the candy bar, Tully started to gather the trash to take back to the jeep when they were ready to leave. He put the wrappers and empty can back into the box. He picked up the small pack of cigarettes and book of matches to put in his pocket because he knew Troy always appreciated them. However, the matches slipped out of his hand. Tully sighed as he watched the book slip into a crack in the rock. When he reached down to pick it up, he felt something jab the side of his hand. With a yelp Tully pulled back and saw there was a hole in his hand.

Moffitt called, "You all right, Tully?"

Pain started to pulse through his hand. "I'm not sure."

Not liking the sound of that answer Moffitt went to check on his driver. "What happened?"

Tully grimaced as he held his hand. "I think something bit me."

"Come down here so I can take a look."

As Tully slid off the rock, a scorpion skittered out of the crack, turned around as if looking for something, then went back to where it came from. They both saw it and Moffitt quickly looked at Tully's hand. It was already an angry red and swelling rapidly.

Moffitt slid the ring off Tully's little finger as he called, "Troy, he's been stung by a scorpion!"

Troy and Hitch hurried to their two friends as Troy said, "He what? Are you sure?"

"Yes, Tully and I both saw it come from that crack in the rock."

Troy saw Tully grit his teeth against the flaring pain. "Come over here and sit down." He looked at Hitch. "Go up and get his stuff. Just be careful."

"Right, Sarge."

Moffitt said, "If you see it kill it. We may need it so he gets the right anti-toxin."

Tully sat down in the jeep and looked at Troy. "Anti-toxin?"

Moffitt joined them and said, "There are many varieties of scorpions out here. Some more toxic than others."

Tully suddenly looked concerned to the point of almost being scared. "Is this gonna kill me?"

"Probably not. But it will most likely make you sick. Which is why we'll get you to a medical facility." Moffitt looked at Troy. "We'll need to immobilize his arm. The less he moves it the better."

First they put Tully's arm in a sling, then used an elastic bandage to secure it against his midsection.

Moffitt looked at him. "How's it feel, Tully?"

"My hand's numb, but my arm's on fire."

Hitch had gotten a map out to look for the closest medical help. "There's an aid station about twenty miles from here."

Troy nodded. "Get them on the radio. See if they have any scorpion anti-venom."

Moffitt asked, "Did you see that scorpion, Hitch?"

"I scared it out of its hiding place and killed it. It's in the K-ration box with the big red X on it." Hitch got on the radio, and after a minute he reported, "They don't have any anti-venom on hand. They want us to get Tully to them though, and they're going to call around and find some."

Troy nodded. "That sounds like our best option. Let's shake it."

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

By the time they got to the aid station Tully was having stomach cramps. Troy and Hitch got him out of the jeep and helped him into the surgical tent.

A nurse met them and said, "We've been waiting for you. A cot has been set up for him over there." She pointed to a curtained off corner.

Tully mumbled, "My legs don't wanna work."

Troy and Hitch got him seated on the cot and Troy sat down next to him. He carefully removed the elastic bandage and sling. Troy winced at Tully's swollen, red hand and said, "Easy does it, Tully. The doc's going to fix you up."

The doctor appeared and sat on the other side of Tully. He gently took the injured hand and examined it. Tully gasped as pain radiated up his arm into his shoulder. "Can you feel your hand, private?"

Tully shook his head. "It's numb. All the pain's in my arm."

Troy asked, "Did you find the anti-venom?"

The doctor looked at Troy. "I'm Doctor Allen by the way. And yes, it's on the way. However, it won't be here for at least twenty-four hours."

Troy looked at Tully with concern as another cramp made him groan. "Can he wait that long?"

"By chance did you bring the scorpion with you?"

Moffitt held up the box. "It's in here and very much dead."

Doctor Allen stood up. "Okay, let's let the nurses get the private into bed and as comfortable as possible." He took the box from Moffitt. "Let's see what we're dealing with."

Troy saw the look on Hitch's face as he stared anxiously at Tully and said, "Go take care of the jeeps. Then you can come back here if you want."

Hitch glanced at the sergeant and simply nodded before he turned to leave.

Troy and Moffitt followed Doctor Allen to a bench where he slid the dead scorpion out of the box and onto a metal tray. He picked it up with a pair of large tweezers and let out a sigh. "This isn't good. It's an Androctonus australis, or fat-tailed scorpion. Quite common here in North Africa."

Moffitt frowned. "It can be deadly."

The doctor nodded. "Yes. It can be."

Troy took a deep breath to steady his nerves. "Will Tully survive long enough to get the anti-venom?"

"It's possible. We'll do our best to control the pain and other symptoms as they arise."

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

The hours dragged on and Tully's condition worsened. The pain medication stopped working as the swelling moved up his arm. Doctor Allen eventually had to sedate Tully to give him some relief. And then he was put on oxygen, his chest barely moving as he tried to breathe.

Wounded soldiers arrived sporadically throughout the night. Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch did what they could to help Tully while the doctors and nurses worked on other patients. They each took turns bathing his sweat covered face and chest with water and wondered with each labored breath if their friend was going to pull through.

The twenty-four hour mark came and went. Troy paced outside the surgical tent, constantly looking at his watch.

Hitch joined him and said, "They're taking too long, aren't they, sarge."

Troy looked at his watch again and sighed. "They should be here by now."

Moffitt hurried up to them. "Just got word. The people with the anti-toxin are about an hour out, but their staff car has broken down."

Troy felt a momentary sinking feeling in his chest, then said, "Moffitt, stay here and let Doctor Allen know what's going on. Hitch, you're with me. We'll be back in less than an hour."

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

In slightly less than forty-five minutes Troy and Hitch pulled up outside the surgical tent with the anti-venom and a doctor with the knowledge to use it.

An IV line was quickly placed in a vain in Tully's uninjured arm and a vial of the anti-venom was slowly injected by Doctor Martin.

Moffitt asked, "How long before we know if it's working?"

Doctor Martin replied, "Once the injection is finished I will know in about one hour if there's been any effect or not."

It had taken ten minutes to finish the injection. An hour later Doctor Martin was taking Tully's vital signs.

Hitch was sitting on a chair on the other side of the cot. "Any change?"

The doctor nodded. "Very slight … but this is encouraging. I am going to start another dose now."

Another hour and ten minutes passed. There was another slight change. Hitch could now see Tully's chest rise and fall with each breath.

Four more doses and four more hours went by, and every time Tully improved a little more. The swelling was beginning to go down and he was no longer sweating as he was before.

Troy walked in to check on Tully. "How's he doing?"

Hitch smiled slightly. "Better. That anti-venom is working."

Doctor Martin nodded. "Yes, he should pull through. I will continue to administer doses until I'm sure. Then I'll reevaluate his condition in the morning."

Troy smiled and felt his shoulders relax as some of the tension drained away. "Hitch, go get something to eat."

"I'm not hungry, sarge."

"You haven't eaten all day. So get going. I left Moffitt in the mess tent. You can let him know what's going on. I'll stay here."

Hitch nodded. "Okay." He looked at his friend as he stood up. "Hang in there, Tully."

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

The next morning Tully was off the oxygen. The swelling had gone down to where it was centered on the area around the sting and several fingers, and best of all the pain was abating so he would need less pain medication when he woke up.

Moffitt walked into the tent to check on his friend. He looked toward the corner where Tully had been, but he wasn't there. The cot, the curtain, everything was gone.

A nurse saw the look on Moffitt's face and quickly explained, "Sergeant, Doctor Allen had Private Pettigrew moved to a recovery tent. He'll be more comfortable there. It's just next door."

Moffitt gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you, nurse."

"You should know that he's developed an infection in his hand. We drained and cleaned the wound last night and the doctor has him on antibiotics."

"Is he awake?"

The nurse replied, "I checked on him about twenty minutes ago and he was still sleeping peacefully."

Moffitt smiled a little. "Well, that's an encouraging sign. I think I'll just go look in on him."

When he walked into the tent next door, he quickly spotted Tully's bunk. It was the one with Hitch sitting next to it. Moffitt stepped over to stand next to him. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

Hitch glanced up at him. "A little. Mostly just tossed and turned." He looked back at Tully. "He has an infection now."

"Yes, I spoke to one of the nurses." Moffitt looked at the fresh, white bandage wrapped around Tully's left hand and the IV bottle attached to his right arm. "They took care of it last night."

Doctors Martin and Allen walked into the tent and over to Tully's bed. As Doctor Martin began to take Tully's vitals, Doctor Allen said, "I suppose you know about the infection?" Moffitt and Hitch nodded. "We got it before it got too bad. It shouldn't hamper his recovery too much."

Doctor Martin straightened up and said, "All things considered he's doing very well. A bit of a fever, but the antibiotics will take care of that. He just needs to rest and listen to Doctor Allen and the nurses." He smiled. "I've heard that my car finally got here last night. I'll be heading back to my hospital shortly."

Moffitt held out his hand and Doctor Martin shook it. "Thank you, doctor. I hate to think what would have happened if you hadn't come."

"Well, there's no need to think about such a thing now. Your private will be right as rain soon enough."

After the two doctors left, Moffitt said, "Why don't we go find Troy and give him the good news?"

Hitch stood up. "Yeah, we should. But it feels wrong leaving Tully alone. What if he wakes up and no one's here?"

Moffitt smiled. "We shouldn't be gone too long. I'm sure at least one of us will be here when he wakes up."

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

Hitch was sitting next to the bed working a crossword puzzle when Tully opened his eyes for the first time in nearly two days. Hitch looked up from his puzzle and saw his friend staring at him. "Hey Tully, how's it going?"

Tully was groggy, but he smiled slightly. "It's goin'."

"How're you feeling?"

"My head's a little foggy … but not too bad. Where are we?"

Hitch said, "Aid station about twenty miles from where you got stung."

Tully's brow furrowed. "Stung?"

"Yeah. Remember? You got stung on the hand by a scorpion."

Tully held up his bandaged hand and looked at it. "Oh … guess I'll remember later."

Hitch smiled. "I'm sure you will."

Troy and Moffitt walked in and were glad to see Tully was awake. Troy sat down on the bunk and gave the private's leg a pat as he said, "You gave us quite a scare, Tully."

"Sorry. Didn't mean to."

"Well, the doctor says you're healing up just fine."

Hitch said, "He's not too sure about the details about what happened."

Moffitt smiled. "I'm sure it will come back to him soon enough."

Tully looked worriedly at his three friends. "You guys look a little ragged. Everything okay?"

"Apart from not getting much rest in the last couple of days, everything is fine … now."

A nurse joined them and said, "All right. I think it's time you all left. Private Pettigrew needs to rest." She looked at each of them. "And I suggest you three get some rest as well."

Troy stood up and looked at his men with a sigh. "Yeah, I think we can all rest easy now."