The Different Battles Raid

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 8

"Hey Sarge."

Troy looked down at his driver, taking his eyes off the German column for just a minute. "What?"

"Any chance we can pull up or a few minutes?"

Troy started to say 'no', they didn't want the Germans to get too close, but the quiver in the youngster's voice stopped him. "Are you alright?"

"Fine Sarge." His driver responded with a sigh. "I just need a little tape and some gauze."

"What?" Troy jumped into the front seat next to Hitchcock. As he leaned around he spotted the bloody wound on his drivers left leg. Without looking up he yelled to the other jeep. "Tully, find us a wadi where we can pull up and hide for five minutes."

Tully turned in surprise at the order and saw the look of concern on the sergeant's face.

"It looks like I may need to do a bit of doctoring." Moffitt softly informed his driver. "Find us a spot and then stand watch." Tully nodded, biting down hard on his matchstick. The timing was going to be tricky; he hoped they wouldn't need to stop for long. Sending a worried look at the blonde, he searched for the type of shelter they would need. Finding a narrow wadi, he pulled the jeep to a stop. He leaned forward and snagged a machine gun to stand watch as Moffitt reached under the seat for the medical kit.

Troy jumped out as the second jeep rolled to a stop. Hitch remained in his seat, gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. Troy rushed to his side to keep an eye on the situation.

Moffitt sliced the pant leg open to reveal a jagged piece of metal embedded in the muscle of Hitchcock's leg. Pouring alcohol over it, he quickly assessed the damage. The shrapnel looked small enough to remove without risking damage to any major veins or arteries. Using his knife, he gently probed around the bit of metal. He could feel the edges just below the skin. "I'm going to take it out Hitch."

The blonde clenched his jaw and nodded, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.

Moffitt wedged the point of his knife under the metal and carefully lifted. After the initial resistance the shrapnel began to move. As it pulled free it tore at the muscle and skin, bleeding freely. Moffitt held his breath, afraid to pull too hard. He let out his breath as it slid clear and fell to the ground.

Troy looked away from his drivers leg to glance up at Tully on watch. He noted the tenseness of his shoulders and the way he kept his eyes focused on the desert beyond the wadi. "Everything alright Tully?"

"They're getting awful close Sarge." He drawled in a quiet voice that barely reached the other men. He glanced down, seeing that Moffitt hadn't finished yet.

"Hurry up Moffitt." Troy urged, watching the end of the wadi.

"I'll put a pressure bandage on it for now. The alcohol and sulfa powder should be enough for right now; we'll clean it properly and put a fresh bandage on it once we lose our followers." Moffitt deftly wrapped a bandage around the leg, slowing the bleeding considerably. With a murmured apology to his patient, he taped it tightly and packed his medical kit. "That will have to do for now. Let me know if the bleeding gets worse or if it doesn't stop within the next few minutes."

Hitch nodded, his face chalk white under his tan.

"Are you okay to go?" Troy studied his driver as Moffitt returned to his jeep.

"I'm fine Sarge." The blonde smiled through the pain. "Ready whenever you are."

The sergeant gripped the young soldiers shoulder. "Let me know if you need to stop."

Hitch nodded and started his jeep.

"Tully!"

Tully raced down the slope with a look of relief on his face. He slid into his seat and started the jeep with the push of the starter.

"Give them a little more smoke, let them think we stopped for the jeep." Troy instructed as the two little vehicles pulled out of the wadi into the open desert.

Tully reached down and twisted the knob beneath his dash, increasing the flow of black smoke from the rear of his jeep. The jeeps cleared the wadi before Tully looked back. The lead vehicles of the column were already entering the end of the wadi. Breathing a sigh of relief, he guided the little vehicle closer to the base of the ridge they were following to give the Germans a smaller target.

"How's Hitch?" Tully called over his shoulder to Moffitt.

"Caught some shrapnel in his leg." Moffitt called back. "It's not too bad but it's going to be sore. The main thing is making sure the bleeding stops and staying ahead of any infection. We'll stop again later to check on him."

"How's Sarge?"

"Troy? What about Troy?" Moffitt leaned over to catch his drivers answer.

"Got a bloody arm, didn't you notice?"

"I just assumed it was Hitch's blood," Moffitt admitted. "but I admit I was concentrating on Hitch and didn't give it much thought." Moffitt turned to watch Troy, trying to see if he favored the arm; the blood was already dry on the sleeve. "He seems to be using it alright and the bleeding has stopped," he assured his drive, "I'll check on both of them later."

A shout from Troy pulled their attention back to the German column. Troy shouted again before Hitch turned his jeep to make a run at several patrol cars who were trying to overtake the two jeeps. Moffitt readied his gun to fight if necessary as Tully eased the gas pedal a little closer to the floor. Slowly they edged ahead of their pursuers as Troy and Hitch discouraged the patrol cars crews from trying to be heroes.

Twice more the cars made a move to overtake the jeeps. Each time Troy and Hitch would drive them back. When the column showed signs of giving up the chase, Troy had Tully adjust the amount of smoke pouring from his jeep.

The Germans, thinking the vehicle was failing, renewed the pursuit.

It took over an hour for the two jeeps to lead the second column to where the first column was once again on the move. The German tried to trap them between the two forces, but the Americans swung wide of the trap.

Once the columns had combined, the Rat Patrol began the final stage of their journey. They headed directly for the valley where the Major had set up his ambush. Baiting the Germans with tantalizing evidence of a future breakdown, they let the smoke roll off Tully's jeep all the way to their destination.