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

Keep the Faith

By Suzie2b

Tully had done as Troy had ordered. He'd snuck around the east side of the German camp to check on guard placements. He had to traverse the side of the hill the camp was butted up to. However, as Tully moved slowly and carefully over the rocky terrain, one foot slipped on the loose hillside. This sent a small avalanche of dirt and rocks down to the edge of the camp.

Two German guards immediately opened fire into the darkness without seeing who or what they were shooting at. The noise brought others along with the camp's commander. After a quick explanation, Lieutenant Horn sent the two guards up the hill to find what had caused the dirt and rocks to come down.

As the Germans spoke, Tully managed to get to his feet and climb to the top of the hill and hid among some boulders. He watched as the two guards climbed and used flashlights to search the hillside. Suddenly one stopped and called the other over.

The guard pointed at some rocks at his feet and said, "Es gibt Blut."

Tully frowned and began to check himself over. When he put his palm to his left side he felt the sticky wetness of blood as it seeped through his shirt. He hadn't even realized he'd been shot. The beam of a flashlight hit one of the boulders above his head and he ducked back. If those Germans found him, Tully knew he was as good as dead.

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Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch had been watching from cover. The darkness didn't reveal much, but when they heard the gunshots they knew who the guards were shooting at. They waited and watched anxiously as the Germans searched the hillside with flashlights, but there was no sign of Tully.

Hitch asked worriedly, "Do you think Tully's been hit?"

Moffitt answered, "I hope not."

Troy said, "They aren't finding him, so he must've gotten away. We'll wait a while and see if he makes it back here."

Hitch frowned. "But if Tully's been shot…"

"I know, Hitch, but with the Germans combing the hillside there's no way for any of us to get there to try and find him. Let's just hope he's in good enough shape to stay out of their way."

They watched until the two Germans gave up and went back to their camp.

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Tully had scampered over the hill and hid among another set of boulders about half way down. He heard the German guards at the top and saw the flashlight beams search the area around his hiding place, but they didn't seem willing to walk down.

After it became quiet, Tully started to feel pain from the wound in his side. He pulled his kerchief from a pocket and unbuttoned his shirt. He folded the kerchief and pressed it against the bleeding hole with a grimace of pain.

Tully thought to himself, "They'll be doubling the guards just in case. I can't get out the way I came and this hill is too big to walk around it. I won't be able to make it back to the jeeps with this bullet in me."

He settled back against a boulder with a sigh and hoped his friends would be able to find him.

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They waited an hour and there was no sign of Tully.

Hitch said, "Let me go after him, sarge. He's got to be hurt or he'd be back by now."

Troy shook his head. "There's no way to get there now that they've set extra guards."

"I could drive around the hill to the other side. Tully must be hiding there."

Moffitt said, "The Germans would hear the jeep's engine before you could get to him."

Troy said, "We may have to wait until they break camp in the morning."

Hitch said angrily, "Tully could be dead by then."

"It could be that he didn't get shot. He could be just hiding until there's a chance to get out of there."

"I guess."

Moffitt put a hand on the private's shoulder. "We have to keep the faith, Hitch."

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It had been nearly two hours since the shooting. Tully couldn't see in the dark, but he thought the bleeding was under control. He realized he wasn't feeling too good and figured he was in shock – feeling cold, dizziness, rapid breathing. Tully wondered if he should try to move out of the area as far as he could, but then he didn't want to get to where the rest of the team couldn't find him. He decided that the Germans had looked for him once without success, they probably wouldn't bother looking again.

Tully smiled to himself as he thought, "They probably figured it was some sorta animal they shot."

His eyes started to feel heavy as he continued to weaken. Tully wanted to stay awake in case the opportunity arose where he could make his way back to the jeeps – at least that's what he kept telling himself.

The darkened shapes of the landscape began to spin and Tully's ears began to ring. Then his world went black and silent.

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Troy stared out at the German camp as he stood watch. Moffitt and Hitch were trying to get some sleep and all was quiet. He could make out the silhouettes of the guards as they moving around the perimeter of the camp. Troy sighed as he wondered how his missing man was doing.

He heard a nearly inaudible sound behind him and turned as Moffitt slipped up beside him. Troy said quietly, "You're a little early."

Moffitt leaned back on the jeep. "Couldn't sleep. I thought I might as well keep you company. Any sign of Tully?"

"Nothing. He's keeping himself hidden and the Germans don't seem interested in trying to find him. Their commander probably thinks his men jumped at the sound of an animal or something."

Moffitt hesitated, then asked, "Do you think Tully's been shot?"

Troy nodded. "I don't see how all of those bullets could miss him, even in the dark. It's just a waiting game now. As soon as the Germans move out in the morning, we'll move in to find Tully."

"What if they don't move out?"

"What I saw before it got dark was a temporary encampment. No tents or anything else to say they're thinking about sticking around."

Moffitt agreed and said, "I saw the same thing, but still…"

Troy insisted, "No, there's no reason for them to stay." He looked at Moffitt's profile in the dark. "I need to believe they'll leave when the sun comes up. But if they do stay, we'll find a way to get to Tully."

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Tully opened his eyes slowly. At first he thought he'd gone blind and began to move, but pain radiated from his wounded side and he leaned back again.

He whispered almost silently realized, "It's just the dark."

Tully shifted and gasped as he tried unsuccessfully to get comfortable. He wondered what time it was, but didn't dare even light a match to see his watch. Tully listened for even the slightest sound, but there was nothing and he wondered if the Germans had left.

After some muddled thought, Tully realized silently, "That's stupid. They wouldn't break camp in the middle of the night."

He carefully reached inside his shirt and gently probed the wound under the kerchief. Tully could tell it was still seeping blood and pressed the kerchief back in place with a quiet groan.

After a time, Tully's thoughts spun around his friends. "Wonder why they haven't come after me? Oh yeah, the Germans are camped out there. They'd come if they could. They wouldn't abandon me, would they?" He shook his head slowly. "Of course not. Just haveta wait until it gets light and the Germans leave. Shouldn't be too much longer." Then a thought struck him. "What if they don't leave?"

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Troy had gone to try to get some sleep. Moffitt paced slowly back and forth in front of the jeep. He kept trying to figure out a way to get to Tully. However, everything he thought of had a bad outcome.

Moffitt stopped and used moonlight to check the time. It was 3:15am. He sighed as he said silently, "Hang on, Tully."

As he watched the camp, Moffitt saw a dark figure climbing up the hill. He held his breath as the German disappeared behind a small grouping of boulders. After a minute, the soldier reappeared as he zipped his pants. Moffitt exhaled slowly and watched the man return to camp.

The sky was beginning to lighten and Hitch was in the middle of his time on watch when he noticed movement in camp. He quickly went to rouse Troy and Moffitt and said, "Looks like they're packing up."

All the three allies could do was watch as the Germans took their time have breakfast and stowing their gear into the halftracks. Finally, the engines fired up and the Germans began to drive off into the desert. It was 8am.

Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch waited impatiently until the halftracks and an ambulance were out of sight before taking the jeeps to the base of the hill. They fanned out as they climbed, looking for any clue as to where Tully was hiding.

At the top, Troy checked behind a set of boulders. All he found was a bloody handprint. He called Tully's name a couple of times, but got no reply.

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Tully didn't open his eyes when he heard the Germans break camp. He couldn't be sure if he was hallucinating or not. He wasn't even sure he was still alive, but then decided he must be. "I wouldn't be in pain if I was dead."

When Tully heard his name called, he slowly opened his eyes. He heard it again and recognized the voice and whispered, "Sarge."

With a weak and shaky hand, Tully managed to toss a small rock before he passed out again. It clattered as it bounced off other rocks.

Troy's head snapped around just as the rock rolled to a stop. He hurried down to pick up the rock and noticed blood on it.

Troy looked around and saw Tully's legs sticking out from behind a set of boulders. He yelled to Moffitt and Hitch, "He's over here!"

When the sergeant reached Tully, he knew the private was in bad shape. As Moffitt and Hitch joined him, Troy gently pressed the back of his hand against Tully's forehead. "He's burning up."

Moffitt took a wrist and checked the wounded man's pulse. "He's lost a lot of blood." He pushed the bloodied shirt open and moved the kerchief to look at the wound. It didn't look good, but at least it wasn't bleeding.

Troy looked around and said, "Hitch, you and I will bring the jeeps around. It'll be easier to take him down than up and over."

Moffitt said, "We should stay put until we can get some plasma into him."

Hitch questioned, "Plasma? Tully and I have the same blood type."

"But we don't currently have the equipment for a direct transfusion."

Troy said, "I thought you restocked the med kits at our last supply stop."

Moffitt said, "I did, but they didn't have the tubing needed for a transfusion in the field."

"Okay, we'll bring the jeeps around so they're out of sight. Then Hitch and I will go after that German patrol."

Hitch asked, "Why go after them?"

Moffitt replied, "There was a medical unit with them. They're probably carrying plasma … or at least what we need for a transfusion."

"How much does he need?"

"Two or three units should do so we can get him to a hospital."

As Troy and Hitch went after the jeeps, Tully opened dull, unfocused eyes with a groan.

Moffitt put a hand on his friend's chest. "Easy, Tully. You're going to be all right."

Tully groaned again and whispered weakly, "I … messed … up."

"I doubt that. Just rest."

After the jeeps were moved, Troy and Moffitt got Tully off the hillside while Hitch quickly fashioned a lean-to for shade using a jeep and one of the camouflage tarps. When the wounded young man was as comfortable as possible, Troy and Hitch headed out in the direction the German patrol had gone.

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With Hitch at the wheel with his foot to the floor, the jeep caught up with the Germans in an hour's time. They were sitting in the cover of a waterhole, no doubt topping off their water supply.

Troy tapped Hitch on the shoulder to get the private to stop. Troy checked with binoculars to confirm it was indeed the German patrol. Four halftracks and an ambulance. Then he said, "Okay, looks like they're just milling around. Some are at the well. I don't see any guards. Go in behind the ambulance and we'll see what happens."

Hitch had the jeep stopped behind the ambulance before any of the Germans knew the Americans were there. One of the Germans yelled a warning and raised his rifle, but Troy was quick to fire a volley from the 50 into the ground in front of the men coming at them. Stopped in their tracks, Troy hollered, "I want to talk to your commander!"

Lieutenant Horn pushed through his men to confront the Americans. "I am in command here."

"I need plasma. We saw your ambulance and thought you might have some to spare."

"Yes, we have plasma. However, I don't see a reason to give it to you."

Troy said, "I'm not asking for all of it. Just two or three units and the equipment to administer it."

Horn said, "You must have a seriously wounded man."

Troy didn't reply to what the lieutenant said. "Will you help us? Or do we have to do this the hard way."

Horn gave it some thought as his men stood around him with guns bared. Finally, the lieutenant spoke in German to two of his men, who walked over to the ambulance. Hitch didn't take his eyes off of them for a second. Horn then said to Troy, "You could have come in here and killed at least half of my men before we knew what was going on…"

Troy growled, "But we didn't."

"No, you did not. Therefore, I am giving you what you are asking for."

The two German medics exited the vehicle with everything Troy had asked for. Hitch took the three bottles of plasma and carefully tucked them away behind the seats, then took the packages of tubing and needles and stowed them away too.

Troy said, "Thank you, lieutenant. We appreciate it."

Horn bowed slightly. "I honestly hope your man survives."

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Moffitt pressed a moist cool compress against Tully's fevered brow. He'd bandaged the wound and administered both morphine and penicillin, but if Troy and Hitch didn't get back soon with what the private needed, the drugs wouldn't matter.

It was almost two and a half hours later when Moffitt heard the jeep coming. He breathed a sigh of relief when Hitch stopped behind the other jeep. "Please tell me you've brought plasma."

Troy nodded. "Three units and everything needed to get it into him."

"Thank heavens! Let's get moving. There's no time to lose."

After the first unit of plasma was administered, Tully was beginning to look a little better, but he was far from being out of the woods.

While Hitch sat with Tully, Troy and Moffitt were checking a map. Moffitt put his finger on a spot and said, "The closest hospital should be this one."

Troy said, "You don't sound very convinced."

"I don't know if it's true, but I heard that it's been moved. If they did, I don't know to where."

Troy sighed. "Okay, we can't take the chance. What's next?"

Moffitt pointed out another place. "Here … at Jaffa Oasis."

"That's more than a day from here!"

"There's no other choice, Troy."

Troy frowned. "Yeah, I know. Is he ready to travel?"

Moffitt gave a nod. "As ready as he can be."

They carefully loaded the unconscious Tully into the back of Hitch's jeep with Moffitt sitting next to him. Troy drove the second jeep and prayed they didn't run into the enemy.

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They stopped once to give Tully more morphine. After Moffitt gave him the shot, Hitch asked, "Does he need more plasma?"

Moffitt checked Tully's pulse and loosened the bandage just enough to get a look at the wound. "I believe he's doing all right for now. There's very little external bleeding at the moment."

"You mean he could be bleeding internally?"

Moffitt adjusted the bandage. "Could be, but he's holding his own for now." He saw the anxious look on his young friend's face and said, "We just have to keep the faith."

Hitch looked at Moffitt and said, "That's the second time you've said that to me."

"Did it work last time?"

Hitch looked down at Tully. "Yeah, it did."

Troy appeared next to them. "Is he all right to get moving?"

Moffitt replied, "I believe so."

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They stopped again before the sun went down so there'd be enough light to safely administer another unit of plasma. That seemed to work and this time Tully opened his eyes and looked up at a fuzzy Moffitt. His voice was barely a whisper as he said, "Hi."

Moffitt smiled a little. "Well, look who's awake. You're looking a tiny bit better for the moment."

"Feel terrible."

"I don't doubt it." Moffitt picked up a syrette of morphine and administered it to his patient.

Tully blinked slowly. "What's that?"

"Morphine for the pain." Moffitt picked up a syringe he'd readied and said, "And this is for any infection you've got brewing inside you."

Once Tully was resting again, Moffitt went to talk to Troy while Hitch made dinner.

Troy asked, "How's he doing?"

Moffitt said, "As well as can be expected."

"Will he make it to the hospital?"

"I hope so, but it's going to be touch and go."

Troy blew cigarette smoke and said, "We'll leave at first light. We should be at the hospital by midmorning."

Tully began to get restless that night as his fever spiked. Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch rotated duties throughout. One would sit with Tully and one was on watch while the third got some sleep.

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They were up before dawn. Troy held a flashlight while Moffitt hooked up the last unit of plasma to Tully's arm. Hitch quickly packed the jeeps, checked the radiators, and topped off the gas.

As soon as the plasma bottle was empty and shots administered, Tully was again loaded into the jeep for the last leg to the hospital.

They made it to the field hospital at Jaffa Oasis at 10:15am. Troy hurried into the main tent and returned with two corpsmen and a stretcher. Tully was carefully placed on the stretcher and they all went inside.

Several hours passed before the doctor walked into the mess tent and got a cup of coffee before joining Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch at a table.

Hitch quickly asked, "How is he, doc?"

Doctor Jacobs said, "He's alive and we're doing everything possible to keep him that way. We lost him once on the table. You said that you'd given him three units of plasma on the way here." Moffitt nodded. "We gave him another three units of whole blood."

Moffitt asked, "How's the infection?"

"Let's just say that if you hadn't had the presence of mind to get some penicillin into him, he wouldn't have made it here."

Troy asked, "Can we see him, doc?"

Doctor Jacobs had dealt with the Rat Patrol before and knew they were a tight unit. "He's still unconscious, but you can look in on him for a few minutes. After those minutes, I'm ordering the three of you to get some rest. You all look dead on your feet." They followed the doctor back to the hospital where he led them to Tully's cot. He whispered a warning, "Remember, only a few minutes."

The three men nodded their understanding and Jacobs walked away. They looked down at their wounded friend. He was terribly pale, there was an IV in one arm, and his midsection was swathed in crisp white bandages.

Moffitt felt Tully's forehead and could feel the fever. "Temperature is still high."

Troy noticed a basin of water on a chair next to the cot with a cloth soaking in it. He wrung out the cloth and gently pressed it against Tully's forehead.

Finally, Troy reluctantly whispered, "We'd better go."

Moffitt nodded and started out with Troy behind him. Hitch hesitated, then reached down to give his friend's hand a light squeeze, then carefully pulled the blanket up around his shoulders and whispered, "Keep the faith, Tully."

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Tully's fever started going down the next afternoon, but he was still unconscious. Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch had begun taking turns sitting with him – much to the nurses' disagreement of the idea. They even took their complaint to Doctor Jacobs, who calmly explained and told them to take care of the patient, but leave the others alone.

Late that evening Troy arrived to take over for Moffitt, who was quietly reading aloud. "How's he doing?"

Moffitt closed the book and sighed. "About the same, but I'm told he's slowly improving."

Troy nodded. "I'll take over here. Go get some sleep. Hitch is already out like a light."

"I'll try not to wake him."

Moffitt handed the book to Troy and walked out. The sergeant looked at his wounded comrade and friend as he set the book aside. He wrung out a compress and pressed it gently onto Tully's forehead. Then with a sigh, Troy sat down and pulled over another chair as he retrieved a deck of cards from his shirt pocket.

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The sun was coming up and Hitch set the book aside to stretch with a yawn. Out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw a finger twitch. Hitch leaned closer to his friend and whispered, "You can wake up any time now, Tully."

The wounded private slowly opened his unfocused eyes and squinted at Hitch before he whispered, "You stopped … reading."

Hitch smiled. "I was just taking a break to stretch. How do you feel?"

"Lousy … hurts."

"Okay, I'll get a nurse."

Before Hitch could get back with a nurse, Tully was out again. Hitch watched worriedly as the nurse took his pulse. Then she smiled a bit and said, "He's asleep."

Hitch grinned. "He's asleep? Really asleep, not unconscious?"

The nurse nodded. "He's really asleep. Why don't you go tell your sergeants?"

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A week passed before Tully was transferred to the hospital at the base in Ram Allah. Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch didn't report to Captain Hollister until Tully was comfortably tucked into a hospital bunk.

Hollister greeted them with, "Got word you're hear with a wounded man."

Troy said, "Yes, sir. He's part of our team."

"So I guess you'd like to stick around while he heals up."

"Yes, captain, that would be preferred."

Hollister said, "All right. I don't see a problem with that. However, I will be sending you out on patrols to keep you busy. I'll have a replacement assigned to your unit tomorrow."

Troy said, "As long as he's temporary, sir. Pettigrew is one of our drivers and I'd like him back as soon as possible."

The captain smiled. "I understand, sergeant. Go get yourselves quarters. I'll have an assignment for you first thing in the morning."

They walked outside after their meeting and Hitch said, "How about lunch? I'm starved."

Moffitt said, "I could eat."

Troy gave a nod. "Let's go."

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Later that day, Hitch went to look in on Tully. He told him how Captain Hollister was letting them stay on base, but they would be sent out on regular patrols.

Tully managed a tired smile. "Good. It's better if you guys stay busy. You can tell me all about it when you get back. Am I being replaced?"

Hitch said, "Only until you're well enough to join us again. We'll meet him in the morning."

Tully hesitated, then said, "You know, Hitch, when we were at that field hospital … I don't remember how long we'd been there … I remember hearing your voice. It was far away, but it was you. Then you squeezed my hand. I think the only reason I survived this is because I kept the faith just like you told me to."

Hitch was taken aback slightly. "That was right after surgery. I really didn't think you could hear me through all the drugs."

"Like I said, your voice was far away and I don't think I heard much else after that for a while … but I heard you and knew I had to hang on. Thanks for that."

Hitch swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat and stood up. "Well, I'd better let you get some rest. I'll be by when we get back tomorrow."

Tully shifted a bit to get comfortable. "See that you do. And tell Moffitt I'd really like to know how that book ends."

"I will. See you later."

Outside again, Hitch walked in the direction of the quarters he was going to be sharing with Troy and Moffitt. He thought about Tully and sighed a bit shakily as he wiped a tear away as he moved along the sidewalk.