Troy kissed his wife good morning as he sat down at the table, "Katie honey, you should let me cook." He said holding her hand.

She smirked and turned around to flip his eggs, "And let you burn down the whole neighborhood? I think not." She turned off the stove and scooped his eggs and bacon onto his plate, "Besides, I'm fine. Really." She could tell by his expression that he didn't believe her, "If you don't stop worrying you're gonna get wrinkles." She said, "And you wouldn't want your child to think their father is an old man do you?"

He chuckled and sipped some of his coffee, "No, I guess not." The phone rang and he started to get it.

"No, I'll get it. I'm expecting a call and besides, your eggs are getting cold." He opened the morning paper and read through the headline as he ate. He looked up as his wife reentered, "It's for you, and the person says it's very urgent." She said looking worried.

He jumped up and ran to the phone, "Hello?"

"Sarge?"

"Tully, is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. I need your help-"

Tully's voice suddenly drifted out and the phone dropped with a loud clunk, "Tully? Tully!" Shouted Troy. He waited a moment before slamming it back down on the base.

"Troy, what's the matter?" Asked Katie. She'd never seen her husband looking this distressed and angry.

"Listen, I don't have time to tell you what's happening but I'll phone you once I get there. Could you pack me a suitcase please, with enough clothes for at least a week."

"Where are you going?" The peaceful morning had been shattered and now she was frightened.

"Kentucky."

"You're not in trouble are you?"

"No, an old friend of mine might be though. I'll be careful, and as I said, I'll call you as soon as I get there." He turned back to the phone and dialed another number.

~RP~

Hitch felt for the phone on the nightstand as it rang shrilly walking him up from a pleasant sleep, he finally located it and put the receiver up to his mouth, "Hello?" He asked still half asleep.

"Hitch, this is Troy. You're visiting your sister-in-law in Kentucky right?"

Hitch was wide awake now, "Yeah, what's the matter?"

"Tully called me just a few minutes ago, something's wrong and I need you to call an ambulance to his place. You still remember which county he lives in and his address right?"

"Yeah, goodbye." Hitch flung off the covers and leaped out of bed.

"Mark?" His wife asked sleepily. She rolled over and then propped herself up on her elbow, "Why are you up so early? You're on vacation so you can sleep in late you know."

He yanked on his clothes while dialing, "Sorry, but it's important. Hello? Yes, I think someone is hurt, they live..."

~RP~

Troy pulled into the veteran's hospital and sprinted inside, Hitch stood in the waiting area with his chin on his hands staring at the chair in front of him. Troy went over to him, "Hitch,"

Hitch looked up and bounded to his feet, "Sarge, he's been in there for hours."

"I thought I told you to call me Troy," Troy said good-naturedly. He laid his hand on Hitch's shoulders, "Tully's strong and he's been through worse. He'll make it."

Hitch nodded, "Yeah I know, it's just that... we were always with him. This time... he didn't have anyone."

Troy sat down and leaned back in the chair, "Why don't you tell me what happened."

Hitch followed suit and tried to relax, "After I called the ambulance I jumped in my car and drove like a crazy person, I'm surprised I didn't get pulled over. It took me about a couple of hours to arrive, the ambulance got turned around so I arrived first."

Hitch barreled out of his car not bothering to even close the door, the farmhouse looked quiet and peaceful but he knew from experience that the quiet was what you had to be afraid of. He tried the door but it was locked, a window had been jimmied open so he entered that way.

Once inside he unlocked the door and then looked at the carnage in front of him, a vase lay in shards on the floor and two men lied sprawled across the floor with blood pooled around their bodies. One man had a bullet wound in his chest and another had a knife in him, Hitch frowned. Where was Tully? He spotted a leg sticking out behind a couch next to a wall. A phone dangled from its cord just above his hand.

He bent down and gently rolled him over fearing the worst, he breathed a sigh of relief when he realized Tully was still alive. He frowned again at the sight of a hastily wrapped cloth around his shoulder, it was already stained red and by now blood had spread across part of his shirt. "Tully?" He murmured.

Tully opened his eyes and gazed up at Hitch with glazed and fevered eyes, "Ich were Ihnen nichts sagen."

Hitch looked at him confused, "Tully, it's me, Hitch."

By now the ambulance had arrived and a paramedic was gently pulling him away while the others put him on a stretcher and carried him to the back of the vehicle.

Hitch raised his head and then hung it, "He thought I was a German,"

"That was the fever, but it's not what he said that's really bothering you, is it? "

Hitch shook his head, "It's the way he looked at me, he looked so... so broken..."

Neither man had much time to mull over the thought as a doctor headed toward them.