The Brotherhood, Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original characters or places.

"What?" Sully grumbled, looking over the counter at the two grunts standing before him.

"Um… Sergeant Boscorelli, uh..wanted us to pick up some supplies." Ty muttered.

"Bosco, huh. He knows I'm doing inventory today." Sully replied, crossing his arms.

"We're um….going out on patrol tomorrow. Some special mission or something." Ty reported.

"Special mission, huh." Sully took the list from the young soldier's hand, glancing up at his name tag as he did. "Davis. Where are you from, Davis?" He asked curiously.

"New York City." Ty answered.

Sully looked at the young man closely. There was something about that face. "You wouldn't have a relative named Tyrone Davis, would you?"

"My father was Tyrone Davis." Ty replied.

"I knew you looked familiar. You're Ty, Junior?" Sully questioned.

"Well, I'll be." Sully commented, as Ty shook his head. "It's a small world. I'm John Sullivan. Your dad and I served together when we first enlisted. How's he doing?" Sully asked. "Didn't he join the NYPD?"

"He did." Ty answered, then quietly added, "He was killed in the line of duty."

"Oh" Sully frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that. Your dad was a good man. Is your mom doing ok?" Sully asked.

"She's doing great. Well, except for worrying about me being over here." Ty replied.

"Yeah, I'm sure she is. Well, if you need something Davis, anything, just let me know." Sully urged him, clapping him on the shoulder. "Now, let's see about this list of supplies."

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Faith sat down at the table where Bosco was scribbling something on a piece of paper. "What are you doing?" She asked curiously.

Bosco glanced up quickly. "Oh, hey. I'm just replying to a letter from Ma, before we go out again."

"How's she doing?"

"She's fine. She's seeing some new guy. And keeping an eye on Gina and the kids for me. Says they're growing like weeds. Apparently Louie has my temper." Bosco grinned.

"Oh, yeah? Poor kid." Faith replied. "How's Mikey?"

"Mikey is Mikey. He'll never change. He's still out protesting the war. Get this. Ma's afraid he's been smoking marijuana." Bosco chuckled, then became more serious. "I hate to tell her, but Mikey graduated from marijuana a long time ago."

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Carlos swatted at the mosquito that buzzed around his ear, then adjusted the pack on his back. It seemed as if they'd been trudging through the jungle for days and it had only been a couple of hours. Sighing, he played with the straps on his backpack, trying to make it feel lighter.

Jimmy Doherty, who was watching from behind him, moved up to his side. "It's too full. What do you have in there?"

"Just the necessities." Carlos assured him. "Fresh clothes, blanket, poncho, but mostly rations."

Jimmy shook his head. "Those rations are the problem. All those tin cans start weighing you down. You should dump most of them and lighten your load."

"But, we don't know how long we'll be out here. What will I eat?" Carlos asked, confused.

"You'll live off of the land, like the rest of us have learned to do. Your stomach may grumble occasionally, but your back and feet will love you for it." Jimmy explained quietly.

Carlos looked around him at the thick jungle. "What is there out here to live on?"

"What is there not?" Jimmy asked. "Berries, roots, leaves…so long as you avoid the poisonous ones. And then the occasional snake, frog, or even beetles to get your protein." Jimmy grinned as Carlos' face paled. "Or you can just carry that heavy pack."

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Ty Davis shifted, trying to get comfortable. They had slept the last night in the middle of the jungle. Well, some of them had slept. Ty had been too afraid to close his eyes until he was unable to hold them open any longer. Then this morning they had moved into position. Now, five hours later they were still lying on their bellies in the damp leaves and dirt that covered the jungle floor, waiting for a Viet Cong supply caravan. Ty still didn't understand how their platoon had been selected to carry out the initial direct assault, rather than to be one of those selected to ambush the caravan. Lost in his thoughts, he let his eyes drift shut until he felt a hand nudging him on the arm. Looking up quickly, he saw Joey Bartoni inching closer to him and Sergeant Boscorelli to Joey's right.

"Stay focused kid." Joey whispered. "It won't be long now."

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As Ty soon found out, Bartoni was right. In a matter of minutes, the VC caravan was in their midst and Sergeant Boscorelli gave the signal to attack.

Bullets hissed through the air and men screamed. Ty tried to keep firing despite the mud and leaves splattering his face as bullets landed a little too close. Joey Bartoni yelled out beside him. After what seemed like an eternity, the firing finally slowed and the smoke began to clear.

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Ty leaned back on his heals, as the voices around him began to slowly sink in. Looking around, he saw Sergeant Boscorelli on his knees at Joey Bartoni's side.

"DOC! Get over here!" Bosco shouted. "I'm sorry." He apologized as Joey moaned when Bosco applied pressure to the wound in his abdomen. "Just hang on. Davis, get me some bandages, a t-shirt, anything." Bosco ordered.

Ty fumbled around in his pack and came up with a spare t-shirt, handing it to Bosco.

"Ok, Joey, just take it easy. I've gotta try to stop the bleeding." Bosco advised, as he placed the folded shirt over the wound and pressed down hard.

"AHHHHHHHHHH! God, help me. It hurts. Please. Help me." Joey cried.

"DOC!" Bosco screamed again. Looking over, he saw Doc working frantically on another wounded man. He didn't see the other platoon medic, Bobby Caffey. "Here, Davis." Bosco motioned Ty Davis closer. "Hold pressure on this while I get Doc or Bobby over here."

"NO" Bartoni yelped, grabbing Bosco's arm. "Don't leave me, Bosco. Please." He pleaded, tears streaming down his face. "I don't want to die with some stranger. Please."

"You're not gonna die, Joey. You'll be fine, but I need to find Bobby or Doc." Bosco urged.

"No." Joey shook his head, calming suddenly. "No, I'm not going to be fine. It's ok. Just don't leave me, Sarge." He replied, holding onto Bosco's arm.

"Joey" Bosco started, only to be interrupted.

"Are you Catholic, Sarge?" Joey asked quietly.

"Of course, I'm Catholic. How could I have a name like Boscorelli and not be Catholic?" Bosco answered, trying to lighten the moment a bit.

Joey smiled. "Then you can take my confession and…" Joey groaned, closing his eyes tightly. "and pray for me?"

"I…I'll find the chaplain." Bosco sputtered.

"No time." Joey whispered, his eyes pleading with Bosco.

"Yeah, ok." Bosco finally conceded.

Ty looked on in stunned silence, as the two recited the Lord's Prayer. Then Joey gave his confession to Bosco and Bosco offered up a prayer for forgiveness.

"Thanks, Sarge." Joey mumbled, his eyes closing.

"Yeah. You're welcome." Bosco whispered back, holding Joey's hand in his right while resting the other on Joey's shoulder. He dropped his head forward, tears streaming down his face, as Joey's hand went limp in his.

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Disclaimer #2: I'm not Catholic. Much thanks to a friend for answering my questions regarding the last section.