Cell Mates
By: AliasCWN
Troy shifted on the hard bench and growled as the drunken soldier next to him leaned against his shoulder.
"Sorry Sergeant," the soldier mumbled when he noticed the sergeant's glare.
"Just quit shoving," Troy growled.
"It's kinda crowded in here," the soldier offered in his own defense.
"No kidding," Troy answered. "Those MPs must have picked up everybody within a two block radius of the bar."
"Closer to three," another voice suggested.
Troy looked up at the sergeant standing in the front of the cell next to the bars. Tall and solidly built, he didn't look like someone Troy wanted to tangle with, drunk or sober. The drunk next to him started to snore.
"How far away were you when they picked you up?" Troy asked.
"Two blocks," the other sergeant answered with a grin.
"Were you involved in the fight?" Troy asked.
"Not until some drunk swung a bottle at me," the other man answered.
"Same here," Troy responded. "If I hadn't ducked it would have taken my head off."
"And then the MPs showed up," the other sergeant guessed.
"Yeah," Troy nodded.
"So do you have someone to bail you out?" the other sergeant asked. "If you don't you're going to be here until morning."
Troy made a face. "My second-in-command is at headquarters doing some research and my privates are finishing a list of chores I gave them. They should all be done around suppertime."
"Most of the guys I could count on got picked up too," the other sergeant grinned. "I guess we're both stuck here for a while."
"My team will be here as soon as they realize I'm here," Troy explained.
"Are you sure?" the other sergeant asked. He held out his huge paw of a hand for Troy to shake. "My name is Teacher, Alex Teacher. Most people call me Teach."
"Sam Troy," Troy responded as he shook the offered hand.
"Well Troy, are you?"
"Am I what?"
"Are you sure this team of yours will bail you out?"
"Of course I'm sure!" Troy declared. "They wouldn't leave me here."
"Okay," Teach nodded. "So all you have to do is wait until suppertime. Now I gotta ask you; do you think they'd bail me out too?"
"Maybe," Troy responded. "Did you give the MPs a hard time when they picked you up?"
"Are you crazy?" Teach exclaimed. "I wasn't that drunk!"
"Then maybe we can work something out," Troy smiled. "But I can't do anything for anyone who fought with the MPs."
"You can't even help yourself," Teach huffed. He sighed and leaned against the bars. "I guess we're both depending on your team."
"They'll be here," Troy repeated.
"You keep saying that," Teach laughed. "I guess we'll see in three or four hours."
Troy looked around at the crowded cell and sighed. Three or four hours of being stuck in a cell full of puking, snoring drunks wasn't an appealing thought. "I never thought I'd miss one of Dietrich's cells."
"You do this kind of thing often?" Teach asked in amusement. "That must make you pretty popular with your team."
"I'm usually the one bailing my privates out of trouble," Troy insisted. "They tend to get bored easily, and when they get bored they usually manage to find some sort of trouble."
"Yet they're not the ones in here."
"Like I said, I left them a list of chores to keep them busy."
"Lucky them."
"To be honest, my men have been staying out of trouble pretty well on their own lately," Troy admitted. "Moffitt tried to tell me that they have been acting more responsible recently but I didn't listen."
"Moffitt? Is he your second-in-command?"
"Yeah," Troy nodded, "and a good friend."
"How about your other guys? Are they friends too?"
"Yes." Troy nodded. "And good men," he mused. "Maybe I was being a little bit over cautious. I guess I just feel responsible for them."
"Nothing wrong with that," Teach nodded.
"Except they're perfectly capable of taking care of themselves," Troy added.
Teach shrugged his shoulders. "It's always nice to have someone else looking out for you; even if you don't really need it." Teach paused before he asked the next question. "How do they feel about you?"
Troy looked up in surprise.
"Just asking," Teach smiled. "We all know people who say one thing to your face and something else altogether behind your back. Are any of your men like that?"
"No!"
Teach seemed amused by Troy's reaction. "If you're right, then you're one lucky man. It's got to be a comfort when the bullets start flying to know that the men with you actually like you." Teach slid down the bars to sit on the floor. He had to look up at Troy as he continued. "They can say what they want about this war, but it really does bring out the best, and the worst, in men, and women. I've met more great guys since I joined the Army than I ever knew existed." He smiled sadly. "Unfortunately, I've met more than my share of the other kind too."
"And women?" Troy urged.
Teach smiled again but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah, maybe I shouldn't have said anything about that."
"Long story?"
"Long and short," Teach answered, "she promised to wait and she didn't." The other sergeant shrugged again. "I've heard a lot of guys with the same story. It happens."
"Dear John letter?"
"Yeah."
"That's rough."
"You get over it," Teach answered. "If I make it through this war I'll go home and find another girl; I'm not going to let it get to me."
"So where are the guys you said you could count on?"
Teach pointed over his shoulder. "Most of them are in that cell over there. They were already pretty drunk by the time I got to the bar. They didn't want to leave when I did so I headed out alone. I spotted them a little bit ago and it looks like they're sleeping it off."
"Maybe they have the right idea," Troy suggested. "We're going to be here for a few more hours."
Teach glance around the crowded cell and grinned. "We'll have to do it sitting up because I'm not sleeping on that floor."
Troy grinned back. "That shouldn't be too much of a problem, there's not enough room to fall over."
The two sergeants fell silent for the next few hours. The other soldiers in the cell made it too hard to fall asleep.
Neither sergeant looked up when the MP walked down the corridor. They had been checking on the prisoners regularly and removing the sicker ones. When the guard paused at their door they both lifted their heads.
"Sergeant Troy," the guard called as he unlocked the cell. "Someone just bailed you out."
Teach looked up at Troy and raised an eyebrow.
"I'll see what I can do," Troy promised as he shoved the man leaning on his shoulder away. Getting to his feet he picked his way through the sleeping men to the door.
"This way Sergeant," the MP instructed.
Troy wasn't surprised to find Moffitt, Tully, and Hitch waiting for him.
While Tully and Hitch managed to keep a straight face Moffitt didn't even try to hide his amusement.
"Well Troy, you must have forgotten to mention this part of your plan."
"Very funny," Troy growled.
Moffitt finished signing the papers to get Troy released.
"You're free to go Sergeant. It's a good thing you didn't hit any of the MPs."
Troy nodded and looked at his men. "There's another sergeant back there I'd like to get out too."
"A partner in crime?" Moffitt teased.
"Just a friend," Troy growled, not amused.
"Did he give the MPs any trouble?" Moffitt asked. "If he did getting him out won't be easy."
"He claims he didn't," Troy replied.
"Name?" the MP asked.
"Sergeant Teacher."
The MP checked his list and nodded. "Picked up two blocks from the fight trading punches with another soldier." The MP read.
"He claimed self-defense," Troy explained.
"Could be," the MP nodded. "He was sober, the other guy wasn't."
"Can we get him out?"
The MP looked at Moffitt. "Are you willing to sign for him? You'll be responsible if he doesn't show up to answer any charges that might come up."
When Moffitt looked over Troy nodded his encouragement.
"I'll sign for him," the Brit answered.
No one spoke as the MP went to get Sergeant Teacher. The sergeant arrived a few minutes later with the MP right behind him. He eyed the four men waiting for him and nodded his thanks.
"They're all yours Sergeant," the MP announced when Moffitt finished signing the papers.
"Thank you," the Brit answered. "You know where to find us if you need either of them."
Tully and Hitch led the way out with Moffitt following his two new charges. No one spoke until they reached the street.
"It looks like you were right about your team Troy."
Troy looked at his men and nodded silently.
"You knew we'd come for you didn't you Sarge?" Hitch asked as he turned to face the three sergeants.
"I knew," Troy nodded.
"Of course," Tully added, "we would have been here sooner if we hadn't been so busy." He said it with a straight face but he was watching Troy closely as he said it.
"Okay, I get it," Troy answered, "I owe you an apology."
"For what Sarge?" Hitch asked. "You were only trying to keep us out of trouble." There was a ghost of a smile on his driver's face but Hitch lowered his head before it could break out into a full blown smile.
"Hitch."
"We get it Sarge, we appreciate your concern," Hitch hurried to add. "Tully and I wouldn't want to end up in some overcrowded cell full of drunks and troublemakers."
"Nope," Tully added, "we've had our fill of all that."
"Okay, okay," Troy laughed.
"I hate to say I told you so," Moffitt began."
"Then don't," Troy ordered.
Moffitt laughed and started walking again. "We haven't eaten yet. Are you still planning on joining us?"
"Yeah," Troy answered. "I missed lunch and I'm starved."
"Mind if I tag along?" Teach asked. "I think I'd like to get to know your team better."
"You're more than welcome," Moffitt offered.
"Come on," Troy laughed again.
"So Troy," Moffitt began as the five of them headed for the mess hall, "what happened?"
"I got bored," Troy answered.