Joined Forces, Borrowed Trouble

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 2

With Troy keeping the pursuit dodging his bullets, Hitch got his jeep and its cargo clear of the danger zone. Even overloaded, the fast little vehicle outran the heavier German patrol cars. Before long the Germans gave up the chase and returned to what was left of their convoy.

Hitch glanced over at Tully in the passenger seat. "Are you okay Tully?"

"Yeah, fine." Tully mumbled, still holding his head.

"Hitch, find us some place to hide." Troy called from the rear of the jeep.

Hitchcock nodded, turning his attention back to his driving. He soon found a hill with enough trees and brush to hide the jeep while still giving them a clear view of the desert around them. Pulling the jeep behind the cover, he stopped and shut down the motor.

"Do you need help Tully?"

"No." The red head answered. "Just let me sit here for a few minutes, my head is still spinning."

"Okay." The blond agreed reluctantly. "Yell if you need anything" Tully nodded and grabbed his head as Hitch hurried around the back of the jeep to help Troy lift Moffitt to the ground.

Once Troy had Moffitt settled, he sent Hitch for the medical kit and a blanket.

"Feeling better?" Hitch asked Tully as he returned to the jeep.

Tully almost nodded his head but thought better of it. "Yeah."

Hitch reached under the seat for the medical kit. "It's a good thing that Sarge made sure we had two medical kits this time out. If we had left our only one in the other jeep we'd have a real problem right now."

"How bad is it?"

Hitch glanced at the spot where Troy knelt next to Moffitt. "I don't know, but it looks bad." Taking the kit and a blanket, the blond rejoined Troy.

"Can you take care of him?" Troy indicated Moffitt. Hitch nodded, a question in his eyes. "I'll take the watch. Tully still looks shook up and I don't know if he can see well enough to warn us in time. Check him after you're done with Moffitt."

"Right Sarge." Hitch dropped to his knees next to the wounded sergeant and began his examination. The head wound was still bleeding so he applied a pressure bandage and used the blanket to elevate his head. Looking around, he found a large loose rock to use to elevate his feet. He worked fast, cleaning the grit out of the wound and putting more gauze over the open cut. The huge lump he found gave him cause for concern, as did the uneven pupils he found when checking his eyes. Biting his lip, Hitch admitted that the wound was too serious for someone with his limited skills. The sergeant needed a doctor and he needed one fast. Giving the sergeant a quick once over, he found various scrapes and bruises, but the head wound was the only one that concerned him. He did what he could before turning to Tully. Rising to his feet, the blond approached the jeep.

"Do you have to walk so loud?" Tully grumbled at his approach.

"Sorry, how are you feeling?"

"Lousy. But I guess I'm better than Moffitt." Tully glanced over at the still form on the ground.

Hitch shrugged, not mentioning his fears to Tully. "Can I take a look at you?"

Tully looked up into the blonde's worried face. "I'm okay Hitch; I just have a really wicked headache. Everything was spinning before, but it's better now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Tully gave Hitch a half smile. "I'm sure."

"Okay, I'm going to go talk to Sarge; can you sit with Moffitt?"

Tully nodded, and then grimaced as his head apparently reminded him that moving it was not the best idea. Hitch watched him climb gingerly to his feet, holding onto the jeep frame for support. When he was sure that he wasn't going to fall, Hitch stepped back to let him walk to where Moffitt was sprawled on the ground. As Tully dropped to his knees next to the wounded sergeant, Hitch turned to talk to Troy.

"How is he?" Troy glanced back at Hitch as the blond climbed the steep slope of the dune.

"Not so good Sarge. I managed to get the bleeding stopped but he needs a doctor."

Troy nodded, his eyes once again on the desert. "What about Tully?"

Hitch shrugged even though Troy wasn't looking at him. "He has a headache, but he says he's not dizzy anymore. He managed to walk from the jeep to Moffitt without help. I have him sitting next to Moffitt just I case he wakes up."

"Okay Hitch, get the maps out and see if you can find us the nearest aid station. As soon as we know where we're going, we'll head out. I don't like the way Moffitt looks either, we'll get him to a doctor as fast as we can."

"Right Sarge." Hitch hurried to the jeep to get the map. He had located the nearest aid station and was mapping out their course when Troy yelled.

"German patrol headed this way!" Troy ran to where Moffitt lay, kneeling next to him.

Hitch folded the map and put it away. Running to Moffitt, he helped Troy load the other man into the back of the jeep again.

"Tully, get in the jeep." Troy called impatiently.

"I can fight Sarge." Tully protested.

"Not now Tully. We'll fight if we have to; right now we're going to try to sneak away."

Tully took his seat next to Hitch and grabbed hold of the edge of his seat. He swayed dangerously as the jeep took off but he didn't fall out.

Hitch headed for some low hills, keeping them between their jeep and the German patrol. Troy had cleared the 50 but now he was squatting in the rear of the jeep trying to cushion the jarring for Moffitt. Nor daring to slow down, Hitch did try to find the smoothest path for them to travel.

"Hitch, find a place to stop."

Hitch had been listening to Tully try to stifle his groans as they hit the bumps for the last several miles. He worried about how Moffitt was dealing with it, but he hadn't heard a single sound from the wounded sergeant. Finding another place to hide from searching eyes, he pulled the jeep into their new shelter. Climbing out of his seat, he went around to the back to help Troy with Moffitt. He was reaching for the wounded man when Troy stopped him.

"Leave him be Hitch."

Startled, he studied the pale face, noting the shallow breathing with a sense of relief. "What are we going to do Sarge?"

"He looks worse. Did you find us an aid station or a hospital close by?"

Hitch nodded. "According to the map, there's a base about thirty miles from here that should have a hospital. At the very least, they'll have a doctor."

"Thirty miles?" Troy glanced around. "We don't have any bases around here that I am aware of."

Hitch shook his head. "It's not one of ours Sarge. It's a new base, but it's British. I figure since Moffitt is British, they shouldn't have a problem taking care of him."

"Okay, let's shake it…but let's do it as gently as possible." Troy cautioned.