After the Raid
By: AliasCWN
Chapter 2
Tully kept driving but now his worries had multiplied. While he wanted to get Moffitt the help he needed, he hated to leave the others to face the German column alone. He kept picturing the moment when the canvas had been thrown aside and the machine gun muzzle had appeared; only now his mind's eye saw the bullets hitting Hitch or Troy. He had to fight the temptation to turn around. Only Moffitt's needs and the realization that he wouldn't be much help with a wounded man in his jeep kept him headed away from the column.
He didn't bother to look behind him; he would know when the column neared the other jeep. The sound of the battle would carry to him across the flat terrain. A low moan from behind him reminded him that leaving them behind wasn't for his benefit, but for Moffitt's.
As the sound of gunfire reached him minutes later he pressed his foot down on the gas pedal and prayed for his friends. If any of the column got past Troy and Hitch, he was going to make sure that they never got their hands on Moffitt.
Using all of the skills he had honed in the Kentucky hills to outrun revenuers; he pushed the jeep on, mile after mile. The trail had smoothed out and he didn't need to dodge rocks or holes as often. The sounds of the battle had gradually fallen behind him until he could no longer hear it.
He didn't stop to look for the others but every time he twisted to look back at Moffitt he would glance past him to scan the empty desert. It worried him that he didn't see the other jeep but he was relieved to note that there weren't any German vehicles trying to catch him either. The column had either turned back or lost him. Of course, they could also be treating their own wounded after their encounter with Troy and Hitch. Tully knew the others would have done some damage no matter the final outcome of the battle. He looked again but the other jeep still hadn't appeared on the desert behind him.
"Tully."
The weak cry brought him twisting around to see that Moffitt had regained consciousness. Deciding that the jeep's engine needed to cool anyway, Tully let it roll to a stop. Grabbing a canteen, he hurried around the back of the jeep.
"Here Doc, take a sip." Lifting the sergeant's head gently, he guided the canteen to his lips. The sergeant lifted his arm to tip the canteen higher. The water ran into his mouth and spilled down his chin. "Easy Doc, not too much, you'll get sick."
"Troy?" The word was barely more than a croak but it still managed to convey all of the worry and confusion of the speaker.
"Troy and Hitch stayed behind to distract the column while I got you clear." Tully explained.
"Do they know?"
"About the machine gun?" Tully finished for him.
Moffitt nodded weakly, his eyes begging Tully for an affirmative answer.
"Yeah they know." Tully nodded. "Sarge said they'd be careful."
Moffitt snorted then grimaced with pain. "Troy said he'd be careful?"
"That's what he said." Tully confirmed. "He also said not to worry about them."
"And what did you do?"
Tully shrugged and grinned at the sergeant's knowing look. "So I worry, what can I say? But I did get you out of there without looking back." Tully grinned guiltily. "At least not right away."
"How long have they been gone?"
Now Tully looked uneasy. "Too long Doc. They should have caught up by now."
"Help me sit up." Moffitt demanded weakly.
"Oh no you don't!" Tully reached to hold the sergeant in place. "We had a hard time getting the bleeding to stop the first time. Sarge would have my head if I let you open those wounds again." Tully shook his head stubbornly. "We're going to do just what Sarge said to do. I'm going to take you to the nearest hospital and get you fixed up."
Moffitt would have argued but he ran out of energy. Closing his eyes, he let the pain wash over him.
"It's too early for more morphine; you'd better lay back and try to get some more rest." Tully suggested.
"Perhaps you're right." Moffitt agreed wearily. "Call me if you need me for anything."
Tully watched as Moffitt gratefully slid back in to the darkness. As soon as he was sure that Moffitt was sleeping all right, Tully took the time to check the jeep for damage and fill the gas tank and the radiator. The sergeant was still sleeping and didn't wake as Tully climbed behind the wheel and resumed his lonely journey.
The miles seemed to go by in slow motion as the jeep made its lonely way across the vast expanse of sand. All around them the desert was empty as far as the eye could see.
A tiny glint in the clear blue sky caught Tully's eye, He stopped the jeep and reached for field glasses. At first he didn't see anything but he continued to scan the sky. His persistence paid off when he caught sight of a small spotter plane searching the desert floor. As Tully watched it wove back and forth, searching in a grid.
Pulling his map from under his seat he searched for a place to hide from the plane. He needed rocks, trees, or a deep wadi to hide the jeep in. His camouflage net might be enough to hide him from the plane if it didn't spot his tracks. That was the part that worried him. He couldn't dodge a plane with Moffitt in the rear of the vehicle. There was nothing on the map that looked like it would suit his needs. Folding the map, he kept moving. A few miles later he increased his speed, seeing a few scraggly trees ahead of him near a narrow gully. He dropped his rake before he got to the gully, erasing his tracks for nearly a mile. The jeep fit nicely at the end of the gully between a small grouping of trees. Tully jumped from the jeep and pulled the camo net from behind the seat. Draping it over the trees to cover the jeep, he ran out to check his efforts from a different angle. He was satisfied that it would fool a pilot as long as he didn't spot any glare from the jeep. Running back to the jeep, he ducked under the netting and waited next to Moffitt.
The plane flew over them several times without giving any indication that they had been spotted. Tully waited patiently for it to get far enough away that it wouldn't spot them when they moved. He tried to get Moffitt to drink a bit more water while they waited.
"Where are we?"
"Still about an hour and a half from the hospital." Tully guessed. "How are you doing?"
'I feel a bit light headed." The sergeant admitted. "Maybe if I rode up front I would feel better."
"Tully looked at the sergeant in amazement." "Up front?"
'Yes." Moffitt tried to raise his head but he was too weak.
"You must be out of your head Sarge. You just stay right where you are. Don't even think about getting up. You just let me take care of everything."
"Really Tully, I'll be fine."
"No way! I have my orders and I intend to follow them. Go back to sleep!" Tully tucked the blanket around the wounded man and noticed the tremors that the sergeant seemed intent on hiding. Seeing the signs of shock, Tully made a note to check on the sergeant more often. He folded his netting and continued toward the base.
"Tully, would you like to join me for tea this afternoon?" The question caught Tully off guard. He twisted in his seat and was surprised to see Moffitt watching him. Not sure how to answer, he decided to humor his sergeant. "Sure Doc, I'd like that."
"We can sit out on the porch and watch the people stroll by." The sergeant said wistfully. "People watching is one of my favorite pass times when I'm home."
"Mine too." Tully responded. "It won't be too damp out there will it?"
"No, no, the weather is usually quite pleasant this time of year."
Playing along, Tully suggested that they make a stop first. "We should stop and visit an old friend of mine." Tully said. "He lives just down the road from you. He'll be glad to see you Doc, I've told him all about you."
"Of course Tully. Any friend of yours would be most welcome to join us."
Tully glanced back as the sergeant's voice began to fade out. His eyes had closed and his breathing slowed as Tully watched. "We'll see my friend first and you can ask him to tea once he clears you for duty." Smiling at his sergeant, Tully checked his compass to be sure he was still on course for the hospital. The hospital was not too far ahead but Moffitt's condition had Tully hitting the gas.
When the base came in sight Tully slowed to allow the guards time to recognize the jeep. As he approached the gate he slowed even more. If this were his base he would have gone right in, but no one knew him on this base. He hadn't even called ahead because Troy had the code book in his jeep. Now, careful to keep his hands in clear view, he approached the gate.
The guards watched his approach warily. One held back as the others approached Tully.
"I have a wounded man." Tully informed them before they could ask any questions.
The guard looked from Tully to Moffitt without speaking.
"He needs a doctor bad." Tully insisted.
"Who are you?" The guard finally asked.
"Long Range Desert Group. We were on an assignment when my sergeant got hit."
"Your sergeant?" The guard asked. "He looks English. You look American. Explain that one to me."
"We're a joint American –English unit. Look, we can sort all of this out later. He needs a doctor bad."
The guard looked at Moffitt again and turned to Tully. "Can I see some Identification?"
Tully nearly ripped his dog tags from his neck in his hurry to get through the gate.
"Are you alone private?"
"No." Tully answered, letting his annoyance show. "I'm with my sergeant, that is if he doesn't die on me before I get through this gate." Anger flared in the guard's face but Tully was beyond caring. Between his worry over Moffitt and his concern for Troy and Hitch, he was ready for a fight.
"What's going on here?" An officer demanded from inside the gate.
"This man wants entry and he has a wounded man with him." The guard explained.
"So what is the problem?"
"We were told to watch for imposters trying to sneak onto the base Sir. This man is dressed in an American uniform yet he says the wounded man is his sergeant." The guard continued.
"I still don't see the problem."
"The wounded man is dressed in an English uniform Sir."
"Ah! How can he be this man's sergeant when they serve in different armies?"
The guard nodded.
"It seems to me that anyone trying to sneak onto the base would have realized that we would question such an arrangement." The officer stated calmly as he watched Tully. "What do you have to say by way of explanation Private?"
"If I were trying to sneak onto the base I wouldn't have saddled myself with a wounded man to attract attention." Tully growled in frustration. "But this man is my sergeant and he needs medical attention immediately."
"Can you explain the different armies? I admit, it has piqued my curiosity."
"We were assigned a job as a favor to the Brits." Tully began, trying hard to curb his growing impatience. "They sent Sergeant Moffitt along as a desert expert to help us locate our target. We had an opening in our unit and we decided that he was a good fit, fortunately for us, he agreed." Tully added with a fond smile aimed at Moffitt.
"And what unit are you with Private?"
"Long Range Desert Group Sir. We do recon, sabotage, and general harassment."
"Ah. I do believe we've solved the riddle Private." The officer smiled at the guard. Looking back at Tully, he eyed the jeep. "You wouldn't happen to be the Rat Patrol would you?"
"Yes Sir." Tully admitted, surprised that the officer had made the connection "Private Tully Pettigrew Sir, and this is Sergeant Moffitt."
"Aren't there others?"
"Yes Sir, Sergeant Troy, our leader, and Private Hitchcock, our other driver. They stayed behind to cover our escape Sir." Tully glanced at Moffitt again with real concern. The sergeant hadn't made a sound since his invitation to tea. "Sir, I don't mean to be disrespectful, but my sergeant is hurt pretty bad. Could we continue this discussion after we get him to a doctor?"
"Of course Private, but you do understand, you'll have to leave your weapons here until you've been cleared. My men will have to search you since you have no papers."
"Sir, I'd strip down to my birthday suit if it would get my sergeant to a doctor." Tully answered without a hint of insincerity.
"That won't be necessary Private. Just hand over your weapons and I'll have someone escort you to the hospital."
Tully quickly handed over all of his weapons and allowed himself to be searched. Then he waited for two men to crowd into the jeep.
"Don't bump Sarge." He growled as one of them climbed into the back.
"I'll drop by and we can get this all straightened out after your friend is taken care of." The officer promised.
Tully nodded and hit the gas, throwing his new passengers off balance. They directed him to the hospital where Moffitt was immediately taken into surgery.