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2020-11-04
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Buried in his Addidas

Summary:

A story told from Starsky's p.o.v. as he lies trapped with Hutch.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

Buried In His Addidas
Chapter one
Hutch stopped his decrepit car at the chain link fence that blocked the entrance to the half built, wholly forgotten western town. A large wooden sign hung at an angle from a rotting wooden frame. I read the words aloud as I reached the fence. 'Mc Alistair's Authentic Western Town'. Hutch was still struggling with the driver's door of his car but finally I heard metal grind achingly and he appeared beside me. 'Don't say anything, Starsk!' I didn't reply. There was no point. I just kept my eyes peeled on the fading paint on the near decrepit buildings that I could see a few hundred yards behind the fence.
'How do you want to play this one?' Hutch's voice was soft.
'I don't know.' That was the truth or at least my truth. This case had us strung out and tied up in knots and I was so tired that making any decision seemed beyond my abilities.
'Well it seems to me that we have a couple of options.' Hutch paused but I didn't take the bait so he carried on. 'We can call this in and request backup but as you know this will be the third time in as many days that we have done that and Dobey's patience is beginning to break or we could just look around and see if we come up with anything?'
'I don't know, Hutch. This came from Huggy so maybe it will be genuine.' I was too tired to think clearly. I just wanted Hutch to make the decisions today and I know that isn't fair but it's how I felt. Sometimes that's the way it works with partners and Hutch and I have been partners and friends for so long that it's second nature for one of us to take the lead or fall in with the other's plans. It really didn't matter to me I just wanted this damn case over and I knew Hutch felt the same way. My so-called cop's instinct wasn't working today and I felt nothing but tiredness but Hutch deserved an answer and I gave it my best shot. 'Call it, Blondie!'
'Okay! It's Huggy's tip but I still feel a tad reluctant to call this one in so I say we scout around and see if we find anything before we get the cavalry involved.'
'Okay.' It wasn't much but it was the best I could do.
I nodded to Hutch then we both took off walking in opposite directions around the perimeter. I kept my eyes on the fence, looking for a break or anything suspicious but my mind wandered back to the case that had us both tied in knots.
We were really busy with an exceptionally heavy caseload and on top of all that we were trying to sit on Bobby Molloy. Molloy was a relatively new player in the drugs game here in Bay City. His roots were in Chicago but somewhere along the route to California he had turned from small time mobster to big time bad guy and Hutch and I wanted him off our patch and preferably in jail. We had spent the last three months raiding anything that even sniffed of his involvement but we had very little to show for our pains. There was a very strong rumour on the streets that Molloy was bringing in a huge shipment of heroin soon and Hutch and I ached to nab both the shipment and Molloy.
I was brought back to the present by a whistle and I made my way back to the gate to find a grinning partner and an open padlock. 'How did a sea scout from Duluth learn to pick locks?' I asked a beaming Hutch.
'Actually, don't be too impressed, it has been opened recently.'
We exchanged looks and I knew what Hutch was thinking because the same thought was going through my mind. Maybe this time we were on to something. Hutch went to the car while I unholstered my Beretta and clicked off the safety. I moved forward and made for what little cover was provided by the decrepit buildings about a hundred yards in front of me. I heard the noise from Hutch's engine as he started up the car and for the first time the noise from his badly tuned engine sounded reassuring. I knew Hutch was following me slowly and when he caught up I used the car as cover. My tiredness disappeared and lethargy was replaced by energy, the type that is born of adrenalin. We covered the distance to the old buildings and as we neared them I made out the distinctive shapes of a western town. Unlike the sets which were used on movie lots these buildings were real, well they had four sides.
I opened the passenger door of the car and leaned in. "How do you want to handle this one?"
Hutch looked down the street in front of us. "I'll leave the car here and take the left side, you take the right and we'll see what happens."
I nodded in agreement and made my way to the nearest building. One by one we passed the wooden buildings but they were boarded up and it was obvious that no one had gained access to them in a long time. The saloon was the penultimate building on my side and I saw the wooden planks, which obviously had been used to block the entrance, lying up against the tethering post. I edged closer to the entrance. One of the swing doors lay half blocking the doorway. I felt gooseberries rise on my skin. I looked across the street and saw Hutch had stopped and was looking over. I signalled to him and he crossed the street in a couple of long strides as I kept him covered. Hutch held his Magnum and the sight of it reassured me.
Now Hutch and I have a pattern we work from and so without a word we moved in unison. We're not just work partners, we're friends and our connection runs so deep that sometimes it disturbs people. Oh Hell! Time to get my head clear and stop rambling.
I kicked the remaining swing door open and crashed in, going low, while Hutch followed me, going high. We both swept the room with our guns but it was empty. The place was gloomy with very little light filtering through the half boarded up windows in the back wall opposite the doorway.
I crouched down and make my way left behind the long wooden bar while Hutch went right and shadowed the wall. I stood up and tried to find my bearings while my eyes adjusted to the gloom. Three quarters way along the opposite wall there was a ratty wooden staircase, which led to a balcony that ran around the whole building. The balcony was the perfect place for someone to hide and ambush the unsuspecting but we were far from 'unsuspecting'. Within a few minutes my eyes had adjusted and I became aware that someone had made an attempt to clear away the dirt from the wooden floor. The whole floor had been swept clear so it was impossible for us to know where the most recent occupants had been but it was clear that someone had been here recently or were still here. My skin was crawly but I didn't feel anyone was watching, I just felt uneasy. My eyes had adjusted to the gloom now but there was nothing to see. Looking around the saloon I was reminded of our stint undercover as movie extras. Hutch's line "Here comes Mc Coy now" replayed in my head and for a moment I let my mind ponder the enigma that is my partner. Hutch is the Count Of Cool when he's playing a role undercover but he was so nervous on that film set that he reminded me of a kid in his first Kindergarten play.
We reached the stairs together and they had been swept clean of dust so there was no way of knowing if somebody had been up stairs recently. It was just a flight of about twenty steps, which led to the veranda with no landing in between. From my side on the left I swept the area and I knew Hutch was doing the same on his side. The stillness in the saloon was eerie and contrasted greatly with the usual idea of a cowboy saloon. I started up the stairs before my partner could object. I knew Hutch was covering me so trusting him to cover my ass I tried to watch where I was going. Some of the steps had rotted away or were in the process of doing so. After the first four steps I threw caution to the wind and darted up the remaining ones. I heard Hutch hiss out a breath at my actions but I kept moving and hunkered down, pushing my back against the railing. I scanned the passageway to my left then popped my head around the wooden post. Hutch started up the stairs as I swept the building from my perch. It looked clear but it felt wrong. Hutch reached the top stair and swung right. I stood up and headed left.
"Damn!" I felt a tug at my ankle but in the gloom it was impossible to make out anything definite. I tripped and fell but instead of hitting the floor I felt myself flying through the air. I heard Hutch shout out my name over the noise of an explosion then everything went black.

Chapter Two

Jesus! My head hurt. I must have really tied one on. I moved or at least tried to but the pain was so bad that I screamed out. I remembered - the saloon, Hutch. Oh God! Hutch? I lay still while the blackness cleared. It was still gloomy but this time when I opened my eyes shapes looked less shaky. I called out "Hutch" or at least I tried to shout out but only a squeaky voice emerged. Hutch might need me; he could be injured or trapped. Dust filled my mouth and nose. I coughed and inhaled more dust. Pain burned a path through my chest and my head felt ripe for an explosion.
"Explosion" - that's why we were in this mess. I must have tripped a wire. Something wet ran down my face. I moved my left hand, Hutch calls me a 'south paw', I tried to wipe away the wetness from my face but it kept on coming. I was lying down, I realised that now, well okay! Right now I wasn't acting or thinking like the sharpest knife in the drawer. I tried to sit up; label it big mistake number two for the day. I couldn't move. I mean I was literally trapped. Something heavy was lying across my hips and lower body. In panic I felt myself scrabbling at the wooden weight but when my right hand reached out instinctively to push the weight off, pain shot through my fingers and travelled up my arm. I felt sick and turned my head to the side and a stream of bile rushed out of my mouth. I hoped it was bile but whatever it was it cleared some dust out of my throat and I tried again. "Hutch! Hutch!" Over and over again I called out his name but the only sound was of creaking timber and splintering wood. My voice croaked and I swallowed, tasting dust.
"Starsk." I heard my name called gently through the gloom.
"Hutch?" My voice didn't sound familiar but his voice was warm and in the midst of all this confusion, suddenly I felt safe.
"Starsky, where the hell are you?" His voice was louder now and for a brief moment I forgot about the pain thundering in my head and about feeling helpless. He called again and his voice was getting nearer. My partner was alive and he was mobile so he must be okay. Faulty reasoning I suppose but my heart soared while my body lay trapped. It seemed to take forever for him to appear in my line of vision and during that time I imagined all sorts of things. Sure, Hutch was alive but maybe he was hurt and putting on a brave face. I knew from experience the kind of inner strength he possesses and if he thought I needed him then he would get to me even if it meant walking with a broken back. I must have drifted into some kind of hazy dream world because suddenly I was aware of movement nearby.
"Starsk?" The voice was low but it was enough to raise the pain in my head to an almost unbearable level. Then I saw his head. He was peering at me over a pile of debris that lay scattered everywhere. His face swung in and out of focus but I concentrated really hard and blinked a few times and then I was able to make out his features in the gloomy light. He was to my right side but not at face level, maybe about halfway down my body. Even in the gloom I could make out his blond hair and the streaks of blood that smeared it and his face. "Hutch, how bad are you hurt?" My voice was shaky but he understood and smiled. "I'm okay, Starsk, just a little cut on my head and a few bruises. Stay still while I try and get to you."
I grinned - that's my partner. He looked like shit but there he was issuing orders and worrying about me. I bet that if I could see him clearly his right index finger would be extended and he'd have that look of total concentration on his face. God! But I felt so nauseous. I coughed and the pain in my chest reached a crescendo but still the pain in my head vied with it for first place in the pain stakes. I heard, rather than saw, Hutch moving stuff out of his way and I felt comforted by the thought that somehow he'd get to my side. The cacophony of sounds was really making my head ache and I felt my eyes begin to close. I needed to rest.
"STARSKY! DON'T YOU DARE FALL ASLLEP."
What the hell was going on? Why was Hutch screaming at me? I need to shut him up. "Hutch?"
"Starsk? Oh thank God!"
Hutch's face appeared beside me. Oh yeah, the saloon had blown up. Hutch was saying something and I concentrated real hard on his voice.
"Stay with me Buddy. Please Starsk, you have to do this for me."
"Hutch?" Was that my voice? It didn't sound right but Hutch smiled so it must be okay, but he wasn't smiling with his eyes, only with his mouth and that wasn't good so I tried again.
"Hutch, you okay?" It didn't sound right but it sounded better and this time Hutch's eyes smiled so I was glad he was pleased.
"You dummy! Of course I'm alright, it's you that's stuck under three quarters of a saloon."
Now to anyone else that might sound nasty but it was balm to my ears. You see I know Hutch and when he's real worried or uptight he stutters a bit but not this time so things must be better than I think. Okay! That ain't logical but it makes sense to me. I closed my eyes but I remembered to reassure Hutch.
"Blondie, I ain't sleeping just resting my eyes so don't go shouting at me, 'kay?"
I felt his breadth against the side of my face and then his hand on my forehead and I know it don't make sense but the pounding in my head eased a little at his touch. I moved instinctively to be nearer my partner. Jesus! I never knew pain like this existed. Even in the back room of that damn restaurant I was able to keep it at bay but this time my whole body felt like it was on fire. Hutch must have sensed it because his large fingers gently eased my head back down.
"Easy, Buddy. Starsk, you have to lie still while I figure out where you're hurt. You need to stay with me and tell me where you're hurting, you understand?"
I swallowed down some coppery tasting spit. I couldn't speak, I guess I just hadn't got the strength but I knew I needed to reassure Hutch so I opened my eyes. For just a moment I caught the look of worry and something else, was it fear in my partner's eyes? And then it was gone. He smiled and ran his thumb over the corner of my lips and brushed something away.
"You with me now Gordo?"
I didn't say anything but he must have understood because for the next few minutes he didn't say anything he just spent the time probing my head with the gentlest of touches. I was grateful for the silence as I needed to get the pain controlled and more importantly I needed to push the fear that was growing in my belly back down.
"Okay Starsky, you have to tell me where it hurts." Hutch's voice was soft but I knew he wanted the truth.
We never lie to each other. I guess it's one of the unwritten rules of "Me & Thee". I ain't goin'to explain that phenomenon. I guess it's as natural as breathin' for Hutch and me and for everyone else it's just somethin' else they don't understand about us. I fought against the pain and when I had gotten the upper hand I managed to squeeze out his name. "Hutch?"
"I'm right here, Starsky."
Hutch took his hand away from my head and I couldn't quite make out his movements but I felt a soft cloth dab at my lips.
"Starsk, you must have one hell of a headache because there's a goose egg on the side of your head." His tone was light but I read the undercurrent. My partner was as scared as me, maybe more so. I knew how I'd feel if our positions were reversed and I offered a small prayer to the god of police detectives and other masochists that it was me and not Hutch trapped. I knew I could handle this situation but I wasn't sure how I'd have handled it if it had been the other way around.
"Starsk?"
"Ah hell! Hutch I've had worse hangovers."
"Yeah?"
I knew he wasn't buying that one for a New York minute but he let it pass.
"Okay then tell me where else it hurts?"
Damn! He had me cornered. What could I say? The truth was that every part of my body screamed at me but. NO that wasn't true. Suddenly I realised - only the upper part of my body hurt. Jesus! Oh God! Not that - not the one thing that every cop and G.I. fears. Quick! He mustn't know. I closed my eyes then opened them to see Hutch's face white with fear too. No! He doesn't need this right now. We'll deal with it later.
I smiled. "Sorry Hutch, I faded out on you there. Think I was dreaming about one of Huggy's specials."
"Yeah? Well make the most of the fantasy because I think we're going to be stuck here for a while. Now where's does it hurt, Starsk?"
I knew my partner wasn't buying that phoney lie for a minute but I also knew that he was playing along with it and in doing so was letting me set the boundaries. Right now he wasn't pushing but I knew if he felt he had to then he would.
"Okay! Here's the list Dr. Hutchinson."
"You must have a concussion if you're mistaking me for my dad."
"Nope. I know you're my sidekick and the owner of the most detested car this side of the San Andreas Fault."
"Yep. Definitely a concussion. Now while we're at it how many fingers am I holding up?"
"How the hell do I know? It's impossible to see much of anything in this gloom."
"Okay! Well you're coherent or at least as coherent as usual." Hutch moved his hand down my right shoulder and I heard a moan.
"Starsky, I'm sorry. It's that bad, huh?"
That must have been me. The pain in my right arm and shoulder was so intense that for a moment I didn't realise that I had groaned.
"It's okay, Hutch it just hurts when you touch it."
"I'm sorry Buddy. It could be a displaced shoulder or maybe a broken arm, either way I'll try not to hurt you again."
That's my partner. He's feeling guilty for being gentle. I try to think of something to say to reassure him but before my addled brain can form a sentence I cough and suddenly just drawing enough air into my lungs becomes a struggle. I feel like a fish on a dock. Everything is getting dark but I can't draw a breath. My right hand is scrabbling around and even the pain that that causes cannot override the agony in my chest. Something stops my hand from moving and at just the same moment I feel air enter my lungs. Hutch's fingers are gentle against my hand and his voice is soft but yet the words are a command.
"Breathe Starsky! That's it, just take it slow. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere and neither are you. Please Buddy just try to relax."
I can't say anything. I haven't got enough breath but I twitch my fingers and ignore the pain as it races up my arm. I have to let Hutch know I'm okay and he responds to my touch by gently rubbing my hand. I don't know how much more I can take and yet I know I have to fight. If positions were reversed he would do the same for me.
"Okay, Hutch I'm still here." I don't say the words aloud but I know Hutch understands.
He moves his hands over my chest and I know he is checking for injuries. He wants to catalogue them so that he gains control of the situation and I try to relax and let him do it. My chest hurts like hell and even the presence of his fingertips as he opens my shirt causes a reaction. I try to grit my teeth but still the pain grows. Hutch does his best to reassure me.
"You know Starsk this would be a whole lot easier if you didn't wear that wig on your chest."
"You're just jealous of my manly physique." I say the words but they come out in gasps but somehow Hutch understands them.
"Yeah! That's it. Women love a hairy chest." He moves his hands away and I realise he is trying to move stuff off my body. And then it hits me - if Hutch is agreeing with my sentiments it means his mind is on something else - something bad. I test my theory.
"So Blintz you love the Torino, huh?"
"Yeah, Starsk."
This is really scary. Hutch curses and grunts at the same time. Then he makes some movement in the gloom and once again he is kneeling beside my face.
"Starsk, I can't move the stuff off you. I'm sorry, Buddy but it's important that you lie as still as possible. I'm gonna' put my jacket under your head real slowly and at least that way you'll be resting against something soft."
Hutch slips his jacket under my head and the movement causes pain that takes my breath away but then I catch the familiar scent of leather and something that is Hutch. It is unique and wonderfully comforting in this fog of hurt that permeates my body. I remember Nicky when he was about two developed a thing for an old faded baby blanket. He dragged it everywhere and refused to sleep without it. As the older wiser brother I just couldn't understand the attraction but I do now. Thinking of Nicky brings Mom to mind. I spoke to her on the phone yesterday. She did her usual thing and asked about women and hinted at weddings and grandchildren. We avoided the subject of Nicky and as usual she sent her love to Hutch. If I don't get out of here Hutch will have to tell her the news.
"Starsky! Starsky!" Hutch's voice is insistent.
"I hear ya."
"Starsk I'm going to look around and see if I can find a way out before it gets too dark." He dabs at my mouth again and I realise he is using a large white handkerchief. I giggle - yeah I actually giggle.
"What's so funny, pal?"
"Only my partner would have a clean handkerchief in the middle of this mess."
"Yeah. Well it's one of the two pieces of advice I took from my Mom when I left home."
"What was the other piece?"
"Always wear clear underwear."
He smiles and even through the gloom I can make it out. He takes his hand away and I realise his hanky ain't so pristine after all. It's dotted with red. I guess I must have cut my lip in the explosion.
I reach out for his hand and of course I realise my mistake as pain once again makes itself known in my shoulder and arm.
"Easy, Starsk, it's okay."
"Be careful."
"Always am. I'm not leaving you partner but I have to so something about getting help. I'm going to talk to you every few minutes and I want you to answer me. You got that, Starsky?"
"Yep, got it."
I feel him stand and then he's gone. I try to inhale the scent from his jacket but the action sets off something running out of my nose. My thoughts are becoming jumbled now. I have the weirdest idea. Is this what it feels like to be on acid or maybe this is what a bad trip feels like? Either way I hate it. This sense of losing it; even the pain is preferable to this. Oh God! I can't distinguish where it's coming from but my body feels like it's on fire. Then I hear his voice.
"Starsk, you still with me?"
"All the way, Hutch. You got to ask?" My voice sounds weak but somehow he hears it.
"Yep, I have to ask and it's your job to keep answering."
The pain like Hutch's voice becomes faint. I open my eyes but it's dark so I close them. Sleep is lookin' awful good.

Chapter Three
"Starsky! Starsky! Don't you do this. Come on! You've got to wake up."
Hutch's voice sounds far away and it's warm here so I'll just keep my eyes closed for a bit longer. He'll understand; he always does. Then I feel it. A drop of rain on my face, then another and another.
"Starsky please?"
Hutch's voice is low. It's different. He's crying. Hutch needs me. Is he still missing Gillian? Or is he craving heroin? Whatever it is I have to see him. I force my eyes open. My big strong partner is leaning over me and his face is white. He brushes tears away from his cheeks impatiently and then I feel him take my hand. It's my left hand so it doesn't hurt but something's wrong. I can feel his fingers against my skin but it's like I'm in a dream because the feeling is distant. I know it doesn't make sense but my head is spinning and the darkness is pulling me towards it.
The pats against my cheek are annoying and I try to ignore them but it's the voice I can't ignore. It's Hutch's voice and though I can't make out the words I pull free of the blackness that surrounds me. I force my eyes open and then I begin heaving. My head is turned sideways but it's getting harder to breathe and somehow I try to expel the vile liquid that fills my mouth while at the same time trying to pull air into my lungs. The two actions run contrary to each other and I feel exhausted from the effort. Then somehow the words begin to make sense.
"Come on Starsk, you're going to be all right. It will get easier in a minute. Please Buddy just try to breathe."
The instructions make no sense to my jumbled brain but the voice is Hutch's so I calm down and it helps and suddenly the heaving stops and I can breathe. It hurts like hell but I'm breathing. I can feel Hutch's finger pressed against my wrist and I giggle. I have the most amazingly stupid thought if Hutch can feel my pulse then I must be alive. Hutch moves his hand from my wrist and I let out a groan. He has to keep his fingers on my pulse otherwise I'll die. He's got to know that it's his fingers that are keeping me alive. I've got to tell him so I try to say something but I don't think any words come out but somehow Hutch senses my need.
"It's okay you're doing fine and I'll keep my hand on your wrist if you want me to Buddy?"
"Hutch! Stay with me." Did I say that?
"I wouldn't be anywhere else." Hutch's features are clearer now. "Starsk, you've got to stay with me now while I tell you what I found then we can decide what we're going to do. You understand?"
Somehow he has eased my head back on to his jacket but he still holds my hand and I realise that he is my link to this time and place and I try to press my fingers against his. I feel the pressure of his long fingers as he gently encases my hand with his larger one and I know I am anchored here for a while longer. He is talking again and I try to push the never-ending pain away so that I can listen. My partner needs me and I realise that we are each other's anchors. His voice is gentle but insistent at the same time.
"Starsk, the whole place has collapsed like a deck of cards so I can't find a way out. There is a little light coming in through small gaps in the debris but I'm afraid if I disturb something the whole building could come down on us. It's late afternoon now so it's going to get dark soon and it could get pretty cold here but we're together and Huggy knows we're here." Hutch's voice falters for just a moment and I realise that he is terrified by his helplessness but then the White Knight re-emerges and he continues. " I think our best bet is to just sit it out. I know you're in a hell of a lot of pain but help can't be too far away. What do you think?"
"Yeah, when we don't make contact Dobey will try Huggy and before you know it we'll be out of here."
"The backup is probably on the way as we speak."
We never lie to each other but this is different. We both know how much trouble we're in so this is our way of avoiding "soapy scenes" - I guess you could call it a game. We've been in some bad situations before and somehow we've always come through them but this time I have a bad feelin'. Maybe it's got something to do with the pain I'm feeling. I don't know but for the first time in my life I can see why people don't fight death. I was mad at my Pop when he died - I guess I thought he should have fought harder to stay with Mom and Nicky and me but now I understand. He simply couldn't fight against the damage inflicted by those bullets and he slipped into the welcoming darkness. I knew with Terry it had been different. She had fought to stay with me but in the end she couldn't. I held her while she slipped away. I clutch Hutch's fingers tighter but to be honest I'm not really sure that I can still feel his warmth. You know to die lying beside someone who really loves you isn't a bad way to go.
"Starsky! Don't you do this on me. You stay with me, you hear me, Starsky?"
"I hear ya. I ain't going anywhere. I'm the one that's trapped, remember?"
"I remember but the cavalry is on the way so let's keep talking 'till they get here."
"I'm tired, Hutch so you go first and I'll listen, 'kay?"
"I'm not falling for that one. I'll start but you have to respond, deal?"
"Deal."
"Did I ever tell you about the time that my pal Archie and I got trapped in a well?"
"Nope, can't say that you did."
Then Hutch starts talking about a visit to his grandpa's farm that he made when he was about ten years old and he and his friend got trapped down some old well. Somehow I manage to make responses in the right places or at least to do so when Hutch prompts me in the small lulls in the story but my mind is wandering. I remember watching a late night movie on TV a few months ago. Hutch teases me about my choice in viewing material but it's nice to sometimes switch off the reality of the streets and watch goofy shows. There's a part of me that enjoys annoying Hutch about them and it gets his mind off the job. Anyway this show was about a guy who got pushed under a train as it pulled into the station. God! But the pain in my chest is bad. Anyway the guy, I can't remember his name, is caught between the platform and the train. He's feelin' no pain but the paramedics know he is suffering from a "Crush" injury so when the train moves he will die almost instantaneously. Anyway they move the train and he dies and the cops get the bad guy but I still can't feel anything below my hips and I wonder if that's what's going on.
"Starsky, it's your turn to tell one of those stores about your Uncles. I swear you have more relatives that Huggy."
"I can't think of one right now, Hutch. What about Molloy, you think he was responsible for this, huh?"
"Yeah, I know he was responsible for this and when we get out of here we're going to nail that bastard."
"Hutch, you be careful, okay. Molloy is a heavyweight and I might not be able to back you up for a while so you wait for me, you got it?"
"Yep, Starsk, I got it but I don't have to like it. No two bit hood and drug pusher is going to hurt my partner and get away with it." The anger in Hutch's tone was belied by the gentle way he used his handkerchief to dab at my lips.
"Hutch?"
"Starsky."
"Hutch, you got to promise me something?"
"Starsky, I am not promising to watch the next late night "creature feature" with you. There is a limit to our friendship."
"No, there isn't but it's not some TV show I'm talking about." Damn! The cough pushed its way up and suddenly I was spluttering and gasping once more for breath. My chest felt like it was caving in and the more I gasped the less air was sucked in.
"STARSKY! Calm down, please Buddy; you have to try to stay calm. Just nice small breaths. That's it."
I focussed on Hutch and it helped. I don't know how he does it but suddenly I could breathe. It still hurt like hell but it was manageable. My mouth was dry but then it filled with a coppery tasting liquid that dribbled down my chin. Hutch was there again with his darkening handkerchief and I realised that we were losing light and soon I wouldn't be able to see him at all. I knew I had to tell him some things just in case we didn't see morning together.
"Hutch?" My voice didn't sound right but it was all I could manage. I tried again. "Hutch?"
"I'm here Buddy."
I felt Hutch move and then a small beam of light broke through the encroaching darkness.
"See! A Scout is always prepared." Hutch waved a small pocket torch at me and his face was illuminated with joy. He seemed as elated as if he had just discovered electric light. That's my partner; a man of many parts but always utterly dependable.
"I'm impressed, Hutchinson."
He laughed then and it was good to hear him. Who the hell would watch Hutch's back if I wasn't around to do so? Maybe Dobey would talk him into going for the Lieutenant's exam. He'd be safer off the streets and I know Huggy would help him. Hutch deserved some happiness and maybe some day he would find a lady worthy of his love. He could call his first son David. That'd please my Mom. Hell! I was drifting again and I had to talk to Hutch. I hate these kinds of scenes but over the years we'd come into more of our fair share of horror and death so it had to be done. I'd be dammed if I'd exit stage left without at least trying to say some of the things in my heart and head to him. He deserved more than that.
"Hutch?" I saw him nod his head in the small ray of light from the torch so I carried on. "You know it doesn't look that good from where I'm lying so I want to clear up a few things. Just in case?"
"No, Starsk. Don't do this. We'll get out of here. I know you're in pain but you have to hang on."
"Hutch, listen to me. This is important. I ain't going to go soapy on ya but I need to say some things to you."
"NO! NO you don't need to say anything, Starsky. I know it. It's all locked in here." Hutch pulled my left hand up and placed it against his heart as he finished speaking.
"Okay. But you got to promise to do a few things for me?"
"Anything."
"First of all: You got to tell Ma and make sure that Nicky is with her. Dobey has my will, so handle things. Take anything you want from the apartment and find a good home for the Torino." Hutch tried to interrupt but I ignored him. "Most important of all is you've got to promise to stay alive. I want you off the streets. I want you to live a long life and enjoy every second of it. Will you do that for me, Hutch?"
"Jesus! Starsky. I'll look after your Mom, that's a given but I can't promise the rest. How can I?"
I took my hand from where it lay against his chest and reached up to his face. "I know it's asking a lot to find a home for the Torino but it's important." I smiled and he did too.
"You're mad, you know that?"
"Yep, it's the reason you love me." I brushed away a tear from his eye and I was glad that I still had feeling and movement in my hand. "Hutch, promise me the rest?"
"I will try, Starsky, I swear I'll try."
"That's good enough for me, Boy."
I let my hand drop back to my side. I felt cold and my vision wasn't too clear but I felt calm too. I knew Hutch was here.

Chapter Four
"Starsky! Do you hear them?"
I was in a dark, cool place and I couldn't hear anything except my Partner's voice. He was laughing or was he crying? I wasn't sure but he was excited that was clear.
I opened my eyes and was startled to find large patches of bright light dance in and out of my vision. I heard Hutch talking but it wasn't to me. I lost track of time as Hutch held my hand and talked to me. There was a lot of movement around us and then someone else knelt beside me. A helmet covered his hair but his features looked grim and he moved Hutch's hand away from mine.
"No." I gasped out the words and fumbled for Hutch's fingers as I struggled to make out the words being exchanged by my partner and the helmeted figure.
"Look! I don't care what your job title is, that's my partner and I'm staying right here." I felt Hutch's fingers latch on to mine again.
"Have it your way, Detective, I'm just trying to do my job and I don't need anyone getting in my way while I do it."
"I'll stay our of your way but I'm staying with my partner because that's my job, you got that?"
"I got it." The tone of the voice changed and I detected humour and something else I wasn't quite sure about. " You two are tough sons of bitches, aren't you?"
"Yeah we're tough but we'd prefer if you didn't throw names at our mothers." Hutch laughed a little and the icy standoff between the two men kneeling beside me was broken.
I felt a mask go over my mouth and nose and then oxygen hit the back of my throat and suddenly it was a little easier to breathe. Overhead Hutch and the paramedic, that's what I figured he had to be, exchanged talk about me and I felt the sting as a needle entered the back of my hand but through it all I felt the solid presence of my partner and then the darkness beckoned again but this time I knew it was okay to rest because I heard Hutch's words.
"Starsky, you rest now. You're going to be okay so just sleep for a while and I'll be here when you wake up."

Epilogue
The first thing I noticed was the sunlight streaming into the room. I coughed and it hurt but just a little. Then Hutch was standing beside me and he smiled, really smiled so I knew everything was okay. The next time I woke up it was sunny but Hutch was asleep on a hard orange plastic chair on the left side of my bed. He was lying at some extraordinary angle for someone so tall and he looked uncomfortable but I didn't want to wake him. He was dressed in green cotton scrubs and he had a small dressing on his forehead. His skin was pale so the black lines under his eyes showed up with greater contrast. I didn't know how long I'd been out but it was obvious that Hutch had been here the whole time. Keeping his promise as he always does. I tried to suppress the cough in my throat but to no avail and within a second of its birth Hutch was awake.
"Starsky? You okay?"
"I'm fine, Hutch." I sounded a bit croaky so of course my partner was at my side in a minute.
"You can have a few sips of water, Starsky, then I'll get the nurse." Hutch eased a glass against my lips and I took a small sip of the cold liquid. Then he removed it.
"Help me sit up, will ya?"
Hutch pushed a button and I felt the top of the bed rise slowly up. I tried to take in my surroundings but as usual my partner knew what I was trying to do.
"Okay Starsky. You have an i.v. line in your right wrist and a tube or two coming out that you probably would prefer I ignore. You're suffering from a concussion and two broken ribs. The reason that your right arm is strapped is that you injured your acromioclavicular joint." Hutch laughed at my expression of disbelief.
"All right I'll take pity on you. You hurt the joint between your collarbone and the bone at the top of your shoulder blade. In fact it's dislocated so it's strapped. I guess you realise by now that everything below your waist is working?"
I wriggled my toes. "Hutch, I can move."
"Sure can, Buddy and you'll be out of here in a week or two." He carried on before I could moan at that piece of news. "Huggy had a bad feeling about the creep who gave him the tip so he tried to contact us. When that failed he rang Dobey and the rest is history. There is one other thing, Huggy got hold of his fink who panicked and in exchange for immunity for several small misdemeanours handed us Bobby Molloy on a plate." Hutch beamed at me.
"All's well that end's well, huh?"
"You're quoting Shakespeare? Starsky that concussion must have been more severe than they thought."
"Go home college boy and get some rest. You look as bad as my acromioclavicular joint feels."
Hutch left the room but popped his back in. "I'll be back, Starsky and by the way Nurse Hilda is on her way in for your sponge bath."

Notes:

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