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Red Means Stop

By

Karen B

   The traffic light swung back in forth as the wind blew the heavy, yellow, law keeper that hung loosely from electric wire. It blinked incessantly yellow, red, and green. There was no one to obey the mechanical policeman. The street had been sealed off. Large trees, that appeared prehistoric, lined both sides of the barren road. Their heavy oversized branches mingled with telephone and electrical wires. The old oaks towered over the neighborhood housing, birds, and wildlife, and offering the human inhabitants cool shade and protection. Two men walked down the white line of the road. The tall, lean blond in front strolled along with ease taking large strides with each step. Behind him only by a few feet a wavy haired, shorter muscular man fumbled and stumbled with each tiny step. The wind picked up more and stole away one of the brightly colored balloons he was trying to hang onto along with the rest of his load.

   Starsky lagged behind Hutch hauling an array of stuffed animals, baseball bats, plastic rifles, and colorful balloons. Hutch carried two brown crates one in each arm. The word sugar printed across each box. He peered back at his caddy. "Come on, Gordo, we don't have a lot of time to get this set up. The two detectives had volunteered to help Huggy out. Every year the lean black man held a block party in his old neighborhood. The proceeds were set aside for the children of the area. To keep them on the right path and help out with schooling or other necessary things. The neighborhood was poor in finances but rich with the beauty of human compassion and brotherly love.

   After a few hours, with everyone working together, white and red striped tents were raised. The smell of hotdogs and hamburgers, waffles, and cotton candy filtered through the air. Starsky worked the Pluck-a- Duck pond game. The children received a prize every time. The yellow ducks swam round and round as he stood in the center of the moving river. The children lined up to get their hands wet. Under each duck in black magic marker were suppose to be the letters S-for small prize, M-for medium prize, and G- for grand prize. Hutch watched with interest, as each child appeared to walk off with a grand prize. Curiosity got the better of him and he strolled over to his partner. "Hey there buddy, how's it going?"

   "Terrific." Starsky splashed at the little girl wearing glasses. She would squeal out loud and then splash him back in return.

   "Hey partner, how bout giving me a shot at a prize huh?" Hutch had a bright smile that lit his whole face as he reached to pluck a duck out of the pond.

   "Uh, no hey Hutch don't it's a kids game, hey." Starsky protested as he got drenched again by the little girl who seemed to have a real crush on him.

   Hutch's aim was a good one as he held up the bottom of his duck to show his partner. "Grand prize how bout that Starsk? He let the duck drop back to the moving river and fished out several more ducks. Five more sat in his large steady hand. He peered at each one; all had black G's under them. He looked at his partner with raised brows dropping the handful of yellow ducklings back into the water and quickly scooping up another handful. All those also had G's on the bottom. "Hey buddy, you rigged this thing didn't ya?" Hutch knew the big kid before him better than he knew himself.

   Starsky rolled his eyes and slapped the remaining ducks out of Hutch's hand. They splashed back down into the flowing water and continued on their way. "Hey, I couldn't stand to see one kid get the big teddy bear and one getting that stupid plastic little ring. Come on Hutch, if you could see their faces you'd do the same thing."

   Hutch smiled warmly at his bighearted friend and headed back over to his tent. The large blond man had trouble with the cotton candy machine for the third time that day. He wrestled with the blue, pink, and purple confection as he tried in vain to wrap it around the white paper cone. It always looked so easy when he was a kid. The sweet cotton would just flow off the maker's hand onto the cone and was placed in his hand like magic. The waiting child watched and giggled with hands on her hips. Starsky stood at the corner of the tent, one hand leaning on a pole the other in his front jeans pocket, right foot crossed over left foot. Hutch felt the familiar eyes on him and he looked up from his struggle. Starsky's non-stop laughter turned his face red. Hutch had the cotton candy everywhere but on the cone. It wrapped around his feet, it was draped over his shoulder, and his hair was a sticky mess. "You think you could do better Gordo?" A hint of anger in his tone.

   Starsky shook his head and headed for lunch. "Mr. Gordo to you, Buddy."

   Huggy stood over the large iron cast grill. In one hand a large metal spatula in the other an open bun. Flipping the hamburger in the air the flying saucers twisted over several times before landing perfectly on the bun he held in his hand. "What's your pleasure, my man?" Never even looking at Starsky.

   "Got any chili dogs, Hug?" Starsky watched another burger go sailing, again doing its trapeze act and landing perfectly on the bun. Huggy stopped his act and handed Starsky a large foot-long hot dog overloaded with chili and sprinkled with cheese and onions.

   He looked at Starsky with a wink. "I see all the kiddies are high rollers." Huggy pointed to several children who walked by holding giant teddy bears. Wonder what we'll do with all those little plastic rings?" He laughed and went back to his burger circus act.

   Starsky wandered around dripping chili on the ground as he went. He stopped to watch his partner again with a young child. The young girl couldn't have been more then two years old. Hutch dwarfed her. She looked like a little munchkin. Her little orange dress with white polka dots blew in the wind. Her hair was yellow as the sun. Her tiny, white tennis shoes did a little dance as Hutch knelt on the pavement and lifted her into his lap. They were in the middle of the street directly under the swaying traffic light as he used a wet cloth to wipe her sticky hands that were covered in cotton candy. Starsky watched the sergeant detective first class who could rip the heart of a bad guy out like a lion. His tenderness and softness with the child amazed Starsky. He smiled at his John Wayne partner.

   Before anyone could register what was going on a large rusted two-toned brown van broke through the orange-coned barricade and blasted into a telephone pole. The traffic light rocked. A splitting, cracking sound echoed through the street. The lumberjack had plowed so hard into the pole it split in two, tilted and began its crash to earth. Hutch and the little blond munchkin in its direct path. Hutch saw the event unfold before his eyes. His mind registered what was about to happen faster then his body could read the impulses. Starsky's impulses, however, were on maximum overload. He raced toward Hutch who was still on bended knee with the munchkin on his lap. Starsky almost on top of them now took one last bolt. He skidded on his stomach like a surfboard skims the waves slamming into Hutch and the small child sending them sailing out of harms way. Hutch rolled several times the small girl enveloped in the safety of his tender arms. He came up to his feet out of his roll and placed the girl down unharmed. Her mother was there in a heartbeat with tears of thankfulness in her eyes.

   Hutch turned to the spot he just had been blasted from to see his partner face down with the huge telephone pole on top the middle of his back. The traffic light lay only a few inches away from his head blinking only yellow. Hutch watched the round red lens rolling away from the scene in slow motion as it came to a stop at his feet. It all happened so fast it just didn't seem real.

   Huggy was by his side and both men began to run to their fallen hero. Both pulled up fast and stopped dead at the bullwhip cracking sound they heard next. The whip cracked and snapped loudly as electrical wires gave way and golden sparks flew around like a sprinkler system gone berserk. Starsky lay under the wooden pole unmoving and silent as the sprinkling of golden fireflies flew around him and the electric wire danced only inches from him like a rope trick gone bad.

   Hutch felt the wave of panic shoot through his every nerve and his love for his partner sent his feet flying into certain death. Huggy's long, lean legs were quicker and he snatched at Hutch's arm holding him back with all his might. "My man, no way you gonna get close to him. You'll be turned into black bean soup. Look, the wires are not touching him only flying near. Don't think he got a jolt."

   "Hug, we gotta get that thing off him." As Hutch stared at the sparks, his mind seemed to short out for a minute.

   Huggy turned to yell at the gawking crowd, "Call an ambulance and the fire department; do it now." A thin, middle-aged man ran to his home his long legs jumping over the hedges and flying up the steps and into the house.

   Hutch crept in closer toward his friend. Huggy held him back. "Hutch, you know you can't"

   "Huggy, don't ya think I know that?" Hutch's temper flared. " I'm just going to get close enough so he can hear me. I gotta see. I gotta know; he could already be..." Hutch stopped not daring to say the words. He would never say the words.

   Huggy let loose and followed behind his hand ready to grab Hutch back in the flick of a lash.

   Starsky lay motionless pressed down on the white line. His legs out behind him and arms stretched out in front of him just as he had them when he pushed Hutch out of the way. His head turned to the side. The pole was directly on top of his back and stretched out over the length of the street. The traffic light only a few inches from the top of his curls was taking the brunt of the whipping live wire. If it weren't there Starsky surely would be electrocuted.

   Hutch lay flat to the ground, only a few feet away from his friend. He could see Starsky's face. His eyes wide and blinking. Hutch turned to look up to Huggy. "Hug, he's conscious; he's alive. Where the hell's that rescue squad; we gotta get this power shut down."

   Hutch again laid flat to the ground and laid his head down to Starsky's level and began to talk to his friend. "Buddy, don't move ya hear me. There's a live wire right above you. Don't move your head or hands. You hear me Starsk?" Starsky just stared at him unmoving, only his eyes blinked. He saw Hutch and understood him but was having trouble responding. He didn't feel a thing. What happened and why couldn't he move. He couldn't move even if he wanted to. He already had tried. Nothing would respond, not a toe would wiggle. He felt no pain; in fact, he had trouble understanding why he lay on the street. He remembered pushing Hutch out of the way thanking god he was safe but he had no idea the pole had crushed him to the pavement.

   Hutch was worried. His partner seemed lucid but didn't respond. "Buddy, can you hear me? Talk to me. "Starsk, don't you move, not an inch or you're going to get one heck of a shock. You got that, partner? Starsky, let me know if you got that." Hutch was so scared that Starsky would try to reach for him or try to pull himself out from under the pole. If he did that, the live wire would send high voltage through his body and kill him instantly.

   Huggy laid his face flat to the ground and peered at the dark haired man. "Starsky, you understand what Hutch just said? You're gonna be fried chicken if ya move." Hutch elbowed Huggy for his blunt words.

   Starsky blinked hard and his mouth tried to form words. There was no voice heard, but Hutch read his partner's lips. Hutch; he mouthed as a thin stream of bright red seeped down a white washed face. Oh god. Hutch tried to get up and move closer but Huggy held him down on the street. Starsky smiled at Hutch his mouth moved again this time Hutch caught the breathy words. "S'okay 'm not hurt, fine, um fine. His eyes were the only things that seemed to work properly.

   Steel bolts riveted into Hutch's heart his friend had a large telephone pole slammed to the middle of his back he knew the thing was heavy and Starsky didn't feel a thing. Starsky's eyes began to close. NO, NO, NO, NO Hutch beat his hand down on the tarred road with each word. Starsky looked up at the crazed man. "Buddy, stay awake, don't close your eyes, come on now." Hutch stalled for time trying to keep his friend in the present day. "Did you get that partner? Don't you move."

   Starsky's eyes locked on to Hutch. "Heard, won't. M'okay Hutch, don't worry." His eyes started to slip shut once more.

   Hutch beat the tarred pavement again with the flat of his hand." Starsky, Starsky look here hey, hey come on now." Starsky forced his eyes to open for Hutch." Gordo, hey, you're quick pal, thanks. That thing would have plowed our heads to the ground." Starsky's lopsided grin dribbled more blood but his eyes were bright and aware. He could see Hutch go white before his eyes and figured he had to be in a bad way if Hutch weren't by his side and he couldn't move. It finally dawned on him he must be lying under the pole. He wanted to lift up and look but couldn't and remembered Hutch told him not to move.

   "Can't. " He mouthed. Hutch read his lips again.

   Can't what partner, what can't ya do?"

   "Move, can't move."

   "Buddy, it's okay. I don't want you to move. Starsk, don't try. Don't think about moving. Let's talk about something. Hey, how about that fish you caught last weekend, huh partner, it was a doozy? Sparks rained down around him, but he didn't feel the sparklers burn. The bullwhip wiggled about still hitting the traffic light that protected him from certain death. Hutch lifted up a second to search for the help that had not arrived yet. "Huggy, where the hell are they?" He lowered himself back down to his partner. "Hold on buddy, help's on the way just don't let go okay. Starsk, don't you let go."

   Starsky's sapphire blue eyes looked at his partner mouthing words. "Here 'm here." Hutch was pretty good at reading his partner's lips or maybe he just was reading his thoughts. He wasn't sure. All he knew was that he wanted Starsky awake for his own peace of mind. He couldn't get close enough to see a breath or hear a heartbeat. He tried to cough; his eyes were heavy. Hutch kept up the ground slapping like some sort of heavy metal drummer. Every time Starsky wanted to slip away it would jolt him back awake. He still didn't feel a thing.

   Hutch looked up to see the electric company, fire department and ambulance all pull onto the scene. "Starsk, help is here, just keep lying still. You're doin' great partner."

   Starsky still had his eyes locked on Hutch. It was getting scary not feeling his limbs and seeing and hearing the electricity that lingered so close by. Hutch began to rise to his feet shouting to the men before their feet were even to the cement. "Get that damn power off NOW!" He flashed his badge as he bellowed. He was about to move away from his friend to make sure his demands were met, but something tugged him back to the ground.

   Starsky glared at him from glassy eyes. It was getting harder to breathe. Hutch saw the pleading eyes. He knew his partner was afraid and he wanted desperately to be by his side. He had to settle for the eye-to-eye contact for now. They just stared at one another; no more words were said. "Electricity is off, Captain." One of the rescuers shouted out. The crane began to lift the telephone pole off of its victim. Paramedics were waiting by the side to pull the man out soon as the pole was removed.

   Hutch lifted his eyes watching the crane as it began to pull up on the fallen wood. Looking back at Starsky he mouthed, "it's okay, buddy." Starsky winked at Hutch. Just as the pole was lifted and the pressure on his back released his eyes darted to the back of his head and he passed out.

   Hutch made the short crawl to his partner's side on hands and knees. He wanted to pull Starsky into his arms but held back the urge. Paramedics were there in a flash. "Don't move him. We need a backboard." They maneuvered Starsky onto the backboard without bending or twisting him in any way. Hutch got in the back of the ambulance and they headed for the hospital. Low blood pressure, shallow respiration, words mingled through the vehicle as they went. Hutch unaware of anything but the hand he held in his.

   The blond detective turned to the paramedic after a few moments of bouncing around in the screaming vehicle. "He seemed so aware before but soon as that pole lifted off him he passed out?" Hutch searched for some answer in the evergreen eyes before him.

   "Pressure was probably keeping him from bleeding badly internally. Soon as we removed it he probably lost a lot of blood. Look, he's stable and we're almost there, so just try to concentrate on that." The medic went back to taking Starsky's vitals.

   Hutch paced the sickly gray-colored linoleum floor for the thousandth time. He was about to stick his fist through the wall when he saw the hospital green scrubs approach him. "He's out of surgery. We removed his spleen, he's on his third unit of blood." Hutch tried to listen closely to the cold, calculating voice of the doctor. "No other damage was done to his spinal cord. That's the good news. He'll be laid up awhile, and weak. Your friend should be okay. He's a lucky man." Hutch felt the tension drain from him as his fist unclenched. "From what I was told, that traffic light saved his life. Blocked that electric wire from touching him." The doctor slapped Hutch on the back. "You can go see him in a while." Hutch watched the green pea soup walk away.

   Hutch's step was light as he trotted up the stairs to his partner's place. He threw open the door and bounced through. Starsky laughed at the happy blond, as he reminded him of the character Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. It had been several weeks since his return home and Starsky was feeling much better. His biggest complaint was tiredness.

   The large, yellow traffic light sat in the corner of the room. It blinked incessantly yellow, red, green. Hutch shook his head at the sight of the monstrosity. Starsky lay on the couch, a stack of books at his feet and one in hand. "Starsky, where the hell did that thing come from?" Hutch pointed his long index finger at the decoration in the corner.

   Starsky never took his nose out of the book he was reading. He waved a hand. "Hug brought it over. It's engraved on the back. Neighborhood thought I should have a trophy I guess."

   Hutch rolled his eyes and headed for the fridge. It was Miller time. "Hey Hutch, it says here that the first traffic light was invented in 1868 in London, before there were even cars." Starsky shook his head in amazement. "It was illuminated with gas. Oh, it says that it exploded and injured the policeman who was operating it." He shook his head in dismay. "Hey Hutch, they had policemen in 1869. That's when this happened?"

   "Of course dummy." Hutch took a sip of his beer and went over to inspect his partner's prize. "Starsk, this thing is ridiculous. It's huge."

   "Blintz, what are you talkin' about? It's a historical monument." Starsky chimed with pride.

   Hutch just chuffed and continued his inspection of the new addition to his partner's home. This thing's worse than that pet rock, he thought.

   "Hey Hutch, did you know a police officer invented the first electric traffic light?" Starsky rubbed at his tired eyes. "Yeah, his name was William Potts, in 1920. Hey, he's from Detroit, Michigan. How about that uh Hutch?"

   Hutch waved away at his friend. He peered at the plaque on the back of the light trying to read it and listen to his over talkative partner. "Starsk, where'd ya get all those books any way?"

   "Huggy brought 'em over, along with the light. Thought they'd keep me busy a while." Starsky closed the book and lay his head back to rest.

   Hutch still stood trying to read the plaque and sipping on his beer. It read:

IN HONOR OF A HERO
DAVID MICHAEL STARSKY

   Hutch smiled. He didn't feel that the traffic light was a decorator item, but it really did save his partner's life. He turned, with beer in hand, to sit on the chair opposite Starsky. Shaking his head he eased the book out from under his sleeping partner's fingers and sat back taking a swig of beer. He opened the book entitled 'Amazing Inventors', and began to read.

   'Frank Epperson, a then eleven year old accidentally invented the Popsicle. He mixed soda water powder and water, a popular drink in those days, and left it over night on the back porch with a stirring stick still in it.'

   Hutch looked up from the book, peering at his friend who was snoring loudly now. He looked back down to the book.

   'The temperature dropped to a record low that night and in the morning Frank had a frozen treat to show his friends at school. Eighteen years later, in 1923, Frank Epperson remembered his frozen soda water mixture. '

   Hutch took another swig of his brew and set it on the end table flipping the page.

   'Epperson then began producing Epsicles, later known as Popsicles, in seven fruit flavors. Orange being the favorite flavor. An estimated three million Popsicles are sold every year.'

   The book flopped to his lap as Hutch joined his partner's snoring.

THE END