Pat Chachich

   At the hospital, Hutch was quickly wheeled into an exam room and surrounded by medical personnel. Starsky followed the stretcher into the room and stood pressed against the wall, eyes riveted on his partner. He watched as the doctors and nurses worked quickly and efficiently; examining Hutch, drawing blood, making adjustments to the ventilator. Through it all, Hutch lay there, pale and unresponsive.

   "I'm sorry, sir, you're going to have to wait outside."

   Starsky jumped and tried to focus on the nurse leading him out by the arm. "Wait," he protested. "That's my partner. I need to be with him." He turned his head to look back at Hutch.

   "Don't worry, your partner is in good hands," the nurse told him. "Why don't you just let the doctors do their job?" She ushered him firmly into the hall. "Besides," she continued, "You need to get into some dry clothes before we have to admit you too, for hypothermia."

   She handed him a set of hospital scrubs from a laundry cart in the hall and showed him to the men's locker room. "Once you get dried off, you can have a seat in the waiting room. The doctor will be out to talk to you as soon as he can."

   Starsky watched her walk away, then looked numbly down at the scrubs in his hands. The chill from his wet clothes was nothing compared to the cold knot of terror that had fastened itself in his gut from the moment he had looked down and seen Hutch in the water. Sighing heavily, he headed into the locker room.

   When Starsky came into the waiting room, he was surprised to see Captain Dobey sitting in one of the green plastic chairs. Dobey rose as Starsky came into the room.

   "Captain?" Starsky said tiredly.

   Dobey looked at him with concern. "Hello, Starsky. The officers on the scene called me. How's Hutchinson?"

   "I don't know, Cap," Starsky said, his voice shaking. "They...they're still working on him. He...he wasn't...breathing very well and...." He broke off and swallowed hard, his hands clenching as he tried to control his emotions.

   "Take it easy, son. Hutch is tough, he'll make it." Dobey put his hand on Starsky's shoulder, silently hoping to himself that he was right. "Why don't you come sit down while we wait for the doctor? You look beat."

   Starsky allowed himself to be led to a chair, where he sat down heavily, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. They waited another thirty-minutes with Starsky alternately pacing back and forth and sitting motionless in a chair, staring into space. After a few attempts at conversation, Dobey left him alone and just sat quietly in a chair nearby.

   Dobey had just started to think about going in search of a cup of coffee when a tall, slightly heavy-set man with thinning hair, wearing scrubs and a lab coat came into the room.

   "Is there someone here with Detective Hutchinson?"

   Starsky shot to his feet. "Me...I mean, I'm his partner, Dave Starsky. How is he, doc? Is he gonna be okay?"

   The doctor shook hands with Starsky and also with Dobey, who introduced himself. "Captain, Detective, I'm Doctor Hamilton. We've gotten Detective Hutchinson stabilized and we're moving him to the ICU now."

   "Stabilized?" Starsky asked. "Then he's doing better, right?"

   Doctor Hamilton paused before answering. "Detective Hutchinson is doing somewhat better than when he first arrived at the hospital," he said carefully. "His heart rate and blood pressure have stabilized. His breathing is still a little shallow, so we've kept him on the ventilator, but we expect to be able to wean him from that soon."

   He held up a hand to forestall Starsky's excited reaction. "Our main concern right now is that he hasn't regained consciousness. That in itself isn't unusual, considering the bullet wound to his head, but what we don't know right now is whether his unconsciousness is due to a concussion from the bullet wound, or from lack of oxygen from his near drowning."

   Starsky turned pale. "Lack of oxygen? Do you mean he might...?" He stopped, unable to say what he was thinking.

   "Let's not jump to conclusions, Detective," Doctor Hamilton said. "There's no evidence your friend has any brain damage. But since we don't know how long he was in the water, not breathing, we do have to consider the possibility. How he responds in the next few days will tell us more."

   Starsky was silent a moment, digesting the doctor's information, then he asked, "When can I see him?"

   "As I said, he's being moved to ICU now," Doctor Hamilton answered. "You can have a seat in the waiting room up there, and the nurses will come get you when he's settled in."

   Starsky nodded. "Okay, doc, thanks," he said as he quickly headed for the elevators.

   Dobey paused to shake hands with Doctor Hamilton. "Thank you, doctor," he said before hurrying after Starsky.

~~~~~~~~

   When they got to the ICU waiting room, Starsky and Dobey sat in silence for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts. Suddenly Starsky broke the silence. "Captain, what happened to Lennie and the other gunman?"

   Captain Dobey sighed. "Lennie crashed his van when he was running. The man with him was thrown from the van and killed, but there was no sign of Lennie when the patrol car got there."

   Starsky's face darkened with anger. "Captain, that scum set us up. If I ever get my hands on him..." He broke off, his fists clenched in frustration, and began to pace back and forth.

   Dobey put out his hand to grasp Starsky's shoulder as he paced, forcing him to stop and look at his captain. "Take it easy, Starsky. We'll find Lennie. You just concentrate on your partner for now."

   Starsky managed a small smile for him, but it didn't touch his eyes. "Thanks, Cap," he said quietly. Just then a nurse arrived to escort Starsky in to see Hutch.

~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~

   Starsky stood next to Hutch's bed, staring down at his partner, who was surrounded by tubes and wires. Hutch had a breathing tube in his throat connected to a ventilator near the head of the bed. There was an IV in his left hand, and wires ran from his chest under his hospital gown to a monitor on the wall.

   Starsky lifted his eyes to the monitor screen, watching the steady pattern that indicated the beating of Hutch's heart. Looking back down at Hutch's face, Starsky felt tears come to his eyes. With all the tubes and wires, Hutch suddenly looked very small and vulnerable.

   Blinking back his tears, Starsky moved closer to the bed and took Hutch's hand in his, squeezing it gently. He reached over and brushed the soft blonde hair off Hutch's forehead. "Hey, buddy, it's me," he said hoarsely, trying to speak past the lump in his throat. "How're you doin', partner?" He paused as if waiting for an answer, but Hutch remained still, his eyes closed.

   Starsky cleared his throat and tried to make his tone light. "Ya know, Hutch, if you wanted to go swimming you should have picked a warmer day for it." He attempted a smile, but failed completely, his face crumpling as his emotions threatened to overwhelm him.

   "Aww, Hutch," he whispered, holding his partner's hand against his own chest and squeezing it tightly. He gently stroked Hutch's cheek with his free hand. "Hang in there, buddy. Don't let go. I know you're in there, somewhere, so, please, get better soon and come back to me, okay? I need you, Hutch."

~~~~~~~~

   The darkness had lightened slightly to a dark gray. He was still unable to find a way through it, but somehow it didn't seem quite so overwhelming. The fear of being alone hadn't left him, though, and at times threatened to crush him. But now the grayness occasionally allowed sound into his world, and whenever the fear became too much, he would hear a familiar, loving voice, 'Hang on, Hutch, hang on. I'm here, buddy.'

   Starsky shifted in the blue vinyl chair, trying to find a position that didn't cause the muscles in his neck and back to clench in protest. Since Hutch had been in the hospital, Starsky had rarely left his partner's bedside. He would sit and hold Hutch's hand and talk to him, trying to let Hutch know he was there, and encouraging him to hang on. Starsky had fallen asleep a few times from sheer exhaustion, but had always awakened after only a short nap, wanting to be ready if Hutch needed him. Captain Dobey had gone home late the first night, after giving Starsky his jacket, gun, and the keys to the Torino that had been dropped off by the officers Starsky had left them with at the docks.

   It was now almost thirty-six hours since Hutch had been admitted to the hospital. The doctors had been able to remove the ventilator the first afternoon, but Hutch was still receiving oxygen by way of a nasal canula. He also showed no signs of waking up. Even though the doctors assured Starsky that Hutch was doing well, Starsky knew he wouldn't be able to relax until his partner's blue eyes opened and Starsky could look into them and see the Hutch he knew looking back at him.

   Finally giving up trying to find a comfortable position in the chair, Starsky stood up and stretched. Going to Hutch's bedside, he picked up his partner's hand and squeezed it gently.

   "Hey, Hutch," he said. "It's morning, partner. Time to rise and shine."

   Starsky reached over to brush a strand of hair off Hutch's forehead, then slid his hand down to rub Hutch's shoulder. He sighed. "I sure wish you'd wake up and talk to me, Blintz. I'd even be happy to listen to you complain about my car."

   Starsky smiled slightly, but quickly became serious again. He was trying to keep a positive attitude, but he hated watching Hutch lying there looking so helpless. Without Hutch to talk to, he felt incomplete, as if some vital part of him was missing.

   He gripped Hutch's hand in both of his. "Just hang in there, Hutch, and please come back to me," he whispered. "I miss you, partner." He sighed. "I don't even know if you can hear me."

   "Don't worry, honey, he can hear you," said a quiet voice behind him.

   Starsky jumped and turned around, still holding Hutch's hand. Standing at the foot of the bed was a petite woman of about sixty. Her gray hair was twisted into a bun at the back of her head and she was dressed in the navy blue uniform of the hospital's housekeeping services. Her brown eyes were kind as she smiled at Starsky.

   "You just keep talkin', he knows you're here," she said.

   "You really believe that?" Starsky asked hopefully.

   "I sure do, honey. I been around a while, and I seen a lot." She chuckled. "Sometimes I think I drive the nurses crazy...always tellin' people to talk to the patients, 'specially the unconscious ones. Lots of people think they can't hear nothin', but I tell 'em...they can hear you with their heart. Those patients know when someone who loves 'em is there."

   Starsky sighed and looked back down at Hutch. "It's just so hard seeing him like this."

   The woman smiled. "That's exactly what he said last year when you was lyin' here."

   Starsky looked up in surprise. "You talked to Hutch when I...?"

   The woman nodded. "I 'member he would sit by your bed and talk to you. He was so worried. I told him just what I told you."

   Starsky was silent, thinking back to that time. Many of the details were still hazy to him, but he did know that he had somehow been able to sense Hutch being there, even when he had been in a coma. Maybe he does hear me.

   The woman patted him on the arm. "You take care, honey," she said as she turned to continue with her work.

   "Wait," Starsky said. "I don't even know your name."

   She paused with her hand on her housekeeping cart and smiled at him again. "It's Mary," she said.

   Starsky smiled back. "Thanks, Mary."

   Hutch's nurse chose that moment to shoo Starsky out into the hall so she could do Hutch's morning care. Starsky squeezed Hutch's hand before he left. "See you in a little while, partner," he whispered.

   Out in the hall, Starsky got a cup of coffee from the machine and was leaning against the window frame, looking out, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned, surprised to see Captain Dobey standing behind him.

   "Captain? You're here early."

   "Well, the hospital's on my way to the station," Dobey said gruffly. "How is he?"

   "The docs say they're gonna be able to move him out of the ICU soon," Starsky said. He fidgeted with his coffee cup, looking down.

   Dobey frowned. "Isn't that good news?"

   "Oh, yeah, sure, it's great," Starsky said quickly. "It's just that...he's still unconscious." Starsky sighed and rubbed his hand across his face, then leaned his head back against the wall, his eyes closed.

   Dobey looked at him with concern. "Starsky, it sounds like Hutch is doing better. Why don't you go home and get some rest?"

   Starsky opened his eyes and stood up straighter. "I'm fine, Cap. I can't go home. I have to be here in case Hutch needs me."

   "Starsky, you look exhausted. You're not going to be any good to Hutch if you keel over."

   Starsky shook his head stubbornly. "Captain..."

   Dobey interrupted, his voice stern. "Starsky, don't make me make this an order."

   Starsky tried arguing, but eventually agreed to go home for a few hours under the condition that the nurses would call him if anything changed with Hutch. He went in to talk to Hutch again before he left.

   "Hey, blondie," he said, leaning close and placing his hand on Hutch's shoulder. "Dobey's kickin' me outta here for a while. He says I have to go home for a few hours before they have to scrape me off the floor." He smiled slightly. "You behave yourself while I'm gone, Blintz, and don't give the nurses a hard time, okay?" He squeezed Hutch's shoulder. "I'll be back soon, Hutch, I promise. You just take it easy, and get better, buddy."

   He straightened with a final squeeze of Hutch's shoulder and stood staring down at his friend for a few moments before heading for the elevator.

~~~~~~~~

   After taking a shower at home, Starsky wrapped his robe around him, sat on the bed, and picked up the phone, dialing the number to the ICU. The nurse assured him that Hutch was doing fine and that there had been no changes.

   Starsky hung up and sat, just staring at the wall, for several minutes. He really should have something to eat or maybe try to sleep, but all he could think about was Hutch lying there in that hospital bed.

   He's gonna be all right. He has to be.

   Eventually the strain and fatigue caught up with him and Starsky fell into a restless sleep.

~~~~~~~~

   Starsky awakened with a start. Groaning, he ran his hands over his sweaty face, trying to erase the lingering images of the nightmare that had awakened him. With a sigh, he rolled over to look at the clock next to the bed. He had been asleep for almost three hours, but his sleep had been plagued by frightening visions of Hutch: facedown in the water, in the ambulance, in the ICU...in a casket. It was this final vision that had caused Starsky to awaken suddenly, his heart pounding.

   Reaching for the phone, he dialed the number for the ICU again. Hearing from the nurse that everything was fine and Hutch was stable helped him to calm down slightly, but he found he was unable to get back to sleep. After tossing and turning for another twenty minutes, Starsky finally gave up and decided to head back to the hospital.

   He dressed quickly and fixed himself a sandwich, but ended up throwing half of it away. He smiled sadly to himself when he thought about the comments Hutch would make it he were there about the absence of Starsky's usually bottomless appetite.

   God, I wish you were here, buddy.

   Pulling himself together, Starsky headed out the door.

   Preoccupied with thoughts of Hutch, he fumbled with his keys, dropping them to the ground. Muttering under his breath, he bent to pick them up, then quickly flattened himself to the pavement as bullets suddenly ricocheted off the side of the Torino.

~~~~~~~~

   Starsky drew his gun and cautiously raised his head to peer around as the sound of gunfire faded. A dark green sedan was speeding away with a squeal of tires.

   Starsky stood, trying to calm the pounding of his heart as he surveyed the damage to his car. There were three bullet holes in the driver's side door, and a fourth bullet had shattered the window of the rear door on the same side.

   Taking one more look around the street, Starsky got into his car and headed for the station.

~~~~~~~~

   When he arrived, Starsky stopped first at his desk to call the hospital, breathing a sigh of relief at the nurse's report that Hutch was fine. As he hung up the phone and headed for Dobey's office, Starsky thought to himself that Hutch's nurse had seemed a little annoyed to hear from her patient's partner again.

   Starsky walked into Dobey's office without bothering to knock. Dobey looked up with a frown on his face.

   "Starsky, what are you doing here? And don't you ever...?" he started, but Starsky interrupted.

   "Sorry, Cap, but getting shot at makes me forget my manners."

   Dobey's eyebrows rose. "Shot? Starsky, what are you talking about?"

   "Somebody took some shots at me outside my apartment," Starsky replied. "Looks like whoever hired Lennie isn't finished yet." He paused. "Cap'n, I think we need to put a guard outside Hutch's room at the hospital. If they tried to get me again, they might try to get him, too."

   Dobey nodded. "I think you have a point, Starsky," he said. "Did you get a look at the shooter?"

   "Nah, he drove off too fast," Starsky grumbled. "All I know is the car was a dark green sedan, and the guy was a damn good shot. If I hadn't dropped my keys he would've nailed me. You should see what he did to my car."

   "Looks like whoever our leak is doesn't like you two nosing around," Dobey said grimly.

   "You really think it's somebody from Davidson's squad?" Starsky asked. "I hate to think it's another cop trying to kill us."

   "Could be whoever's the leak, could be one of the drug dealers..."

   "Could be one of the hundred other people Hutch and I have ticked off around town," Starsky interrupted.

   Dobey looked at him silently for a moment, then reached for his phone. "I'm going to assign an officer to stay in the hall outside the ICU," he said. "I assume you'll be there, too?"

   Starsky nodded. "Yeah, I'm going back as soon as I leave here."

   "Well, get out of here, then," Dobey told him. "Go take care of your partner."

   Starsky gave him a small smile and started to leave. At the door he paused and turned back. "Thanks, Captain."

   "Go on," Dobey said gruffly, but his eyes were twinkling.

~~~~~~~~

   Finding the coffeepot in the squad room empty, Starsky stopped by the vending machine in the hall on his way out. As he straightened up from making his selection, he felt as if someone was watching him. He turned around and saw Sergeant Burns standing a little down the hall, staring at him.

   "Hey, Burns," Starsky said.

   Burns flushed a little and looked away uncomfortably.

   Starsky frowned. "Did you need something, Burns?" he asked.

   The other detective shifted uneasily. "Uh, no... I just...Well, I heard about your partner being hurt. I hope he's gonna be alright."

   Starsky's eyes softened understandingly. "Thanks, Burns," he said quietly. "So do I."

~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~

   "Hey, buddy, I'm back. How's it going?" Starsky squeezed Hutch's hand gently as he stood at his partner's bedside.

   Hutch's nurse came over from the desk and stood on the other side of the bed watching the monitor. "Well, look at that," she said after a few minutes, interrupting Starsky, who had been quietly talking to his friend.

   Starsky looked up, his face clouding with concern. "What? Is something wrong?"

   "Oh, no," the nurse quickly reassured him. "Not at all. It's just that he's been a little restless for the past couple hours, and his heart rate and breathing have been up and down. But ever since you've been here his vital signs have stabilized and he's settled down. You seem to have a calming influence on him."

   Starsky smiled thinly. "That's funny," he said looking down at Hutch's face. "Usually he says I drive him crazy."

   He tightened his grip on Hutch's hand. Oh, Hutch, I'd give anything to hear you laughing and joking around with me again. Please be all right, buddy.

   The nurse had been watching silently. "You two must be very close," she said.

   "Yeah," Starsky said softly. "He's my best friend."

~~~~~~~~

   Starsky stayed at Hutch's bedside as the afternoon turned into evening and then into night, holding Hutch's hand, stroking his head, talking to him, and praying for him to be alright. By now the nurses were used to working around Starsky, and had long ago given up trying to enforce ICU visiting hours. Starsky allowed himself to be talked into going down to the cafeteria at one point, but he found himself hurrying through his dinner in order to get back to Hutch.

~~~~~~~~

   The clock on the ICU wall read 1:45 a.m. The noise level in the unit had changed from the bustle and activity of the day shift to a low-level hum. Starsky had been dozing in the chair next to Hutch's bed when suddenly he awakened with a start.

   Rubbing his eyes, he looked over at Hutch, but his partner lay as still as he had been for the past two days.

   Going over to Hutch's bed, Starsky put the side-rail down and sat on the edge of the mattress. He picked up his partner's hand, his thumb gently rubbing circles on the back of it. "Hi, buddy," he said softly. "How's it going?"

   "Hey, Hutch," he said, taking a deep breath and forcing a smile. "You gotta hurry up and get better, partner. Do you know what eating this hospital food is doing to me? No burritos, no pizza...I can only go so long without a chili dog, ya know."

   He paused, his smile fading as he looked down at his partner. "C'mon, Hutch, I'll even bring you some of that slop you drink for breakfast...but you gotta wake up, Blondie. The nurses are getting tired of listening to me talk to myself."

   He paused again and swallowed hard. "Aw, Hutch," he sighed, his voice shaking slightly. "If you can hear me, babe, I really need you to wake up. I...I don't think I know how to do this without you, partner."

   Still holding Hutch's hand, he closed his eyes and laid his head down on Hutch's chest. "I'm here, Hutch," he whispered. "Please come back to me, buddy."

   For a moment everything was still, then Hutch's hand tightened slightly around Starsky's. Starsky sat up abruptly, staring at their joined hands and then at Hutch's face.

   "Hutch?" he asked. "Can you hear me?"

   Hutch's fingers moved again, tightening briefly around Starsky's. His head moved from side to side, and a small moan escaped his lips.

   Starsky grabbed Hutch's hands with both of his. "Hutch? Hutch, it's me, babe. C'mon, pal, you can do it. Open your eyes."

   Hutch stirred slightly, his eyes slowly opening to stare unfocused at the ceiling. Starsky reached forward and gently laid his hand on Hutch's shoulder. "Hutch?" His voice shook as his eyes filled with tears. Hutch's eyes blinked several times, then moved to focus on Starsky's face.

   A faint smile formed on his face, and his fingers tightened again on Starsky's hand, this time holding on. "Hey, Starsk," he whispered hoarsely.

   Starsky smiled, blinking back his tears. "Hey, yourself," he whispered past the lump in his throat. " 'Bout time you woke up Blondie." Drawing a shaky breath, he reached up to touch Hutch's cheek. "Welcome back, partner."

~~~~~~~~

   Lennie paced restlessly in the dingy hotel room, trying to ignore the aches and pains the movement caused. Crashing his van while running from the cops had left him with several cuts and bruises, as well as a swollen and tender left shoulder, forcing him to keep that arm close to his body. The ashtray on the dresser was overflowing as he awkwardly lit another cigarette and inhaled deeply.

   He had really gotten himself into a mess this time. He must have been crazy to try and kill two cops, especially cops like Starsky and Hutchinson. Now the whole police force was after him and he had no idea where to turn.

   Even more frightening was the prospect of what the cop who had ordered the hit would do once he found him. Lennie shuddered as he remembered the chilling words from their phone conversation. 'You take care of them, or I'll take care of you.'

   On top of everything else, Lennie really needed a fix. He had been hiding in this hotel room since that night and hadn't been able to get to his supplier, and now his body was shaking in withdrawal.

   A knock on the door almost caused him to jump out of his skin. Heart pounding, he stared at the door in silence. Maybe they'll go away. The knock came again, louder this time.

   Lennie's bloodshot eyes frantically scanned the room, finally settling on the fire escape outside the window next to the bed. He crossed the room and was trying to open the window when the door from the hallway suddenly crashed open. Lennie froze at the sight of the man standing there, his gun pointed straight at Lennie's chest.

   "What's the matter, Lennie?" The man spoke. "Don't you want visitors?"

   Lennie frowned. "Who are you?"

   "Lennie, I'm hurt. I thought we were old friends."

   Lennie's eyes widened in fear as his jumbled brain finally recognized the man's voice. "It's you. Look, man, I tried. It was those other guys, the shooters, that screwed up, not me. That wasn't my fault."

   "Lennie, I gave you a job to do and you messed up. Now you're really a liability I can't afford."

   "No, man...please...wait..." The last thing Lennie saw was the cold look in the man's eyes as he pulled the trigger.

~~~~~~~~

   Starsky had bounded away from Hutch's bed, excitedly telling everyone he saw, "He's awake! Hutch is awake!"

   He found Hutch's nurse and dragged her back to the bedside to witness the miracle for herself. After threatening to throw Starsky out if he didn't calm down and stop disturbing the other patients, she went back to the desk to call the doctor, smiling in spite of herself at her patient's partner's enthusiasm. Pleased with the results of his examination, the doctor had written the order to transfer Hutch to a regular room later that day.

~~~~~~~~

   Captain Dobey walked into Hutch's room that evening to find Hutch sitting up in bed and Starsky leaning back in a chair with his feet propped on the edge of the bed. Both were engrossed in an old black and white movie on the TV.

   Dobey smiled. "Well, Hutchinson, good to see you back with us. How're you feeling?"

   "Thanks, Cap'n," Hutch said, reaching over to turn down the volume on the TV. "I'm feeling pretty good, just really tired. The doctors say they want to keep me here a couple more days."

   Dobey nodded. "Good. You get plenty of rest so you can get back to work. Since your partner's been spending all his time here, too, I'm short-staffed." He frowned at them, attempting to look stern, but couldn't hide the relief in his eyes at seeing Hutch awake and conscious again.

   Starsky and Hutch looked at each other and grinned. They both knew they were very lucky to have a Captain who cared so much and was willing to let them stay with each other when one was hurt.

   "Thanks, Cap," Starsky said.

   "Hmph." Dobey shifted uncomfortably, then quickly changed the subject. "You both might be interested to know we found Lennie."

   Starsky stood up angrily. "That little weasel. I wanna talk to him."

   Hutch reached out and put his hand on Starsky's arm. "Take it easy, buddy." Starsky met his eyes and relaxed slightly.

   "I wish I could oblige you, Starsky, but Lennie's dead, "Dobey said. The two detectives looked at him in surprise. "He was found shot to death this morning in a hotel room over on 17th Street," Dobey continued. "I sent Sanchez and Billings over there, but they didn't find anything.

   "Great," Hutch said. "There goes our best lead." He sighed, leaning back on the pillows and closing his eyes.

   Starsky put his hand on Hutch's arm. "Hutch? You alright?"

   Hutch opened his eyes and patted Starsky's hand on his arm. He smiled slightly. "I'm okay, Starsk. Just a little tired." He looked more closely at his partner. "You don't look so hot yourself, buddy. Why don't you go home and get a decent night's sleep?"

   Starsky pretended to be insulted. "Thanks a lot, pal."

   Hutch, well aware he was pretending, just grinned.

   After a few moments, Starsky grinned back mischievously. "Besides, partner," he said, "you're not getting rid of me that easily. I saw the way you've been eyeing those nurses. You just want me outta the way so you can make your move."

   "You must be slipping, partner," Hutch said, trying to keep a straight face. "I thought you woulda had all their numbers in your own little black book by now."

   Starsky glared at him for a second, then both men burst out laughing. Dobey, who had been watching silently, shook his head, smiling to himself.

   "Hey," Starsky protested, getting himself under control, "I kinda had other things on my mind, ya know?" His face grew serious.

   "I know," Hutch said, also becoming serious. "Thanks, buddy." His eyes looked deep into Starsky's for a moment. "But, really, Starsk, you should go home and get some rest, you look beat. Don't worry, I'll be okay."

   Starsky shook his head. "I'm fine, Hutch. I think I'll just hang out around here for awhile."

   "At least go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat," Hutch said. "I think I'm just gonna take a little nap." He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.

   "Okay, partner, you win," Starsky said putting his hand on Hutch's shoulder. "You sure you're gonna be alright here for awhile?"

   "Hey, don't worry about me," Hutch said, opening his eyes again. "I've got a policeman right outside my door. What could be safer than that?"

   Starsky grinned. "Okay, blondie, I'll be back as soon as I can." He gave Hutch's shoulder a squeeze, then turned to Dobey. "Hey, Cap. Can I buy you a cup of coffee?"

~~~~~~~~

   Once Starsky saw food he found he was hungrier than he had realized. He sat wolfing down a roast beef sandwich and a piece of pie while Dobey sat sipping his coffee with a bemused expression on his face.

   "Sure I can't get you somethin' to eat, Cap'n?" Starsky asked as he finished the last bite.

   Dobey finished his coffee. "No, I'd better get home before Edith sends out a search party," he chuckled. "Thanks for the coffee and..." He broke off in surprise as Sergeant Burns came up to the table. "Burns, what're you doing here?" he asked.

   Burns appeared agitated. "Oh. Captain Dobey. How are you?" He turned to Starsky. "I thought I'd find you here. I need to talk to you."

   Starsky and Dobey exchanged glances. "Sit down, Burns." Starsky gestured to an empty chair. "What's going on?"

   Burns sat down, pulling a napkin from the dispenser on the table and fidgeting with it. "I've been thinking about this for hours, trying to decide whether to say anything. I still can't believe he would do something like that."

   "Stop talking in riddles, Burns," Dobey snapped. "If you know something, let's have it."

   "Alright," Burns sighed. "This afternoon I was waiting outside R&I for a file and I heard Lt. Davidson on the pay phone. He was arguing with someone."

   "And?" Starsky prompted when Burns didn't continue.

   Burns fidgeted with the napkin in silence for a few moments, then went on, "I heard him say, 'You'd better do what I tell you. Or maybe you'd rather end up like Lennie.' Then he slammed down the phone."

   Starsky looked at Dobey, then back at Burns. "You sure that's what he said?" he asked.

   Burns nodded. "I'm sure."

   "Doesn't necessarily mean anything," Starsky said.

   "That's not all," Burns continued. "After I heard that, I started thinking. One day about a week ago I walked into Davidson's office to give him a report and he had an open envelope on his desk. He shoved it in his desk drawer real fast when he saw me and started yelling at me for not knocking. I pretended like I hadn't seen anything, but that envelope was full of money... Lots of money."

   Starsky stared at him in silence for a moment. Damn. He's been right under our noses the whole time. Sorry, partner, I shoulda listened to you. He turned to Dobey, who had been listening silently. "Captain?"

   Dobey sighed, his face grim. "I'd hate to think Davidson would do something like this after all these years on the force," he said.

   "Captain, I know what I saw," Burns protested.

   "I'm not doubting your word, Burns," Dobey assured him. "If Davidson's dirty, I want to nail him as bad as you do. But we've got to be careful how we handle this. If we confront him without any proof, he'll just deny it then cover his tracks so deep we'll never be able to get him."

   Starsky nodded, gazing over Burns' shoulder at the doorway to the cafeteria as he considered how they could trip up Davidson. Suddenly, he leaned forward, staring as he caught sight of a man in a policeman's uniform walking into the cafeteria, laughing and flirting with a redheaded nurse.

   His eyes widened in disbelief, then narrowed in anger as he recognized the cop they had left outside Hutch's room only an hour ago. "Hey, what's Perkins doing down here?" he said, standing up. "He's not supposed to get off 'til eleven."

   He hurried across the room, grabbing Perkins by the arm before the officer had a chance to pick up a tray. "Perkins, what the hell are you doing? You're supposed to be standing guard outside Hutch's room. You can pick up women on your own time."

   Starsky's voice was angry, and also a little tinged with fear. After what he had just found out from Burns, he really didn't like the idea of Hutch being by himself.

   Perkins turned around, taking a step back when he saw the look in Starsky's eyes. He raised his free hand in a placating gesture. "Take it easy, Sergeant Starsky. Your partner's fine. Lieutenant Davidson..."

   "Davidson?" Starsky interrupted. "What's Davidson got to do with it?"

   "Lieutenant Davidson came to visit your partner," Perkins answered. "He said there was no reason for two cops to be guarding Sergeant Hutchinson, and he told me I could take a break."

   Starsky felt his gut twist into knots. "Davidson is up there with Hutch now?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

   Perkins nodded, staring at Starsky with a mixture of fear and confusion on his face. "Yeah, I told you, he..."

   Casting a desperate glance over his shoulder at Dobey, Starsky yanked Perkins by the arm, dragging the uniformed cop behind him as he rushed out of the cafeteria.

   "Hey," Perkins protested. "What's going on?"

   Dobey and Burns caught up with them as they were waiting for the elevator, Starsky shifting impatiently from one foot to the other.

   "Starsky," Dobey barked. "Would you mind telling me what you're doing?"

   "Davidson's up there with Hutch, Cap'n," Starsky told him.

   Feeling like he was wasting precious time waiting for the elevator, Starsky headed for the stairwell, taking the steps two at a time. He was vaguely aware of Burns following him.

   Starsky slammed through the stairway door on Hutch's floor, ran down the hall, and burst into Hutch's room without pausing.

   "Davidson!" he yelled.

   Davidson froze, leaning over Hutch's bed, then dropped the pillow he had been holding. For a second, his eyes were panicked, darting around the room. Suddenly, he reached over and grabbed Hutch, pulling him out of bed and holding him with an arm around his neck. Davidson drew his gun and placed it against Hutch's head.

   Hutch, who had been asleep until Starsky yelled, shook his head groggily as Davidson started to drag him toward the door.

   "Back off, Starsky," Davidson snarled. "I'm leaving now, and you and everybody else out there better stay out of my way or you're gonna have a dead partner."

~~~~~~~~

   "Give it up, Davidson, you're not gonna get away with this," Starsky said, backing out of the room as Davidson advanced. He kept his voice even, but his heart was pounding.

   Right outside the door, Dobey, Burns, and Perkins quickly moved back as Starsky came into the hall, followed closely by Davidson, Davidson's arm still locked around Hutch's neck. Starsky met Hutch's eyes, seeing fear there, but also trust that Starsky would be able to do something. Starsky was determined to uphold that trust.

   Davidson started to move with Hutch slowly down the hall. He had gone only a few feet when a nurse's aide pushing a food cart came down the hall from the other direction and ran into Davidson from behind.

   Starsky took advantage of Davidson's momentary distraction and started to move in, but Davidson recovered quickly. Shoving Hutch forcefully toward Starsky, Davidson turned around and ran past the terrified aide, disappearing into the stairwell. Burns and Perkins stood, stunned, for a moment, then headed after him.

   Hutch collided with Starsky, who staggered as he grabbed his partner's arms to keep Hutch from falling. He looked worriedly into Hutch's face. "You okay, partner?"

   At Hutch's nod, Starsky gave his partner's shoulder a squeeze. "Be right back, blondie." He hurried down the stairs after Davidson as Dobey and a nurse came to help Hutch back to his room.

~~~~~~~~

   Starsky's footsteps echoed in the stairwell as he hurried down. He didn't see any sign of Davidson or Burns and Perkins, but figured Davidson would try to get out of the hospital, so he headed for the ground floor.

   Starsky opened the door to the main floor, cautiously looking around before stepping into the hallway off the hospital lobby. Still seeing no sign of Davidson, he started down the hall toward the lobby. He was approaching a bank of phone booths when a voice stopped him in his tracks.

   "Hello, Starsky. Looking for me?"

   Starsky froze as Davidson stepped out of one of the phone booths, his gun pointed straight at Starsky. "At least I can take care of part of my problem now," Davidson said as he pulled back the hammer of the gun. "I can still take care of your partner later."

   Any retort Starsky had planned to make was cut off as Burns suddenly barreled down the hall from the lobby, launching himself in a flying tackle at Davidson. Davidson's gun discharged into the air as both men crashed to the ground. There was a brief scuffle, which ended when both Starsky and Perkins, who had run over when he heard the shot, pointed their guns at Davidson.

   "Okay, Davidson, party's over," Starsky said. "Drop the gun."

   Davidson stared at the three men for a moment, then suddenly went limp, dropping his gun. Burns quickly picked it up and placed it in his own waistband, then turned Davidson over, placing him in handcuffs and reading him his rights.

   Climbing to his feet, Burns hauled Davidson up too. "Come on, Lieutenant, you've had a hard day. We've got a nice, comfy cell for you to rest in."

   As Burns and Perkins started to lead Davidson away, Starsky stopped Burns with a hand on his arm. "Hey," he said. "Great timing with that tackle. Thanks."

   Burns met his eyes for a moment, then smiled slightly. "You're welcome, " he said, then turned and led Davidson out past the crowd that had gathered.

~~~~~~~~

   As soon as Starsky got back to Hutch's floor, he could hear his partner's voice raised in protest.

   "I'm telling you, Captain, they've been gone too long. Something must've happened. I'm going down there, Starsk might need help."

   Dobey's voice had that no-nonsense tone that meant he wasn't backing down. "Hutchinson, you regained consciousness less than twenty-four hours ago. The doctor says you need to rest. Starsky can take care of himself. You're not going anywhere."

   "You can't stop me," Hutch said stubbornly.

   "Just can't leave you alone for a minute, can I, blondie?" Starsky said, walking into Hutch's room with a grin. Hutch was sitting on the edge of the bed, trying vainly to get up past Dobey's restraining hand. "I'm only gone a few minutes and here you are being difficult."

   Hutch turned relief-filled eyes to him. "Starsky! Are you all right? What happened?"

   Starsky came over and sat on the edge of the bed next to Hutch, and laid his hand on Hutch's shoulder. "Relax, Blintz, everything's fine. We got Davidson and he's on his way to the lock-up with Burns and Perkins."

   Hutch looked at him closely. He knew there was more to the story that Starsky wasn't telling him, but also knew Starsky would fill him in when he was ready. Nothing else, matters, babe, as long as you're okay. He reached up and covered Starsky's hand on his shoulder with his own, squeezing gently.

~~~~~~~~

   Starsky bounced into Hutch's hospital room two days later, singing under his breath and keeping time with his hand on his leg. "Hey," he said, grinning as he greeted Hutch, who was dressed in the street clothes Starsky had brought him the night before. "You ready to go?"

   Hutch grinned back. "Just about, Starsk. As soon as my prescription comes up from the pharmacy, I'm outta here."

   Starsky nodded as he moved around the room. Looks like we beat the odds again, partner. Sure wish we'd quit cutting it so close, though.

   He peeked into the duffel bag Hutch had open on the bed. "You got all your stuff?"

   "Yep, that's it," Hutch answered. Thanks for being there for me, buddy.

   Their eyes met, both understanding the other without words, as usual.

   After a few moments, Starsky suddenly grinned. "Hey, did you ask out that nurse from the evening shift?"

   Hutch seemed uncomfortable as he looked away. "Well, Starsk...um...I decided...she really isn't my type, ya know?"

   Starsky's grin widened. "She turned ya down, huh?" Hutch's blush gave him the answer he needed.

   "C'mon, Starsky, it's not that funny," Hutch complained. He attempted to glare at his giggling partner, but eventually found himself joining in. A knock on the door caused them to try and pull themselves together.

   Sergeant Burns stuck his head through the door in response to Hutch's, "Come in."

   "Hi, guys," he said. "Mind if I come in for a minute?"

   "Hey, Burns, how's it going?" Starsky said. "Come on in."

   "Yeah, come in, Burns," Hutch agreed. "What brings you down here?"

   "I heard you were going home today," Burns answered. "Congratulations."

   Hutch exchanged a glance with Starsky. "Thanks. I'm definitely ready to be out of here."

   "I also thought you'd like to know Lt. Davidson was indicted for Lennie's murder, and also for ordering the hit on you two," Burns continued. "Judge denied bail."

   "I hope they throw the book at him," Hutch said angrily.

   Starsky frowned. "What I can't understand is why a guy with twenty years on the force, a whole pile of commendations, and a wife and kids would get involved in something like that."

   "I asked him that," Burns said. "It was the money, I think. He said he had been working hard for twenty years and had gotten nowhere. He said he just thought it was time he got what he was entitled to."

   Hutch shook his head. "And now he's lost everything."

   Yeah," Burns said. "It was funny, but when I was talking to him it seemed like he didn't have any respect for the police or the pushers. It was like he thought he was better or smarter than all of us."

   Starsky snorted. "Some time in prison will change that view."

   "That's for sure," Hutch agreed. Changing the subject, he asked," So, Burns, heard anything about who your new Lieutenant's gonna be?"

   Burns was silent for a moment. "No, I haven't heard anything, but...Well, I might as well tell you. You're gonna hear about it sooner or later." He paused, taking a deep breath. "I'm leaving the department."

   Both Starsky and Hutch stared at him in surprise. "Leaving? Why?" Starsky asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer.

   Burns sighed. "It's just gotten too hard being on the streets without Jimmy," he said quietly. "I tried. But it's been almost a year and..." He paused and sighed again. "My heart's just not in it anymore, you know?"

   Hutch looked at Starsky, then back at Burns. "Yeah, we understand, Burns. This must've been a really tough decision for you. What are you going to do now?"

   "I was just a few credits shy of a teaching degree when I decided to join the force," Burns said. "I've talked to some people at the university, and I'm going to go back and finish my degree." He looked at his watch. "Guess I'd better get going," he said. I still have to answer to the department for another two weeks, and I'm supposed to be in court in a half hour."

   Starsky and Hutch both came over and shook his hand.

   "Good luck, Burns," Starsky said. "And keep in touch, okay?"

   "Thanks, guys, I will," Burns said, as he headed for the door.

   He was almost out the door when he paused and turned back, staring intently at both Starsky and Hutch. "You know," he said. "What you guys have is something very special. Make sure you don't forget how lucky you are." He turned and walked quickly out the door and down the hall.

   Starsky and Hutch looked at each other for a long moment. "I don't think that's something I'm ever gonna forget," Starsky said softly.

   "Me either, Starsk," Hutch answered, putting his hands on Starsky's shoulders. "Me either."

THE END