With a Little Help from my Friends

by khollie

What happens when one partner is threatened, but the other one needs the help more?

With a Little Help from My Friends

Dave Starsky hummed a tuneless ditty as he left his apartment that crisp October morning. He was on his way to work at the Metro PD where he and his partner, Ken Hutchinson, were detectives for the homicide division. Starsky loved his job, even as demanding and depressing as it got to be most of the time. His partner had once described Starsky as a curly haired bundle of nervous energy, in a perpetual good mood. Starsky just knew, that to keep his sanity, he had to look hard for the good things in life, like today. The summer heat had finally broken, the sky was the perfect shade of blue, and most importantly to him, he had finally gotten his car out of the garage.

Starsky's car, a red Ford Torino with a broad white stripe down each side, was his pride and joy. He spent a good deal of time, energy and money on fixing it up, keeping it tuned up, washing, waxing, in short, he was proud of it. Unfortunately, he had damaged the car over two weeks ago in a car chase in an industrial park. He had blown out a tire and the car had rolled over. The insurance company had been persuaded to pay for the extensive repairs since a friend of Starsky's had agreed to work on the car for half the amount. Starsky would pay the remaining amount. It had been expensive, but well worth it. Merle the Earl, Starsky's genius mechanic, had brought the car to him just the previous night.

Starsky stood at the top of the stairs looking down from his second floor balcony at his car. The new paint gleamed in the early morning sunlight, the glass reflected back...what was that? Starsky ran down the stairs as quickly as he could to stand at the driver's side window. It had been smashed in, the baseball bat was still inside the car. Red fluid stained the driver's seat, the inside of the door, the steering wheel, everywhere he could see. Starsky's blood ran cold as he assessed the damage, reaching in to pick up the stained envelope that was taped to the steering wheel. Shaking with rage, Starsky opened the envelope, reading the short message before crumbling it up into a ball and swearing softly to himself. Giving himself a final shake, the dark-haired detective sprinted back upstairs to call his partner.

Hutch arrived minutes later with his siren screaming. He bounded out of the car and up to his dejected partner who was sitting on the bottom step. "You okay?" Hutch asked breathlessly.

"Look what they did to my car, Hutch. I just got it back. Look at this." Starsky was the picture of dejection.

Calming himself down, Hutch sat down beside his friend and put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "I know buddy. Show me the note." Hutch took the silently offered note and read aloud. " 'Maybe next time, you can bring the blood.' " Hutch folded the note and put it in his pocket. "Any ideas?"

"Nope." Starsky's single word answer told Hutch how bad his partner felt.

"Did you call Dobey?"

"Nope."

"Forensics?"

"Nope."

"Did you call anybody?"

"You." Starsky looked over at his partner's exasperated face and grinned slightly. "I was waiting for you to get here before I called it in. I wanted to know if you'd received a message too or if I was the only one getting the special delivery mail." Starsky stood up and brushed off the seat of his pants. "Who've we made mad lately?"

"I don't know, I can't keep track anymore. Besides this one looks like you have the secret admirer. I'm not even mentioned. The fact that this bozo knows where you live, is something to consider too," Hutch said, rubbing his forehead thoughtfully.

Starsky looked at his partner sharply. Something hadn't sounded right in Hutch's tone of voice. "You feeling ok?"

"It's just this headache. I've had it for three days now. I'll have Margie give me another neck rub tonight. She has great hands!" A smile passed over Hutch's face as he talked about his new girlfriend.

"You can tell me more about her later. Right now, let's get forensics down here and see what they can pull off my car." It was a very dejected Starsky who led the way back to his apartment.

Two hours later, the two detectives were back in the squad room of the station where they worked. Starsky had filed a report, and now his superior, Captain Harold Dobey, had him going over the arrest and parole reports to see who might be holding a grudge against him. Starsky and Hutch had just complied a list of their most likely suspects when the phone rang. Starsky answered it.

"Starsky here...Who is this?...You're gonna have to do better than that sucker. I'll...Damn!" Starsky hung up the phone with a slam that caused the other four officers in the room to look up. He apologized to them then looked into Hutch's wide blue eyes. "It's me. That was the guy who decorated the Torino. Said next time, he'd make sure it was my head he left on the steering wheel." Starsky's face was a solid mask of non emotion. He pushed himself back from the desk and leaned back in his chair.

Hutch stood up and walked around to Starsky's side of the desk they shared. "I know how you feel buddy. Why don't you take a few days off and go get lost somewhere? Let me track this guy down."

Starsky looked at Hutch in amazement. "What are you saying? I can't just disappear. I'm not letting this creep think he's scared me off. You know that." Starsky stood up and faced his partner, standing only inches away.

"Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine. I just think you should lie low for a few days, see if this guy makes a mistake looking for you so we can catch him," Hutch said evenly, his eyes boring into the blue ones that faced him. His head was still throbbing and he fought not to let Starsky see it.

"I've never run away from anybody in my life and you know that! You of all people know that!" Starsky hissed, not wanting the other men in the room to hear him. "What's gotten into you?"

Hutch backed down and sat in his chair. "I'm sorry Starsk. It must be the aspirin I took. We'll catch this guy together." Hutch rubbed his eyes. "Hey, let's go see Huggy. He's bound to know something. We can be there and back before Dobey gets back from the courthouse this afternoon." He looked at his partner with a bit of sparkle in his eyes.

"Sounds good. But if you come up with any more lame brain ideas like that, I'll give you a headache to remember." Starsky was still talking as he and Hutch made their way out of the room.

The ride to Huggy's was made in silence. Hutch pulled his car up in front of a small bar with "The Pits" painted across the white brick front. Inside, the two detectives found their best friend, Huggy Bear. Huggy was the eyes and ears of the entire district. He had more sources of information than anyone, and nothing happened in the district that he didn't know about. This was in spite of the common knowledge that he was very tight with two cops. Now, the tall, skinny, black man just waved from behind the bar as Starsky and Hutch entered the restaurant.

"I was just about to call you two guys," he said as placed a cup of coffee in front of each man.

"What's up, Hug?" Starsky asked as he picked up the coffee. He scanned the mostly empty room as he drank.

"It seems that Starsky here has a new secret admirer," Huggy said, leaning on his elbows across the bar.

"What have you heard?" Hutch's tone was level and serious. He took threats to Starsky very seriously.

"Have you heard about a new hitman? He's called the Actor. He's very good. Plays a part, gets close to his target, then blows them away at point-blank range. Rumor is that he's in town and you are on the menu Starsky, my man." Huggy refilled their cups before continuing. "Has anything come down recently?"

"Someone trashed my car this morning then gave me a call at headquarters," Starsky admitted. He was a little scared, but mostly angry at being a target. He knew that it came with the job, but it didn't mean that he had to like it. Suddenly a new thought occurred to him. "Hey Huggy, let me ask you a question."

"Why is it that this guy wants to invite me for the dance, and not Hutch?" Starsky jerked his head to indicate his partner, who was being uncharacteristically quiet. Hutch seemed to be zoning out on them.

Starsky reached out and shook the blond man's shoulder. "Hey Hutch, you with me here?" His voice held a worried tone.

"Yea, I'm here." Hutch shook his head slightly, and smiled wanly at his two friends. "I've just got a headache, that's all. Now, what did you ask Starsk?"

"Never mind. I'm taking you home. If you're hurting bad enough to zone out, you need to be in bed, not here." Starsky grabbed his arm and pulled him up off the barstool. "Come on Hutch, we're leaving now. See ya, Hug, and let me know if you hear anything else would ya?"

"You know it. Take care, Hutch." Huggy watched as Starsky steered Hutch out of the bar. He grinned to himself as he placed the coffee cups in the basin under the bar. Those two were always in some sort of trouble. He wasn't too worried though. As long as they had each other, they'd be okay.

Starsky pulled into Hutch's driveway and parked behind the small pickup that sat in the driveway. "Looks like Margie's here already." Starsky commented to Hutch.

"Yeah, she was going to cook dinner for us tonight. You wanna stay? She's a great cook." Hutch asked as he climbed wearily out of the car.

"Nah. You need to rest and get feeling better." Starsky walked closely behind Hutch as the two approached the front door. "I'm going to borrow your car for a while. I'll see ya in the morning. Call me if ya need anything." Starsky said as he reached out to open the door for his friend. He pulled his hand back in surprise as the door was opened from the inside.

A girl stood framed in the open doorway. Her long black hair was braided down her back and the blue jeans she wore accented the length of her legs. She was wearing one of Hutch's sweaters as well as an oven mitt on her left hand. "I thought I heard someone out here." She smiled as she took off the mitt. "I thought I'd come early and have dinner ready by the time you got home, Ken. I hope you don't mind."

"I don't mind. Margie, I'd like you to meet Dave Starsky, my partner. Starsk, this is Margie Copeland." Hutch gave Margie a quick kiss, then excused himself to disappear into the bathroom. Margie looked at Starsky with a question in her eyes.

"He's not feeling well. He says it's just a headache but he's had it for a few days. Keep an eye on him. If he needs anything, you call me. Hutch can tell you the number," Starsky instructed her as he started back out the door. He and Hutch had a standing agreement about dates.

"You're not leaving, are you?" Margie asked in surprise. "Hutch has told me a lot about you. I've been looking forward to meeting you. At least stay till Hutch gets to feeling better." Margie held out her hand to him.

"I've gotta be going. We're on sort of a tough case right now. You just take care of Hutch for me. Be seeing ya." With that, Starsky left and pulled the door shut behind him. He missed seeing the flash in Margie's eyes as she stared at the closed door.

Hutch came out of the bathroom with the aspirin bottle still in his hand when he heard the door shut. "Where'd he go?"

Margie turned to him with a smile on her face. "Said he had work to do. You told me yourself how dedicated he is. He borrowed your car. He said you wouldn't mind." Margie took the unopened aspirin bottle from Hutch's hand and then steered him toward the couch. "You just sit here and get comfortable. I'll get these for you and something to drink with them." She kissed Hutch before he could argue with her.

A few moments later, she came back in the room and handed the man two white pills and a glass of water. She watched as he swallowed the medicine, then took back the glass. "Now," she said as she gently pushed him down to lay on the couch, "you just relax and let that work. I'll go check on dinner, then give you a neck rub. You can tell me all about your day and that busy partner of yours."

Hutch lay quietly, not thinking, just letting Margie do for him. His head was heavy and pounded with the beat of his pulse. It felt good to just lay quietly and not talk. Margie was so good and gentle with her massage, he thought to himself. It would really feel good to have her cool hands rub his tired muscles. He closed his eyes and slipped into a netherworld of floating nothingness.

Returning to the station, Starsky immediately started calling the various snitches and other sources of information he and Hutch had gathered over the years. Two other people confirmed that the Actor was in town and that a contract had gone out on Starsky. No one knew why Starsky was singled out, but the dark haired detective knew in his gut that Hutch would become involved as well.

The two men had been partners and friends for too long for someone to hold a grudge against just one of them. In a way, Starsky was glad that he, and not Hutch, was the one singled out. He always felt so helpless when Hutch was hurt, a feeling that he hated. At least this way, he could do something about the threat. Thinking of Hutch made him check the wall clock. Just after four. He had been working for longer than he had realized. His stomach began to rumble, reminding him that he had missed lunch and supper had better be on the way. Seeing that Captain Dobey was still gone, Starsky left a note on his desk outlining the case so far, then left.

Starsky walked out to the back parking lot and wove his way around the cars to where he had parked Hutch's car. He could see the impound garage and his beloved Torino inside, quietly awaiting inspection by the lab crew. He felt a flash of anger at the person who had vandalized his car, and made a mental note to call Merle again. At this rate, Merle would spending more of his paycheck than he would. Starsky shook his head sadly and turned to unlock the car door.

Just as he swung the door open, shots rang out, striking the roof of the car and shattering the windshield. Starsky threw himself down behind the door, his gun appearing in his hand almost magically. He scanned the area in front of him, looking for the source of the shots. Two uniformed officers joined him. The gunman squeezed off another three quick shots, driving the officers under cover.

Starsky saw the slight movement in the window of the abandoned building across the street. He aimed quickly and fired off three shots in quick succession. No more shots rang out. "Stay here! Call Dobey!" he yelled out as he made his way quickly to the exit and ran across the street, heedless of the traffic.

Three more officers were on his heels as he reached the old building, kicked in the locked front door, and pounded up the central stairs to the fourth floor. He stopped on the landing, waving his hand behind him for the others to stop as well. "Dugan, Mike, you go right. Me and Jake'll go left. Be careful. This guy wants to burn a cop." Once again the dark head popped out to scan the hallway. "Go!"

Two men went left as the others went down the hall to their right. Starsky and Jake made their way down the hall, listening at open doors as they went and kicking in the closed ones. The building was eerily silent, except for the sounds of the officers as they made their search. Starsky was just about to kick open a fifth door when a shout sounded from the other team. Starsky and Jake ran down the hallway to the room where Dugan and Mike where kneeling in front of an opened window. Dugan stood up and grabbed onto Starsky to steady him. "I think you need to have a look at this." He let go and stepped aside to let Starsky look at the message scrawled on the floor.

The message had been written in red fluid on the dirty white carpet. "Take a look Starsky. This is what you're gonna end up as." A rifle with the end of the barrel dripping with the red ooze, was lying just under the message.

Starsky just stood and looked, his hands balling up into fists. A cold rage started to build inside of him. He had to force himself to act calm. He placed his gun in its holster and closed his eyes to concentrate on his breathing. Normally, Hutch would have been there to talk and act for him, to give him time to calm down. Now, he had to do it for himself.

Aware that the others were looking at him, Starsky opened his eyes and sent Jake off to collect Captain Dobey from wherever he was. Mike was sent to gather a forensics team while Dugan was to find out how and where the sniper had entered the building. Starsky would stay and wait for Dobey's arrival. He knew the questions that would be asked, but he had no idea of what answers he would give.

Starsky was still staring at the pool of blood when Dugan came back into the room. He reported finding a window open on the third floor that accessed the fire escape. Whoever the shooter had been, he'd made a clean getaway. Jake, Captain Dobey, and a full forensics team came in a few minutes later. Starsky spent the next hour filling in the captain about the day's events and his role in them.

The leader of the forensics team caught up with Starsky and Dobey in the captain's office. He reported that the red fluid was chicken blood, both on the floor and in the Torino. No fingerprints or other traces of the would-be assassin were found.

"How do you want to handle this?" Dobey asked Starsky. He knew better than to suggest a plan of action. Starsky and Hutch always had their own way of doing things. As long as it got results, Dobey didn't care how they did it.

"I don't know right off hand. Right now I have to get Hutch's car over to Merle's to get the windshield replaced. He's gonna pick me up, we'll drop the car off at his place, and after that, I'm going home. Then, I'll call Hutch and see how he's feeling." Starsky headed for the door, picking up his worn leather jacket from the chair beside him.

"You have that partner of yours call me if he's still sick tomorrow. I don't want you on the streets without backup." Dobey said, shaking his finger at Starsky.

"You got it, Cap." With that, Starsky left the room. He hurried downstairs to find Merle waiting for him in the tow truck, Hutch's car already hooked up and ready to go. Arriving back at the garage, the two men worked together and got the car rolled into the garage. Taking a big set of keys out of the pocket of his greasy overalls, the short black man locked the garage doors.

"I'll come back and set that windshield for you tonight. You just tell that partner of yours to pick it up early in the morning. I cannot have people seeing that hunk of garbage in my garage." Merle told Starsky as they got back into the truck for the trip to Starsky's apartment.

"Just put in the windshield, Merle. And please, don't do anything else. I have to work with Hutch, remember? It's gonna be bad enough that I got the windshield blown out without adding any of your special touches." Starsky pleaded with the mechanic. Merle's official job was to add exotic touches to the cars he serviced. The last time he had worked on Hutch's car, he had decorated the entire interior with fake fur. It had taken Starsky nearly an hour to get his blond partner calmed down.

"Don't worry, Starsk. This is me, remember?" Merle flashed the dark haired detective a big white grin as he pulled up to the front of Starsky's apartment building.

Starsky got out of the tow truck and shut the door before answering. "That's what I'm afraid of Merle." He flashed a multi-watt grin in return before turning and climbing up the outside steps to his second floor apartment.

Starsky unlocked his door and stepped inside. He leaned back against the door for a long second, then hung up his jacket on the rack beside the door. He unstrapped his gun and hung it on the same hook before heading to the kitchen to see what could be done about the hunger pains rolling through his stomach. He had just pulled out a package of hotdogs when his phone began to ring.

"Damn." Starsky muttered as he dropped the hotdogs on the counter and headed for the living room. He picked up the phone. "Hello."

"Did you get my message? I hope so. I'm looking forward to this lasting a long time." The mysterious caller hung up before Starsky could utter a protest. He placed the phone back down on the coffee table and walked over to check the lock on the door. He had a feeling that he wouldn't be getting a lot of sleep this night. Starsky carefully picked up the receiver of the phone again and held it tight in both hands. His instincts screamed at him to call Hutch, to call his partner. But he couldn't, not now, not over something so trivial. 'Gee, Hutch, I know you're not feeling well, but I got a crank phone call and I'd really like you to come over and hold my hand.'

Starsky snorted at the absurdity of the thought. He was a grown man. A cop. He could handle one weird phone call on his own. The important thing was letting Hutch get the rest he needed to get better. He hung up the phone again and went back to the kitchen to fix himself dinner.

Twenty minutes later, Starsky put his dishes in the sink and went back into the living room. Deciding it was time to check on his sick partner, he dropped onto the couch and pulled the phone up into his lap, nearly dropping it when it started to ring. He stared at the phone for several seconds before picking up the receiver. "Hello," he said cautiously.

"Hey buddy, it's me! How are ya doing?" Hutch's cheerful voice came over the line.

"I'm okay. How're you feeling?"

"Like a million bucks. Margie has the magic touch. Listen, Dobey called me and said there was some trouble at the station today. Do you want me to come stay over tonight?" Starsky could hear the concern in his partner's voice. Though he really wanted to say 'yes', Starsky forced himself to sound cheerful as he turned down the offer.

"I'm a big boy, Hutch. I think I can spend the night alone. This crackpot hasn't really done anything yet."

"That's not what Dobey says. He and I agree, Starsk. Maybe you should drop out of sight, just for a few days. Force this turkey out into the open where we can catch him." Hutch had lowered his voice and was using what Starsky privately called his worry tone. Hutch had never been able to hide his worry from his partner.

"Look, Hutch, I ain't never run before and I ain't about to start now. Now, are you gonna be able to work in the morning?" He hoped that the determination in his voice would end Hutch's insistence that he hide.

"Fine, have it your way. Margie'll drop me off at Merle's in the morning, then I'll come over and get you. Call me if you need me before then," Hutch admonished his stubborn partner.

"See ya tomorrow then." Starsky hung up before he could change his mind.

The rest of the night passed slowly for Starsky. He slept restlessly, awakening at each tiny sound. He finally got up around six, and dropped down on his couch determined to at least rest before Hutch put in his promised early morning appearance.

Merle pulled up to his garage at eight the next morning, and was surprised to find Hutch waiting on him. As he parked and got out of his tow truck, he saw the white Toyota pickup pull out, the female driver waving to Hutch as she left. Merle tugged at the red stocking cap on his head as he walked over to where the tall man waited for him. He greeted Hutch merrily and proceeded to open the locked door.

"There she is, Hutch, good as new." Merle pointed to the LTD. He couldn't help grinning as Hutch walked over to his car and looked at the new windshield. He didn't react to the leopard skin seat covers, the furry steering wheel, or the pink fuzzy dice hanging from the rearview mirrors.

"Looks good, Merle. Just send me the bill. I'll be seeing you." Hutch smiled and waved as he climbed in the car and slowly backed out of the garage.

Merle shook his head as he watched Hutch drive off. "Must be taking after Starsky finally." was all he said as he entered his office to check out the day's work orders.

Twenty minutes later, Hutch pulled up in the parking space behind Starsky's apartment building. He got out of the car and stood staring blankly at it, seeming to lose track of where he was and what he was doing. Finally, he shook his head to clear out the cobwebs and climbed the steps to the second floor. He knocked on Starsky's door and waited for his partner to answer.

Starsky opened the door seconds later. "Why didn't you just come in? You've got a key." he teased. "Are you feeling better? You look a lot better."

Hutch stuck his hands in the pockets of his letterman's jacket as he walked in. "The aspirin helped almost as Margie's neck rub," he said sheepishly, a wide grin covering his face.

"I'll bet it did," Starsky teased. He couldn't help but feel a flood of relief now that his partner was back at his side. Although he'd never admit it, the mysterious phone call had left him feeling skittish and disquieted by the thought that if there were trouble his partner wouldn't be there to back him up.

Hutch took note of the dark shadows in his partner's face. "Did you sleep last night buddy? Don't answer...you didn't. What happened?" Hutch's voice was tinged with worry and regret that he hadn't been around. He listened quietly as Starsky told him about the shooting, the pool of blood, and the phone call.

"Damn! Why didn't you call me! You know I would have come right over!" Hutch exploded.

"You were sick!" Starsky yelled back. "I can't expect you to come running every time some nut makes a threat. I can take care of myself." In an odd way, Starsky was glad that Hutch cared enough about his safety to argue over it.

"Let's just go." Hutch held up his hands. "We can either stand here fighting all day, or we can go check out a lead I got this morning."

"What lead?" Starsky was all business now.

"One of Huggy's cousins called me, said he'd meet us at this old house he's working on. He said he's heard something that should help us catch this clown."

"Then what are we standing around here for? Let's go!" Starsky led the way out of the apartment, then locked the door behind Hutch. He followed his friend down to the parking lot, almost dreading to see what Merle had done to Hutch's car. 'Although,' he realized, 'Hutch hasn't said anything about it. Maybe Merle didn't do a number on it.' He strode to the passenger side of the car, then stopped short as he saw what Merle had done.

Hutch was sitting in the driver's seat waiting for Starsky to get in. "Let's go!" he called out.

Starsky climbed into the car slowly, waiting for Hutch to pounce on him about the condition of the car's interior. He wasn't prepared for the silence that greeted him. The silence continued for nearly five minutes before Starsky dared to say anything.

"I'm really sorry about this Hutch. I told him to lay off the decorations," Starsky apologized. Silence answered him back. Starsky looked at Hutch, waiting for the explosion that he knew was coming. Starsky reached out a hand as if to touch his partner's shoulder. "Hutch, I know I can get him to take all of this out." Still no answer.

Starsky took a closer look at Hutch. Hutch's eyes were staring straight ahead and his hands gripped the steering wheel with knuckles that were white. Starsky gripped the bony shoulder beside him. The muscles were almost rigid with tension. Becoming worried, Starsky shook Hutch's shoulder. "Hutch? Hutch, answer me. What's wrong?" Nothing happened. Starsky gave up and sank back into his seat, watching as the road unwound before him.

The drive was the longest fifteen minutes of Starsky's life. He hadn't been able to get Hutch to respond to him, and he was afraid to try too hard. He couldn't risk causing an accident that might kill him and his partner. He knew that something was wrong with Hutch, something that he had no idea how to handle. 'Maybe,' he thought, 'when we're done here, I can get Hutch to let me drive. I'll take him to see Doc Gregory. I wonder if this has anything to do with these headaches he's been having?' His train of thought was interrupted when Hutch pulled into the drive of a ramshackle old house.

"Here we are!" Hutch announced cheerfully. He got out of the car and started up the walk to the front door. Starsky just stayed in the car, unsure of what to make of the change that had overtaken his partner. When he realized that Starsky wasn't following him, Hutch came back to the car and opened the passenger side door.

"Come on. Brent said he'd meet us inside." Hutch was smiling, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. He looked at Starsky, the dark shadows in his face and eyes giving his partner a sinking feeling in his gut.

"Are you feeling all right, Hutch?" Starsky asked slowly as he climbed out of the car.

"I'm fine, just a little headache coming back. I'll take some aspirin later. Come on." Hutch headed back up to the house, turning midway to make sure that Starsky was following him.

Starsky followed, thinking deeply. He knew that something was seriously wrong with Hutch. The sinking feeling in his gut was threatening to become a pit of quicksand. He had to get Hutch to the doc, and fast. 'The faster we get this over with, the faster I can get Hutch to the doctor.' Starsky thought to himself as he joined his blond friend on the porch. "After you partner," he said as lightly as he could.

Hutch opened the door and bowed with a flourish. "After you sir," he said as he executed a perfect stage bow. He ushered Starsky in and stepped in after him, closing the door behind them. The same faraway look was back in his eyes as he stepped up behind the man who meant so much to him. "I'm sorry, Starsk, but this is for your good." Before Starsky could turn, Hutch hit him over the head with the butt of his gun.

As Starsky hit the ground, he tried to ask a single question, "Why?"

Starsky awoke slowly, waiting for the pounding in his brain to subside enough for him to able to open his eyes. He realized he was lying on his back on a soft surface, a cold cloth across his forehead. He raised his right arm to press down on the cloth, and noticed the handcuff attached to his wrist. With a start, he sat up, reeling with dizziness. He tried to look around, but the pain in his head made him lie back again. A glass of water was handed to him as gentle hands supported him.

"Just lie still, Starsk. You're safe now." Hutch's voice was low and comforting.

Starsky took a drink of the cool water, letting it swirl around the inside of his mouth before swallowing it gratefully. He gave the glass back and sank back against the pillow. "What happened? Who hit me?"

"I'm sorry, Starsky. It was the only way to keep you safe. You can stay here, no one can find you. I'll protect you." Hutch stepped away from the small cot his partner was lying on.

Starsky allowed Hutch's quiet words to roll around in his mind, trying desperately to sort his scattered thoughts. As their meaning became clear, he felt his stomach clench painfully, almost as if in reaction to a physical blow. Hutch! Hutch was the one had done this to him. The one who had hit him. Starsky grabbed the handcuff that was attached by a chain to a pipe on the wall near the bed. "What are you doing? How is hitting me going to keep me safe?" He rattled the chain. "And what the hell is this for?" Starsky was nearly shouting now, ignoring the pain in his head.

Hutch took another step back. "It was the only way. I have to keep you out of harm's way. This way, I know you'll be safe. No one can find you here. I'll be back later." Hutch picked up his athletic jacket and put it back on. "There's a pitcher of water on the stand next to you along with some aspirin for the headache. I'll bring back some food tonight." Hutch smiled widely, though his eyes didn't reflect the grin. "Just rest, buddy." With that, Hutch left the room.

Starsky sat up on the narrow cot and looked at his surroundings. He was in the basement of the house. A space heater provided warmth, and a small bathroom with a toilet and a sink was just off to his left. The chain on his wrist was securely fastened to the thick pipe beside him with another handcuff. Somehow, Starsky knew he didn't have the keys to either pair. Seething with anger, and worry about his partner, Starsky opened the aspirin bottle, and swallowed two of the small white pills dry. He then lay back down, determined to get enough rest to ease the pounding headache before trying to find a way to escape.

Hutch climbed up the stairs to the first floor and let himself out the front door, carefully locking it behind him. He paused on the step to press a hand against his eyes, trying to ease the vicious pain of his reoccurring headache. Carefully, he made his way to his car and felt around the seat for another aspirin bottle. He shook out three aspirin, two didn't seem to work anymore, and swallowed them dry, nearly choking as he did. He coughed violently, nearly retching before he was able to breathe normally again. Shaking his head, Hutch started the car and drove to his home.

Margie was there, waiting for him with open arms. She enfolded him as he entered the door, and steered him to the couch. "Did you do it?" she asked softly.

"He hates me. Why does he hate me? I just want him to be safe." Hutch's voice was that of a small, confused child.

"He'll forgive you. Starsky knows you're just looking out for him." Margie gave Hutch a glass of water and another two aspirin. She started to rub Hutch's neck as she leaned over the back of the sofa. "I told you that it would be okay." She softly nibbled on his neck as she rubbed it.

"I'll go out there with you tonight to see him. Now remember, you mustn't tell Dobey or anyone else where Starsky is." The look on Margie's face was one of pure evil as she whispered to the nearly unconscious Hutch.

"I won't tell anyone," Hutch repeated. His eyes closed and he went to sleep, falling sideways on the cushions.

"I know you won't, lover boy." Margie rubbed her hands together as she picked up the phone and dialed a number. "It's me... The first part is done. .. Yes, I know what to do... You're paying me a great deal of money for this, so let me work...Two days, tops. By then, Starsky will be dead. Hutchinson'll die soon after." She hung up the phone and looked down at the sleeping man.

"Trust me, Hutchinson. Starsky will know exactly who killed him." The gleam in her eye was unmistakable as she picked up the empty aspirin bottle from the coffee table and slipped it into her pocket.

Starsky awoke from his nap, clutching at his stomach. The pain was intense and he staggered to the bathroom, barely making it before he began vomiting equal amounts of digested food and blood. He finished, then sat, dazed and helpless on the floor of the small bathroom. "Oh God, Hutch, where are you? I need ya buddy. Help me!" Starsky yelled out in pain and confusion, pulling uselessly at the chain on his wrist.

Margie let Hutch sleep for an hour before waking him up again. Hutch sat up quietly on the couch, his hands folded in his lap. He stared straight ahead, not speaking or moving. Margie sat beside him and turned his head to face her. "Can you hear me Hutch?" she asked softly.

"Yes," he answered, his voice flat and toneless.

"You have to go to work now. I know that you are worried about Starsky, but you have to keep his location a secret, even from his friends. If you don't, Starsky will die. Do you understand me?" She smiled at Hutch, taking one of his hands in hers. She kept her voice low and soft.

Hutch looked at her, his eyes were dull and lifeless. "I understand."

"Good boy. Now remember what I said. Take your medicine every two hours, and don't tell anyone where Starsky is." Margie pulled Hutch to his feet and helped him with his gun and jacket. She ushered him out the door, closing it softly behind him. She watched as he drove off, then picked up her purse and left as well.

Hutch pulled up to the parking lot at the station and turned the engine off. He couldn't remember how he had gotten to the precinct and looked around shakily. He finally got out of the car and went up to the office, not speaking to anyone on the way. Reaching the office he and Starsky shared with four other detectives, Hutch sat down at his half of the double desk. He picked up a file folder from the pile in the middle of the table and opened it up, pretending to study it, but not really understanding what it said. He was still looking at it when Captain Dobey entered the office.

"Hutch. What are you doing here? And where's that partner of yours?" Dobey parked himself on the edge of the desk and looked at Hutch expectantly.

"He's keeping out of sight." Hutch said. A voice in his head whispered, 'Don't tell. Don't tell.' as Hutch tried to find an answer to satisfy Dobey. "We figured that if he stayed out of sight long enough, this guy's gonna have to make a move to find him. Then we can catch him." Hutch leaned back in his wooden chair and played with a pencil, carefully not looking Dobey in the eyes.

"Where is he now? I want to call him and make sure he's all right." Dobey put down the file he was carrying and picked up the phone receiver. He looked at Hutch for the number.

Hutch opened his mouth to speak, but no words came forth. A vision of Starsky laying stiff and cold on a hard surface swam in front of his eyes, forcing him to close his eyes to try and ban the scene. His hands tightened their grip on the pencil, breaking it in half. He was as surprised at the snap of the fragile wood as Dobey was. Dobey put down the phone and leaned forward to place a hand on Hutch's shoulder. "What's wrong, Hutchinson? Where is your partner?"

"He doesn't want me to tell Capt. This guy could have ears everywhere. Starsky's safer with only me knowing where he is. But, I'll have him call you just as soon as I can. I promise." Something in Hutch's tone bothered Dobey, but he couldn't put a name to it. He just sat and regarded the blond man, sensing that there was more to the story, but wasn't sure how to get to the truth.

Finally, Dobey stood up and regarded Hutch with a long look. "You just tell that partner of yours that I want to talk to him first thing in the morning, you hear me!?"

Absolutely Captain. First thing in the morning." Hutch smiled broadly, inwardly relieved that Dobey wasn't going to push anymore. He relaxed, Starsky was safe for now. The smile on his face showed the relief he felt. He was saved from answering any more questions by the ringing telephone.

"Hutchinson," he answered, all laughter gone from his voice.

"Hutch, it's Huggy. We need to talk man, now. How soon can you get over here?" Huggy's voice was filled with urgency.

"I'm out the door, Hug. Be right there." Hutch hung up and almost ran out the door, not noticing the stares he drew from Dobey and the other detectives in the room.

Minutes later, Hutch found himself outside the door to Huggy's bar. He looked around, surprised to find himself standing on the sidewalk, his car parked in front of him. "What the hell?" he whispered to himself. "How'd I get here?" Before he could find a suitable answer, the vision of Starsky laying dead flashed before his eyes again. This time, Hutch stumbled as he squeezed his fists tight against his eyes, trying to seal them against the nightmare. The soft, insistent voice was back inside his head, telling him to keep Starsky safe, 'Don't tell. Don't tell.'

Hutch shook his head to clear it before going into the bar. He had to know what Huggy had found out. The sooner he could catch whoever was after Starsky, the sooner he could release his friend and try to patch up any anger Starsky felt toward him.

Huggy was waiting for him in a booth in the far corner. Another man was sitting with him, using his finger to draw designs in the condensation around the beer glass. Hutch sat down in the round corner booth facing both of them.

"Hey, Hug. What's up?" he asked, keeping his voice light and informal.

"This is Mitchell. He has some information you might need." Huggy used his chin to point to the nervous white man sitting beside him.

Hutch looked at Mitchell, his eyes wide and probing. "What have you got for me?"

Mitchell, an older man with grey hair, cleared his throat nervously before he spoke up. "Whatever I say doesn't leave this room. You can't prove I said anything. Is that clear?"

Hutch nodded sagely. "I understand. I didn't hear anything from you, I've never met you. Now what is so important?"

Mitchell hunched over the table to get as close to Hutch as he could. "You know that there's a big contract out on your partner right?"

"I know that," Hutch answered.

"What you don't know is that the contract is being paid out tonight. Whatever is going to happen, is happening tonight. And, there's a bonus for getting you in the bargain. I didn't hear any names, but it's someone really close to your partner. Someone he trusts. That's all I know." Mitchell sat back and finished off his beer in one big mouthful.

Hutch leaned back as well, his thoughts plainly written on his face. He was trying to think of who would betray his partner. The vision of Starsky's death crossed his vision again. The pain in his head returned with renewed vigor, forcing him to close his eyes and rest his head on the checkered table cloth.

Huggy reached over in concern. "Hey, Hutch, you okay?" His face was screwed up into a worried scowl.

Taking a deep breath to clear the images from his mind, Hutch sat up and forced himself to face his friend. "I'm all right, but I think I need to get to Starsky. He's laying low, hoping to lure this nut out into the open. I'll give him your message, Mitch. Thanks for dropping by. I'll see ya, Hug." Hutch stood up hurriedly and left the bar, avoiding the look of concern in Huggy's eyes.

Huggy watched as his friend left. He knew that something didn't add up. Mitchell said goodbye and left, leaving a very puzzled and worried Huggy by himself at the table. He looked at the clock over the bar. It was early afternoon, too early for him to be able to leave the bar and do anything to help Starsky and Hutch look for their mysterious enemy. The best he could do right now was to make a few more phone calls and see what turned up.

Hutch drove straight out to the abandoned farmhouse. He parked his car in the drive and let himself in the front door. He locked the door behind him before going down the stairs to see his partner.

Starsky was asleep, lying on his side with his legs drawn up to his chest. His face was pale and lined with sweat. Hutch just looked at his sleeping pal, mentally apologizing for everything that had happened. A sour smell from the tiny bathroom caught his attention. He walked in and gagged at the sight of the blood and vomit on the floor.

"Dear God! What happened, Starsk?" Hutch went back over to Starsky and laid a hand on the pale forehead, feeling the burning fever that raged through his friend's body. Starsky tossed and turned but didn't awaken at Hutch's touch. Hutch ran to the bathroom and wet another towel to lay on his partner's head. After that, he cleaned up the mess and sat on the bed, waiting for Starsky to wake up.

Nearly half an hour passed before Starsky started to wake up. He opened his eyes groggily, clutching at the pain in his stomach, before he realized that Hutch was next to him. "Help me Hutch! I'm sick. You've gotta get me to the hospital." As badly as Starsky hated hospitals, he was willing to go if only to get Hutch to go.

"I can't buddy. You know that. They'll find you there. Starsky, you'll die if you leave here! You have to stay. I'll take care of you." Hutch gently laid his hand on Starsky's. "I'll stay with you. You won't be alone. Here have some more water." Hutch refilled the glass on the bedside table and held it to Starsky's mouth, urging his reluctant friend to finish the whole glass.

Starsky tried not to drink, holding his mouth closed as long as he could. He shook his head, trying to get away from Hutch with no luck. He had no choice but to drink, feeling the pain intensify in his abdomen. He didn't make it to the bathroom this time. He fell after only a few steps, spewing blood and water on the floor. The pain in his stomach was making his senses reel. As he lay in the pool of his own blood, Starsky couldn't help but feel fear as Hutch came toward him.

Starsky tried his best to climb back to his feet, but had no strength left in his body. He had to allow Hutch to pick him up and help him back into the bed. Starsky flinched, unconsciously, as Hutch reached toward him, using a moist cloth to clean his face and shirt. He could see by the vacant look in his partner's eyes that Hutch had no idea that he was responsible for what was happening to him. Even now, Hutch was picking up the water glass again.

Starsky held up his hand. "That's ok, Hutch. I really don't want any more right now. I want to give my stomach a chance to calm down." Starsky tried to grin but the pain was just too intense. "Just sit with me, please." Starsky pulled Hutch down to sit on the bed with him. Even in his weakened state, Starsky knew that he had to do all he could to protect Hutch. If he could get Hutch to stay with him, maybe he could talk him into releasing the handcuffs and taking his sick friend to the hospital.

Hutch sat on the bed with Starsky, holding him tightly and stroking his hot forehead. He looked out into the room, his face and eyes complete blanks. The usually self confident Hutch was gone, replaced by a puppet in a sort of trance-like state, content to just sit until he was told to do otherwise.

Starsky noticed the odd stare and tried again to talk to Hutch. "I don't feel so good, Hutch. Can you call Huggy? Maybe he can bring over something for me. We don't have to go anywhere, just bring him here." His voice broke under the tension of holding back the nausea that threatened to overcome him again.

"I can't, Starsk. If I tell anyone where you are, they'll find you and kill you. I can't let that happen. I can take care of you. I will take care of you. I won't let them find you." Hutch said. To Starsky, he sounded like a tape recorder playing back a message. It wasn't his Hutch doing the talking. Starsky's heart sank as he realized that if he died, it would be by Hutch's hand.

Margie scowled as she pulled up behind Hutch's car. He wasn't supposed to be here yet. She wasn't ready for him to finish off his partner. Oh, well, she could just send him on his way. Her employer was paying her for a good show and she fully intended for him to get his money's worth. She smiled to herself as she picked up her oversized purse and headed inside.

Starsky looked up as he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. A feeling of hope rose within him, then died just as quickly as he saw who it was. If Margie was here it could only mean one thing, she was behind whatever was happening to Hutch. The smile on her face only confirmed his guess as she stopped outside of the reach of his restraints. "Hutch, come here please," she commanded gently.

Hutch rose soundlessly and walked over to Margie. "It's time for your medicine," she said as she handed him the pill bottle. She watched with a satisfied smile as he dry swallowed two more of the traitorous pills. It broke Starsky's heart to see his friend taking the poison.

Margie pulled out a small thermos from her bag and handed it to Hutch. "I brought some soup for David. You'll have to feed him though. He won't want it, but you have to get something inside him. He'll die from dehydration otherwise." Hutch just nodded as he took the soup from her and walked over to the bed.

Starsky's eyes widened in fear. He knew beyond a doubt that the soup also contained poison. "That's okay Hutch. I don't want anything. Just sit with me. Maybe I'll want some later," he said, frantically twisting his wrist to try to break free of the handcuff.

"No Starsk. She's right. You need nourishment. Now just open wide...just a little...good job." Hutch held his partner's head and forced the steaming liquid down his throat. He sat the thermos back down on the floor and resumed his position by Starsky's side, oblivious to the pain and fear in his friend.

Margie called to Hutch again, getting him to stand before her. "Hutch, it's time for you to go back to work. We can't let anyone think that something is wrong. Just drive around your district, maybe say hello to a few people, but stay away from Huggy and Dobey. They'll try to make you bring them here. The person who wants to kill Starsky is watching them, and he'll follow them here. You don't him to kill your friend now, do you?" Hutch shook his head slowly. "All right. Now you go and I'll stay with Dave. Go on now." Margie spoke to Hutch as one would to an ill child. The smile on her face was one of pure malice as she watched him leave the room. Once she was sure he was gone, she turned her smile on her prisoner.

"What are you doing to him!?" Starsky yelled through the pain.

"It's a form of deep hypnosis. He'll do anything I tell him to." Margie sat in the only other chair in the room and folded her hands in her lap as she regarded the man in the bed.

"How?"

"It's simple really. My employer wants you two to suffer, not just die. I thought that since you two were closer than the Hardy Boys, it would be so nice to have one of you kill the other." This time the smile was genuine.

"But you can't convince a person, even under hypnosis, to do something that's wrong for them," Starsky argued weakly. He could feel the poison spreading through him, robbing him of breath and making it difficult to see.

"I know, but Hutch can be persuaded to 'protect' you. He'll keep you safe, and 'love' you to death. In his state, that's very easy to do. That blond partner of yours will do anything to protect you."

"Who's paying you?"

"Sorry, but that's for me to know. I'm like a lawyer, I have to keep my client's information confidential." Margie took a book out of her bag. "Now, you just be a good boy and die, and I'll stay with you and finish this book."

Hutch drove around town for the better part of two hours, not stopping to chat with any one of the dozens of people he and his partner had built a relationship with over the years. One in particular watched as Hutch circled the block for the third time before walking off to find someone to help.

Huggy was poring over his account log when the scruffy-looking woman entered the bar. "Hiya Hug! Can ya spare a little coffee today?"

Huggy flashed a wide smile as he saw who his visitor was. "For you Mildred, anytime. What 'cha got for me?" he asked as he filled a cup and sat it down in front of her.

Mildred took the offered cup and sipped appreciatively. "You said to let you know if anything looked strange about those two cop friends of yours, right?"

Huggy just nodded. "Well, I don't know if this qualifies or not, but the blond one, Hutch, has been driving around in circles for the past two hours. He hasn't stopped, hasn't talked to anyone, nothing. He just keeps driving around." Mildred's gray eyes looked into Huggy's brown ones. "That's just not like him, especially with that contract out on his partner."

Huggy got up wordlessly and disappeared back into the kitchen. He returned moments later with a cup of soup and a sandwich. He placed them on the counter in front of the woman saying, "For that, you just bought yourself a free lunch." Huggy waved off her thanks as he retreated to the end of the bar and the telephone.

He dialed a number and waited impatiently for an answer. "It's me, Huggy. I've got some news about our boys. Seems that Hutch is just driving around in circles out here. No...no idea of where Starsk is...Gotcha. Pick me up out front." The tall black man put down the phone and looked up at the clock, wiping his face with his hand and muttering, "Maybe we'll get some answers now."

Starsky lay on the bed, feeling his remaining strength ebbing away. He knew that he was dying, and it saddened him further knowing that Hutch was the instrument of that death. Starsky looked around again and was surprised to see a small woman with short dark hair standing by his side. He reached up a hand towards the face that he remembered so well. "Terry?" he whispered.

"I told you that I'd always be here. I told you not to forget me. You know that I would never leave you alone." She sat down next to him, not touching him, but near enough for Starsky to see the tears in her eyes. "You were there for me. You didn't let me die alone. I won't let you die alone either."

Starsky's eyes filled with tears as he looked at the woman he loved. The woman who had been killed a few years before by a man who hated Starsky. "I've loved you every day," he whispered. "I never forgot you." His voice sounded strange, even to his own ears.

Terry took Starsky's hand and wiped away the tear from his cheek. "I know. I've been there for you even though you couldn't see me. I've watched you and Hutch every day since I went away. I'm so proud of you, all that you've done, the people you've helped. I told you that you couldn't quit, that the job was in your blood." She smiled sadly at him. "I knew that one day, we would see each other again. I just didn't know it would be this soon."

"I tried, Terry, I really tried, but I can't do it this time. Something's wrong with Hutch, he's killing me and he doesn't even know it." Starsky was weeping softly, knowing that Margie was still there, even if he couldn't see her.

"I know that. Ken is very sick, Dave. He can't help himself. I'll help him too when it's his time. You won't mind, will you?" Her soft brown eyes were filled with love for Starsky.

"He'll need a hand. That blond blintz couldn't find his way out of a paper bag without help." Starsky tried to laugh at the light hearted insult at his best friend. Terry laughed quietly as she held Starsky's hand.

"How long?" Starsky asked, his mood sobering once more.

"Not long. An hour, maybe two, if help doesn't come," Terry replied truthfully.

"And Hutch?" Even now, Starsky had to put Hutch's needs ahead of his own.

"Not much longer. His will be faster though. And more sudden, like mine should have been." Terry dropped her eyes as she and Starsky remembered the bullet that had lodged in her brain. She had lived for almost a week, until the bullet had moved and brought about her death. Starsky had been there at the end, holding her hand as she drew her last breath. Terry's final words had been a request for Starsky to think of her often, and to not forget her. He hadn't forgotten the woman he had loved, her tender smile, his tears in his pillow at night after the shooting, the numbness he had felt when she had died. Starsky had known then that he would carry that grief until the day he died. Now, he knew that his grief was with him on his deathbed.

Dobey's car pulled up to the curb outside The Pits just long enough for Huggy to get in. "Thanks for coming," Huggy told Dobey.

"I tried to get Hutch on the radio, but he isn't answering." Dobey replied as he pulled away from the curb. "Where is he now?"

"Right there." Huggy pointed as Hutch's car rounded the corner in front of them. "Looks like he's changed direction. I wonder what's up with him?" his eyes were crinkled in worry.

"I don't know. We'll follow him until we find out," Dobey said grimly. He flexed his hands on the steering wheel as he followed his errant detective, surprised when Hutch began driving out of town into one of the older housing districts.

Dobey and Huggy watched as Hutch finally pulled into the driveway of an older, apparently deserted house. Their quarry never checked to see if he had been followed as he got out of his car and let himself into the two-story house. Dobey waited until Hutch had disappeared inside before parking his car across the street.

"Whose truck is that?" Huggy wondered out loud.

"I'll find out," was the terse reply as Dobey reached for the mic to request an ID on the white Toyota pickup. Long minutes passed before the answer came back that the license plate was stolen. "I don't like this one bit. We need to get inside and see what's happening." Dobey looked at Huggy. "You stay here. If I'm not back in twenty minutes, call for backup."

Huggy looked at the captain, "Oh no, you don't. They're my friends too. I'm coming with ya."

"This could be dangerous, Huggy. I can't risk a civilian in there." Dobey protested.

"And Starsky and Hutch wouldn't let you go in by yourself. Now either I go, or we both stay right here." Huggy's face showed his determination.

Dobey looked at the younger man with a new sense of respect. He knew that both Starsky and Hutch meant a great deal to Huggy, but now he knew how deep that friendship ran. Dobey didn't know too many people who would willingly put their lives in danger just for a friend. "OK," he finally said, "let's go."

Hutch entered the basement and went directly to Margie, not sparing a glance at the sick man on the bed. Margie looked up from her book and pasted a satisfied smile on her face. "Oh good, you're back. I think David needs you. Why don't you give him some more of that soup?"

"OK," Hutch responded in a flat tone. He walked over to the bed, picking up the thermos from the floor before sitting down by Starsky.

"How ya doing, partner?" Hutch asked.

Starsky lifted his head at the sound of Hutch's voice. "I'm dying, Hutch. I can't see or move my arms and legs. You've gotta get some help. Please," he begged, his voice just barely audible.

Hutch opened the thermos and cradled the dark head in his arm. "Just drink this. You'll feel a lot better."

Starsky tried vainly to protest as more of the soup was poured into his mouth. Tears streamed from his eyes as fought against the man that used to be his best friend. He knew the end was near, and he feared, not only for his own life, but for Hutch's life as well. Hutch finished and recapped the thermos. He gently rearranged the pillow under Starsky's head, then sat still and quiet, waiting for his next command.

"Come here, Hutch," Margie commanded. She smiled as Hutch rose and walked to her side. "You see, David. Hutch will do anything to save you, including take his own life. I want you to see this. One of you should see how the Hardy Boys died." Now Margie took Hutch by the arms and turned him to face her.

"Listen to me, Hutch. This is very important. To save your partner's life, you must offer your life in trade. Can you do this for him? For Starsky?"

"Yes."

Starsky wanted to scream, to rush over and hold his friend, to prevent the tragedy that he knew was happening.

"I want you to take your gun, place it in your mouth, and pull the trigger." Margie looked at the dying Starsky as Hutch pulled his gun and looked at it thoughtfully. "Say goodbye to David, Ken. He'll be joining you shortly."

"Stop! Police! Drop the weapon!" Dobey's gruff tone rang through the basement.

"Do it, Ken! Now! They're here! They'll kill Dave! Shoot!" Margie screamed at the top of her lungs. She had seen Dobey at the top of the stairs, but didn't see Huggy as he raced down and tackled Hutch. With Margie's shouts in his ears, Huggy wrestled Hutch for the gun. With a strength born of fear and desperation, Huggy managed to send Hutch reeling with a sharp right cross. Hutch lay unconscious at the foot of the small cot where Starsky was chained. Huggy looked down at the gun on the floor, and up into the gun held by Margie.

"Damn you! I still win though. Dave is gonna die and so are you." Margie squeezed the trigger, but gasped as a shot rang out in the small room. Her eyes widened in shock as she dropped the gun, looking over at Dobey. The big man was still standing on the stairs with his gun trained on her. The woman raised a hand to her chest as if to stem the flow of blood before collapsing at Huggy's feet.

Huggy's normally warm brown face was a pasty shade of grey as he stepped away from the body and knelt down beside Hutch. He looked up at Dobey, "Hutch is alive. Thank God. How's Starsky?"

Dobey holstered his gun as he moved to the cot. "Get an ambulance and be quick." Dobey bent over Starsky as Huggy raced upstairs. "Starsky, can you hear me? Come on Starsky, don't do this to me."

Starsky mustered up the strength to reach for Dobey's hand. "Hutch?"

"He's alive. Who did this to you? What happened?"

"Poison... Tell Terry, I tried to hold on." Starsky couldn't resist the dizziness any longer and fell into the pillow. Dobey could only look at Starsky and Hutch in amazement as Huggy came back into the room. By the time they had found the keys to the handcuffs and released Starsky, the sound of sirens could be heard getting closer to the house.

While Dobey sat beside Starsky, Huggy moved back to the floor to check on Hutch who was beginning to wake up. Huggy saw his friend's eyes open, but Hutch just lay on the floor, seemingly staring straight through the ceiling. "Hutch," Huggy called softly. "Can you stand up?"

"Yes," was the simple reply. Hutch started to get up, and wobbled as he did.

Huggy gave Hutch a hand up from the floor. "Steady there. Here, sit with your partner while I go and lead the paramedics down here." Huggy started to guide Hutch to the side of the cot, but before he could move a step, he was stopped by a scream from Starsky. "No! Keep him away! No! Help me!" The dark haired man was pointing at Hutch as he tried to bury his head into Dobey's side. Dobey held him as tightly as he dared, all the while assuring him that it was Hutch and Hutch would never hurt his best friend.

"He...water...poison." was all that Starsky managed to say before he blacked out once again. Dobey looked from the unconscious man to his blond counterpart just standing stiffly in front of Huggy.

"What the hell happened here?" Dobey asked softly, looking around the room and seeing the blood stains on the floor and in the tiny bathroom.

"I don't think I want to know," was Huggy's equally soft reply. The two sat with their unresponsive charges until the paramedics arrived to transport the two detectives to the hospital.

Captain Harold Dobey had never been a patient man, and now he was stretching what little patience he had to it's absolute end. He and Huggy had been waiting in the hospital lounge for nearly three hours with no new information other than they were still running tests on both men. Dobey could still see the paramedics working feverishly over Starsky, trying to get the IV's established, having to insert the tube down his throat to breathe for him, the mad rush to get him to the hospital. Since Dave had mentioned poison, samples of everything in the basement had been collected and sent in with him.

Hutch on the other hand, still hadn't said or done anything, but sit. He would follow simple commands, but exhibited no independent thought. Only once had a nurse stopped long enough to inquire what Hutch's symptoms had been and how long he'd been exhibiting them. Dobey had passed along what little information he had, and the nurse had hurried away without providing any information of her own.

Huggy had fallen asleep in one of the uncomfortable chairs. Dobey envied the lanky young man the ability to find that much comfort in the hard plastic chairs. He had just bought his fifth cup of vending machine coffee when the doctor came into the lounge.

"Captain Dobey," the doctor came over to shake hands. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting, but those boys of yours have been giving us fits."

"How are they, Dr. Gregory?" Dobey asked. He and the doctor had met several times before, usually due to some injury or accident to either Starsky or Hutchinson. Now, Dobey reached down to shake Huggy awake as the doctor took a seat.

"Dave is in very serious shape. The poison he was given was very hard to analyze. It's a good thing you sent in those containers. He's on a respirator and medications to flush the toxins out of his kidneys. He's not out of the woods, but if he survives the next twenty-four hours, I'd say he has a good chance at a full recovery." Sighing heavily, the doctor took off his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose.

"What about Hutch?" Huggy asked, yawning.

"Hutch is another story. The drugs we got out of the woman's purse are a strong narcotic-type drug that induces a form of deep hypnosis."

"You mean like, brainwashing or something?" Huggy's voice rose in query.

"Something like that. The big difference is that this may be temporary. From the amount of drugs still present in his bloodstream, Hutch must have been taking them at regular intervals for several days. Right now, he's still asleep. When he wakes up, we'll be able to assess his mental state better. It's possible that he won't remember what happened." Dr. Gregory leaned forward in his chair to face the two men.

"I don't think it would be a good idea for Ken to be in to see Dave anytime soon. From what you told my nurse, Ken was talked into kidnapping and poisoning Dave. I don't know what kind of psychological problems that will leave, for either one of them."

"You mean that Starsky won't be able to trust Hutch, even if we tell him the truth about what happened?" Huggy's voice broke with emotion.

Now Dobey placed a hand on Huggy's shoulder. "You saw Starsky, how scared he was back at that house. I've never seen him frightened of anything, but he was terrified of Hutch." Dobey dropped his hand and stood up, pacing the length of the small room. He was silent for several seconds before turning back to the doctor. "When can we see them?"

Gregory stood up. "You can see Hutch right now. He's sleeping, so don't expect any response. I'll check with the ICU nurse to make sure they have Dave settled in, then you can see him for a few moments." The doctor stood up and shook hands with both men. "Hutch is in room 423."

"Thank you. We'll go see Hutch, then go up to intensive care," Dobey said.

"When you get there, ask for M.L. I'll let her know you're coming." The doctor left the lounge and went down the hallway, while Dobey and Huggy took the elevator to the fourth floor.

Room 423 was at the end of the hall. Huggy crowded in behind the captain as they entered the dark room. Hutch was lying in the bed, the night light above his head casting a soft glow across his face. Huggy stood by the bedside, holding on to the IV pole and just stared into his friend's peaceful face. He finally looked up at the big man standing across from him.

"Do you think he'll remember what happened?"

"I don't know. We'll have to be ready for whatever happens. God knows they've been through a lot together, but this... I just don't know." Dobey's voice reflected the weariness he felt. These two had been through so much in their time together, now it looked as if the closeness they had shared wouldn't be able to help them.

"I'll stay with Hutch. Why don't you go see Starsky?" Huggy offered. He didn't want to admit that he couldn't stand to see Starsky in the ICU again. The last time he had done that, Starsky had nearly died. Huggy knew that he wouldn't be able to deal with that possibility right now.

Dobey gave Huggy a long look, easily guessing the reason behind the offer. He simply nodded his head before giving Hutch's hand a gentle pat. He left the room and paused in the hallway to wipe his eyes. He took a minute to compose himself before taking the elevator to the sixth floor Intensive Care ward.

He was met outside the ward by an attractive nurse with short dark hair and piercing green eyes. "Captain Dobey?" she asked.

"I'm Dobey. I'm here to see David Starsky," was the gruff reply.

The nurse stuck out her hand. "Yes sir. My name is M.L.. Dr. Gregory said you'd be up to see Mr. Starsky. If you'll just follow me." M.L. turned and opened the door for the police officer. She led him down the hall to an open doorway and stopped, turning to face him. "I have to warn you, he's still unconscious. We have a lot of machinery in there to monitor him, but he is holding his own. I'll be at the desk if you need anything." With an understanding smile, the tall nurse laid a sympathetic hand on Dobey's shoulder before walking across the hall to her station.

Dobey took a deep breath before entering the room. He had seen Starsky in intensive care before, but it was still a shock to see his friend laying amid the tubes and wires in the bed. An oxygen tube protruded from his mouth, IV's were inserted in both arms, and various wires trailed from his chest to the heart monitor. The only sounds in the room were the beeps from the heart monitor and the swoosh of air from the respirator tube. Dobey's dark eyes were filled with tears at the sight of the normally bouncy Starsky laying so still, almost as if Death had already won the battle. Dobey tried to find words, but had to settle for covering Starsky's cold hand with his warm one.

In Hutch's absence, Dobey swore to himself not to leave Starsky alone.

Downstairs in Hutch's room, Huggy settled himself into the bedside chair and stared at his sleeping friend. "Well, Hutch, looks like you're stuck with me instead of your partner. But that's okay, ya know. I'll stay as long as you need me too. Starsk'd be here himself, but he's kinda laid up right now." Huggy got up from the chair and walked over to the window. He stood, arms crossed over his chest, looking out over the parking lot.

"How many times Hutch?" he asked softly. "How many times have we done this now? Five, six? One of you lying there, hurt, the other getting in the way, giving the nurses and doctors headaches. Let's see, this makes the score, Starsky four, and Hutchinson two. Starsky always was an overachiever, is an overachiever." Huggy's voice broke and he took a deep breath to control the tears.

"And that's not counting the time you were here together after the car wreck. Man, I thought Dobey was gonna blow a fuse when he found out you were faking the amnesia." Huggy forced out a laugh. "But this, no one could've seen this coming." Now the tears did start to fall down Huggy's face.

"Man, I hope you don't remember this. No one deserves this. I know that you'd never hurt Starsky, but will he know that?" Huggy fell silent and concentrated on watching the lights in the parking lot. He didn't notice Hutch stirring behind him.

Sound began to penetrate the foggy darkness as Hutch slowly woke up. He stirred slightly, trying to identify the familiar voice. 'Huggy,' he finally realized. 'Huggy's here. Where is here?' Hutch forced his eyes to open and looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. Lifting his head up off the pillow took more strength than he had, and he let out a low growl of frustration as he sank back into the bed.

Huggy heard the sound from behind him and turned to see Hutch trying to get up. "Hey now, just lie back there and take it easy. You've had a rough time lately," Huggy said gently, as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Hug...Huggy, where am I? Where's Starsky?" Hutch managed to force the words out of his dry throat.

Huggy lifted up the water pitcher and poured some into the cup on the nightstand. "Here, drink this." Huggy held the cup and Hutch's head and grinned as Hutch sipped eagerly at the cold water.

The patient finally raised his hand to indicate he was finished. With a satisfied sigh, Hutch lay back in the bed and asked his questions again.

He could sense the hesitation from Huggy. "Huggy, what's going on? What happened? Why am I in the hospital?" Hutch looked around the room again. "And where's Starsky?"

Huggy closed his eyes before answering. He had to decide how much of the truth he should tell Hutch. "You were poisoned, Hutch. Do you remember me telling you about that hitman, the Actor, that had taken a contract out on Starsky?" At Hutch's nod, Huggy went on. "It seems that he was a she. Margie. She's the one who poisoned both you and Starsky."

"Where is my partner?" Hutch spat out each word, clearly agitated over Starsky's absence.

"Starsky's in ICU. The doctors are doing everything they can..." Hutch didn't let Huggy finish.

"You mean he's dying?" he asked weakly. "Help me up, Hug. I've gotta go to him." Hutch threw back the light blanket.

Quickly, Huggy pushed his friend back down on the bed and rearranged the covers. "You can't go up there right now. Dobey's with him, he's not alone." Huggy's dark eyes radiated concern and worry, but Hutch wasn't sure if it was for Starsky, or himself.

Huggy pushed the nurse's call button, and when it was answered, he asked that Dr. Gregory be notified that Hutch was awake. The nurse promised to pass on the message and closed the intercom connection.

Huggy made himself comfortable on the bed again and crossed his legs. "Now why don't you tell me what you remember? The doctor said you might have some memory loss due to the poison." Huggy hoped that he could keep Hutch occupied enough that he wouldn't start asking more unanswerable questions about his partner.

Dobey was dozing in the upholstered chair beside Starsky's bed. He had finally managed to find a position that was semi-comfortable and closed his eyes. M.L. came in to check on Starsky and grinned at the big man in the rather small chair. She made a mental note to have one of the recliners put into the room as soon as some of the monitors were removed. She busied herself taking Starsky's blood pressure and other vital signs. She breathed a sigh of relief as she unwrapped the cuff. The detective's vital signs were holding steady, an encouraging sign. She brushed the curly hair back off his face, and wondered again what color his eyes were. She had just stood up straight again, when she realized that Dobey was watching her.

"How is he?" Dobey asked softly, not mentioning the tenderness that he had witnessed.

"He's holding steady, Captain. Why don't you go home and get some real rest? I'll call you if anything changes." She smiled her best professional smile.

"I can't. I promised his partner that I wouldn't leave him alone. We almost lost him once, and we...I won't leave him, just in case." Dobey stood up and stretched his oversized frame.

"At least go down to the cafeteria and get some food. I know you've been here for hours, and it may be quite a while before we know anything definite. You won't be helping Mr. Starsky at all if you make yourself sick." M.L. took the big man by the arm and ushered him out of the room. "I'll be right here until you get back. We're light on patients tonight so I can stay for half an hour." The nurse blocked the door as he gave Dobey the 'I mean it now' look that she used with her more rambunctious patients.

As a married man, Captain Dobey knew when he had lost an argument with a woman. "You call me if he so much as twitches." He shook his index finger at the nurse.

"I promise. Now go!" M.L. tried to hide her smile as she pointed down the hall to the elevator. Dobey shrugged his shoulders and trudged down the hall. He looked back to see if the pushy little nurse was still watching. She was, so he got on the elevator and left for the cafeteria.

M.L. went back into the room and pulled Starsky's chart from the foot of his bed. She began writing down his vital signs and readings from the various monitors. She also checked the airway, the EKG leads and replaced the nearly empty IV bags. Finally, she began to massage the unconscious man's shoulders and legs to stimulate his circulation. She was a firm believer in the power of human touch to help the healing process.

Dr. Gregory knocked on the door, before letting himself into Hutch's room. "Welcome back, Ken. How do you feel?" he asked, as he pulled out a penlight to check Hutch's eyes.

"Fuzzy." Hutch replied. "I've been trying to remember what happened, but it's all a jumble." Hutch ran his hand through his blond hair.

"That's to be expected," the doctor answered as he took Hutch's pulse. "Tell me, what's the last thing you remember doing?" Gregory replaced his penlight back in his pocket and looked at Hutch expectantly.

"I remember, someone trashed Starsky's car, ...then we were at Huggy's for something...I remember having the most awful headache. Margie gave me some aspirin for it and that seemed to help a little. Let's see, Starsky said something about someone being after him, and...and...and...that's all I can come up with." Hutch let out a deep sigh as he lay his forearm over his eyes.

"That's very good, Ken." Dr. Gregory took out a small pad and made a few notes.

"Why can't I remember anything else?" Hutch asked quietly. "Huggy said I was poisoned?"

The doctor removed his glasses, folded them, and placed them into the breast pocket of his lab coat. "Yes, you were. This Margie woman tried to use a form of drug induced hypnosis on you. As more of the drug exits your system, more of your memory may return. Right now, the best thing for you to do is get some sleep." He started to turn when he was stopped by Hutch.

"You haven't told me anything about Starsky." Hutch's tone was almost accusatory.

"There isn't much to tell yet. He was given a different poison. I won't lie to you, he's still critical. If he can hang on till tomorrow, he has a good chance. Right now, I can't guarantee that." The doctor patted Hutch on the shoulder. "I know that isn't what you wanted to hear, but that's the best I can do."

"I want to see him, be there for him. Starsky hates hospitals," Hutch argued.

"He isn't allowed visitors right now. I did bend the rules and let Captain Dobey stay with him. I'll let him know that you're awake. Get some rest now." Dr. Gregory nodded to Huggy and then left. A nurse entered as he left and exchanged small talk with Hutch and Huggy as she changed the IV's and injected a hypo of medication into the cannula.

"What's that for?" Huggy asked, trying not to let his weariness show in his voice.

"It's just to help Mr. Hutchinson sleep. It's very late and he needs rest. So do you." The nurse looked at Huggy closely.

"I can just curl up in the chair. It's pretty comfortable," Huggy lied.

Hutch looked up at his friend. "She's right, Hug. Go on home. I don't need someone watching over me while I sleep. You look exhausted." Hutch tried out one of his better smiles on the reluctant man.

"I'll decide what you need for the time being," Huggy informed Hutch. He turned to the nurse and unleashed one of his old I-can-con-you-out-of-anything smiles on her. "I'll just check in on Dobey and we'll go from there. Okay?"

The nurse wasn't fooled, but she played along anyway. "Just be sure you get some rest and some food. If you need anything tonight, my name is Gayle." She smiled as she shook her head at both men. Wishing Hutch a good night, she left the room, trying not to chuckle.

Hutch was feeling drowsy again, the shot was taking effect. "Go on, Hug. Go check on Starsky for me, please. I'll sleep a lot better knowing that he's all right." Hutch fought to keep his eyes open.

Huggy reached out and clasped Hutch's hand. "Okay, you win. You go to sleep, I'll check on Starsky and get a sandwich, then I'll be back here before you wake up. Just go to sleep now, that's right, go to sleep." Huggy kept lowering his voice until the even rise and fall of Hutch's chest convinced him that he was asleep. Huggy wiped the weariness from his face and left the room, deciding that more coffee would help to keep him awake.

Huggy caught up with Dobey in the cafeteria and let him know that Hutch was awake and asking for Starsky. Dobey agreed that it would be detrimental for Hutch to learn the truth about Starsky. Neither man was sure of what kind of reaction Hutch would have to the news that he had poisoned his best friend.

"Have the docs said when Starsky will wake up?" Huggy asked.

"Not really." Dobey ran a hand over his tired face. "But one of us needs to be there when he does."

Huggy took another sip of his coffee. "I hear that. If you can hang on for just a while longer, I'll run over to the bar and get some real food. I'll be back in about half an hour."

"Why don't you just get some sleep and come back in the morning. I'll stay with Dave tonight and you said Hutch was out. There's no need for both of us to be zombies. When you get back, I can go home and let Edith know how the boys are." The look in Dobey's eyes made the suggestion more of an order.

Huggy checked his watch. "Deal. It's two now, so I'll be back at six."

Glad to have won, Dobey didn't push the deal. He shook hands with Huggy and went back upstairs to sit with Starsky.

Hutch began to thrash in the bed as nightmare images crowded his mind. He saw Starsky lying dead on a coroner's table, blood and vomit on the floor. He saw pictures of himself with blood on his hands, just looking down at his dead partner. The final image was one of Starsky huddling in fear from Hutch, yelling in terror.

"NO!!!" Hutch shouted as he sat straight up in the bed. His heart was pounding as he looked widely around at the unfamiliar surroundings. He forced himself to calm down as he recognized the hospital room and recalled the story that the doctor and Huggy had told him.

Hutch looked at his watch on the nightstand. It was 2:30 in the morning. He laid back down and tried to settle down enough to go back to sleep, but ending up tossing and turning for several minutes before giving up. He decided that he had to see Starsky for himself, just to make sure that his partner was still alive. Maybe that was what the dream meant, that Starsky was dead and Hutch had done nothing to save him. Hutch knew that he would never be able to forgive himself if anything happened to Starsky and he did nothing to help.

Carefully, Hutch pulled out the IV in his arm and crawled out of bed. He found an extra hospital gown on the foot of the bed and slipped it on as a robe. Poking his head outside the door to check for any sign of the duty nurse, Hutch slipped out of the door and made his way to the elevator. He knew that Starsky was in the ICU and pushed for the sixth floor.

When the elevator came to a stop, Hutch made his silent way down the hall. He found the door with Starsky's name on it and went in. He saw Captain Dobey asleep in the plastic chair and smiled at the sight. Then he approached the bed, taking in all the machinery keeping his partner alive. Tears formed in his eyes as he took Starsky's hand and squeezed it tightly.

"I'm not real sure what happened, buddy, but I'm here now. I won't leave you again." Hutch whispered. He was pleased to see Starsky's eyelids begin to flutter.

"Starsky? Can you hear me? I'm here, buddy. You're safe now. I won't let anything happen to you."

Starsky heard the voice as the blackness began to give way to light. That voice had always meant safety and security. Now though, something was wrong. Those words, that voice brought memories of pain and fear. He forced his eyes open to stare at the worried face of his partner.

"Welcome back, buddy. You're okay now. I'm here, I'll protect you." Those words, meant to reassure, brought about a surprising reaction.

Starsky began to panic, thrashing in the bed trying to get away from the blond man holding his hand. His frantic movements sounded the vent alarm on the respirator, adding it's shrill whistle to his panic. Dobey awoke with a start at the sound of the alarm.

"What's wrong?!" He immediately grasped the situation and grabbed Hutch's arms. "Get out of here, Hutch!"

"Let go of me, Captain! What's wrong with him!? Starsky, let me help! It's me, Hutch." The blond detective fought to get away from the strong arms holding him back. He could see the panic in Starsky's eyes and hear the gasping breaths around the vent alarm. Other monitors began to sound their ominous warnings as his heart rate and blood pressure began to rise as well.

The duty nurse ran in to check on Starsky and found Dobey wrestling Hutch out the door.

"Check on, Dave! I've got Hutch!" Dobey yelled to her as he manhandled Hutch into the corridor and down the hall to an empty waiting room.

"Hutch! Listen to me! Settle down now!" Dobey kept a tight grip on Hutch's arms and forced the man to look at him. "You can't help Starsky right now! Let the nurses and doctors do their work. He's going to be all right, but you've got to stay away right now."

Hutch calmed down enough to pin a vengeful stare on his captain. "Why? You better tell me right now what's wrong with him or so help me I'll tear this place apart." The look in Hutch's eyes convinced Dobey that Hutch would do exactly as he had threatened.

"Starsky was kidnapped and poisoned. He damn near died on us. He's still not out of the woods," Dobey began.

"I know that!" Hutch snapped. "Why the panic attack when he saw me?"

Dobey loosened his grip on Hutch without totally letting go of him. "Do you remember Huggy telling you that Margie had poisoned you as well?" At Hutch's affirmative nod, Dobey continued. "It was more than just poison. She convinced you to kidnap Starsky. You were tricked into believing that you were helping him. In reality, you were the one who poisoned him. He's terrified of you!"

Hutch blanched and sank down into a chair, leaning on Dobey's arms for support. "I did that to him? No! I would never hurt Starsk," he whispered.

Dobey sat down next to him. "You thought you were helping to hide him from the assassin. You were drugged. Every time you gave him something to drink, it was poisoned, and Starsky knew it. He's not himself right now. When he's more coherent, he'll understand that you would never hurt him."

Hutch jerked out of Dobey's grasp, tears spilling from his blue eyes. "But I did, didn't I? I damn near killed my best friend. Starsky deserves better than that. Tell him I'm sorry. Tell him...just tell him I'm sorry." Hutch bit back the rest of his words and stormed out of the lounge. Dobey started to follow him but was called into Starsky's room by one of the nurses. His last sight of Hutch was a brief glance through the closing elevator doors.

Hutch went back to his room just long enough to change back into his clothes and leave the hospital. He had used the emergency staircase to insure that no one saw him leave. He walked out of the hospital and stood on the sidewalk, looking up at the sixth floor. Tears formed in his eyes as he saw Starsky again, cringing in fear from his partner. Hutch shook his head, disgusted at himself for causing Starsky so much pain. He walked down the sidewalk and into the night, not caring where he went, as long as it was away from Starsky.

Hutch walked around the city for hours. The same nightmare that had woken him up kept replaying itself in his mind. He couldn't banish the image of Starsky, dead in a pool of blood. Unconsciously, he wiped his hands on his pants, as if trying to clean away the non-existent blood stains. Finally, just as dawn was breaking over the horizon, Hutch found himself on the local fishing pier. He walked out to the end of the pier, staring out over the calm, dark waters far below.

"Some friend I turned out to be. How many times has Starsky saved your sorry ass? Then I go and something like this to him!" Hutch beat his fist against the rough wood railing in front of him. "What kind of man lets himself get so drugged up he is willing to kill his best friend?" He covered his eyes with one hand, letting the tears fall. He stood in the predawn light, crying soundlessly, his shoulders shaking in his grief.

At long last, the tears stopped coming and Hutch faced out into the ocean. Usually, the surf had the ability to calm him down and help him organize his thoughts. Today, it hid all its secrets under a blanket of calm water. The grief-stricken man climbed up on the rail and sat staring out over the deep water. Starsky would never want anything to do with him now. How could someone as trusting as David Starsky ever be able to work with a man like Hutch now? He wouldn't be able to trust him, never knowing if Hutch was going to hurt him again. What good was he to anyone now? He sat, looking out over the water, hoping to see some answers.

Slowly, the warm darkness surrounding him started to give way to a cold crisp light. Starsky tried to move, and felt a warm hand covering his own. A quiet voice was whispering to him, but the voice was wrong. It wasn't the voice that was supposed to be there. This voice was friendly, but it wasn't the one he needed to hear. Starsky forced his eyes open, and saw the comforting bulk of Captain Dobey hovering over him.

"Welcome back. You gave us quite a scare. Don't try to talk now," Dobey admonished him as Starsky choked on the hard plastic tube in his mouth. A shrill alarm went off, only to be turned off a few seconds later by a second person in the room.

"Can you hear me David?" the newcomer asked. "My name is ML. I'm your nurse. I want you to just blink your eyes if you can hear me, okay?" She was rewarded by a slow blink. "Good job. Just hang on a minute." Now ML turned to Dobey, "I need you to leave for just a few minutes while I check him out here. Dr. Gregory is on his way up and he can talk to you later. Why don't you run down and check on your other man. He was pretty upset when he left here earlier."

"Ok, but you call me if he needs me." Dobey agreed. He glanced at the wall clock, noting that Huggy would be returning in another hour. He felt guilty at not checking on Hutch earlier, but Starsky had needed him more.

After Dobey had left, ML turned back to her patient. "Ok, first things first. You have a breathing tube in, so you have to be still and not fight it. She set about recording his temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure, and the readings of the various machines. By the time she had finished, Dr. Gregory had made his way to the room.

"Good morning, David. Let's check you out. I'm going to ask you a few questions and I want you to blink once for no and twice for yes. Do you understand me?"

Two blinks.

"Good. Now, do you feel pain anywhere?"

One blink.

"Very well, is your vision pretty clear? Can you see me clearly?"

Another two blinks.

"How about moving your arms for me. Just a little, that's good. Now, how about moving your feet for me?" the doctor asked. He uncovered the foot of the bed and noticed the slight movements of both of Starsky's feet. "You're doing fine." Dr. Gregory consulted the chart for a few seconds, then looked back at Starsky. "I'm going to reset the ventilator so that you are doing most of the breathing on your own. If you do okay with that, we'll see about removing that tube later today."

Starsky grasped the hem of the doctor's coat and opened his eyes wide, using his finger to point around the room and then back at himself.

"You want to know how long you've been here?"

Two blinks.

"Not long. Less than a day. You've made a great recovery," Gregory answered. Starsky still wouldn't let go of the doctor's coat. He pulled insistently, moving his finger around as if searching for something.

"Are you asking about your partner?"

Two more blinks.

"He's alive and doing well. You can see him later if you're up to it. A lot has happened in the past day or so. Your captain can fill you in on it later. Right now, I want you to sleep and get better." The doctor closed the chart and handed it back to ML. "Tell his captain that he can come in now."

"Yes sir." ML put the chart away and searched the waiting area for the tall captain. She didn't find him and surmised that he had gone to check on his other officer. She returned to Starsky's room and straightened up the bed sheets. She then gave him a gentle massage to help him relax and get back to sleep. Under her gentle touch, Starsky drifted back off to sleep.

The nurse on duty on the third floor looked at the clock once again. Her replacement should be arriving shortly. It had been a long night and she was ready to go home.

"What are you doing here? I just relieved you last shift."

"Annice called in sick so, here I am. How is everything?" Allyn picked up the log and glanced through it as Gayle began to outline the patients on the floor. A loud shout sounded from down the hall and Gayle looked up to see a large black man in a rumpled suit storm out of one of the rooms.

"Captain Dobey?" she asked as she went to meet him. "What's wrong?"

"Hutch is gone! When did he leave?" Dobey shouted at her.

Gayle looked at her friend, whose eyes were wide in surprise. "I don't know. I was busy with a geriatric case in 412. Mr. Hutchinson had enough sedative to keep him asleep for hours!"

"He came up to the ICU around 2:30 and I sent him back down here." Dobey informed her. "He must have left then. Damn!" The big man stood still for a moment rubbing his chin in thought. "Let me use your phone."

Both nurses stood out of the way as Dobey grabbed the phone and called the station to put out an APB on Hutch. His second call was to Huggy to get him to start looking for Hutch. "I can't leave Starsky yet. He's doing a lot better but he still isn't out of the woods yet," Gayle heard him say. "I don't know where he would have gone. I just put out an APB on him...I don't care! Just find him!! Thanks Huggy. Call me here when you find him."

Dobey hung up the phone and turned to the two nurses. "If either one of you sees Hutchinson, you call me right away. I'll be in the ICU with Starsky." Dobey stormed off, leaving two very uncomfortable nurses behind.

Hutch sat on the pier railing, ignoring the coming and goings of the people around him. The still water below him seemed to beckon to him. 'Come on in. Who'd miss you now? Starsky won't, Dobey won't, nobody will. What good are you to anyone when you tried to kill the one person who counted on you to keep him safe?' Hutch shook his head, trying to quiet the thoughts. A movement off to his left caught his eye, and he turned to see a slightly built woman with dark hair sitting beside him.

"Terry?" he breathed.

The woman smiled, the same warm, caring smile that had captured Starsky's heart. "Yes, Ken, I'm here."

"Why are you here?"

"I promised Dave that I'd help you. He doesn't need me now, but you might. David said you wouldn't be able to find your own way. In fact, he said something to the effect that you couldn't find your way out of a paper bag without help." She laughed softly.

"He said that about me, huh?" a grin tugged at the corner of Hutch's mouth. "He's the one who needs looking after." Hutch dropped the grin and turned back to face the water. "I can't do it anymore you know."

"I don't know that, and neither do you. Dave knows you didn't mean to kill him," Terry said softly. "This isn't the way to help him you know."

"He won't have to worry about me trying to kill him anymore. He'll be a lot better off without me!" Hutch yelled at her, not seeing the looks of concern focused on him.

"Are you sure about that?" Terry asked.

"Yes! I thought I was a good partner and a good friend, but look at me! I get so wrapped up in a woman that she drugs me, and gets me to hurt Starsk. That's not what a friend does." A single tear made it's way down Hutch's cheek. "Are you here to make sure I find my way?"

"If you need me, yes. I made a promise after all." She looked at Hutch with deep sorrow in her eyes. "I always keep my promises, Hutch, do you?"

"I tried, Terry! You asked me to keep him safe! I couldn't do that! How many times has he nearly died, in spite of what I tried to do?! And now this! I lied! I can't do it!" More tears joined the first. "I need to do this. Now maybe he can be safe!" Hutch looked to see if Terry was listening only to see her disappear and a familiar figure run toward him with its hand raised.

Hutch saw Huggy running toward him and turned back to face the water. "Leave me alone Huggy," he growled.

"What the hell are you doing? Come on, we've got to get you back to the hospital." Huggy tried to reach for Hutch's arm but was stopped by the haunted look in his friend's eyes.

"I'm not going back, Huggy." he stated simply. "I can't do that to Starsky. I've hurt him enough."

"What are you talking about!? You didn't hurt him on purpose! You thought you were protecting him! Just like you've always done. Starsk knows that and so do you." Huggy's voice was pleading.

"I poisoned him Huggy! I nearly killed him! That isn't what friends do! I promised to protect him Hug, not help kill him."

"You were drugged Hutch. You thought you were protecting him. Margie had you so doped up, you had no idea what was going on, except that you had to protect Starsky. That IS what a friend does." Huggy's black face was showing the strain he was under.

"No, Hug. I betrayed everything Starsky believes in, friendship, loyalty... It's better this way. Tell him Terri kept her promise. He'll understand." Hutch braced his hands on the narrow rail as he stood up.

"NO!" the word exploded from Huggy's throat as he realized what Hutch was doing. He made a desperate grab for Hutch's arm and grabbed only empty air as Hutch tumbled into the still waters nearly 20 feet below. Huggy stared out at the water, praying to see Hutch come to the surface. Anxious seconds passed with no sign of Hutch. Without thinking, Huggy vaulted the railing and dove feet first into the water.

Huggy took a deep breath as he surfaced and looked around for Hutch. He treaded water as he searched. Not seeing his blond friend, Huggy dove again, forcing his eyes open to search the murky water. When he surfaced again, he found Hutch floating face down only a few yards to his right. With a feeling of foreboding, Huggy swam over and grabbed Hutch, flipped him over onto his back, and began the long swim to the beach.

Huggy had almost made it to the beach when two more men raced into the water to help him carry Hutch out. One of the men mentioned something about calling for an ambulance as they helped Huggy lay Hutch on the sand. Huggy could only sit there, gasping for air as one of the men took over Hutch's care. He tilted Hutch's head back and immediately began giving him air. He had only given Hutch a few breaths when the victim rolled over and began vomiting water.

Huggy held Hutch as tightly as he could and stroked his head. "It's okay, Hutch. Just hold on, help's on the way." Huggy wasn't sure if Hutch could hear him or not, but he continued to hold his friend and whisper words of assurance until the ambulance arrived.

Dr. Gregory stepped into Starsky's room and smiled at Captain Dobey. "He's doing very well on his breathing. I readjusted the mix almost four hours ago, and he hasn't had any problems. I want to take that tube out of his throat now, before he wakes up."

Dobey smiled as he looked down at the injured man. "You have no idea how glad I am to hear that. He's been through a lot, and he just keeps coming back for more."

"Some patients are like that," Dr. Gregory agreed. "I need you to step out for a few moments while the nurse and I take care of things here. By the way, have you heard anything about Ken?"

Dobey's face lost it's smile. "Nothing. If I don't hear from one of my men by eight o'clock, I'll call the station again and double the patrols looking for him. In his state of mind, he's liable to do something really stupid." He left the room glumly, passing ML as she went in to help Starsky.

"What are you still doing here?" the doctor asked as he looked up at ML.

"I'm pulling a double shift. Marianne went into labor yesterday and we're shorthanded," ML said with a smile. She and the doctor quickly assessed Starsky's vital signs once more before they pulled out the respirator tube. Starsky's breathing was ragged but steady and the doctor gave orders for the respiratory therapist to check in on Starsky in an hour.

After the doctor had left, Dobey went back in to sit with the sleeping patient. "I don't know if you can hear me or not, but that partner of yours has managed to get himself lost. Huggy went after him, but I don't know if it'll help or not. I don't know which one of you is the more stubborn. You both think that the world is supposed to play by your rules, and you sulk if they don't. That partner of yours has got it in his head that he is to blame for you being here. I hope he doesn't take it into his head to do something stupid."

Dobey looked at his watch again. Six thirty in the morning. "Come on Hutch! Where the hell are you?"

The ambulance pulled up to the emergency entrance and quickly unloaded it's precious cargo. Huggy never left Hutch's side as he was wheeled into one of the treatment rooms. One of the nurses on duty tried to steer Huggy back into the hall, but stopped when she saw the look on his face. She settled for asking a few questions then left him alone.

Huggy was watching the frenzy of activity closely when the door opened and another nurse walked in. Instead of joining the throng around Hutch, she came over to stand with Huggy.

"I see you found him. What happened?"

Huggy recognized Gayle as Hutch's nurse from the fourth floor. "He tried to drown himself. He blames himself for Starsky getting poisoned." Huggy didn't want to talk about the horrific episode.

"I see. Let's go find your captain and let him know that Ken is here. You need something hot to drink as well. You're shivering." Gayle took Huggy's arm and tried to guide him out of the room.

Huggy tried to jerk his arm free. "I'm not leaving him again."

"He'll be fine for a while. I'll make sure that he isn't left alone even for a second." Gayle turned Huggy to face her. "I'll stay here with him if you want. But your captain needs to know." Her blue eyes locked into his dark brown ones. She continued to stare him down until he relented.

"You promise, you'll stay with him?" he needed the reassurance.

"Scout's honor," she replied without a trace of levity. She could tell by the distraught man's manner that flippancy wasn't what he needed right now.

"Ok. I'll tell Captain Dobey. I'll be back as soon as I can." Huggy left the room, pausing at the door for a long look at Hutch's unconscious form on the examining table. He hung his head sadly, and walked out the door, wondering how he would tell Starsky about Hutch's sacrifice.

A low moan from the bed roused Dobey out of his exhausted stupor. "Starsky? Come on buddy, wake up here." Dobey's patience was rewarded by the sight of Starsky's deep blue eyes.

"Where?" Starsky whispered weakly.

"You're in the hospital. You're gonna be fine now," Dobey assured him.

Starsky tried again. "No...Hutch...where?" he picked up his head and tried to scan the room. Dobey was by his side in an instant, gently pressing his shoulders back down to the bed. Starsky tried to run his tongue over his dry lips. Dobey saw the gesture and held a cup of water for Starsky to drink.

Starsky hesitated when he saw the cup of water. A fleeting image of another cup flashed through his mind, but was quickly replaced by Dobey's anxious face. Starsky managed to drink a little of the water before collapsing back onto the pillow. He tried to talk again. "How's Hutch?"

He knew something was wrong when Dobey refused to meet his eyes. Starsky reached for his captain's hand and held it as tightly as he could manage.

"Where's Hutch? I need him here." His tone was almost pleading.

Dobey could feel his heart breaking. What was he supposed to say? He opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the opening door. "Huggy?" he asked, his eyes full of questions.

"I found him." Huggy hadn't noticed that Starsky was awake. "He jumped off the pier. I went in after him. He's in the emergency room now. I don't know if he's gonna make it or not." Huggy didn't notice Dobey's attempts to get him to stop talking. The movement from the bed caught his attention. "Oh my God! Starsky! You're awake!" Huggy went over to his friend who was trying to rise up out of the bed.

"What are you doing? Lie down before you pull out that IV." Huggy tried to push Starsky back into the bed.

"Let me go, Huggy. I have to get to Hutch. He needs me right now."

It took both Dobey and Huggy to convince Starsky to stay in bed. Sheer weariness finally forced Starsky to lie back down, on the condition that Huggy would go back and stay with Hutch.

"You tell me the second he wakes up, Huggy!" Starsky admonished him.

"I promise, Starsk." Huggy crossed his heart and headed out of the room.

Starsky looked at his captain with tears in his eyes. "Why would Hutch try to commit suicide? What did Margie do to him?"

Tears glistened in Dobey's eyes as he related the grim facts of Starsky's capture and rescue. Starsky reached for his hand and held it as he heard about Hutch nearly killing himself with the gun. When Dobey finished, Starsky closed his eyes, letting the tears fall down the sides of his face into his pillow.

"And he thinks I blame him for me ending up here? Didn't he know I was practically unconscious when he came in earlier?" The question was more of a statement.

"I'm afraid so. That's why he left the hospital. I had no idea that he would ...do what he did," Dobey replied somberly. His brown skin had taken on an unhealthy shade of gray while he was talking. Now he put his hand over his eyes and took several deep breaths.

The tableau held until the door opened, and a smiling Dr. Gregory entered the room. "Good news gentlemen!" he announced.

Dobey and Starsky looked up in the same instant, hope returning to their eyes as they waited for the doctor to continue. "Ken is out of danger. He took in a little water, got a mild concussion, but that's all. He's back in his room, he's awake, and he's asking about you, David."

Starsky started to throw off the covers, but was stopped by the doctor. "Don't do that yet. ML is coming in with a gurney. You're taking up space in my ICU. I'm moving you in with your partner so you two can keep an eye on each other." The doctor walked over to the bed and laid one hand on Starsky's arm and the other on Dobey's shoulder. "I think you need to go home, Captain. Get some sleep and come back tomorrow. David, you need your rest as well. I'll see you both tomorrow." Dr. Gregory walked out, holding the door open for ML and an orderly.

Working carefully, ML and the orderly transferred Starsky to the gurney and wheeled him out of the room. Dobey followed along as the group took the elevator to the fourth floor. He held the door open as Starsky was wheeled into Hutch's room. Hutch was sitting up in the bed by the window, his head turned toward the wall. He didn't bother to move when he heard the noise at the door.

"Hutchinson, got a new roommate for you." Dobey announced, his customary gruffness back in his tired voice. Huggy looked up from the chair he was sitting in, and grinned when he saw who it was.

"I don't want a roommate. I just want to go see Starsky again. I need to apologize for what happened." Hutch continued to stare out the window and didn't bother to look at the patient being rolled in.

"You'd better have a damn good apology ready, jumping off a pier like that. What the hell'd you think you were doing?" Starsky snarled at Hutch as he was settled into his bed. ML raised up the head of the bed so that Starsky could stare at his partner. Hutch whipped his head around in surprise at the familiar voice.

"Starsky?" Hutch's voice was weaker than Starsky was used to it being, but it was definitely his partner. "Are you okay? I thought..."

"You thought what? That I was gonna be mad at you for what Margie did? You blond headed blintz! You didn't have any say in what happened! And if you ever pull a stunt like that again..." Neither one of them noticed when the others left the room and closed the door quietly.

Out in the hallway, Dobey and Huggy stood listening to what Starsky was telling Hutch. "Looks like they're gonna be okay now," Huggy commented, raising a hand to cover a yawn.

"Yep," was Dobey's only answer as the two walked down the hall, leaving the Me and Thee team to themselves. They could hear Starsky's continuing barrage as they walked down the hall.

"And another thing, about your taste in women!"