Plane Crash In The Sierra's

by Rescue45

Starsky and Hutch are on their way to Northern California to see Calvin Dobey. Their plane crashes in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They survive the crash, but will what will they face together as they leave the plane to find help.

Plane Ride

Chapter 1

Hutch was zipping up his suitcase as Debbie stood at the end of the bed watching him. With a puzzled look on her face she said, "You're taking two suitcases? You usually pack light enough you should only need one. You're not going to be gone that long."

He laughed as he said, "I'm only taking two suitcases to bug Starsky. He hates it when I pack extra stuff I won't need."

"I swear, the two of you doing things just to bug each other. Its a wonder you stayed partners for so long, let alone best friends."

"We like to keep each other on our toes. Besides, its fun to see what one of us will come up with next."

He picked up the suitcases and carried them into the living room. Debbie muttered, "Boys. Mother was right, they never really grow up."

"What was that, honey?"

"I didn't say anything." She shook her head as she followed him into the living room.

He put the suitcases next to the front door. Starsky and Jeanne would be arriving any minute now. Jeanne was going to drive Starsky and Hutch to the airport. Davey came out of his room noticing the two suitcases, laughed and said, "You packed an extra one just to get on Uncle Dave's nerves, didn't you?"

Hutch looked at Debbie and, "Yep." Davey and Hutch laughed, Debbie rolled her eyes. She kissed Hutch and told him to have a nice time.

"Tell Uncle Cal and Aunt Rosie I said hi, will ya?"

"I will, Son. Good luck on your English test tomorrow."

"Thanks. I'll need it. English isn't one of my better subjects."

"You'll need to fill out good police reports, so get used to it, kiddo."

"Yeah, I know. Starsky's good at it though, so I'll have him do my reports."

Hutch laughed and said, "Let me know how that works out for you in a few years."

Davey chuckled, "I'm only kidding, Dad. I'm getting better. Have a good trip."

"Thanks, Son."

Starsky and Hutch were going to see Calvin Dobey. Calvin is the son of the late Chief Harold Dobey and in a few days he would be the new Chief of Police in Tamasand City in northern California. They both wanted to be present for the swearing in ceremony. Calvin had worked hard from the bottom up to earn this promotion and they knew he would be a great chief, just like his father was.

Their parents would be so proud of both of their children. Calvin's little sister, Rosie, had left a couple of days ago to visit her big brother. Rosie is a photography professor at the Bay city University and her photos have been published in many magazines and have won numerous awards. Hutch grinned as he remembered how delighted Starsky was when Rosie first said that she wanted to be a photographer. Not only is Rosie left handed like Starsky, but photography is a hobby of his. Starsky felt somewhat responsible for her choice in careers and was very proud of her. Kenny and Davey have always called Dobey's children Uncle Calvin and Aunt Rosie. Calvin and Rosie called Starsky and Hutch their uncles.

Jeanne and Starsky pulled up and Davey took one of his dad's suitcases out to the car for him. He didn't do that to be helpful, he just wanted to see his uncle's reaction to the extra luggage. Starsky got out and opened the trunk of the car for Hutch. He looked at the luggage and said, "I shoulda known you'd pack an extra one. You know we're only going to be gone three days, Hutch."

Hutch just chuckled as the put the suitcase in the trunk of Jeanne's car. He told Davey goodbye. Debbie walked to the car and kissed Hutch and told them both to have a good time.

Jeanne dropped Starsky and Hutch off at the airport and they went inside. They had a non-stop flight that would only take two hours. After they went through security, they boarded the small aircraft. They were not allowed to carry their weapons onboard with them. As retired police officers, they were allowed to have them in luggage that had been checked through to its final destination. Hutch checked one of his suitcases through and they put their weapons in that suitcase. They could have taken any one of several flights, but Hutch wanted this particular flight. Not because it was the fastest or the cheapest, but because it would take them over a small part of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He wanted to see them. Starsky wanted to take a straight shot and avoid the mountains, but he knew Hutch always loved the mountains so he didn't protest too much about it. As they boarded the plane, Hutch noticed the stewardess was wearing beautiful gold star shaped earring. He touched one and said, "Those are beautiful. I've always loved the stars."

Sarah, the stewardess blushed and said, "Thank you. My boyfriend game them to me last week. We've been dating six months now."

Starsky let Hutch have the seat by the window and he took the aisle seat. It was a smaller plane and including Starsky and Hutch there were twelve passengers, the pilot, co-pilot, and one stewardess.

As the plane was on the taxi, the usual preflight emergency instructions were given by the stewardess. When they reached their cruising altitude of 7,500 feet the stewardess offered drinks to the passengers.

As they flew over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Hutch was remarking how beautiful it was. It had just lightly snowed the day before and the view was breathtaking. The sun was glistening off the snow on the tops of the trees and it was almost blinding. It appeared as if there was nothing for miles. He had wanted to see these mountains for a while now, but had not had the chance. He wished Debbie was with him to enjoy it too. Starsky thought the site was beautiful too, although he never had the same fondness for mountains as Hutch.

As they were admiring the sights below them they started to feel turbulence. They had been told early on in the flight that they may run into some turbulence, but they were not expecting this much. Hutch could feel Starsky fidgeting in the seat next to him and said, "Starsk, settle down, it'll be okay. It's just a little turbulence."

"This feels like more than a little turbulence to me." Just then the plane's altitude dropped what felt like a hundred feet. The stewardess asked everyone to remain seated and leave their seatbelts on. The plane's altitude dropped a little more.

In the cockpit, the pilot, Joe Wright, and the co-pilot, Phil Ubanks, were doing everything they could to keep the small plane in the air. They had hit more turbulence than they had expected and now they were starting to go off course. Turbulence was not their only problem. Something was wrong with the navigation system and Joe had no way of knowing exactly where they were. He got on the radio and reported the problems and gave them their last known location.

Phil spotted a clearing below he pointed it out to Joe. Joe made a pass around it to see if it was possible. He knew it was a long shot and he knew the clearing was not long enough, but it was their only chance. If he couldn't land in this clearing, he would hit the side of the mountain. The lives of the twelve passengers and the stewardess were in his hands and he knew it. Phil got on the intercom and told the stewardess and the passengers to brace for an emergency landing.

Starsky and Hutch looked at the other passengers onboard and noticed that the elderly couple seated across the aisle from them kissed each other and held hands as they looked at each other, the business man in front of them started to write a letter, some of the others were crying, and a couple of people had taken out their bibles and were reading them. As scared as everyone was, both Starsky and Hutch were surprised how calm they all appeared.

Hutch took a deep breath and his gaze turned toward to his partner who was looking at him now. The look they exchanged said a lot, there was no need for words. Over the years they had said everything to each other that they wanted, or needed to say. Hutch took Starsky's hand in his own as they put their heads down on their laps never looking away from each other. At the same time they said, "Me and Thee."

The plane sheared off the tops of several tree tops as it went down. Joe managed to get the plane to the clearing Phil had spotted, but as he knew, it wasn't long enough or wide enough. The wings were torn from the main body of the plane and the cockpit of the plane smashed into a huge boulder killing Joe and Phil instantly.

The contents in the overhead compartments of the plane fell out and were scattered all over the inside of the plane. Some of the items had fallen on the passengers knocking them out.

Dr. Brian Chandler was the first one to fully regain consciousness. He shook his head as he slowly remembered what happened. It didn't take him long to spring into action. He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up. He was sitting behind Starsky and Hutch two rows back. He started to triage his fellow passengers. He started with the people that were the closest to him. There was a man who appeared to be in his early thirties who was seated across from him that looked like he had some kind of head injury. He checked the man's pulse; he didn't have one and he was cyanotic. Next, he saw an older man who was also pulseless and cyanotic. He was hoping someone else was alive. He saw Starsky and Hutch next. He noticed that Starsky was breathing and starting feeling a little hopeful. He felt his carotid pulse and he had a good strong one. He shook him gently as he thought to himself 'please wake up. I don't want to be here alone.'

Starsky heard someone saying, "Hey, wake up." He felt his body being gently shaken and realized the voice sounded frantic now, "Hey, wake up, come on."

He didn't recognize the voice but opened an eye anyway. He saw a man who had been sitting in the back of the plane looking at him. Starsky remembered the plane going down and was amazed that he was alive. He quickly opened the other eye and turned his towards Hutch and said, "Oh God, please don't be dead, Hutch." Hutch was unconscious in the seat with his head leaning on the window. He unbuckled his seatbelt and turned towards Hutch. He felt for a carotid pulse and felt one. He knew Hutch was alive at least.

The man who woke him asked, "Does he have a carotid pulse?"

"Huh, what." Starsky looked at the man. He didn't realize anyone else was even there.

"Your friend, does he have pulse?"

"A pulse, yeah, yeah he does." Starsky looked back and forth between the man and Hutch.

"Good. My name is Dr. Brian Chandler. I'm going to check on everyone else. I'll be right back." Starsky didn't have time to respond before Dr. Chandler went to check on the elderly couple in the seats across the aisle from him. He put his head down shaking it.

Starsky saw the doctor and knew they were gone. He turned his attention back to Hutch. He looked at Hutch from head-to-toe and only noticed a small cut on his forehead. He thought 'he must have hit his head on the window.' He put his hand on his partner's shoulder and gently shook him, "Hey, Blondie, you in there." There was no movement. "Hutch, come on now, pal, I know you want to stay in dreamland but I need you." Hutch heard Starsky's voice. He wasn't quite aware of everything yet, but he knew he heard his partner say he needed him. He moaned from the headache he realized he had as he turned his head towards his best friend's voice. Starsky smiled as Hutch moved, "That's it, buddy. Can you wake up for me now?"

"I guess so, Starsk." He slowly opened his eyes and asked, "You okay, buddy?"

"I'm fine. How about you? You hurtin' anyplace?"

"Just a headache, but I'll be okay." He woke up all the way and realized fully what had happened. He unbuckled his belt and said, "Let's help the others."

"You up to it now?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He nodded his head looking at Starsky giving him the once over to make sure he was alright himself.

They arose from their seats and Starsky saw Dr. Chandler a couple of seats in front of them. Starsky asked, "How's everyone, doc?"

Dr. Chandler turned and said, "He's hurt bad. Can you hold pressure on this leg?"

Starsky noticed the man was bleeding from a wound on his right thigh and immediately put pressure on it. It was bleeding profusely and if the bleeding was not controlled quickly he would bleed to death. Hutch took off his shirt, folded it so it could be used as a dressing and handed it to Starsky. Starsky used the shirt and it immediately became blood soaked. They knew they didn't have much time to save this man. Starsky said, "Your belt, Hutch. Give me your belt."

Hutch took off his belt and Starsky tied it around the man's leg just above the wound. The bleeding slowed down. Starsky looked to see if he had any other injuries and noticed he had a very swollen lower right leg and knew it was probably broken.

When Dr. Chandler returned, Hutch stepped out of the way to let him check on his patient. Starsky was still holding pressure on the wound and moved out of the way as much as possible. Dr. Chandler said, "Great job. Are you paramedics or something?"

Starsky and Hutch laughed and at the same time said, "Retired cops."

"I see. You seem to know a lot about first aid. How about giving me a hand with some of the others?"

Hutch said, "Sure." Starsky didn't want to let up on the pressure he was holding on the man's wound.

Dr. Chandler said, "Slowly, let up and let's see what happens."

Starsky slowly released the pressure had on the man's leg. It started bleeding again and he applied more pressure to it. Dr. Chandler looked around and found a cane that was lying in the aisle and retied the belt using the cane and made it into a tourniquet. The tourniquet was tied tight enough that all circulation was cut off going to that leg. The man would probably lose his leg now, but that's better than losing his life. Starsky was glad this man, whoever he was, was still unconscious.

Starsky wiped his hands on his shirt and said, "I'm Dave Starsky and this is my partner Ken Hutchinson, but you can call us Starsky and Hutch."

"Your partner?"

"We'll, Starsky and I were partners on the police force for over forty years."

"You said you were retired cops. So you were partners huh?"

Hutch asked, "Yeah. How are the others?"

"The pilot and co-pilot both died on impact. Those two are gone." He pointed to the elderly couple. "The three in the back are too. There's a woman in the front who has a deep laceration on her forehead and there are several other injuries among the rest. The three of us are the only ones conscious right now."

Hutch said, "I think we should move the people who died to the back of the plane and get them covered up. That will give us more room to help the rest." He left the pilot and co-pilot where they were but closed the door that separated the cabin from the cockpit.

"If the two of you can start that, I'll go back to my patients and see what else I can do for them. He should be stable enough for now."

It didn't take long for Starsky and Hutch to move the deceased to the back of the plane. They used some blankets that had fallen out of the overhead compartments to cover them. By now almost everyone was awake. One passenger had an impaled piece of metal in his arm and appeared to be in a lot of pain. Hutch helped the doctor stabilize it in place using a clean shirt he found on the floor. There appeared to be six people that were not seriously injured. They quickly introduced themselves to each other. Besides Dr. Chandler, Starsky, and Hutch there was Stan, Ray and the stewardess, Sarah. They talked and made immediate plans. Starsky and Hutch were going to check outside and see what the surroundings were like. It was only three in the afternoon, but if they were going to be in the mountains come nightfall, they would need to be ready for it. The other three would stay and help the doctor manage the injured.

Hutch found his carryon luggage in the aisle in the front of the plane and put on a long sleeved shirt and a jacket. They opened the door and it was about a six foot drop to the ground. Starsky went first and helped Hutch. They realized that it was colder than they thought it would be outside. They were amazed and felt lucky that the passenger compartment of the plane was mostly intact. That would definitely help them if help didn't come quickly. Once their eyes adjusted to the blinding light reflecting off the snow, they saw the wreckage and all the destruction the plane had left in its path. Starsky stared at the damage and put his hand on Hutch's shoulder and said, "Hutch, how did we, any of us, survive all this?"
"I don't know, pal but I'm sure glad you and I did."

"Yeah me too, buddy."

"You're the outdoorsman, where do we start, Hutch?"

"We'll it's going to be cold, let's see what clothes, blankets, and food we can find and get them inside then maybe we can start a signal fire." They noticed a lot of clothes lying on the ground. They saw other things among the wreckage, but their first priority was to keep everyone warm during the night. As they were picking up the clothes they also found medicine bottles. They knew Dr. Chandler might need them so they picked them up too. They also found a few bottles of water and cans of soda. They thought they must have been in the plane's storage area. Hutch saw his suitcase, it was the one he packed just to bug Starsky. It was opened and his clothes were all over the ground along with everyone else's. He also found his gun still in its holster and picked it up. He looked a few minutes and then he found Starsky's gun. He picked it up and handed it to him. Starsky said, "Maybe we shouldn't let the others know we're packing at least until we know them a little."

"Yeah, good idea." They put their holsters on and snapped them in place then zipped up their jackets so they wouldn't be seen.

They laid a blanket on the ground and put the items they thought were needed inside the plane on it. When they were ready to go in they could take it with them. Most of the clothes were wet from the snow and they decided to start a fire so they could dry them before nightfall. As they were collecting small branches Starsky said, "Hutch, do you think anyone's looking for us yet?"

"You can count on it. We were supposed to land at one and its three now. They're looking. Hopefully the pilot was able to give the tower our location before we went down." Hutch knew Starsky always hated the mountains. Every time he had tried to take his buddy camping over the years something bad happened. Years ago, Dobey let them use his cabin and they were looking forward to some much needed rest and relaxation when they ended up involved in some cult ritual and a sixteen year old girl was almost used as a human sacrifice to Satan. They put the wood down in a pile and Hutch said, "It'll be okay, Starsk. They'll find us."

"I'm worried about our families. They're gonna be worried sick."

"I know, I worry about them too, but we have to focus on getting out of this mess for now."

"I know you're right, Hutch." He felt his pockets and asked, "Hey, you got a match or can you start a fire with two sticks?"

"Let's see if we can find something inside." Hutch folded the blanket with the supplied they found like a nap sack and tied a piece of rope to the end. Starsky held his fingers together and bent down so he could give Hutch a boost up inside the plane. Hutch held the other end of the rope that was tied to the blanket in his teeth as he got inside the plane. He pulled the blanket inside and handed it to Stan. Once inside, Hutch helped Starsky. The shades to all the windows had been opened so there was light inside, but it was much darker inside the plane than it was outside and it took their eyes a few minutes to become accustomed to the lower light level.

When Starsky and Hutch went outside to see what they could do, Dr. Chandler asked Ray and Stan if they would help him move the three injured passengers to the front of the plane. He asked Sarah if she could find blankets or coats to cover them. Before the injured could be moved, the clothes, luggage, and other debris needed to be removed from the aisle. Stan started to sort through the items putting the things he thought they might need into piles. He put the clothes in one seat, blankets and pillows in another, he put candy bars and other food items he found into an empty suitcase he found. Ray, on the other hand, was doing as little as possible. He pretended to be working hard and trying to help, but in all actually he picked up a couple of candy bars and put them in his pocket and put on a sweatshirt he saw lying in someone's suitcase. He did find some medicine bottles and handed them to Dr. Chandler. He also put some trash in a pile that Stan had started.

Sarah took some of the blankets and put them on the seats the injured were going to be in. She knew this would help keep them warm and that would help treat for shock. Keeping them warm was going to be a top priority. She had also dug out a roll of plastic and some duct tape that was in a storage closet. She knew they could use it to put around the door at night to keep the cold and wind out.

While Ray was taking a break, from doing mostly nothing, Sarah and Stan were looking through all the luggage and debris for items they might be able to use and for any food items they could find. Turns out people like to munch out when they fly. They had found some candy bars, bags of chips, crackers and even peanut butter. They were grateful for that because the flight was such a short one, there was no food in storage on the plane. It did have some drinks, but a lot of the cans had been broken and opened during the crash.

They also had found a couple of lighters. Starsky and Hutch took one of the lighters and went back outside.

They knew the bigger the fire and the blacker the smoke they could make the better. Hutch started the fire and Starsky looked for more wood. He was lucky and found pieces of the tires from the plane. He knew tires made black smoke and would last a while. They knew they would need a lot of wood to keep the fire going. They weren't sure if any of the heat would make inside the plane to keep everyone warm, but they needed it to signal help. It would also provide a way of keeping the clothes warm. They found the tool box and its contents among the other debris in the planes path of destruction. They felt that, as plane crashes go, they were pretty lucky. There was a shovel and a hacksaw along with wrenches, screwdrivers, rope, and a couple of hammers. They used the shovels to make holes in the ground and the hacksaw to cut long five foot branches. They used them and the rope to make a clothesline. They put the clothes on the line to dry. They had Sarah throw out some blankets to warm them on the clothesline. Starsky and Hutch had also taken some of the plastic and used it to cover the pile of wood they had collected to keep it dry if it snowed during the night. They knew the fire would probably go out during the night, but they had lighters and could restart it in the morning if they needed to.

The clothes were dry and the blankets were warmed and put on the injured. They were in for the night and the plastic was put over the door and sealed with the duct tape. Starsky and Hutch were pretty cold and the clothes they had on were wet. They found their luggage and changed into dry clothes. Sarah handed them one of the sodas and a candy bar, they thanked her.

They had gone through all the medicine bottles and Dr. Candler was happy that there was Ibuprofen, Lortab, that is prescription strength pain medication, and antibiotics among them. There were also other medications that he probably wouldn't need like blood pressure medication. The most injured patients were asleep and the rest of the passengers were settling in for the night. It was getting cold but they could manage. Everyone managed to put an extra layer of clothes on and didn't feel too uncomfortable. Hutch took a sip of his drink and said, "So Dr. Chandler, what's your specialty?"

"I'm actually an emergency room physician. I was on my way to Oregon for a conference and thought I'd take this flight to see the Sierra's. This is a little closer than I had planned."

Starsky said, "My partner here likes the mountains too and that's why we're here." He realized that sounded like he was blaming Hutch for being in the crash. "Hutch, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

Hutch smiled and said, "I know you didn't but I guess it is my fault we're here."

Ray said, "Partners are you cops or something?"

Starsky said, "We're retired cops. Hutch and I go way back."

"We were partners for over forty years before we retired. What about you Ray; what do you do?"

Ray said his last name was Stanford and was thirty two- years-old and is currently unemployed. He was going to Tamasand City hoping to find a job. He said that someone was going to pay for the crash and pay big. He was really being obnoxious.

Starsky looked at Sarah and asked, "Sarah, how long have you been a stewardess?"

"About five years now. I loved this route. It's always so pretty up here." She looked towards the cockpit and added, "They were good pilots, good friends. Joe has, I mean had three kids and Phil's wife is expecting their third the end of the month." She put her head down and started to cry. Hutch was sitting the closest to her and just held her.

Stan Miller was studying to be a pharmacist who was taking a break from his classes and decided to take this flight to relax. He said, "Can you believe it, I took this flight just to relax. I have the best luck." He laughed at himself.

Everyone except Ray stayed awake talking a while. Ray said he didn't feel like talking and he wanted just go to bed and forget the whole ordeal. It was about midnight when the rest of them settled down and fell asleep. Starsky and Hutch were sitting next to each other and Hutch said, "I'm sorry I got us into this, Starsk."

"It's not your fault, Hutch."

"But if …"

"No buts. Remember we promised each other years ago not to go down that guilt road trip."

"You're the best, Starsk."

"Yeah, I know." He laughed. He knew Hutch was feeling guilty. The only reason they took this flight was because Hutch wanted to. "Maybe if we had taken another flight something worse might have happened."

"I hope our wives and the boys are okay."

"Me too."

"Starsk?"

"Yeah, Hutch?"

"Are you warm enough?"

"I'm fine, Hutch. Are you okay?"

"I'm just tired." They both finally went to sleep.

Chapter 2

At about noon the plane with Starsky and Hutch went off the radar and radio contact was lost. The plane had originated from the Bay City Airport and the local police were notified. The only information the tower had was that the plane had hit some turbulence and went off radar somewhere over the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Joe did not realize that his last transmission never made it to the tower. Chief Sterling received the phone call about 1 o'clock in the afternoon. He knew Starsky and Hutch were on that plane and he got on the radio and told Johnson and Reynolds to come to the office immediately. He said that he would meet them out front. Chief Sterling called the hospital where Jeanne and Debbie worked and found out they both were working now. He knew that Kenny and Davey would be at school and he could send someone to pick them up if Jeanne and Debbie wanted him to. Johnson was driving and turned his car around and headed to the station. They knew by the tone of their Chief's voice that something was drastically wrong. They hadn't heard that tone since Starsky and Hutch retired. As he pulled up to the station, they saw chief Sterling standing in front with about as worried a look as they'd ever seen him have. Reynolds got out and let the Chief sit up front and he got into the back seat.

As he got into the car he said, "Drive to the hospital. I'll fill you in on the way."

They pulled up to the hospital and Chief Sterling asked the Emergency Room charge nurse if he could speak to Debbie and if she would call the Operating Room and send Jeanne down. She picked up the phone and called the Operating Room and said that Jeanne would be right down. Then she paged Debbie to the desk. Debbie was in treatment room 2 and came right out. She saw Chief Sterling with Johnson and Reynolds she couldn't imagine what happened. Starsky and Hutch had retired and were out of town what trouble could they have possibility gotten into. There was never any doubt that it was both of them involved, it always was. Jeanne stepped out of the elevator and was equally surprised to see the Chief of police waiting to see her. The charge nurse told them they could use dictation room 3 as it was empty. The women sat down and braced themselves for whatever news the Chief had. Chief Sterling told them all the information he had and he asked them if they wanted the boys picked up from school. They decided to wait until the boys came home from school to tell them. They were going to Hutch's after school today. Jeanne and Debbie were too upset to drive anyplace so Chief Sterling drove Jeanne's car and Reynolds drove Debbie's to Hutch's place. The Chief called the airlines to see if he could find out any more information about the plane when they arrived at the Hutch's. He was told that a full search was on in the area, but there was no new information. Davey had driven to school that day and as he turned the corner to their street, he saw Johnson's car along with Jeanne and Debbie's. Both boys knew something was wrong instantly. They ran into the house and saw everyone sitting in the living room. Davey and Kenny at the same time asked, "What's wrong?"

Johnson stood up and said, "Have a seat, guys."

Davey and Kenny looked at each other and Kenny sat on the couch next to his mother and Davey sat next to Debbie.

Chief Sterling said, "At about noon, the plane your fathers were on went off the radar and there has been no radio contact with it."

Davey slowly said, "Dad and Uncle Dave's plane crashed."

"I didn't say that, Son. It went off radar. The local authorities have organized an extensive search of the entire area."

Kenny said, "Where? Where did it go down? Why can't they find it?"

Jeanne hugged her son and said, "It was over the Sierra Nevada's when it went off radar."

"The Sierra Nevada's, that's a huge area." Kenny put his head down, trying not to think the worst.

Chief Sterling said, "We don't know that the plane went down. They may have flown off course and lost radio contact."

Davey stood up and said, "I want to be there. I want to be where the command center is."

Chief Sterling looked at all four of them and knew that's where they wanted and needed to be, he said, "Why don't you pack some things and I'll make a couple of phone calls."

Debbie said, "Jeanne, I've got some things you can wear and Kenny has some of his things here. We can be ready in about fifteen minutes, Chief."

Within two hours, the four of them were arriving at the command center which was located at a small airport near the Sierra Nevada's. Chief Sterling said he wouldn't be able to leave work but he would come up tomorrow. Debbie drove Jeanne in her car and Davey drove Kenny in his. They knew there wouldn't be enough room for all of them in one car once Starsky and Hutch were located.

They were met by the local members of the Civil Air Patrol. Cadet Kevin Turner introduced himself and told them that he would take them to the waiting room. Kenny and Davey had never heard of the Civil Air Patrol and asked Cadet Turner what it is. Cadet Turner told them the Civil Air Patrol or CAP, as it is often referred to, is an auxiliary of the United States Air Force. One of its primary missions is search and rescue. He explained that they were volunteers and would be assisting the police and other search and rescue teams find the missing aircraft. This was a composite squadron which means it is comprised of adults and cadets. Cadets are ages 13 to 18 and they join in the searches and assisted at the command center.

He escorted the family to a waiting room that had been set up for the families of missing. Cadet Turner showed them where they could put their luggage. As they entered the room the four of them noticed several other people in various stages of shock and disbelief that their loved ones were missing. Debbie noticed that the room was set up for about fifty people with tables and chairs, a TV, a table with food, another table with coffee and other drinks. As they looked around more items were being brought in, like cots to sleep on in case they were there overnight.

Cadet Turner introduced the Starsky's and Hutchinson's to Colonel Hogan who was in charge of the search and rescue mission. The Colonel wanted to meet the families of the missing as they came in. He wanted to assure them, himself, that everything that could be done was being done. He explained that he would be very busy soon and a Major White would be his liaison between the families and the CAP. Jeanne and Debbie explained that they were nurses and they would be willing to assist if their services were needed. Kenny and Davey wanted to actually go out and join in the search.

Colonel Hogan has been a member of the CAP for a long time and knew that most families wanted to join the search. He also knew that if a family member saw a crash site it could be disastrous for them emotionally. His teams were well prepared for the search physically, emotionally, and they were well supplied. Colonel Hogan had learned how to handle family members over the years and he enjoyed what he did. He has seen the joy in their faces when their loved ones had been found unharmed and he has seen the sorrow when the outcome was not a happy one.

He smiled as he told them, "We have medical personnel on hand, but if something comes up and we need your services I will let you know. Thank you for offering. As far as joining in the search, we'd prefer family members to stay close by. When the plane is found we need to know where you are. Some of areas we are searching are pretty far away and dangerous. The search teams maybe out overnight and they are all well trained and supplied for this kind of search. I promise we're doing everything we can." He also explained that he would be giving an update as soon as the rest of the family members arrived and that he expected that to be in about an hour or so.

Kenny and Davey both shook his hand and at the same time said, "Thank you, Colonel."

Debbie sat next to Jeanne at one of the tables as Kenny and Davey went to the food table. They knew neither of them had eaten lunch and thought they could find something for them to eat. The table had bologna, ham, turkey, tuna, and other lunchmeats for sandwiches along with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and just about everything else any of them could possible want. There was also fried chicken and someone mentioned that pizza would be there soon. Kenny and Davey made ham sandwiches and picked up a can of Pepsi for Debbie and Jeanne. Both women said they weren't hungry but the boys insisted they try to eat something adding they were in for a long night.

Davey said, "Starsk?"

"Yeah, Hutch."

"Do you remember when Dad was missing for almost four months and we just felt like he was still alive?"

"I'll never forget it, why?"

"I feel like that now. I mean, I just know they're alive. I just know they are."

"Me too, Hutch. I really believe, no, I really feel it. Mom, I know Dad's alive. I just know it, Uncle Ken is too."

Jeanne gave him a half-hearted smile and said, "I hope so." Debbie was quiet. She couldn't bring herself to think that she was going to lose another husband. It had taken her a long time to fall in love after losing her first husband and the thought of losing Hutch was almost more than she could bear. Davey gave her a friendly hug and said, "They're okay, I promise."

When all the family members had arrived that Colonel Hogan was expecting, he updated everyone on the search. He stated that they had planes in the air searching the area and ground teams searching certain areas. They now, believe the plane went down. He explained that there were places it could have landed safely and until they knew for sure, no one was giving up hope. The search would last until dark and then the planes would be recalled. Those on the ground were going to camp out for the night. As soon as it was daylight the planes would be back in the air. He tried to sound hopeful, but everyone knew the Sierra Nevada's was a dangerous mountain range and there have been many planes that had never been found.

The only thing the family members could do was sit, wait, and pray. They spent the evening talking and consoling each other. They all talked about their loved ones that were missing. At about midnight, Kenny and Davey put blankets and pillows on the cots the four of them would be sleeping on. As they fell asleep, they could hear the soft sobbing sounds of the others in the room.

"Hutch?"

"Yeah, Starsky?"

"No matter what happens, we'll be here for each other, right?"

"Always, cuz. You know that."

"You're my best friend."

"You're my best friend too. Starsk, they'll be okay." With that being said, Kenny and Davey covered up and went to sleep.

Chapter 3

At about 6 a.m. Starsky and Hutch woke up the sounds of someone yelling and it sounded like they were in a lot of pain. They quickly jumped up and noticed Dr. Chandler and Sarah were awake already and standing over the man who had an impaled piece of metal in his arm. Hutch said, "Doc, what can we do?"

"Look in that pill bag, find me the bottle of Lortab and hand me two, please." Starsky found the bottle and handed two tablets to Hutch who gave them to the doctor. Starsky counted the pills and there were only twenty left. They had two patients who needed them and he knew they would not last much longer. The man had been unconscious since the crash and was scared and in a lot of pain. Dr. Chandler was doing a good job at calming the man down. The man said his name was Chuck Poe and he was a computer expert. He was hurting so much he couldn't talk much, he was asleep again soon.

Hutch patted Dr. Chandler on the back and said, "You're doing a great job, Doc. Whatever we can do to help, please let us know."

"I'm worried." He moved to the front of the plane followed by Starsky and Hutch. He looked around to make sure no one else could hear him and whispered, "I don't have the proper equipment. That man needs immediate surgery. His arm is already infected and he may lose it. The other one is going to lose his leg and it's infected too. Both of them could die if we stay here much longer." He wiped his forehead with a clean cloth. "I know there isn't many pain pills left so I'm going to have to cut back on them. The antibiotics we have aren't the right kind for these types of infections. They need IV antibiotics."

Starsky and Hutch looked at each other and Starsky asked, "What are you saying, doc?"

"I'm saying these men have about four or five days at the most. If we don't get out of here, they will die. I don't know about her." He pointed to the woman who was still unconscious. He moved in closer to the two of them and whispered even lower, "I know you two can handle the truth so I'll tell you like it is, okay?" They both nodded. "Our chances of being found are not good. The rest of us won't last much longer. Sure we have a few candy bars, chips and sodas, but they won't last long. I don't mean to scare you guys. I guess I just needed to talk with someone I knew wouldn't fall to pieces on me."

Sarah came from the front of the plane and looked really scared and upset, but was trying not to show it. Hutch said, "What's wrong, Sarah?"

She put her head down and quietly said, "I just checked and the plane's Emergency Locater Transmitter is broken."

Starsky said, "The plane's what?"

Hutch whispered, "All planes have Emergency Locater Transmitters. That sends out a signal when a plane goes down."

Sarah added, "And ours is broken. They'll never find us in these mountains."

Hutch put his hand on Starsky's shoulder. He didn't need to say anything to know what Hutch had in mind. He nodded back in agreement and said, "I'm with you, pal."

Dr. Chandler asked, "What? He didn't say anything."

Sarah looked puzzled and said, "Can you two read each other minds or something?"

Simultaneously they said, "On occasion."

Dr. Chandler said, "What are you planning?"

Starsky said, "We're going for help. We know the risks, but if we don't none of us will make it out of here."

Dr. Chandler put his hand on Hutch's shoulder and said, "I never meant that you should leave. I just wanted you know what we're up against. You gotta be crazy to go out there."

At the same time they said, "We've been called worse."

Just then Ray woke up and said, "Man, keep it down. I'm trying to sleep."

Hutch said, "I'd rather take my chances out there with Starsky than here with him."

"Hey, partner, what do you want us to pack?" Starsky started looking around to see what they might need. He was also a little worried about Hutch. He knew how much he hated the cold especially since the kidnapping a few years ago. Hutch had been kept in a cold room for almost four months. Hutch must have sensed that Starsky was worried about him because he gave him a nod and a wink. Starsky nodded back. That was all the discussion there was. It had been decided, they would go together.

"Yeah, if we're going to do this, let's get started." Hutch started looking through some of the clothes that were in the pile on one of the seats.

"Tell you what. You start packing and I'll build up the signal fire before we go."

Hutch nodded and said, "Good idea." He reached into his pocket and handed Starsky the matches in case he needed them. Starsky zipped his coat on and loosened the plastic that was around the door. He went outside. When Starsky jumped from the plane outside he noticed that it had snowed about four inches during the night. He looked at the fire and saw there were still some hot coals. He found a long stick and stirred the coals. He went to the wood pile they had started yesterday and put more wood on the fire. He was glad they covered the wood up so it would still be dry. He also noticed that the temperature had dropped. He wished he had gloves on but he stayed warm enough by staying close to the fire. He knew leaving the plane was dangerous. He also knew that Hutch was going to get help for the others and he was not about to let him go alone. No matter how much he hated camping and just being in the woods, he couldn't let his partner do this alone. He put enough wood on the fire so it should last awhile. Stan could add more wood later. He knew Ray wasn't going to be much help.

Hutch started looking around for the supplies that he would need. He found two backpacks. Neither of them were very big but between the two of them they would hold everything they needed to take. Hutch knew they would both need warm clothes. He found a couple of sweatshirts that he had packed in his extra suitcase and some jeans that would fit them both. He also found a couple pairs of sweatpants and a couple of good heavy coats. He packed two of the lighters and Sarah handed him some of the candy bars, a few drinks, a knife, and a pan they could use to heat the snow and turn it into water. Sarah had also found some empty water bottles and gave four of them to Hutch. He didn't find any gloves, but did find some socks they could put on their hands. Hutch rolled up four of the blankets and put them in the pack too. He also took a roll of the plastic and duct tape. They would use the plastic to lie on the ground to help keep them warm and

wrap their feet to keep them dry. He thought it might be a little awkward to carry the roll of plastic, and after looking at it, he decided it was too big to carry like it was, so he cut it into big pieces and folded them. He cut some small pieces to wrap their feet up and some larger pieces he could use to lie on the ground to help keep them warm at night. Hutch didn't know why there were a couple of big rolls of plastic on the plane, but he was glad they were there. He wished he had a couple of good sleeping bags, but he had to make do with what they had on hand. With the coats, extra clothes and blankets they should be okay for just a couple of days. It wasn't going to be a fun trip, but they would survive it.

When Starsky came back in there was one more job they felt they needed to do before they left. That was to move the deceased from the back of the plane outside. Stan was awake now and assisted Starsky and Hutch with that task. Hutch knew Ray was awake too, but he never offered to do anything.

Dr. Chandler needed to attend to his three patients. The woman with the laceration was still unconscious and he gave a Lortab to the man with the laceration on his leg. He found out his name was Steve Collins. He was in a lot of pain but seemed to be handling it as long as he didn't move around a lot.

It was about noon when they had everything packed and finished everything they wanted to do before they left. They went to Chuck and told him they would find help and that he was going to be alright.

As a stewardess, Sarah knew where they were and told them the latitude and longitude of their location. Hutch wrote it down and put it in his pocket. Sarah had a tear running down her face and Hutch wiped it off and gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek and said, "We'll bring back help. It'll be okay."

As Hutch was about to open the door he turned around and looked at Starsky and said, "Starsk, you…"

Starsky cut him off and just said, "Me and Thee, partner." That was all Hutch needed to hear to know his best friend was going to be there with him every step of the way, no matter how dangerous it was. Hutch opened the door and they went outside followed by Dr. Chandler. He knew from previous discussions that Hutch was a good camper, but conditions this time were different. He wanted to share some advice he knew about how to avoid cold weather injuries. He told them to take the time to melt the snow for water. It takes a lot of energy for your body to turn snow into water. He also said to take it slow and easy. If they expended too much energy and sweat that would make them colder. They talked a little while about the decision to leave and get help and knew it was the right one for everyone. He was really worried about them leaving in these conditions and admired them for taking the chance. Hutch promised that he would leave a well-marked trail by leaving a mark on the north side of the trees. The doctor told them to take care of each other and they replied at the same, "Always have; always will." Starsky handed his gun to Dr. Chandler saying that he might need it. Hutch made the doctor promise not to use it on Ray. They all chuckled as the doctor said he couldn't promise that.

Dr. Chandler climbed back into the plane with Stan's help. As they watched them walk away, Dr. Chandler said, "There goes the two bravest men I think I have ever met."

Stan said, "Somehow I know they will bring help back." He knew that the signal fire needed to be kept as big as they could make it. He went outside to gather more wood. Ray went out to help him when he overheard Sarah saying something about how he wasn't helping at all.

Stan found the pile that Starsky and Hutch had started and removed the plastic that was covering it. He added the wood he collected to the pile. Ray added more wood to the fire and went into the woods to gather more.

About ten minutes later, Stan heard Ray screaming and it sounded like he was hurt. He ran to Ray who was lying on the ground in the fetal position. "Ray, what's wrong?"
Grabbing his foot, he said, "My foot. I think I broke it."

Stan bent down to look at it and said, "Here, let me look at it." He took Ray's shoe off as he hollered it hurt. Stan noticed a little bit of swelling in Ray's right ankle. He helped him up and back to the plane. Dr. Chandler helped him into the plane. He had Ray sit down so he could examine it. Ray had a little swelling, good pulse, movement, and sensation in it. He told Ray that it looked like he may have a slight sprain but he was pretty sure it wasn't broken. Ray whined that it hurt. Dr. Chandler gave him two Ibuprofen. Dr. Chandler thought 'just what I need another patient and this one's giving me a headache.' He took two Ibuprofen himself. Sarah covered Ray up with a blanket. She was trying to stay upbeat and helpful.

Stan stayed outside about three hours before Sarah called and told him to come in and get warmed up. He said that with the fire going he was warm. He did come in to rest. With little food they needed to conserve their strength when they could. Gathering fire wood in the cold temperature was hard work. He didn't realize how tired he was until he came in. He sat in one of the plane's seats and fell asleep. Sarah and Dr. Chandler checked on the injured and then took a nap while they could.

Chapter 4

Starsky and Hutch left what little comfort the plane offered to find help. They had been walking about twenty minutes when Hutch said, "You know, Starsk, you didn't have to come with me. I know how you hate camping and the woods."

"Hey, I couldn't let you do this alone. I may not like camping or the woods, but somebody's gotta take care of you."

"To be honest I'm glad you came."

Starsky chuckled as he said, "Don't get me wrong; if anything happens to me, you'll never hear the end of it."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Hutch, how long do you think it will take to find help?"

"I'm hoping tomorrow but it might be the day after. I really don't think it will be more than that."

They walked for a couple of hours before stopping to rest. They knew they couldn't go too fast. Starsky gathered some firewood they would need to melt the snow for water as Hutch dug the pan and water bottles out of his back pack. They melted enough snow to fill all the water bottles and drank the rest. Starting a fire would not only melt the snow for water and provide warmth; it would also help mark their trail. They only ate half of a Snickers bar. They knew they needed to conserve what little food they had. They rested for about an hour and started walking again. They stopped every two hours whether they were tired or not. They knew the importance of keeping a steady pace. At about 5 p.m. Hutch stopped, and as he was taking off his back pack said, "I think this is a good place to stop for the night."

Starsky took his pack off and said, "Okay, you're the boss." He realized what he said and quickly said, "I mean uh, sure."

Hutch caught it and laughed and said, "So, I'm the boss now?" Starsky didn't say anything, he just put his pack down. He was trying not to laugh. Starsky gathered the firewood as Hutch set up their camp for the night. Hutch dug a hole in the snow down to the ground and then he placed some rocks in a circle. He had found some small twigs and leaves. He wanted to wait to start the fire until Starsky came back with more wood. He decided the next thing he needed to do was fix a place for the two of them to sleep. He wanted to make it as comfortable and warm as possible. First he put some of the plastic he had on the ground then found leaves and put them on top of the plastic. He laid one blanket on top of that then they would cover up with the other three blankets. By making one bed instead of two separate ones, they could use their body heat to stay warm. Starsky came back with the firewood and Hutch started a nice size fire. Because their shoes and socks were wet from walking in the snow, they took them off. They had extra socks and put them on. They put their shoes by the fire to dry while they ate dinner, which consisted of the rest of their Snickers candy bar and a bag of chips. Starsky stood up and said he needed to use the little boy's tree. He stretched and said he would be right back. He walked away from the campsite.

As he walking back he fell and hit his head on a rock and was knocked unconscious. When he didn't come back right away, Hutch got up and called for him. He yelled, "Starsky, come on this isn't funny. Where are you?" There was no answer. "Starsk, are you okay?" Hutch called as loud as he could. He was getting worried now and walked in the direction Starsky had gone. About ten minutes later he found Starsky lying face down in the snow with his head against a rock. He quickly rolled him over and noticed that Starsky had a laceration on the right side of his face. He felt for a carotid pulse and felt a good steady one. He said, "Starsk, come on wake up, buddy." There was no reaction. He gently shook Starsky and said, "Hey come on, Starsk." Starsky moaned and slowly opened his eyes. "That's it wake up."

Starsky sat up with Hutch's help. He rubbed his head and asked, "What happened?"

"I don't know. You went to use the tree and didn't come back."

"Oh, I remember now. I slipped and must have hit my head on that rock."

"Well how are you feeling now?"

"I've got a headache but I'll be okay. Help me up will ya?"

"Sure." Hutch helped Starsky stand up and they went back to the campsite. Hutch took one of the clean shirts they had packed and cleaned Starsky's face. He thought it could use a few stitches, but knew that wasn't going to happen.

Starsky made a fuss while Hutch was cleaning his face up. "Hutch, will you quit being such a mother hen, I'm fine."

After he cleaned his partner's face he smiled and said, "Yeah, okay." He put the shirt back in the pack. The two of them lay down in the bed Hutch had made. It was still early but they were tired and had a long way to go tomorrow.

"Hutch?"

"Yeah, Starsk?"

"Are you warm enough? I know you hate being cold."

"I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"Now who's being the mother hen? I'm a little cold but I'm okay." Hutch stared up at the night sky and asked Starsky, "Have you ever noticed how many stars are really in the sky? I mean back home there are so many lights you can't see them but look at them now."

"There must be billions of 'em. They really are something, aren't they? You know I might really enjoy this if we weren't in our current situation."

"I know what you mean, buddy."

"Hey, Hutch?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think our wives and boys are thinking now?"

"They won't give up until the plane is found."

"God, Hutch, I worry so much about them."

"I know you do. I do too. They have each other and they'll be strong." Hutch patted Starsky on the shoulder. "Besides, tomorrow we'll make down this little hill." He pulled the blankets around the both of them a little more. "Are you warm enough? Should I put more wood on the fire?"

"I'm fine. Thanks, Hutch. I know I've said this before, but I want you know that I'm glad you're my best friend."

"Me too, buddy. Starsk, we'll make it out of here, I promise."

"Hey, I wouldn't have come with you if I didn't think you'd get us out of here."

"I'm glad you have so much faith in me, old pal."

"I always have."

"I just wish we could be there for Calvin. It would be nice to see him sworn in."

"Maybe we won't miss it. He's not being sworn in until tomorrow night. We may make it back in time."

Starsky didn't reply because he was fast asleep. Hutch smiled at his partner. It seemed like Starsky could always sleep no matter what the situation.

Starsky woke up first the next morning and carefully moved out from underneath the covers so he wouldn't wake Hutch. He wanted to warm some water on the fire so they could have something warm to drink before they started their long hike down the mountain. As he stood up he blinked his eyes a few times to get used to the blinding glare the sun was making on the snow. It was so bright he could see only a little. Then he realized that what he was seeing wasn't the sun reflecting off of the snow at all. The problem was that he wasn't seeing as well as he should. He could barely see at all. He bent over and gently shook Hutch and said, "Hey, buddy, wake up we got a problem." He didn't want to scare Hutch but he was scared himself.

Hutch heard the worried tone in Starsky's voice he sat up and said, "What's wrong." Starsky kept blinking his eyes hoping his vision would return he turned his head from side to side to see which way he could see the best. Hutch pulled back the blankets, stood up, and a little louder said, "Starsk, what's wrong."

"I can barely see. I don't know what happened."

Hutch looked at Starsky's face and saw where he had fallen on the rock last night and noticed a big bruise. He looked into Starsky's eyes and noticed that the pupils were unequal. He put his hand over Starsky's right eye and then removed it to let the light on it. His pupil was nonreactive to the light.

"Will you tell me what you're doin', Hutch?"

"I'm checking your pupils."

"So, what's the verdict?"

Hutch was looking at the rest of Starsky's face. He looked at the laceration closely and said, "I think you got more than just a little cut on your face last night."

"Great, just great, this is going to slow us down."

"Sit down here for me, okay?" He helped Starsky sit on the blankets. "How much can you see?"

"I can see you, but you're pretty blurry. Everything's blurry. I can barely see the fire." Starsky sat down slowly and said, "What are we gonna do now?"

"Well, first I'm going to heat some water and clean that pretty face of yours, and then we're going to eat half of one of the candy bars. After that we're going to get out of here. It may be slower going, but we'll make it. Are you dizzy?"

"Yeah, a little bit. How bad is it, Hutch? You know I want the truth."

"Well, I think you have a slight concussion, but I'm no doctor." Hutch warmed some water and cleaned the dried blood off Starsky's face. They both drank some warm water and ate half a candy bar. After he cleaned up the campsite and packed everything up, Hutch looked around and found a stick that Starsky could use to help with balance. Hutch covered Starsky's bad eye with shirt he tore and tied it in place. They discovered that he could see a little better if his right eye was covered. They continued on their journey down the mountain. Hutch didn't let Starsky know, but he was really worried for him. He was worried that his eyesight might get worse. It was slower going, but they were making better progress than Hutch thought they would. Starsky held the stick on his right side and it helped him avoid obstacles like branches and keep his balance. Hutch was right with him and wouldn't let him trip over anything. They walked about two hours then decided it was time to rest. They decided that they would only rest half an hour at a time in the morning and go slower as the day wore on. They wanted to find help today. They didn't want to be out another night. It was cold last night, but the temperature was dropping and tonight was going to be worse. Every time they stopped to rest, they would check their feet and made sure they were dry. They kept them wrapped in some of the plastic they had. So far they were lucky and neither of them had any signs of frost bite. Hutch had been marking trees like he told Dr. Chandler he would. Every few yards he made a notch on the north side of a tree and he carved S & H in a couple of the trees too. Hutch decided it was time to stop again and he wanted a bigger fire this time. They were both getting cold and needed to get warmed before they got too cold. Hutch knew that once you get frostbite it's better to stay cold than to get warm then cold again. He was trying to keep them both as warm as he could. He put some plastic and a blanket on the ground next to a tree for Starsky to sit on while he gathered some firewood. As Starsky sat down Hutch patted him on the shoulder and said, "Now sit tight, buddy, I'll be right back. I'm going to get some wood and get a good fire going this time."

As he sat down Starsky said, "I can help find some wood."

"No. You just sit down. How's your eyesight now?"

Starsky lifted up the patch over his right eye and blinked a couple of times then he squinted and said, "Well it's not any worse. I guess that's positive."

"Are you still dizzy?"

"Not as much. I don't suppose you got a burrito packed in that bag of yours?"

"No burrito, but I do have a real nice bag of chips." He dug in his back pack and took out a bag of chips and handed it to Starsky. "I'll heat some water for us as soon as I get the fire going. How's that sound?"

"Warm water and chips, how'd you know that's my favorite lunch?"

Hutch chuckled. It was just like Starsky to bring humor into everything. He patted him on the shoulder and said, "Just a lucky guess. If you're okay, I'll get the wood and start the fire." Starsky nodded and Hutch started looking for wood. They had been lucky so far in finding plenty of dead tree branches on the ground they could use as firewood, but Hutch didn't see anything close by. He wanted to keep Starsky in sight but he had to look for wood. He figured it would just be a couple of minutes at the most. He saw a big dead tree on the ground down a slight incline he could use as firewood. As he started towards the tree, he slipped and tumbled down the incline.

Starsky was leaning against the tree when he heard Hutch yell and he knew instantly that Hutch was hurt. He stood up and started towards the sound, "Hutch, you okay?"

Hutch yelled back, "I'm down here, Starsk. I need help!"

Starsky looked down the incline and, even though his vision was blurry, he saw Hutch lying in the snow. "I see ya, pal. I'm coming."

"Be careful."

Starsky went sideways and walked very slowly to avoid slipping himself. When he reached Hutch he noticed he had landed on a branch that had gone through his left forearm. The other end of the branch was still on the tree. Starsky looked at it and said, "Oh man, Hutch, what did you do?"

"You're going to have to break it off the tree."

Starsky studied it for a minute. There was a six inch space between Hutch's arm and the tree and about five inches of the branch sticking out of Hutch's arm. The branch went completely through his forearm. He could see some blood through the coat Hutch had on but he couldn't tell just how bad it was. "Let me get the hacksaw. It'll be better than me trying to break it. I'll be right back."

Hutch was obviously in a lot of pain. He was holding his arm, closed his eyes and clenched his teeth and said, "Please, be careful, Starsk."

Starsky nodded, "You know me."

"Yeah, that's why I said be careful." As Starsky started staggering up the incline Hutch added, "I'm sorry, buddy."

Starsky turned back around and patted Hutch on the shoulder and smiled, turned around and went to get the hacksaw. He was careful as he made his way back to Hutch. His stomach was all tied up in knots. He hated to see his partner hurting like this especially when he was incapacitated himself. He carefully sat next to Hutch and tried to focus his eyes on the branch. He put the hacksaw on it a couple of times to start cutting but pulled back each time. Then he put his right hand on Hutch's arm with his fingers spread open where the branch was embedded so he wouldn't cut Hutch instead of the stick. He told Hutch to take his other hand and hold the other end of the stick to try to keep it from moving so much. As he started to cut he said, "This is probably going to hurt."

Hutch nodded, "I know. Just do it."

As Starsky started the back and forth motion with the saw on the branch to cut it, Hutch grimaced and gritted his teeth. He was cutting so that only about two inches would be sticking out of Hutch's arm. Starsky knew this was hurting Hutch more than he thought it would. "I'm sorry, pal." He stopped cutting a minute.

"The vibration is making it worse. Nothing you can do about it. Don't stop, I want to get it over with." He nodded a reassuring nod.

"Okay. Do you think if I cut further back it will hurt less? Do you want me to go fast or slow?"

"Cut close so less is sticking out, and cut fast. Just get it over with." He reached out and put his other hand on Starsky's shoulder and rested his head on it and said, "God, this hurts." He put his hand back on the branch and nodded for Starsky to continue.

"I know it does. I'm sorry." He started sawing again, this time going fast. He knew it probably was best to get it over with. Going slow would just drag it out longer. Starsky told Hutch to yell all he wanted to. He said maybe someone would hear him. Hutch tried not to yell too much but it hurt and it hurt a lot. When the branch was finally off the tree, Starsky looked at Hutch's arm. They both knew the branch should stay in place, but it needed to be stabilized. Starsky carefully put the arm against Hutch's chest. Hutch turned his arm so that the branch was not poking him in the chest. They managed to get back up the incline by helping each other. Starsky was starting to feel weak as well as having vision problems and he needed to lean on Hutch's right side. It took them a while, but they finally made it back to the campsite. Starsky helped Hutch sit down on the plastic and blanket. Starsky sat next to him, took his pocket knife out of his pocket and fumbled with it. Hutch looked at him and said, "Starsk, what are you trying to do?"

"I've got to see how bad it is. I need to see it."
"You can't see well enough for that. Tell you what. Hold the knife still and I'll open the blade." Working together, as they always have, they managed to get the knife opened. Next, Starsky worked carefully and slowly to cut away the fabric and expose Hutch's arm.

The branch was about two inches in diameter and the wound wasn't bleeding very much. They were both getting very cold and knew they needed a fire. Starsky got up and started towards the tree to gather the wood. He picked up a large piece of the plastic and took it with him. Hutch started to ask why, but he knew what Starsky had in mind. When he reached the tree, Starsky put as much of the dead branches he could on the plastic and dragged it back to the campsite. He could drag more than he could carry and only wanted to make one trip. It took awhile, but they finally had a nice fire going. Starsky managed to heat up the water and they ate chips, a candy bar and drank warm water.

Just as they were finishing their meal, they thought they heard a noise. It sounded like an engine of some kind. Starsky looked up in the sky and noticed a small white plane. They both stood up and yelled as loud as they could, "We're here!" Starsky was waving his arms. The plane flew away from them. Starsky put more wood on the fire. He wanted to make a lot of smoke. Their hearts sank as they watched it go further and further away no matter how much smoke came from the fire. They sat down next to each other and Starsky put his arm around Hutch and they both sighed. They sat like that, just holding onto each other as the plane flew out of sight.

Chapter 5

The Civil Air Patrol had been searching for the missing aircraft for two- and-a-half-days now with no leads. Colonel Hogan was not giving up, not just yet. He knew the conditions the missing faced and he wanted desperately to find them. He had the Public Affairs Officer give the families' updates and they were trying to keep their spirits up. More searches arrived everyday and that mean more areas were able to be searched. Because of the cold the teams were being rotated if they could. Some of the teams were so deep into the mountains they couldn't come back and would be out for days if they had to be. Colonel Hogan made sure that the teams were well equipped to handle whatever they faced. He was proud of the people under his command. All of them were volunteers and some were as young as 13. All of them were trained and knew what they were doing.

Jeanne and Debbie were feeling kind of numb. They had seen their husbands hurt and pretty banged up and missing, but nothing compared to this. They were just praying with the rest of the family members that they would be found soon. They were not going to give up hope. They knew if anyone could survive it would be Starsky and Hutch.

Kenny and Davey while confident that their dad's were alive but were pretty worried about them. They spent a lot of time learning about the Civil Air Patrol. Cadet Turner told them about different things that would be going on during the search. He explained about the different jobs that needed to be done. Some jobs were at the command center, others were out on short hikes, others were sent out over night there were a lot of jobs to be done.

A lot of people came to the command center with food. There were a lot of people there and they all needed to be fed. Chief Sterling came and brought a pickup truck load of food from the guys at the station. Huggy came too and brought some food from the Pits. He would be staying the night too. He said he couldn't be anyplace else. Seth and Austin followed him in Seth's car. Chief Sterling could stay a little while but he had to get back. Johnson and Reynolds wanted to come too but they were working on a murder and couldn't leave. Kenny and Davey helped unload the truck even though they were told they didn't need to. They were bored and wanted to help. What they really wanted to do was go look for the missing plane.

Chief Sterling, Seth and Austin tried to keep everyone spirits up. They were sitting at the table eating dinner when Seth looked at Davey and said, "You know, the first time I saw your dad he was lying on the ground after falling in the stream banging two rocks together. He's one tough man."

Davey smiled and said, "Yeah, he is. So is Uncle Dave. Remember when he was shot in the back. He walked before the doctors thought he would."

Jeanne added, "Those two have been into one thing after the other since I've known them. Somehow they always manage to make it through." She put her head down and said, "I just hope…"

Austin put his arm around her and said, "They will. They will come out of this too."

Huggy said, "I have seen the two of them pull each other through more problems than most hear about. Trust the Bear; as long as they're together, they're okay."

Chief Sterling said, "You know I kind of hated to see them retire. I know they gave me a lot of grief, but I miss them at the station. I have spent many hours worrying about them over the years. No matter what, they always stick together. Like Huggy said, as long as they have each other they will be fine. Knowing Hutch he's set up a hell of a campsite." They all chuckled in agreement. In their hearts they knew that as long as they were together, Starsky and Hutch would be fine. Chief Sterling said his goodbyes and promised to come back when he could. Seth and Austin were going to stay the night and help out where ever they could.

As the planes and ground crews reported in, Colonel Hogan kept track of what areas had been searched and assigned new areas. Then a plane piloted by Tyler Martinez, reported in. He reported that he saw two men just as he was running out of fuel. He reported their location and said he spotted the smoke from what looked like a campfire. He also said that he did not see the plane and it looked like one of the men had been hurt. Colonel Hogan immediately got on the radio and gave the information to the closest ground crew. They said they would head that way but it would take about ten hours to get there from their current location. The other teams were ordered to keep searching their area for the plane. There was no way of telling if the men were from the missing plane and which direction they had come from. The only thing they knew for sure was that a plane had spotted two men at a campfire. All this information was to be kept from the rest of the media and families of the missing. Colonel Hogan did not want any rumors going around. He did not want the families to think the plane had been found and most of all he did not want anyone to think anyone had been reported dead. He had dealt with all kinds of rumors in the past and knew it was best to keep everything quiet until they knew something for sure. Once he had positive proof that anyone had been found alive or otherwise he would brief the families himself. He had promised them that when they came.

All the planes were low on fuel and on the way back in. Tyler Martin and his spotter, Jack Wilson, made it back first to fuel up and requested permission to go back to where he last spotted the two men. Colonel Hogan granted him permission and told him to take a survival pack for two with him. Jack put the items in the survival pack as Tyler fueled up and gave the plane quick once over. They were lucky the command center was at the airport. Sometimes the command center had to be at a local fire station and the pilots had to be driven by car to the command center to pick up supplies. The survival pack was going to be dropped from the plane by Jack. A note had been attached to it explaining the rescuers were on the way but it would take time and they needed to stay where they were. Inside the survival pack was a tent and sleeping bags that were rated for below zero temperatures. There were cans of soup and hot chocolate that were in containers that were self heating. Once activated, the soup and hot chocolate heated automatically. A first aid kit was also in the pack along with a couple of thermal blankets and gloves. There was also a radio that they could communicate with. The radio was placed on the top so they would see it first.

Tyler was 55-years-old and has been in the CAP for 15 years and had found a few missing planes in his time as well as a couple of lost hikers. Every time he spotted a missing person or plane he felt the same adrenaline rush and this time was no different. Jack was 42 and joined the CAP as a cadet when he was 15. He has had his share of finds too and, like Tyler, felt the rush every time. Both men felt in their hearts that the men they spotted were from the plane. They didn't know why they left the plane, but they just 'had a feeling' they had found what they had been searching for. They were back in the air in twenty minutes.

Chapter 6

At the crash site, Dr. Chandler and Stan were having problems of their own. Ray had slightly sprained his ankle and was complaining more about it than the rest of the injured. He wouldn't help do anything. The only thing he did do was complain about everything and he wanted everything. He wanted more water, more food, more blankets and more attention from Dr. Chandler and Sarah. About the third time he asked Sarah for more water, she looked at him and said, "Now look, I'll get you more water after I help change the bandages on Steve, make sure Margaret eats something, and give Chuck some water. You have had more to eat and drink than the rest of us put together. You could help instead of complaining. I know you hurt your foot, but look at everyone else. No one has had an easy time of this but we're all doing our best." Ray didn't say anything he just turned his away towards the window and closed his eyes.

Margaret woke up yesterday with a headache and blurry vision. She went from being responsive to unresponsive. Sarah made sure she drank and ate what she could while she was awake to keep her from dehydrating. Dr. Chandler knew she had a concussion or worse. He thought she had some intracranial pressure and would not last much longer if she didn't receive immediate surgery.

Steve's leg was definitely infected, he was running a fever and in a lot of pain. Dr. Chandler was alternating giving him Lortab and Ibuprofen to help with the pain but he didn't have enough Lortab on hand to keep the pain totally under control. He did what he could, and Steve knew that and was grateful for everything that was being done for him. He was struggling with the fact that he knew he was going to lose his leg, but was grateful he was still alive. He asked very little of Sarah and the doctor.

Chuck's arm was infected and he was also running a fever. Dr. Chandler was alternating giving him Lortab and Ibuprofen to help with his pain too. He was becoming delirious at times. Dr. Chandler was worried that the infection would get into his blood stream. If that happened, it could kill him. Chuck thought he would lose his arm and asked Dr. Chandler to tell him the truth. The good doctor was used to giving his patients bad news and he knew, for the most part, it was best to be totally honest with them. He told Chuck that, yes, he could lose his arm. He also reminded him that he was being given antibiotics and there was a chance he could keep it.

Stan was doing everything he could to keep the signal fire going. It had gone out at night and he had to restart it in the mornings. It had been two days ago that the plane had crashed. Starsky and Hutch left the day after the crash and were hoping to be back with help in two days. Stan never thought he would be in a situation like this but he was determined to make the best out of a bad situation. He made it his job to keep the fire going and help the doctor keep track of the medicine that was given to the patients. He tried to keep everyone inside the plane as warm as he could. He would heat blankets on the clothes line Starsky and Hutch made. He also warmed up rocks and brought them in at night so they could put their feet on them and keep them warm. The doctor and Sarah thought that was a stroke of genius. They appreciated everything Stan was doing. At night when they had time they would sit and talk. Dr. Chandler was able to answer some questions Stan had about medicine. Ray wouldn't talk with them even though they tried to include him. They were worried they would run out of what little food they had before help would come. They started eating fewer candy bars and then only half at a time and more of the chips. They knew the candy bars were better because they had peanuts which had protein, and the chips had a lot of salt. They were able to keep water in stock because of the snow. Stan melted snow at least twice a day to make sure the water containers stayed full in case it stopped snowing and they lost access to water. Sarah worked with him to keep inside the plane fairly comfortable. They all knew that anyone else leaving for help was out of the question. They would have to stay put until helped arrived. Their best chances to make it out alive were the signal fire and Starsky and Hutch finding. It was now 6 p.m. on the third day since the crash. The three of them decided they could hold with the supplies they had a few more days.

As Starsky and Hutch sat and watched the plane fly away Hutch said, "Damn it! I'm so stupid."

"Hey, I'll remind you that you said that some day." He grinned at Hutch.

Hutch glared, "I forgot about my gun. I could have fired it and maybe the plane would have heard it."

"I doubt it Hutch." He carefully unzipped Hutch's coat and took the gun out of its holster. "I got it now in case he returns." He gave Hutch some more of the warm water and filled the water bottles they had and asked, "It's six now, should I make camp here for the night?"

"Let's stay the night here. We already got a fire going and I just hurt too much to go very far right now, besides it's going to be dark soon."

"Okay, I'll get the bed made and put more wood on the fire. You just sit there. Well sit over there so I can add the blankets to the bed." He pointed to a spot by the fire. There was a rock Hutch could sit on. He helped Hutch stand up and walk to the rock. Hutch was keeping an eye on Starsky too. He noticed his balance seemed a little off and he was rubbing his head. He was glad they were going to be stopping for the night. Starsky saw the rocks around the fire and had an idea. He found some other rocks and arranged them to form the letters S & H. He included the 'and' symbol. He knew if the plane spotted the rocks that they would know it was them. He looked at the rocks again and thought to himself 'hey, they're warm.' He took two rocks and put them on top of the plastic but under the blankets and Hutch said, "Now why didn't I think of that? That feels good Starsk, thanks." He stretched his feet out and put them on the rocks. Starsky was about to put two more rocks under the covers as he heard the plane again. They both looked up. Hutch tried to stand but almost fell over. Starsky grabbed him and sat him back down. "Stay put, buddy, I'll get his attention." He took Hutch's gun and shot at a nearby tree.

About seven p.m. Jack spotted the smoke and Tyler flew over as low as he could get without hitting the trees. When they were close enough Jack threw out the box. Jack also saw the S & H that was spelled out with rocks. He would let Colonel Hogan know when they got back. Starsky and Hutch saw them and both laughed and smiled. They knew they had been found. They watched as a small parachute opened and the box drifted slowly down to the ground. Starsky started to run after it, but got dizzy and decided a trot would do. He picked up the box and carried it back to Hutch who was now sitting up. Starsky saw the note and read it out loud to Hutch. It said that they knew where they were, to stay put and that a rescue team was on the way but was about 10 hours away.

Starsky took his pocket knife out and opened the box. They both were as excited as two little kids at Christmas. He saw the radio as soon as he opened the box, turned it on and said, "This is Dave Starsky I'm with Ken Hutchinson. We're hurt but we'll be okay until the recue party arrives. Thanks for the supplies." He waved at the plane as he talked. Tyler flew in circles around them a couple of times.

Jack heard them and answered, "We read you. You're welcome. Glad we spotted that fire." Jack explained that once they flew away they would lose radio contact. Jack wanted to know what injuries they had. Starsky acknowledged him and told them about their injuries. Jack reassured them that the rescue team would reach them by early morning.

Jack asked where the plane was, Starsky reached in Hutch's pocket, took out the piece of paper, and read off the latitude and longitude of the crash site. He told them what injuries some of the others had and the names of everyone who was alive. Jack told him they needed to search for the plane before it got too dark but that help was coming. Starsky and Hutch watched and waved at the plane as if flew away towards the crash site.

After he signed off the radio, he looked in the box again and saw the cans of soup and hot chocolate. Hutch said he had seen cans like that in the store. He told Starsky how to active them so they would get hot. Next, he saw the tent and the sleeping bags. They looked like heaven to the two. It would take the cans almost ten minutes to get hot so Starsky started setting up the tent. It was a two man tent and Hutch told him step by step how to set it up. Hutch started drinking the chicken noodle soup and was surprised how hot it actually got. Starsky was pushing himself and was getting dizzier. He tried to deny it when Hutch asked about it but he couldn't hide anything from Hutch. He told Hutch he would rest in a couple of minutes. He wanted to get the sleeping bags set up first. He zipped the two sleeping bags together and put the blankets inside them. He knew they would be warm tonight. He got everything together inside the tent and helped Hutch get inside. Then he took a break and ate or rather drank some soup and hot chocolate. He thought it was the best thing he ever tasted. He went outside and brought in the box and found the first aid kit, gloves and thermal blankets. They felt really warm for the first time since the crash. It would take ten hours for the rescue team to reach them so they planned on getting a good night's sleep. Starsky put more wood on the fire one more time before settling in for the night. Starsky helped Hutch take his coat and folded it so he could use it as a pillow. Then he took off his coat and folded it to use a pillow. Hutch found the most comfortable position was lying in the supine position and Starsky did too. He was hoping he didn't bump into Hutch's arm during the night. They were both excited and it was only eight p.m. and neither of them was ready to sleep. They stayed awake talking for about an hour before they dozed off.

Tyler flew where Starsky had said the crash site was. It was starting to get dark now he knew he had to find it fast or they would have to wait until morning. It took about half an hour before they reached the crash site. They spotted the flames from the signal fire Stan had made for the night. The plane flew low and spotted the signal. As Tyler flew over the site, Jack looked for any signs of people. He didn't see anyone but thought for sure they were inside the plane. Tyler had enough time and fuel to fly around again.

Inside the plane Stan and Sarah thought they heard a plane and jumped up out of their seat. Dr. Chandler opened the door for them and assisted them outside. They were all excited. Even Ray stood up and went outside. Once outside, they saw the plane as Tyler circled back around. He tipped the wing of the plane to let them know they had been spotted. He had no radio or anything to give them, but he gave them the one thing they needed- hope. Jack got on the radio and radioed the command center as soon as they flew away. He told them everything they had seen and what Starsky had said about the survivors of the crash. Colonel Hogan immediately sent a ground rescue to team to the crash site. The nearest team was about six hours away from them. They headed towards the site as soon as they received the good news. It was too dark for a plane to go back to the site until sunrise. Stan and the others knew they had been found and that help would be there soon. They had no idea how long it would take but they had hope. They were so excited as they went back in the plane they told the others that help would arrive soon. Dr. Chandler was able to give Chuck and Steve enough pain medication so they would be able to sleep.

Chapter 7

At the command center everyone noticed the members of the Civil Air Patrol seemed to be more active. No one was saying anything, but they even looked happy. Davey and Kenny saw Major White going into the command office. They wondered if the plane had been spotted. A few minutes later Colonel Hogan came out of the office and asked for everyone to settle down that he had an update.

Starsky and Hutch's families, along with Seth and Austin, sat together at one of the tables. They didn't know if the news was going to be good or bad but they had their hopes up.

As Colonel Hogan stood in front of the families, the room became instantly quiet. The Colonel said, "I have a lot going on right now so I'm going to keep this brief. A little while ago, one of the planes spotted a campfire and two men. What we now know is that they are Starsky and Hutchinson."

Davey and the rest of the family were smiling and whispered to each other they knew they'd be okay.

Colonel Hogan nodded and smiled at the families and continued, "They are injured but said they would fine. They were able to tell us the location of the missing plane. We know there are some severe injuries among some of the others. I ask you all to please be patient a little longer. It's going to take ten hours or so reach Starsky and Hutch and about six hours to reach the crash site. We have medical personnel on each rescue team. We are setting up landing coordinates for the helicopters to take the injured to the hospital. It's best if everyone stays here tonight. I assure you, no one is stopping until they are brought back here or taken to the hospital. I will let you know more as soon as I can."

The room erupted with applause for the Colonel and the men, women and cadets under his command. They were all very grateful for their efforts. There were a lot smiles in the room.

Jeanne and Debbie were crying tears of joy. Even Huggy wiped away a tear or two. Kenny and Davey gave each other a high five and Seth and Austin were all smiles. A few minutes later Cadet Turner came to their table and said that the Colonel wanted to see them. All seven of them followed him.

Colonel Hogan had Cadet Turner bring them to a meeting room. He smiled at them when they entered, told them to have a seat, and dismissed Cadet Turner. Colonel Hogan sat down himself and said, "I wanted to talk to you in person. The word we got from the plane was that Starsky and Hutch left the plane to find help because of the injuries of some of the other passengers."

Jeanne asked, "You said they were injured, is that both of them and how bad, do you know?"

"That's what I wanted to tell you. It will be morning before the rescue team reaches them and another five or six hours after that before they can get them to a landing zone so they can be flown to the hospital. From what we understand Starsky is showing signs of a concussion and Hutchinson fell and has a stick impaled in his arm. They told the plane they were okay. We were able to drop them some supplies and they now have a tent, warm food, sleeping bags and some other supplies. I wanted you to hear all this from me personally." He reached out and patted Debbie's hand and winked at the boys.

Jeanne said, "Which hospital are they going to be flown to?"

"The closest trauma center is in Tamasand and they will be taken there."

Jeanne said, "The police chief is a friend of ours. That's where they were going. We can stay the night there and be at the hospital by the time they get there."

Debbie asked, "Can you give us a call and let us know what time? I know you don't know yet and I understand it will be a while."

He handed Debbie a piece of paper he tore from the small notebook he had in his pocket and a pen and asked her to write down a number they could be reached. Debbie wrote down her cell phone number and Jeanne's.

Davey asked, "What about the others on the plane?"

Colonel Hogan looked at all of them and said, "Please don't let this leave this room." He took a deep breath and said, "We know there are some severe injuries and we know from what Starsky and Hutch said that there were also some fatalities. You can be proud of the two of them. They left the plane to get help. That was dangerous and took a lot of courage."

Kenny said, "They're retired cops. They've been through worse than this."

The Colonel smiled at them. They all shook his hand and thanked them as they left.

When they left the room, Jeanne went outside and called Calvin Dobey. He had checked in with her yesterday and was very worried about the men he call his uncles since was a little kid. They could not postpone the swearing in ceremony, but he knew they were there in spirit. Jeanne let him know that they were both injured and would be taken to the trauma center. She also told him that the seven of them were driving to Tamasand tonight and would be staying at a hotel close to the hospital. The new Chief said that he would make arrangements for them. He told her which hotel and gave her directions.

It took about two hours for them to arrive at the hotel. They were not surprised when they found Chief Dobey and Rosie waiting for them in the lobby. After they greeted each other and said their hello's, the Chief said he had reserved three rooms, one for the women, one for Seth and Austin and a room for Huggy and the boys.

They stayed in the lobby talking for a long time. Jeanne told Calvin and Rosie about the injuries Starsky and Hutch had. Calvin told them all about the station he was in charge of and how much he loved the job. He said he had a lot of good men under him. He said, "I'd love to show you all around the station and show you my new office as soon as Uncle Ken and Dave are up to it."

Davey and Kenny smiled and at the same time said, "That'd be great. We'd love to see your office."

Calvin smiled and looked at Jeanne and Debbie and said,"They are so much like their fathers."

Rosie said, "Here's a photograph I took of my big brother last night." She was very proud of him and it showed. She showed them a photograph of Calvin accepting the framed certificate naming him Chief Calvin Dobey. "He's going to hang it up on the wall in his office."

Jeanne smiled and said, "Your parents were so proud of both of you. I'm sure they are watching you now."

Calvin said, "You know Dad kept every article I was in and every photograph Rosie had published." He smiled as he remembered his parents, so did Rosie.

Rosie sounded sad as she said, "I really miss them both."

Calvin reached out and hugged his little sister and said, "Me too, Sis." They stayed awake talking for a long time. Calvin said that the two of them would be back in the morning to show them the way to the hospital and he told them they had the rooms as long as they needed them.

Chapter 8

The search team hiked towards Starsky and Hutch all night. They stopped for about three hours to rest and headed out again. They knew that the two men they were headed towards were injured but were not sure how bad. It was a long cold night for them but they were excited to be a part of the search and possibly saving a couple of people. It was about 5 a.m. when one of the Cadets, Jennifer a sixteen-year-old, spotted a little smoke just to the left of them. The leader took his radio out of his pocket and said, "Rescue team one to Starsky or Hutch."

Starsky was sound asleep and didn't hear the radio, but Hutch did. The radio was lying on the ground next to Starsky and as Hutch reached for it he hit his arm and yelled from the pain. That woke Starsky up instantly. He sat up, looked at Hutch and said, "What is it? You okay, buddy?"

Hutch was holding his arm and clenching his jaw from the pain as he said, "The radio. Someone's trying to contact us."

Starsky tried to look at Hutch's arm and realized that his vision was worse and he couldn't focus on it. He was also very dizzy and nauseated because of it. Hutch noticed it and said, "Hey, you okay?"

Starsky managed to hand Hutch the radio and shake his head no and laid back down closing his eyes. Hutch picked up the radio and said, "This is Ken Hutchinson here, over." He never took his eyes of his partner. Starsky was lying as still as he could. Every movement made him dizzier.

Hutch heard a voice on the radio saying, "We see your smoke and will be at your location in a few minutes."

Hutch said, "That's great, my partner's not doing too well." He put his hand on Starsky's shoulder and said, "Hey, buddy, talk to me."

"I'm so dizzy, Hutch, so dizzy. I can't… can't move."

Hutch held his arm, which was really hurting now and said, "The rescue team is almost here. Sit still, I'm going to crawl over you and get out of the tent."

"Hutch, I'm gonna be sick." Hutch looked around for anything to give to Starsky and found a bag that some of the supplies had been in and handed it Starsky, "Here use this. You'll be okay, Starsk. Help is here." He managed to crawl over Starsky. Unzipping the tent was difficult, but he managed to open it and make it outside. As he crawled out of the tent, a member of the Civil Air Patrol saw him struggling to stand up and ran to help him. Hutch said, "My partner's bad off. Help him please."

A man who looked like he was in his early thirties said, "Hi, I'm paramedic Tom Conner, what's wrong with him?"

"He fell a couple of days ago and hit his head on a rock. He's been a little dizzy, has had a headache, and blurry vision since then. This morning he seems to be really dizzy. Help him please." He looked at Tom with pleading blue eyes. Tom saw Hutch's arm and started to look at it and Hutch said, "I'm fine take care of Starsky." Tom nodded and went into the tent.

Another member of the rescue team looked at Hutch's arm and asked if he was able to walk. Hutch didn't hear a word the man said he was looking towards the tent. The man patted Hutch on the shoulder and said, "My name is Michael Glass, your friend is being taken care of by one of our best paramedics."

Hutch turned and looked at the man and said, "Yeah, I'm uh, Ken Hutchinson. You can just call me Hutch and him Starsky. How is he?" He noticed that two more members crawled into the tent carrying a first aid box. Someone handed Hutch a cup of hot coffee, he thanked them.

Michael stood between the tent and Hutch to get his attention. He looked at Hutch and untied the sling Starsky had made for him. He looked at Hutch's arm and said, "I'd like to change these bandages if you'll let me."

"Yeah, okay." He kept trying to look around him to see Starsky. He couldn't see anything inside the tent.

Michael changed the bandages on Hutch's arm. He also cleaned around the wound as much as he could without hurting Hutch too much. He left the stick in place, splinted it and put his arm back in a sling. He also gave Hutch a couple of pain pills. He told Hutch all he had was Ibuprofen and it would not make him sleepy. Hutch nodded and thanked him. Finally Tom emerged from the tent and walked towards Hutch. He said, "I believe your friend, as I'm sure you know, has a concussion. I've given him an IV. He's a little dehydrated. Now, I do believe that part of the problem is the physical exertion and little food he's had the past few days."

"He had two cans of the soup last night. That should have helped."

"I'm sure it did. We've got a helicopter on standby to take you both to the hospital. It will take us about four hours to hike to the landing zone. We will be taking him on a stretcher." He looked at Hutch's arm and asked, "Can you walk? We can put you on one too."

Hutch shook his head and said, "No stretcher, I can walk."

Tom said, "Okay. I'd like to get going then." Some of the members of the team put Starsky on the stretcher and others took care of the campsite.

Hutch walked over to Starsky as they were bringing him out of the tent held his hand and said, "Hey, buddy, we made it. We're getting out of here. How you feeling now?"

Starsky tried to open his eyes but it made him dizzier and he closed them again. He took Hutch's hand and said, "I'll make it. What about you? How's your arm?"

Hutch looked at his arm in the sling and seeing the stick still embedded in it said, "Oh this, I'll be fine. They told our families that they found us. They'll be waiting at the hospital so you need to look your best." Starsky smiled, he couldn't manage a full laugh. He didn't want to tell Hutch how bad his headache was or how blurry his vision was. He didn't need to; Hutch knew he was trying to hide it just as Starsky knew how much Hutch was trying to hide how bad his arm hurt. They started their long trek to the landing zone.

At the crash site, everyone was anxiously awaiting the search team. They knew the plane spotted them but they also knew that it would probably take a while. Stan woke up first and quietly went outside to build the fire up. He took some blankets with him to warm them. He knew help was on the way so he put a lot of wood on the fire and it made a lot of smoke. He put the blankets on the clothesline and a pan of snow on the fire to melt for water. He took the blankets and water inside the plane and found Dr. Chandler awake attending to the patients. Sarah was handing everyone a candy bar and a bag of chips. She helped Stan cover the patients with the warm blankets when he came in. Ray, of course, wanted the first blanket. Sarah ignored him and put the blankets of the other three first.

Stan asked Dr. Chandler how the three patients were. He said that Margaret seemed a little better; she was awake and talking now. She had a headache but that was to be expected. Chuck was in less pain because of the increase of Lortab he was given but the infection looked pretty bad. Dr. Chandler was not sure if he would lose his arm or not. Steve was about the same. There was no doubt that he would lose his leg. The doctor doubted that anything was wrong with Ray. He was sure he was faking the whole thing so he could get out of work. Everyone was looking out of the window so they would see the rescue team when it reached them.

The rescue team reached the plane a little later than they thought they would. It was about seven when they finally saw the smoke from Stan's fire. Margaret saw the team first and pointed out the window and said, "They're here."

Dr. Chandler and the others looked out the window. Stan opened the door and they all cheered. The rescue team put the injured on stretchers and put the fire out. Ray said he felt good enough to walk today. They gave everyone some of the cans of soups that were self-heating and some hot chocolate. When everyone was ready they started their hike to the landing zone. The three injured were to be airlifted to the hospital first. The others would wait until the helicopters made it back then would be taken to the command center. Dr. Chandler stayed with his patients.

Starsky and Hutch made it to the hospital at about 10:00. Colonel Hogan had kept his promise and called Jeanne and told her when they were found and that they were heading to the hospital. Hutch was taken to surgery and Starsky was taken for an MRI after being allowed, briefly, to see their family and friends.

Hutch was in surgery for about an hour and would be in the hospital for a few days to be on IV antibiotics. The branch did not hit any major veins, arteries or nerves. It would take a while for the muscle damage to heal though.

When he woke up from surgery he saw the nine people that were crammed into the small room. He looked around at the group and said, "Where's Starsky?"

Debbie said, "Honey, he's sleeping in the bed next to yours. The doctor said he's going to be okay. He said he has a concussion and needs to rest."

Hutch looked over at Starsky who was hooked up to an IV. Jeanne walked over to her husband, leaned over the rail and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead and said,"I love you."

Hutch smiled knowing Starsky was in the same room and he didn't have to wander around the hospital looking for him. Huggy, knowing what Hutch was thinking said, "I told them they'd better put you two in the same room."

Hutch smiled, "Thanks, Hug." Hutch realized how much his arm was hurting. He looked at it saw that it was wrapped up. He said, "At least the stick's gone."

Davey put his head on his dad's chest and said, "We were so worried about you, Dad." Hutch patted his son's head and said, "We were worried about you guys too. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. I really need to rest for now." He looked at Calvin and said, "We really wanted to be there for you."

"I know you were there in spirit Uncle Ken. I'm just glad the two of you made it out of that crash alive."

The nine stayed with Hutch talking about an hour when the nurse came in and said, "Okay, you've seen him, now he needs his rest. You can come back tomorrow." They grumbled but said their goodbyes to Hutch and Starsky both then went back to the hotel. Seth, Austin and Huggy said they had to get back to Bay City but they would see them when they came back home in a few days. Hutch thanked them for keeping an eye on the family for them.

After everyone left, Hutch got out of bed dragging the IV pole with him and sat in a chair next to Starsky's bed. He held his hand a minute, then said,"Hey, buddy, we made it. I knew we would as long as we were together. Do you think you can wake up for me, pal, just for a minute?"

Starsky heard Hutch talking to him and he managed to open his eyes and say, "Hey, Blondie, I'm okay. How's your arm?"

"It's fine. They took the stick out. It's infected but I'm on IV antibiotics, but I'll be as good as new. How about you?"

"I'm not as dizzy, head still hurts though. I feel so tired, buddy. I'm so tired."

Hutch whispered, "Go back to sleep. I'll be right here. I'm in the bed next to yours, okay?" Starsky nodded and went back to sleep. Hutch stayed at his partner's bedside a few more minutes then he went back to his bed and went to sleep.

Hutch woke up first the next day and sat in the chair next to Starsky's bed. He held his hand watched him a few minutes before Starsky woke up and said, "Hey, Hutch, we really made it didn't we?"

"We did that, buddy. Don't we always? How are you feeling this morning?"

"I actually feel pretty good. Of course I haven't tried to move yet, but I only see one of you now. I still have a headache but it's not as bad as it was."

The nurse came in and saw Hutch out of bed and said, "What am I going to do with you Mr. Hutchinson?"

"I'm fine. I had to check on my buddy here." She looked back and forth between the two and just shook her head. Starsky and Hutch smiled at each other. Hutch said, "How are the others from the crash?"

Just then Dr. Chandler came in the room he said, "They are all doing better. They were able to save Chuck's arm and with a little therapy he'll be just fine. Steve lost his leg, but he is happy just to be alive. Margaret had surgery late last night to relieve the pressure on her brain and is expected to make a full recovery." Then he looked at the two of them and asked, "What happened to the two of you? I heard you were both hurt."

At the same time Hutch pointed to Starsky and said, "He's got a concussion," Starsky pointed to Hutch and said, "He had a stick impaled in his arm."

Starsky said, "How about Stan is he okay? How'd everything go after we left?"

Dr. Chandler told them everything. He said, "Can you believe that as we were hiking down the mountain, Ray told the rescue team that he helped me take care of everyone. That guy, I just don't get him. He did as little as possible."

They talked a while when there was knock on the door and Davey and Kenny came in. Hutch said, "Dr. Chandler met my son and nephew, Davey and Kenny."

Dr. Chandler shook Davey's hand and said, "It's good to meet you Kenny."

Davey shook his head and said, "I'm Davey, he's Kenny."

Dr. Chandler looked at Hutch and said, "I thought you first name was Ken."

Hutch smiled and said, "It is."

Dr. Chandler chuckled and said, "I get it. You two named your kids after each other, cute."

Starsky said, "That's what everyone says."

The boys gave their dads and uncle a quick hug. Davey said, "Debbie and Aunt Jeanne will be here in a few minutes. They were still getting dressed. You know how women are."

Starsky and Hutch laughed and at the same time said, "We sure do."

Davey said, "You both look a lot better than you did yesterday."

Starsky said, "Yeah, it's amazing what a little rest will do for you."

Kenny looked serious at Starsky and asked, "Dad, are you okay now? You were in pretty bad shape yesterday."

"I feel a lot better, Son. I still got a headache, but my vision is better. I'll be okay."

Davey asked, "Dad, how's your arm? I know it was hurting quite a bit yesterday."

"It's fine. I'll be on the antibiotics a while, but it's going to be just fine."

A couple of days later, Starsky and Hutch had been released from the hospital with the understanding that they would both check in with their doctors in a couple of days.

The six of them went to see Chief Calvin Dobey's new office. Starsky said, "Well, Calvin, I mean uh, Chief it looks good but I think it's missing something."

Calvin said, "Like what?" He started looking around his new office. He had a nice desk, with a big comfortable chair for him to sit in, a water cooler in the corner, two other chairs on the other side of his desk. He even had some pictures on the walls of him during various stages of his career. On the desk, he had pictures of his ex-wife and two kids, Rosie and one of his parents.

Davey opened the door and brought in a 24x24 nicely framed photograph of Chief Harold Dobey and Hutch said, "We know he was always so proud of both of you and I'd think he'd like to hang around here."

Calvin had tears in his eyes as he said, "Thanks Uncle Ken, thanks Uncle Dave. He would be proud of me wouldn't he?"

Hutch was a little choked up himself and said, "I know he is. He always was." Kenny and Davey started hanging the picture.

Calvin looked at Rosie and said, "We were lucky. We had great parents." He smiled and said, "They were always proud of us, both of us."

Rosie said, "Yeah they were, big brother."

Starsky said, "We really loved and respected them."

Calvin laughed as he said, "You know, Dad always said that you two were the biggest pains in the behind he had working for him, but at the same time you were his favorite team."

Starsky said, "We did give him a lot of grief, didn't we Hutch?"

"We sure did, buddy, we sure did."

Kenny and Davey finished hanging the picture. It was hung on the wall opposite of Calvin's desk and Kenny said, "How's this Uncle Calvin?"

They all looked up at it and he said, "It's perfect."

They got a cup of water from the water cooler and Calvin said, "Here's to you, Dad. I am who I am because of you and Mom."

Rosie said, "Me too. We love and miss you both." They all drank a toast to Harold and Edith Dobey.

As they were putting the suitcases in the car the next day, Starsky grinned at Hutch and said, "So you're stupid, huh?"

"Stupid, Starsk, what are you talking about?"

"I told you, I'd remind you of that."

Hutch tried to sound like he didn't know what Starsky was talking about but he did know, "Starsk, I…"

Starsky knew that tone. It was Hutch's 'I'm sorry I got us into this mess' tone. He put his hand on Hutch's shoulder and said, "Hey, I thought we agreed it was no one's fault. Remember no guilt trips."

"You and me, Starsk, we always make it, don't we. No matter what trouble we get into, don't we? This time I wasn't…"

Starsky cut him off and said, "Hey, we were together. Like you said, "We always make it. That's cause we're Me and Thee, Hutch."

Hutch smiled and said, "Let's go home, buddy."

Starsky and Hutch rode with Jeanne and Debbie in one car and Davey and Kenny rode in the other one. Starsky and Hutch were both happy to be going home. What started off being just a three day trip to see Calvin, turned into over a week-long life-threatening adventure.

Their first night home they ate dinner at the Starsky's with their friends. Seth, Austin their partners, Johnson, Reynolds, Chief Sterling and Huggy were all there. Starsky and Hutch were happy to be around all their friends and family. Starsky had sat down on the couch and Hutch was going into the kitchen to get a beer, they looked at each other and smiled. They knew they had just gone through another experience that they survived only because of the special friendship and closeness they shared.

Chief Calvin Dobey answered his phone, "Chief Dobey here." There was a short pause, he said, "What do you mean your toilet's overflowing. This is Chief Dobey's office." He hung up and laughed and thought to himself Starsky and Hutdch, 'something's will never change.'