Feedback: That would be kind of you…
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these boys, just to this story. It is for enjoyment purposes only.
Author's Notes: Another fabulous idea by the one and only Brook….
This takes place just prior to 'The Set-up', Joe Durniak is alive and well, and still with the mob. He's also still fond of the Starsky family…
Family Ties
Chapter Four
Starsky sighed heavily as he entered his kitchen, stripping off his leather jacket and hanging it on the back of his dinette chair. The brunet reached for the cabinet nearest him and jerked it open with his right hand, reaching in and grabbing a bottle of bourbon with his left. He took a small clean glass from the dish drainer as he unscrewed the alcohol bottle and filled the glass to the brim. He took one long hard swallow as it burned his throat on the way down. He exhaled sharply as he felt the warmth of the whiskey exit his mouth. Grabbing both the bottle and the glass he went to the living room and sat on the edge of his couch. The brunet took another drink and reached for the phone, taking it from the table beside him and placing it on the coffee table in front of him.
He wanted so bad to call Hutch and tell him what was going on, he hurt inside. But he knew that telling Hutch would mean the ends of this investigation, and the chance to get the men that were responsible for his father's death. He struggled with his longing to tell his best friend, and his desire to get the bastards that tore his life apart. Every moment that passed, his mind changed. Finally, he reached deep in his pocket and pulled out the number of the girl from Huggy's. He poured himself another full glass of bourbon and he opened the wrinkled note.
Carmen 555-2363
Was scribbled across it, he thought of Hutch again, closing his eyes and resting his swimming head against the back of the couch. He wondered how Carmen played into this whole situation, and what she wanted with him. Exactly whose side was she on? Did it matter?
He picked up the phone and dialed the first five digits of Hutch's number before slamming the phone back into its cradle. He had rarely felt so conflicted and so alone as he did now. He couldn't trust anyone, and the one person he could trust, he couldn't talk to. He was tired, his mind wandered back to the days events, he felt horrible for the way he had treated Micky, but he was grateful that was over.
XXXX
Huggy had just dropped Hutch off at home, the blond wearily entered his apartment, shedding his jacket as he walked through the door. He went straight to the phone and picked it up, dialing his partner's number. He stopped himself before dialing that final number, thinking about how Starsky had asked to be left alone, he needed his space. He knew that Starsky had been drinking tonight and decided that he should let him be, but tomorrow was a different story. There was no way in hell that Hutch was going to accept Starsky's lame excuses about wanting to be left alone, not this time, no sir. Tomorrow he was going to get the answers he deserved!
Hutch tinkered around his apartment, trying to get his mind off of his best friend, his partner. He knew he needed help, but didn't know how to help him if Starsky wouldn't let him. He'd think about that tomorrow.
After a nice hot shower, Hutch toweled off and went to bed. He was deep in slumber enjoy his dream with a fair haired stewardess on a deserted island. The telephone hanging on the coconut tree rang as Hutch attempted to ignore it. It rang again. And again. Hutch was startled out of his sleep to the obnoxious ring of the phone at his bedside. Groggily he answered it.
"Hello?" His voice was cracking and dry.
"Hutchinson! Wake up!"
The blonde's eyes jerked open at the sound of his Captain's voice bellowing on the other end of the phone.
"Cap'n, what's up, what's the matter?" Hutch sat up as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.
"I need you at Memorial Hospital, now!" Dobey insisted.
Hutch felt his heart leap to his throat. "What is it? Is it Starsky?" Hutch asked, afraid to hear the answer at the same time.
"It's your friend, Micky. Seems he's been beaten pretty bad."
"I'll call Starsky, we'll be there in 30 minutes." Hutch was already standing up, looking for his pants.
"No, no Starsky, just you. You got that?" Dobey ordered, leaving little room in his voice for negotiations.
"I don't understand…" Hutch was cut off.
"You will, just get down here."
Click…the line went dead.
Hutch wiped his hand down the length of his face as he tried to collect his thoughts. He got ready as fast as he possibly could, all the while trying to understand why Dobey didn't want Starsky there.
Once at the hospital, Hutch parked in the handicapped zone for just a brief moment as he ran inside in search of his Captain. He tossed the keys to a security guard watching him. "If you need to, feel free to move it." He said as he rushed by.
He saw Dobey's rather large frame in the hallway seemingly in a very heated discussion with another man that Hutch had yet to identify. As he got closer he could start to make out what they were saying.
"Are you trying to tell me that one of my detectives is responsible for this heinous act?" Dobey bellowed.
"That's exactly what I am saying." Hutch immediately recognized Chief Ryan's voice. "I've told you for a long time that Detective Starsky was a loose cannon. You're just lucky that this didn't happen sooner!"
"I'm telling you that I don't believe it. There is no way that he is capable of something like this, I'd stake my badge on that!" Dobey argued.
"What's going on here?" Hutch interrupted.
Ryan turned around to face the tall blond. "Seems your partner got a little carried away with his questioning tactics tonight, and his handy work is now on his way to surgery."
Hutch furrowed his brow, "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that Detective David Starsky may be responsible for beating a man half to death. That's what I'm saying!"
"Are you going to take the word of that man lying in that bed over one of my men?" Dobey interjected.
"I promise there will be a thorough investigation into this matter Captain. By the way, where were you tonight Detective?" Ryan asked Hutch.
Hutch was about to answer when he was cut off by Dobey. "I'll have you know that Starsky and Hutchinson are my finest detectives, they have the best arrest records in the department."
"I don't doubt that Captain, I am just questioning their methods of obtaining those arrests." Ryan turned on his heels and stormed down the hallway towards surgery.
Hutch turned and looked at his Captain, "Is he really serious? He thinks Starsky did this?" Hutch looked frazzled and confused.
"I'm afraid he is son, apparently your little snitch told the officers that found him that Detective Starsky did this to him. Of course the immediately contacted Chief Ryan, who in turn called me in.?"
"Cap, this is crazy, you know Starsky didn't do this." Hutch pled as he looked into the black man's eyes.
"What I think isn't important right now. What is important is what the department thinks. Now there's been some talk lately about Starsky's strange behavior, that he has been a little wound up. And from what I've been told there was an eye witness that saw him smack Micky around earlier tonight. You know anything about that Hutchinson?" Dobey grilled his officer.
Hutch paused, his eyes filled with fear, his mind raced, if he told his Captain the truth it could just seal Starsky's fate, if he didn't he could be reprimanded for lying to a superior officer during an investigation, bringing with it the possibility of loosing his own badge. "Cap, it's not what it looks like, I know it!"
"Now I need to know, what the hell is going on with that partner of yours?" Dobey asked.
"I wish I knew, but I'll tell you what, I am about to find out." He stated as he plowed down the hallway and out of the hospital, bound and determined to get the answers he was looking for from the only person that had them, Starsky.
Hutch passed through the glass hospital doors and met up with two officers entering the building. Both were uniformed officers that never particularly liked Starsky. They didn't care for his cockiness, his methods or his mere existence, and unfortunately for them, they didn't have the brains to keep their mouths shut.
"Did you get a chance to see your partner's handiwork?" The more senior officer, Knight had asked.
"What the hell did you just say?" Hutch asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, from what I hear, he really worked him over good." His partner, Williams, concurred. "He may not even make it through surgery, but then he is a drunk and a fink, so who would really care, huh Hutchinson?" Williams chuckled as Hutch stood there, clasping his hands into fists, and then releasing them just to ball them up again.
Hutch saw a red flash of blinding rage and the next thing he knew, his fist was colliding with Williams jaw, careening him into his partner's arms. He stepped forward, leaning into the two officers, "Now hear me, and hear me good! I could really care less what you two think of me or my partner! But that man in there, in surgery, is a human being. And he has his rights, Starsky and I both believe that. It is our job to protect his rights, and my partner would never, and I mean never cross that part of the line. You got that?" Hutch was in Williams' face as the uniformed officer held his jaw and flinched in fear. "And so help me God, if you start spreading shit around the station, you'll be sorry! Mark my words."
"Yeah, sure Hutch, we gotcha. If anyone at the station finds out about your partner's temper or shortcomings, shall we say, they won't hear it from us, that's for sure." Knight said as he shoved his partner gently down the hospital corridor. "Your secret's safe with us. You have our word."
Knight and Williams entered the hospital, turning around to give the blond one final glance as they headed towards Dobey.
Hutch paused outside, stretching his back out and taking deep, calming breaths before getting in his car and driving away.
The whole way to Starksy's apartment the day's events ran through Hutch's mind. Deep down, he knew that Starsky would have never done anything like this, but his behavior had become different in a very short period of time. He knew something was off, but what?
From the date that Starsky had blown off the day before, to not picking him up that morning, to his anger at the station, and their confrontation in the bathroom. Then there was him roughing up Micky. How was he going to explain that one to Dobey?
Hutch was worried, but now his worry was turning towards hurt and anger. He hated feeling like this, but he thought there had better be something seriously wrong with his partner, or he was going to kill the curly haired brunet for putting him through this. This was definitely not they way they worked, not together.
Hutch pulled up in front of Starsky's apartment and turned off the key to his engine, even though it took his poor battered vehicle a few minutes to realize the command. It spit and sputtered until the engine finally died. Hutch got out of the safe confines of his car as he ascended the stairs to Starsky's second floor apartment.
He knocked lightly on the door but got no response. He knocked a little harder. Nothing. Using his own key to his friends' place, he opened the door and entered quietly. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, so he stood there, allowing his eyes to focus. Finally, he could make out the form of the person sleeping, fully clothed on the couch. The form had his head buried in the arm of the sofa, so Hutch couldn't tell for sure, who it was. As he came closer, he made out the half empty bottle of bourbon on the coffee table. He sighed as he replaced the cap on the glass top. Now his fear was quickly turning to pure anger. Starsky was shutting him out, pushing him away. Something he never thought would ever happen. Not by Starsky.
He walked back to the open door and took the edge in his hand as he swung it shut with all his might, breaking the tiny glass window that was used as a peephole.
The sleeping form on the couch was immediately shocked by the loud noise combined with the breaking glass, his body involuntarily leapt from the couch, landing on the floor beside it. He rolled and looked in the direction the noise came from. He saw his very angry, blond partner frowning down at him.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Starsky asked in bourbon induced haze.
"Get your ass up! We need to talk!" Hutch commanded.
To Be Continued…
