The wait at the hospital had been interminable. Not classed as urgent, Hutch had waited patiently in line to be seen by one of the doctors. He was xrayed, poked and prodded and finally the medic pronounced that Hutch had been lucky and that the bullet had merely skimmed the surface and had not damaged the bone beneath. Hutch himself surveyed the bloody wound and the blackening bruise around it on his forearm. His arm felt as though it was on fire and his fingers refused to move under their own steam – right at that moment, he didn't feel particularly lucky. The blond was handed over to a senior nurse who expertly inserted five stitches into the wound, dressed it and bandaged the limb adding a sling to complete the job.
'Doctor Turner says you shouldn't use that arm for at least 48 hours. The wound is right across the muscle so any movement could open up the stitches again. You're gonna be one handed for a while.'
Starsky grinned. 'Some things only take one hand honey' he said cheekily as Hutch rolled his eyes and slung his jacket over his shoulder. Ignoring his partner he smiled at the nurse.
'Ignore him. I'm taking him back to his ward now, they were laundering his straight jacket. He'll be fine once he has his medication. Thanks for patching me up.'
The nurse met the piercing crystal blue gaze, giggled and blushed. Not all her patients were the tall blond golden type and Hutch had made a refreshing change, as had the handsome brunet who had refused to leave his partner's side throughout. Starsky took charge of the small bottle of pain meds the nurse handed to them and then walked quietly by Hutch's side out to the car. Solicitously he opened the door for the blond who eased himself down into the soft leather seats and let his head rest back on the headrest.
'Tired? Or are ya hurtin'?' Starsky asked as he started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.
'Both…..and then some.'
'Home and bed then?'
'Home yeah, bed yeah, but Cassy's gonna be pissed that all I wanna do is sleep.'
'Well, if she's missin' out, I don't mind takin' one for the team' Starsky teased. It was a long standing joke with them that the brunet had gone out with Cassy before Hutch had become her man. They had parted on good terms because and he still admired that she was tall, blond, well stacked and with a sense of humour to die for. And now she was all Hutch's.
The blond opened his eyes and rolled his head sideways grinning tiredly. 'Gee thanks partner! You're a real friend, but I'll manage somehow.'
Starsky grinned back. 'What a trooper' he sighed as he pulled up outside Venice Place. 'Do you think you'll be fit enough for a drink at the Pits tonight? I feel like we've been working non stop for years.'
'We have been workin' non stop! I'll ask Cassy if she wants to go out. Is Nadia gonna come along?'
Starsky shook his head. 'Wednesdays she goes to see her Mom. I'm a bachelor for the night.'
Hutch got out of the car, stretched his back and waved. 'God help the ladies then' he snorted. 'See you about 8:00 huh? I'll drive.'
It was the brunet's turn to snort. 'I hate your driving at the best of times. You drivin' one handed is enough to get us both back in the ER. I'll drive.'
'Tell you what, we'll both take cars. That way, if Cassy wants…..needs……well if we need to leave early, we won't cramp your style buddy.'
Starsky gave a brief thumbs up, watched attentively as the blond wove his way to his front door and then turned the car for home, the excitement of the past few hours finally hitting home to him too.
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In a gym across town Nigel finished up his class. He'd hoped that Ken, the staggeringly handsome blond man would come back to his yoga class. This was the night where he combined yoga techniques with Tai Chi and some Karate moves too. The class was like a fight ballet in slow motion and the first time he'd seen Ken make the moves, his body toned and his muscles taut beneath his white pants and loose top, Nigel had almost lost self control right there and then.
It wasn't just Ken's looks that attracted the yoga teacher. It was the fact that the blond had a good, fit, athletic body and had an air about him of someone who knew how to handle himself. He walked with a certain assuredness and even the stammer that became apparent when Ken was confused or uncertain was a turn on.
Nigel always made a point of sitting opposite Ken when they were warming down at the end of a session. Then, when the blond man was sitting in the lotus position, cross legged, he had the best view of what Hutch's body had to offer and when the cop's eyes were closed in meditation, he could gaze longingly at the alarmingly large bulge between the long legs without interruption.
As the yoga teacher got up, bowed to the class and walked quietly back to the small office he used, he took the towel from around his neck, sat down on his chair and reached for the well used, creased and marked photograph of the class. Gently he rubbed his thumb over the picture of Ken, sat in quiet contemplation at the front of the group.
'You shouldn't have done that Ken. You shouldn't have made fun of me. I love you, but I can't bear you making fun of me. You and that fag of a partner. You're making me mad Ken and I hate being mad. Where were you tonight? Rutting with your cutsey little curly haired whore? You could do better Ken. You could have had me. Now I'm gonna have to teach the two of you a lesson.'
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The Pits was already warming up when Hutch and Cassy walked through the door together. They were the first there and they grabbed a booth at the back of the room as Huggy Bear, the proprietor brought over a tray with a beer, a white wine and a small dish of peanuts. He put them down on the table, had a few words with Hutch and then went back to the bar to serve.
With his arm still throbbing furiously and with the sling still keeping his injured limb out of the way, Hutch didn't feel much like dancing. The two of them sat quietly, people watching and enjoying a night of relaxation for once. It wasn't until about 8:45 that Starsky finally walked into the bar and looked around. He waved a greeting to Huggy who was busy behind the bar, looked around with a practiced eye and spotted Hutch and Cassy in the booth. The brunet threaded his way across the small crowded dancefloor and eased himself onto the seat by his partner. He kissed Cassy and then appraised the blond.
'How's the arm?' he asked above the noise of the music.
'Could be better, but it could be a whole lot worse.'
'He insisted we come out tonight. I wanted him to stay home and rest' Cassy said, cuddling up to Hutch and laying her head on his shoulder.
Starsky grinned. 'He's such a brave little cop aint he? Do you want a drink?'
The evening passed by quietly. Despite his joking, Starsky knew that Hutch's wound would be hurting like hell by now. They met up with Neil, Chun and Henrikson to celebrate although Sven Henrikson was anxious to get back to the hospital to see to Hagedoorn. Simon was going to make it but the bullet had narrowly missed his liver and he would be off work for some time. Despite the celebration, there was an air of tension between the men. They were all tired and by 11:00 all the colour had drained from Hutch's face and his head was beginning to droop.
'He's great out of the traps but he has no staying power' Starsky grinned as he gently tapped Hutch on the shoulder. 'Hey….Rip Van Winkle! C'mon Blondie, the party's over. The other guys have gone home and Cassy wants to tuck you up in bed….or at least that's what I thought she said.'
Cassy giggled and poked the brunet in the ribs. 'Dave, you're terrible!'
'Yeah, that's what they all say. Here, gimme a hand with the blond blintz.'
Hutch scrubbed at his face with his good hand. 'I can handle it' he mumbled indistinctly but as he got up he wobbled and grabbed for the table.
'Uh huh….and that's without a drink! Go home partner. Let Cassy look after ya and I'll see you tomorrow huh?'
Hutch smiled gratefully. He was tired – bone tired and his arm throbbed in time with his heart beat. The wound felt as though it were on fire and he wanted nothing more than to go home, lie down and sleep. Even the lovely Cassy would be unable to get a rise out of him tonight. He leaned heavily on the smaller man as the three made their way out to the car. Cassy took the keys and got into the drivers side of Hutch's LTD whilst Starsky solicitously helped his partner into the passenger seat. He banged on the roof of the car.
'See you tomorrow' he said as Cassy pulled away. The brunet watched as the car got down to the end of the alley, turned the corner and disappeared from view. Smiling to himself he walked back into the Pits and got a seat at the bar, in the corner where he could lean on the wall and watch the people dancing.
He could see virtually the whole room from his vantage point apart from one dark corner across the room. It was unfortunate that the lighting there was bad and that the bodies of the dancers on the floor masked the small dimly lit booth. If he had had a clear view, Starsky might have seen a tall thin man sitting drawn back into the shadows. If he'd been able to look closer, he might have recognised the slightly florid face and the toned body and if he'd had time, he might even have said hello to Nigel, the yoga instructor.
From his vantage point in the booth, however, Nigel could see everything he needed to. He'd discovered the Pits after a chance remark Hutch had made after a class. He'd called in at the place a couple of times in case the blond might have been there having a drink, just so that he could casually say "Hi". He'd been unlucky and had never had that opportunity. Now, after the humiliation heaped on him by that bloody curly haired poodle of a cop and by Ken himself, he was here on a completely different kind of errand. Tonight he'd got lucky. Tonight he'd seen both Ken and Starsky and even more luckily, he'd seen the love of his life drive home leaving the brunet on his own.
Ideas flowed through Nigel's head. Retribution was at the forefront. He'd always had to hide his sexual preferences. His Dad had once found him and Chuck, a boy from school on the bed together, locked in an embrace. The ex-marine had been horrified that a son of his should prefer the same sex to all the beautiful Californian girls and had sent Nigel's friend packing. He'd taken the stunned boy by his arm, had dragged him into the bathroom and had taken a scouring pad to his penis and balls, telling him he was a dirty filthy little whoreboy and that no son of his was going to be a faggot.
After that, Nigel had realised that he must keep his homosexuality a secret. He met other boys and men in dark, seedy motel rooms or down back alleys. Their liaisons were always brief and had a dirty secretive quality and although Nigel got relief from those meetings, he still longed to be loved and accepted for what he was.
When Hutch joined his class, he was at once attracted to the handsome blond, not only because of his good looks, golden tan and toned body, but also because he sensed a man who was unafraid of getting in touch with his emotions. In Nigel's mind that translated as someone who would love him and care for him and he fantasised about the flaxen haired man all day and all night. Ken became an obsession and within a week, Nigel had planned a life together, a house, a loving relationship and a happy future where Ken would love him as much as Nigel would love Ken.
When Starsky arrived on the scene and Nigel saw how close he was to the love of his life, jealousy reared its ugly head, but he still had hopes that he could turn Ken's head away from the brunet. After all, what could a curly haired cop give Ken that Nigel couldn't? He didn't even seem particularly athletic and certainly wasn't attuned to his body like Ken was. There had always been a spirituality about the blond that Nigel tapped into and admired. Starsky had no such finer qualities in Nigel's opinion and after he'd heard the brunet poking fun at him, he knew he needed to be taught a lesson.
Carefully Nigel watched the brunet and Ken as they talked side by side. It mattered not that there was a woman with Ken – she was irrelevant, but the sight of the two cops smiling and joking together left the yoga instructor sick to his stomach. What were they laughing about? Him? Were they still sharing the joke about gays? Faggots? Dirty little whoreboys like his Dad had called him? He could imagine how the dark curly haired man would be making fun of him right now and all the time he watched, anger and a deep loathing grew inside him. They both needed to be taught a lesson. Maybe then they'd understand how he felt.
Nigel's mind ran a mile a minute, playing out scenarios and planning. When Hutch finally left Starsky alone, Nigel mentally clapped his hands. Great, maybe now he could get somewhere.
All night the tall man had watched Starsky eyeing up the female talent. The women did nothing to peek Nigel's interest, but they did open up a world of possibilities and finally Nigel's eye fell on a tall, slim beauty by the door. He watched her sizing up the men. He grinned to himself as he saw her trying to score off a couple of them with no luck and finally he wandered around the side of the dance floor and approached her. The woman smiled at him.
'Want a good time?' she asked.
'You're not my type darling, but I'd like to give you the opportunity to make a quick $500.'
The woman focused all her attention on the tall man. What Nigel was offering would keep her in dope for almost a month. She draped her arm over Nigel's shoulder.
'I'm all ears' she murmured into his ear.
