Hi everybody and a happy new year to all!

Chapter 6

It was as if you could hear a pin drop and all present stopped breathing and everybody hoped that this gruesome moment would be over as fast as possible.
The rain splashed down on them, everybody expected the fatal bang, but they only heard a silent "click" and than…nothing.
Cole laughed like a hyena, with relish he slowly put the safety on his weapon and watched how Hutch's knees buckled as he gave out a choked cry and only Rick stopped him from breaking down on the wet ground by catching him under his armpits.

A gargling sound died down in Hutch's throat, followed by a worrying cough. Rick pulled him again back on his feet and Cole stood above him grinning maliciously.
"Well step by step I'm getting used to you, but wouldn't it be a pity if I gave up this wonderful friendship too fast? But I think, we should offer our spectators something special, shouldn't we?" He saw Starsky behind the window observing the scene with terror wide eyes, Cole's face screwed up in a wide grin. Without any warning he swung back his fist and with full force rammed it into the left side of the blond's chest. With pain and terror Hutch's eyes almost bulged from their sockets, he opened his mouth as if to cry out loud, but his throat wasn't able to utter a sound.

Directly after the punch Hutch felt no pain, only a chilly cold which spread down his whole body. But now he had a feeling as if somebody had rammed a glowing knife into his guts and now was twisting it around slowly. Astonished Hutch glanced down his body and expected to see a knife lodged in his chest. But he only saw a blood stain on his shirt that was getting bigger and bigger by the minute. He could feel the blood poured down his hip in streams and his pant leg was saturated with blood in no time. With both hands Hutch clutched at Cole's upper arm, his legs suddenly became soft like rubber. His tortured body begged for some oxygen but his lungs couldn't help. Hutch looked up again, his gaze blurred and unfocused. From somewhere he heard a scream, a shrill voice shouting out his name. The iron grip under his armpits decreased, his hands searched for support, but found nothing to hold on tight. He slumped down like a rag doll. A firm hand seized him up by the shirt and crazy flickering grey eyes stared at him.
"Believe me, that wasn't all, with pleasure Rick and Sam certainty would like to have a little more fun with you. But now it's enough for today! I think everybody has understood this punishment"

He turned around and looked at his audience. Now Cole spoke with such a loud voice that everybody could hear him.
"Maybe now you will accept my demands, because now you know how I will punish next time! I hope we understand each other now. If I don't get a positive answer during the next two hours, the first hostages will die, that's definitive!"
With a head movement he ordered the other kidnappers to go back to the bank again. He saw that Starsky was still fighting with his guard; Cole nodded at his buddy. At the same time he loosened his grip around Hutch's shirt and the blond Detective broke down without giving out a sound, his eyes paralysed with horror. Starsky escaped from the embrace staggered to his feet and desperate with fear ran towards Hutch's still body. He fell beside him on the wet ground and gathered his best friend in his arms.
"Hutch…please, look at me…Hutch; please don't do this to me."
He looked in Hutch's glazed eyes. His shaking voice was only a whisper and he suppressed a sobbing. Tears burned in his eyes but with a furious movement he wiped them off. With his fingers he rubbed gently over Hutch's wet face anxiously feeling for a pulse. Hutch was bent over in agony and Starsky could hear his tormented sporadic breath. The rain increased in intensity, in seconds both men were completely soaked. Starsky desperately clasped Hutch's upper chest and whispered some soothing words in Hutch's ear.
"I got you partner…I got you. Easy, easy! Only look at me…you hear me? I don't let you go…"
Hutch's wide open eyes were searching for his friend.
"S-star-sk…"
Blood trickled out of his mouth and he convulsed in pain and barley kept his eyes open. Desperately he grasped for Starsky's shirt and pulled him even closer to be able to endure the overwhelming pain. Starsky noticed that Hutch was digging his fingernails into his shoulder but he couldn't do anything more but simply to hold him tight.

Starsky looked up and saw that Cole was observing the cruel play with immense pleasure.
"You damned son of a bitch…You don't just want to kill him…is it just an amusement for you to torment him, or what?! God…you really are mad… You're just playing with us, like a cat with her mouse…. For heavens sake …"
"Very good work, Detective Starsky, you're really a very good detective!" He knelt down beside him, pure hate in his eyes. "And now get your friend and bring him back to the bank again because I don't think you want to go on with this game here outdoors. Or do you want half the town watching what your friend has to endure. Stand up and take your partner with you, now!" Cole's voice was clear and he threatened Starsky again with his gun. Starsky raised his injured friend, stumbled to his feet and carried him back into the bank, followed by Cole who was enjoying the scene.
Dobey had to watch everything helplessly. It almost broke his heart as he had to watch the way Cole beat Hutch up just for pure pleasure. In his whole life, he would never forget the expression on Hutch's face; the wide open eyes reflected with horror. Furiously he clenched his hands to fists and reached for the radio.

"Dispatcher… I need a contact to the Commissioner, now! – Don't tell me it's nearly midnight, I know that! Get him on the phone, at once!"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Starsky dragged his seriously injured friend back into the office, breathing hard he laid Hutch back on the sofa. When Reeba saw what condition Hutch was in she yelled out in horror.

Starsky noticed that she and the remaining hostages had to put up a good fight against the kidnappers; Reeba's right cheek was swollen red and her lip had split open, Martin's left eye was beginning to swell shut; he sat on the edge of the desk and protected his right chest with his arm. Gladys silently sobbed and buried her face in Granny's lap. The old lady tried to calm her and ran her fingers reassuringly over her head, then she fearfully looked at Starsky.
Reeba knelt on the ground beside the sofa and examined the damage in Hutch's chest.
"Oh my God, David…these bastards…what did they do to him? - Ken, can you hear me? Breathe, please…breathe!" Wildly she jerked away the bloody soaked shirt and gasped when she saw the damage. The old dressings were soaked completely with blood; Reeba cut up the bandages and revealed the wound.
"Cole hit him in the chest… how bad is it?"
"Bad enough…I…I need the first aid kit and…more material for some dressings."
With shaking fingers she examined the wound and when she looked up briefly those wonderful blue eyes looked at her. They were full of fear and deep seated pain and she would probably never forget that look all her life. Starsky crouched beside her again, the first aid kit and some towels in his hands. Reeba took a cloth and firmly pressed it on the violent bleeding wound. Hutch hissed and tried to bite back the pain as his teeth dug deeply in his lower lip, his eyes focused on Reeba. Hutch began to toss and turn on the sofa; he ached in pain and wanted to run away like a wounded animal. A coughing fit seized the blond and he tried to draw his knees up to his chin to ease the pain in his chest. But he was too weak and when the coughing passed, he moaned and fumbled for his chest and tasted his blood trickling through his fingers. An unknown hand examined his wound.
'Jezz, that really hurts! Stop it, please!'
He tried to push the hand away that was causing the pain. Struggling he tried to push the invisible tormentor away and curled up in a ball till the pain would ease perhaps some time. Starsky grabbed his hands and felt Hutch's viscous blood between his fingers.
"Come on Hutch", he whispered soothingly and bent down Hutch's legs. "I know it must hurt like hell, but Reeba must stop the bleeding. Stay with me, Hutch…you hear? Look at me!"
"Mmmh." Hutch's eyes twinkled as he tried to look at Starsky, but his gaze was blurred. His body began to tremble as a stab of pain ran through his body.

"Starsk, p-please...it hurts…for Christ sake…stop it…please."
"I'm here Hutch…Hutch?" Feeling Hutch's strength left his body he held him closer.
"Hutch…don't you dare…you don't leave me, do you hear?" His voice was shrill, he slapped the blonds' cheeks and after a while Hutch half-opened his eyes.
"'M here… going nowhere… you s-stay with…me?"

"Sure…I'm not leaving you…promise…"
Reeba turned around to Starsky, her voice fragile and quiet.
"The punch must have been hard one. I think the bullet moved…probably caused internal bleeding. I …I must get the bullet out…otherwise, he'll bleed to death."
"What…you can't do that… Are you mad? I know, you are a nurse, but you're not a doctor! He needs … this isn't a hospital! You can't cut open his chest and get out this damn bullet. He's been through enough. He wouldn't survive this." Starsky desperately glared at Reeba.
"David…I know that you only want to help him…but I've got to do it and I have to do it now!" Reeba's voice lowered down and she spoke so softly and quietly that only Starsky could still hear it. "Believe me, by God, I also would prefer a hospital. But it's the only chance he has. If we do nothing … then we'll lose him."

For a short moment Hutch managed to dispel his pain. He reached for Starsky's cheek and said with a fragile voice:
"S-she's right...Starsk…it's the only…chance…let her… do it."

Starsky sighted and shook his head in disbelieve.
"And…you really know…what you have to do?"
"I don't want to lie to you, I'm only nurse, I have only learned to do some small surgery like stitching up a knife wound, but I have already seen it many times…You have to trust me and I need your help…I'm just as scared as you are. I don't want to hurt Ken…but he'll die…we're losing him."
Starsky closed his eyes.
This couldn't be true. Hutch couldn't die. He wouldn't accept it, not today, not now, not in this damned office.
"David…You hear me David? You must help me; I can't do this without you." Reeba's voice brought him back again.
"Yes…yes, what shall I do?" His eyes fluttered open.
"You must hold him as tight as possible…" She said briefly and firmly glared at him. "Knock him out… it'll be bad enough for him … otherwise he'll have to endure some dreadful pain. I don't want him suffer any more."
"W-what?... I can't do that… No!"
Starsky shook his head furiously and stared at Reeba without understanding her plea. A cold hand fumbled for his and clasped it. With half open eyes Hutch looked at his friend.
"Starsk…please…do it…for me." His begging glance spoke more than thousand words.
'Buddy, please I need you now. I can't go through this without you!'
Reeba watched the silent conversation between both friends. She knew that Starsky needed this moment badly for his strength to get through what could be the worst minutes of his life.

Hutch's gaze rested on Starsky. He felt like his insides were being ripped apart. He could feel the bullet in his guts; like a glowing piece of coal which burned through his body. But he knew that if he showed his own fear, or his whole magnitude of pain, it would probably become much worse for Starsky. Oh yes, he was afraid and the pain had assumed alarming proportions and he was sure, he couldn't stand it much longer. But he knew that he could trust Starsky always.
"Starsky…do it…hurts too much…I can't take it …" His voice was only a crack whisper, his lower lip trembled, his eyes full of tears. Starsky carefully brushed back the sweat bangs from his forehead. He didn't like the idea and he didn't want to punch his friend, didn't want to hurt him. But he understood that if he didn't do it now, Hutch would suffer much more pain.
'Its okay, Starsk.'
'I'm sorry, Hutch, I'm so sorry.'

Starsky briefly closed his eyes, then his left fist flew forwards and the blow caught Hutch directly on his chin. His head flew to one side, his body relaxed and finally he drifted into a merciful unconsciousness.
Reeba sighed and nodded at Starsky. In the meantime she had examined the first aid kit and found some more dressings a pair of forceps and a bottle of antiseptic, but unfortunately, no sewing kit.
'That would have been too nice! But don't crack your head, there's no reason. One step after the other.'
"I even need some more bandages, Dave. I need your shirt even if it's wet. And Martin, may I also have yours?" She gave the young man a questioningly look.
"Of course…would you mind, aah… I have nothing more…left." He blushed and looked at Granny searching for some help.
"Oh young man…I'm more than eighty years old, such a thing doesn't frighten me any more…and I believes Gladys can handle this, too!"
Martin blushed even more and hurriedly took off his shirt and passed it silently to Reeba who cut the fabric immediately into several bandages. After that she put everything she probably would need on the table, near at hand and then once again washed her hands.
"David … I'm ready. But first we should take off his wet clothes and lay him down as much as possible."
With some difficulty they removed Hutch's soaked shirt and t-shirt and had turned him carefully on his back.

"Okay … I need you to keep him as still as possible, he must not move …"
Reeba was highly concentrated, she reached for the scissors and waited until Starsky went to his usual spot at Hutch's head. She picked up the scissors, carefully extended the wound and then slowly and warily fumbled with her fingertips for the bullet. In spite of being unconscious Hutch gave out a loud groan, his eyelids rapidly twitched and Starsky held Hutch's shoulders tighter. He bent over him without letting Reeba out of sight and murmured reassuring words into his ear.
Reeba closed her eyes and tried to remember some of the anatomy of the abdominal cavity. In the operating theatre everything was so easy; she only needed to pass the instruments to the surgeon. But now she was on her own and working in the chest of this man and she wasn't wearing sterile gloves! She tried not to think about what she was doing here, sweat suited her forehead and she desperately hoped that she wouldn't do more harm than necessary.
Suddenly her searching fingertips touched a hard metallic form. She reached with her free hand for the forceps, slipped the instrument through her fingers and felt with the tips for the bullet. The forceps clamped the bullet.
'Now, no mistakes, Reb. Very slowly and carefully.'
Warily Reeba pulled back the forceps and Hutch screamed out loudly and suddenly tried to move away from the unexpected pain.
"Hutch…its okay now…easy, the bullet's out. Just lay still…only a few minutes…sssht."
Starsky pressed Hutch's shoulders back on the couch and saw Reeba's trembling bloody hand. In her left palm was the bullet. Absently she put it on the table and pressed a folded piece of fabric on the now violently bleeding wound. Anxiously Starsky looked up; although he didn't think that it was possible Hutch's face had become even paler. His ashen face was covered with a film of fine sweat; his lips had changed into a bluish color, his breath so low that he could hardly feel it.
"Reeba, what's wrong?"
"He's bleeding…the bullet must have nicked an artery or vein… David, I don't know if I can stop the bleeding!" Reeba said nervously, her features tensed. She changed the fabric packs several times and increased the pressure on the wound; but the bleeding didn't stop. Reeba desperately stroked with the back of her hand over her forehead.
"I … I need something to tie it!"
"What?"

"A thread, a twine…and a needle…if I can't stop the bleeding, he bleeds to death." Reeba glared at Starsky. Again her fingers palpated around the wound, tentative finding a pulsating vein. Finally, after half an eternity her fingers found a small but steady stream.
"Damn it…I need a thread, now…" She said with almost a toneless voice.
'Why didn't you listen to your instinct?'
"Here darling…"
The gentle voice of Granny let her look up.
"I always have a sewing kit in my bag, just in case a button…you know…" She passed a small case including some different colored threads and needles to her.
"Granny, you're a gift from God! If I could I would kiss you now!"
Happily she pointed to what she needed and asked Granny to handle her some thread.
'Now we will see if you have learned anything in surgery'
She started to repair the pulsating vein, without being able to see anything, but after a few minutes the wound stopped bleeding. Reeba thoroughly cleaned the wound with antiseptic and carefully started to bandage it up. She concentrated on sewing up the wound completely and didn't see any infections or bleeding. Once again she palpated for Hutch's pulse, and found it very weak and too fast, but his bluish lips had disappeared and he breathed much easier. Completely exhausted she fell back on her knees and shifted her weight to her heels; her arms limply lay on her upper thighs. She closed her eyes; suddenly she became aware of how tired she was. A shiver grasped her body and made her tremble.
"Reeba? Reeba! What's the matter with you? You feel ok? You look like a ghost!" Starsky asked softly.
Carefully he laid Hutch's head down on the pillow and crouched beside her. He raised her chin with his forefinger and laid one hand on her upper arm. Reeba tiredly shook her head.
"No…no, I feel great! I only put these fingers in the chest of a man and repaired a vein!" She gave out a hysterically laugh. "If I have made a mistake, everything will burst again and Ken will bleed to death. I didn't even wear sterile gloves, no sterile dressings…nothing. If it turns to sepsis…"
She burst into tears and started to tremble violently again. Confused she stared at her still bloody hands and tried to wipe the blood off her hands with some fabric.
Starsky noticed that Reeba was at the end of her tether. The last hours had not only been demanding for him, but had also brought the young woman to the edge of complete exhaustion. Starsky spread out his arms and hugged the shaking and sobbing woman rocking her to and fro like a child. Reeba feebly slumped; the amassed fear came out in dreadful shakes and whimpers.

"Sssht…sssht, everything's ok now…You did a wonderful job Reeba, you were fantastic! Without you Hutch would be dead already … you know that? Just let it out…"
He heard a quiet groaning from the couch, Hutch was still unconscious, but his sub-consciousness seemed to be alert as ever. He rolled his head from side to side and drew his legs up to his chest again, his right hand searching for some comfort.
"Sergeant, look after your friend." Granny stepped beside Starsky and friendly nodded.
"I know how the courageous lady must feel now. I have been through two world wars and I saw too much blood there. I'll look after her."
Starsky looked at her in gratitude and freed himself of Reeba's embrace. Granny pulled the still violently crying Reeba to her feet and led her to the basin to wash her hands.
Starsky took a deep breath, Reeba was in good hands. Exhausted he dropped on his knees beside the couch and covered Hutch with Granny's thin coat and the jackets. Starsky knew that Hutch was in shock again and had lost too much blood, the coat and the jackets were not enough to warm him up. Tiredly he pressed his fists against his eyes and leaned his elbows on the couch. After a short moment he looked up and his eyes twinkled.
'Pull yourself together, Starsky, you need a plan, now think about it! Hutch needs help, and fast!'
He had to stop this nightmare, even if he had to take a big risk. Starsky held Hutch's wrist with his fingers and pressed it firmly.
'Just me and thee, like always!'
Suddenly Starsky heard a quiet scream and turned round. Gladys was still sitting in the armchair, Martin at her side. She pressed both hands on her belly.
"Oh my God, no!"
"What…what is it…?"
Starsky had an awful foreboding and secretly hoped that he was wrong.
"I think my labor's started!"

TBC