One Month ago
The black man lay there, machines keeping him alive. Hutch had taken up a vigil, watching and hoping that he would come out of the coma soon. He held the answers he was the only person who could tell Hutch where Starsky was.
For ten days Hutch had been searching, unsuccessfully for his friend, and then they found Huggy Bear, face down in a pool of blood, out on an abandoned road near the Hollywood hills.
He hadn't been there long and whoever had put him there had left him for dead. Yet somehow he had survived. If he did come round Hutch would have the heartbreaking task of telling him about Corey but at the moment all he could think about was Starsky.
Starsky crouched low beneath the window sill. He was searching for a way into the building. He had to get in, unseen and get Hutch out. Then the world went black.
Starsky was dreaming. He was in a building. It was dark and damp. He was restrained. His head hurt. Hutch Starsky fought to regain a sense of where he was. Hutch He was trying to focus on Hutch. Hadn't he tried to rescue Hutch? What the hell had happened? Hutch Starsky felt nauseous, the stench was overwhelming. A mixture of urine and damp. He thought he was dreaming, but felt so awake. Hutch
Hutch was tired. He and Captain Dobey had taken turns to sit with Huggy, but Dobey was getting old and Edith thought the strain was too much so Hutch had been taking more and more shifts. It frustrated him. He wanted to go and search for Starsky and yet he knew the answers lay with Huggy Bear.
Hutch felt old too. He wondered if Starsky was still alive and if he could cope with whatever his captures had in store for him. They were no longer young men. Starsky had been through so much in their years on the streets, he was enjoying his time as Captain of Detectives. Mentally it as more stressful but physically it was about all Starsky could manage now.
Huggy Bear had not stirred. Hutch kept talking to him, reminding him of the good times, of days when they were young men. Hutch even afforded himself a smile. He missed Starsky. Lyndsay was beside herself with worry. Little Davey was convinced his daddy was dead. Even Hutch had struggled to convince his Godson that his father would be home soon. "Please just let me find him" he prayed to no-one in particular. He wasn't going to let desperation overwhelm him. "I've already lost so many members of my family I'm not going to lose you too Starsk'!" he said firmly, as if chastising himself.
The smell seemed to be getting stronger. Starsky's scenes seemed to be on overdrive. The darkness seemed darker than any Starsky had ever known. The smell was so strong that his nostrils were burning. The silence was almost deafening, Starsky shook his head. Just to hear the blood rushing through his ears would be enough to convince him he was still alive. He had lost all sense of reality. He was an old man, sitting on a damp wet floor, somewhere dark. Yet in his mind he was young again. He remembered clearly that he was looking for Hutch, or was it clearly, maybe not? He was not sure any more. Hutch Hutch held the key, Starsky was sure of it. Had he lost his mind? He needed to get out. He needed to find Hutch and soon, before any grip on reality was lost forever.
