Chapter 9
For a while, things in the small kitchen attained a kind of status quo. There was little that Hutch could do with his finger buried up to the knuckle inside Enrico's leg, but at least things were quiet and he could keep a watch over his partner. Very gradually, Starsky seemed to be improving. The gurgle when the brunet breathed in seemed to have abated now and it was only occasionally that a pain seemed to attack the prone body to leave Starsky gasping and twitching on the floor. At least with the quiet in the room, Hutch could talk to his buddy, and talk he did, incessantly just in case the curly haired man should lapse into unconsciousness.
'Starsk, how're ya doin' buddy?'
'T'riffic' the gasp came back.
'How's the pain?'
There was a pause while Starsky seemed to consider. 'Better.'
'Are you puttin' me on?' Hutch asked and slowly Starsky's head turned to the blond.
'I got a needle full of sssnakey stuff, How'm I s'posed t'feel?'
'OK, but at least you seem to be a little better.'
'Uh huh.'
'Can you breathe easier?'
'Yeah…..just wanna go home.'
'I know ya do buddy.'
'Ya know on TV, when the hero gets hurt?'
'Huh?' Hutch asked, checking on the bleeding he was trying to stem.
'Well it always looks……dunno……sexy.'
Hutch grinned. 'What're ya tryin' to tell me buddy?'
'They don't throw up an' it don't seem to make 'em dizzy.'
'So maybe you aren't a hero after all. Was Paul Muni the hero type?' Hutch asked.
'Dunno, ask Ma.'
Camargo, who had been standing by the side of the table while the exchange had gone on suddenly snapped back to life. 'See, I told you he'd be fine. Now what about Enrico?'
Hutch looked at his bloody hand and frowned. 'It'll be a while yet before I can move my hand. This is a main artery. If I move too early, it's gonna start bleedin' again.'
The Mexican looked around him. I think you're playing for time' he snapped.
'I'm playin' for your friend's life. Believe it or not, I don't want him to die any more than you do' Hutch said angrily.
'You're getting' too cosy here. I think you're just hoping the cavalry will come on over the hill and save your sorry cop asses.'
'Yeah, coz that always happens' the blond said bitterly. 'Believe me, there's nothin' I'd like better, but I've been in too many situations to think that we're gonna get saved any time soon. Look all we both want is for our buddies to get well, aint it? After that, we can talk, but up until then…..'
'No talkin'. No trying to keep us off tack, Gringo. In fact, I think he's too much of a distraction' the young Mexican said, pointing at Starsky on the floor. 'Esteban, Miguel, take him next door. Without him there' maybe Blondie here will focus his mind a little more huh?'
Hutch tried to reach for Camargo's arm, but his reach wasn't long enough. 'No. Leave him there. I need to watch him to make sure he's ok' he shouted, making the brunet jump.
Starsky's eyes flashed open and he grunted as the two other Hispanics grabbed hold of his arms and hauled him to his feet. He hung between them, his legs too rubbery as yet to hold him up and with a great effort, he turned his head to look at his partner.
'Be good buddy. I won't be far away' Hutch winked as the brunet was dragged from the room, the toes of his sneakers leaving drag marks on the floor. Starsky gasped.
'Don't do nothin' crazy, partner' he managed to force out as he was pulled away. The two men holding him pulled him out of the room and along the short hallway to the next room, the bedroom where he and Hutch and Danny had been held to begin with. He hated being separated from his blond buddy. Hutch might not have been at his side per se, but just being in the same room as the tall blond was enough for both men to feel a little more confident. Now, separated from his partner. Starsky tried hard to keep his concerns under control.
When Camargo had held his arm fast and had injected the poison into his bloodstream, his mind had gone back years to another time and another place. Bellamy. Stocking over his head and the meanest laugh he'd ever heard. A different flake, but just as deadly. The difference of course was that that time, his partner hadn't been forced to witness the injection. The brunet knew that had been so hard for Hutch. The blond's encounters with needles had never been easy and after Forest had taken him and forced the heroin onto him, the fear of needles had turned into a full blown phobia. Needles plunged into the blond's flesh were bad enough. Needles poked into Hutch's partner while the blond was held helpless were almost too much for Hutch to bear and Starsk had felt not only panicked for himself, but bad for his buddy too.
The door to the small bedroom opened and as Starsky was dropped to the floor just inside the doorway, a mercury fast, curly whirlwind flew at him and small arms wrapped around his neck.
'Dave! Oh thank goodness, Dave. I was so scared' Danny said into the cop's shoulder as she buried her face onto his comforting presence.
The brunet tried to push her gently away so that he could get his balance and get his breath but Danny wasn't having any of it. She'd been scared to death when both men had been taken away and memories of her Dave lying broken and bloody on the floor four months ago made her feel sick, frightened and too much alone. There was no way she wanted to give loose of the man now.
Gently Starsky unlocked her hands from around his neck and sank down until he was sitting with his back against the wall. He closed his eyes and leant his head back, trying to get his breath. 'M'ok sweetheart. Just a little um….tired' he assured the little girl. And he had started to feel a bit better too. When the poison had been pumped into his vein, there had been an immediate rush of fire through his veins in his arm. From there on in, his arm, his chest, his belly and his legs had started to ache, throb and then go numb and cold. His chest had felt like there was a vice around it, making it tough to breathe and a sickly iciness had spread through his body.
He'd heard Hutch arguing with their captors as though from a great distance and although the blond had always said that he, Starsky was the argumentative one, the flaxen haired cop sure knew how to stir their pots when he got going. In his head, the brunet had been yelling "Go Hutch" although nothing more than a squawking gurgle had come out of his mouth.
Once the anti venom had been injected however, relief had coursed through his veins and with it, a warmth and a certainty that he was going to make it. Now, with strength returning to his body with each passing moment, Starsky started to worry for Hutch's safety and also for how they were going to escape from this mess.
Danny's voice broke into his worries as she tapped him on the arm. 'You don't look ok Dave. You look sick. Are you sick? You don't look as bad as you did before coz that was bad. You made me scared last time coz you were talking nonsense and you didn't know who I was. But I still looked after ya didn't I. Till the end and then I didn't, but….. what're ya smilin' at?' The little girl's eyebrows knitted together in consternation.
'You. I'm smilin' at you sweetheart. It was your talkin' that kept me goin' ya know. I think you saved my life back then' Starsky said gently and reached over to smooth one of her curls that threatened to poke her in the eye. She pulled her head back but grinned at him.
'I did? Oh wow. Mom says I talk too much and my teacher says that too. She always says that if I didn't talk quite so much then I'd learn more. But ya know, school is borin' and I usually prefer to be here most of the time. 'Cept for when they came. But findin' the money was cool. And I haven't spent it. I was gonna save it all up coz I wanted a new bike. D'ya think I got enough for a new bike Dave? Do ya think I talk too much. I can shut up if ya want. Just tell me.'
Starsky grinned. 'They used to tell me I talked too much at school too' he rasped. He was feeling better, but still weak and his arm, at the injection site ached viciously and was distinctly swollen and painful. 'Are there any other ways out of these rooms Danny? Have you found any other ways out?'
Danny shook her head. 'No, sorry. They just have the front door and one right at the very back. I've seen them block that door up, so I guess we could only use the front door. Dave, are they gonna hurt you again?'
The brunet smiled at her earnest little face gazing up at him. 'I hope not sweetheart. And I hope they don't hurt Hutch either.'
'Why's he not here?'
'One of the Mexicans was hurt. Um….I shot him.'
'Yeah, I saw Oh wow, that was so cool. I mean, I knew you were a cop so I guessed you'd have a gun but you didn't have one with you before and I thought that….. I'm doing it again aren't I? I'm talking too much. I'm sorry. Mom usually sends me to my room when she's had enough of me. But I can't do that here. So I promise I'll be quiet.'
'Its ok honey. You can talk. I'm just kinda tired an' a bit sore. And I'm worried for Hutch.'
'Why are you sore? You said they didn't hurt ya.'
'Well they only hurt me a little.'
'How?' Danny took a good look at her friend. He didn't have bruises and cuts like last time, but he did look pale and tired.
'Oh they um…. They gave me an injection' the brunet said, not wanting to scare the little girl by elaborating.
'Oh crap! I hate injections. They came around at school an' I hid. I hate needles' Danny said.
Starsky snickered. 'You'd get on so well with Hutch. So you say there are no other ways outa here?'
'No, sorry. I guess I…..I did a bad thing didn't I Dave? I just thought you could help me. I never meant for you to get into trouble.'
Wearily, the curly haired cop ruffled Danny's hair. It was pointless being angry at the little girl. In her own way, she'd done what she thought was right in calling in the cops. It was just a shame that she hadn't decided to warn him and Hutch first. 'S'ok honey. I'm just tired. I really need to sleep.'
'Oh that's ok Dave. Here lie down and I can look after you. I like looking after you' Danny said.
'I know ya do sweetheart, and if you were a few years older I think maybe we could have somethin' good goin' on.'
Starsky felt exhausted, his whole body aching for some rest. During his reaction to the poison, his muscles had contracted viciously and now he felt as though he'd run a marathon and then survived a few rounds with the Omaha Tiger. With a barely suppressed groan, he allowed himself to fall sideways so that he was led on the ground next to the wall, his feet towards the door so that he could see whoever came into the room. He really hoped Hutch was ok, although he hadn't heard any raised voices from the other room. That didn't mean nothing had happened, but it did give him a small measure of comfort.
As Starsky's eyes started to close, he felt small hands on his head, and Danny shuffled behind him, pillowing his head on her outstretched legs. He sighed as he felt small fingers card through his curls and then he was asleep, dreaming dreams of Hutch and Danny without a single Mexican in sight.
