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Chapter ten

"I can't believe that my father is running such a dirty business." Marie bent forward, bracing her arms on the backrest of Hutch's seat while they were waiting for the police to arrive and arrest DuPont.

"Yeah, pretending to be an honorable guy who needs to raise money to build camps for troubled youths, but instead buys guns to support the war in Northern Ireland," Hutch outlined.

"We don't have any connections to Northern Ireland, as far as I know," Marie mused. She looked at Starsky who sat passively in the passenger's seat.

"Mr. Starsky, I'm so sorry to meet you under these circumstances. My brother is mentally unstable. I hope he didn't harm you. I'm Marie DuPont." She reached out her hand, but Starsky didn't react.

Questioningly, she looked at Hutch. He nodded lightly and she understood. His friend would need some time to overcome the shock of this experience.

The police arrived and Hutch informed them about DuPont.

Then he drove back to the hotel.

When they arrived, many of the guests had left. The parking lot was abandoned and Hutch was relieved. He could do without the curious glances of a crowd that still thought of George DuPont as an honest business man.

"Marie, if you don't mind, I'll take Starsky to our room to check out if he needs a doctor. Can you give me an address of one, just in case?"

Marie nodded. She understood Hutch's need to take care of his friend..

"C'mon, Starsk, we're home." Hutch went around the car to assist his friend in getting out.

Again Starsky jerked back when Hutch touched his arm to help him.

"Try it on your own then." It hurt Hutch to see his friend this defensive. In slow motion, Starsky got out of the car. He almost fell, and Marie grabbed his arm. He looked at her as if he noticed her for the first time.

They slowly walked toward the entrance. Hutch nudged Starsky in direction of the elevator while Marie headed to the reception desk.

Just when the elevator doors opened she hurried to join the men, holding a piece of paper in her hands.

"Here you are. Dr. McLaughlin is a friend of the family. If you need a doctor…" she frowned looking at the name.

"Ken? I remember my father mentioning that Dr. McLaughlin's family is from Northern Ireland. My parents had even planned a trip overseas to spend some time with the McLaughlins together. But then my mother became ill. Do you think that he's involved?"

"It's possible. The police will find out. How's your brother?" Hutch had noticed her pale face.

"They took him to the hospital and he's in a coma now. If you don't mind, I'll go and visit him."

She looked at Starsky who was hardly able to stand on his feet.

"Take care of your friend, Ken."

She looked up and kissed Hutch on the cheek. He cupped her face, leaned down and kissed her deeply on the mouth.

"Thanks for your help," he mumbled, brushing her lips a last time. Then she was gone and he looked after her absent-mindedly.

"You like her?" he heard Starsky say in a soft voice.

"Yeah."

The elevator had left in the meantime, and Hutch had to push the button again. He didn't dare touch Starsky, and it made him cringe to see how weak his friend appeared. Hutch wasn't sure how to handle the affair. Normally they would cling to each other when one of them got hurt. They didn't know any barriers when they needed each other.

This was different. Hutch got furious imagining that Jules could have touched Starsky in a sensual way. It could destroy the tight bond they always had. If Starsky didn't trust him anymore, if he thought being touched by a man indicated sexual feelings... Hutch shoved the thoughts aside.

First of all he had to get Starsky into bed. That was hilarious! Almost hysterically, Hutch laughed out. From now on he had to be careful! No bantering, no teasing about being "joined at the hip" and no physical closeness.

Starsky had been kidnapped by a man who thought of him as his former lover. Had Starsky been able to defend himself?

"You coming?" The elevator doors had been open for a while, and Starsky held them for Hutch to step in.

"Sorry. Sure, I'm coming." When they had reached the second floor, Hutch followed Starsky to their suite. Leaning against the wall, Starsky waited for Hutch to open the door. His curls were dishelved and his shirt stained. Hutch withstood the urge to take his partner in his arms. Instead he let Starsky enter the room first, watching him with concern in his eyes.

"Should we call the doctor, Starsk? Maybe you're dehydrated and need an IV."

Starsky only shook his head.

He trudged to the bathroom and mumbled. "Need a bath."

"Do you need anything else?" Hutch stopped talking and looked at the closed door where Starsky had disappeared.

Hutch let himself fall onto the bed overcome by exhaustion. The search for Starsky had taken its toll and it seemed to him as if this day had lasted a week. That Jules got shot by Hanson was a tragic incident, and if he had died, Starsky would have stayed in the arch for who knew how much longer. Hutch shuddered, thinking of it.

Now he had his friend back – in a condition he wasn't sure of. Starsky had acted strange, had drawn back when Hutch had offered his support by holding him. What had happened in the arch? It would take time to find out, and he had to be careful not to hurt Starsky in the process.

Hutch closed his eyes. He really needed a moment's rest. With the thought of George DuPont being a sympathizer of the IRA, Hutch fell asleep.

First Starsky satisfied his thirst. Then he lay in the Jacuzzi, cherishing the warmth. His bruised body had hurt when it came into contact with the warm water. Especially his wrists and ankles, which showed dark marks and stung. It took an effort to clean himself, and once he feared dozing off, but now, having washed off, he felt a lot better.

Finishing his bath, he carefully stepped out of the Jacuzzi.

Fighting the nausea that churned in his stomach, he opened the door and stepped into the large room, a towel around his waist. He had expected Hutch to want to ask him a lot of questions and was surprised when it was absolutely quiet. Hutch lay fully clothed on the large bed, sound asleep.

Starsky looked down at his partner. Hutch's blond hair lay plastered against his forehead. The expression on his face wasn't as peaceful as it should have been when sleeping. Starsky frowned. He noticed dark shadows under Hutch's eyes, and the way his fists were clenched tightly, even while he slept. His friend must have suffered a lot looking for him.

Starsky remembered the moment in the arch when somebody had broken into the room, intending to kill him. Then he had shoved the cask. When hands had groped him, he had jerked back, fearing that Jules would do what he had promised before.

Only now Starsky realized that it had been Hutch, who had come to rescue him. He had rebuffed the hands that had offered help and support.

Leaning down, Starsky carefully touched Hutch's hand, checking himself for any defensive reaction but what he felt was familiarity and affection. Nothing to compare with Jules who had touched him to seduce him.

This was his friend who loved him unconditionally.

Starsky took off Hutch's shoes and covered him with a comforter from an armchair. Then he drank two bottles of soda from the bar, got rid of the towel, and went to his side of the bed. Carefully he eased under the covers, trying not to disturb Hutch in his sleep.

He gave a sigh of relief. The nightmare was over. Snippets of Hutch's conversation with that woman crossed his mind. Jules had been shot. But why? Starsky couldn't remember the reason. But then he knew who she was. Jules' sister! My God, and Hutch had kissed her.

Starsky turned to his side and saw that Hutch's hands were still clenched.

It's 'Who do we trust time' Starsky thought and reached out his hand. Slowly he unclenched Hutch's hand, finger by finger, till it lay palm open on the blanket. Starsky covered Hutch's hand with his own and closed his eyes.

Hutch entered the arch, followed by Marie. He heard George DuPont talking to someone and he hesitated. Suddenly a shot was fired, and George laughed loudly.

"Gotcha!"

Hutch stormed into the dark room looking frantically for Starsky. On the left he saw a human shadow leaning over a crumpled form on the floor.

"Starsky!"

"Finally he got what he deserved," hissed the man on his knees, and though it was very dark Hutch saw George DuPont smile meanly.

"Out of the way!" Hutch cried out and sank down by Starsky's side.

"Well done, Dad," Hutch heard Marie's voice behind him. Looking back he saw father and daughter arm in arm.

Starsky's breathing was more like a death rattle, with blood running out of his mouth.

"Buddy," Hutch whispered, lifting his friend's head to pull him close.

"Don't… don't you ever touch me again. I can't stand you." Starsky's head lolled back.

"No!"

Hutch's scream resounded through the room.

"Shhhh, it's nothing, everything's gonna be all right."

Hutch felt a hand on his forehead and he lifted his arm to push it away.

His heart was racing and it was hard to breathe.

A soothing voice mumbled words of comfort, and finally Hutch was able to open his eyes.

Concerned blue eyes were looking down at him and slowly he found his way back to reality. He had dreamed that Starsky had died. There was something else in the dream that had hurt so much. Suddenly Hutch remembered. Starsky had pushed him back – but that had nothing to do with the dream.

Starsky had been abused by a crazy guy and had lost trust in him. Hutch remembered all of a sudden how strange Starsky had reacted when he had tried to offer support. He suppressed a sob and put his arm over his eyes.

He had to compose himself, showing weakness was a matter of the past.

A hand around his wrist made him jerk back. He had to uphold a distance to give Starsky time to recover.

"You're angry with me?" Starsky's breath grazed his cheek and Hutch couldn't bear it any longer.

"You want me to keep my distance. I understand it. I can deal with it."

Hutch froze when his chin was cupped and his head was gently forced to the right.

"Look at me!"

Hutch did as he was told.

Braced on his elbow, his best friend was hovering over him, still holding his wrist.

"Listen. I panicked when you touched me in the arch. I thought that Jules had come back to…" Starsky paused and shivered.

"Did he hurt you, I mean…," Hutch sounded frantic and Starsky shook his head, taking a deep breath.

"Fortunately I could distract him by talking about his former lover. But it was a close call…"

Hutch lay motionless. What was this supposed to mean? How damaging had the psychological torture been to Starsky? It was a fact that he had acted like a stranger toward Hutch when he found him.

As if Starsky had read his mind he said seriously, "It was the longest two days of my life. I almost went crazy in that dark room, not hearing anything and blindfolded for long hours. When someone slammed against the door, I thought it was you. Instead DuPont stormed in, trying to kill me. When someone touched me, I freaked out. I'm so sorry."

Hutch examined his friend's face. In the early morning light Starsky still looked exhausted and beat. But there were those dark blue eyes that reflected something very familiar. Affection for him?

Hutch didn't know what to say. Then he remembered that he had fallen asleep hours ago without asking Starsky what he needed.

"I forgot to ask you if you needed a doctor or something to drink. Instead I fell asleep." Hutch blushed lightly.

"Yeah, when I came in after my bath, I saw you sprawled on the bed deeply asleep. It was funny, but when I looked at you, I suddenly knew that I was safe."

Starsky cleared his throat. Then he smiled.

"No soapy scenes! By the way, I need some arms around me and since Terry hasn't arrived yet – what're you waiting for, Blondie?"

Hutch hesitated a moment. Then he opened his arms to welcome his friend, savoring their closeness.

Starsky was tasting the bacon and eggs when Hutch pointed to the door of the large breakfast room.

"The lady over there resembles the special one we met some days before, pal," Hutch smiled and Starsky turned his head. Surprised, he got up and shouted:

"Terry!"

"Hi guys!" Terry neared the table, smiling at the two men.

"How I envied you! You had a week of fun and peace, enjoying the wonderful surroundings and the luxury of this hotel while I had to work hard! Hey, I have to tell you that we attended a book presentation of the guy we met at the motel a week ago, you remember? It was very entertaining, and it was so funny, when he showed some of his tricks. The one with the ropes was impressive."

Starsky frowned for a moment. Then he lifted his cup of coffee and said,

"To Sammy Grovner and all the good things that let us forget the bad times. Like you," and he bent over to kiss Terry on the cheek. She blushed and smiled shyly.

He snaked his arm around her waist and told her confidently:

"You see the turkey right by my side? Well, that's the most important person in my life – he's always there when I need him. Without him I wouldn't have been here now."

Starsky locked glances with Hutch and no more words were needed to say.

Marie DuPont entered the room looking around searchingly. Hutch saw her, got up and met her halfway.

"How's your friend?"

"You look pale – how're you?"

They asked at the same time.

Marie smiled tiredly.

"Jules is still in a coma and my father is at the police station. I'm sure your friend will be questioned, too. How is he?"

Concerned, she looked over to the table where Starsky was occupied with looking deeply into Terry's eyes.

"As you can see, he's feeling better already," Hutch smiled, and led Marie to their table.

After introducing her to Terry, Hutch looked around.

"What about going on a trip to enjoy our last day here?"

"Oh, I would love to see the winery and taste some wine," Terry started, and was interrupted at once. "Not a chance!" Starsky and Hutch said unison. Then they laughed and Starsky explained, "It's because I get somewhat uncomfortable in an arch. I'll tell you later."

He put his arm around Terry's shoulder and waited for Hutch and Marie to follow them.

"I've never seen the golf course nearby – let's try our luck there!" Starsky said.

He linked arms with Hutch and drew his company out of the hotel into the late morning sun.

The end

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