CHAPTER 10

Rachel and Hutch entered a cramped corner office that contained a large desk with two chairs facing it. As they sat down, Angie smiled at them and said, "Doctor Warner will be with you in a moment." She left, closing the door quietly behind her. Rachel instinctively reached out to grasp Hutch's left hand securely. Their gaze settled on the closed door as they waited impatiently for news on the man they both loved.

After ten tense minutes of waiting, the door opened and a tall, distinguished looking man with neatly trimmed salt and pepper hair, a lightly lined face, and intelligent brown eyes came in. He smiled at the couple facing him and said, "I'm Doctor Warner. I assume you are David's family?"

"Yes," Rachel said "I'm his mother, Rachel, and this is his brother, Hutch."

The doctor arched his eyebrows slightly obviously comparing the differences in their appearance but he didn't challenge Rachel's introduction. He sat down on the edge of the desk and began.

"David is still alive but his condition is critical. At the moment, he is in a medically induced coma to allow his body some time to heal without him having to deal with the pain. He had several internal injuries that required immediate surgery. We had to remove his spleen, part of his small intestines, a portion of his bowel, repair damage to his liver and reflate his left lung. These was massive internal bleeding which made it necessary to replace almost all of his blood supply which can affect both the clotting factor and his body chemistry. We will be keeping a close eye on both of those things.

He does have a moderate to severe concussion but, fortunately, there was no skull fracture. He suffered several lacerations and injuries to his face including a broken nose and a broken eye socket. Both of these injuries should heal with no noticeable effects. There is some severe bruising and contusions but nothing serious even though it looks like hell." He paused to let the information he had given them so far time to sink in. When neither of them had any questions, he continued,

"He does have several broken bones besides the ones in his face. His left shoulder is dislocated and his left wrist is broken in two places. He also had two broken fingers on his left hand and three on his right hand. Three ribs on his left side are broken and two are broken on his right. In addition, his breastbone is cracked. His left kneecap is out of place and his left ankle is shattered. He will need some physical therapy later on to regain use of his left leg and there is a distinct possibility of a permanent limp.

David is a very lucky young man. He was strong and in reasonably good health before this happened and that is all in his favor when it comes to his recovery."

"But, he will recover. Right?" Hutch demanded gruffly.

"In time…yes. David has a long hard road ahead of him and he's going to be a lot of pain for quite a while. Obviously, I don't know all the details but it's apparent that someone beat the hell out of him and was trying to do some serious damage."

"But, he's still alive." Hutch said "That's all that matters."

"Can we see him?" Rachel asked anxiously.

"As I said, he's in a medically induced coma. I'm sure you're both exhausted and it's late. I suggest you both go home and get some rest then come back tomorrow." The doctor said.

Rachel nodded, her hand on Hutch's arm keeping him from objecting to the doctor's suggestion. It was Hutch's custom to stay by his partner's side, refusing to leave, as long as Starsky was in the hospital. To leave, even briefly, was unheard of unless Starsky was awake and insisted.

"Thank you, Doctor," Rachel said graciously as she rose to her feet. "We'll be back in the morning."

Hutch nodded without speaking and reached out to shake the doctor's hand politely. Truth be told, he was exhausted both mentally and physically from the events of the day. He felt guilty for leaving the 'clean up' to Danny but, Starsky was and always would be Hutch's first priority. Besides, they technically had no authority in New York.

Hutch and Rachel took a cab back to the Starsky home where he found the rental car sitting in the driveway. Danny had apparently arranged to have it returned to the house in their absence. Inside the house was dark and cool. Rachel turned on the lights in the living room and went into the kitchen to make some coffee and a light snack. A typical Jewish mother, food was used as a source of comfort during times of stress.

While Rachel was busy in the kitchen, Hutch walked over to the phone and dialed the private number that Danny had given him earlier. After three rings, the other man answered with a brisk hello.

"Hey, It's Hutch. I thought you'd like to know that Starsky's in a coma but he's still alive."

"I know," Danny told him "I called the hospital for an update. I've got some news for you too. Riko's neck was broken and Maxie had his nose driven up into his brain. Both techniques that Davy would have learned in the military.

There's still no sign of Ice but another one of his henchmen called Mouse is at County General with a set of ruptured nuts. Looks like Davy took out another one on his way down."

"You said he was alive because Ice let him live…that he earned the right to walk away by taking out two of his men…but, earlier you said nobody walked away from a blood in, blood out challenge." Hutch said in an attempt to clarify what Danny had told him earlier about the gang and its traditions.

"Usually, that's true. But, the leader always has the option of granting mercy and if Davy managed to take out three of Ice's top men before he went down…then Ice had to grant him a reprieve." Danny explained "To do anything less means Ice would have lost face with the gang."

"What now?"

"Based on the evidence at the scene…a warrant's been issued for Mouse's arrest and Ice is being sought for questioning. Other than that…I can't tell you what'll happen…"

"At least that's something," Hutch said with a sigh. "Thanks, Danny. For everything."

"Anytime," Danny said "I owed Davy that much…"

There was a click in his ear as Danny hung up the phone. Hutch slowly replaced the receiver in the cradle and joined Rachel in the kitchen.

"Would you like some coffee cake, dear?" Rachel asked as Hutch sat down at the table.

"No, thanks but, I would love a cup of coffee." Hutch told her

"Of course," Rachel said as she poured a cup of coffee and sat it on the table in front of Hutch.

The two fell into a comfortable silence as they drank their coffee. Since they were both tired, they turned in for the evening when they had finished. Too restless to sleep, Hutch sat in a chair by the window and stared out into the darkness. What had started as a trip to New York for Nicky's funeral had ended up with Starsky lying in a hospital bed barely clinging to life.