FATAL VISION

CHAPTER 10

After Sean, left, the room was still, the air crackled with emotion.

Hutch was silent for a long time. His breathing was ragged, as if he held back tears. Actually, his frustration and guilt had been building and now overflowed.

The door swished open causing a shudder to ripple through Hutch. Starsky watched as the pale face turned gray and waited until Hutch breathed again as soon as Beth entered the room.

Beth smiled at both men as she entered. She really liked them and it had nothing to do with their injuries. Maybe after all this was over…

"Tell me something, please." Hutch removed the sunglasses but didn't squint as the brightness reached his eyes.

'When is Susan's shift over? Is she still here?" The questions caught in his throat as he inwardly cringed, waiting for the answer.

"Yes she's gone for the day. She won't be back because she's scheduled to rotate to the emergency room." Beth noticed that the bruising around Hutch's eyes was much lighter and the swelling had gone down.

"You aren't wearing your dark glasses. Are your eyes feeling better?" She checked the stitches above his brows.

"Yeah, things don't seem so blurry either." Hutch waved his hand in front of his face.

Beth finished her notes on both charts.

"Well, I'll see ya'll later. If you need anything, just ask." She stopped by Hutch's bed again and they exchanged glances. Both smiled timidly at the other.

If only the situation was different, Beth thought to herself as she left the room.

Starsky turned his attention back to his friend.

"Hutch, c'mon buddy what's on your mind?" It was obvious to him that his friend was worried. The deep lines on his forehead and around his mouth were evidence that his friend was dealing with a lot of uncertainty.

Hutch didn't answer but studied the phone. He reached for it twice but let his hand fall away from it each time. Finally, he pulled the phone on to his lap as he sat with his legs crossed on the mattress, rubbing his temple. Deep in thought, he'd almost forgotten that Starsky had asked a question.

"Hey, why do you think it was Diana that attacked you in that building?

"B-B-c-cause, she's here." Hutch whispered. His chin rested on his chest. Then he lifted his head and stretched his neck and shoulders.

"Who? What the hell are you talking about?" Starsky was frustrated now. The stutter only appeared when Hutch was seriously worried and anxious.

The need to be closer to Hutch was strong. Not only in a physical sense but emotionally too, he had to get to the bottom of what ever was bothering his friend.

He pulled himself up onto the bed beside Hutch. He couldn't cross his legs like his friend, so he sat at the bottom of the bed, resting his encased leg on the edge. He got as close as he could before speaking. He tapped Hutch on the knee to get his attention. Once the icy blue eyes fixed on him, Starsky tried again to get answers.

"Let's start at the beginning. Why do you think it was Diana that attacked you in that abandoned building?"

Hutch sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He closed his eyes to get his bearings then opened them again and spoke slowly, trying to recall every detail.

"I walked into a room and this big cabinet fell on me and knocked me to the ground. After she stuck me with a needle, I couldn't move but I heard every sick thing she said." He swallowed hard and smiled at Starsky who encouraged him to continue.

"She… she said she loved me. I c-couldn't see her but there's no way I'd miss that voice. What ever she gave me really knocked out my memory. Plus that anesthetic during the surgery and the after effects really made me weak and unable to think clearly."

Hutch shrugged his shoulders and lowered his gaze. Suddenly he was ashamed.

"I should've listened to you. You had a feeling that someone might be after me, yet I had to prove you wrong. If I woulda listened to you, instead of charging in on my own, none of this woulda happened."

"Hey, we both needed a break. Dobey wasn't likely gonna give us time off any time soon. So consider this a… working vacation!" Starsky wanted to diffuse the guilt that was beginning to build with Hutch but the humor was lost on the man in front of him.

In fact, Hutch didn't seem to have heard what Starsky said.

Mindlessly, Hutch drummed his fingers against the phone. He reached out to grab Starsky by the wrist to check the time.

"Dobey should have called by now. I know as soon as he'd see that picture, he'd want to know the whole story."

"Listen, I know you've been having a lot of pain because of surgery and you're kinda scared about that crazy bitch that attacked you. But are you absolutely sure that it was Diana?"

Hutch shot a dark look at his partner. He got out of bed, standing and waiting for the dizziness that didn't occur. He paced across the room and returned once again to Starsky's side.

"I know this sounds crazy but I'm sure Susan is Diana." He hesitated, watching Starsky's face for acceptance.

"Whoa, just hold on there!" Starsky slid up to the top of the bed, occupying Hutch's space. He propped his back against the pillows. Hutch sat down beside him, turning to face the dark eyes that stared back.

"She don't look a thing like Diana. She doesn't even sound like her. How the hell did you come to that conclusion?"

"Yeah, if you listen closely… Since I couldn't see real well, I've relied on my hearing. She always seems so sweet to me but you, she just dismisses as quickly as possible. Then gradually I remembered more of the attack and what she said. It just all fits."

"Well, she wouldn't be the first criminal to get outta jail with a better education in the field of deceit. But she was certifiably crazy at her trial."

"Starsky, she was only sent to a minimum security psychiatric facility. She would have conformed or done what she needed to get out of there. You and I both know it's not hard to change your appearance or even change your identity. She could have learned all that plus probably got hooked up with contacts in the city. And as far as parole officers…" Hutch let that thought hang. An overloaded system made it easy for the well informed to beat them all at their own game.

He reached out to look at Starsky's watch again. Two hours had passed since Sean left. That was more than enough time for Dobey to have seen the picture and to have called them.