Chapter 25

Hutch put down the phone and scrubbed his fingers through his sleep mussed hair. Peachy, just peachy! The only person able to do anything for Starsky was the one man who'd injured him in the first place and the one man Hutch really didn't want to have to face at that moment.

Conflicting emotions continued to confuse the blond. Yes, this was his Dad – the man he'd looked up to all these years and yes, he'd been a real pain for most of Hutch's life, but it was still his Dad. Richard Hutchinson had been driven – driven by the need to succeed, the need for power and the need to achieve the sort of social status he felt was owed to him. Nothing else mattered to the older Hutchinson. Having dragged himself up from what he classed as a poor background with an average education, he strove to give his children and his wife what he felt he should have had as a boy. Hutch's grandparents had been farmers. They'd worked the land and reared beasts for sale and had never taken handouts from the state in all that time. Even during the depression, they'd lived off the land and prided themselves on never having had a government handout in all the time they'd lived. They were good, honest, down to earth country folk who loved their son. Unfortunately, while Richard Hutchinson loved his Mom and Dad, he despised how they lived and vowed to climb the social ladder. Medicine was the perfect way to do it.

Driven by a thirst for all the good things in life, Richard had tried to steer his son and daughter in the same direction and for a while Hutch had indeed gone to medical school until it all became too much for him and, at the age of 23, the blond rebelled once and for all, quit school, packed his bags and applied to join the police academy in Bay City. The location suited him. It was far enough away from his Father for Richard to be unable to interfere (or so Hutch thought) and the climate suited Hutch's love of the outdoors. Yet despite the distance, Richard still interfered and Hutch's feelings for his Dad turned from irritation to downright hate. That hate was fuelled now by what the doctor had done to Hutch's best friend, but the hate was still tempered by one thing – loyalty – to his family; to his parents; to the care (albeit hamfisted) that he'd always received.

It would have been so much easier if Hutch had been able to simply ignore his Dad. It would have been less of a strain if he'd been able to leave the investigation in the hands of someone else and the blond had made up his mind after the arrest that he wouldn't see his Dad again.

Now, with that one short phone call, all Hutch's carefully laid plans were shattered. He shuddered at the thoughts of having to face his Dad again, not least because this time, he was at a disadvantage. This time, he would be asking for a favour. This time, once again, the elder Hutchinson would have the upper hand and that made Hutch feel sick to his stomach.

The blond started to get dressed feeling as though the weight of the world were on his shoulders. Starsky's life depended on how he approached his Dad and yet all he really wanted to do was yell and rant at Hutchinson senior. That, however, would not be helpful he acknowledged. He needed the softly, softly approach, he was just uncertain if he could pull it off and keep his real feelings buried. Plunging his feet into his soft suede boots, he angrily pulled the laces tight, stood up, placed his shield and cuffs in his pocket and pulled on his holster. The weight of his gun, hanging beneath his left arm felt oddly reassuring. He wouldn't use it, that was a given, and yet the Colt was so much a part of him that the sheer weight and presence seemed to give the blond a confidence boost. Pulling his black leather jacket on and stopping for a moment to check the gun didn't show beneath the jacket, Hutch pulled the door closed and set off down the steps from his apartment and out to his car.

The drive down to the Metro was so familiar that the blond drove almost on auto pilot. The morning sun shone in through the wind shield between the flattened bugs splattered across the glass and made Hutch narrow his eyes against its glare. Somehow it seemed wrong that the weather should be so perfect when he had such a horrible task ahead of him. He squirted water on the windshield and the bug corpses smeared across the glass. Hutch cursed, squirted more water and left the wipers running until they squeaked across the slick windshield. Looking through the cleared glass, the Metro came into sight and Hutch pulled up outside the front in the space Starsky usually occupied. With a heavy heart, he got out, walked up the stone steps and through the building to the cell complex at the back.

The custody sergeant looked up as Hutch pushed open the office door. He smiled. 'Hey Hutch, what can I do for you?'

'I need to see Da…..Richard Hutchinson.'

'He's got visitors at the moment.'

'Huh?'

'Your Mom and your sister.'

The blond sighed. 'You want me to wait?' he asked.

The sergeant shook his head. 'They've had their time. Go on down, you know where it is. Hutch?' the blond paused and the sergeant carried on. 'I'm sorry for…..well, this can't be easy for ya. I'm just….you know where I am if you need anything.'

'I know and thanks' the blond replied. The sergeant indicated the door behind him and Hutch nodded his thanks as he walked past and down the long corridor like a condemned man walking the final walk. As he got to his Dad's cell, he pulled himself together mentally and opened the door. Mary and Karen looked up in surprise but Richard seemed unaware of his third visitor.

'Are you alright son? We didn't want to disturb you, you were sleeping so peacefully' Mary said, standing up to kiss her eldest child.

'I'm fine. Mom, I need a while with Dad…..alone. There's something I need to ask him.'

'Ask? Is there a problem? Is David alright?'

'It's about Starsky, yeah. He's the same – no change. Mom? Please? I won't be long.' The "I hope" hung on the air at the end of the sentence.

The small woman nodded. 'We'll wait outside' she said. 'Come on Karen, leave your brother and Dad alone.'

Karen's eyes narrowed. As she stood she passed close to her brother and hissed in his ear. 'He's sick Ken. Don't make things worse.'

'Worse? How could I do that? Starsky could die. How much worse can it be?' he snapped angrily.

The blond woman glared at him 'You know what I mean' she hissed again and followed her Mom outside. Warily, Hutch looked at his Dad, wondering what to expect.

Richard Hutchinson seemed to have shrunk in some indefinable way. He sat slumped on the hard chair, his elbows planted on the table in front of him and his head in his hands. He neither looked up nor acknowledged that Hutch had come into the room and quietly the blond sat down on a chair opposite trying to swallow down his still simmering anger.

'Dad' he said quietly.

Richard didn't look up and Hutch tried a little louder. 'Dad.'

This time, his voice seemed to penetrate and the senior Hutchinson's head rose and he blinked as though bringing himself back from a dream. 'Kenneth? When did you get here? Have you come to get me out of here?'

Hutch's stomach lurched and he took a moment to compose himself. 'No, I've come to ask you something.'

'Why won't you get me out of here? I don't belong here. They're treating me like some dirty criminal. I order you to do something about it.' Richard's voice got louder and more determined and some of the old Hutchinson confidence returned.

'I can't do that Dad.'

Dr Hutchinson sat up straighter in his chair. 'Of course you can. You're a policeman aren't you? Tell them they should let me go. I demand it Kenneth. Make at least some use of your chosen career path.' The last words were said with a sneer in his voice and Hutch's hands balled into fists under the table. The blond tried his best to keep his temper and he tried again.

'Dad, I need you to do something for me.'

'For you? Why?'

'I don't know. For a hundred different reasons, but for starters try because I'm your son' Hutch snapped.

'No son of mine would yell at his Father like that. If I didn't feel so lousy I'd slap your face for using that tone with me.'

'And no Dad of mine would take an innocent human being and treat him like a laboratory animal' Hutch yelled, his lips white with anger.

'Oh, I see what this is about. It's my drug. You're jealous of the success aren't you? I told you I did it for the family. I did it to provide financial security for us son. I did it to make you proud.'

'I am proud Dad. I've always been proud of you. I admire your drive and determination. You have a genius I could never hope to have, but I need you to exercise some compassion now also.'

'Compassion? How? Why? Explain yourself.'

Hutch sighed. He felt as though he were arguing himself round in circles whilst the clock ticked away the seconds of Starsky's life. He tried again. 'The doctors at the hospital….they need your help Dad.'

Richard narrowed his eyes. 'Is someone sick?'

The blond cop's jaw swung open in disbelief. 'Yeah, someone is sick. My partner. Dave Starsky? The man you kidnapped. The man you drugged with your so called wonder drug.'

Richard shook his head, smiling at his son as though he were looking at an idiot. 'He's not sick Kenneth. He's just quiet, as he should be. He's helped me prove to the world just how effective Imobilaton is.'

'He can't fuckin' move! He can't breathe on his own. How much sicker could he be? God dammit Dad, he needs help and the irony is, you seem to be the only one who can reverse the effects.' Hutch was on his feet now, the chair toppling back as he stood. The noise seemed to make Richard jump and he looked up in genuine bewilderment.

'But….why? He's the living proof of….'

'He aint livin' Dad. He's existing. There's a world of difference. He never asked for this. Hell, he tried to like you but you'd never let him get close. You kidnapped him and you turned him into a corpse almost. I'm asking you…..no. I'm pleading with you to help. Please?'

'I can't' the words were said in a flat monotone as though Dr Hutchinson had tuned out of the conversation.

'Can't, or won't?' Hutch snapped.

'Whichever you need to believe.'

The flaxen haired man stared at his Father as though seeing a monster. His only thought was that he wanted to punch his Dad into the middle of next week and he came within a hair's breadth of doing so. Sense prevailed though and at the last minute, he bolted for the door of the cell, slammed it closed behind him and stood with his back to the wall, his head back and his eyes closed. As though from a distance he heard his Moms voice.

'Are you alright son?'

'No.'

'Tell me.'

'He won't help. He's the only man who can find an antidote to the drug and he won't help and Starsky's gonna die. I tried but I lost it Mom. He won't listen to me. He never, ever listened to me and now…..'

'He's sick Ken. He can't help it.'

'He wasn't too sick to destroy a man's life and mine with it. I swear Mom, if Starsky di…..if he doesn't recover, a piece of me will die with him.'

'Don't say that Ken' Karen said desperately. 'Please don't say that.'

'I don't know what else to say Sis. He's as much a part of my life as ….I don't know. It's like I could never do the job I do without him. We know each other so well, we trust each other so much and I feel like this is all my fault. All because of….him' the blond nodded his head at the cell door. Again Hutch closed his eyes and swayed on his feet before leaning heavily on the wall .

Quietly Karen slipped into the room as Hutch and his Mom talked softly. The tiny woman wrapped her arms around her son's waist and hugged him, reaching up to stroke her fingers through his hair as she felt his body shaking in anger. They stayed that way, close together for almost five minutes before a soft voice behind them called Hutch's name.

'Ken?' Karen said gently. 'Dad has something he wants to say.'

'I can't Karen. I can't hear him no more. I can't' Hutch whispered, leaning once again on the wall.

'I think you need to hear this Hon.'

Slowly Richard Hutchinson shuffled to the door of the cell and looked out. 'Kenneth, Karen has explained just how much this means to you and how it would make you even more proud of I could find an antidote. I'm willing to give it a shot.'