Author: RockerH55
Title: Ups and Downs
Fandom: Starsky and Hutch
SUMMARY: Family problems have Starsky struggling to cope.
Word Count : 5166
Ups and Downs
Detective Kenneth Hutchinson was at a complete loss. He tried to follow his partner out of the court room, but Starsky deliberately shot down a crowded hallway and disappeared. He tried to catch up to him in the court house parking lot, but came up empty there as well. For the last week, David Starsky had been unusually taciturn and prickly. Normally, Hutch was the partner that navigated life as if ducking a rain cloud. Starsky had a different way of handling life's problems. He would face them head on, but in such a way that the cloud's silver lining was never out of reach. Not so recently.
Starsky's startling melancholy surfaced nearly a week ago. He and Hutch were slated to spend the past Saturday with two teens they had met on a case nearly 6 months back. The two boys, Neko and Caleb, were living on the streets when Dave and Ken had first encountered them. Now, they were placed together within a reputable foster family. With the detectives help, the boys were working to get their high school diplomas. This monthly get together was something they all looked forward to, so Ken was surprised when David begged off their meeting at the last minute. Curious, Hutch took a side trip over to David's apartment. But much to Ken's dismay, David was sound asleep on his sofa, still wearing his clothes from the day before, and surrounded by a wall of empty beer bottles.
The sight of David passed out drunk was unsettling enough on its own, but the disheveled appearance of his normally tidy apartment sent up a definite red flag. "Hey buddy, come on now, wake up! Looks like you had quite the party last night. Should have called me!" Ken remembered saying. "We promised to meet up with Caleb and Neko today, remember?"
The blank expression in David's blood shot eyes, told Ken, that this would not be the day for furthering the boys' education. So, after fixing a pot of strong coffee and warming up some left over pizza, Ken reluctantly left his partner to recover at his own pace.
Ken did not hear from Starsky again until Monday morning, when he sheepishly wandered into the squad room. "Mmmm. Thanks for checking in on Saturday. I wasn't feeling too good." He sat down at his desk and immediately dove into a pile of paperwork. That was it. No apologies, no excuses, no conspiratorial Starsky smile.
The whole week had been more of the same. The happy, "hail fellow well met" partner that Ken had come to depend on was nowhere to be found. Starsky's mind was clearly hundreds of miles away. Try as he might, Ken could not get his buddy to open up.
Luckily for Bay City, the only place Starsky and Hutch had to be that week was in the court room. Their testimony was needed in a drug dealing case they had been in on several months ago. Given the black and white nature of the case, the detectives were thoroughly flummoxed when it was thrown out of court on a very minor clerical error. Without even waiting for an explanation, Starsky, violently shoved his chair back and bolted from the court room.
Finally catching up to David at Police Headquarters, Hutch tried once more to coax some kind of explanation from him. "Starsk, talk to me.?"
The tone of Ken's voice caught David off guard; it was the same voice intonations he used when David was sick or injured. "I can't… not now." Dave's voice cracked, and he avoided making eye contact.
This was not the response Hutch was hoping to receive. "C'mon man, what ever it is, it's eating you up. Let me help. You have helped me out plenty of times."
Starsky turned around to face his friend, "Look Hutch, I know you want to help, but this is something that I have to do by myself. Just let me be, will ya? It has nothing to do with you."
"How about we go by Huggy's, you look like you could use a square meal. There's nothing more we can do here anyway. How about it?" Hutch was trying to maintain his cool, but the look in Starsky's cobalt eyes was ominous and it worried him.
Starsky tensed. He did not want to go off on his friend, who was just trying to be a friend. However, his self-control was in short supply since that initial phone call last Friday night. "Not tonight," he said tersely. "See you Monday." David did an abrupt about face and headed towards the elevator.
Hutch had no intention of letting the conversation end there. "Starsky! Starsk! Just wait a second! Let me, at least, walk out with you. I have to get something out of your car." That was a lie, but if it would buy him some time, Hutch could live with it.
An exasperated Starsky slowed his march and punched furiously at the elevator down button. "This is the slowest damned elevator in the city!" he barked. "What does it take to get something fixed in this dump?"
His outburst caught the stare of several civilians and fellow police. Hutch smiled nervously at them, "Bad day," he said, by way of an explanation. The door slid open and he all but shoved Starsky inside. To the others waiting for the elevator, he directed, "Grab the next one, please. My partner, here, has… has …the flu!"
Once the door closed, Starsky fumed, "Hey! I asked you to give me some space! Now back off!" In a sudden surge of anger, Starsky turned and delivered a solid jab to the control panel of the elevator car. The lights flickered, then went out, leaving the men in total darkness.
"Well partner, I hope that was worth it, " Hutch sniped.
"No, since you brought it up. I think I broke my hand," He heard Ken chuckle in the darkness, but Dave was serious. His hand throbbed and the rings on his left little finger were starting to feel a bit tighter than they should. Using his right hand he tried pushing the buttons on the control panel again.
Suddenly the floor beneath the detectives shuddered and dropped. The two men grabbed at the hand rail to steady themselves. The drop may have lasted 3 seconds but to Ken and David it seemed an hour. Then, just as quickly as it began, the free fall ended.
The lights remained off as Starsky cautiously reached out to find his partner. "Hutch! Hutch!" His injured hand painfully bumped against the still form of Ken. "Oh no," David murmured. "Hutch, come on buddy. Wake up." His friend began to stir, "That's it. Come on. Take it slow. I think we are ok."
"Uhhh. What the hell just happened?"
A grateful Starsky helped Ken sit up, "The elevator fell. You ok?"
"I knocked my head on the rail. You ok?"
David cradled his injured hand, "I guess the elevator was getting even after I punched it. Yeah, I'm terrific. Got any ideas on what to do next?"
"Partner, all we can do is wait."
"That's terrific," Starsky hissed. "This is the last place I pictured me spending a Friday night. I have things to do! I can't be stuck in here all night! " His anger began to ratchet up.
"Calm down, I'm sure we will be out of here in plenty of time for what ever gorgeous brunette you have lined up for tonight."
"Take a good look at me, Hutch. I am not laughing."
"Uhh, it's pitch black in here, I can't see my hand, much less your smiling face," Hutch tried to lighten the situation.
"OK, trust me. I have to get out of here NOW!"
"Hmm. You know a guy for seven years … There are still things about you that surprise me. I never knew you were claustrophobic."
"Claustro… I ain't claustrophobic! I told you earlier I had something to work out. This isn't the scenario I had picked for that." Frustration and a sense of helplessness propelled Starsky to his feet and felt his way to the control panel. "Maybe if I push the buttons again…"
Again the floor shuddered and dropped.
"That's enough! Just sit down would ya?" Hutch yelled. "Hey, I'm sorry we are stuck in here too. I had other things to do as well, ya know, but stop punching the damn buttons! What's gotten into you lately, anyway? Time was, this would have been right up your alley, and I would be the one climbing the walls."
"Yeah well. Just forget it." Starsky shut off Hutch as solidly as a closed door. He slid down the wall and withdrew into a silence deeper than the darkness surrounding them.
The two men sat mute in the dismal confines of the elevator, until Hutch could stand it no longer. "Starsk, come on. What's eating at you? If you can't tell me in here, in complete darkness, with no body else around, then I really misjudged our friendship. I know you said it's something you have to work out on your own, but that doesn't mean we can't talk it through."
Starsky stirred in the far corner of the elevator car. "I know…hey I'm sorry. I am. But something's come up and I don't know what to do about it. I got a call from my mum last Friday night and…"
"Oh," Hutch said quietly. "The night before I came over…"
"Mmhm. Anyway she was real upset and crying. That's just not her style, ya know? But, it seems Nicky was caught on the wrong end of a police sting. He pulled a gun and…"
"Oh no," Hutch gasped. He could tell his partner was struggling and feared the worst.
Realizing where Hutch's mind had gone, Starsky corrected himself. "No! He was shot but he's ok. Nothing life threatening, just a shoulder."
"You Starsky men and your shoulder wounds," relieved, Ken let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding.
"Yeah right, just like in the cowboy movies. Only this time, my little brother was wearing the black hat." Dave added sadly, "Ma is really taking it hard."
"I would think so."
"She has been through so much with us! It's not right. She is at a point in her life where she should be enjoying grand kids and relaxing with her mahjong friends or something. But because of what I do, and the mess that Nicky is, she has an anxiety attack every time the damn phone rings!"
"Whoa now buddy! This isn't about what you do. This is about some bad decisions your little brother made. Your mom didn't call to lay a guilt trip on you."
"I know but…"
"Forget the "but!"
"What?" Starsky quizzed.
"Forget 'But', sub in 'And,' That's what you always tell me, when I get too far inside my head."
"I do, don't I? Man, I can be a pompous ass!"
Hutch laughed, "Yeah you can, AND you can also be right."
"I know I have been acting like a bear with a sore paw, bu—AND this news about my brother has really thrown me. It's been years since I heard Ma this upset and scared," Starsky said quietly.
"What's eating at you more, though. The fact that your little brother was shot by some one like us and facing jail time, or that your mom is having a hard time dealing with it." Hutch inched a little closer to where Starsk was sitting. It was rare that he could dispense advice to David without him wandering off. He was relishing the juxtaposition.
"Both situations stink, but I guess the worst is how it is affecting Ma," he reasoned. "She sounded broken, you know? And that's just not like her."
"She's a tough lady, don't sell her short."
"Yeah," Starsky added thoughtfully. "She has already had to deal with more trauma than anyone should. My stint in Nam, all the times I've been injured in the line of duty, Nicky's shady shenanigans, Pop's death…everything!" Starsky could feel his emotions starting to escape his control. He slammed his fists on the ground in frustration, " OW! Holy crap!"
Hutch dropped his psychiatrist pose, "You ok?"
"No! I told you I hurt my hand. I wasn't kidding. I'm pretty sure it's broke."
Hutch couldn't help but laugh. "Want me to kiss it and make it better?"
At this ridiculous remark, the tension dissipated and laughter filled the elevator car. Both detectives had found the common ground from which their mantra, Me and Thee, was created. No matter how hard the times or painful the circumstances, inappropriate laughter was an integral part of the cement that bonded them together.
Starsky snorted, "You are a real comedian," then whining like a four year old child he continued, "It hurts. It really does."
"I'm sure it does, I'll run you over to the hospital as soon as we get out of here."
"Wonder when that'll be? Think anyone knows we are here?"
"I imagine someone will figure it out when the elevator never comes down. Probably be Dobey. He hates taking the stairs." The picture of an irate Captain Dobey stomping up the stairwell set Starsky and Hutch to giggling again.
'You got that right." Then in a complete one hundred eighty degree turn, he quietly asked, "Hutch? What do you think I should do about Ma?"
"Do you think she wants you to do something?"
"Maybe? I don't know! She told me not to come home. She said she was fine and could handle it. She shouldn't have too! You and I have seen, first hand, how hard this can be on a family."
Hutch's soft, blue eyes peered through the darkness at this friend, "You are part of that equation now, partner. How hard is it on you?"
"I mean, I understand it. Nicky has been begging for something like this to happen for a long time. We see it everyday, hell we are the other side of that coin everyday! So I understand the why's and wherefores , but he is my little brother. We grew up in the same room. He stole my comic books…He told Ma about my Playboy stash. He did all the annoying things that little brothers do… It's damn hard!" Starsky exploded. "Why did he have a gun?! Why didn't he get out like he promised? Why couldn't he have thought of someone besides himself?"
The torment in David's voice was difficult for Ken to hear. "I don't know. I doubt if even Nicky knows," Hutch answered honestly. "Sorry that it is not what you want to hear."
Starsky gathered himself. "No, its ok. I wasn't really expecting an answer. The whole thing just makes me so mad! I feel so ….so…"
"Helpless?" Hutch offered.
"Yeah, exactly. I hate it. Because once that feeling sets in, every thing else shuts down. I feel like I am wrapped up in a tight, itchy, wool blanket…ya know? I feel suffocated!"
Hutch did know. "A very, very, very close friend once told me that feeling helpless is just your brain's way of dealing with something it can't process. It doesn't mean you ARE helpless. You always have the choice to acknowledge your fear, your helplessness. Being scared is not who you are, it is not your identity. Embrace that fear and make it work for you. Use your love of your family to over ride your brain. Use it to propel you forward. Your heart knows what to do… listen to it," Hutch said with no hint of embarrassment.
"Was that from the same pompous ass that gave you that other bit of advice?"
"MmHm, I think this friend knows the score though," Hutch said warmly.
"I'll have to take your word for that. The cop part of me is saying, 'Yes, it's for the best. Nicky has been wading in murky water for a long time and he finally got in over his head. Maybe this is what he needed to grow up.' Then the big brother-mother's son is going 'Shit! This is gonna kill Ma. I should have kept a closer watch on him. What can I do to fix this?' The family Starsky is clearly less level headed and collected than the cop Starsky."
"Family dynamics muck with the best of us," Hutch added reflectively. "When did you last talk to your Mom? Is Nicky out of the hospital?"
"I talked to Ma a couple of times this week. Makes me crazy because when I call, it's like she is afraid to bother me with any of it. Then I have to explain that I am the one that called her! I want to know what's happening! Nicky was released from the hospital a couple days ago. He is now out on bail pending the trial. Geez! It doesn't even seem real that I am talking about my own brother, just like he's common criminal."
Hutch sighed, "He is, you know. I hate it for you and your mother, but he is the guy we deal with every day."
"Truth hurts. I can take it, because I know the process. Ma shouldn't have to, though. She has no idea how to deal with all of this. I have nightmares of Pops spinning in his grave because Ma had to post bail for one of their kids."
Dave was warming up to a real tirade, and sensing his friend had demons to expel, Ken let him rant. "Has Nicky contacted a lawyer?"
"Hell, Nicky hasn't done anything! He doesn't know any more how to handle this than Ma! He told Ma that he knows some guys that can get him off… Like that was the end of the story… Like this is some gangster movie or something! He's my brother, but he's an idiot. Ma says Nicky acted all surprised when she visited him in the hospital. Said he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Said he was set up. That's what a sting is! Of course he was set up. IDIOT!" Starsky's voice had risen to a pitch Hutch had rarely heard from his normally even keeled partner.
Feeding David another question to tee off from, Ken added, "Have you talked to Nicky?"
"Nah, he knows better than that. I'd jerk him straight through the phone, if I had half a chance. He is staying with his girlfriend of the month now. Lucky lady. Seems he couldn't keep up the rent on his apartment and had moved back home until a couple weeks ago. Idiot." Starsky added with utter disgust. " Hey, you think it would help, if we yelled? Just to remind people we're here?"
Starsky's mercurial change of direction, was taken in stride by Hutch. After seven plus years, he had come to realize that Starsky's brain was wired differently than just about anyone he knew. His partner had an uncanny ability of refocusing his thoughts in the middle of a sentence, then rebounding right back. So Hutch went with it, "Sure, can't hurt. On the count of three… one…two…three…"
"HEY! We're in here!" They repeated this distress call for several minutes, ending as they had begun, in perfect unison.
"Sssshhh, I think I heard someone," Starsky cautioned.
From above the roof of the car the men became aware of someone calling down the elevator shaft. "Starsky! Hutchinson? Is that you in there? Why did you break the goddamn elevator?"
"And you said he was just a pretty face, " Starsky giggled.
"Yes, Cap'n. It's us. And for the record, we did not break the elevator. Will we be getting out of here tonight?" Hutch worked hard to maintain a calm demeanor. "It's pitch black, and Starsky had three-day-old burritos for lunch. Do you think you can get us some help?
Dobey guffawed at his favorite detectives predicament. "Just sit tight. The elevator company has a guy on his way, oh…and don't light any matches."
"Thank you cap'n," Starsky said in an unamused monotone. "Don't worry about us, we're cozy as two peas in a pod."
"Looks like we just sit tight, partner,"
"Looks like," David agreed miserably. "I sent Ma some money to help cover Nicky's bail. That's not something they tell you about in Parent Finance 101. She can't afford to lay out that kind of bread."
"I can chip in some too, if that'll help," Hutch offered.
"Thanks, pal. I think I have it covered. I had some funds set aside for a rainy day. If this don't qualify, nothing does. "
"Yeah. How did your mom sound the last time you spoke?"
"A little better, since Nicky is out of the hospital. Still not herself, you know. She tries to cover up, but I can tell she is heartbroken. I think she feels really betrayed."
"I think you do too," Hutch said kindly.
"Damn straight, I do. And that makes me even madder because I knew what he was up to and I didn't do anything about it. What kind of a brother and son does that make me?" David thundered.
"Human? Realistically Starsk, what could you have done about any of this? You gave Nicky your best advice and he chose to ignore it. He is now facing the consequences of his actions. There is nothing to be gained by beating yourself up over something you had no control over."
David rubbed his face as he looked around their cramped dark space. He spoke wistfully, "The last time he was here we had a big fight. He said I was never there for him when we were growing up. I don't remember it that way, but maybe he has a point. I should have done a better job keeping in touch after Ma sent me out here to live with Uncle Al."
"You were a kid," Hutch reasoned. "Long distance relationships are hard enough when you are an adult! Besides, you were fighting you own dragons then, you weren't ready to add Nicky's to the mix."
"You're right,I was a mess. Lucky for me, I had John Blain and Uncle Al keep me on the straight and narrow. Nicky didn't have that…." Starsky trailed off.
"Stop, don't go wallowing in that guilt trap. Your mother taught Nicky everything he needed to know about following the straight and narrow. He chose his own path in direct opposition to what you and your mother taught him. This mess is pure Nicky. Quit trying to take all the credit for something you had nothing to do with.."
"Seems I may have heard that somewhere before…"
"Right," Hutch confirmed. "Same pompous ass. You really need to start listening to his advice."
"I just hate the position this puts Ma in. She told me she was too mortified to stick her head outside the door. I told her Nicky's arrest was no reflection on her, but of course, she is convinced everyone in the neighborhood is waiting to wag a finger at her."
Abruptly Ken changed the conversation's direction, "Want me to go back with you?"
" What? Ma told me not to. Have you ever known me to disobey a direct order from my mother?"
"Neverrrr," Hutch said sarcastically. "Your family needs you. Of course, you're going back. They need you and you need them…even that idiot brother of yours. What I want to know, is should I book two seats on the next thing smokin' or one?"
"Two? Would you really go to New York? This ain't exactly your party."
"Hey, your mother is one of my favorite people, that makes it my party. Her older son is a close personal pal as well, and I kind of owe him a couple favors. So, yeah, I'll go. I suspect we know our way around the court system well enough to be some help to your mom and your turkey brother as well."
"Thanks," David added softly. The despair and stress that lifted from David's shoulders was almost palpable. "I promise I'll get Ma to fix us her Paul Muni special and even throw in some extra veggies. Think Dobey'll let us off?"
"Hell, if its up to him, we may never get out of this elevator! Have you heard anyone trying to fix this thing?"
David thought, "No, now that you mention it. I was a little distracted, though. Any idea how long we've been stuck here?"
"Why is it that you have all the fancy watches, but never know the time? What about that…that …what's it called… oh! That digital watch you had a while back. Didn't it light up in the dark or some such nonsense?"
"Oh yeah. That's a great watch. Hate the watch band though. Still got it.. Needs a new battery."
"Whoever heard of a watch needing a battery?" Hutch snickered.
"Progress, my friend. Anyway, it seems like we've been here six hours. Surely some one is working on getting us out."
Their attention was directed back up towards the top of the elevator shaft. A distant clanging seemed to indicate that someone was at least doing something. But for all they knew it could just be some of the precinct guys messing with their heads. A mature sense of humor was sometimes hard to find in a building so full of life and death and anxiety. Hutch called out, "Please tell me you are working on getting us out of here!"
"Hold your horses, Sparky," A disgruntled male voice yelled down. "I'm workin' on it. I'm workin' on it. It's a wonder this thing didn't break loose and fall all the way down. When was the last time any service was done on this thing?"
Hutch was perplexed, "Uh Mr.? You are asking the wrong guys. But if you can get us out, my partner and I will gladly escort you to the right guys. In fact, we will ask those questions for you."
"You a cop?"
"Yes, we're cops! You are in cop central. So please get us out, so we can continue doing our cop thing," Starsky added with as much joviality as he could muster.
The elevator repair man continued to try determine the source of the problem. "Cop Central? That's pretty funny. How many of you are in that car?"
"Two…just two."
"OK. I needed to know in case I have to fill out an accident report," the repairman chuckled.
"Hey want to hear a joke?
A nervous Starsky, reached out to Hutch. "So help me Hutch, if I get out of this in one piece, I'll never take an elevator again. That guy's crazy!"
"Maybe, but he's the one that is standing between you and me and that flight to New York. Humor the man."
"Yeah sure, OK. Give us your best shot," Starsky yelled up. "We got no where to go,"
"OK!" The man was genuinely excited to play to a captive audience. "What is red and goes up
and down?"
"We give up, " the detectives answered immediately.
"A tomato in a elevator! Get it? My little woman loves that one! Got another one…"
"Terrific," David groaned.
"You know why ghosts like an elevator?…Because it lifts their spirits! Ha ha, that's a real knee slapper ain't it boys?"
"I wanna slap something," David groused.
"Hey, Mr. whats your name?" Hutch asked.
"Otis. The name is Otis."
"Otis? And you work for an elevator company?"
"Ain't that a kick in the head?" The repairman laughed.
"I wanna kick something," muttered Starsky under his breath. "OK, Otis, how's things looking?"
"Can't really see anything from this angle. I guess I'll have to go to the elevator room in the basement and check out things from down there. Don't go away!"
"Can you believe him!?" David sputtered.
Hutch had to laugh at the sheer frustration his partner his partner was exhibiting. "I"m sorry, Starsk. It really isn't funny. Well,… yes it is. If this had happened to anyone else in the building you would be yucking it up. Be honest, you know you would."
"OK. Its just that the timing stinks."
"Or maybe… the timing is perfect," Hutch added with a dramatic flair. "Think about it. If we weren't trapped here, how much time would we have wasted waiting for you to break your vow of silence? I could have chased you for days without getting a straight answer."
Starsky shrugged. "That's fair. I do like to make you work for your information."
"I'll say. But next time, if something cataclysmic happens in the Wonderful World of Starsky, just tell me. You know I'll do what I can to help."
"Me and Thee."
"Me and Thee." Hutch reaffirmed.
The two men sat in companionable silence waiting for the repairs to be made. The noise from below indicated that Otis had, indeed, spotted the source of the problem and was doing something to fix it.
"Hey cops!" Otis eventually yelled up. "Hang on to the rail! I think I got it, but it might start up with a jerk!
Hutch smiled, knowing where his friend's mind was going, "Low hanging fruit, Starsk. Don't demean yourself."
Starsky gave a sharp snort. "You know me better than my mother."
The elevator lights snapped back on. That was followed by a knee jolting drop, but then everything smoothed out and the men felt the elevator descend to the lobby as though nothing had happened.
As the doors slid open, a crowd peered at the detectives as though they had just stepped from a Time Machine. Captain Dobey parted the crowd. "Stand back, everyone. Give Detectives Hutchinson and Starsky some air." Then turning to the detectives. "I guess this is crass, but some of the guys started a pool. It was an Over Under on how long you would be trapped in there." Then, checking the scraps of paper in his jacket pocket against the wall clock he sheepishly announced the winner. "Looks like our winner is Officer Minnie Kaplan with a guess of three and a half hours. Good work, Kaplan. I have your winnings up in the squad room."
Starsky and Hutch looked and each other and laughed. As they walked out, to what was left of their Friday night, Ken couldn't resist, "Hey Starsk, what is red and white and goes up and down?"
"Not you too!" Stasrky moaned. "What?"
"A striped tomato in an elevator! Get it?" He reached over and with a quick flick of the wrist playfully smacked David across the back of his head. "Now. partner, let's go get that hand looked at. We have a flight to book for tomorrow."
THE END