Hi All,

Thanks for reading and reviewing.

FYI – I am working on the "White Death" sequel – It will be called "White Nightmare"

Lightning-ch#3

Starsky found the room Hutch had been placed in and stood in the doorway looking at his partner. The words of the annoying ER doctor repeated in his head, '…psychiatric disorder or dementia…' dear God, let it not be that bad' He ran his hand through his hair and then squared his shoulders and walked to Hutch's side. He looked down at the restraints that encircled his friend's wrists; each restraint was affixed to the sturdy guardrails on either side of the blond.

Starsky looked around and noticed that the other bed was empty. He privately hoped that it would stay that way. He found a chair and sat down. He lightly took Hutch's right hand into his hands. "I'm here Hutch. I'll be here when you wake up. You aren't alone, I'll be right here" He stared at the restraints for a while and then began to remove them from his sleeping friend's wrists.

----

"Hi! You sick?"

Hutch felt a few pats on his head and forced himself to try to open his eyes. He had one hell of a headache and the head pats weren't helping. He groaned and managed to crack his lead-weighted eyelids open. A small boy, about four years old, was squatted in front of him and looking at him with earnestness that only young children seem to have.

Hutch tried to collect his thoughts, which aggravated his headache. He focused on the boy. Cute kid 'where's your mommy?' Hutch picked his head off of his arms and looked around. The kid's mom had to be somewhere close. Ugh, my head. What happened to me? He remembered waking up in the alley, but before that he and Starsky had tangled with a couple of the suspects… Starsky had tripped or something and was down… I handcuffed my suspect and… and… His brain couldn't come up with what had happened after that. Another pat on the head brought him back to the present.

"Timmy! Come away from there!" A woman rushed up and grabbed the little boy and darted away from Hutch. The little boy waved bye-bye from over his mother's shoulder as she hurried away. Police sirens cut the air and a black and white screeched around the block.

'Aaaahhhh!' The pain that the sirens inflicted on his aching head was immense. It made him want to howl. He put his hands up to cover his ears. Or tried to anyway, his arms felt weird and didn't move in quite the way that he wanted them to. Thankfully the sirens were cut when the unit pulled to a stop over a block away.

Hutch studied the distance. Normally a block was nothing to walk, but feeling the way he did right now, it looked like a marathon hike. Gathering all his strength, he pushed himself into a sitting position. The uniformed officers exited the vehicle and walked to the bakery. The baker exited his shop and pointed up the street in Hutch's direction. 'Good, they can walk to me' He leaned against the wall of the building and waited for help to arrive.

Then a white van wheeled drove past him and as it drove by he read the sign 'Animal Control' that was painted on the van's door panels. He watched as it stopped by the squad car. The driver got out and got a catchpole out of the van. Then the cops and the animal control officer headed in his direction.

Hutch looked around and thought 'there must be an animal in trouble somewhere around here' the trio approached him and fanned out into a half circle, one cop on either side of the animal control officer. His puzzlement deepened and but he called out to them 'Hey, it's about time you got here, I…' All three were looked directly at him with stern expressions on their faces. The hair on the back of his neck rose.

The animal control officer edged closer to the big Doberman "Easy boy, easy… that's it… just stay right there…"

A very bad feeling began to creep up Hutch's spine. His mind was started to grasp at a wayward straw; a straw that would explain a lot about what was happening to him today. His stomach took a slow roll to the left and then it turned and spiraled hard to the right.

"That's a good dog… just stay right there… easy, easy" The control officer advanced slowly with his catch pole in front of him.

'Dog? Who are you calling a dog? I'm sick as a dog right now but… I-' the loop at the end of the pole was moved slowly towards his head. Hutch swallowed hard and snuck a glance at one cop and then the other. Each had their hand over their holstered guns. His mind caught the straw in a death grip and things started to fall into place 'Oh my GOD! They're after ME!' He slowly got to his hands and knees and backed up a step.

"Easy boy… just let me get this on your neck and we'll take you to the pound… easy there big fella" The control officer spoke quietly and moved slowly towards massive dog "just two more steps big guy and we'll be home free…"

Hutch stepped back once more. He didn't know what lay behind him. Was it a dead end alley? He couldn't chance to look behind himself; a second was all the control officer would need to slip the cable noose around his neck. He panted, the only sure way out was forward, but, he would be out in the open, an easy mark, should they decide to shoot him. Shoot him down like a… dog in the street… His heart beat faster.

The control officer advanced a little more, the dog was getting scared. Its breathing rate sped up and its massive jaw gaped slightly. One false move on his part and the dog could quickly go from passive to aggressive. He glanced at the cops and nodded. They understood and slowly pulled their guns from their holsters.

Hutch flicked his eyes around the area, looking for an escape route.

"Easy big fella… just let me catch you and you can have a little ride with me… if no one claims you in seventy-two hours… you get to sleep forever… how would you like that? No more worries about food, no more cold nights on the street…" The man edged closer.

'Screw you!' Hutch bolted between the control officer's legs and dashed into the street. Tires squealed as a cabbie slammed on the brakes to keep from hitting him. Hutch stopped and stared at the radiator grill of the cab - it was an inch from his head - and gulped. The cabbie popped his head out the window and shouted curses at him. Shouts erupted behind him and Hutch darted around the cab and after looking for oncoming traffic this time, he ran the rest of the way across the street.

He got to the sidewalk and stopped 'now where do I go?' He looked around; he wasn't sure where to go. He wasn't really familiar with this part of town. Uncertain where to run, he paused and tried to get a handle on where to go next. The sound of footsteps running up behind him brought him back to the present. He'd have to worry about where he was later. He darted between pedestrians and kept to the sidewalk. He turned a corner and accidentally knocked a lady down.

Hutch stopped and turned back around and went to her side 'Oh, pardon me! I'm so sorry!' He looked to see if he had hurt her.

The woman released an eardrum shattering scream "HELP! Mad dog! I'm being attacked!" She whacked him in the head with her purse.

He was knocked sideways a step 'OUCH!' He shook his head to clear his vision 'Whaddya got in that bag lady? Rocks?' He moved back a little further from her.

She swung at him again.

He dodged the swing, turned tail and ran. He came to a crosswalk, the traffic was heavy he looked around trying to figure where to go next. His lungs were beginning to ache and his head wanted desperately to fall off. He heard the sound of running feet and looked over his shoulder; the younger of the two cops and the animal control officer were running towards him.

"Mad dog! Clear the way!" The younger of the officer yelled.

'Great! Way to instill calm in the civilians buddy!' Hutch threw over his shoulder as he treaded his way through the people.

The folks on the sidewalk yelled or screamed as they parted like the waters of the Red Sea, affording the young cop with a clear shot. He took it.

The bullet whizzed dangerously close to Hutch's head and buried itself it the wall before him, knocking particles of brick into his eyes. He altered his course and ran into an alley. The alley was garbage filled and stank of decay. His stomach clenched hard, revolted by the odor, the cramp nearly stopped him in his tracks but he pushed on. Another bullet pinged off the wall, kicking up bits of garbage. The shot and the echo of shot nearly deafened him. He kept up his headlong run and found his passage blocked by a chain link fence. He skidded to a halt.

His eyes darted around, trying to locate a weakness in the fence. He couldn't climb it and running at the cop and the animal control officer would most likely get him shot. He pressed his body against the wire, feeling for any weakness in it as he kept his eyes trained on his pursuers.

'There!' He eased his weight against the soft spot in the fence and it gave a little more. He sidled backwards into the fence, the lower edge lifted and he scooted under. Hutch continued to shove himself backwards under the fence. He was nearly through when the lower edge of the fence hooked on his collar. He hadn't even noticed that he had one on until now. 'Dammit!' What else could go wrong? 'Crap!' He hurled himself back, the sharp edges of the underside of the chain link dug into his neck. He shoved back hard, ignoring the pain as the links dug in deeper into his skin.

The young cop raised his pistol and took careful aim at the vicious dog.

The control officer put his hand on the cop's arm "Wait, don't shoot just yet, I might be able to catch him"

"What are you talking about? I got a clear shot at him!"

"Good, but give me a minute, okay? I think I can catch him"

"He's a menace! He nearly bit several people in that bakery"

"I think he's sick and if he really did bite someone, we'll deal with it, just give me one more try, okay? He moves towards me… well, do what you have to do"

"One inch towards you or me and he's bought it" the cop double-checked to make sure that the safety was off on his service revolver. He refocused on the massive dog's head, ready to drill it right between the eyes. Never hurt to get in a little target practice.

"Deal"

Hutch listened to the exchange as he pulled back and his collar cinched up on his neck, sharp wire points from the lower side of the fence forced themselves into deeper into his neck. He kept his eyes glued on the cop. The muzzle of the gun was aimed directly at his head. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the animal control officer edging closer to him.

"Easy big fella, you got yourself in a jam, let old Hank help you out" The man slowly moved towards the big dog.

The catchpole was slowly pushed towards him. Hutch gritted his teeth and shoved backwards as hard as he could and ducked his head between his arms… 'Okay, front legs' this just had to be some horrible nightmare, but until he woke up, he decided to err on the side of caution and play along with the bad dream until he had a little time to think about it. However, now was not that time.

"Easy… easy… "Hank moved closer a step at a time, knowing that the dog was seconds from breaking loose. He wasn't doing this for the dog's sake; though he made sure it looked that way. The experimental testing lab paid good money for dogs. He really didn't care what the animals were used for. It was easy money. And he only sent dogs or cats that were going to be put to sleep anyway. Get money, save on the cost of gassing the animals and having to dispose of the bodies. It was a 'win – win' situation.

Hutch could feel the skin in the nape of his neck tearing, it hurt like hell but he pushed back even harder. His legs were quivering with the strain. He kept his eyes on the animal control officer.

Hank pushed the loop towards the dog's nose and started to ease it up the beast's long snout when it suddenly let out a near-human cry as it lunged backwards. The chain link fence bounced forward and than back as it recoiled. The dog fell over backwards and lay there panting on the cement. "Well HELL!" He hit the fence with his hand, frustrated 'There goes fifty bucks! Damn it all!'

"Move, Hank!" The young cop had walked up to his side while he was trying to catch the dog. "I can still nail him"

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" A teenage boy hollered from somewhere inside the fenced in area.

"Mad dog, gotta put it down" The young cop answered.

"You got a warrant?"

"Warrant? I don't need a warrant to shoot a mad dog, kid" Soon the cop was embroiled in an argument with the teen.

Hutch listened to the argument with half an ear as he shook his head to clear it. He instantly regretted it and the cuts on the topside of his neck burned with the added movement. He got to his feet and moved towards some boxes in the yard. He didn't want to get shot. He looked around for an exit and then noticed some crates stacked up by the other end of the area.

He made a beeline for them and climbed up to the top. It was about a fifteen-foot drop to the concrete parking lot. He flicked an ear back and heard the kid and cop still yelling at each other. The young cop had a lot to learn. If… scratch that, when he got back into human form, or woke up, he would look that rookie up and have a little chat with him.

Hutch looked at the down at the concrete and wished it were soft grass instead. He jumped down and managed to land on his feet. As soon as he landed, he took off. He didn't care about the out come of the argument that was still taking place behind him. He had to get away from this part of town and get to where he knew his way around and get a hold of Starsky.

----

Meanwhile…

Soon after Starsky had freed Hutch from the restraints, the blond had rolled over on his side and had practically curled up into a ball, nose to kneecaps. Starsky shook his head at that odd position and after a bit, pulled the blankets over Hutch and tucked them in as best he could.

Watching people sleep wasn't the most mentally stimulating thing to do and it wasn't long before Starsky fell asleep himself. He had dozed off in the hard plastic chair after balancing it on two legs with his head tilting backwards, mouth open and his feet on Hutch's bed. One got used to sleeping in odd positions while on stakeouts.

The door to Hutch's room banged open, startling Starsky from his uncomfortable nap. He tipped the chair over when he was startled out of his nap, arms windmilling for balance and finding none. He landed on his tailbone.

"Are you all right?" A familiar voice made Starsky's head snap up and he looked at the speaker.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the ER?" Starsky climbed to his feet and rubbed his sore butt for a moment and then he dusted himself off.

The tall thin doctor tapped his plastic name tag "You must be thinking of my brother Steven, I'm Doctor Stephan Goldberg"

"Identical brothers, terrific" Starsky muttered as he tucked his shirt back in his pants.

"Brilliant deduction, I can see why you made detective grade in our fine police department" The doctor haughtily raised his right eyebrow and looked down his long nose at the shorter man.

"Identical brothers with identical temperaments, just what I needed to make my day complete" Starsky managed to control the urge to say anything else he might regret later and settled for rolling his eyes. He didn't want to aggravate someone he may need to help Hutch even though it was very tempting to do so.

Starsky turned back at the bed Hutch was occupying. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he looked to see if the racket had awakened his friend. It had.

The blond had moved only his head and was staring, unblinkingly at him, the light blue eyes occasionally shifted to look at the doctor. It was an eerie and nerving stare.

"Hey Hutch, how're ya doin'?" Starsky leaned forward slightly, looking deep into his friend's eyes. He could see no recognition in them. He lifted his hand to brush back a wayward blond lock and was greeted with a low growl and a curl of one upper lip. He eased his hand back and looked at the doctor "What's wrong with him? Why is he acting this way?"

"According to his charts, he was hit by lightning" The doctor flipped through the chart sheets.

"Really? Did you read that all by yourself or did someone have to read it to you?" Starsky quipped back, unable to restrain himself this time.

The doctor raised one eyebrow and continued, "Also according to the charts, he was restrained. I see none on him. If you removed them and he falls and hurts himself, or hurts anyone else, we – 'we' being the hospital- are NOT responsible for any injuries"

Starsky looked at the doctor, than back at Hutch. He hated to admit it, but there was something very, very wrong with his friend. He couldn't put a finger on what it was; it wasn't just from the lightning strike. No, it was something else. It was like Hutch was possessed or something. Right now, he reminded Starsky of that girl in the movie 'The Exorcist' Starsky certainly wasn't gonna say anything about that to the damn doctor though. "He's fine"

"Oh, so he's always like this. Growls at his friends all the time then, huh?"

"Pretty much" Starsky muttered, "Steals food from my plate sometimes too" He carefully watched Hutch's face as he said that. Nothing. Not a twitch, not a raised eyebrow. Nothing. The blond maintained his unmoving posture and stared at him and the doctor with a rare blink thrown in as the only change of… well of anything.

There was a knock at the door and Dobey and Huggy entered the room.

"How's the patient?" And seeing that the blond was awake, Huggy moved over to his friend's side and reached out to shake his hand, now that Hutch was conscious "Hey blondie, you had me 'n curly all worried. You're lookin' pretty spry now" He was shocked when Hutch snapped at his hand and growled at him. Huggy shot a startled look at Starsky "What's with that?"

Dobey added his look as well.

Starsky sighed and shrugged, at a loss of what to say or how to comment. "It's the lightning strike; I guess it has affected his mind, a little" He felt Dobey put his hand on his shoulder and squeeze. He looked at his captain and nodded, accepting the shared sorrow.

Dobey turned to the doctor "How long will he be that way?"

"It is difficult to say at this point. I will have to do some research and call a few colleagues, I have never heard of anyone that has been struck by lightning or electrocuted that have acted quite like this" The doctor scratched down a few notes and prepared to leave "Detective?"

"Yeah?" Starsky's lips thinned at the doctor's tone.

"A nurse will be coming in shortly to take his vitals, I don't want any of the staff injured. He will have to be restrained again and you being an officer of the law, should be competent enough to handle that, am I correct?" He then left the room without waiting for a response.

Starsky lunged after the doctor, prepared to demonstrate just how much he did know about restraining people.

Dobey anticipated this and grabbed him by the arm "Dave" and when Starsky met his gaze, the big man slowly shook his head "He's not worth it"

Starsky nodded, Dobey was right, as usual. He looked back at Hutch, who was slowly edging back on the bed, away from the three men, still giving a low growl and staring at them like they were the enemy.

TBC