Broken Doll-Chapter 10

Starsky woke to strange surroundings. His head felt weighted and the bright lights of the room spun in a dizzying pattern. He tried lifting a hand to his face, but something caught his wrist, shoving it back down. He struggled against the restraint setting off wave after wave of nausea and pain. Each and every muscle sparked with agony and his chest tightened until he felt like he could no longer breathe. Voices swirled loudly in his head, murmuring anxiously, shouting words he didn't understand. He tried to speak, but his lips were thick and wouldn't move. Then he felt something pressed over his mouth and he was positive he would suffocate. But instead he pulled in a lungful of oxygen and the numbness in his lips began to fade. He pulled in another mouthful of intoxicating air, and the panic dissipated. Starsky felt himself drifting off to sleep and welcomed the peace.

O0O

Hutch sat on the lumpy worn out waiting room couch listening to the doctor, but not liking what he was hearing.

"How long has been sick?"

"A couple of weeks now. He was given antibiotics for some kind of strep infection."

"Has he been taking them?"

Hutch felt an irrational anger begin to rise, at the doctor for grilling him, at Starsky for not taking his medicine, at himself for not taking better care of his friend. He rubbed his hand down his face …"No. I found a mostly full bottle tonight."

The doctor nodded in understanding. "I see. Your partner, I'm afraid to say, has Pneumococcal pneumonia."

Hutch looked at the doctor with concern in his eyes, his stomach sinking at the news.

"It's not common in people of his age," the doctor continued, "but with the infection he was fighting, and the exhaustion he is suffering, not to mention the dehydration—well, it was just a matter of time, really."

"Is he going to be okay? I mean, can I see him?" Hutch was almost frantic with worry.

The doctor placed a hand on the blond's shoulder to calm him. "His temperature is dangerously high and, because of the dehydration, we had a hard time getting his lines in, but we did. We have him on oxygen to help him breathe, and different antibiotics to fight the infection. Now, we just wait and see."

"When can I see him, doc?"

"The nurses are getting him settled in ICU right now. He will probably sleep for several hours or more. If you promise not to wake him, I'll have the nurse get you a pillow and blanket." The doctor then looked into the detective's eyes. "He's a big boy, detective. You aren't responsible for his lack of judgment." The doctor turned and walked away, leaving Hutch to ponder her words.

O0O

A sudden clash of thunder came from the west, causing Hutch to shift slightly in his chair. Swirls of dark colors had been filling his mind as he entered the deep part of sleep. Suddenly, something brushed past his leg, startling him awake. Another clash of thunder filled his ears as a shock of light from the storm illuminated the darkened hospital room, revealing the pale body of his partner.

Rubbing his eyes, Hutch felt an anxious hum begin in his spine and slowly work its way up his back, finally raising the hair on his head, much in the way a cat's hair spikes when it arches its back in fear. The shiver that followed was body wide. He rubbed his ankle against the chilling moistness that clung like a second skin, then stood searching for what had caressed his leg. A shadow slithered on the far side of the room as another flash of lightning lit the sky.

Slowly, he moved toward the foot of the bed, unsure of what he might find. Just enough light shone from the medical equipment to cast a dull, unhealthy glow on the room as he moved beside his sleeping partner. Droplets of perspiration glistened in the faint illumination of the machines monitoring Starsky's life, and tubes ran along the crisp white sheets pulled tightly over his body. He then noticed a slight trembling in his partner's legs and knew what had woken him.

Hutch brushed his partner's wet hair off his forehead and whispered, "It's going to be okay, I'm here, buddy." Starsky moaned and opened his eyes just enough for Hutch to see the fear that had taken over his friend's life. Within moments, Starsky's body began to shift with hard jerky movements, his eyes shutting tightly. He began shaking so hard the bed was making horrible clattering sounds and, then, one by one, alarms began to ring. Hutch watched in horror as Starsky pushed his head back into his pillow, clenching his jaw tightly and then cried out as he lurched to the left. Hutch stepped up to the edge of the bed in an attempt to keep Starsky from falling off.

Bodies began to surround Hutch and he was gently pushed out of the way, a nurse grabbing Starsky just as he began to slide over the edge. Other hands joined to hold him in place as he began to gag and then vomit.

"Get him out of here," Hutch heard as a pair of hands led him to the door and out into the hallway. He stood there in shock, starring at the closed door, listening to the sounds of alarms blaring. Moments later, the door opened again and a nurse brushed past him. Before the door could shut, Hutch heard shouting. "…pressure and heart rate are too…"

"Ken?"

Startled, Hutch turned toward the voice. Anna Lewis stood in front of him dressed in white, her long dark hair pulled into a loose bun covered by a pointed nursing cap.

"Anna, w-what are you doing here?" Hutch blinked in confusion.

Anna took him by the hand, pulling him to the side, as a nurse and several orderlies passed from the hall into the room, carrying large bags of ice.

"I work in pediatrics, upstairs," she replied as she brushed a black strand of hair under her white cap. "I called to talk to Dave, and your captain said he was here. I hope you don't mind, I just came to check on the two of you. Is he in there?" She nodded her head toward room 102.

Hutch followed her eyes as she looked toward the closed door. "Something…something's wrong. He..he…." A deep pain shown in his eyes and he felt it burn his stomach.

"I'll be back in a minute." Anna squeezed his hand and entered the room amid the orderly chaos of activity. Hutch paced for several uncomfortable minutes until he heard the snick of the door and saw Anna returning. He looked to her expectantly.

Anna smiled. "Let's get some coffee." Hutch followed her down the hall and into the large cafeteria where they sat with steaming cups. Hutch took a sip feeling the liquid burn his lips, and realized, unfortunately, he wasn't dreaming.

"He's going to be fine, Ken." Hutch looked at Anna with watery blue eyes. "His temperature was too high and that caused convulsions. I know it's frightening to see, but it's not unusual for a body to react like that, especially with how sick Dave is."

"But his heart, I head the doctor say…"

Anna took his hand firmly in hers and stared into his eyes. "Convulsions often cause heart rate and blood pressure to rise. He also vomited, but all of that is normal for what happened to him. Doctor Bird knows what she is doing, Ken. She is one of the best doctors here. Dave is lucky to have her watching over him. He's lucky to have you, too."

Hutch ran his fingers through his shaggy blond hair and let out a deep sigh, only now realizing how tense he'd been. But having Anna here somehow helped ease his worry and brought a measure of comfort. At least, he wasn't alone.

"You look tired. How long has it been since you've had any sleep?"

Hutch smiled at her concern, remembering all the times Starsky had said the exact same words to him. "It's been a while," he admitted.

"Listen, Ken," she sipped at her coffee before continuing. "Once you see that he's doing fine, why don't you go home and get some rest. You could use it."

Hutch knew he looked like crap, he felt like it, too, but he wasn't sure leaving Starsky alone was a good idea. He'd left him alone too much lately …

Before he could say anything, Anna spoke up. "He's not going to be alone, I'll stay with him. And besides, Ken, how are you going to be there for him if you can't even think straight?"

Hutch looked down at his coffee and realized he'd been absently adding packets of sugar to his coffee and blushed. "Maybe you're right, I could use some sleep. I guess it's just that, well, I need to talk to him. I need to know he's alright."

Anna smiled in understanding. They sat in silence for several minutes, each lost in thought.

"I thought I might find you here." Doctor Bird pulled a chair out and sat, sighing as she did. Hutch looked expectantly at her.

"He's going to be fine, detective. His temperature was 106, but we managed to lower it. Ice isn't the most comfortable treatment, but it's effective." She smiled.

"What about the rest, all the alarms?"

The doctor placed an aging hand on his shoulder before she answered. "I'm not going to lie to you, detective. He scared us for a few minutes. But to be honest, I think he's over the worst of it. His lungs are clearing and he was starting to come around as I left." Hutch's eyes widened at the news. "He may be slightly confused for awhile, but that's normal after a seizure. Why don't you go see him, huh?"

"Excuse me." Hutch quickly rose from his chair, leaving Anna and the doctor behind.

O0O

The anxious blond quietly opened the door to room 102 and approached the bed his partner was lying in. The lights were still low, but he could see that Starsky's color was

much better and the sheen of fever was gone. He pulled a chair close to the head of the bed and took one of Starsky's hands in his.

"Starsky? Buddy? Can you hear me?" Starsky's eyes fluttered, but did not open. "Hey, partner, can you wake up for me?"

Hutch felt a slight pressure on his hand that grew as the weakened man pressed back.

"Okay, don't try to talk. Just listen, alright?" Another squeeze to his hand let him know Starsky was listening. "The doc said you're going to be fine. They had to ice you down, buddy. Seems you got too hot." Another squeeze. "Yeah, I know, that's what all the nurses say." Hutch smiled.

"Listen, Starsk." Hutch, growing serious, now held his best friend's hand in both of his. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you. I…I don't know what you've been…experiencing, but I should have listened to you. Maybe if I had…well, maybe you wouldn't be here right now." Hutch felt his eyes burning and looked down.

"Not… your fault…Blintz."Starsky gasped out in a weak voice, but Hutch could see the slight smile that graced his friend's face and smiled back.

"We'll get to the bottom of this, Starsk. I promise. Whatever's going on, we'll solve it. Now, get some rest. You look awful." He chuckled and held Starsky's hand until it went lax, then sat quietly in the chair, watching his partner sleep, until he, too, drifted off.

O0O

It was still dark when Hutch heard Anna enter the room, and sat up to greet her.

"How is he?" she asked, reading the chart at the foot of Starsky's bed.

Hutch stood to allow some circulation back into his legs. "He's been sleeping quietly and, at last check, his temperature was still down."

"It's almost morning. Why don't you go home and get some decent sleep. I'll stay with him till you get back."

"I don't know, Anna…"

"Go. Let a guy get some sleep, will ya?" Starsky pleaded from the bed.

"Yeah, okay, Gordo." Hutch acquiesced as he tucked the covers around his partner's legs. "You win. But I'd better not hear that you gave Anna a hard time."

Starsky snorted a reply and drifted quickly off to sleep once again.

Standing at the door, Hutch looked back at his sleeping partner. "I'll be back in a few hours. Thanks, Anna." She really is a beautiful woman, Hutch thought, no wonder Starsky likes her.

A charming and radiant smile crossed Anna's full lips as she turned to sit next to the bed, pulling a book from her uniform pocket. "Get some rest." Hutch nodded and softly closed the door behind him, heading home.

O0O

Steam from the hot shower filled the bathroom in billowing white clouds. Hutch pressed his hands against the slick tile wall, supporting his weight as he let his head hang in front of the showerhead. Soothing water poured down his neck, loosening all the tense muscles, and he let out a tired sigh. Ten minutes later, the water began to run cold and he regretfully turned the knob to stop the flow.

He toweled off his slender body and pulled on sweats against the cold of the storm still blustering outside. Adjusting himself in bed, Hutch tiredly glanced at the clock, 7a.m., and set the alarm for noon. He let his head fall back against the pillow, his wet flaxen hair cold against his neck, and fell asleep.

BRRRRING

BRRRRING

Hutch hit the alarm with his limp arm and rolled over.

BRRRRING

BRRRRING

Hutch moaned and hit the clock again with a little more strength.

BRRRRING

"Jesus Chri…what the…"

BRRRRING

"Shit." He grabbed the receiver on his night stand, and mumbled an incoherent greeting into the phone.

"Hutchinson? Dobey. Get your butt down here right away. We have another body for you."

Instantly, Hutch became alert. After dressing, he was on his way out of the warm apartment as he looked at the clock -7:35 a.m., and sighed again.

To Be Continued