Chapter 10
THE drive back was a nightmare. For Starsky who was fighting unknown fiends and for Hutch who was fighting Starsky while driving. He had to stop twice. Once, for Starsky to vomit on the side of the road. Later when Starsky tried to open the door while Hutch was maxing out the speed on the LTD (which was not very fast - fortunately). For one terrifying moment, Hutch thought he was going to lose his partner as he struggled to hold Starsky in and stop the car. Thankfully they had made it out of the mountains by that time, and were on a relatively flat, open road. The gal in the car behind him got a rude awakening as he struggled to keep the LTD from spinning out as he skidded to the shoulder and came to an abrupt stop. Served her right. She was following too closely anyways. He ignored the blare of her horn as she raced past on the left. He finally was able to get the gear in park and turned his attention fully on his flailing partner.
Starsky was fighting like a madman trying to break Hutch's grip on his shirt. Hutch noticed that the darker blue of his eyes was incredibly vivid as his pupils were tightly constricted. They were focused on something Hutch could not see. Whatever it was, his friend was obviously terrified. Starsky twisted away and again struggled with opening the door. When he succeeded, Hutch launched himself across the bench seat and managed to grab a retreating leg. That earned him a kick from Starsky's free foot in the side of his head. Without letting go, Hutch pushed himself the rest of the way out of the still running car, and focused on subduing his out of control partner.
Thankfully, Starsky's coordination was shot. He was having difficulty getting his feet under him, yet that did not deter him from his determined escape. He thrashed out, trying desperately to get away. Hutch finally pinned him, his legs straddling Starsky's wildly jumping back and he held each arm firmly on the ground.
"Starsky! Starsk! You're ok, it's me. It's Hutch. It's OK buddy, it's ok!" Hutch continued talking his friend as he held him down. Gradually, Starsky began to settle down, only to start fighting again once Hutch relaxed his grip. Hutch could not figure out what it was Starsky was fighting against, but he knew it was something awful. What the hell had they given him! He thought it was heroin, but he began to wonder if it was something more. Worried, Hutch began talking his friend down again. He noticed that Starsky's struggles changed to an all over tremor, and finally, after a couple of years, or so it seemed, he finally subsided.
"Now what do we do, buddy?" Hutch asked of the sweaty, dirty form underneath him. In reality, he was just talking to himself. He knew what he would do if Starsky was a junkie off the street. He would cuff him and secure him in a seatbelt until he could get him to where he was going without a second thought. But this was Starsky. His friend. Not just some junkie. Hutch heaved a great sigh as he sought out Starsky's cuffs. Starsky no longer struggled as Hutch helped him into the backseat of his car. He helped Starsky lay down across the seat and placed the center waist belt around him. Pathetically, his friend began to moan and move restlessly. Hutch decided he could not risk his life again, but it tore at his soul as he secured his friend's hands to the base of the front seat.
He went around the car and wrenched his door open. He had to get back and as quickly as possible. He slapped the mars light on the roof of his car, adding yet another ding to the pocked "paint" job. That was one benefit of driving the LTD. He didn't have to worry about hurting the finish. He kept the siren to a minimum, remembering the pain the sounds gave him when he was in a similar condition. He raced home, like a man possessed. Which, in a way, he was…
"CAPTAIN Dobey to Zebra three. Come in Zebra three."
Hutch had turned down the volume on his police radio to decrease the noise for Starsky, but had not turned it off completely. He turned up the radio and responded. Hutch ground his teeth and endured another kick at his seat by Starsky.
"Hutch. You need to know, Julie Bouldin escaped custody."
"WHAT! What the hell happened out there?" Starsky moaned and kicked the back of Hutch's seat again.
"Evidently she was carrying some of the drugs she used on, er … our acquaintance…and used them on the officers that were escorting her down the mountain. Michele is safe, however we are awaiting backup and an ambulance now before we can secure the site. Manpower is rather thin out here. I am sending Michele to a safe house until her sister is recaptured."
"What kind of idiots are these guys! They didn't check her to see if she was carrying anything? How could they turn their backs on her! Captain, isn't there anyone out there with half a brain in their head…"
"HUTCHINSON!"
"Besides yourself, of course."
"Hutchinson, you have one thing you need to concentrate on, and that is your partner. Where are you going to be?" Dobey had a way of redirecting Hutch's thoughts into a more productive mode.
"My place." Hutch said without fully thinking things through.
"Get there, and I will call you when I am on a secure line. Call Dr. Anthony if you need him. He can 'unofficially' assist you."
"Yes SIR!" Hutch almost yelled and then he threw the mike across the car. Damn it! How could they have let her escape! Well, at least the mastermind of all of this was dead. He would have preferred to be the one to do the shooting, but when it came down to it, Michele probably suffered just as much at that lunatic's hand as he did. He envied her the satisfaction of seeing him to his just rewards, though he was content that the malicious fanatic was dead.
He returned his thoughts to the task at hand. Hutch was exhausted and was ready to be home. He turned in his seat to check his partner. Starsky was hyperventilating and he was still sweating. His eyes looked sunken though, and frantic. Starsky began kicking fervently at Hutch's seat again as he fought yet another nightmare, the waist belt held, but was beginning to ride up over Starsky's hips. Hutch sighed, endured the kicking and concentrated on the remaining five miles until he was home.
GETTING Starsky upstairs to Hutch's apartment was easier than he had thought. He had removed the handcuffs as quickly as possible and braced himself for another fight. Instead, Starsky looked at him with a brief look of comprehension. He struggled to sit upright and tried to help Hutch get him out of the car while his body shook and trembled. He looked like he had been on an all night bender, at least that is what Hutch hoped as a woman passed by, walking her dog. The dog stopped, finding the scents fascinating, and the woman had to drag him off. She looked like she could not get away fast enough.
"Come on, Starsk. Let's get you upstairs." Hutch said, his voice full of compassion and understanding.
"Your car stinks." Starsky muttered.
"Yeah? Well so do you, my friend." Hutch pulled Starsky's arm over his shoulder and escorted the wobbly man towards the stairs. Thankfully, instinct seemed to guide his friend's feet up the stairs, and Hutch pulled down the key from over his doorway. Unlocking his door, Hutch pushed the key in his pocket and not back in its "hiding spot". While it was convenient to have up there, with Rob's girlfriend on the loose, he did not want to take any chances.
He directed the now shaky Starsky over to the couch and removed his friend's shoes.
"You with me there, partner?" Hutch asked, and was rewarded with a gagging sound. Starsky retched painfully while Hutch ran for the trashcan. "We just have to get through the next forty eight hours. We can do that. You are going to be ok. Hang in there buddy." Hutch kept up with the calm dialogue as he knelt by his friend, while Starsky heaved into the trashcan.
"I'm going to put on some coffee. We are going to need it." Hutch groaned as he lifted himself up off the floor. God, how did Starsky do it? He had help. Huggy. Once he got things settled, he was going to call in Huggy's assistance too. Starsky curled up on himself on the couch, and began violently shaking. "Hutch, oh god, Hutch, help me. Please, help me."
He looked into Starsky's wild eyes. They seemed so sunken and dry. He pulled his friend close. "Shhh, it's ok. I'm here. We're going to get you through this." He could feel the panic his friend was living. He had been there himself. When they had finally talked about Hutch's ordeal, Hutch had walked away with the impression that if roles were reversed Starsky would want to go cold turkey, away from the professional eyes of a hospital and nurses. He wanted no medical records created that could fall into the wrong hands. There was a loss of control, a fear, that he just could not risk letting the world see. His friend, yes. Anyone else. No. The punks and perverts that they faced on this job could somehow get a hold of the information and use it against them in the future. Starsky would lose his effectiveness. Hutch knew he had to see his friend through this. And he would. As Starsky had for him.