Chapter 4

Hutch had just dozed off when he felt someone tugging at his sleeve. Opening his eyes, he found Starsky standing beside the couch, staring down at him. He had found, Ollie, the white teddy bear that had belonged to his deceased fiancé and was clutching it tightly in his arms.

"What's the matter, buddy?" He asked in an alarmed voice. For a moment he was afraid that Ollie had triggered some unpleasant memories for the traumatized brunet but Starsky's words soon put his mind at ease.

"It's dark and I'm scared. Can I sleep here with you?"

"There's not enough room on the couch." Hutch told him, swinging his long legs over the edge of the sofa as he sat up. "Come on, I'll tuck you in."

"Okay." Starsky said, in a small voice, still clutching the teddy bear tightly to his chest. "I like your teddy bear. Can he sleep with me too?"

"Sure he can, pal. Anytime." Hutch told him fondly, as he rose to his feet and threw his arm around Starsky's shoulders to guide him back into the bedroom. "His name is Ollie and he used to belong to a very special lady named Terry."

The names didn't appear to mean anything to Starsky but he did seem comforted by Ollie. He raised the bear to his face, gently brushing the soft white fur against his cheek. "Hi, Ollie." He whispered, "I like you. You can be my friend just like Uncle Hutch."

Hutch fought to hold back the tears that gathered in his eyes at his friend's words. Innocent words that made him long for his friend's return to normal. He helped Starsky get settled back in bed, stretching out beside him. Starsky curled up on his side with Ollie cradled in his arms and closed his eyes. Within minutes, both men were sleeping soundly.

Huggy Bear showed up early the next morning so Hutch could get to the courthouse, He had already been told about Starsky's condition, After breakfast, Starsky wandered into the living and turned on the TV. Finding some cartoons, he happily sat on the floor in front of the TV, engrossed in the colorful characters on the screen.

"Don't sit so close to the screen." Huggy told him, repeating an age old warning he'd heard from his own mother. "You'll hurt your eyes."

Starsky looked at him and squinted his eyes. "My eyes don't hurt so I'm not too close." He said with the logic of a child as he returned his attention to the screen. Huggy chuckled as he began to straighten up the kitchen. A six year old Starsky didn't seem to care about being neat as much as the adult Starsky did.

"How would you like to go and pick out a birthday present for Captain Dobey's little girl?" Huggy said, "She's having a party this weekend and I happen to know that you're invited."

"A birthday party?" Starsky said, his eyes lightening up with pleasure. "Neato. Can I get a toy too? There's nothing here to play with."

"Sure, why not?" Huggy said with a grin. "Get your jacket and let's go." Starsky looked around the room, confused, until Huggy said, "There's one over there in the closet I bet will fit."

"Okay." Starsky bounced to his feet and opened the closet door. He grabbed Starsky's newest jacket, a black leather one that had cost the brunet half a week's salary. "I like this one." He said in a pleased voice. "It's soft and it smells good." He stuck his arms into the sleeves, then stopped and looked at Huggy in alarm. "I don't got no money. I can't get no toy."

"That's okay," Huggy consoled him. "I've got enough money for Rosie's present and to get you something too." He smiled, curious as to what kind of toy Starsky would pick out for himself. Starsky grinned happily as the two men walked out to Huggy's car, a light blue Cadillac.

"Wow! This is a neat car." Starsky exclaimed, running his hand over the shiny waxed surface of the hood. "I want a car like this when I get big except mine is going to be red.."

"You like red, huh?" Huggy said, with a chuckle, picturing Starsky's distinctively Torino with it's custom paint job in his mind.

"Yeah. It's my favorite color…I like blue too. But, red is a better color for a car."

"I think you're right. A bright, shiny red car would suit you better." As they climbed into his car, he glanced at the brunet and said, "Fasten your seatbelt."

"I know, I know." Starsky said, "You sound just like my Pop and Hutch. Why do I have to wear a seatbelt anyway?"

"So you won't get hurt if we get into an accident." Huggy said, smiling sadly at the irony. If Starsky had been wearing his seatbelt during his accident, he probably wouldn't have been thrown into the windshield. Unfortunately, it was simpler for the two detectives not to wear their seatbelts when they were on duty in case they had to bail out of the car in a hurry to chase someone on foot.

"Was I in an accident?" Starsky asked, absently rubbing the side of his head where he still had a large, painful bump. "Is that how I hurt my head?"

"Yes." Huggy said, without elaborating. Hutch had already warned him that Starsky might start remembering bits and pieces of the accident and if he did, not to try and push him into remembering too much too soon. Starsky fell into a thoughtful silence, staring out the window as Huggy drove to a nearby toy store.

There's a lot of truth to the line about a kid in a candy store, or a toy store in this particular case. As soon as they stepped inside, Starsky's eyes got wide and he began running down the aisles, picking up the different toys on display and playing with them. Huggy sauntered along behind him, chuckling at the brunet's playful behavior. He tossed a ball in the air and then picked up a toy airplane, pretending to be flying it. Leaving the brunet to watch a model train set on display, Huggy took his time picking out a doll that he was sure Rosie Dobey would like. Huggy glared at some of the other customers who were watching Starsky's antics with arched eyebrows and a snicker here and there. Most of them had the decency to quickly turn away to avoid the black man's wrath.

When Huggy returned to collect Starsky, the brunet declared firmly "I want a train set." Although the train set cost more than Huggy had planned on spending, he went ahead and bought it when he saw how much it meant to Starsky. Now he knew why Hutch had trouble saying no to the winsome brunet when he really had his heart set on something. Starsky waited impatiently while Huggy had Rosie's present wrapped, then they gathered up their purchases and went home.

Huggy helped Starsky set up the train set on the living room floor and it kept him entertained until Hutch got home. Hutch grinned when he walked in and saw Starsky playing with his new toy. He looked at Huggy and said softly, "I see he's got you twisted around his little finger too."

"Hey, it's hard to say no when he gives you that puppy dog look." Huggy said in his own defense.

"Tell me about it." Hutch said with a chuckle. "Thanks for watching him."

"No, problem. I got Rosie's present too. It's in the hall closet on the top shelf."

"Thanks. What do I owe you?"

"Forget about it. My treat. Now I've got something to hold over Curly's head when he starts razing me about my fashionable taste in clothes."

Hutch laughed as Huggy let himself out of the apartment. Turning his attention to the engrossed brunet, he said, "Hey, Davey…" remembering to use the childhood nickname instead of the more familiar habit of calling the brunet by his last name. "How about I order us a pizza for supper?"

"With everything?" Starsky asked, looking up at Hutch with a crooked smile that melted the big blond's heart.

"For you…with everything." Hutch agreed, even though he usually complained about all the additional toppings. "And if you're a good boy, you can have a root beer with it."

"No real beer?" Starsky said with a sly smile.

"No, you're too young to drink."

"Pop lets me have a sip of his beer sometimes."

"Well…maybe a sip." Hutch amended, realizing that the brunet had conned him yet again. He began to see that Starsky had learned at an early age how to get his way.

He ordered their food and then sat down on the sofa to watch Starsky play with his new train set until it arrived.

Both men ate with gusto and, as a special treat, Hutch let Starsky have half a glass of beer with his pizza. Afterwards, Starsky willingly helped to clean up and carefully put his train set away until morning. Then they sat on the sofa to watch a movie together until bedtime. Since it was one of the old horror flicks that Starsky loved, it held the brunet's attention.

"My Pop takes me and Nicky to the movies every Saturday if he doesn't have to work." Starsky said during a commercial break. "Will you take me to the movies Saturday?"

"That's Rosie's birthday party." Hutch told him, "Wouldn't you rather go to that?"

"Oh, yeah! I forgot about that! Huggy got her a present today when we got my train." Starsky said enthusiastically.

"I know. He told me."

"Is there going to be cake and ice cream?"

"Of course."

'Good…then I'll go…even if it is a party for a girl."

Hutch laughed at the way Starsky said girl, as if it were a bad word. He wondered how old Starsky was before that attitude changed. Starsky had admitted to having sex for the first time when he was thirteen so he couldn't have been that old.

After the movie, Hutch stood up and stretched to work the kinks out of his back. "Time for bed, pal. Go take your bath while I straighten up in here. And don't make a mess this time."

"Do I have to?" Starsky whined .

"Yes, you have to. Now scoot." The blond told him as he picked up the remains of their supper to throw in the trash.

"Can I have a snack before I go to bed?"

"How about some cookies and a glass of milk?" Hutch suggested. In a stern voice, he added, "After you take your bath." He hid a smile when Starsky muttered something unintelligible under his breath as he trudged towards the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, he went to check on Starsky and found him standing in front of the bathroom mirror, diligently brushing his teeth. There was only a little water on the floor this time and most of it came from the dripping brunet.

"Rinse your mouth and dry off." Hutch said, as he handed Starsky a fresh towel from the shelf in the closet. "You can't go to bed with a wet head."

Starsky turned on the water and bent his head to fill his mouth with water directly from the faucet. He spit it out in the sink and then wiped his mouth with the towel before using it to dry his wet curls. Taking care of Starsky was proving to be a challenge and Hutch desperately yearned for his old partner's return.

"Will you tell me another story?" Starsky asked as they went back into the bedroom where Hutch handed him a pair of pajama bottoms.

"If you want." Hutch said. "And I'll leave the bathroom light on tonight so it won't be so dark in case you wake up again. How's that?"

"Okay. Ma has a nightlight in our room at home cause Nicky doesn't like the dark. He cries cause he gets scared."

"And you don't?" Hutch said with an affectionate smile.

"Naw, I'm a big boy. Big boys aren't supposed to be scared of the dark."

"Sometimes, everybody gets scared."

"Even you?" Starsky asked, his eyes growing large at the idea of an adult being scared of anything.

"Even me." Hutch admitted, remembering how scared he had been when Captain Dobey had called to tell him that Starsky had been in an accident. Hutch's biggest fear was of losing his partner and best friend to the job someday. It was a grim reality that every man who wore a badge had to learn to live with. But, Hutch knew that if he ever lost Starsky, he would lose the best part of himself.

Starsky grabbed Ollie from his spot on the pillow and cradled the toy in his arms as he rested his head on Hutch's shoulder. Like the night before, Hutch told him stories until the brunet fell asleep. It was obvious that the unique bond and trust that the two men shared was still intact, in spite of Starsky's current condition. It was that bond and trust that allowed Starsky to sleep the whole night without waking up.