Chapter 5

Gretchen hesitated outside the door before quietly stepping into David's hospital room. Hutch had called her and told her about the newest development in David's case and she needed to see for herself that he was all right. A faintly amused smile crossed her lips when she saw Hutch sitting at Starsky's side, dozing in the uncomfortable plastic chair, one hand tightly clenching Starsky's right hand through the side rail of the bed. David was sleeping too, breathing a bit easier than he had been earlier in the day.

She examined the olive skinned face with a practiced eye. There were tiny lines of pain etched around the corners of Starsky's eyes and mouth, a muscle twitching in his cheek every so often even as he slept. Awake, the brunet was a perpetual ball of energy, always on the go, never standing still with a wicked sense of humor. Asleep, he reminded her of a little boy worn out from a hard day at play. It was the only time he was completely at ease and still.

As if sensing her presence, Hutch's eyes flew open and he turned his head to stare at her. He raised a finger to his lips, signaling for her to be quiet so that she wouldn't disturb the brunet's rest. Gretchen nodded as she quietly walked over to stand beside Hutch.

"Is he doing any better?" she whispered in a subdued voice.

"They gave him a breathing treatment earlier that helped clear up his lungs." Hutch whispered back. "They're still running tests to try and find out more about the virus that's making him sick."

"But, he's going to be okay. Right?"

"I hope so." Hutch told her, reluctant to share the doctors grim prognosis concerning the brunet's condition. "The doctors are doing everything they can to get this thing under control."

"I have to go out of town on business for a few days but I wanted to stop by and see Dave for a while before I left. Looks like I picked a bad time to visit."

Hutch's attention quickly shifted to Starsky when the brunet shifted restlessly on the bed and his eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks. The sapphire eyes slowly opened and looked around the room, finally coming to rest on Hutch's face. The eyes were dull and confused but more alert than they had been.

"Hey," he said in a hoarse voice gifting Hutch with a crooked smile. His eyes lit up when he saw Gretchen standing beside his partner. "Hey, pretty lady…" he said

"Hey, yourself." Gretchen said with a smile, leaning down to brush her lips lightly across his mouth. "How do you feel?"

"I'll be okay. Don't you worry your pretty little head about me." Starsky said confidently. His brave words were contradicted by a sudden cough as he tried to rid his overtaxed lungs of the excess fluid.

"Why don't I go get some coffee so you two can visit for a while?" Hutch suggested. He smiled at his partner and added, "You be nice and I'll bring you back a milkshake."

"Chocolate." Starsky ordered as Hutch walked out of the room leaving him alone to visit with his girlfriend.

In the hallway, Hutch wandered past the nurse's station to the elevator and stepped inside, pressing the button for the first floor cafeteria. He hated hospitals almost as much as Starsky did. He felt as if he had spent more than his share of time in places like this, either as a patient or waiting for Starsky to recover from his latest injury. He had become accustomed to sleeping in awkward positions in uncomfortable plastic chairs that were much too small for his lanky frame.

Sleeping fitfully with the muted sound of the intercom system in the background. Half of him constantly on the alert for any sign of distress from his injured partner. Time and time again, he had watched the resilient brunet battle his way back to health from the most horrendous injuries, seldom complaining despite his pain. But this time, Hutch was afraid that Starsky's luck may have finally run out.

The thought of a life without Starsky by his side terrified Hutch. They had always joked about going out together in a blaze of glory so that neither one of them would be left behind alone to grieve for the other one. Joking about it made it easier for them to face the fears they couldn't talk about out loud. After coming so close to losing Starsky to the bullets from the hired assassins in the police garage, Hutch already knew that he would never be able to survive losing his partner. He had already decided that if he ever lost Starsky, he would eat a bullet before he would go on alone.

Most of the time, it seemed as if Starsky was the only good thing in his life, the only thing that kept Hutch from losing it. He was the only person who had ever accepted Hutch for who he was with all of his faults and insecurities. Starsky was the only one who gave Hutch unconditional love and expected so little in return. Their lives were too intertwined, too interdependent on each other, to survive for long on their own. The grief alone, the loss of the most important person in their life, would be enough to kill them.

Hutch shook his head to rid himself of his morbid thoughts of death as he made his way to the cafeteria for a well deserved break. He refused to leave Starsky alone unless someone he trusted was with him. Usually that was Huggy Bear or Captain Dobey but Gretchen would fit the bill nicely, at least for a short period of time. Ultimately, Hutch didn't completely trust anyone to care for Starsky as well as he could.

He took the time for a cup of coffee and a taco salad before returning to Starsky's room. Gretchen was leaning over giving Starsky a sultry goodbye kiss when he walked into the room. She blushed slightly when she straightened up and caught Hutch's amused smile.

"I was just leaving." She said "I'll leave a number where I can be reached at the nurse's station. Take good care of him while I'm gone."

"I will." Hutch promised, holding door for her as she left. Grinning, the big blond walked over to his partner's bedside. The brunet had a Cheshire grin plastered on his face but Hutch could see that the short visit had tired him out. He smoothed out the blanket covering Starsky's lower body and said quietly, "Why don't you get some sleep? You look beat."

"I guess I could use a little nap." Starsky admitted with a jaw cracking yawn. He settled down against the pillows and closed his eyes. Within a matter of minutes, he was sleeping soundly. Hutch had always envied Starsky's ability to fall asleep so quickly, even in a cramped back seat during a long stakeout. Hutch usually tossed and turned for twenty minutes or so before he fell asleep at night and he was never comfortable sleeping anywhere except in his own bed.

Satisfied that Starsky would sleep peacefully for a while, Hutch slipped out of the room to call Captain Dobey. He called him at home, smiling when his young daughter, Rosie, picked up the phone.

"Dobey residence. May I help you?" she said in her innocent, sweet little voice, doing her best to sound mature and grown up as she answered the phone the way she had been taught.

"Hi, Rosie Posey." Hutch said "It's Uncle Hutch. Can I talk to your Daddy?"

"Uncle Hutch!" Rosie squealed in an excited voice. "Are you with Uncle Dave? Is he feeling better? Daddy said he was sick and you were taking care of him."

"Yes, I'm taking good care of him."

"You better. I wanted to come see him but Daddy said I can't cause he might catch my germs."

Hutch chuckled. No matter how tired or discouraged he was Rosie could always cheer him up with her innocent chatter. "I know he'd like to see you too and hopefully he'll be well enough soon that you can visit him. Can I talk to Daddy?"

"Yes. I'll get him. Give Uncle Dave a big hug and kiss for me, okay?" There was a soft thud as Rosie laid down the phone so she could fetch her father. A few seconds later, Captain Dobey's gruff voice came over the phone.

"Hutchinson?" he said "How's Starsky?"

"He seems to be doing better but the doctors don't think that will last." Hutch told him. "The reason I called is because the doctors said this virus isn't contagious, so that means that somebody had to have infected Starsky with it somehow. I want you to send a team to Starsky's place. Have them get a sample of everything he might have eaten or drank…and tell them not to forget samples of his toothpaste, mouthwash and any medications he might have in the bathroom. Anything that somebody could have put something in to infect him with this bug."

"Sounds like a good idea. I'll get on it right away." Dobey said. He paused and then added "Do you really think that somebody infected Starsky with this deliberately?"

"I hope not but I want to make sure. I don't know how else he could have gotten it."

"You've got a point." Dobey said glumly. "I'll get on it. Keep me posted on Starsky's condition."

"I will" Hutch promised. He hung up and made his way back to Starsky's room to watch over his sleeping partner for the rest of the evening.