Chapter 6...
The smell of smoke was carried by the wind,
as trees bend, then broke.
They have lived for hundreds
of years now to become
ashes carried by the
wind.
X. Xxx.
1978
Hutch put his foot on the gas and sped like the wind toward the city. "Come on Starsk hang in there."
The doctor suddenly spoke. "Pull over or your friend dies."
Hutch's blue eyes found the doctor with a gun to Starsky's head. "What the hell!" Hutch screamed. "Ok, ok, don't you pull that trigger!"
The doctor, watched Hutch's every move. "Slowly, that's right."
Hutch had stopped by the curb. The strange doctor pulled Starsky out of the car, while he held the gun. "Now Hutchinson you get out of the car nice and slow."
The doctor shoved Starsky to the ground, and then shot Hutch in the shoulder.
Hutch fell to the ground, but quickly got up, as the doctor started his car.
Hutch knew if he got away, Starsky would certainly die, they both would. The fire had gotten dangerously close. Starsky lay on the ground, as he grabbed his head in pain.
Hutch jumped on the car while he screamed in pain from the gun shot wound to his shoulder. The blond detective grabbed the doctor by the arm, and hit him in the face.
Hutch pulled the strange man out, the blond detective hit him hard again. The doctor fell to the ground.
Hutch tried to bring his car to a stop. The sound of tires screeched, and filled this once peaceful place. Smoke from the car and the forest fire burned his already irritated eyes, as he brought his car to a stop.
Hutch stumbled and picked up Starsky, as the brunet cried out in pain.
Hutch's eyes softened. "I'm sorry Starsk." Gently Hutch put him in the front seat.
The crazy man who claimed to be a doctor, was screaming, while he pointed his gun toward Hutch. "You can't leave me here, I'll burn, come back!"
Hutch sped off while the he starred out his rear view mirror, as the man got smaller and smaller.
Starsky's dark blues were barely open now. "Hey partner slow down, are you going to a fire."
Hutch glanced at Starsky, "Trying to get away from one Starsk" Hutch's face had black marks from the smoke, beads of sweat ran down his tired face.
Starsky saw Hutch's shoulder. "Your bleedin, partner."
Hutch remarked. "It's just a flesh wound."
Starsky's once cobalt eyes appeared glazed and dull. "Hey partner, there's two Hutch's."
Hutch stopped his car and inspected his partners head wound. He ripped a part of his shirt and wrapped it around Starsky's head.
Starsky grabbed Hutch's arm. "Hey partner two Hutch's are better then one."
Hutch put his hand on Starsky's chest. "Yea Buddy." Hutch saw a fire truck stopped, and a black and white. The blond slowly drove toward them, the detective put his hand out, that held his badge. "There's a man about a mile down the road."
The Captain walked toward him, Hutch continued. "The man claimed to be a doctor, he is armed and dangerous. My partner is badly injured, he's my first priority."
The fireman noticed Hutch's shoulder. "Your shoulder it's bleeding, Hutch glanced down. "Yea he shot me, but it's just a flesh wound."
The police officer beside him nodded. "We will check it out." Suddenly! They heard a voice. "Help me that man left me to burn, my car is out of gas." The distraught man held his hands up .
The officers pulled their guns out. The doctor pointed toward Hutch. "That's him."
The officers grabbed the man, as they put the cuffs on him. He yelled. "I'm a doctor you can't do this."
The officer nodded back toward Hutch. "We have this crazy, good luck to you and your partner."
The Fire Captain, yelled. "We have this area under control."
Hutch had his elbow rested on the open window he waved. The detective drove away while blue eyes stared in the rear view mirror, at the world he left behind.
X. X
Hutch pulled over after a while to check on Starsky. He pulled the sheet around his best friend, then gave him a drink of water. Then got back on the road. "We may have lost our home Starsk. Remember when we first saw it." Hutch shook his head. "I luved it the minute I saw it."
Starsky in a low whispered voiced. "I luved it, because it meant so much to you partner."
Hutch's eyes teared up. "We may lose our home, but we still have me and thee."
X. Xx
Hour and a half later
Hutch pulled up at the Bay City Hospital, with his strong arms he carried Starsky inside.
Blood laced the blond detectives shirt, Hutch yelled. "Help me, my partners hurt."
A nurse ran over. "Follow me." She pointed, "That door right there, let me get a doctor."
Hutch put Starsky down on the stretcher. A man came in the room, he shook Hutch's hand. "I'm Dr. Rosenberg, what happened."
Hutch rubbed his forehead. "My partner was in a wreck. He was thrown through his windshield." Hutch took a cup of water from the nurse. "My Buddy may have a broken left leg."
Dr. Rosenberg shined a light in Starsky's eyes. "His pupils are unresponsive, how long has he been unconscious."
Hutch closed his eyes, as his hand rubbed his forehead. "About an hour."
Dr. Rosenberg eyed Hutch up and down. "Your shoulder is bleeding, nurse take him to room three."
Hutch remarked.. "I was just grazed by a bullet." He pulled out his badge. "We're cops."
Dr. Rosenberg had a firm voice. "Nurse, room three."
Hutch stated. "I'm not leaving my partner."
Dr. Rosenberg crossed his arms. "Your in a hospital, you will to be treated."
Hutch pointed his finger right at the doctors face. "Look I drove an hour and a half from the mountains with that forest fire on our butts. I'll be damn if I'm going to leave my partner, until I know he's hundred percent!"
Dr. Rosenberg pulled his glasses down "Ok have it your way, Detective Starsky took a hard blow to the head. Your partner is a very lucky young man to be alive." He moved over to the sink, and washed his hands.
Dr. Rosenberg's voice was to the point. "He has a dislocated shoulder, broken leg, and a bad head injury. It's unbelievable. We are taking him to surgery. It could be dangerous, with him being comatose."
Hutch's face distraught. "Has this been done before Dr. Rosenberg."
Lines formed around the doctors eyes. "I've done it once before with success, and yes she came through. My daughter is alive and well, up in Colorado now."
Hutch's blue eyes stared into Doctor Rosenberg's gray eyes. "Then I want you to do the surgery on Starsky."
Doctor Rosenberg told the nurse "Wrap his leg tight, so he can be moved to surgery."
Doctor Rosenberg walked toward the door, then turned. "Your partner is fortunate to have a friend like you." He closed the door.
A few minutes later...
The nurse came back and cleaned Hutch's shoulder wound. She wiped the black ash from his face and applied drops to his irritated red eyes. Hutch thanked her.
The nurse tossed the cloth in the trash. "We are moving your friend to a surgery room where we can monitor him closely."
Two orderlies came with a stretcher and lifted Starsky onto it.
The nurse covered him with a blanket. "You can follow us to the surgery room, but you cannot come in."
Hutch pointed. "Watch that shoulder, be careful his leg." Hutch had always been the mother hen when it came to careing for his partner. He stayed right by Starsky as they made there way down the hall, to the surgery room.
X. Xxx
Later...
Two hours after surgery
Doctor Rosenberg came to the room, and checked the monitors hooked up to Starsky.
He turned to Hutch. "That shard of glass had moved in deeper, but we were able to remove it. If the shard had not remained intact then your friend would have lost a lot more blood then he did.. The nurse cleaned it to remove all the particles of glass. That was a nasty wound.
Hutch stared at the doctor intently, hanging on every word.
Dr. Rosenberg stated. "Its fortunate you were able to get your partner here, when you did. Time was of the essence."
Hutch rubbed his tired eyes. "Doctor Rosenberg, thank you for everything."
Dr. Rosenberg remarked. "Don't thank me yet, your friend took a very serious blow to the head, I need to see how responsive he is."
Hutch's eyes moved to Starsky. "So exactly what does that mean?"
"It means detective your friend might have lost oxygen to the brain." Dr. Rosenberg stated.
Hutch could not believe what he heard, he put his hand to his head. "Are you telling me my partner died out there, but came back."
Doctor Rosenberg remarked. "We have been monitoring him and that's exactly what it appears."
Hutch could not believe what had happened. "Starsky was talking to me on the way here, he recognized me."
The corners of Doctor Rosenberg's mouth cruved up. "That's very encouraging. Your friend came through the surgery fine, I put a metal plate in to protect the leg, it will remain indefinitely." He shook Hutch's hand, "I will be back later tomorrow."
Hutch just stood, as he stared at the door, he did not even notice Captain Dobey had came in.
Captain Dobey saw the distress written on his detectives facial features. "How's my boy."
Hutch's eyes lingered toward Starsky, he raised his hand toward the door. "The doctor just informed me that Starsky died out there, alone on the street.
Hutch stared into his Captain's eyes. Starsky came back, Captain."
Captain Dobey ask. "Well what does that mean? "The blond rubbed his eyes with each thumb. "It means Captain, Starsky may be a vegetable."
The nurse dimmed the lights and stepped out, as Hutch paced the floor.
Captain Dobey's eyes moved with his blond detective. "Sit down Hutch your making me nervous."
Hutch moved toward the door. "I'm not sitting down. Why would I do that Captain?" He became silent, then spoke. "Look they have us in a glass cage." He waved his hand toward the large glass enclosure ."
Hutch put his hand on the glass. "It's like we're an exhibit." He put both hands on the glass and looked down...