Part 3 – Chapter 41

Beth and Hutch made their way back down to Starsky's room and Gus, the orderly from the previous night unlocked the door and let them in. As they opened the door and closed it quietly behind them, Starsky stirred on the bed and opened his eyes sleepily, stretching his arms above his head so that his tee shirt rode up showing an expanse of tanned, toned midriff, For a moment he looked at the two friends as though seeing them for the first time and then he rolled onto his side and sat up on the bed.

'Hutch? How did I get back here?' the brunet asked softly.

'They brought you back here last night after I got back. Do you remember last night?' Hutch asked.

Starsky closed his eyes and hung his head. 'I remember sayin' some pretty poisonous things to you buddy. 'M sorry. I never meant 'em ya know. I was just so damned frustrated that things were going so slow.'

'Hey, you've had to put up with me bein' cranky before now. Forget it. Um… what else do you remember of last night?' Hutch pushed.

'Last night? I remember feelin' bad about you leavin' and then I um….. I went to the gym, came back upstairs and….I dunno. I had the craziest dream. I was in a padded cell and you an' Beth were there and….' Starsky's voice slowed and stopped as he looked curiously at the blond and Beth. 'That was no dream, was it?' he asked softly.

'No, it wasn't buddy. Fisher got to you again.' Hutch said without thinking.

'He did NOT. Why do ya keep bad mouthin' him he's just…..'

'Listen to yourself Starsk. Why are you defending him? We can help you. We know now how we can help you' the blond said gently, coming to sit next to Starsky. The curly haired cop pushed him away.

'Leave me alone. You don't understand. I'm fine. All I need is to get back to Bay City. I have sumthin to do there and then I'll be fine' Starsky said, starting to walk towards the door.

Hutch rose and followed him as Beth readied herself with her needle.

'Buddy, you're goin' nowhere. Fisher called you and told you to get the tapes for him, remember Starsk? Remember?'

'I remember you're always getting' in my face these days Hutchinson' Starsky yelled angrily. 'Just let me go huh? Gimme the keys to your car or I'll walk back down the mountain. You're supposed to be my buddy, well treat me like one.'

'I am Starsk, but you aren't listening. Edgar Fisher has got to you again.'

The brunet whirled and drew back his fist. He swung full force, but Hutch was ready for him and football tackled him into the corner. The blond's shoulder sunk into Starsky's stomach as he wrestled with his partner to stop him from getting away. Starsky's temper was once again lost and he was yelling incoherently and thrashing around with his arms. Hutch tried not to hurt him, but finally desperation won out and he cuffed the brunet on the jaw, snapping Starsky's head sideways. The surprise was the thing that shut Starsky up – the surprise more than the pain – and it gave Beth just enough time to dart in and inject the contents of her syringe into the brunet's upper arm.

Starsky yelled one more time, but within seconds, his struggles became weaker and he slid down the wall while Hutch held onto him securely.

'I'm sorry Starsk, I'm sorry' the blond muttered as he cradled Starsky's face in his hands. Struggling, he looked up and met Hutch's crystal blue eyes with his own.

'M sorry Ut…sh' the brunet slurred. 'Don't know what…..'m doin'. Help me?'

'We will help you buddy. Just stay awake long enough huh' Hutch shook Starsky shoulders gently. 'Starsk, stay with me. I need you to do that for me. Do you remember Fisher telephoning you again this morning?'

Starsky's head lolled down and with a sigh, he forced his heavy eyelids open. 'Fffffisher? Yeah…..phoned…..told me t'get tapes. Made me promise.'

'Ok, we know that Starsk…..hey buddy boy. Are ya listening to me?'

'Yeah…..shoutin'…..ssssound like Dobey.'

Hutch smiled. 'Sorry buddy. We've got a cure for ya. I won't pull punches it's a doozy, but we can bring this to an end here and now. Are you up for it?' Hutch asked urgently.

'Cure…..ssssure, go f'r it.' Starsky was finding it hard to stay awake, Hutch's voice seeming to be coming at him from a great distance.

'Starsk, Beth wants to give you E.S.T. She thinks that will reset your brain and Fisher won't be able to get to you again. Will you let her?'

'Mmmmm? Shock? Will it…..hurt?'

'No. No buddy, promise. You'll be asleep. You won't know a thing.'

'Wanna sssssleep now' Starsky slurred.

'I know, but you need to give your consent. Will you let her do this buddy? Will ya?'

The brunet's head was now resting on Hutch's shoulder and Starsky had almost lost his fight against the drug. 'Ssssure……ffffffine' he breathed before his body sagged limply against his friends, and sleep claimed him again. Hutch looked up at Beth.

'He said yes. How long will it take to set up?'

'An hour, no more. Let me go and organise it and we should be able to do it while he's still under the influence of the Thorazine

Beth rushed from the room as Hutch continued to hold onto his partner, cradling the sleeping man in his arms and the curly head rested on his shoulder.

'God Starsk, I'm glad this is coming to an end. It's been a ride partner hasn't it? I've never known anything we've been through last so long. Even when you were shot we could see a way forward, but this? This has just been bloody. I've missed you Starsk, an' I can tell you now you're asleep coz I know you hate soapy scenes, but I've missed you more'n I can possibly say. It's been like a little part of me is missin', but I have to tell you Pal, this EST is no walk in the park. You might not feel anythin' while it's happenin', but believe me, you'll feel like you've done ten rounds with a gorilla tomorrow. Remember when I was in Cabrillo and they tried it on me. I know – it hurts. But at least you should be you again, and that I can deal with.'

Starsky said nothing, but slumbered on and together the two men sat and waited for Beth to come back for Starsky to take him for his treatment. Eventually, two orderlies came pushing through the door with a gurney and Hutch helped them to lift his partner up and onto the trolley. He walked at the side of the gurney as they wheeled Starsky from his room and down to the hospital part of the clinic and stopped at a small, white clinical room that looked unnervingly like an operating room.

Beth had changed into operating greens and was waiting with a couple of nurses as the entourage appeared.

'We need to make some preparations first' she explained to Hutch who was becoming more worried by the moment. While the prospect of having his partner back and whole, the treatment itself left him feeling sick to his stomach.

'Um, anything I can do?' he asked, hoping for something to take his mind off things.

'You can help us get him undressed and into this' the woman said, holding up one of the infernal short sleeved hospital gowns.

'Oh he's gonna love me when he wakes up in this' the blond muttered as he started to unbuckle the brunet's jeans belt.

Sleepily one indigo eye opened and Starsky feebly batted at Hutch's hand. 'Not tonight Molly…..m'not in the mood' he mumbled.

'An' you're so not my type Gordo. Just work with me huh?'

The brunet's eyebrows knitted together in concentration. 'Ut….ch?'

'Yeah, sorry to spoil your dreams buddy. Only me. Can you gimme a hand here?'

'Hand, dick….they're all yours Moll' Starsky said blearily as he smiled beatifically up at Hutch.

Finally, with some help from one of the nurses, Hutch managed to get Starsky stripped off and into the gown and led on his back on the gurney. Beth chuckled as she watched how the blond deftly dealt with his partner and Hutch glanced over at her.

'Don't get the wrong idea' he growled. 'This is years of getting him into bed after too many tequilas.'

'Whatever you say! I'll believe you! We can take over from here' Beth said. 'There's things we need to deal with before he has the treatment. If you like you can watch from the observation room.'

Hutch bent over the still sleeping brunet. 'See you later buddy. Beth's gonna look after you from now on, but I'll be right outside. See ya in a little while.'

'Don't go Hutch' Starsky said, his eyes searching out his partner's. There was a hint of urgency in the voice and he seemed just a little bit more aware.

'I have to, but Beth is right here. She's gonna look after ya. Be good and don't go away huh? See ya later.' He patted the warm shoulder and walked from the room, unable to look back.

Beth took over and smiled down at the brunet. 'Dave, I have to put a tube into your bladder. Don't worry, It won't be there when you wake up, it's just temporary, but they aren't the most comfortable.'

Starsky's eyes focused on the woman and he tried to smile, although he felt sick and disorientated and slightly scared. 'Fine. Do your worst' he mumbled and closed his eyes. He flinched as he felt hands on the centre of his body and suddenly he was back in the jail, Rafferty looming above him and the other guards around him. Starsky squeezed his eyes closed as he felt the tube push against his opening. He'd had too many catheters in his life to know they weren't agonising, but the feeling was distinctly uncomfortable and he hissed as Beth pushed it gently home and inflated the balloon with distilled water to keep it in place.

'That wasn't so bad, was it?' she asked, wiping the brunet's forehead with a cool cloth. As she put it down, one of the nurses stuck the electrodes on his temples and taped them down. Starsky's stomach flipped over and he swallowed hard.

'Easy for you t'say' Starsky grunted and closed his eyes again as he saw the woman take up a needle and syringe.

'Dave, I'm going to put you to sleep now. You'll wake up in bed and it will all be over and you should have your memory back. I'm giving you the injection now. Hutch is right outside. I need you to count backwards for me from ten. Can you do that?'

'Sure' Starsky said softly. 'Ten….nine……eight…..sev….' He never got any further as his eyes slid closed and the nurse put the oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. Beth looked up at the watching blond and smiled encouragingly. 'We're ready' she said over the intercom. 'If you don't want to watch, it's fine. He's fast asleep.'

Hutch pressed the button on his side of the window. 'Just do it Doc. If he has to go through it, then I'm not gonna walk out on him.'

The woman nodded. She repositioned Starsky's head gently on the pillow, opened his mouth and inserted a leather strap between his teeth. Taking the electrodes, she turned the dial on the generator and paused, checking everything was ok before she turned and touched the electrodes to those taped to the brunet's temples. The effect was dramatic and Starsky's body arched off the gurney, his muscles cording on his arms. legs and neck. The charge lasted only seconds but to Hutch it seemed hours before finally Beth turned off the current and the brunet's body relaxed back onto the gurney. Immediately, Beth checked Starsky's heart with her stethoscope and the nurses recorded pulse rate and respirations. They conversed for a moment and then Beth looked up and put her thumb up. The treatment was over and now all they could do was wait