Chapter 3

Starsky bent over his partner's body. Did he imagine it? Was he so damned hopeful that he'd see anything? Tenderly he stood watching as the blond eyelashes fluttered and he got his first view of the ice blue eyes in over 18 hours. He'd spent those long hours longing to see the those eyes again and now he gently stroked down the side of the sweat slick face.

'Hutch?

The eyes cracked open a little and tried to focus, finally settling on the familiar face at the side of him. The sight of his partner brought both relief and terror to the sick man. Shouldn't Starsky be wearing a mask? Maybe he had this godamned disease too. Or maybe Hutch was dying and there was no point in precautions any more. There was fear in the eyes and gently Starsky stroked back the wet hair from his partner's forehead.

'Easy there Blintz, just relax. Ya got a tube in your back helping you breathe, remember? Just try 'n' relax and let it work for ya huh?'

He saw the eyes close as weariness overcame the blond. Yes he did remember the big strong tanned arms holding him upright on the bed as some flake with a hose pipe jammed it into his back. Too painful a memory – pain at his back and comfort in front of him. He remembered breathing in that uniquely Starsky smell; the leather of his jacket, Sandalwood soap and that stupidly expensive aftershave, and the smell had been enough to ease away the pain of the procedure. His partner was with him, close by and it was "me and thee" time again. Did it work? Was he going to make it? The red rimmed ice blues opened again, questions in them, but Hutch was too weak to ask. Fortunaltely his partner read them perfectly.

'Hey Captain Marvel, we got Calendar. You're gonna make it ya big lummox, but ya gotta keep fighting huh? Just rest an' I'll be right here. Not goin' anywhere'.

The eyes closed again and Hutch relaxed back to sleep as Starsky continued to sit by his side and wait. The sight of his partner's eyes again had made him feel such relief as he couldn't describe. Hutch was OK. Hutch was going to make it. Nothing else in the world mattered now. Slowly the brunette slipped down into the padded chair and closed his eyes as the exhaustion of the last week caught up with him.

That was how Judith found the two men, four hours later. She'd come back to check on her patient and take more bloods to see if the serum she'd administered was beginning to work and she was also prepared to send the brunette home for the night to get some well earned rest. She paused at the door, then walked quietly into the room.

Hutch was still lying on his side, his eyes closed and his golden hair still plastered to his damp forehead. He looked no better than he had four hours ago and the professional part of her told her that, sick as he had been, he wouldn't start making real progress for a while yet. But the womanly side of her really hoped that he would have been awake so that she could once again smile at that "vulnerable upper lip".

Idly she compared the two men. While Hutch was the day, all light hair and pale blue eyes, his partner was definitely the night. She stopped and really examined Starsky now for the first time since this whole sorry affair started. Whereas Hutch's flaxen hair was silky and smooth. Starsky's was a wild mass of dark ebony curls and whereas Hutch's face was open, tanned a light golden brown and smooth, the brunette's skin was more olive, his two day growth of beard showing up dark on the lower part of his face. He was ruggedly handsome where Hutch was more her type – the all American Boy Next Door and the sort she'd proudly bring home to Mom. She shook herself from her reverie and busied herself with her work.

Starsky woke from his nap, his neck cramping from the unnatural position he'd gotten himself into and he groaned softly as he prized himself up and rubbed his hand over his face. He smiled at the doctor.

'He woke up a while ago. Well, not really woke up, but he opened his eyes. That's good, isn't it?'

Judith heard the need in the curly haired cop's voice and tried her best to remain positive.

'Dave, he's has a drain to help his lungs. They've been badly damaged by the virus and we think he may have the beginnings of an abscess on his left lung. Coupled with that, his urinary output is negligible, which means his kidneys have been compromised by the disease and we're hoping that he won't develop any jaundice which could mean his liver has become involved'. She saw the defeat in the indigo blue eyes and put her hand on the brunette's shoulder.

'We're doing everything we can for him, believe me, but he can't just get up an walk away from this, it was too serious. Its going to be a long haul for him and he's going to need you too, so you need to take care of yourself. You need to rest too. You look all in'.

Starsky shook his head. 'I'm not leaving while he's like this. I can't. I need to be here with him. I don't know how to describe it Doc. It's a kinda emotional crutch. We need to be there for each other. But I could do with some company?'

Judith sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. 'Ritchie is responding well to the treatment. He has youth on his side and Dr Meredith has the other patients under control, so maybe I can stay. Just for a while' she sat down on the opposite side of the bed to Starsky and without thinking put her hand on Hutch's bare shoulder.

'You really like him don't ya?' Starsky asked gently.

'What? Oh' she blushed. 'Would you believe I do this for all my patients?'

'Hu huh'.

'No, I suppose not. Yes, I like him. He reminds me of a guy I knew back in 'Bama. We split up a while ago, but I see Bob in Hutch's eyes. Kinda open and honest. Like he'd do anything for anyone'.

Starsky nodded. 'Yep. That's my partner. Anything for anyone' his voice broke and he rested his head on his hands as the memories flooded back.

'Dave, are you ok?' Judith asked gently.

He looked up and angrily wiped his eyes. 'Yeah…..no…. hell, why did it have to be him huh? I'm the one the usually gets it. I've been shot, poisoned, kidnapped and he's always been there at the end, fussing over me and looking after me. Every time I woke up in some damned hospital bed he was there. He didn't really do anything. He was just…..there. I need to be there for him, but I don't know what to do. I guess I'm just no use when it's the other way round'.

'You love him. I can tell'.

The brunette looked up sharply and she chuckled. 'Not like that! You love him like a brother. I've never seen two men so close. It's kinda touching'.

'We've been together a long time. Since the Academy really. He was this Mid Western college boy from a privileged background an' I was the rough round the edges New Yorker who needed a steady job after 'Nam. We were two opposites in almost every sense of the word. He's blond, I'm dark. His Mom and Dad were rich, my Dad was gunned down in Queens and Mom tried to raise me and my brother. When it got too much for her she sent me to live with my Aunt Rosy' Starsky smiled fondly at the memory. 'I never did want to leave her, but then I never really wanted to go back either'.

'Were you friends from the start? Judith asked, enjoying the intimacy of the room with the two guys.

'Yeah we were. He was kinda dorky to begin with. He'd been to medical school but realised he was only there because his Dad wanted him to be. So he dropped out and his family disowned him. He was the bookish type. Ya know the sort? I guess it was because he'd had to do all the studying to be a doctor'.

The woman nodded. 'He would have been a good one too'.

'Well, he had his nose in a book and he was walking up a corridor and tripped over me. I remember looking up at these dark black-trousered legs that seemed to reach all the way to his armpits and he held a hand out to me to pull me up. As I got hold of him, he dropped the rest of his books on my leg an' cut it. He was so damned apologetic. Made me go back to his room an' he put a bandage on it. It was only a scratch!'

'But we got to talking and just kinda hit it off. The drill sergeant hated us. Called us Laurel and Hardy and I suppose we started off as a double act and it just got better. We'd only been in the Academy a couple of days when we were involved with a flake in the park. Jeez, that was some introduction to policing (1)'.

Starsky put his head in his hands. 'I need him to be well. I need you to make him better' he lifted pleading eyes to her and Judith felt a lump in her throat.

'I'm doing everything I know how, but he was very sick before he got the serum. I want him to get well too'.

The brunette sighed. 'I know ya do Doc. And that's why I have to stay here with him. We've been through some rough times and we've always stayed together. It's soapy I know, but we kinda need the company'.

She looked at him intently. 'You said it was always you that got hurt. Is he the lucky one then?'

Starsky thought. 'Now I come to think of it, no. He's had some bad times too'.

'Do you want to tell me?'

He chuckled. 'Where to start? It's an occupational hazard, being hurt. A cop thing and we kinda come to expect it. But we seem to get it more 'n' most. The first time he was really in trouble he'd gotten himself this girl. All blond hair and blue eyes, but she was mixed up with some flakes who wanted her back. They took Hutch and tried to make him tell her where she was. When beating the crap out of him didn't work, they got dirty. Strung him out on horse for three days till he would have sold his right arm for the next fix. He told 'em where she was eventually - when he was hurtin' so much he didn't know what he was doing. Then they were gonna dump him off the point into the ocean, but he managed to get away from 'em'. Starsky's voice took on a softer quality.

'Man he was hurtin'. I found him in an alley. They'd worked him over so that his face was just one big bruise and his eyes! I'll never forget the look in his eyes. I managed to get him back to a friend's house to dry him out. But it wasn't pretty. Do you know what it's like to have your best friend threaten to beat you to a pulp just so that he can get another fix of his "medicine"?'

Anyways, after a couple of days, he was over the worst, although he still has a phobia about needles'. The brunette cast a look at the two big cannula in the back of the blonde's hands and smiled. 'Guess he didn't have a choice this time, huh?'

Judith smiled and rose stiffly, looking at her watch. 'I need to go check on Ritchie again'. She reached up and but a hand on Hutch's forehead, dismayed that it was still hot and damp. 'So you're going to stay here for a while?'

'Wild horses Doc. Wild horses' the brunette said wearily.

'OK then. I'll be back later for chapter 2 then' she smiled and quietly left the room.

Starsky stood, easing the kinks from his back and took the cloth and wiped his partner's forehead and chest gently. The blond was still unconscious, but just making the simple gesture of wiping away the trickles comforted the curly haired cop – what else was there to do, except wait?. He leaned close to the blonde's ear.

'I think ya got a fan there Blintz! Now all ya gotta do is wake up and wow her'.

(1) See "Roses are Red" - coming soon to ffn