Starsky caught a ride in a black and white conveniently parked outside the hospital and went back home to get a change of clothes and his Torino. Once back in his familiar tight blue jeans and a fresh dark blue shirt, he picked up the keys to his car and shot back out of his apartment. It had taken a while to get his Levis on over the thick bandage around his leg and he'd grunted as the thick material caught at the wound, but this was his uniform and he felt he couldn't hit the streets wearing anything else. In his jeans he felt invincible He got into the car and paused. Where was he supposed to start looking? He had no idea where McKay hung out, but he knew he had to get to Shepherd and rescue him. Although he didn't like the methods the little ginger haired man used to get his money, there was something about the little criminal. He only got his money from other criminals, leaving businesses and banks alone. He did no harm at all to the average man in the street, and Starsky had to admit to himself that he was a bit of a loveable rogue. He picked up the car mic. and asked for a patch though to R&I.
'Bernie, can you pull me everything you got on one Albert McKay. Need any possible addresses, and quickly huh? Thanks'. He put the mic. down and turned his car towards the centre of town, keeping his eyes and ears open. It felt strange to be driving without Hutch at his side. Although the blond was never the most talkative of the two men, he provided a sounding board for his curly haired partner and secretly, Starsky enjoyed playing the wide eyed kid and winding Hutch up with pranks and crazy thoughts. Now he missed the banter and it felt empty in the Torino. He started singing to himself to ease the quiet and was just onto the second verse of 'Don't give up on us Baby'. His voice wasn't quite as melodious as the blonde's but he carried a tune well enough and what he lacked in talent he made up for in enthusiasm. It was a song his partner had been crooning for a while,
'It's written in the moonlight
And painted on the stars
We can't change ours'
when the familiar tones came over the airwaves.
'Zebra three, zebra three, you there Starsky honey?'
He grabbed the mic. 'Hey Mildred, how's my favourite….' He was cut off as the woman uncharacteristically interrupted him.
'Starsky, get back to Memorial as quick as you can'.
The brunette caught the urgency in the voice, his heart in his mouth.
'Hutch?' he asked.
'I don't know the details honey, but there's something going down there. I've just had a call from Captain Dobey to tell you to get down to the hospital, as quickly as that striped tomato will carry you'.
'On my way'.
'And Starsky? You be careful' she added before clearing the line.
Starsky executed a neat U turn in the middle of the road, his tyres squealing and smoking against the black top. Flicking on the sirens and jamming the mars light onto the roof, he floored the gas and rushed back to the hospital, his mind racing. What the hell had happened? Had Hutch had some sort of relapse? Was he ok? Oh God, was he dead?
No, no, no, no. I can't think like that. C'mon Davey boy, just get with the programme, Get back to the hospital and find out what's goin' on. Probably nothin' to do with the Blintz…..Red light, slow down, clear….next intersection…..mind the motorcycle…..get out the way!
He turned the final corner and drew up next to Emergency entrance, seeing three black and whites all with their lights still flashing. The patrolmen were out holding onlookers back and he got out of his car almost before the last notes of the engine had died. Without even bothering to close the door he bolted for the entrance as one of the cops grasped his arm.
'You can't go in there' he said as Starsky ripped his arm from the man's grasp and flipped his shield at his. The cop waved a quick apology and the brunette continued his headlong charge into the hospital. He ran through the ER and past the small consulting rooms towards the lifts, seeing the familiar bulk of his captain standing waiting for him.
'What ya got Cap?' he panted, slithering to a halt and feeling for the first time the injury to his leg smarting and pulling. Ignoring the pain and the irritating trickle as at least one of the stitches gave way and it started bleeding again, he looked expectantly at his boss, seeing apology in the dark brown eyes.
'Gunman on the third floor' the black man grunted, seeing the brunette put two and two together.
'Hutch?'
'Starsky…son…. Its McKay. After you went, Hutchinson was left alone for a while. Somehow McKay managed to get in. He's in Hutchinson's room holding him hostage. He's got Shepherd with him and he's making demands'.
'Well how the hell did that happen? I've only been gone a little over an hour! What sort of security have they got round here?' the brunette yelled.
Dobey sympathised with his detective, but knew he'd have to calm the hellion down if Starsky was going to be of any use to them.
'Starsky, cool it! Calm down and take a deep breath or somethin' he thundered, watching as the curly haired cop closed his eyes and willed himself to calm down.
'OK, that's better' Dobey continued. 'He's not made any demands yet. He says he wants to talk to you' He grabbed his officer's arm as Starsky started to push past him. 'You're gonna need one of these' he pushed a Kevlar vest at the brunette who looked at it questioningly for a moment. Slowly he took it, holding it between his knees as he took off his jacket and put the bulletproof vest on over the top of his tee-shirt. Pulling the jacket back over the top, he drew his gun from his holster.
Starsky held the gun in his left hand, checking he had a full clip. He pumped a round into the chamber, leaving another 13 in the clip, then thumbed on the safety. Cocked and locked, just as he liked it when he was going into an intense situation. With a final nod to his Captain, he got into the elevator to go up to the third floor.
As the door closed, he closed his eyes, getting his rapidly beating heart to calm down. Hutch was hurt as it was, he didn't want anything else to happen to the blond, he'd been through enough already. The target now was to get his partner out of there and in one piece. If he could rescue Shepherd at the same time, so much the better, but just at that moment that wasn't Starsky's priority.
The door opened on the landing of the third floor and the brunette could see at the corner of the long corridor two black vested cops, semi-automatics trained on the door of the room he'd occupied only hours earlier. Other than the sounds of his breathing in his ears, there was silence and his sneakers made small squeaking noises on the tile floor as he walked slowly toward the door of the room. One of the sharp shooters looked up as he arrived and gave a reassuring smile. Very quietly he said 'Nothing happening in there at the moment, detective'.
'Wrong, pal. My partner's being held in there by a gunman. Something very real is happening in there' Starsky muttered. The man with the riffle nodded his understanding and leaned into the wall to let the brunette pass.
As Starsky got toward the door, he shouted. 'OK McKay. I'm here. What d'ya want?'
A disembodied voice from the room shouted back.
'Starsky! I want you in here and unarmed, NOW. No tricks and no guns otherwise your partner here's gonna have a whole new type of brain surgery, if you get my drift'.
Starsky drew his gun and held it in his open palm, his hand stretched out in front of him. Cautiously he walked to the doorway, showing McKay the gun and carefully bent down and put it on the floor, standing and putting his hands out to either side, showing he was unarmed.
'Kick it back' McKay ordered and Starsky used the heel of his shoe to kick the weapon behind him. He took in the scene before him.
McKay was at Hutch's bedside, a gun grinding into the blonde's temple. Hutch's eyes were open and he'd been looking up at his captor, but as the brunette walked into the doorway, he turned to lock eyes with his partner.
Ignoring the lunatic holding the gun, his first concern was the blond. 'You OK partner?' Starsky asked quietly, seeing that McKay also had his other hand hovering inches above the newly bandaged wound on the bed bound cops side.
'Well he ain't no French…ungh!' The man at his side suddenly grinding his finger down onto the fresh wound cut off Hutch's retort. His body shook violently and perspiration beaded on his face as he bit back the scream. As the pressure lessened, the blond groaned, keeping his eyes closed for a moment as he got his pain under control. Slowly he fixed his ice blue eyes back on his partner's stormy indigo ones.
Starsky lifted his hand, pointing his finger at McKay.
'You lay one more finger on my partner, and so help me McKay, I'll rip you limb from limb' he yelled.
McKay stared back at him. 'I have no real use for this piece of cop shit. I need a ticket out of here, and you're it. I just relied on your sickening bond with this' he ground down on Hutch's belly again 'to get you here.
The blond writhed on the bed, trying to remain silent for his partner, but the pain had intensified to such a level that the scream was ripped from his throat.
Starsky was frantic inside, but outwardly he tried to display a calm he didn't feel. 'Ok, you've made your point. Leave him be. You've got me. What d'ya want now?' he ground out, trying hard not to see the shuddering body of his partner on the bed. In the corner, Shepherd cowered like a frightened and beaten dog, blood drying on the corner of his mouth and bruises blossoming around his right eye.
McKay looked up from the damage he was inflicting on the sweating form on the bed, grinning.
'I knew that'd get your attention. I want passage out of here. A chopper to LAX, $5 million to set me up and a pre-arranged flight out of the US. And I want them now' his hand hovered over Hutch's side again and for a sickening moment Starsky saw his partner try to prepare himself for the next crushing pain.
'Ok, ok, just…just leave him alone ok? Let me get the message out about your demands. Just let him be'. The brunette knew he was pleading now, but he'd much rather have been taking the punishment than seeing his partner in so much pain. He lifted smoky eyes to McKay, trying to appeal to any humanity the gunman might have left.
'McKay stared back from eyes that held nothing but contempt and cold. 'I'm sure the two guards outside the door heard everything. One of them can go. I want everything ready in an hour or he gets more of the same' he threatened, his hand twitching.
Starsky glanced behind him and saw one of the marksmen leave his position and run back down the corridor.
'Its done. An hour' the brunette said as calmly as he could. 'Now, let me get to my partner'.
McKay shook his head. 'You stay exactly where you are'.
The anger rose again and the curly haired cop saw red. He walked slowly and steadily forward eyes never leaving the kidnapper, his hands still in the air. 'You've got Hutch. You've got me an' there's nothin' we can do for an hour. I'm gonna sit by my partner, an' there ain't you nor anyone else gonna stop me. Got that?' he said in a deadly tone as he reached the blonde's bedside.