Chapter 4
'And then he told me that she'd hurt him before. Gods, Captain. We come across domestic violence every day and we always say the same thing. They should get out of the relationship, and stay out of it. I never thought Starsky could be a victim. He's so big and strong'.
The blond was sat in Dobey's office, the door closed to everyone else. He'd come back from a couple of hours with his partner, getting him pain meds and making him tea, and now he needed to talk this over with someone. He was so used to the brunette being strong and independent. Starsky wasn't afraid of his emotions, but he didn't usually let them get in the way of his sensibilities. At his apartment eventually, the brunette had drifted off into a restless sleep, the aches and pains finally abating slightly. But before that, Hutch had tried to reason with the smaller man.
'Just get her out of here, Starsk. There's nothing else for it. She's hurting you'. He tried to keep his voice reasonable, but there was an edge of anger to it. He didn't know whether the anger was directed at the woman for causing the injuries to his best friend, or at Starsky because he wouldn't see sense.
'I got her mad, Hutch' he'd tried to explain. 'It was my fault. I was late an' she'd been cookin' and I ignored her. Sure, she went a bit over the top, but I was to blame. We love each other'.
The blond had snorted. 'Weird kind of love Pal! A bit over the top? Look at you. I've seen you in better shape than this after you've been worked over by our wonderful clientele. Just listen to yourself. You're talking like all those sad women we see day after day. Victims of abusive husbands, but they won't leave – "he only does it coz he loves me, officer!". This is no different'.
'It is different. Its all the difference in the world' the brunette had shouted. 'She loves me an' I love her. If you're gonna dis. her, then get out. I don't wanna hear it, OK? Ya know, I come home sometimes and she's what makes the day worthwhile. She's the first real girl I've had since Terry. I know I've had a few casual friends, but she wants me and she needs me. Yeah, I know she's got a temper, but I can work on that. She needs my help as much as I love her being here. When she's………done somethin' like this, she's always so sorry, an' my heart goes out to her. She's promised to get help. She won't do it again'.
'Oh you pig headed, mush brained, idiotic, romantic lug. Can't you see what's happening here? You might love each other, but are ya gonna survive to see how it all pans out, huh?' he let his arms land at his sides in defeat, wondering what to say or do next, and deciding whether to go or not. 'This is an offence, an assault on another human being. Put yourself in my shoes, Gordo. I should call this in now!'
'Don't "Gordo" me. An' if ya call it in, that'll be the end of us for ever, d'ya hear?' Starsky shouted. 'What's gonna happen if ya call it in, huh? I go down to the squad room, an' every guy in there is gonna be sayin "hey, that's Dave Starsky, he's the guy who lets women beat him up". Not gonna happen, Hutch, never. I can handle this'.
'You might be able to handle it Partner' Hutch said gently, 'but can I?' He got up and started walking towards the door, convinced he couldn't hear any more of this from the guy he loved.
But Hutch had stayed and they'd both calmed down, changing the subject for a while. Hutch had asked if the brunette wanted to get checked over at the hospital, but Starsky had refused, making light of his injuries, even though Hutch could still see the pain lines round his mouth and eyes. The blond wondered at how his friend had survived the previous days events whilst being so banged up, without ever letting on. No wonder he didn't want to be seen in the shower.
He'd stayed longer then he'd originally intended. Starsky hadn't wanted to get out if his bed, so Hutch had eventually brought in extra pillows and propped himself up on the bed next to the smaller man. The closeness they'd always shared seemed to permeate the once frosty atmosphere and the brunette relaxed a little. There it was – that voice thing again. He listened to the blond, not really taking in the words, just floating along on the comforting tones. For just a little while it was back to that old thing – Me and Thee.
Hutch got softly off the bed and let himself out of the apartment once he'd seen his partner's head nod back on the pillow, certain now that the brunette was getting some rest and headed back to headquarters.
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Dobey had his head in his hands. 'I know its hard, Hutch, but he's gotta make his own decisions. The only thing you can do is to be there for him. If you start telling him she's no good for him every time you two are together, then your partnership isn't going to last that long'.
'Captain, at the rate she's hurting him, there's not gonna be a Starsky to be there for. She'll kill him one day', Hutch countered, then quietened. 'Course I'll be there for him. I just don't want to be the one to identify him in the morgue when things get really ugly'.
'Oh come on Hutch' Dobey said. 'That's a bit dramatic, isn't it? It won't come to that. You'll see. They'll work all this out and live happily ever after'.
The blond had shrugged his shoulders, still to be convinced. 'Hope you're right, Cap, hope you're right'.
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Hutch drove over to the docks later that afternoon, acutely aware of the absence of his partner at his side. He met with Samuels and Blenkinsop at the pre-arranged location, noting that the black and whites were well hidden, the patrolmen on rooftops and hidden in doorways, rifles at the ready.
It was a desolate spot. A vast acreage of concrete with big warehouses either side of a roadway. The buildings brooded there, not allowing the sun to shine down onto the road because of their bulk. Hutch shivered slightly, feeling that something wasn't right. He snickered to himself. Of course it isn't right, my partner isn't here.
At the agreed time, two cars rolled onto the dock road and pulled up outside the warehouse labelled Gunther Transport. Eight men got out and hurried inside, nervously glancing over their shoulders as they went. Hutch nodded to Samuels and his partner and the three moved soundlessly towards the warehouse. Hutch could see the patrolmen moving carefully forward as he approached the doorway. As they got to the front of the big building, Samuels and Blenkinsop took up positions either side of the door, backs braced against the door jambs, guns pointing skyward. At a signal from the blond they shouted 'police freeze' as they whipped round, aiming into the building. Hutch ran forward, hoping the element of surprise was on his side and tried to duck to the left, his usual ploy when Starsky was with him, so that the brunette could cover his right hand side.
He'd forgotten for a moment that his partner wasn't there and as he dove for cover, he was surrounded by a hail of bullets. He remembered diving for cover, he remembered Samuels yelling for the patrolmen to cover him, and he remembered a stinging hot pain in his right thigh as his head made contact with the wooden crate of Kalashnikovs and the world blinked out.
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Hutch came to in the back of the ambulance with one mother of a headache. His head felt like it was full of cotton wool, and he looked around automatically for his partner. Starsky, of course, wasn't there, he remembered now. He looked over to the other stretcher at the other side of the vehicle and saw a patrolman's black uniform. Lifting his head slightly, he saw that the face was covered with an oxygen mask and the medic was working to stop some pretty heavy bleeding from the man's chest.
Realising he had a drip but no oxygen, Hutch surmised he wasn't badly hurt, and struggled to sit up, unnoticed by the other occupants of the ambulance. He tried to swing his legs over the side of the stretcher, but a pain lanced through his right leg and he suddenly remembered the bullet hitting. He laid back and tried to enjoy the rest of the ride, cursing the fact that the brunette wasn't with him.
The van drew up at Memorial and the back doors opened to reveal the big brown bulk of Dobey, looking worried. Hutch made a valiant attempt at a wave as his stretcher was disembarked the ambulance and wheeled into the ER, his Captain following. It felt strange to be there on his own. He was used to his partner being there with him, offering support, or a hand to hold, or telling the medical staff what they ought to do. It was far too quiet without him.
Transferred onto a bed he lay and waited for the doctor to appear, looking up at the ceiling and glancing at the drawers full of equipment at the side of the bay. Finally he was seen by one of the junior doctors and sent for an xray on his head and another on his thigh, to determine the whereabouts of the bullet.
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Three hours later Hutch was back in his bed, shaking off the last vestiges of his headache. He'd been told he had a slight concussion and had finally been given some pain relief. The bullet in his leg was quite close the surface and had been removed under a local anaesthetic, his leg now wrapped in a white gauze dressing. Crutches were propped at the side of the bed. Dobey had been by his bedside throughout the past couple of hours, and although no substitute for Starsky, he was at least company to while away the hours until he could go home.
They had continued to discuss the heist that afternoon, dissecting each move. The whole operation had gone down well, the eight men having been arrested and the arms shipment – some 1500 guns of various types plus about $500,000 worth of ammunition confiscated to be melted down into paper clips and suchlike. The only thing they hadn't got was the elusive Gunther. Hutch couldn't help thinking they hadn't heard the last of him, but they'd done all they could this day.
Dobey was happy at the outcome and sat at the blonde's bedside writing out the report as Hutch dictated it. Samuels and Blenkinsop, who were both uninjured popped in to see him for a moment and offered him a lift home, but Dobey already had that covered. Again, a departure from the norm, when his partner would usually fuss over him, getting him to bed and making up an uncomfortable bed on the settee, just in case he needed anything during the night. Irritating as hell whilst it was happening, he suddenly missed the brunette's ministrations.
Finally the doctor came by, shone her light in his eyes one more time, and pronounced him fit to leave. He eased himself back into his clothes, noting that he'd have to buy yet another pair of trousers as his now had a rather attractive hole in them, and with Dobey in tow, made his way back down to the exit, via the emergency room – the closest exit to the car park, his crutches clicking in time on the tile floor.
As they were making their way out there was a commotion and he heard one of the doctors shouting towards a nurse. 'Get a Foleys and keep the pressure on. If we don't stop this bleeding now, he's not going to make it any further'. The curtain swished back and Hutch caught sight of a tall, tanned muscular male body, dressed in blue jeans and blue tee shirt and covered in blood on an ER bed, curly mahogany brown hair resting against the white sheet, and a silver ring on its little finger.