Author's Note:

Allegory: A story meant to convey a deeper meaning in which objects, animals and actions in a narrative, are equated with the meanings that lie outside the narrative itself. Characters are often personifications of abstract ideas such as moods, feelings and ultimate lessons learned.

"Each allegory has a lesson:... our dreams come in the shape of demons, (animals) ...with deep hearts of truth that tell us solemn secrets of ourselves." Henry Timrod (paraphrased)

AND NOW, THE EPILOGUE TO

THE EDGE OF DARKNESS

Huggy recovered quicker from his ordeal and was back full time tending to his business at the bar. Surprisingly none of his employees involved in the trouble that day, had quit. They all loved their boss and enjoyed their jobs. The men and women had grown close and often talked about their experience. It seemed to help with their emotional healing.

Now Huggy sauntered into the hospital room wearing an orange cap, a lime green shirt, black jeans and over all of that, a beige jacket. He held open his jacket to reveal a larg bag. The smells coming from the sack taunted the man in the bed and he quickly made room for what he hoped to be a substitute for the inadequate lunch he'd forced himself to eat a few hours ago.

Captain Dobey strode in behind Huggy. He removed his hat and threw it on the empty bed. He watched Hutch for any signs of the stress and guilt the blond had poured out to him. The two detectives were incredible. They both felt so keenly responsible for the other that it hurt them deeply when the other was injured. It didn't matter if the injury was physical or emotional, they were there to pick up the pieces and make sure that those involved in the care did everything in their power and skill to improve and sustain the quality of life for the other.

Now joining in the feast, the men sat, easily talking and sharing the outside world with Starsky.

"Hey Captain, I wanted to thank you and the city for picking up my hospital bill! That was a grand gesture." Huggy set his burger down on his lap and reached for his drink on the bedside table. Dobey had fought hard to have the skinny bar owner acknowledged for the pain and suffering he'd experienced at the hands of the jail system's inmate.

Now the larger man squirmed. His generous suggestion caught up to him and he had to fight down the urge to bite back with a sarcastic comment. He had always tried to depersonalize his association with the man on his own edge of darkeness. Huggy had one foot over the line of the law and one foot in the police precinct and the Captain had to remind himself constantly that the thin black man was ultimately only a snitch. But Dobey had come to appreciate the special place Huggy had in his two favorite detective's lives. Over the years, Huggy had done many things to help his department and specifically in response to the need for help from Starsky and Hutch. Many times it was the other black man who provided solace and his own brand of help when there was no hope or other choice.

Reluctently, the Captain swallowed and waved away the gratitude.

"Hey, Hug, what happened to that dog you were feedin? Does it still come around?" Starsky tried to shift to a more comfortable position as he attacked the Huggy Special. The food in the hospital was the typical bland, tasteless fair but Huggy managed at least once a week to smuggle in a treat for the curly haired man.

"I'll have you know gentlemen, that this gruff police captain also arranged for Special to be taken care of in my absence!" Huggy's flare for the dramatic was in full swing today and Hutch just rolled his eyes as he took another bite of the salad that Huggy brought specifically for him. Hutch waited to hear this latest event.

"While I was laid up at the city's expense," Huggy again cocked his head toward the Captain to make his point. In response to that, Dobey made a grumbling noise while he continued to eat his fries.

Huggy made a face but continued with his story. "Your compatriots went twice a day with food and took care of my dog. Poor Special wouldn't let anybody touch him and everyone tried to take him home but that dog wouldn't leave The Pits! But now, the damn animal is hooked on donuts! If he doesn't get at least one jelly donut a day, he starts howling until I indulge him."

The room erupted in laughter at the thought of the dog addicted to jelly donuts. From not having enough to eat to being spoiled with all sorts of tasty morsels, the dog prospered with the unusal attention. But Huggy couldn't deny his new friend anything and was glad that the dog stayed.

"So now that you're back to work, has the dog allowed you to take him inside?" Starsky was fascinated with the dog story. In fact, it's the last clear memory he had of that day at The Pits. He remembered heading out to the alley to check on Huggy and the dog but after that, the next thing he recalled was waking up to pain and a pair of clear blue eyes providing warmth and encouragement.

"Oh yeah, my brother! That dog and I are like that!" Huggy held up his hand and crossed two fingers together in a sign of unity.

"Oh, there is one other thing I wanted to discuss with you Captain Dobey." Huggy's voice suddenly took on a serious and formal tone. Everyone looked over at him, expecting to see a glint of laughter in his eyes. But Huggy was all business in the way he sat straight in his chair and set of his jaw.

Dobey finished the bite of burger in his mouth, wiped the napkin across his face and in an equal pose of pious attention, waited for Huggy to continue.

The business owner reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He slowly unfolded it and then cleared his throat.

"Sir, I have in my hand a request for help. You will recall the amount of time and money I lost because of the police order to keep my establishment closed while your people crawled around looking for evidence and taking pictures of the mess left by one crazy dude. I had to call in experts to remove the blood and repair the damage to my floors. Then I had to endure endless visits from the department of health and the police board before my business was found to be clean and the countless codes brought up to standard." Huggy stopped and looked to his friends for support. Starsky and Hutch thought they knew what was coming and eagerly anticipated the reaction from their Captain.

Hutch leaned forward to rub his shoulder. The pain was bearable but nothing would keep him from missing this.

"So Captain, I present you with my request for compensation. I have itemized each request and find it only a fair breakdown of what your department owes me. After all, I put myself out in order to help not only Starsky and Hutch, but Bay City as well." With that, Huggy stood up, presented the paper to Dobey and walked over to the wall and leaned up against it. He pushed his hat down over his eyes and crossed his arms, waiting for the positive response.

"Ummm Huggy, did you think about this before you actually came here?" Starsky smiled a lop sided grin. This was gonna be fun and anything he could do to prolong his Captain's answer would only add to the excitement.

Instead of saying anything, Dobey stood up, glaring at Huggy. He scanned the paper quietly. He made several noises in his throat and scratched at his face as he continued reading. Once or twice he looked over at the man against the wall. Finally he handed the paper to Hutch and walked out of the room without a word. As the door shut behind him, they heard a loud peel of laughter which echoed down the hall. The two friends looked at each other and Hutch got up to sit beside Starsky on the bed. They both read over the list and just like Dobey, they broke out in laughter at the bar owner's expense. They eventually wiped their eyes and Hutch was finally able to speak.

"You actually believe... that Dobey will take... this seriously?" Hutch's words were interrupted with the effort to remain serious as he spoke to his friend.

"Well, it was my dog that saved my life and my dog that all the cops fell in love with and are the reason that the animal is so fat!"

Huggy stabbed the air with his finger at each point he made. His face was serious but his eyes were slits of defiance as he took in everyone's laughter at his suggestion.

"What's so wrong in requesting that Bay City Police Department provide dog food, medical care and obedience training for life for my dog Special? I mean, I could have demanded $100,000 for the money I lost while my business was closed. Or I could have demanded that they pay my employees the wages they missed which, I will personally reimburse them for. This way, they're getting off a lot cheaper and my dog will be fat and happy for the rest of his days! I mean, what's more important than looking out for your friends, human or animal?"

At that moment, Starsky and Hutch moved a little further away from the edge of their own personal darkness. The man standing against the wall once again provided warmth, humor and friendship to help both detectives deal with another dark and difficult time.

Often it takes our friends to pull us back from that edge of uncertainty and fear. One special person in their own special way has the power to provide the promise of support and guide us toward the brighter path.