My friends, i am publishing the final two chapters today because, volcanos permitting, I go on my holidays tomorrow. So whilst I am sitting by my Aunt's pool in sunny Florida, sipping marhgaritas and watching pelicans, i will be thinking of you. Thank you all for reading and taking the time to review.

Hugs, KW

Chapter 19

'Sir? Is he ok?' What the hell?' the nurse came back into the small ER to see the blip on the cardiac monitor leaping wildly over the screen. As she rushed forwards, an alarm sounded and all hell broke loose.

Boone stepped back from the body, hoping against hope that he'd done enough. Whatever he'd thought about Starsky, whatever he'd heard, the guy had the constitution of an ox and simply refused to die easy. It had shaken the young cop to the core when he'd seen the anger in those indigo eyes so up close and personal. Death had always been a long distance affair up until now and despite his hopes of killing Starsky quickly, the reality of watching the death struggles of a fellow human being up close made Boone feel dirty and tainted.

The nurse turned back to him. 'What were you doing? What happened?'

'He just….he…..he wanted to tell me something and he couldn't speak loud so I was bent over him trying to make out what he was saying when he just…..just….oh my god is he dead?' Boone's performance would have won him an Oscar as he staggered back from the body on the gurney. Three or four other doctors had rushed into the room and were now busy working over Starsky as the alarm from the cardio monitor continued to shriek out into the otherwise controlled hum of noise in the room. The door burst open and Hutch stood just inside the room a look of horror on his face.

'Starsk' he whispered looking at the controlled frenzy around the gurney. He started to walk towards the table but the nurse held him back. 'Who are you?' she asked.

'Me….I'm his …. His p partner. Hutch….Detective Hu..Hutchinson' the blond man managed to force out.

The nurse looked confused. 'I thought….' She turned back to Boone. 'I thought you were Hutch?'

'I'm a friend too' Boone said defensively. His heart hammered in his chest and he kept casting a look over to the gurney and the doctors. Still the mantra continued in his head –Die, damn you, die- and still the doctors worked over Starsky. 'Will he make it?' Boone asked again just as the alarm cut off and was replaced by a loud, but steady beep from the monitor.

The nurse nodded. 'It looks like it' she said. 'It's really a little early to say, but they've got it under control. You should both wait outside.'

Boone grabbed her arm. 'No, I mean truly. Is he gonna be ok? I mean, will he be…. normal again? Like…..oxygen deprivation can cause all sorts of damage can't it?'

'Well, the doctors got to him in time. I don't think he was starved of oxygen for any length of time and like you say, that's usually what causes um…..abnormalities. It isn't for me to say, you should really speak to the doctors, but I think he's got a good chance of pulling through.'

It wasn't the news Boone wanted and the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach was suddenly back like a lead weight. He felt physically sick and a cold sweat broke out, sending trickles down his spine. A lifetime in jail. A lifetime of dodging Bay City's flakes who he and Patterdale had helped put there. He'd heard a story of another cop gone bad who'd been found dead in his cell with almost a pint of semen in his stomach and realised that he would be the weakest of the weak inside the penitentiary. It couldn't happen. It mustn't happen. It was hell on earth and right now he was running down perditions road, heading for purgatory central. Boone ran a hand over his forehead and swayed. 'I'm gonna have to go and sit down' he said weakly. 'Are you gonna be ok Hutch? Is there anything I can get ya?'

Hutch pulled his gaze from the table and back to the young cop. 'Huh? Oh um….yeah, yeah I'm fine. Thanks kid, thanks for….well, thanks. I'll come and find ya when he's settled and stable.'

The kindly words took on another meaning for Boone. "I'll come and find ya" translated in his overheated imagination to "I'm gonna hunt you down and kill you for what you've done to Starsky" and the younger man nodded. 'Sure thing' he mumbled as he hastily backed out of the ER on rubbery legs.

Hutch didn't even see him go. His eyes were all on the doctors working quietly over his partner. He was numb and in his head he heard the words "this can't be happening" and yet Hutch continued to watch with a stark feeling of deja vue. There was no ping pong ball this time, no race back to the hospital praying that he wouldn't be too late but there was the same sickening feeling of helplessness and the same thought that if anything happened to Starsky, then Hutch didn't want to remain in the world alone. Seconds expanded to minutes and then to hours as the world shrank to a pinpoint of light over the gurney. Reality was suspended as Hutch watched, powerless to help. Finally one of the medics broke away from the table and came over to the blond.

'Is he going to be ok?' Hutch asked.

'We're going to take him into the OR now. We'll fix his jaw and his ribs and check for any skull fractures but yes, I think he'll be just fine. His heart is strong and that's the main thing.'

'If it's so strong then why did he crash?' Hutch asked bitterly. Over the months he'd come to distrust what most medics told him.

'It wasn't his heart that gave out as much as he seemed to have been starved of oxygen, almost like he was suffocating. We can't find any physical reason for it, but we'll check that in the OR too.'

'Can I see him before he goes?' Hutch asked. A small warning bell was sounding in his head but of paramount importance was seeing Starsky again. The doctor nodded and Hutch walked over to the gurney.

Starsky's eyes were closed and a tube had replaced the oxygen mask, sending vital air directly into his lungs. Whatever had happened the brunet was out for the count and yet he looked peaceful. Hutch's hand wavered over his partner and finally settled on Starsky's hand. He took it and squeezed it gently and leaned over close to Starsky's ear. 'Don't you die on me, ya big lug. Do ya hear me? I'll be waiting in your room when you get back. Play nice with the doctors, huh? You're gonna make it.'

Hutch felt a twitch against the palm of his hand and knew that Starsky had heard him. Reluctantly he let go as the gurney was wheeled away and the nurse took him by the shoulders and guided him to a small room off the ER. She handed him a cup of coffee and left him alone with his thoughts.

Outside in the corridor, Boone was rushing blindly towards the door. He needed air because he felt as though his lungs were going to burst and his eyes pop. Starsky was still going to live and in his heart of hearts he knew he had very little chance of making another attempt on the brunet's life. As he made the main hallway and had the front door in sight, he was stopped by a large black body bearing down on him. Dobey had heard that Starsky was once more in the hospital and that Patterdale was dead and he'd headed straight down to Memorial. He saw Boone and stopped the young cop.

'Where you there? What happened? Is Starsky going to be ok?' he asked quickly.

Boone swallowed hard but knew he had to continue the lies. 'It was Clay. Clay was the mole. When I got there he had Starsky and was…. He's bad Captain. He's in the OR right now.'

Dobey wiped his white hanky over his face and sighed angrily. 'One man dead and another under the knife. Shit, what a day. I've had the IA climbing all over this one already. They need to see you like yesterday. You're the one who can give them the information straight because right now, for some reason, they just won't believe that Patterdale had gone bad. I want you back down at the Metro soon as Boone. Tell 'em what happened, coz they sure as hell need answers.'

Boone nodded and felt himself sway. This wasn't happening, it couldn't be happening. The IA? Shit, if anyone could get to the truth it would be Simmonetti and his pals. They were like blood hounds for god's sake! And it confirmed what Boone's suspicions had been for a while. Patterdale had already been to the IA about his, Boone's, activities. He knew his partner had been onto him for a while but he'd said nothing, trusting that his boss, Kim, would sort things out.

'I'll be right there' Boone said weakly. I'll um….I'm on my way. Anything to help.'

Dobey put his arm out and rested it on Boone's. 'You're a good Kid. You may have saved Starsky's life and for that we're all thankful. Now go, and make sure you give it to 'em straight.'

Boone headed for the door, rushed around the corner, found a quiet place and fell to his knees, upchucking until he could achieve nothing more than dry heaves. Weakly he wiped the back of his hand over his mouth, got to his feet and made his decision. Bay City had been good to him but now he was between a rock and a hard place. He could remain in his comfort bubble and hope he could convince the IA that he was the innocent party, or he could take the leap out into the big wide world and rely on Kim to give him a new identity in a new State. Realising that he had a snowballs chance in hell of convincing the IA, Kim flagged down a cab and sat down tiredly in the back as the car took him back to the Royal Phoenix.

+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+

Hutch eased himself off the chair and stretched his arms high above his head. He arched his back and walked over to the window to watch the new dawn turning the sky a milky blue. The staff had been kind enough to bring a comfortable easy chair into Starsky's room for him. It wasn't as comfortable as a bed, but the blond cop had slept a little after his partner had been brought back from the OR. The surgeons had worked over Starsky for four hours. They'd dealt with his dislocated jaw and his broken ribs. The knife had punctured his left lung that had been a little problematic in that they had had to re-inflate it not twice but three times. Even now, Starsky had the drainage tube poking out from between the bandages surrounding his chest, attaching him to a vacuum bottle, just in case the same thing happened again. Skull xrays had showed no fracture although the brunet was concussed and although his face was still incredibly bruised, already some of the swelling was going down and there would be no permanent detriment to either Starsky's sight or hearing. The brunet had slept for a full eleven hours after coming back from the OR and Hutch had been with him the whole time.

There was a movement on the bed and the steady bleeping of the monitor sped up. Hutch turned away from the window just in time to see a crescent of indigo blue beneath heavy eyelids. He walked back to the bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress.

Starsky's eyes fluttered open, closed and then opened again. They focussed on Hutch who was about to say something he knew was incredibly soapy. Starsky got there first. 'M'hungry' he rasped through his bone dry throat.

'Well good morning to you too' Hutch grinned. There was never a great deal that would keep his partner from food for very long. He held a straw to Starsky's lips and was rewarded with a grimace.

'Water? Is that all I get?'

'Hey you know the score buddy. Water first and then, if you're a real good boy, you'll get jell-o for lunch.'

Starsky shifted in bed and grimaced as the drain pulled at his side. He didn't bother asking what he'd done to himself. Experience told him he'd know soon enough. 'What time is it?'

'Day time. It's about 7.30' Hutch replied.

'Jeez, I don't even get a lie in.' Starsky paused, thinking. He hurt enough to know that he hadn't just taken a brief nap. 'What day is it?'

Hutch snorted. 'It's tomorrow. They brought you in yesterday afternoon. How're ya feelin'?'

'Not bad, considering.' Starsky closed his eyes. He felt warm and relaxed but knew that was the drugs. When they wore off….. he'd deal with that later. A thousand questions ran through Starsky's head. He needed to know what had happened to Boone, to Patterdale's body, to Jade and to Kim and yet his jaw ached fiercely and talking was tough. But some questions needed to be asked and sooner rather than later.

'Hutch, I….' Starsky was interrupted by a nurse knocking on the door to his room. Hutch turned as she smiled at him.

'Detective Hutchinson? There's an urgent phone call for you. From a Captain Dobey?'

Hutch got up stiffly. 'I'll be right back' he said quietly. 'Don't go anywhere, huh?' The blond followed the nurse down to the nurses station and took the phone. 'Hutchinson.'

Dobey's voice sounded down the phone. 'How's Starsky?'

'Hungry. What's new?'

There was a snort down the phone. 'That's great news.'

'Did you phone just to ask about Starsk?' Hutch asked, catching some quality to Dobey's voice that told him no.

There was a brief sigh. 'No. I need you down at the Royal Phoenix as of yesterday. Take whoever you want with you, but bring me Kim's head on a platter.'

'What's happened? What's gone down? Let me phone Boone, I'm sure he'll want another shot at Kim, especially after what Kim and Patterdale have been up to.'

'Not Boone, Hutchinson. We're too late for that. That's why I want you down there now. Joe Boone's body was found in the dock an hour ago. His throat had been ripped out.'

Chapter 20

Hutch put down the phone and turned to the nurse. 'Tell him I'll be back soon. I have business to take care of' he muttered, trying to control his anger. The nurse nodded and the blond cop headed for the door. Kim had struck again and now another young cop had met an untimely end. When would it end? Hutch broke into a run as he made his way outside. The parking lot was quiet at that time of morning and Hutch got into his car and found the keys above the sun visor where Boone had left them. He started the car and turned in the direction of down town and the Royal Phoenix and as he drove Hutch complied his list of questions for the family in general and Kim in particular – if he could contain his anger long enough to ask them. Maybe it would be better if Kim put up a fight and was "accidentally" fatally injured whilst resisting arrest. Ten minutes later, with his temper still at boiling point, he pulled up outside the restaurant and got out.

Hutch glanced at his watch. It was a little before nine and the restaurant was once more closed to the world, sleeping after a night of revelry. It didn't stop the cop from walking up to the front door and hammering on it thunderously. He paused, waiting and then knocked again. Of course, there was no answer and in desperation Hutch tried the door with his shoulder. It gave, surprisingly, and he pushed his way inside, gun at the ready as his eyes became accustomed to the semi darkness.

Inside, the set up was much the same as it had been on the previous visits. Tables stood dressed and ready for the next night, chairs were neatly placed and the glasses gleamed dully on the tables and yet there was an abandoned quality to the place –as though the building was sulking because no-one was paying it any attention.

Hutch hugged the shadows as he looked around. The place was quiet as the grave with not a sign of life anywhere. Cautiously he made his way to the back of the restaurant and pushed open the door to the kitchens. Again, he found the room deserted, the gleaming stainless steel ranges idle and waiting, the only noise being the steady hum of the refrigerators.

The cop backed out of the kitchen and was about to open the door to the living quarters when he heard a noise. Quickly Hutch backed back into the kitchen and peered through the small round porthole window, his gun at the ready. Through the dimness of the restaurant he saw the living room door open and a small boy look about him before running for the door. The boy was followed by, of all people, Rats McGuiness, one of his and Starsky's best snitches.

Hutch opened the door quietly, aimed the gun and hissed "freeze" across the room. Rats froze instantly and his hands reached skywards.

'Don't shoot' the little man said quietly. 'I aint got no gun.'

Hutch approached him carefully, his gun still aimed and with one hand patted Rats down. Happy that the snitch had been telling the truth Hutch stood back. 'Nice to see you Rats, but it's a little early for a Chinese isn't it?'

The little man turned and chuckled hesitantly. 'It was open and I just…. Well you know how it is Mr Hutch. I was just being neighbourly and making sure the place wasn't burgled. Honest.'

Hutch grinned. 'You've never said an honest thing in your life Rats. Why start now? This isn't your kinda place. What's with the snoopin'?'

Rats pulled himself up straighter. 'I'm hurt that you don't believe me Mr Hutch. I'm a good citizen I am!'

'With a record longer than my arm, yeah, but that don't answer my question. The guy that lives here's a martial arts champion. Don't that scare ya some?'

'Lived here. The man that lived here' Rats corrected.

'Huh? What do you mean?'

The little snitch sighed as though he was having to explain a simple problem to a first grader. 'They moved out. All of 'em. I watched 'em do it. Lock, stock and Chinese barrel. They loaded cases and stuff into a car in the early hours and drove off.

'You sure?'

The smaller man raised his eyebrows. 'D'ya really think I'd be in here if there was a chance they'd come back?'

Hutch sank down onto one of the chairs, reality hitting him in the face like a cold shower of water. Shit. Kim had done what he'd told the young Chinese to do. He'd gone in exchange for telling Hutch where his partner was and now Hutch was left with nothing and another young cop was dead. And it was Hutch's fault. Hutch's fault for needed his partner back more than doing the job correctly. Hutch's fault for putting his partner first and the flakes second. The blond felt a pounding in his temples and a sick feeling deep in the pit of his stomach. His protective feelings for his partner had got in the way of the job. It was one thing to watch Starsky's back but Hutch had become more than a cop partner. He'd become nurse, confident, shrink, doctor, friend, brother and full time carer. None of the list included cop partner and it was a painful realisation to Hutch that his feelings for Starsky and the close connection that he and the brunet shared had got in the way of catching Kim.

Angrily the blond cop got up and reached for the phone. He dialled the Metro's number and asked Minnie Caplan to patch him through to LAX in the hope that the cops there might detain Kim and his family for him. The news, when it came, was not good. Air China flight CH102 to Beijing had taken off ten minutes earlier, and yes the passenger manifest showed 4 passengers by the name of Mu Yong, Kim's real family name. Obviously Kim had tracked his sister down and had taken her with him. There was no-one left to catch, interrogate and punish for Boone's death, the corruption of Clay Patterdale and Starsky's kidnap and injuries. With a curse, Hutch replaced the telephone and walked blindly out into the morning sunshine leaving Rats McGuiness to wonder what the hell was happening.

Hutch got into the car and headed back to the hospital, his heart heavy and his head stuffed with recriminations. When he ran a red light and heard the angry honking of horns behind him, the blond man realised he had to pull himself together for at least as long as it took to get back to Starsky's bedside. After that, who knows what would happen?

Parking up again in Memorial's parking lot Hutch sat quietly staring out of the grimy windshield and the comings and goings of the hospital. Everyone was getting on with their lives, oblivious to the fact that Hutch's head was in turmoil. No-one knew how he was feeling and probably, if he told them, no-one would care. He'd fucked up the job and there was no other way to think about it. He'd been so keen, so eager to be back out on the streets with Starsky by his side that he'd let his feelings of euphoria cloud his judgement. His driver in the past twelve months had been to regain normality and that normality for him and the brunet was working the central city, together. It had never really crossed Hutch's mind to question whether Starsky would become fit enough to do that – the curly haired man was strong and would recover, no questions asked. And Hutch had never really sat down and thought about how he would feel once he'd regained this illusion of "normality". In his head, things would be exactly as they had been before Gunther and yet reality didn't measure up. The blond admitted that he was more exhausted after this six weeks than he had been the entire time of looking after his partner's recovery whilst holding down his day job. The strain of making sure Starsky was ok; not overdoing things; taking his meds; doing his exercises. It all added up to more worry and more stress and Hutch questioned himself for the first time in his life. What was more important? The job, or his partner?

There was only one answer, but for Hutch he couldn't quite bear to admit it to himself. He needed time to think and time to talk it over with Starsky. Whether the brunet would like the conversation was a different thing entirely.

Wearily Hutch hauled himself out of the car and plodded across the parking lot and into the big building. He waited by the elevator, jabbing his finger at the button repeatedly and when the car finally arrived and the doors opened, Dobey got out.

'Well? Did you get 'em?' the big black man asked.

'No.'

Dobey geared himself up for the inevitable yelling. 'Why? What happened? What the fuck messed up this time?' his voice rose by a couple of decibels.

'Not now Cap'n.' Hutch said quietly.

'Yes now. I need answers Hutchinson. I have the IA climbing all over this one and…'

Hutch rounded on his Captain, his face white with anger. 'I said not now' he ground out.

'Don't gimme that attitude. I'm not one of your snitches. I need answers and I need 'em now.'

'So do I Cap. Just gimme some time huh?'

'We don't have time. I want you to get out there and…'

'Kim's gone. His family has gone. Back to China' Hutch said bitterly.

'What the….? How? Why? Hutchinson you got some explaining to….'

For the first time in his police life Hutch's anger spilled over and he grabbed Dobey by the collar and pushed the big man back against the wall, his arm across Dobey's neck. 'Shudup. Just shudup and leave it. I said not now, ok?' Hutch's ice blue eyes shone with anger and met troubled brown ones. Had it been one of the other men and not Hutch, Dobey would have been blazing mad and would have arrested his man there and then. But this was Hutch and the blond cop had been through so much, and, Dobey admitted to himself, he and Starsky were special. He let the assault go, but pushed Hutch away roughly.

'You'd better have a damned good explanation' he gruffed.

Hutch pushed his way into the elevator car. 'Later' he forced out as the car door closed. He stood with his back against the wall, staring at his reflection in the stainless steel. Years added to the character in his face. The hair was still short and baby soft although his moustache had long gone, as had the spare inches around his middle. Hutch was as svelte as he had been at 19 although in his head, he felt 99. He sighed as the doors whooshed open and he got out, heading for Starsky's room. As Hutch passed the nurses station one of the women peeled off from a small group.

'Detective Hutchinson? Wait up. I just wanted to explain.'

Hutch turned. 'Explain what? Is Starsky ok?'

The nurse smiled. 'He's fine, or he would be if he'd stay put. When we told him you'd gone he waited until he was alone, disconnected his drips and we found him trying to make his way down the hallway. We tried to stop him but he kept saying he had something you needed to know. Unfortunately he wasn't up to escape plans and he collapsed as we were trying to get him back to bed. The doctor gave him something to make him sleep for a while.'

'Is he fit enough for me to see him?'

'I think he'll rest better once he has seen you. Go right ahead.'

The blond cop walked down the hallway and stopped outside the door to Starsky's room, his heart heavy about the conversation he knew he had to have. Squaring his shoulders, he pushed the door open and walked in.

Starsky was once more in bed, but this time propped up on pillows and the drain had disappeared from his side. He looked pale, but better than previously. Hutch drew a chair up to the bed and sat down.

The small noise alerted the brunet to the fact that someone was n his room and he forced his heavy eyelids open. 'You're back' he mumbled.

Hutch snickered. 'You should've been a detective.'

Starsky pushed himself further up in bed and rubbed gingerly at his bruised face. 'I needed to tell you sumthin…..before you left.'

'I believe you tried the great escape.'

'It's about Boone. He…'

Hutch interrupted. 'Boone's dead.'

'You shot him? Did he try for you too?' Starsky asked.

'Shot him? No! Why would I do that? He saved your life buddy. He was the one who told me who the mole was.'

Starsky shook his head slowly. 'Whatever that slimy bastard told ya, it aint the truth. Who do ya think did this to me?'

'He told me Patterdale did' Hutch said softly, feeling ten shades of a fool.

'And you believed him? He watched as Kim battered Clay to death. Boone was the mole, not Pat. I needed you to now before you went chargin' off. I needed you to…. o be safe.'

Hutch nodded. 'That's our problem isn't it?'

'Problem? How?'

'That's what allowed Kim to get away…..and Jade and the rest of 'em.'

Starsky shifted in the bed. 'They got away? How? What aren't ya tellin' me? How did you find me anyhow?'

The blond looked down at his hands and sighed softly. 'I cut him a deal.'

'A…. Oh shit buddy. Oh tell me you're….. what did ya do Hutch? What did you tell him? Please don't say….'

Hutch looked up, his eyes blazing. 'What the fuck was I supposed to do Starsk, huh? I've spent the past 12 months worrying about you – how you eat, how ya drink, whether you've got your pain under control. The day you got shot in the garage, a piece of me died too and I …. I c couldn't b bear….I couldn't…. What would you have done huh? Would you have let your b best f friend die coz of some lousy job?'

'You let him go coz of me?' Starsky asked quietly.

'And I'd do I again in a heartbeat. I c can't live this way any more Starsk. I c can't go home at night and worry about whether we're gonna get through the next 24 hours without one of us catchin' a bullet. I c can't…..I won't do it…'

Starsky reached out a hand. It hovered over Hutch's and then grasped the blond's hand in his own. 'I'd feel the same way Blintz and truth to tell, I've spent the past few days wonderin' if I'm up to this sit any more too. I could've killed ya with that bullet. I slow ya down –and don't deny it.'

Hutch looked up. 'Don't be crazy. You're as fast as you ever were.'

'Maybe, but for how long? When Boone had me in that chair, I tell ya, there was a while where I just wanted to give up. It would have been easier than goin' through all the hurt again, and I know this is gonna sound soapy, but it was you that got me through. The thought of you bein' alone. So yeah, I know how you feel, coz I feel like that too.'

The blond raised his eyebrows. 'So you're sayin' we quit?'

'I'm sayin' we think long and hard about the future – our future.'

'Shit. I already punched Dobey today. What'd he do if we handed in our notice.'

'You punching Dobey?'

Hutch snickered. 'It was only a little punch. But you're sayin' we quit?'

Starsky snorted. 'I said we think about it mushbrain. We take our time and we evaluate what's important. We prioritise and we decide from there.'

'There's a hell of a lot of long words there Starsk.'

The brunet smiled. 'The nightstand had a back copy of Readers Digest.'

'So we wait, and we make a decision later?' Hutch asked.

Starsky nodded. 'We're both jaded. We need time and maybe a vacation and then we decide. Deal?'

Hutch nodded slowly. 'Deal, but is bank robbing in Bolivia still lucrative?'

'Who knows. Right now I'm not thinking past the next cup of coffee, so long as I can get my mouth open enough to drink.'

'I knew this cloud would have a silver lining.'

It was Starsky's turn to cock his head on one side. 'Silver lining?'

'Uh huh. Sore jaw equals silence for a while. I'm gonna enjoy it while I can' Hutch smiled.

'Hm. I thought you said I was your best friend…..brother…..partner?'

'Yup. Silent partner. Shudup partner and go to sleep. We have big decisions to make. When you wake'

A gentle snore answered him and Hutch looked fondly at the sleeping man. 'Love ya man' he whispered under his breath 'Whatever we end up doin, I love ya.'