Chapter 16

For two days the two men fought to regain their health. For Hutch that meant drinking teas brewed for him by Michelle and sleeping for much of the time. His body was heavy and sore, as though he'd been beaten by a club all over. The centre of his body was the worst and on the occasions he used the bathroom, he was disconcerted to see that he was heavily bruised and swollen between his legs. Just the memories of Kaleb's boot pressing down on him left the blond cop dizzy and sick to his stomach and he wondered if any permanent damage had been done. Hutch was no braggart, but he had a reputation in the shower room at the gym for being well endowed. Right now he was swollen to twice his normal size and even the pressure of walking set his teeth on edge. Added to that, his arm also hurt although it didn't bleed anymore and the blond man was curious about the row of knobbly projections beneath the fresh white linen bandage.

At first he distrusted Michelle, not because she was unkind, far from it, but Hutch had been brought up in the world of traditional medicine where there was a drug for each ailment and blood transfusions when a patient had lost as much gore as he had. He was wary of the woman's teas and of her disconcerting gaze and piercing green eyes. She had a direct way of looking at him which was at once comforting and also uncomfortable and yet, as the hours went on and he slept, rested and dreamed, he found his body getting stronger and his periods of sleep less to the extent that on the third day, he was able to sit up in his bed, propped up by pillows and take an interest in the world around him.

Starsky too had been quietly resting. At first he was awkward around Michelle, not knowing whether his memories of Papa Noir and the black woman Ebony had been dreams or the real deal. The sex had certainly felt real to him and if those memories were real, then he owed Michelle a debt of gratitude he would never be able to truly repay. If the memories were part of an elaborate dream, then he still felt more than uncomfortable at what his imagination had told him Michelle had done. Whichever way he looked at it Starsky was confused as hell, just a little scared and unsure how he should treat the woman. In self defence he remained quiet and withdrawn and spent much of his time lying on his cot or sitting by Hutch's bedside watching over his partner as the woman went about her daily tasks.

Michelle knew better than to push the brunet to talk about his and Hutch's ordeal. She knew enough of Papa Noir and the men who surrounded the witch doctor to know that they would not have treated two out of town cops well, and the bruises across Starsky's throat and Hutch's belly gave testament to the fact. She contented herself with looking after them, tending to their wounds and administering what herbal remedies she had to aid in their recovery.

It was not until the morning of the third day that a bloody nightmare shook Hutch from his sleep. Starsky was instantly at his side. The blond thrashed his head on the pillow, his hands fending off some unseen force as he snarled and whimpered.

'Hey buddy, it's ok, it's ok, you're ok now.' Starsky's soft voice penetrated the nightmare and set the demons fleeing so that Hutch's body relaxed. He groaned softly and his crystal blue eyes closed, opened and focused as a look of pain lanced across his face. 'Starsk. They were...I was there again, with 'em. They made us... made you and me...Oh gods...' Hutch closed his eyes and turned his face to the wall, unable to look his friend in the eye.

Starsky put his hand on the blond's shoulder and gently pulled him onto his back. 'You're fine. It was a nightmare. There's no-one else here. It's just me and thee, like always.'

'But I keep deamin' of the barn and...'

Starsky bowed his head, a tightness suddenly grabbing his chest and squeezing the breath from him. Neither man had spoken about the violations they had experienced at the hands of Clyde and Jed. In the scheme of things, what they'd been forced to do was small fry, but Starsky had known that sooner or later they would have to discuss what had happened, for their own sanity if for nothing else. He had just hoped that they could wait until maybe they had got back to Bay City because thinking about what had happened whilst they were still stranded in the swamplands made their experiences all too real. Maybe distance would somehow blur the memories and make them easier to talk about.

'I know, I know. It freaked me out too.'

'But that fuckin' madman had you. It was you he wanted. It was...they...how the hell're ya dealin' with this?' Hutch asked, closing his eyes again as though it would somehow bring him the answers he sought.

'I dunno. Maybe I'm not. Maybe this is all still part of the nightmare. All I do know is we survived and we can get the hell out of here soon as you're strong enough.'

'And what about you? Are you healin'? I mean, what he did to ya...what happened in the barn and out there in the swamp. That was for real buddy. He messed with ya. With your mind and your...'

Starsky looked away, not wanting Hutch to know just how much Papa Noir had screwed with him – figuratively and literally. The brunet didn't want to process what had gone on in that overheated dream. He wasn't ready to think about it. Hell, he may never be ready to think about Ebony/Papa's hands on his body, bringing him so much pleasure. Deep down Starsky wanted more. Not from the witch doctor himself, but from someone...anyone who could bring him with just one touch. He shuddered as though someone had walked over his grave and ignored the small distant voice in his head.

'I can deal with it' he said, a little too sharply. 'I need you to be strong and well. Michelle says maybe today you can try gettin' out of bed?'

'You mean I got parole?' Hutch joked. 'Let me out.' The blond smiled, but behind his eyes he was a troubled man. Starsky still had that haunted, hunted look in his eyes and whether it was from the brunet's ordeal or something else, Hutch didn't know, but determined to find out.

Michelle watched the two men from the corner of her eye. She saw how much they cared for each other and how each man seemed more concerned for the other than for themselves, but they would still need their strength if they were to make it through. Since the night of the battle with Ebony, Papa Noir had been quiet. It seemed a relief to Starsky that Michelle hadn't spoke of that time, but the woman knew that though the battle had been won, the war was far from over. If Papa was going to go to so much trouble over the brunet, he wouldn't give up so easily. Michelle was ready and waiting for the rematch and as she watched the conversation unfold between Hutch and Starsky, she got the first warning that once again Papa Noir was on the warpath. Starsky had said something to his friend and then had looked away. Michelle was attuned to body language and she had seen the faint shiver run down the curly haired man's spine. At the same time, she too had heard the distant voice calling to Starsky and beckoning him home once more.

Silently Michelle went to her store cupboard and started to gather together the things she would need to protect two patients and herself. As she started her preparations, the voice got louder and more insistent and when she came back into the living room, Starsky was sitting apart from the blond cop, his head once more in his hands. Hutch struggled out of his bed as Starsky gave a low groan and clutched at his temples, closing his eyes in pain as his body shook.

'No, get the fuck away. Leave me alone' the cop whispered. 'Leave me alone.'

Hutch looked up at Michelle and back at Starsky. Gently he took his buddy's wrists in his hands and tried to pull Starsky's hands from his head.

'Starsk? Talk to me buddy. What's goin' down huh?'

Starsky hung his head, shaking it slowly from side to side. Grimly he prised his hands from Hutch's grip and once more clutched at his temples, his breathing rapid and a sheen of sweat blooming across his face.

'He's coming back' Michelle said quietly.

'Who? Who's coming back?'

'Papa Noir. He's been quiet for a couple of days, but now he's intent on taking back his slave.'

Hutch got up angrily. 'Ok. Enough of this. There's no such thing as black magic. There's no such thing as possession and he certainly aint no-ones slave.' Once again Hutch dropped to his knees as Starsky leaned back against the bed and curled himself into a foetal position, drawing his knees up to his chest.

'Starsk, c'mon buddy. Here, let me' Hutch whispered, gently moving Starsky's hand from his head and rubbing small circles against the brunet's temple. Starsky opened his eyes. Anger blazed from them, with a hint of fear in the background.

'He's in my head. He's there, all the time an' I can't shake him. He's comin'. I can feel him gettin' louder, stronger an' I can't fight it.'

Hutch clutched harder at his friend's hands. 'Starsk look at me. We aren't part of this...this madness. We don't believe in this insanity. What happened back there was horrific but it was ...'

Michelle sat on the bed by the side of the two men. 'It was real, and in your heart of hearts you know it.'

'I refuse to believe that' Hucth snapped.

'Do you refuse to believe your dreams? Your nightmares? You can't tell me you havent' dreamed of him – of Papa Noir?'

Hutch paused. There was no way he could ignore the fact that his dreams had all been tormented nightmares centred around the witch doctor. 'I...they were just nightmares. The mind's way of dealin' with what happened.'

'And what did happen Hutch?' Michelle asked gently. 'How can you explain Starsky's behaviour? How can you make logic out of what happened? You can't because the dark side of Voodoo has no logic. Whether you believe or not, this is happening and Papa Noir is coming right now to finish this once and for all.'

The blond cop stopped in his tracks. He looked from Starsky, who was once again clutching at his temples and shuddering on the bed, back to Michelle who sat serene but determined in front of him. And for the first time, the calm, logical Hutch could think of nothing to say other than 'Finish this how exactly?'

'Papa has marked Starsky as a "pet" for want of a better explanation - as a commodity that he can own or sell to the highest bidder. He's coming for him right now and this will end either in Papa getting his own way and taking Starsky with him, or your friend descending into insanity. Either way, Papa will ensure that you won't have him back.'

'Over my dead body' Hutch snapped.

From the bed Starsky looked up at the woman and his friend. 'Some of the guys in the squad room think I'm crazy already. I'll fight, God help me I'll fight, but if this aint real Hutch, I'm a candidate for Cabrillo State already. He's here, in my head an' I can't shut the fucker up.'

Hutch swallowed hard. The blond was braver than most, but what scared Hutch was what he couldn't see or understand and right now, he was staring fear in the face.

'Tell me what we need to do.' Hutch looked at Michelle for inspiration.

The woman nodded. 'You've taken the first step by opening your mind to the possibility that this is for real. Now we need to prepare.'