CHAPTER 18

Time passes slowly in a hospital. Not necessarily for a sedated patient, but for the friends and family members watching over them. Since regaining consciousness the day before, Starsky had been resting comfortably. Heavily sedated, he drifted in and out of a healing slumber throughout the day.

Rachel Starsky sat by her son's side, softly talking to him in a combination of English and Yiddish. Hutch sat on the opposite side of the bed, smiling faintly as he watched the loving interaction between mother and her child. It was at times like this that he regretted not having the same sort of relationship with his own mother.

To his parents, children were meant to be extensions of themselves, well mannered and groomed, quiet and respectful to the adults in their lives. The best clothes, the best schools, all the right friends, music lessons, riding lessons, anything money could buy. Anything except love and any sign of physical affection.

Raised by a series of nannies and housekeepers, Hutch learned to be independent at an early age. A shy and withdrawn adolescent, he grew into a reserved and guarded adult. A natural athlete, he went to college on a track scholarship. His senior year he married his high school sweetheart in an elaborate wedding that was the talk of the social season. After graduation, he finally rebelled against his parent's tight rein on his life and refused to follow his father's demand that he enroll in law school.

He moved almost two thousand miles away to southern California where he enrolled in the police academy, a decision that had driven a wedge between Hutch and his parents that never healed. After messy divorce from Vanessa, his relationship with his parents dwindled to impersonal greeting cards on his birthday and Christmas with generous checks enclosed.

His friendship with Starsky and filled the void in his life and helped make him the man he had become. Since neither one of them had any immediate family in the city, they became each other's family, brothers by choice, brothers of the heart if not by blood.

At times like this when one of them was hurt and in the hospital, the other one felt their pain and suffered right along with them. Hutch secretly hoped that when the day came, they would go out together so that neither one would be left to go on alone. Hutch had made a promise to himself that if Starsky was the first to go, he would find a way to follow as soon as he possibly could. He had no intention of living his life alone without Starsky by his side.

Doctor Franklin had optimistically predicted that Starsky could be ready to go home by the end of the week if his condition continued to improve. As usual, Hutch would be staying with him until he was fully recovered from his injuries. If their positions were reversed, Starsky would be doing the same for him.

A light rap on the door to the room caught his attention. He smiled brightly when Mandy Reed stepped into the room. Casually dressed in jeans and a yellow tee shirt, with her hair hanging loose and no makeup, she barely resembled the woman that sang to hundreds of fans almost every night.

"How's he doing?" she asked in the quiet voice that people seemed to use whenever visiting anyone in the hospital.

"Good," Hutch told her "The doctor said he might be able to go home at the end of the week."

"I'm glad to hear that. I'm just sorry this had to happen to him because of me."

"Nonsense my dear," Rachel cut in "My Davey was just doing his job."

"I still feel like it was partly my fault. If I had seen Jimmie for what he really was, none of this would have happened."

"Hey, he fooled everybody. Not just you," Hutch told her. "It happens. You can't beat yourself up over it."

"Maybe not. Anyway, I want to make things right. I want to pay all of his medical bills."

"There's no need to do that," Hutch told her "The department has excellent medical coverage."

"Well I still want to do something special to show my appreciation for everything you both did." She smiled brightly as a thought occurred to her. "I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to donate this weekend's gate to the hospital."

"There's no need to do that," Hutch said, "But, I'm sure they would appreciate it."

"I insist. Besides, it will make me feel better." Stepping up to Hutch, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Grinning, she turned and leaned over the bedside railing to give Starsky one too. She was startled to find a pair or sapphire blue eyes looking up at her. "Hey, you…good to see you wake," she whispered as she gave Starsky his kiss.

"Hey, beautiful…" Starsky mumbled in a hoarse voice with a lopsided smile. His eyes drifted from Mandy's face to his mother's and then to Hutch. Satisfied that he was surrounded by the people he loved, he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

Mandy straightened up and looked at Hutch. "Is he really okay?"

"Yeah. He's just doped up right now. Makes it hard for him to stay awake more than a few minutes at a time."

"Well, I really must go. We have a show in Dallas tomorrow night." Mandy left the room, the scent of her perfume lingering in the air.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Three weeks later found Starsky and Hutch backstage at one of Mandy's concerts. They were there as her special guests, and she had even given them an elaborate introduction at the beginning of her set. She had asked Hutch to join her for a song which he did after some gentle coaxing. His musical career was over as far as he was concerned. After tonight, he would be performing for an audience of one: Starsky.

As he came off stage, he found Starsky clapping loudly and grinning broadly.

"Great job, Blintz."

"Thanks, but that was my final appearance."

"Hey, don't forget the annual policeman's picnic," Starsky reminded him. "That's the only other time I can ever get you to sing for anybody but me."

"I couldn't take the lifestyle. On the road all the time, a different city every night, no personal life to speak of. You have to want it awfully bad to live like that."

"That's what makes someone like Mandy a star," Starsky pointed out.

"It takes more than that. It takes a lot of luck, too. The streets of Nashville are full of singers just waiting for that big break that could make them a star, too."

The two friends fell into a comfortable silence as they watched the rest of Mandy's show from their vantage point. They left after her last song and returned to their normal lives. Things were right again with their world and would stay that way until the next time one of them got hurt on the job. But, they still had each other and that was all that mattered to either of them.

THE END (FOR NOW)