Chapter 16
Hutch drew up outside the cabin in the woods about an hour later. During the drive he'd had time to think and Starsky had remained oblivious to the world in the back of the car, tossing and turning a little restlessly, and muttering under his breath, but relatively quiet and of no trouble. The blond knew that his partner was going to need some serious care and had some clue of what the brunet would go through from his own miserable experience with the drug. And he'd only had a few hits. Judging by Starsky's arms, his behaviour and his pleading for more of the muck, he'd been subject to a lot more chemical abuse than the blond had ever been and Hutch's blood boiled. Killing Prudholm had been the best thing Jay could have done. Because if Hutch had been able to get his hands on Prudholm alive, he would have torn the older man limb from limb and taken pleasure in doing so. His hands gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles showed white and he breathed deep. Time for anger would come later. For the minute, he needed to keep it together for his friend.
As he drew up, Hutch saw Huggy's cream coloured Caddy parked at the side of the small wooden cabin and as he drew his Mustang to a halt, the lanky black man got out of his car and strode over to Hutch, a look of concern etched deep onto his lean face. He put his hand on the roof of the car and bent down to regard the restless man on the back seat.
'Oh man. They done a real job on him. Dobey told me they'd pumped him full o' shit, but he looks worse than I would have thought'.
Hutch grunted. 'Looks bad, and smells even worse. Here. Help me get him inside' he opened the door and Huggy leaned in, gasped and stood up again quickly, banging his head on the door sill in his haste.
'Jeez, you weren't joking. He's in one shit state. What the hell did they do to him?'
'Later Hug. I'll tell ya later, but for now let's just get him inside huh?' Hutch urged, unclipping the cuff from the door handle. He'd hated restraining his partner, even though he knew it was for both their safeties. Now he flung the metal cuffs to one side and put his hands under Starsky's shoulders'
'C'mon buddy, let me get you outa there. Just relax an' let me do the work huh?'
Starsky moaned as Hutch put his hands under his partner's arms and tugged at his over sensitive skin. 'Mmmnoooo, hurts…..lemme go'.
'In a minute partner, I know it hurts, I know. Just need to get ya inside then you can lie down, ok?'
Huggy grasped Starsky's legs as Hutch hauled him out of the car and together the two men carried the still, limp body into the cabin, laying him down on the rag rug by the fireplace. The brunet started to shake and groan and he curled himself into a ball, holding his hands around his stomach as he moaned deeply, his eyes closed tight. Hutch knelt by his side and looked at the mess his partner was in.
'We need to get him cleaned up. See if you can start the hot water and then we can get him into the shower'.
Huggy nodded and went in search of the immersion heater, returning a moment later. 'Hot water should be ready in a little while. Man, he's hurting already. When did he get his last fix?'
Hutch looked away, angry at himself for being so weak. 'About an hour ago' he said softly.
'You know that for certain?'
'Yeah, pretty damned sure' he said bitterly.
'So Prudholm gave him…..'
'No, not Prudholm'. Hutch's voice broke and he buried his head in his hands.
Huggy understood and came to kneel by his friend, pulling Hutch's hands away from his face. 'Hutch, my friend. You gave him the shot didn't ya?'
Crystal blue eyes rimmed in red turned him. 'He was hurting so much an' he was gonna hurt himself. I'd never have kept him in the car an' I had to get him out of that stinking crypt. I didn't know what else to do'.
'You don't have to justify yourself to me man. I dig he was hurtin'. I know what its like an' you did what ya had to do. Don't beat yourself up about it. He's here now an' we can deal together huh?'
Hutch managed a watery smile. 'Yeah we can deal. Just don't let me shoot him up again in a moment of weakness huh? Thanks Hug. So what d'we do now?'
Huggy looked at the brunet. His jeans, in the stark electric light of the cabin, had turned from pale blue to almost grey/black, the pale blue sweat shirt too looking grimy. Beneath it, blood streaked the curly haired man's arms and showed rust red and caked almost to his elbows. His wrists were raw and bleeding and the rope had gouged a furrow from the flesh there so that both limbs were red rimmed. Pus leaked from the wounds showing infection had set in and even in his drugged state, Starsky held his hands close to his chest as if trying to protect them from further damage.
'Lets try an' get him cleaned. The water'll sting like the devil in those wounds, so at least now, with the horse still in his blood he'll not hurt quite so much'.
Together the two men scooped up the sick cop who flung out his arm in protest. 'Nooo, gettoff me….lousy no good…..lemme be…..hurts' his eyes flew open and settled on Huggy, questioning why someone other than Prudholm would be with him, but at the same time needing his next fix. The nod lasted an ever diminishing time and he was already hurting again. 'Help me….need some medicine'.
Hutch stopped suddenly. What had his partner said? Medicine? It took him back forcibly all those years to his own painful memories of being cramped and feverish and begging for his own medicine and he strangled down a cry.
Oh shit Starsk, please don't. Don't say any more, I need to get through this like you do buddy
Together, Huggy and Hutch took a firmer hold on the brunet and hauled him into the bathroom trying to turn deaf ears to his pitiful cries. The shower cubicle was not large and for a moment the blond regarded it, wondering what was the best way of dealing with the situation.
'Hug, take hold of his shoulders and stand behind him in the shower. You hold him up an' I'll get his clothes off and wash him down ok? Oh wait. Let me get some scissors' he dashed out leaving Huggy hanging onto the thrashing brunet, returning moments later.
'Ok, let me turn on the water. Ready?'
'Uh huh. Just one thing friend. Don't ever tell anyone I showered with two other men in a tiny space. I have my reputation to consider'.
Hutch grinned. 'Believe me Hug. Your secret will be safe with me. Ok'.
Hutch turned on the water and tested the temperature and once ready, Huggy dragged Starsky under the stream of warm water and stood with his arms around the brunet's chest. Starsky cried out and thrashed his arms about, trying to dislodge Huggy's grip but the black man held on.
'Lousy rotten…lemme go…hurts' Starsky shouted, his eyes opening in surprise at the wet. He looked at the man in front of him and for a brief moment there was recognition in them.
'Utch…help me….please don't let him….ungh….oh shit….stop it hurtin'?'.
'I know. I know buddy I'm gonna try. Just hang in there. We're gonna make you feel a bit better. No don't struggle Starsk it'll hurt more….. Starsky will ya cut it out. C'mon buddy, that's it, just calm down'.
Hutch slipped the big scissors under the sleeve of Starsky's sweat shirt and cut up the arm and down the other side so that the garment fell away in three pieces. He gazed in horror as he saw the plough furrow ribs sticking out through the dark curly fuzz on his partner's chest and cursed under his breath. The scars of his previous surgeries seemed more livid now that Starsky was so pale and thin and served only to emphasise the suffering the smaller man had already had to endure. Kneeling quickly, he cut up one leg of the filthy jeans and then the other, but nothing prepared him for the sight when the stinking material fell away. Or rather didn't fall away. Instead, Hutch had to reach up and peel the denim back revealing red raw and blistered skin from the brunet's hips to just above his knees. The week of lying in his own urine had blistered the skin in areas and now, as the water coursed over the sensitive area, Starsky screamed and tried to get his arms away from Huggy's grip, his toes curling up against the white shower tray as his knees buckled in pain.
'Argh….nooo…..ungh get away from me. Oh for fuvk's sake stop. STOP' he shouted, his voice raw and rasping. He kicked out at the blond and Hutch fell backwards out of the shower. He pushed himself up and braced himself against the shower door. Now that his partner was naked, he needed to get him clean so that the doctor – whichever one Dobey would bring would be able to treat the brunet.
Slowly, knowing it was going to sting like hell, he took the soap and lathered the softest sponge he could find. Then he took it to his partner and started to soap him down as Starsky continued to struggle. The soap bit into the wounds of his wrists and Hutch hardened his heart as Starsky screamed again, the scream ending in a strangled, forlorn sob which turned once again into a raw scream as the water and soap suds hit the red abraded, blistered skin on the centre of his body.
'For fucks sake stop….stop please…..nooo…..argh sweet Jesus…..Hutch….Huuuuuuutch noooo'.
'I gotta do it partner, believe me I don't want to hurt ya, but I gotta get ya clean then you can heal' Hutch whispered, more to himself than to his partner, who was lost in a world of pain and confusion. Hutch continued dabbing rather than rubbing at the sore, red raw skin around Starsky's hips. Where the skin had actually blistered he directed the water jet alone, rinsing as much grime from his partner as he could before the screams ate away at his soul and he had to stop.
While Hutch had been carefully cleaning the thin, pale body, Huggy had managed to rub some shampoo into the brunet's hair and rinse it so that, ten painful, noisy minutes later, Starsky was relatively clean and smelled a lot fresher and both Huggy and Hutch were still fully clothed but dripping wet and exhausted.
Starsky's struggles had calmed some, his energy sapped by the week without food and the constant chemical assault on his body. It was easier for the duo to get him out of the shower than it had been to get him in there, but drying him was a whole different ball game. Eventually they gave up and half guided, half carried the brunet into the big double bedroom and laid him gently down on the bed, still wet.
Starsky immediately curled himself into a ball again, hands wrapped protectively around his stomach as the sweat once again beaded on his brow.
'Gimme s some more….need more….more stuff….more' he mumbled under his breath as his body started to rock back and forth on the bed. Huggy had laid a snowy white towel on the top of the bed for him to lie on and had covered him with another one. The top towel fell away and Hutch recoiled in horror as he saw the blood smears from his blistered skin decorating the soft white cloth beneath the tortured body. Gently he put the top towel back over Starsky's thin frame. The brunet hissed softly at the added sensation on his skin then went back to his rocking. His eyes were either tight shut, or staring wildly around him as if looking for someone.
Hutch turned away and Huggy followed him into the cabins living room.
'I can't do this. I've nursed him through some totally crap times. I've held him while he's thrown up, held him down while they've changed dressings. Shit I've even stitched him up myself once. But this…..this is something else Hug. I don't know if I can do this. It's too close to home. Too close to….'
'To what you went through? Hey, don't ya think I dig what you're thinkin' man? But I tell ya this. When Starsky found you, you were a mess to be sure. But they'd had ya what? Two days? An' it took ya 24 hours to come round enough to be able to talk an' walk. Well that ain't nothing to what he's gonna go through. He's ten times worse than you ever were. He's gonna need all your help an' strength and then some'.
'Don't you think I know that Hug. Its just I look at him mumbling an' moaning and it just takes me back. I understand how much he's hurting and I'm scared for him. He's been through so much'.
'An' he'll get through this. He's got you an' his friends' Huggy said gently.
Hutch smiled back at him, glad the lanky black man was there for him.' Thanks Hug. Will ya stay….please?'
