ROAD WORK AHEAD: EXPECT DELAYS
CHAPTER 13
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Starsky was cold. His body felt heavy. He struggled with every breath and even the slightest movement caused searing pain to radiate through his arm and upper body. He was sure he had a few cracked ribs which made breathing also painful. The gash in his knee had stopped bleeding but again, he was weak and unable to pull himself closer to Hutch. His thoughts were scattered. He couldn't be sure how long they'd been there and wasn't able to concentrate long enough to form some sort of escape plan. No one knew where they were except for the person who put them there and Starsky had no idea who that was or if they'd be back.
Hutch had not spoken or moved for some time. The inside of the shed was growing darker and becoming chilled by the outside air. All Starsky could do was listen to Hutch's breathing. It seemed slow and shallow. Occasionally the blond would moan or twitch but he never became completely conscious. Probably a combination of the broken leg and reaction to the insect bites had drained his body of the ability to fight back. Starsky tried to keep talking to his friend, hoping that some part of Hutch could still understand and hold on.
"Hutch, you gotta listen to me. We'll be okay. You'll see, Harry will contact Huggy, Huggy will contact Dobey and the cavalry will march in and save us!" Starsky's words had no effect on the blond. He wasn't sure he believed them himself but for Hutch's sake, he had to remain positive.
Starsky leaned back against the wall but shivered as the cold steel came in contact with his body. He couldn't hold back the moan nor could he control the pain any longer. He knew he was getting weaker. He began thinking about food.
"When we get to Rose's, I sure hope..", Starsky shivered again but thought of warm food and a soft bed. He felt himself drifting, not sure if what he smelled was real. "Hey Hutch, she made us chicken soup! Don't it smell terrific?"
Some time later Starsky's body jerked painfully, rousing him from an uneasy dream. He thought he heard a noise but, he couldn't trust his senses anymore. At first he thought it was Hutch. He listened but only heard breathing followed by a slight cough.
"I'm still here, buddy. Help's comin', I promise!" The tingles of pain were constant but he couldn't force it away any longer. His body flopped sideways and he landed on his damaged left side. A low grunt of pain was all Starsky could manage. Gravity took his body and guided him onto his back. Now he was helpless. He couldn't see Hutch anymore and his own breathing was ragged.
But something had reached his muddled brain. All of the sudden, Starsky became acutely aware of his surroundings. He knew the two of them were in a bad way but he was certain he'd heard voices. He had no choice but to lay still on the hard floor which became increasingly chilled. But he knew he'd heard something outside of their prison. He heard it again, a far away voice, but it sounded angry or excited. No words only a rattling sound, like his own chains. He concentrated, trying to sort out if what he heard was Hutch's breathing or if it was beyond the door of the shed.
He thought he screamed out in answer to the noise but he couldn't hear his own voice. Breathing was too painful. He lay on the cold floor, panting with pain and fear.
Now he knew he was hallucinating. He could have sworn he heard Huggy's voice. It confused Starsky even more. Was he in the alley behind The Pits? Why didn't the bar owner help him?
The next time he heard the voice, it was accompanied by loud banging, which echoed inside the shed. Still not sure if he was imagining the noise, Starsky gathered his strength and shoved his feet against the wall. At least he was doing something to get them out of there. He wondered if he could break the wall by slamming his feet against it. If he could just kick at it hard enough…
"Help! We're in here!" Starsky forced his feet up against the wall, ignoring the pain. His voice sounded low and raspy in his ears. His feet slipped down the wall back to the floor. Gasping with pain and frustration, he rested, unable to move again. But the outside pounding continued and Huggy's voice grew louder.
"Huggy! We need help! Go get Dobey!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, despite the burning and pressure the energy caused. No matter how much he willed his feet to beat at the wall again, there was no more strength left in him physically. Yelling was about all he could do and even that ability was fading.
Suddenly, the door opened, brightening the shed from the glare of lights set up outside.
Hands reached for Starsky, gentle but firm. He still wasn't sure if what was happening was real but his own fear melted away and he no longer cared if what he saw and heard was real.
Dobey took over. He contacted the rest of the team with the walkie-talkie ordering everyone to his location, particularly the ambulance.
"We've got ya now curly." Huggy crouched down by Starsky, swiping his hand over the man's forehead.
"Hutch! He's over there. Help him!" Starsky tried to get to his friend but his body didn't respond to the command. He felt strong hands against his chest.
"The medics are here. Just rest now." Again, Starsky tried to get to his friend but had to give in to weakness and pain.
"He's worse than me. Had a reaction …" Starsky's voice gave out. The only thing he could do now was breathe. But Huggy never moved from the man's side. He offered encouragement while the medic worked over him. The other ambulance worker and Dobey were with Hutch.
"How is he captain?" Huggy's voice broke with relief at finally finding the two detectives. But looking at both men, his apprehension grew. They both seemed to be in pretty bad shape and he couldn't imagine how they'd gotten that way.
Dobey looked over at the medic for an answer but the man was engrossed with the task of checking over Hutch before he spoke.
"He's weak. Looks like he's got a broken leg plus an anaphylactic reaction."
"A what?" Dobey's confusion at the term terrified him. It sounded serious.
"He must've been bitten by an insect and his body reacted with these red welts. He's having trouble breathing and his face looks puffy. I can't be sure but I'll give him a shot to counteract the effects." The medic went back to work, concentrating on his patient.
Hutch began to moan and his head moved side to side. He took a deep breath before his eyes opened.
"Starsky?" His voice was weak but the other man heard him loud and clear.
"Hey blondie, I told ya it'd be okay." Starsky struggled to sit up but Huggy pushed him back to the floor. The medic was trying to stabilize his left arm and shoulder.
"Keep him still. I'm almost done." Johnson worked as quickly as he could. His partner, Mike Henderson had already called ahead, alerting the hospital of the men's conditions.
"Where's ..?" Hutch struggled against the hands working on him but Dobey had no trouble getting him to lie still.
"Easy son, let Mike get you ready for transport. Starsky's okay." Dobey tried to convince the blond that everything was under control. Hutch gave up struggling so Dobey left him to check on Starsky. The other detective was also quiet.
"What caused you boys to get into this kind of trouble?" The captain spoke out loud, but mainly to himself. His concern for his two detectives was genuine. He tried to think ahead, tried to envision them safely at Memorial Hospital. Obviously another hospital confinement would follow but once they were better, he couldn't wait to hear the story of this adventure. He wanted to believe that once again, they would defy the odds and would be okay.
It never failed to amaze the captain how trouble just seemed to find both these men. He also believed that they would come through because of each other. They had a strong will to live and a strong bond between them.