CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

For three days Hutch had sat at Starsky's side, waiting and watching for some sign that the brunet was starting to respond to his surroundings. So far, nothing. With Starsky's eyes still bandaged, it was difficult to see if he was starting to wake up or not. Hutch missed seeing those sapphire eyes that were the true window to Starsky's soul.

Hutch reached out and gently rubbed his knuckles across the back of Starsky's left hand. "Come on, babe…don't you think you've been sleeping long enough? It's time to wake up…even if it's just long enough to tell me to shut up." Hutch strongly believed that someone in a coma could still hear the voices of those people they loved. When Starsky was shot and in a coma for weeks, he told Hutch when he woke up that he could sometimes hear Hutch's voice talking to him, anchoring him to reality. "Hey, I haven't spent all this time looking for your sorry ass just to lose you now."

Suddenly, Hutch caught his breath sharply. He was positive that he felt Starsky's hand twinge beneath his fingers. "Starsk?" he whispered "Are you there, buddy?" Drawn to the sound of Hutch's voice like a moth to a flame, Starsky's head slowly turned towards Hutch. Tears flooded Hutch's eyes as he reached out and ran his fingers through those thick curls. In a choked voice, he said, "Hey, buddy…don't try to talk…they got one of those tubes down your throat to help you breathe right now and your eyes are bandaged because you got a little burned on your face."

Hutch tightened his fingers around his friend's hand and squeezed encouragingly. He could feel the tightening of Starsky's muscles as he tensed at Hutch's words. Slowly, he turned his head in the opposite direction, away from Hutch, and weakly tried to pull his hand out of the blond's grasp. Hutch swallowed to dislodge the sudden lump that rose in his throat at what appeared to be Starsky's rejection.

Not wanting to distress the brunet unnecessarily, Hutch let go of his hand. He glanced at the heart monitor, the sound of the increased heart rate registering for the first time. Starsky was obviously awake and upset. A nurse hurried into the room, alerted to the change in Starsky's condition by the alarms at the nurse's station. Hutch stepped back, watching closely as she took Starsky's vital signs and checked the readings on the various monitors. Satisfied that her patient was awake and in no immediate danger, she spoke to Starsky in a quiet, soothing voice, "Try to relax, Mr. Starsky. You're just fine. You're in the hospital and your friend is here with you. I'm going to page the doctor and he will be here shortly to have a look at you. Okay?" The nurse gave Hutch an supportive smile. "He's going to be fine. He's probably just a little disoriented and confused right now, especially with that tube down his throat and his eyes bandaged. I'm sure the doctor will be more than happy to answer any questions you might have." With those parting words, she left the room to contact the doctor and let him know that his patient was awake.

Hutch immediately turned his attention back to his distraught companion. Starsky's head was still turned away from Hutch, but the big blond could see the tense posture and clenched jaw that told him that Starsky was still upset and no doubt scared.

Taking the chance of having his touch rejected again, Hutch stepped closer and reached out to rub the brunet's back soothingly. In that calm, silky voice he reserved solely for his ex-partner and best friend, he said, "Just relax, buddy…the doctor will be here soon and maybe he'll have some good news for you. Maybe he'll even take out that damn tube out now that you're awake." Starsky relaxed marginally but made no attempt to turn back towards Hutch.

Hutch glanced over his shoulder as the doctor treating Starsky hurried into the room. He was a huge bear of a man with a full beard and a friendly, outgoing nature. Hutch had only told him as much as necessary to obtain medical treatment for Starsky without endangering the brunet's safety any further. A firm believer in involving significant others in his patient's care, the doctor had been more than happy to bend the rules to allow Hutch and Huggy Bear free access to the brunet's room.

After a quick, but careful examination, the doctor said in a pleased voice, "Everything looks fine. Your injuries are healing nicely and I think you should be able to go home at the end of the week. I also think we can take that tube out of your throat but I want to leave the bandages on your eyes for a couple of days just to be on the safe side." He looked at Starsky, who had remained quiet and still throughout the examination and the doctor's speech. "Do you understand, David?"

Slowly, Starsky nodded his head. Hutch had registered him under his real name and it was obvious that he was no longer comfortable answering to his own name. the doctor smiled widely. "Good, then let's get started. Have you ever had a respirator before?"

"Yes, he has." Hutch answered for him "A couple of times. He knows the routine."

"Good, then you both know that removing it isn't a very comfortable procedure. But, bear with me and we'll get this over as quickly as possible. David, when I remove the tube, I want you to remember that it may take a moment for you to start breathing on your own. Don't panic, your brain just needs a little kick start."

As the doctor prepared to remove the tube, Hutch instinctively grabbed hold of Starsky's hand and held on tight. He felt the hesitation in Starsky's touch for a moment, then those long, slender fingers wound around his own and held on, drawing support from Hutch as he prepared himself to have the tube removed from his throat.

After a few uncomfortable minutes, the tube was finally out. Hutch watched as Starsky gasped for air a couple of times and then settled into a natural rhythm. Hutch knew from experience that Starsky's throat would be raw and sore making talking almost impossible for a couple more days. He made a mental note to make sure that the pitcher was kept filled with ice chips for the next 24 hours at least.

Silence hung heavily in the room until after the doctor had left. Hutch looked at his friend and smiled, even though he knew Starsky couldn't see him. In a velvety voice, he said, "One down, one to go…you're gonna be back on your feet in no time."

Starsky slowly shook his head from side to side. In a cracked, barely audible voice, he said, "Go home, Hutch…go home and forget you ever found me…"

"Hey, what kind of talk is that?" Hutch said with false cheerfulness to cover up his anxiety at Starsky's flat statement. "Are you crazy, mushbrain? After all the trouble I've had finding you again, I'm not about to let you out of my sight till we get back to Bay City."

Starsky shook his head again. "Not going back…" he whispered hoarsely.

"Why not? It's over, buddy…Gunther's dead…he can't hurt you anymore. You can get your life back again…"

"Too late…" Starsky said, wincing at the pain of forcing himself to talk but desperate to get his point across. "Can't go back…better this way…"

"For who?" Hutch snapped, losing his patience with his headstrong friend. "For you? What about me? What about Huggy? What about everybody back home who cares about you?"

"Go away, Hutch." Starsky mumbled, "Don't want you here…" his voice faded off into silence as he fell asleep, leaving a stunned and confused Hutch to stare at him with a confused and hurt expression on his face. After all this time, Starsky's rejection of their friendship hurt and it hurt badly. He pushed himself to his feet and stumbled from the room. He hurried from the hospital and soon found himself in the closest bar he could find.