AN UNEASY ALLIANCE
Chapter 7
As he got closer, Ronnie heard voices. Two of them had to be the ones who'd stopped by his hiding place. They were loud and angry. Another voice was steady and seemed to be coaxing them to give up their weapons. He hid behind another dumpster and peaked around it to see Starsky holding off the two Blade members. He was close enough to hear the exchange but shrank back so he wouldn't be spotted.
"Listen you piece of shit, you got no business here. Just walk away and we'll let you live." The youth with the gun stepped closer as he spoke. He pointed the gun but Starsky kicked it out of his hand. The young man made the mistake of taking his eyes off his attacker and when he did, Starsky shot him in the leg.
Ronnie cringed, squeezing his eyes shut. But he had to watch. He was convinced that the cop would die if he didn't.
The gang member went down in a heap, crying out that he surrendered.
The other Blade member with the knife shouted to his ally.
"You weasel! You don't deserve to be part of our gang. I'll show you how a real Blade brother acts."
Slowly, Diaz stalked toward Starsky, who warily kept his attention on the knife in front of him.
"Just give it up kid. You put the knife down and we'll make a deal." Starsky would have preferred that Hutch was at his side, but he didn't have the luxury of waiting for help. Diaz surprised Starsky with a kick which dislodged his gun and sent it skittering out of reach. He quickly scanned the area but only saw the man with the knife coming closer. Now would be a good time for his partner to show up.
Realizing Starsky's predicament, the gang member grinned evilly at his opponent.
Waving the knife between them, Diaz spoke boldly.
"I'm gonna cut you up and feed ya to the fish!" He switched hands and continued to taunt Starsky, who smiled an indulgent, disbelieving grin.
Suddenly, the knife caught Starsky in the chest. The boy took advantage and kicked the detective in the groin. Starsky went to his knees, short of breath and wheezing.
The youth picked up a solid piece of wood that had been lying near him and cracked it over Starsky's bent head. The fallen man huffed out a painful breath and dropped to the ground, out cold.
"If you're lucky enough to live, I'll find ya and finish the job, pig." Diaz snarled at the prone body. Proud of himself, he picked up the board and threw it at his friend who was still writhing, holding his leg. The wood landed on his injured leg and he howled with the added blow to the bullet wound.
Rather than helping his friend, the Blade member ran up the slight hill through the bushes but he turned around for a moment to take in the scene, wanting to remember it so he could brag to his friends. That's when he saw the kid standing beside Starsky. Promising himself that no matter what, he'd make the kid sorry he'd interfered with the cop; Diaz spit on the ground, and then continued on up the hill.
Ronnie stood up. He didn't know what to do. Finally he went to the man with the bullet wound and picked up the piece of wood. He was afraid that either the man on the ground would get up and chase him, or the one that did all this would come back and bash his own head in. He carried it with him for protection and went over to where Starsky lay.
He stood next to him, afraid to touch him but confused as well. How could this cop let this happen? The young boy dropped to the ground beside Starsky. He held the bloody piece of wood to him as he struggled with indecision. Should he run and forget what he'd witnessed or should he stay and try to help the cop? The man was pale and his head was bleeding. Instinctively, Ronnie took a large cloth out of his pocket and pressed it on the gash. He heard him groan.
He still didn't know the man's name but he wanted to offer comfort until help arrived. He couldn't leave him in case the guy who did this came back.
"Can you hear me?" Ronnie cradled the man's head in his lap, laying the board beside him. "I'm Ronnie." The boy tried to offer comfort the best he could.
Starsky groaned again, forcing his eyes open. He blinked once then moved his hand to his head.
"No don't touch that. It's kind of gross. But your friend should be here in a minute." Ronnie pressed harder on the wound. He remembered that the knife had hit his chest, but there wasn't any blood there.
"Thanks…Name's Starsky…" The detective tried to focus on his benefactor before he lost consciousness again.
The boy looked up to see the blond man coming up the hill. He was holding his shoulder, breathing hard as he came near. But Ronnie got scared at the angry look on the man's face. He was afraid the guy was going to shoot him when all he was trying to do was help the cop on the ground.
He stood up, holding the wood in front of him as he stood beside Starsky. Having a weapon helped him feel powerful and strong. His intention was to protect them both but the other cop started yelling at him.
He couldn't deal with the anger towards him. It confused him so he threw the wood to the side and ran as fast as he could. He didn't wait to explain or help. He just wanted out of there.
"Come back here you little bastard!" Hutch turned toward the retreating figure, wanting to go after him. He hesitated until Starsky gasped, then his decision was clear.
He bent toward a silent and pale Starsky.
"What did we get ourselves into now, buddy?" Hutch grimaced at his own pain but quickly shoved it aside to take care of his friend.
Kneeling beside Starsky, he bent over the dark haired man, wincing out of frustration and pain at their situation. The wound to his shoulder burned and he could feel the blood seeping through the bandage.
He was dizzy and short of breath but refused to give in until he knew for certain about his partner.
Hutch tried to breathe deeply to clear his head but that only sharpened the pain in his shoulder and back. He wiped his forehead, which felt clammy with sweat.
He pushed his own discomfort aside as he studied Starsky's head wound. The rag was bloody but the bleeding had slowed down. Again, Hutch wondered about the young boy who had been leaning over his partner. He was curious as to what his role in all this was. He shrugged his shoulders, which again produced a slicing pain through his back. He'd have to wait for Starsky to wake up to learn more.
"Soon, buddy. You'll be okay. Hang in there." Hutch's crooning was for both of them as much as to reassure Starsky.
