One week Later:

Huggy Bear ran the cloth across the bar. The door opened, and in walked an old trusted friend. The Bear grabbed a glass and filled it with beer. "Have a seat, my friend."

The friend glanced around. "The word on the street is that Damian wanted the curly-haired detective dead because he shot and killed his brother. That red-headed dude has another hideout; he's right here in Bay City."

He told Huggy exactly where the new hideout was. The tall black man grabbed a tray with hamburgers and fries and pushed it towards his friend. "Eat up, my friend." Then he whispered, "it's on me."

Huggy, removed his apron. "I have a date with a tall blond. See you turkeys later."

At the Hospital:

Hutch held a spoon as he fed his partner beef broth. Starsky swallowed, even though his throat was still sore. The brunet detective reached for Hutch's hand. He could barely speak; their eyes were locked, two oceans of blue.

A knock on the door broke the silence.

Huggy entered. "Well, look at you, Starsky, sitting up and eating broth."

Hutch sat the bowl down. "If he keeps eating like this, he'll be home soon." He knew it would take his partner longer; he needed rehabilitation.

The tall black man placed a bowl of soup on the table. "It's homemade chicken noodle. The word is Damian wanted Curly here because he shot and killed his brother."

Starsky tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come out of his mouth.

Hutch glanced at his partner. "Captain Dobey mentioned that when you were a uniformed officer, you had to shoot Damien's brother, trying to save a girl's life. I'm sorry, Buddy, you couldn't have saved her."

Hutch looked towards the glass window and saw his captain talking to Dr. Monroe. "I'll be right back, Starsk."

The doctor looked down at the file he was holding. "Now that I have you both here, Mr. Starsky's bloodwork looks good; he's stable. The bullet was lodged in the area of his Tibia, Fibula, and Talus. He will walk with a limp, but with rehabilitation, it could be minimal."

Hutch's brow drew down into a frown. "What do you mean, can't you do something?"

"I understand how you feel, Mr. Hutchinson, but this is a very sensitive area of the foot. I mentioned..."

Dr. Monroe's words hung in the air, as Hutch stepped towards the glass enclosure and stared at his partner.

"I'm sorry," the doctor said and walked down the hallway.

Hutch turned and raised his hand to his captain. "You know what that means; it's a death sentence to a cop like Starsky. Hell, for me too."

His captain looked downward and appeared discouraged. "I don't want to lose Starsky; he's a damn good officer."

Huggy joined his friends in the hall. "Hey, Blondie. I didn't want to say anything in front of Starsky. I know exactly where the redhead is hiding.. He's at the old Harlem Place."

Hutch slightly put his hand on Huggy's arm. "Take care of Starsky, but don't tell him about his leg yet. I'm going to go clean up that red scum from our town."

Captain Dobey said, "I'm coming with you, Hutchinson; You need backup."

~~ ~

A shabby hotel stood in the middle of Bay City. The only fixtures were an unmade bed, a table, and a lamp. A man with long brown hair held a white bag. He entered the hotel room and put the bag on the table. He raised his hand and pulled at his hair, revealing short red hair. He threw the brown wig on the bed.

A red 1976 Ford Gran Torino with a white stripe running from top to bottom parked in a dark alley around the corner from the hotel. A tall, blond man stepped out of the car with a large, black man.

Hutch and Captain Dobey moved around the back alley to the hotel. They hid behind a brick building. Hutch drew his Magnum from his shoulder holster; Captain Dobey also drew his gun, holding it close.

They entered through the back door of the hotel. Hutch scanned the numbers above the rooms. He pointed upstairs; they found the correct room. The captain stood to the side, while Hutch stood in front of the door. The blond yelled, "Police!" and kicked the door in.

The red-haired man grabbed his gun and fired, hitting Hutch in the arm. Hutch returned fire, and the man fell to the ground. Captain Dobey moved quickly to check on the criminal, only to find him already dead.

The captain turned to his detective and said, "Hutch!"

The detective reached for his arm. "I'm okay; it just burns, Cap'n."

The captain checked the dead man's pockets, pulling out his identification card. "Reed Mitchell."

Hutch replied, "he's just a two-bit hood who sells drugs on the streets of Bay City. We've been trying to arrest him for a while, but he wears different disguises."

The Captain picked up the phone. "I need the paramedics at the old Harlem Place, 4513 West 4th Street." He put the phone down and turned to his detective, holding a cloth tightly against Hutch's arm wound.

The paramedics entered the hotel. Captain Dobey stood at the top of the stairs, waving his hand. The paramedics Immediately stopped the bleeding and took the detective's vitals, which were normal. One of the paramedics told the detective to lie down on the stretcher and remain still.

Hutch shook his head. "I can walk." Captain Dobey said, "lie down, it's an order."

The detective raised his hand to his forehead and saluted his captain.

Captain Dobey adjusted his tie, smiling.

~~ ~

Bay City General Hospital:

Dr. Monroe removed the bullet from Hutch's arm. "The bullet wasn't deep, but you're going to be sore. I'm going to put you in with your partners room for a few day's and give you antibiotics. I want to be sure you don't develop an infection in your arm wound."

Dr. Monroe's nurse entered the examining room and pushed the wheelchair down the hall. Hutch asked, "how's my partner?"

The nurse sternly answered, "I just clocked in; I have no idea." They approached Starsky's room; the nurse opened the door and wheeled him in.

Hutch smiled. "Hey, hey, Buddy."

Starsky tried to set up, slowly. "Wha happened to ya?"

"It's nothing, Starsk. That scumbag Reed shot me, but I got him. He'll never hurt anyone again."

The nurse batted her eyes at Hutch. "I'll be right back."

"Not another shot, I hope."

She tossed her silvery hair with her fingers. "To give you a bath." She turned and left.

Hutch's jaw dropped.

Starsky shrugged his shoulders. "I already had mine; she gives a mean scrub."

"I bet she played football in college, Buddy"

There was a knock at the door. Starsky's neighbor Anna walked in. "Hi, I heard you're feeling better." Then she noticed Hutch's bandaged arm. "What happened to you?"

"I got shot in the arm, but I'm fine."

She held a shocked tone, saying, "oh, my god! Do you need anything?"

"Now that you're here sweetheart, I'm great."

"I brought you this plant to brighten your day, David."

Starsky's face brightened with a wide grin. "Thanks, Anna. It's interesting. What is it?"

"Well, the man at the plant nursery said that it was a carnivorous plant."

He scratched his head.

Hutch chimed in. "That means it eats insects, small birds, and small rodents."

The brunet held the plant and turned it around. "Well, little guy, you'll have to grow before you can eat a fat ol rat. I'm going to name you Hutch."

The room was filled with laughter.

~~ ~

Later that night:

The blonde detective hated to ruin the lighthearted mood, but he had to tell his partner what Dr. Monroe said about his leg.

Hutch lay in the bed next to his partner. "Star-sk, I have to talk to you." He stammered over his words.

"Okay, why so serious, Blondie?"

"Buddy, your leg, the doctor. "I don't know how to say it."

"Just say it, Hutch. We've always been honest with each other, haven't we? Huh."

Hutch sat up in his bed, facing Starsky. He put his hand to his mouth; it was a sign that he was worried. "The doctor, Dr. Monroe, thinks you might walk with a limp."

Starsky's features froze; his whole body felt numb. His mouth wouldn't move. Then the words rushed through the room. "What! I'm a street cop. Do you know what that means? I can't." He stopped in mid-sentence.

Hutch tried to calm his partner down. "We can work around this; physical therapy can do wonders."

The doctor said..." Starsky stopped the words from passing his lips.

Hutch became upset and slapped his hand against his leg. "I don't care what that doctor says. He doesn't know everything. The Starsky I know wouldn't lie down."

Hutch moved closer.

He sat on Starsky's bed. "Just because he's a doctor doesn't mean he's always right, Buddy."

Physical Therapy Day:

Hutch was released from the hospital by Dr. Monroe. He decided to stop by Huggy's and pick up Starsky's food. He returned and set the food on his partner's over-bed table.

The door, which belonged to the brunet detective, opened and a young blond woman walked in.

Starsky's blue eyes fixated on her. "Well, Hello, hello.

She had sun-kissed blond hair, tanned skin, and freckles.

Her face flushed, but she remained professional. "I'm Merenwynd, your physical therapist. We'll start out slow and make progress in the weeks to come."

"Sweetheart, you can have it all."

Her nose turned pinkish-red, a color called "blush".

After fifteen minutes, the physical therapist said, "that's enough for today. You will be sore, so I'm applying a cold pack. This will reduce the swelling. I will check on you tomorrow." She left, closing the door behind her.

Hutch smiled. "Well, well. You're one lucky man."

Starsky's mouth drew down.. "I'm a one-legged cop; she's not interested in me."

Hutch ignored his partner. "Look, pal, Huggy fixed you a grilled cheese sandwich, onion rings, and I brought the coconut-striped cookies from my house."

Starsky remembered the coconut-stripe cookies when Molly had stayed with Hutch.

That brought a smile to his curly-haired friend. Captain Dobey entered. "How's our boy today?"

"I'm okay Cap'p."

Hutch stood up, "I think he's more than okay; he has a beautiful blonde physical therapist who massaged his hairy leg. They flirted a little. He's great."

~~ ~

Starsky continued physical therapy at a rehabilitation center, where his walking improved, but he still had a limp. He became very discouraged. Hutch stayed at his partner's house; other times they stayed at Hutch's house. The blond detective never left his partner's side, except to go to work. He refused a new partner, preferring to patrol the streets of Bay City alone.

~~ ~

Hutch was given the medal of Valor and the title "The White Knight". The tall detective had his blond hair groomed and parted to the side. He stood tall and proud, with the medal pinned to his dark blue suit jacket. Starsky sat in a wheelchair by his side; his hair was also groomed, each dark curl in place. The Law Enforcement Purple Heart was pinned to his dark blue suit jacket. Captain Dobey stood proud, by his detective's side.

Medal Of Valor: is the highest decoration for bravery exhibited by public safety officers in the United States. Actions above and beyond the call of duty; and exhibiting exceptional courage, and unusual swiftness of action, regardless of his or her personal safety, in attempt to save or protect human life. A gilt, blue-enameled, five-point unside-down star. Each arm formed by a letter "v" surrounded by a wreath of laurel. The center disc bears the obverse of the Great Seal of the United States. The reverse bears the legend "For Extraordinary Valor Above And Beyond The Call Of Duty The name of the recipient is engaged at the center. Suspend on a neck ribbon, blue and white and red edge stripes, the national colors of the United States, and a gold center stripe, symbolizing honor. (Wikipedia)

Starsky was given The Law Enforcement Purple Heart, an American Law Enforcement medal that may be issued to any law enforcement officer who is injured, wounded, or killed in the line of duty.

Purple heart with gold surroundings, written at top LAW ENFORCEMENT PURPLE HEART; LINE OF DUTY INJURY, at bottom.

Six months later:

Hutch had prepared dinner and called for Starsky, who was lying down in his room.

The brunet slowly entered the kitchen.

Hutch stood by the stove and scooped out roast, potatoes, and carrots from a black roasting pan. "Hey, pal, go sit down; I'll bring our trays."

Starsky rebelled and threw his arms up, saying, "I'm not helpless; I got it." Then he grabbed his tray and walked away.

Hutch pointed to his partner's leg and spoke in an inspired tone, "Starsky! Look, you're walking normally."

Starsky kept moving towards the dining table. He put down his tray and turned to face his partner. "I'm not limping."

Hutch embraced his partner. "We'll be on the streets together again, Buddy. After dinner lets go to Huggy's and celebrate with your favorite blueberry pie and chocolate ice cream."

Hutch drove his beat-up brown sedan; Starsky had his arm resting on the open window. "Hey, you just passed Huggy's. Ya, dummy."

"I have to make a quick stop at Merle's. I've been having a little trouble with my car."

Starsky breathed in. "When are you not hav'n trouble with this piece of junk."

Hutch turned into Merle's driveway and parked; they walked to where Merle was standing. "Ah, Starsky, good to see you up and around. I have a baby on wheels, I want to show you."

Starsky's features were becoming distorted. "My car was the only baby."

Hutch patted his partner on the back. "Let's take a look."

The three men walked to a corner where a car was hidden. Hutch took his sunglasses off. "You need a car, Buddy. Have an open mind when you see this one."

Starsky grunted as his partner pulled the tarp off the car. He couldn't believe his eyes. "My car! My car." He stepped around to check every inch. He opened the hood. "She's beautiful. I thought she was just a piece of junk now. How?"

Merle held up his hand, wiggling his fingers. Merle the Earl has magic in these hands; believe me it took a lot of magick."

Starsky grabbed Hutch. "You have no idea what this means to me."

Hutch tilted his head. "I know what she means to you, pal."

Starsky grabbed Hutch's arm and squeezed. "Thanks, ya big blond beauty. "

Merle broke the moment and remarked, "hey, Hutch, why don't you leave that piece of junk you call a car and let old Merle...

Hutch pointed his finger at The Earl. "You're not getting your hands on my car, no sir."

The brunet opened the door to his car and sat, taking it all in.

He revved the engine, then put it in drive and sped off, pulling out into the street as his partner followed him.

~~

Damian, and Reed both sold drugs to minors on the streets. They vandalized and robbed the businesses of the good citizens of Bay City. Damian had planned to kidnap the citizens and start a cult, but the "White Knight" and is companion would never allow this.

~~ ~

The tall blond detective and his dark curly-haired companion stood side by side, paroling the streets of Bay City as the sun set in the evening sky.