Hook

A Starsky & Hutch Fanfic

Snowstorm AU tag: After hearing the horror story of what happened to Captain Dobey's partner, Hutch is determined not to let the same thing happen to his.

In retrospect, now that Starsky had time to contemplate such things, splitting up had been a very bad idea.

He was just barely coming to, lying on a cold, hard surface, as he heard voices around him.

"Hang him up. We want a nice picture for his partner to see when he gets here."

Starsky struggled as hands grabbed him and hauled him upright. "Lemme go, ya creeps," he slurred, head still pounding from the hit he had taken. Oddly, he hadn't been tied up, but it hardly mattered as he saw what was coming next.

Stryker's man was holding a glinting piece of metal and Starsky's stomach flipped as he recognized what it was.

Captain Dobey's words rushed back to him in full force. Telling the story about his partner who they had found dangling from a meat hook…

Looked like Starsky was about to quickly meet the same fate.

"Look, we don't even have the coke," Starsky tried to say, catching sight of Stryker in the background. "We've been trying to figure out who does, just like you."

"Oh, and you expect me to believe that, detective?" the man scoffed. "No. Not at all. You and your partner have it, sure enough. And he's going to bring it to me. Hopefully before your strength runs out." He nodded to his goons and the men holding Starsky only tightened their grip as he fought with everything he had.

It didn't do any good though. The man with the meat hook advanced and before Starsky could form the words for another protest, agony slammed through his right shoulder.

He screamed, the pain so much more powerful than anything he had ever felt before. But he was to find out soon enough that that wasn't anything compared to what came next when they attached the hook to a chain and wrenched him off his feet.

Starsky had no breath to scream this time. He scrabbled with his hands at the chain, barely grabbing hold before his shoulder was forced to take his own body weight as his feet left the ground. But his vision was blackening at the edges from the pure agony, and he wanted to pass out and throw up at the same time as he swung slowly on the hook through his shoulder.

Stryker watched him with sadistic satisfaction. "Best not pass out, Detective Starsky. That wouldn't be so good for you. Hopefully, for your sake, your partner gets here soon with my cocaine."

Starsky gave a guttural moan, the only sound he was capable of, and tightened his grip, trying to take his own body weight to keep from putting pressure on the hook. But his arms were already starting to tremble and he didn't know how long he would be able to hold on.

God, Hutch, he pleaded. Come quick. Please come quick.

Hutch knew in his gut that something was wrong even before he found the empty Torino. Empty except for the ominous note sitting on the driver's seat.

"I'll exchange your partner for the cocaine. Come alone." And then an address that Hutch was going to guess was the infamous meat plant.

His stomach twisted like a knife had been shoved into his guts. Part of him wanted to jump into the Torino and just drive there himself that instant, but he knew what he had to do, and in the longrun, it would help Starsky more if he had backup. No use getting caught as well.

But still…He couldn't help but recall the tight feeling in his chest he'd had earlier while listening to Dobey recount the painful story of what had happened to his own partner. Hutch had shared a look with Starsky accompanied by a silent shudder, knowing how they would feel if one of them ended up in the same position.

And now it looked like Hutch was going to get first-hand experience.

He had to swallow down the urge to vomit as he raced back into the station and straight to Dobey's office.

The captain was on the phone, and he frowned at Hutch irritably as the blond detective burst in without knocking, but he slapped the note down on the desk and the captain's eyes widened, his face turning blank as he realized what it was.

"I'll call you back," he said into the phone and turned to Hutch, grabbing the note, already on his feet. "Where'd this come from?"

"Who d'ya think? Stryker!" Hutch snapped, slamming his hands down on the desk. "Found it in Starsky's car. They got him, Captain, and…and god…"

He couldn't say it out loud, just ran a hand down his face.

Dobey gave him an understanding look and picked up his phone again, calling in reinforcements. "We'll get him back, Hutchinson. Stryker just implicated himself so we can finally get that warrant for his arrest. Now come on, I'm going with you."

Hutch was already out the door, the captain on his heels. Hutch jumped into the Torino without a thought, knowing it was faster than his own car. He never should have let them split up. They should have known something like this would happen…

His hands gripped the wheel as his foot pressed even more heavily into the gas pedal. He was a bit surprised when Dobey didn't reprimand him, but one glance at the captain's face told Hutch he was just as worried for Starsky.

They quickly outstripped their backup, but at the moment Hutch didn't care, and he certainly wasn't going to wait even one precious minute for them to show up.

He was out of the car in an instant, gun in his hand, Dobey at his back as they advanced on the side entrance where they had parked.

Hutch only paused his onward rush at the door, meeting the captain's eye as they took position. He moved quickly and kicked in the door, gun raised and creeping forward cautiously, as he looked around the dim interior.

He heard before he saw. Swallowed sounds of pain, and the creak of chain, along with an ominous dripping.

Swallowing down the fear that was threatening to choke him, Hutch moved toward the sounds, coming out into the main part of the factory.

He stopped short at the sight that appeared before him. Starsky was dangling from a chain in the middle of the area, desperately hanging on to the chain that connected to a hook punched through his shoulder. Even from here, Hutch could see that his arms were trembling from the effort of taking his own weight, about ready to give out and leave him simply hanging from the hook. Blood dripped from the wound onto the floor where a worryingly large puddle had already formed.

"Starsky," Hutch breathed.

Captain Dobey cursed under his breath.

Starsky's head lolled desperately toward his partner's voice. "Hutch…h-help."

Hutch didn't need any more urging, he shook off the initial shock and hurried forward, only to be stopped by movement out of the corner of his eyes and the sound of guns being cocked.

"Hold still, Detective Hutchinson, I believe we had a deal."

Hutch watched as Stryker appeared out of the shadows, several goons with guns beside him.

"I don't have the cocaine, Stryker!" Hutch snapped.

"Well, I also told you to come alone and you brought a friend…is that Captain Harold Dobey?"

Dobey stepped up to Hutch's side. "It is. With a warrant for your arrest."

Stryker made a face. "Well, that wasn't very sporting of you, Hutchinson. And after I took you and your partner for dirty cops."

"You were wrong." Hutch snapped, glancing back over at Starsky who was looking more and more desperate, breathing heavily as his fingers started slipping. Hutch stepped toward him, but the guns trained on him.

"Take another step and I'll shoot both of you," Stryker said. "Now, perhaps we can come to some sort of agreement."

Sirens could be heard outside now, and Dobey straightened up. "Perhaps we can."

Uniformed officers poured in and surrounded Stryker and his men, all of whom didn't bother with much of a struggle.

Hutch stowed his gun instantly and rushed to Starsky, just as his fingers began to slip.

"Hutch," he gasped breathlessly.

"I gotcha," Hutch said, grabbing Starsky around the hips and lifting. Starsky groaned in relief and pain both, and sagged against Hutch as the blond took his weight with a grunt.

"You can let go, buddy, I've got ya," he said softly, then turned to yell to the other officers. "Hey! We need some help over here."

Starsky gave a relived groan as his hands slipped from the chain and slid down to wrap around Hutch's shoulders to steady himself. He awkwardly ran a shaking hand over Hutch's head in silent thanks.

"Hurry!" Hutch shouted frantically as the others finally finished with the criminals and hurried over.

"You got him, Hutchinson?" Dobey asked as he came up, to which Hutch nodded in reply. "I called for an ambulance." He reached up and patted Starsky's back. "Hang in there, Starsky, we'll get you down soon."

The detective huffed and Hutch shifted Starsky's weight slightly to make sure he didn't slip. Starsky wasn't able to hold on as well as he could with one arm out of commission and the other dead from holding his own weight for an indeterminate amount of time.

"Hey, put your legs around my waist if you can," he coaxed gently as two police officers brought over a stepladder and some bolt cutters.

"You sayin' I'm heavy?" Starsky murmured in pretend offence.

Hutch huffed a breathless laugh. "Told you to lay off the burgers, buddy. Come on, I've got ya."

Starsky took a deep breath and with a bit more effort than it should have taken, got his legs up and anchored around Hutch's waist, making him a little easier to hold onto.

"People are gonna talk," Starsky muttered against the top of his head.

Hutch huffed another laugh and adjusted his grip so he had a more secure hold on his partner. He glanced up at the officer who was now on the stepladder, inspecting the best way to cut the chain.

"Take it out as close as you can to the hook," Dobey told him. "That way it doesn't pull on it when it falls." He turned to Hutch. "You good? You still got him?"

"Of course, Cap'n," Hutch said as if it was a stupid question. What was that song, 'he ain't heavy, he's my brother'? Starsky had held his own weight for long enough, Hutch could do it for a few more minutes.

It was only a few more seconds before the chain was cut, the links clinking free and finally Starsky wasn't at risk of being hung just from the hook in his shoulder anymore.

Dobey and another policeman instantly helped Hutch lower the injured detective to the ground where Hutch instantly followed, propping Starsky up against his chest in a way that wouldn't put any pressure or allow anything to scrape against the garish hook still sticking from his shoulder.

Starsky groaned as he settled, one hand weakly reaching up to clutch at Hutch's coat, breathing heavily as his eyes slid shut from the pain.

"You hurt anywhere else?" Hutch asked, instinctively making a gentle examination, fingers sliding through Starsky's blood matted hair to search for bumbs. There was one on the back of his head, but the dark-haired detective didn't seem to have suffered a concussion. Frankly, Hutch thought that was the least of his worries.

"Huh-uh," Starsky hummed in negative. "Jus' tried to take me fishin'."

Hutch huffed a laugh at his partner's incessant joking, and pulled him a little closer, finally allowing himself to feel a little relief. "It'll be okay. You know, Starsk, when I was a kid, I got a fishhook stuck through my hand?"

"Ya tryin' ta make me feel better?" Starsky grumbled.

Hutch smirked. "Maybe. Is it working?"

"What d'ya think?"

The sound of sirens hailed the arrival of the ambulance and Hutch felt even more relief flood through him. "Hey, just a couple more minutes and you'll be on your way to the hospital."

"Hmm," Starsky murmured.

Dobey had already gone out to meet them and soon the EMTs were rushing in with the gurney and loaded Starsky up with Hutch's help.

Hutch didn't even hesitate to climb into the ambulance with his partner.

"I'll meet you at the hospital," Dobey called to him and Hutch nodded as the back was closed up and he took his seat close enough that Starsky knew he was there, and far enough away to give the EMTs room to work.

When they got to the hospital, they took Starsky away for surgery and left Hutch hanging, feeling like he was cut adrift.

He didn't even realize he was still just standing there in the middle of the waiting room until Captain Dobey appeared behind him, startling him back to reality.

"Anything?" he asked.

Hutch swallowed and shook his head. "No, they just took him back. Didn't tell me anything."

Dobey gave him a sympathetic look. "Why don't you sit down and I'll grab us some coffee?"

Hutch nodded jerkily and finally moved over to the uncomfortable seats. He sat, but couldn't stay still. His leg jiggled and his hands were shaking. He couldn't seem to stop them.

He couldn't stop thinking about how things could have gone so, so much worse. If they'd gotten there a few minutes later, they could have found Starsky in a far worse condition than they had.

"You doing okay?"

He glanced up as Dobey reappeared, two Styrofoam cups in his hands. He set one on the table beside Hutch instead of handing it to him as if realizing he might spill it in his condition.

"Y-yeah, I…god." Hutch lowered his face in his hands. "I just keep thinking…"

Dobey sat next to him and nodded grimly. "Me too. But he's safe, and that's what matters now. And we got Stryker."

Hutch finally looked up again, rubbing his face wearily. "Yeah, we did. Finally." He finally turned toward his captain seeing the faraway expression on the other man's face and felt terrible suddenly, having almost forgotten Dobey's own vendetta against Stryker.

"Captain," he said softly. "I'm sorry about what happened to your partner."

Dobey inhaled slowly but he turned to Hutch with a small smile. "Me too. But he's finally seeing justice done. And I'm glad we were able to save yours."

"Me too," Hutch whispered, not even wanting to entertain the thought of what would have happened if they'd walked in on a different outcome.

Dobey squeezed his shoulder briefly before a doctor came out and glanced toward Hutch.

"Are you Hutchinson?" he asked.

Hutch was on his feet instantly. "Yeah, how's my partner?"

"Mr. Starsky will be fine," the doctor assured him. "The hook mostly went through muscle, and we don't think there's any nerve damage. He will take a while to heal fully, but with the right care, he should make a full recovery."

Hutch sagged in relief at this news and Dobey nodded. "Thank you, doctor."

"When can I see him?" Hutch asked, needing to see for himself that Starsky was safe and sound.

"He's in recovery now, but as soon as he's transferred to his own room, you can go see him," the doctor assured him.

Hutch nodded, and tried to sit and drink his coffee until that time.

Dobey turned to him. "I need to get back to the office, see if we know yet who actually took the cocaine."

Hutch had completely forgotten that the case wasn't actually over yet. "Do you…"

But Dobey was already shaking his head. "He'll need you here when he wakes up. You two did all the legwork anyway. I think we can handle the rest." He squeezed Hutch's shoulder before he left.

Hutch sat back with a little relief that he wouldn't have to leave but it still felt like an eternity before the doctor came back to show him to Starsky's room.

His stomach was still roiling uncomfortably as he walked in and saw his partner unconscious in the bed, but he calmed a bit as he recognized that Starsky was sleeping peacefully, despite the large swatch of bandages around his shoulder and chest, his arm in a sling resting on top of the blankets. He carefully sat down in a chair that was pulled to the side of the bed, not wanting to disturb him.

"He should sleep for a few hours," the doctor said. "Can we get you anything?"

"No, no I'm fine." And he was now. Now that he knew Starsky was going to be all right.

He reached out and readjusted the dark-haired man's blankets, knowing Starsky got cold easily. The tension finally started to leave his body and he relaxed into the chair, leaning back as he simply contented himself with watching over his partner. For the moment, they deserved a much-needed break. The bag guy was caught and even though it would take several weeks for Starsky to recover, they could get through it.

Hutch felt like they could get through anything at the moment now that he knew Starsky was alive.

Now all he had to do was wait and be there when he woke up.

Starsky drifted through the muzziness of drugged sleep, not quite sure where he was or what had happened.

He tried to peel his eyes open but his sight was just blurry, and as he shifted, a pain lanced through his left shoulder.

That was when he remembered the meat plant and the hook they'd hung him on…

He groaned, trying to bring his hands up and reach for the chain. He had to hold on or that hook might rip straight through his shoulder. He had to wait until Hutch got there. He would be there, he knew it.

But someone caught his searching hand and squeezed. "Hey, welcome back."

Starsky again attempted to blink the blurriness from his eyes, searching for the familiar face that went along with the voice. "Hu'ch?"

The hand squeezed his again. "I'm here, partner."

Starsky groaned again. "Ugh, hurts."

"Stop trying to move your arm then," Hutch chided, and Starsky felt a hand descend on his other arm too, which he had been trying to move in vain. Hutch rubbed his forearm gently and as Starsky finally stilled the limb, most of the pain subsided.

"Still in me?" he asked, blinking again and this time was able to see more. Hutch's blond head came into view at last, leaning over him.

"Nope, the doc took it out and you're gonna be fine. As long as you don't try to use that arm too much too soon."

"Mm," Starsky murmured and finally was able to see enough to realize that they weren't in the warehouse anymore, just a hospital room. Hutch settled back in a chair now that he seemed to realize Starsky wasn't going to try to get up again, and gave him a small smile, still clutching his free hand as if to anchor both of them.

"Hey," Starsky said after a long moment. "Thanks. For getting there when you did. Was almost ready to give up."

Hutch looked down, swallowing hard. "Wish I could have gotten there quicker."

It was Starsky's turn to give his hand a squeeze. "You did okay, blondie. Hey, I'm here, aren't I?"

Hutch smiled again and squeezed back. "Yeah."

Starsky settled deeper into the pillow, feeling tired, and safe. He allowed his eyes to slide shut and knew that when he woke his partner would still be there at his side. It was always nice to know that whatever happened you had someone who was there to watch your back.