CHAPTER 31

Three days passed without any change in Hutch's condition. Then, gradually, he began to show signs of regaining consciousness. At first it was just a twitch of a muscle in his cheek and a rolling of his eyes under closed lids, but as time passed, his movements became more restless as he fought his way back to the land of the living.

Captain Dobey was with Hutch when he finally opened his eyes. The big blond looked around, a puzzled frown creasing his brow. Realizing what he was searching for, Dobey gently reached out and touched the back of Hutch's hand.

"He's not here, Ken. You're still in New York."

"Starsky," Hutch hissed in a raspy voice as he tried to push himself up in the bed. "He needs me…"

It didn't take much effort for Dobey to push the weakened man back into the bed, he said soothingly,

"You need to rest. You've been shot."

"I need to get to Starsky!" Hutch declared stubbornly. "He needs me,"

"As soon as the doctor says you're strong enough to travel, I'll take you back to Bay City personally." Dobey reassured him. "In the meantime, can you tell me what happened to you?"

"Nicky…he's working for the Salvado family. He helped them frame Starsky…" Hutch said breathlessly "It was all an elaborate set up to get even with Starsky for something that happened when he was a kid."

"Who shot you?"

"One of Salvado's men…on his orders."

"Are they the ones that beat you up?"

"No," Hutch said with a bitter smile "Nicky did that. The little prick is all fucked up. He hates me almost as much as he hates his own brother. Did you pick him up?"

"Actually, Nicky is here in the hospital too. He was shot just like you but his condition isn't good. The doctors don't think that he will come out of the coma. But, he gave us a statement that implicates Salvado before he slipped away."

"Is that enough to get Starsky a new trial?" Hutch questioned hopefully.

"Lew's working on it. He's getting a summation together to present to the judge."

"I have to get back there!" Hutch said, trying to push himself up in the bed again despite the wave of dizziness that swept over him. He collapsed back against the pillows and looked at his commanding officer solemnly, his eyes filled with fear. "Starsky…I need Starsky…"

"I know." Dobey said gently "Try to rest and I'll talk to the doctor to see how soon we can get you out of here." He knew that he couldn't hide Starsky's condition from Hutch much longer and as soon as Hutch found out that Starsky was in a coma, no power on earth would keep the blond from finding his way to his partner's side. He watched as Hutch's eyes drifted shut as he fell into an exhausted, but natural, sleep.

Two days passed. Hutch rapidly regained his strength and became more agitated and restless, insisting that he needed to return to Bay City to be with Starsky. Even though the news of Starsky's condition had been carefully kept from him, it was as if Hutch still knew that his partner and friend was in some kind of trouble. Finally, the doctor agreed to release Hutch from the hospital as long as he followed his discharge instructions. He was cleared to return to Bay City on the condition that he immediately checked in with his own doctor.

Before they left for the airport, Dobey told Hutch that Lew had successfully petitioned the court for a new hearing for Starsky based on the evidence Hutch had uncovered in New York. He wisely waited until they were on board the plane and in the air to tell Hutch about Starsky's condition. As expected, the blond did not take the news well.

"WHAT? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THIS BEFORE!" Hutch demanded harshly, his pale blue eyes burning with an inner fire. "YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO KEEP SOMETHING LIKE THAT FROM ME!"

"I was more concerned about your condition at the time," Dobey said calmly "And getting you well enough to get you back to that partner of yours."

Hutch took a deep breath to compose himself and exhaled slowly. Finally, he said in a deceptively quiet voice, "I knew he needed me…I could feel it."

"Because of the circumstances surrounding the case, Lew got permission from the judge for Huggy to stay with him until you get there." Dobey told him. Hutch nodded and smiled in gratitude. If he couldn't be there at the moment, Huggy Bear was the next best thing.

The rest of the flight passed uneventfully. As soon as the plane landed at LAX, Hutch demanded to be taken straight to the hospital to see Starsky. Dobey had a black and white waiting for them and instructed the driver to take them there. When they arrived, Hutch unerringly made his way to the prison ward and found his way to his partner's side.

Starsky was lying in the hospital bed. An IV ran into the back of his left hand and a second tube snaked out from beneath the sheet that led to a bag hanging on the bedrail that was filled with urine. Other than that, Starsky appeared to be peacefully sleeping.

"Man, am I glad to see you." Huggy Bear said, bouncing to his feet and smiling broadly when he saw Hutch stride into the room. "Maybe now sleeping beauty here will decide to wake up."

Hutch immediately moved to his partner's side and reached out to rub his shoulder gently. "Hey, buddy…" he said in that quiet, soft voice he reserved solely for his partner at times like this. "I'm here now. Hutch is here."

Everyone watched as Starsky's head turned towards the sound of his partner's voice. His eyelids fluttered and a sliver of blue could be seen as Starsky struggled to open his eyes. Finally, his gaze focused on Hutch's face and a crooked smile tugged at his lips.

"Hutch," he whispered "What took you so long?" His eyes drifted shut again and he fell into a peaceful sleep, his chest rising and falling slowly with each breath.

Hutch smiled and settled into the chair beside the bed. Everyone in the room knew that he was settling in for the duration of Starsky's stay in the hospital. Dobey and Huggy exchanged a smile. Things were back to normal with Starsky and Hutch. Now that they were toether again, they could both begin to heal from their separate ordeals. With one final glance at their two friends, Dobey and Huggy left the room.

Three weeks later, Starsky stood in a courtroom and listened as a new judge reviewed the evidence in his case. Holding his breath, he listened as the judge ruled in his favor, overturning his conviction and granting him his freedom. Chaos immediately broke out in the courtroom as reporters rushed out to file their stories with their editors and Starsky's friends and colleagues gathered around him to congratulate him. Hutch grabbed him in a heartfelt embrace, both men overjoyed at the verdict.

Salvado and his cronies had all been formally charged with a variety of offenses, including jury tampering, falsifying evidence, and bribing public officials. Nick Starsky had also been charged for his part in the scam, although it was doubtful that he would ever go to trial while he remained in a coma. With enough money to pay for the best lawyers available, it could be years before Salvado saw the inside of a courtroom but at least his organization had been seriously damaged by the investigation.

All that was left now was for Starsky to pick up the shattered pieces of his life. But, he knew that he had Hutch beside him no matter what happened. Hutch knew that Starsky wasn't sure if he wanted to return to the police force and Hutch was willing to sit back and let him make the right decision for himself. Dobey knew that if Starsky didn't return to the force, Hutch would quit too and he would lose two of the best men he had ever had the privilege to work with. Starsky had a lot to overcome but Dobey knew that he would succeed as long as he had Hutch on his side. Together, as always, the two men would face whatever life had to throw at them and overcome any obstacles that stood in their way. Their future might be uncertain, but together they were still a force to be reckoned with. They were still Me and Thee and always would be.

THE END