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Obligatory disclaimer: This story is written for entertainment purposes only. No profit is being made from it. No infringement on anyone's copyright is intended.

Part One

Derailed, Part Two
by
Sue David
03/2001

Hutch knelt down mumbling miserably, "No, Starsk. Not now. No. Please!" He reached for the hand the paramedic had just released. Something wasn't right. He touched the hand and realized what he was seeing. He spun around to the paramedic next to him and said, "That's not him. That's not my partner!"

Dobey walked up behind him and said, "Hutch, come on now, let them get Starsky out of there." He assumed Hutch was just having a meltdown.

"No, Cap, look. That is not Starsky. No rings, and the hand is much too small."

Dobey looked and immediately realized Hutch was right. He yelled for the fire crew, "Get those firefighters back over here. My man is still trapped in this car!"

Working together, the firefighters, paramedics, and Hutch got the body of an unknown man out of the car. They saw a large laceration on the man's leg that probably had caused him to bleed to death from the major leg artery. Dobey held Hutch back so one of the paramedics could crawl into the car after his partner. Hutch was barely maintaining control, his heart racing as a few tense seconds seemed like an eternity. Please, God. Let him be alright.

His heart leaped when he heard the man call out, "I've got a pulse, bring me a collar and the back board!"

Once the paramedics had a collar on Starsky they tried to pull him out of the car, but he was stuck. Even though the car was upside down, the collapsed steering column still had Starsky pinned by the abdomen against the upside down floor of the car. His ankle was jammed between the drive shaft and the gear shift box. The firefighters would have to cut and pry the twisted metal away from him. Starsky was bleeding heavily from a deep wound on his right wrist where the twisted metal had cut into him. The paramedics worked frantically to keep Starsky from bleeding out in the car before the firefighters could free him. They were worried that any internal bleeding might be made worse by releasing the pressure from the steering column, but there was no other choice. Unfortunately, the other man had bled out all over the inside of the car as well as out onto the concrete. The paramedics could not tell what blood was his and what was Starsky's.

After the metal was cut away, the paramedics carefully maneuvered Starsky out of the car and onto a backboard. Hutch was relieved to see his partner was breathing, but he was a mess. Covered with blood and unconscious, Starsky's face was swollen, bruised, and cut on both sides. In addition to the wound to his wrist, he had countless glass cuts, and an obviously broken arm. Hutch watched as they checked his partner's vital signs. His blood pressure was low and his pulse thready.

Hutch attempted to climb into the ambulance with his partner, but the one of the firefighters stopped him. "Sorry, they need room to work. He's in bad shape and if anything happens on the way to the Memorial you don't want to be in the way."

Hutch stood back just as he heard the other paramedic shout, "He's not breathing. I'm gonna bag him!"

The firefighter pushed Hutch out of the way and climbed in to assist. "Drive, drive, we need to get there NOW!" he shouted as he slammed the door. Hutch was frantic, but Dobey held him back out of the way. The paramedic unit screamed away from the scene.

Dobey shook Hutch gently and said, "Hutch, come on now. We'll follow in my car."

The blond man reluctantly agreed, allowing himself to be led away by his captain.

Before he got into the car, Dobey barked a few orders at the uniformed officers. "You men get up there and interview the train engineer. Then get the Torino towed to the precinct so the lab boys can have a crack at it. Oh and get me the identity of the man who was in the car with Detective Starsky." Captain Dobey was having a difficult time believing that Starsky wound up in front of that train because of his own carelessness. Starsky was a sharp cop and an excellent driver.

Dobey slapped the Mars light on the roof of his car and peeled off in the wake of the paramedic unit, siren blaring.

Captain Dobey pulled up to the Emergency Room entrance to let Hutch out and then he went to park the car. Starsky had been taken into a trauma room and the staff would not let Hutch go back there to him. When Dobey reached him, he was sitting in a sullen heap on the floor against the wall opposite the trauma area. He sat staring at the trauma room doors, listening to the frantic attempts to save his partner's life. As Dobey walked up to Hutch, a nurse walked out of the trauma room, giving the two men a brief glance of the activity inside. Starsky's clothes had been cut off and they lay on the floor in a bloody heap.

The nurse spoke to Dobey, "Are you here with Mr. Starsky?"

Hutch jumped up and cut his captain off saying, "I'm his partner. We're here for him."

She held out Starsky's gun and badge for Hutch to take. "You'll want to take custody of these."

Hutch took them and put his hand out to stop her when she turned back toward the trauma room. "Is he breathing?"

She patted his hand gently and nodded the affirmative. "Someone will come out and let you know what's happening in a little while." Hutch let her go and she went back to the busy trauma room. He got a brief glimpse of hospital personnel trying to clean his partner up so they could see what was bleeding and how much.

Hutch stood where the nurse had left him. He was staring at Starsky's badge, the leather case soaked with blood. Please let some of that blood be from the other guy.

Dobey took Hutch by the elbow, led him to the waiting area, and pushed him down into a chair. "Hutch, you stay put. I have to call Edith and Huggy. After I do that, I'm going to get you some strong coffee."

Hutch nodded at him.

Captain Dobey hated placing this type of phone call. He was surprised that Huggy hadn't already heard about the accident. He said he would be at the hospital within the hour. Edith was waiting by the phone when he called. "I don't know anything yet, Edith." Dobey said into the phone. "No, he didn't look too good, but at least he is alive. That's more than we thought when I left the house. My God, he was hit by a train!" Dobey took a breath and lowered his voice. "I'm sorry, baby. I'll call when we know something." Before he went after the coffee he looked back down the hall at his other detective. Still sitting where he was told. Good, Hutch. Let them help your partner and stay out of the way.

Hutch was grateful that he couldn't hear everything that was going on in that room anymore. He watched though as units of blood were brought to the trauma room and hospital staff rushed in and out in the bustle of activity to get his partner stabilized. He sat wondering how this could have happened. Who was that man who had died in the Torino? Oh, God, the Torino! Even if Starsky survived, the car was dead. Totaled. Starsky would be so angry. Thinking that way was giving him hope that Starsky would be around to be upset about the loss of his car.

When the doctor came out to talk to them an hour later, Hutch was not sure what to make of his expression. Like a criminal trying to guess whether a jury was going to rule him guilty or innocent, Hutch studied his face as he walked down the hall toward them. Was Starsky alive or dead?

"For David Starsky?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm Ken Hutchinson, his partner. This is Captain Dobey and Huggy Bear. How is he, Doc?"

"Extremely lucky so far," came the unexpected reply. "I don't want you to get your hopes up prematurely, Mr. Hutchinson, but we've had some breaks already."

The doctor sat down and motioned for the three men to do the same. "The best news is that he has had no spinal cord injury. We were told there was another man in the car who bled out at the scene. Although your partner also lost a lot of blood, we believe most of what we saw on initial examination came from the other man."

Hutch sighed some relief and relaxed just a little. The doctor continued, "Mr. Starsky was covered in some kind of soot and his lungs show evidence of smoke inhalation. Was there a fire at the scene?"

This was news to Captain Dobey. Hutch's face flushed as he answered, "Uh, uh, no, Doc. We pulled some people out of a fire earlier this evening. He got the brunt of the smoke and heat." He shot his best, "I was going to tell you about this," look at Dobey then continued, "He also burned his hand in the fire. Nothing too serious though. I wanted him to come in for a check, but he refused. The paramedics administered oxygen at the scene."

The doctor nodded. This wasn't Mr. Starsky's night.

The news was not all good though. The doctor continued and told the two men that Starsky did have head injuries. His right eye orbit was fractured where something heavy had struck him in the face. They were concerned he might lose vision in the eye or lose the eye completely. He also had a hairline skull fracture on the left side of his head. His left forearm was snapped at the wrist and his right ankle was fractured. The doctor believed his tendons and ligaments were also torn in the ankle. That was not the worst of the news though.

"Your friend is bleeding internally. He is on his way up to surgery now. We suspect he has a lacerated liver. The paramedics tell us he was pinned by the steering wheel of the car. If we are correct, this is a serious injury. We just won't know anything until he comes out of surgery."

Hutch was pale and starting to tremble when he asked, "Doc, what are his chances?"

"I know you don't want to hear this, but we really can't say at this time. He does have a minor skull fracture that we will have to watch closely for signs of brain involvement. The pupil in his left eye is still reacting to light. The right eye has deteriorated since he was brought in and we can't know for certain yet if it is the head injury or the trauma to the eye area that is causing that. I wish I could give you more hope, but right now we just have to wait and see." The doctor promised to keep them informed of Starsky's progress and he stood to leave.

Hutch called after the doctor, "Doc. Please don't let him die."

The surgery revealed exactly what the trauma surgeons feared. Starsky had a lacerated liver and there were tears in surrounding blood vessels. They were able to repair the damage. When they explained the surgery to Hutch, Dobey, and Huggy they cautioned that liver injuries could be tricky. They would have to watch him closely for signs that hemorrhaging had resumed. Starsky would be transferred to the ICU soon and his condition was listed as critical. He was in a coma and they would continue to monitor him for signs of increased intracranial pressure from his head trauma. An ophthalmologist was being brought up to evaluate Starsky's eye injury and an orthopedist would be looking at making repairs to his fractured ankle. The wrist break only needed to be set and casted.

The trauma surgeon could see from the distraught look on Hutch's face that the litany of injuries and treatment plans was getting to him. He looked overwhelmed. The doctor had dealt with enough families to know that the men who were there for David Starsky wanted to know what kind of odds he had for survival. Estimating those odds for families was a necessary part of his job that he really did not enjoy. "I know this is a lot to take in all at once. We are doing everything we can to help him. I realize this sounds bad and it is serious. Hold onto this though. When the paramedics brought him in, I wouldn't have given him much of a chance. We have things under control though and I think we stand about a 60% chance of pulling him through this. I'm sorry it is still a wait-and-see game, but we'll know more over the next 24-48 hours."

"When can I see him, Doc?"

The doctor looked closely at the blond man before answering. His instincts were telling him to allow this man more latitude than he ordinarily would. "Can you stay out of the way?" Hutch nodded. "Alright, as soon as he is out of Recovery and in the ICU I'll send someone to get you. Be prepared though, he is likely to remain unconscious for an extended period. I don't want you to expect too much."

"Thank you."

After the doctor left, Hutch put his head down in his hands and said, "We've been this way too many times."

Now that they had some news about Starsky, Captain Dobey was determined to get to the bottom of the chain of events that had led them there. Hutch explained how the evening had gone. He filled Dobey and Huggy in on everything that had happened to them from when they investigated the murder at the mission to when Starsky dropped him off at his place a little before 10:00 p.m. He had no idea who the man in the car was. The three men speculated about how the accident could have happened but they did not come up with any answers.

"Cap, I want to talk to anyone who might have been a witness to the accident. Can you call in and find out what the train engineer had to say? Huggy, can you get the word out that I want anyone who knows anything to come forward with it?"

The other two men recognized the shift in Hutch from worried friend to relentless investigator. They knew how he could be in these situations and they were relieved that Hutch would have something to think about other than the grim situation his best friend was in at the moment. Investigating the accident might take some of the edge off Hutch's feelings of helplessness. Both men nodded their agreement.

They would not be able to see Starsky for hours. Hutch agreed to go home for some sleep, then into the precinct to find out what the lab team had turned up on the Torino. Dobey would stay at the hospital until he returned and he promised to call if anything happened. Torn between staying and leaving for a while, Hutch decided he wanted to be awake and functional when the time came that he could be with Starsky. He also needed to get a handle on what had happened in the accident. Finding out who the dead man was would be a top priority.

When Hutch walked through the precinct parking garage the next morning, he saw the mangled Torino in a repair bay. The lab team was still pouring over it. He walked over to talk to the crew working on it. They had not come up with any cause of the accident yet, but they did have some interesting information.

Mike Stemmons, the crew chief, said, "All of the prints we found belonged either to you, Starsky, or the dead passenger. We haven't found any evidence of tampering with the engine or the brake lines." He gave Hutch a small box containing all the personal items from inside the car. "One odd thing we found, at some point the ignition had been turned off and the keys were found in the back seat. The only prints on the keys belonged to Starsky."

That was odd. Hutch would have to think about that. He thanked them and told them to let him know if they turned up anything useful. Before he left the bay, he made a closer inspection of the car. What a mess. The train had chewed up the entire right side. The initial impact looked to have been on the right rear of the car just behind the passenger door. He carefully crawled in through the door the firefighters had pried open and noted the drive shaft's presence inside the car, the compacted steering column with its broken steering wheel, and the police radio sitting in the front seat. One corner of it was caked in dried blood and it had some dark, curly hair stuck to its side. All of the windows were broken and glass was scattered throughout the passenger compartment. The roof was compacted down almost level with bottoms of the windows. The driver's seat back was broken, but the passenger seat was still intact. The car smelled of drying blood, motor oil, and gasoline. He shook his head in amazement that anyone who had been in that car when the train hit it had survived the initial impact.

Hutch stopped in the squad room and called the hospital to speak with Captain Dobey. "Any change, Cap?"

"The orthopedic doc looked at his ankle and she tells me they are going to have to do another surgery to repair the damage to the ligaments. They don't want to risk that right now so they'll immobilize it and leave it alone until he is more stable."

"What about his eye?"

"The ophthalmologist will be over to see him when they move him out of Recovery."

"Why the hell is he still in Recovery?" The other detectives in the squad room looked up at Hutch.

Captain Dobey hesitated, but told Hutch they had had a few tense moments where Starsky's blood pressure took a nosedive. He was going to call for Hutch to come back to the hospital, but they got it back under control quickly. That delayed Starsky's move to the ICU.

Hutch was angry, "You should have called me!" he yelled at the phone.

"Calm down!" he yelled back, drawing angry stares from the nurses nearby. "I didn't have a chance before they took care of it. Hutch, everything happened too fast. Nothing you could do about it even if you were here. If nothing else happens they're going to move him to the ICU in a couple of hours. You've got to trust me to watch over him, you can't be everywhere at once!"

Hutch took a deep breath. "Sorry, Cap."

"Go ahead and do what you need to and get back over here." Captain Dobey sounded tired and Hutch realized he had probably not slept.

Hutch hung up the phone. The squad room was unusually quiet and everyone was afraid to ask Hutch how his partner was. He could see it on their faces so he decided to volunteer. "He's still in Recovery. They're sending him to the ICU in a couple of hours."

The other police officers nodded and looked grateful for the information. Detective Simmons asked Hutch, "Is there anything we can do for you, Hutch?"

Hutch's initial reaction was to say there wasn't. Then Captain Dobey's words came back to haunt him and he had to admit that he was right. The robbery case was getting more complicated and Starsky's accident was certain to be related. He needed help and he was alone without his partner. "Yeah, thanks. Can you go over to the hospital and interview the Phans? They're the people from the fire last night. I want to know what they saw. "

Simmons nodded. "What happened to Starsky out there?"

"I don't know, but it has to be related to this case somehow." Before Hutch could continue, his phone started to ring. He picked it up immediately, fearing it was someone from the hospital. "Hutchinson, talk to me."

The voice on the other end of the phone said, "Detective Hutchinson, this is Tod Armor from the Bay City Times. I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me about Detective Starsky's accident last night and I understand you are his partner."

"Look, I really don't have time for this right now."

"I promise it will only take a minute. I'm working on a story about the accident for the afternoon edition."

Hutch took a deep breath and said, "I have no comment."

He started to hang up when Tod Armor said, "Wait, I was just wondering if you have any feeling about whether your partner might have been trying to commit suicide?"

Simmons watched as Hutch's face quickly turned several colors and his eyes flashed with a blind fury he had seen in Hutch before when his partner was in danger. "Wh-WHAT!?" he shouted. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"

Armor continued, "Can you confirm some information from a source who states that the car was turned off when the train struck it?"

Hutch shouted back, "You can go straight to hell, Armor!" and he slammed down the phone so hard it cracked the plastic.

Simmons could see Hutch was very near a massive explosion. "Hutch, calm down, man. What is it? What did he say?"

The furious detective was up and pacing around the room. "Son of a bitch!" was his only reply as he used his hands to swipe everything off his desk onto the squad room floor. "Son of a bitch!" he repeated. Everyone was looking at him, afraid to move.

Simmons put his hands up in a "calm down" motion as he said, "Hutch, take a breath. Tell me what that was about."

Hutch was shaking with anger, but he tried to calm down and answer Simmons. He righted the chair he had knocked over, sat down, and put his head in his hands. "Dammit, Simmons, why do reporters have to be such jerks?" One of the other detectives brought Hutch a cup of water and they patiently waited for him to continue. "Somehow the press found out Starsky turned the car off at some point. Now they wanna know if he was trying to off himself."

Everyone in the squad room was stunned. Hutch was right, that was ridiculous. Now they were all angry.

Hutch continued, "That Tod Armor better hope he doesn't print that crap or he will have me to deal with." Hutch bent down to pick up the things he had scattered to the floor. "Simmons, the Phan's are at Memorial. Please get any information you can on the perps. We need to beef up patrols in the neighborhood, too. Starsky and I were going to cruise there in the afternoons and evenings hoping to catch them. Oh yeah, and there's a Russian guy who owns a restaurant across the street from the dry cleaners, Janek Goletz. I radioed in the make, model, and partial plate of the car he saw the perps use last night. Can you please check if that has turned any possibles?"

Hutch explained the facts of the case including Pastor Hansen's murder and Starsky's accident. That just could not be a coincidence, but he needed proof. He asked Simmons to tell Dobey he'd be back at the hospital to relieve him in an hour or two. Now he wanted to talk to the uniforms on the scene the night before to find out what the witnesses had told them. After that he would go to the morgue to check out the dead man.

Although he hadn't noticed, the men in the squad room had all gathered around to listen to Hutch's instructions to Simmons. They were all worried about Starsky and they wanted to help. The men had been discussing that when Hutch showed up at the station. They also knew Hutch. He needed to be with his partner, but he also needed to find out who hurt Starsky.

Simmons explained this to him. "Hutch, we all want to help you with this case. We all want to help nail whoever did this to Starsky. I hope you'll let us. We'll work it in, anything you want us to take on, just name it."

Hutch was touched. He and Starsky usually worked alone, but this was more than a Me and Thee time. This time it needed to be. Hutch nodded his thanks. "I'll be in touch."

The previous night at the accident scene was a grisly blur to Hutch. He could not remember the names or faces of any of the uniforms he saw there. After finding out who had been on the scene, Hutch started making his calls from one of the interrogation rooms. He was frustrated to find out that all of the witnesses had been in front of the accident. None were behind the Torino at the crossing. The witnesses all confirmed there was a red light at the intersection and the cars were backed up all the way to the tracks. Even the man from the white sedan hadn't seen Starsky's car until he noticed the Torino's headlights barreling toward him. He saw the headlights and thought the Torino would slam into him. Then the car turned toward the right as if Starsky was trying to get up onto the shoulder. That was when the train hit.

The one witness Hutch most wanted to hear from had not been interviewed. The officer who attempted to interview the train's engineer told Hutch the man was too upset to talk about the accident at the scene. He was so shaken he couldn't speak. The rail company had to send another engineer out to move the train into the next station. The engineer had been taken to another hospital and released to his home under sedation. Hutch got his name and address then moved on to the morgue.

A preliminary autopsy on the dead man from Starsky's car revealed he had died from exsanguination. His femoral artery was severed by something during the crash. Even if he hadn't bled to death though, the man had sustained a broken neck and he probably would have died within a short time. Hutch was glad the accident had happened when Starsky was on the way to Venice Place, instead of on the way back to his own apartment. Otherwise, he would have been the one on the side the train struck.

The man was identified as Phan Nguyen. Phan? Hutch wondered if he could be related to the family they had rescued the previous night. His personal effects did not reveal any reason why he might have been in the Torino with Starsky on the way back toward Hutch's place.

Back in his car, Hutch finally had time to go through the things the lab team had given to him from inside the Torino. He didn't expect to find anything enlightening in there, but they were Starsky's things so he sat in the car and looked through the small box anyway. The shoebox-sized collection contained Starsky's keys and the contents of his glove box--registration, title, insurance information, a tire pressure gage, flashlight, owner's manual, service records book, a Pez dispenser, a couple of pictures of Hutch, one of the two of them together, and a single cassette tape. The tape had "Hutch" written on the front of it in Starsky's handwriting next to the date from the last amateur night he had played. The night he met what's-her-name as Starsky so eloquently called her. He smiled at that. Ah, buddy, you recorded me? Crying softly, Hutch sat with his head on his hands leaning against the steering wheel, trying to regain his composure. When he thought he had it back together he started the car and headed for Memorial.

When Captain Dobey took a break to go get a candy bar and a newspaper, he had an unpleasant surprise. As he exited the elevator into the hospital lobby a reporter approached him.

The reporter addressed him, "Captain Dobey, can I have a word with you about the accident?"

Dobey didn't have the chance to yell at the man because hospital security descended on him immediately. They ushered him out the front door where Dobey could see a large gathering of reporters and camera crews. The surprised captain went into the gift shop and picked up his copy of the local paper. The front page of the Bay City Times had a picture of the wrecked Torino on it.

The caption read "Police officer's car destroyed in mysterious fatality tangle with train."

Oh, Geez.

The article was much worse. The headline read "One Dead in Crash with Cop." The byline belonged to Tod Armor.

He continued to read,

"Last night, a car driven by local Bay City police officer Detective Sergeant David Starsky was struck by a train at an unguarded crossing. The car was dragged down the tracks and it landed on its roof at the Delaney Street culvert near Ocean Blvd. Detective Starsky's unidentified passenger was dead at the scene. A source inside Metro headquarters refused to comment on whether or not the accident was a suicide attempt. The police officer is listed in critical condition at Memorial Hospital."

Dobey was stunned. What a crock! What idiot gave them that idea? His thoughts immediately went to what it would do to Hutch when he saw that article. He knew he had to get to Hutch before that happened. He found a phone and called to be patched through to the detective.

Pulling into the parking lot, Hutch noticed there were reporters hanging around the front entrance to the hospital. Somehow, he knew they had something to do with Starsky. He drove around the back of the hospital to park his car, grateful that it was a nondescript vehicle and the reporters had not seen him.

As he was getting out of the car his radio signaled a call. "Zebra 3, this is Control, please respond."

Hutch answered the call, "This is Zebra 3, go ahead."

The dispatcher replied, "Patch through from Captain Dobey."

Hutch held his breath hoping it wasn't bad news about Starsky.

"Hutch, this is Dobey."

"What happened? Is he okay?"

"Yes, nothing has changed. Hutch, the front of the hospital is crawling with reporters. They're probably waiting for you."

"I'm in the parking lot, Cap. Just got here and I saw them. What do they want?"

"Let's talk about that up here. You come on in through the back doors by the loading dock. We're up in the ICU now."

"Got it, be right there. Out." Hutch replaced the mic and headed into the hospital through the back door.

Captain Dobey had already secured a patient consultation room to sit Hutch down and tell him about the article. He knew Hutch would be angry and he wanted him away from prying eyes when it happened. He intercepted his officer as he got off the elevator. "Hutch, come in here with me for a minute, we need to talk."

"I want to see Starsk."

"I know, but you need to come with me first."

Hutch swallowed hard as he reluctantly followed his superior into the private room. When Dobey closed the door behind him Hutch said, "Cap, you're scarin' me here, tell me what's wrong."

Captain Dobey pulled a chair out and sat in it directly in front of the door making himself the proverbial immovable object. "I'm sorry to worry you, but this isn't about your partner's condition. This is about those reporters."

When Hutch read the article, Dobey was afraid he was going to burst a blood vessel right in front of him. He was glad he'd had the foresight to block the door. With his captain refusing to let the angry blond leave the room, he had no choice but to expend his energy by ranting and pacing around in tight circles.

"Dammit, Cap, hasn't he been through enough?" Captain Dobey let him vent until he started to wind down, throwing himself into the corner in a dejected heap. "Cap, I'm the inside source! That jerk Armor called me at the station. I told him I had no comment. I told him to go to hell! Dammit! I'm gonna make sure he gets my opinion now!"

"No, you're not. You stay away from him and you stay away from all those reporters. This is mine. I get to give them MY opinion."

Hutch was surprised by the Captain's tone. "But, Cap, he's my partner! I can't let them get away with..."

"This isn't open for discussion. You calm down now. You can't go into Starsky's room like this. He's going to need your strength and you can't go wasting it on a piece of crap like Armor. I'll take care of it."

Hutch agreed and worked hard to calm down like the Captain ordered. When Dobey was sure the storm had passed and Hutch was ready to go to his partner, he stepped away from the door to let him go. Before he walked out, Hutch told him about the conversation he had at the precinct with the other detectives. He told him he hoped that it was okay, but that he had given the other men his go-ahead to help with the investigation.

Dobey had no problem with that. "You just go in and be with your partner. I'll take it from here."

Captain Dobey walked out of the hospital to grant the reporters a press conference. The lights and cameras all turned on and pointed at the large black man. "Captain Dobey, Captain Dobey," they all clamored at once. The question and answer session started immediately.

"Do you know who the man was in the car with your officer?"

"Yes, but we are withholding that information pending notification of his family."

"Captain Dobey, what is Detective Starsky's condition?"

"Detective Starsky is in critical condition."

"Captain Dobey, word is that Detective Starsky was trying to commit suicide by pulling in front of that train. Do you have any idea why he would want to kill himself?"

"I have no idea what would give you reporters the mistaken idea that my detective was trying to hurt himself."

"Captain, a source who was at the scene revealed that the car's engine was turned off and the keys removed. Why else would he do that?"

The captain took a deep breath and said, "I don't know the answer to that yet, but the Metro Police Department is investigating this incident and we will get to the bottom of it. We hope Detective Starsky will be able to tell us himself soon. For now, I'm going to make a general statement about what we know regarding this incident." The reporters were all quiet, waiting to hear what the Captain of Detectives would have to say.

"Last night, Detective Sergeant David Starsky was involved in a tragic incident between his car and a train. Based on his location and the direction he was traveling at the time, we believe he was on his way to his partner's home to discuss details of their current case. Possibly, the dead man was a witness or informant. We may not know that for certain until we can ask Detective Starsky."

Captain Dobey paused for a moment to give the crowd of reporters his most authoritative, "this is how it is" look. Then he continued, "Yesterday was a typically busy day for my detective and his partner. The two men worked over thirteen hours. They started early around 8:00 a.m. and worked on their case until approximately 9:30 p.m. The detectives have been investigating a crime spree in their district for the past few weeks. During the course of the day they interviewed crime victims and witnesses, conducted research on their case, were shot at trying to apprehend a suspect, and they rescued a family from a burning building at great risk to their personal safety. Detective Starsky and his partner are dedicated police officers of the highest integrity. The rumor that Detective Starsky may have tried to kill himself last night is not only unfounded it is purely speculative and completely ridiculous. When I have any additional information to give you, I will let you know." With that, Captain Dobey turned and walked back into the hospital, leaving the stunned reporters in his wake.

Bill Monroe was sleeping in the back of the tow shop when his brother-in-law returned early from his fishing trip. Gary Fowler wanted to check on the shop before he headed home. He noticed something wrong with one of his three trucks. The truck was not parked exactly where he had left it two days ago. Walking around the truck to take a good look at it, Gary noticed the push-bar on the front of the truck was damaged and red paint was scraped on it. He walked into the shop to see if Bill knew anything about it.

Shaking the sleeping man, Gary said, "Wake up, Bill."

When his brother-in-law opened his eyes he said, "Hey, Gar. What are you doing home so soon?"

"Nothin' was biting so I just came on home. What's up with the blue truck? Looks like it was in an accident."

"Dunno, Gar. As far as I know, nothing has been happening out there. I haven't been here all the time though."

Gary looked into Bill's dark eyes. Bill was off balance and it was hard to read him at times. "You been taking your pills, Bill?"

"Yeah," he lied.

"What about Goletz. You been staying away from him like you promised?"

"Yeah, I ain't bothered him. Le'me go back to sleep. I'm tired."

"Alright, Bill. We can talk tomorrow. I'm going home now."

Gary stopped and looked at his truck again. He knew something had happened and that Bill was probably responsible. He needed to speak with his wife before he took any action though. Gary thought he probably should call the police, but what would he say?

When Hutch walked into Starsky's ICU cubicle he was shocked by what he saw. His friend was still unconscious, and attached to the usual plethora of machines. His left arm was in a cast and the right wrist was wrapped in a thick bandage covering the laceration. His burned hand was also bandaged. The worst part was his swollen face. His left eye was black and his right was patched with gauze. The area around the patch was black all the way up Starsky's forehead and down to his jaw. Apart from the bruising, his face was pale. In addition to the IV solution, a unit of blood was being transfused into his partner. So many hours after surgery, Hutch was worried.

He pulled up a chair next to Starsky's bed and reached out to touch him. Where could he touch that wasn't hurt? Hutch tenderly took Starsky's injured right hand in his. "Hey, buddy. I'm here. Sorry I haven't been here today, but they said I couldn't see you for a while."

Hutch looked up at the machines monitoring his partner's condition. His heartbeat and respiration were still rapid. Starsky looked like he was barely hanging on and Hutch was scared. "Buddy, you gotta listen to me. You just rest there and heal. I need you here with me. Don't go away, okay? I thought you promised me you would stay away from moving trains. What happened, huh? I need you to focus on getting better so you can wake up and tell me what happened." He gently rubbed Starsky's arm while he talked to him.

Hutch hadn't noticed the nurse who entered Starsky's cubicle about twenty minutes after he arrived. She checked Starsky's condition and made some notes on his chart. "You must be Detective Hutchinson."

"Ken, or Hutch is fine."

"Well, Ken or Hutch, whatever you're doing, keep doing it. His heart rate and breathing have slowed down since the last time I checked. You must be doing something right." She smiled at him. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, thanks."

"I'll be right back," she said. When she returned she had an extra pillow and blanket for Hutch. "I'm afraid that chair won't be a very comfortable place to sleep, but at least you can be warm."

Hutch thanked her. "His skin feels pretty cold. Do you think he's warm enough?"

The nurse went out and came back with a warming blanket to put on the comatose man. "That should help," she said. "Try to relax, you're in for a long haul."

Captain Dobey came back up for a little while and told Hutch about the press conference. He repeated his admonishments to Hutch to avoid reporters and stay with his partner. Then he went home to get some much-needed sleep. Hutch made himself as comfortable as he could and fell asleep with his head on Starsky's bed, holding onto his hand.

While Hutch slept, the nurses came in and out making frequent checks of Starsky's vital signs and blood work. Around 2:00 in the morning, they became concerned because his blood test values where deteriorating, his blood pressure was dropping, and he was developing a fever. Starsky's doctor woke Hutch up and told him they needed to take his partner back to the OR. Too many units of blood had gone in and his test values told the doctor he was still bleeding internally. Hutch sat back helplessly and watched as they wheeled his partner away from him.

When they brought Starsky back to the ICU, Hutch thought he looked even paler. The doctor was encouraging though. The bleeding was under control again and they had put Starsky on a different antibiotic to control a potential infection. This was not unusual in a case like Starsky's. They were less worried now about the head injury. Back to wait-and-see.

Hutch resumed his post. "Hey, Starsk. You gotta stop scarin' me like this. I'm getting too old. Bad for my ticker." He took Starsky's hand in his again and settled back down with a sigh. Please get better. I need you. "I'm right here, buddy."

Huggy came up to check on Starsky in the morning. He had some new information on the case too. Hutch left Starsky to go out in the hall and talk to Huggy.

"How's he doin'?"

"He scared me last night. They had to take him back to surgery. They say he's improving this morning though. "

"Don't worry, Blondie. He's too stubborn to give up on you. He'll be okay."

Huggy handed Hutch a bag with some food. "I figured you hadn't eaten anything in who knows when. Thought you could use this."

"Thanks, Hug."

Huggy Bear knew how it was with his friends when one of them was hurt. The other one concentrated so much on his friend, he didn't sleep enough or eat much. He always considered it his job to keep an eye on both of them until whoever was hurt recovered.

Captain Dobey stepped off the elevator and walked over to Hutch and Huggy. They discussed Starsky's condition and Dobey said he'd stay with Starsky for a while so Hutch could eat and talk to Huggy. "Come on, Hutch. Let's go outside so you can eat and get a little air."

When they were settled on a bench outside the hospital, Huggy brought up the case. "You follow up on the tip about Ice?"

Hutch turned a little pale. "Damn. I forgot to tell Simmons about that. No, Huggy, I can't believe I let that slip my mind."

"Relax, you've had a curly-haired distraction to worry about and besides, I've got somethin' better for you."

Huggy explained that late last night a man had come into the Pits asking to talk to Hutch. He had information on the thieves. In fact, he was one of them. The man who only identified himself as Chet wanted Huggy to get a message to Hutch. The other gang members wanted out, but they were all afraid of Ice. The fire at the dry cleaners robbery was more than any of them wanted to do. They hadn't signed on to hurt people. In fact, they didn't know what they were getting into when they became involved with Ice. Chet had seen Captain Dobey's press conference on the news. He did not know about what happened to Starsky and he thought it was possible Ice had something to do with it. Hurting the Phans was bad enough, but burning a cop was not in his plan. Hutch promised Huggy he would get the DA to consider reduced charges for the other suspects if Chet's information led to Ice's arrest. Hutch's word was good enough for Huggy.

The next hit was planned for that night. They would rob the Vietnamese grocery store on Vine near Ocean Blvd. This time Ice planned to gun down the shop owners. No more fires for him. Starsky and Hutch had proven that to be an unreliable method of witness elimination. Chet said they were supposed to be there at 7:00. All he and the other men wanted was to be safe from Ice.

Hutch thanked Huggy and they headed back into the hospital. He needed to make some phone calls to set up the bust. He was walking with a little spring in his step in anticipation of nailing the bastard who had hurt so many people, killed a minister, and nearly killed his partner.

Starsky continued to make progress throughout the day. His blood pressure was improving and the fever was down to only 99.6. The nurses continued to notice how the man's pulse and respiration improved whenever Hutch was with him. When the blond man was out of the room, Starsky's pulse and breathing rate climbed. When he returned, they improved. Whatever magic the tall detective had, they were glad for it and they hoped it would bring Starsky around in the next day or two.

Hutch talked to Starsky all day about the plans for the bust. Huggy's informant seemed reliable enough. He promised him he would be careful and that Dobey was going to stay with him while it went down so he wouldn't have to be alone. The plan was for Hutch and Simmons to already be in the liquor store when Ice and the gang arrived. They would be undercover as a soda company deliveryman and a customer. Babcock, Simmons partner, would be hiding behind the counter. Although the department did not have any Vietnamese officers, the bust team had gotten lucky and found a young uniformed officer who was a Korean-American to go undercover as the cashier. The gang would not know he wasn't one of the owners. As long as they could keep other customers out, the bust would not endanger any citizens, including the shop owners.

When the time came for Hutch to go and get ready for the bust, he told Starsk he'd be back soon. "Hey, buddy. Time for me to go bust the bad guys. I'll be back as soon as I can. You just keep resting and getting stronger. Doc says he thinks things are looking much better." Hutch reached over and gently tousled Starsky's dark curls. As soon as Hutch said he was leaving for the bust, Starsky's pulse began to climb a little. Hutch didn't notice though, he was too excited about his plans. "I'll be back in a few hours, buddy."

Dobey knew how Starsky and Hutch worked together. As Hutch walked out, Dobey said, "Hey." When Hutch turned to face him he said, "See ya. That was for your partner here." Hutch smiled and left to meet the other officers.

As Hutch and the other officers prepared for their bust, the lab team had uncovered something disturbing on the Torino. They called the hospital and reported it to Dobey. The evidence had escaped their notice on first inspection due to the damage to the back of the car caused by the signal post. The Torino had been hit from behind. A hard hit from a large vehicle painted dark blue. Mike Stemmons told the captain that he believed Starsky's car had been pushed in front of that train. Stemmons also thought he had a plausible answer about why the ignition was shut off at the scene. He suspected Starsky did it on purpose to cut the flow of gasoline and help prevent the car from exploding.

Bill Monroe was listening to the radio in his room when he heard the news that Detective Starsky's condition was still serious but improving. That was unacceptable. Monroe had failed in his mission and Starsky was still alive. Not only that, he was getting better. He decided he had better go over to the hospital and take care of it. He had never failed a mission and he wasn't about to start with this one. He had a long knife hidden under his bed. That would be best. A quiet death for the commie. Monroe could slip in and out before anyone knew he had been there.

He put on his coat and headed for the back door but he stopped short of going through it. Gary was in the back with a uniformed police officer going over the tow truck Bill had used on Starsky's car.

He heard Gary talking, "Officer, my brother-in-law had access to these vehicles while I was gone. I'm afraid he is not mentally stable. I thought maybe I should report this damage in case he has done something to get himself into trouble."

The officer asked, "Is he here now? I'd like to talk to him."

With that, Bill quickly turned the other way and slipped out the front door. Before he walked out though, he took Gary's gun. Just in case. He got away before Gary knew he was gone.

The undercover team was in place at the grocery store. Hutch was in the back with a view of the front counter. He was pretending to stock soda on the shelves. Simmons was "shopping" around the cold cases. He stayed out of sight of the windows. Simmons was keeping a close eye on Hutch since Starsky couldn't be there with them.

This was Lee Kim's first undercover assignment. He wanted to do a good job in the hope he could get a transfer out of uniform if he could pass the detective's exam. He took his place as cashier, with Babcock hiding under the counter below him. The gang of thieves obligingly appeared almost exactly at 7:00. Hutch hoped Chet was right about the other three men. If he wasn't this could get ugly fast.

Ice pointed his gun at Kim as he demanded all the money in the register. He ordered one of the men to guard the door while the other two men rounded up anyone else who was in the store.

The other two men went into the back and quietly handed their guns over to Simmons. Thank God, Chet was right. Hutch crept around the stacks of soda cans and leveled his Magnum at Ice.

"Drop it. Police."

Ice turned his gun toward Hutch as Babcock jumped up from under the counter and trained his pistol on Ice's head saying, "I wouldn't."

The man at the door said, "Give it up, Ice. They've got us. It's over." Hutch thought that must be Chet.

Chet carefully lowered his gun to the floor as Kim came around the counter to cuff him. Babcock, Ice, and Hutch maintained their tense standoff for long seconds when Hutch said, "You can't get out of this. Just drop it."

Ice decided to take their advice. He released the handle of the pistol, allowing it to swing down on his finger as he held it out to Hutch to take. Hutch handed the gun over to Babcock and holstered his Magnum so he could cuff Ice. Just as Hutch got close enough to Ice to turn him around and cuff him, a woman walked into the store from the street and started to scream. The momentary distraction provided Ice with an opportunity to get the drop on Hutch. He stepped back on his good leg and brought his cane up to catch Hutch under the chin, knocking him backward. Simmons and Kim tackled him and wrestled him to the ground. They didn't want to risk gunfire with an innocent citizen right in front of them. They had him pinned to the ground by the time Hutch recovered himself enough to come over and angrily slap the cuffs on him.

"So, scum, you like to play with fire, huh? Like to play with trains, too?" Hutch snapped at him.

"Trains, what are you talking about, Cop?"

Hutch told him he was under arrest for multiple counts of armed robbery, arson, attempted murder, and the first degree murder of Pastor Frank Hansen. He also told him he was being investigated for the murder of Phan Nguyen, and the attempted murder of a police officer.

"I know it was you who tried to kill my partner and I'm gonna prove it!"

"I ain't tried to burn any cop!" the man protested.

"Save it!" Hutch snapped back.

"I mean it, man! I didn't kill any preacher and I sure as hell would remember trying to ice a cop."

For reasons he did not quite understand, Hutch believed him. He looked up at Simmons, who was not able to read his unspoken message like Starsky would have. He said to Simmons, "If this guy didn't try to kill Starsk, who did?"

Jim Moore was finally waking up from his sedated state. He had been at home, sleeping since his release from the hospital after the crash. This was the second time in his railroad career that he had hit someone whose car was on the tracks. The first time it was a carload full of teenagers who tried to outrun the train to the crossing. The train arrived first and the five teens died. When he saw the Torino running out onto the tracks it took him back to that awful day.

When he read the newspaper article about the accident he was angry. They had it all wrong. He saw the dark truck hit the red car just before it careened in front of him. He knew he had to do something to correct this. As if it wasn't bad enough that a man had died, the other man was being accused of causing the accident purposefully.

Moore called Memorial Hospital and asked to be connected with someone who could talk to him about Detective Starsky. When they connected him with Captain Dobey, Moore explained what he had seen that night. He wanted the Captain to know that someone had purposely tried to kill the men in the red car. Captain Dobey asked Moore where he could be reached, thanked him and assured him they would investigate his report immediately. Someone from Metro would be in touch.

After the detectives at the grocery store bust turned the suspects over to the black-and-whites, Hutch got back into his car to return to the hospital. His mind was racing thinking about what Ice had said. Maybe they were wrong and these cases were not related? Maybe they were but they were being carried out by separate parties. He decided to stop by Janek's restaurant before going back to Memorial. Maybe he had heard something in the neighborhood.

As Hutch stopped at Janek's, he noticed two black-and-whites parked in front of Gary's Towing Service. Wonder what that's all about? Janek was standing in front of the towing shop speaking with one of the officers. Hutch walked over to them.

Janek smiled at the blond and said, "Privyet, my friend!"

Hutch shook Janek's hand and answered his questions about how Starsky was doing. Then he asked, "What's going on here?"

Officer Gates answered, "Gary Fowler, the guy who owns the towing service, called in a report that someone had damaged one of his tow trucks while he was off fishing. He has a shell-shocked brother-in-law, Bill Monroe, who lives here at the shop. When we went to question him, he had slipped out the front. Gary is worried he may have taken the truck and hurt someone." Gates waved his partner over with Gary so Hutch could talk to them.

As they walked toward them, Janek leaned toward Hutch and said, "Monroe, he is crazy. He spies all day. Always watching. People here are scared of him."

Hutch's questioning revealed that Gary's brother-in-law was a disturbed man. He had never hurt anyone before, but Gary had discovered he hadn't taken any of his medication for weeks. The drugs were supposed to help keep him calm and as grounded in reality as he ever got. Without them, Gary was afraid he would be dangerous.

They walked around the back to look at the tow truck. The dark-blue vehicle had obviously been in some kind of an accident. The front grill and push bumper were dented and scratched. They were also liberally covered with red paint--candy apple red paint. Hutch was getting a sinking feeling about it when Officer Gates pulled him aside to tell him something. "I heard at the precinct that the lab team found dark blue paint marks on the back of the Torino. They are saying it was hit from behind by a large vehicle, like a truck." Hutch stared at Gates for a few seconds. Who the hell is this guy, Monroe, and why would he want to hurt my partner?

Hutch asked to see Bill's room. Gary agreed and walked them inside. The only remarkable thing they found was a spool of heavy gauge wire and a can of red spray paint under Bill's bed. The pieces were beginning to click together in Hutch's mind. The minister, the red painted words "Die Commie." He asked, "Gary, how long has Monroe been gone?"

"I don't know for sure. I saw him about an hour ago though."

"Does he have any weapons?"

"I hope not. I have a gun up front."

The men ran to the front of the shop. Gary's gun was missing.

Hutch picked up the phone on the front desk and frantically dialed Memorial. Oh my God, Starsky! He turned to Gates and said, "You get some black-and-whites over to Memorial. Send a couple of uniforms up to the ICU and meet Captain Dobey there. I'm gonna let him know you're on the way." Gates snapped into action, running out the front door to get his partner and head for the hospital.

Instead of hearing his Captain's voice on the other end of the phone, the hospital had put him through to a security guard. The man said, "Hospital Security, who is this?" Hutch already didn't like it. "This is Detective Hutchinson, I need to speak with Captain Dobey immediately." The security guard's answer sent fear into Hutch's heart, "I'm sorry Detective, he can't come to the phone right now. Seems we have a situation here."

"Tell Dobey some uniforms are coming up there and I'm on my way." Hutch hung up and ran for his car.

Captain Dobey had stepped out of Starsky's room to take Jim Moore's phone call. While he was on the phone a medical crisis had happened with one of the other ICU patients drawing the staff's attention. No one noticed the crazed looking man in army fatigues as he stepped out of the stairwell and walked into Starsky's room. Monroe used his knife to cut through the oxygen line. Since no one was around, he was planning to enjoy torturing the prisoner a little before he killed him. Then he heard footsteps coming toward him, so he pulled his gun and placed its muzzle against Starsky's head. A large black man walked into the room and stopped in his tracks.

Monroe looked at him and calmly said, "This man is my prisoner. Stop where you are."

By the time Hutch reached the ICU, the hospital unit was swarming with uniforms and hospital security. He could see Dobey standing in the doorway leading to where Starsky was. He was talking to someone.

Dobey had both hands up about chest high, palms out and he was speaking in soothing tones. "No one wants to hurt you. Just put down the gun and we can all talk about this."

Hutch wondered why no one had his gun drawn.

Gates was there and he pulled Hutch aside to talk to him. "Monroe cut through Starsky's oxygen line. If anyone fires his weapon, the spark could cause an explosion."

Hutch's heart sank. "I've gotta try to talk to him."

"No, they've called for Monroe's sister to come up here. Dobey wants to let her try to reason with him."

Starsky's level of consciousness had been improving throughout the early evening. He could feel the painful pressure of the gun muzzle against his head and he moved his hand to try and push it away. That just made Monroe push harder.

Dobey called from the door, "Dave, be still. Don't move. I'm right here and you're gonna be fine, but don't move."

Starsky must have heard him, because he settled back down and stopped trying to fight Monroe.

After hearing that, Hutch was even more frantic. "Oh God, he's waking up!"

He tried to push past Gates, but he and his partner stood firm. "Don't. Let Dobey handle it."

Hutch was angry and his eyes flashed at Gates like a blue flame. He knew Gates was right, though. He stood and listened to the conversation between his captain and the crazed man.

"Why do you want to hurt this man?" Dobey asked.

"He's a traitor, a communist sympathizer. He deserves to die."

"Monroe, that man is no communist. He's a police officer. Do you know where you are?"

"Shut up! You're trying to confuse me. This is 'Nam and he is my prisoner."

Dobey's voice remained calm. "Son, this isn't 'Nam. You're home. This is Bay City Memorial Hospital and that man is not a communist. He hasn't done anything wrong. You're just a little confused right now."

"Back off and let me think, man!" Monroe shook his head and tried to concentrate. Something wasn't right but he was too deluded to work out what it was. He looked at Starsky lying there, helpless. He didn't look dangerous now. He didn't look like a commie. Starsky looked like someone had beaten him with a baseball bat. His face was swollen and black from deep bruises. Why did he think this man was a communist?

The elevator doors opened revealing a uniformed officer accompanied by Gary and his wife. Hutch went to them and said, "Are you Monroe's sister?"

"Yes, I'm Angela Fowler."

"Angela, your brother may have killed a minister the other day. He also probably tried to kill my partner, Detective Starsky, by pushing his car in front of a train. Now, he has Starsky in that ICU room with a gun to his head. Can you help us?"

Angela was sobbing, "I'm so sorry. He's never hurt anyone. Let me try to talk to him."

Hutch nodded, put his arm around the frightened woman's shoulders and walked her toward Captain Dobey. The captain saw them coming and said to the crazed suspect, "Someone is here to see you."

Angela stepped up next to Captain Dobey, standing there with a tall blond man Monroe recognized. Where had he seen the man? He could not remember.

His sister spoke to him calmly. "Billy, what's going on here?"

"Anj, what are you doing here?" Monroe was confused. What was his sister doing in Vietnam?

"Billy, you're confused. We need you to put the gun away and let us help you."

"No, you're trying to trick me. I know what my mission is. I have to kill this commie!" He was becoming more agitated.

Hutch looked from Monroe to Starsky. His partner seemed okay for now. Hutch could see the monitors from where he was standing. Starsky's heart rate was elevated, but otherwise he looked unharmed.

"No, Billy. Nobody wants to hurt you. Please. You're home, don't you remember?"

Monroe looked at her, his eyes glassy. Why was he here? He couldn't shake the fog from his mind. He pulled back just a little, the gun muzzle slipping a few inches away from Starsky.

Hutch's heart was pounding. Atta girl, Angela. Keep talking. He gave the woman's shoulders an encouraging squeeze.

"Come on Billy, let me come and get you. I won't let them hurt you, okay?"

"You won't let them hurt me?"

Captain Dobey answered, "We want to help you. Let your sister come to you."

Angela took a tentative step toward her brother. He tensed a little, but didn't make any threatening movements. "I'm coming in, Billy."

He let her move closer and closer. Hutch stood ready to rush the man if necessary. He didn't dare fire his weapon. When she was close enough to touch him she said, "Give me the gun, Billy. Please. Everything is okay."

Monroe looked at his sister. He couldn't hurt her, he loved her. She wouldn't lie to him. He slowly pulled the gun away and handed it to her. She threw it to the floor and gathered him in her arms as Dobey and Hutch rushed into the room.

Starsky's room was a blur of activity. Dobey and a uniformed officer had taken custody of Monroe. The hospital had brought up a gurney for them to cuff him to so they could take him to the psychiatric unit. Hutch had rushed in and shut off the oxygen while yelling for someone to get a doctor to come and check out his partner. After Monroe was taken out, some of the nurses came in and disconnected the cut oxygen line, preparing a new one for their patient. Hutch did his best to stay out of the way when all he really wanted to do was stand in front of Starsky and protect him from everything that had happened.

Starsky was checked and he had not been injured by the incident. Within an hour the only people left at Starsky's bedside were Captain Dobey and Hutch. Knowing how long his man had been running on caffeine and adrenaline, Captain Dobey pushed Hutch down into the chair. They talked quietly, filling each other in on the events leading up to their confrontation with Bill Monroe. Then Captain Dobey went down to the cafeteria to get Hutch something to eat before he went home. He knew there was little chance Hutch would leave his partner alone again now. He and Huggy would just have to be sure he ate and slept as much as he could.

After the Captain left, Hutch sat next to Starsky and watched him for a long time. He thought about the past week, how many times he had almost lost his friend. They led dangerous lives and he rarely gave himself permission to reflect too heavily on just how much danger they seemed to be in every day. He hoped their constant peril wouldn't drive their guardian angel away in despair. So far, that angel was doing a great job.

Hutch pulled his chair as close to Starsky's bed as he could get it then laid his head on the bed next to his friend's hand. He fell asleep that way, holding onto Starsky's hand like a lifeline. Around dawn, Hutch felt movement next to him. He awoke to find Starsky's fingers moving, trying to squeeze his hand.

Hutch looked up at Starsky's face. "Starsk? You waking up, buddy?" Starsky opened his unbandaged eye and looked at Hutch. He managed a small smile and squeezed Hutch's hand again.

"Huush?" His first tentative word sounded like a whisper.

"Shh. Don't talk now, Gordo. You're okay. Just rest, I'm right here."

"Hurts, Huush."

"I know, shh. I'll get the nurse to bring you something."

Hutch stood to go get the nurse, but Starsky grabbed for his hand weakly and said, "No, stay."

Hutch knew the nurses would notice the heart rate changes on Starsky's monitor and come in to check on him soon anyway. He smiled at his best friend and said, "Alright, I'm not going anywhere." He settled back down and waited with his friend. Starsky was already falling asleep by the time the nurse arrived.

Starsky's condition improved steadily. As the next few days passed, Hutch was starting to feel a little more secure about things. Then it was time for them to take his partner back to surgery to repair his ankle. Hutch didn't really understand why that put him in such a panic, but it did. Huggy came to the hospital to keep him company while Starsky was in surgery. Hutch's pacing and anxiety level had Huggy worried. Huggy supposed that he couldn't really blame Hutch for being so uptight. Everything bad that had happened to Starsky throughout this ordeal had happened when Hutch and he were separated. He chuckled to himself at the thought. That was a mistake.

"And just what is so funny?" asked the irate blond.

"Oh nothin', Blondie," Huggy replied, hoping it would work.

"Oh no, you tell me what was so funny." Hutch was convinced Huggy was laughing at him and he wanted to know why. He didn't think the situation was very humorous.

"Ah, Hutch, don't get all worked up. I was just thinkin' I figured out what has got you so jumpy."

"Oh yeah, well maybe you could let me in on it. I don't even understand it."

"It's like this, everything bad that has happened to Starsk over the past week has happened when you weren't with him. You're afraid somethin' will happen if you let him out of your sight."

Hutch thought about that. Huggy was probably right. Instead of getting angry, which was what Huggy was afraid would happen, Hutch looked relieved. "Thanks, Huggy. I think you hit it that time. You're right." Hutch sat down next to Huggy. "Huggy, I just don't know what I would do if anything else happens to him now. He is just starting to get better. I had just stopped being afraid he might die if I went out of the room for five minutes. Now they've taken him away from me. From where I can see him and protect him. I know in my head that he is in good hands and they had to do it, but I can't help feeling like something bad will happen if I'm not there."

Huggy was surprised Hutch had said so much. He usually didn't reveal that much of what was in his heart to anyone but Starsky. Huggy patted him on the back and said, "It's okay to love him that much, but you can't be with him all the time. You can't stop life from happenin'. He's gonna be fine. You too."

Huggy was right. The surgery went well and Starsky was moved to a regular room. Things were looking much better for him. The ophthalmologist checked him again and was sure his eye would heal. He wouldn't lose it and his vision should return to normal in time. Hutch took Huggy's words to heart and tried his best not to worry so much. He thought Starsky just needed time to heal now and their lives could get back to normal. That was what he thought until Starsky finally asked the big question Hutch was fearing.

"Hutch, how's my car?"

Hutch's stomach flipped. He had been worried about this question for days, but Starsky hadn't asked it. No one had the heart to tell him his precious car was dead. Starsky couldn't remember anything about that night after they left Janek's. He remembered the fire and dinner with the big Russian, but he couldn't even remember dropping Hutch off at home, much less the accident.

Hutch stalled, "W-Well, uh, it's down at the garage at headquarters. The lab team has it."

"The lab team?"

"Yeah, it's part of a criminal investigation, Starsk. Bill Monroe tried to kill you and they'll use the Torino as evidence."

Although he seemed suspicious, Starsky accepted that and didn't ask any more questions. Hutch was relieved his friend was too tired to push the issue, but he knew he'd have to figure something out before Starsky found out on his own. Starsky had just been given his pain medication and Hutch knew he'd be asleep in a few minutes. As soon as his partner was out, he slipped out of the room and headed for the precinct. He figured he had about three hours before Starsky would wake up and miss him.

When he got there, he was delighted to find Simmons and Babcock in the squad room. He asked them to go to one of the small conference rooms with him. When they were all seated with some coffee he presented his idea.

"Starsky has started asking about his car. I didn't have the heart to tell him that car is never going back on the streets. What do you say we form a Tomato Team? I want you guys to help me find another Torino for him. If we can find one, we can buy it and get it ready for him when he's okayed to drive again. What do you think?"

The other partners looked at each other and smiled. Everyone saw the Torino as the third partner in the Starsky and Hutch team. "We're in, Hutch." Babcock said.

"Great, thanks. I'll get with Starsky's insurance company and see if I can get a check cut to me for the car so he won't know about it. We're gonna need the cash to buy the replacement. I already asked Merle the Earl to come down here and look at it just to make sure it couldn't be saved."

"What did he say?"

"Called me a jive turkey chump for wasting his time coming down here. I took that to mean it was a total loss."

They all laughed and Simmons said, "We'll go down and talk to him. Maybe he knows someone who can help us find another Torino. I'm pretty sure they didn't make too many just like Starsky's. Might not be so easy."

"Doesn't have to be the same color or the same interior. We can get Merle to customize it. I'm going to go call the insurance company and head back to the hospital. You guys let me know what you find out from Merle."

Hutch stopped by his desk to check for messages and saw he had one from Janek. He decided to just swing by and see him before he went back to Memorial. He called to let him know he was on the way. When he arrived Janek already had his lunch waiting for him. Hutch smiled. A lot of nice people looked out for him when Starsky couldn't.

Janek told Hutch that the people in the neighborhood were planning to form an association. They wanted Janek to talk to Hutch about having him and his partner come to their first official meeting. The group would include business owners and residents and the idea was to help each other by keeping an eye out for crime and suspicious activity in the area. Hutch thought it was a great idea and he agreed to come to the meeting. A pleased Janek told him they were planning to launch their association with a block party that weekend. They were going to have food and booths with games like you would see at a fair. They wanted to get everyone in the neighborhood out to meet each other and sign up for the association. They also wanted to find some way to thank the two detectives for their hard work stopping the crime spree. Starsky and Hutch had not only apprehended the criminals, they had saved the Phan family from the fire in their store. Janek had heard that Starsky's car was destroyed and he wanted to know if he and the association could pitch in to help Hutch get another one for his partner. He thought that maybe they could raise some money at the street fair.

Hutch was shocked. "That's really nice, Janek, but we can't accept it. First, we were just doing our jobs. Second, we're police officers and we're not allowed to..." Hutch stopped mid-sentence and Janek looked at him, waiting for him to continue. Maybe there was a way around the rules.

"Janek, I can't know anything about this but I have an idea. He wrote down a phone number and a name. I want you to call this man, Merle. Tell him you want to pay for part of a customer's bill and you need to remain anonymous. " Hutch couldn't believe he was doing this. If Internal Affairs ever found out, he could lose his badge. He sat there for a minute thinking about his partner while Janek tried to digest what he had told him. How many times had Starsky done something outside the rules to help him or someone else? Just off the top of his head he thought of a few, Forrest, Vanessa, Sharman Crane. Screw the rules.

"What does it mean anonymous?" Janek asked.

The Tomato Team got lucky. They found a Torino in Santa Barbara and the owner was willing to sell it. He had bought the car when he graduated from college and he loved it. Unfortunately, his fiancée did not love it. In fact, she called it a gas-sucking pig. She didn't like anything about the car and she wanted it out of their lives before her future husband got any more tickets in it. Getting rid of it and buying a nice economical car would be better for the environment and their insurance bills.

The team had Huggy negotiate a deal with the man and had the car taken to Merle for modifications. Hutch was sure the reason they got such a sweet deal had nothing to do with a certain speeding ticket that disappeared from the Santa Barbara police department's records. He knew he could thank Simmons or Babcock for that. The boys in blue knew how to help one of their own.

By the time Starsky was discharged from the hospital, the formerly blue car had been painted candy-apple red with a white stripe. Merle complained bitterly about it. He wanted to throw in some metal flake or at least put some flames on the front of the car. Only Hutch's threat of severe personal harm convinced him to just make the car look like Starsky's. The two men had a few tense moments over a furry dashboard and hydraulic lift kit. Hutch was finally satisfied when Merle restored the dashboard, removed the hydraulics, and recovered the seats in soft black leather. Hutch had Merle put in an extra-powerful engine. They lowered the nose, put on new mags, and a new set of high-performance tires. Hutch drove the car over to headquarters to have a new police radio installed.

A lot of people had worked on the project. Even Captain Dobey had contributed to a collection taken up at the precinct. Between the collection, the money from the insurance company, and a sizable sum paid to Merle by an "anonymous benefactor" the car was an improvement over the original. Hutch was excited when he drove the new Tomato to the hospital to pick up his partner.

When Hutch got to his room, Starsky had just received his release papers and he was mad. The nurse walking away from her confrontation with the sullen detective stopped Hutch in the hall and wished him luck with his partner. She walked back to the nurses' station shaking her head, glad she wouldn't be the one to deal with him for the next few weeks.

Hutch walked in and saw the combination angry and dejected look on Starsky's face. "Anything new I should be worried about, buddy?"

"Nah, I'm just pissed right now. I really didn't think about how I was gonna get around when I left here. Doc says I can't put any weight on my ankle for another six-eight weeks at least. My wrist is still gonna be in this cast for another four. That means I gotta be in a wheelchair for at least four weeks." Starsky sounded as mad as he looked.

"Sorry, Starsk, I hadn't thought of that either. Ah, you'll get through it. I'm just glad that's the worst thing you're facing. I almost lost you. A wheelchair for four weeks doesn't sound so bad to me compared to that."

Starsky felt guilty about his little tirade with the nurse and his complaining to Hutch. He looked at his best friend standing there just grateful he was alive. "I'm sorry Hutch, I didn't think. What a chump."

Hutch smiled and said, "Damn straight, turkey. You'd better be done for a while too. I'm definitely getting too old for this much excitement. Let's see if we can't keep you out of trouble from now on, huh?"

Not willing to let that remark slide, Starsky quipped back, "Same goes for you, Blondie. You've done your share of time on this side of the hospital bed too."

"Okay, before we get into a discussion about who wins in the 'hurt' department, I'm gonna see about getting you some transportation out of here." With that, Hutch went off to find a nurse and a wheelchair so he could take his partner home.

When Hutch pulled the Torino into the pickup area in front of the hospital, Starsky was shocked. His car was shiny and perfectly fine. No dents, no dings. What gives? Hutch had told him the lab team had his car and it wouldn't be given back to him for a while.

Hutch settled him into the passenger side and climbed in behind the wheel. Their next stop was a medical supply store to rent a wheelchair for the next few weeks. Starsky was glancing around the inside of the Torino with a confused look on his face as they drove down the street. Hutch was nervous and trying unsuccessfully to hide it. This wasn't his car and he wanted some answers from his partner.

"Uh, Hutch, this isn't my car."

"Yes it is."

"No, it's not. What's going on here?"

Hutch pulled over and parked. "Starsk, I'm really sorry but the Torino didn't survive the train crash."

Starsky just stared at him. "What?"

"Squashed Tomato, Starsk. I know you don't remember the accident, but the car just couldn't be saved."

Starsky took that news in and said, "Then how..."

Hutch put his hand on Starsky's shoulder and gave it a little squeeze, "Buddy, you have a lot of friends, do you know that? A lot of effort and energy went into getting this car ready for you. Guys at the station, Huggy, Dobey, Merle, even Janek and the Phan family were involved. We all wanted you to have your car back and everyone did what they could to make that happen. I hope we did the right thing because if you hate it, I'm gonna have to buy this eyesore off you so you can get somethin' else."

Starsky didn't know what to say. His eyes were bright with tears and he was too choked up to say anything. The past weeks had been full of pain and worry. His partner had been there every step of the way for him just like always and he didn't know how to thank him. He didn't have to though, Hutch could tell what he was thinking.

"It's okay, Starsk. It's all over now. In a few weeks, you'll be back to normal and we can start cruising the streets again. You're gonna have to put this car through the paces."

Starsky smiled at his best friend and brushed a tear off his cheek. "Thanks, Hutch."

Hutch started the car again and said, "Gotcha a bigger engine this time." He punctuated that comment by revving the powerful motor before he pulled away from the curb. Starsky just sat there and grinned at him.

The End