Tick Tick Tick

39

Hutch is bothered by the ticking of his pocket watch. Set after ‘Shootout’.

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Hutch drank his breakfast milkshake and then went to water his plants. There was time before he went to visit Starsky in the hospital. As he tended to his green friends, he gave thanks that Starsky was going to be okay.

While the bullet wound to Starsky’s back had been nasty, it had been relatively simple for the doctors to treat. It had only been the delay in getting him seen to that had caused danger to his partner from loss of blood and shock setting in. It amazed Hutch how much damage could occur in just a couple of hours at most. Amazed and horrified.

He put his watering can down and decided to check the time. He knew Starsky would moan if he was late. As he drew his grandfather’s watch out of his pocket, his hands started to tremble.

For a moment, he could swear he could still see Starsky’s blood on them. His mind’s eye flashed back to the tiny back room in an Italian restaurant and the rain pouring down outside. He shivered. His partner was crumpled against the small couch, face as pale as death, eyes closed. Hutch swallowed down a sob…

And he was back in the present, back in his greenhouse, surrounded by greenery and normality – except for the ticking sound coming from his watch. His hearing sensitivity was heightened and the tick-tick-tick seemed to echo around the greenhouse. Hutch clicked the watch shut and shoved it back in his pocket.

Trying to deny what had happened, Hutch strode into the lounge, quickly put his jacket on and grabbed his keys and a bag of goodies for Starsky. Then he headed towards the hospital and his best friend.

*****

Starsky looked at the time and smiled. Hutch should be arriving at any moment and hopefully bringing the car magazine he’d asked for. As if on cue, Hutch walked through the door.

“Hey, Gordo! You’re looking a lot better. How are you feeling?”

“Good. I feel much better today. Hope they’ll let me out later. I want to get home and start decorating.”

Hutch set a bag down on the side of the bed and placed a hand on Starsky’s shoulder.

“Let’s not rush things, okay. The doctor knows what’s best. It won’t matter if Christmas is a little delayed.”

Starsky frowned but nodded. He looked at the bag and then at Hutch. Hutch chuckled.

“Yeah, yeah, I remembered the magazine.”

He handed the bag to Starsky, who eagerly pulled the magazine from it and then checked the other contents: grapes, candy and a pack of cards.

“Thanks pal.”

“You’re welcome.”

As Starsky opened his magazine, Hutch moved over towards the window.

“What time is the doctor due to check in?” Hutch asked.

“He usually comes around eleven.”

Automatically, Hutch reached for his watch to check the time and froze, just staring at it. Tick-tick-tick. His hands trembled.

Starsky was alerted to the fact that something was wrong by the sudden silence from his partner. He could see Hutch staring at his watch and detected a faint tremor in his hands. Before he could say anything, Hutch clicked the watch shut and put it back in his pocket.

Not knowing his partner was watching him, Hutch passed a hand down over his face and took a shaky breath before turning towards Starsky. He found worried cobalt eyes looking at him.

“Hutch?”

“I think I’ll go get some coffee for both of us,” Hutch said. He hurried towards the door before Starsky could ask him any questions.

Starsky watched his partner go and frowned in thought. He’d seen young men in ‘Nam with shaky hands and breathing. Usually it occurred after a traumatic incident. With a small smile, he nodded at a realisation: what he and Hutch had been through counted as traumatic. Physically traumatic for himself. Something else entirely for Hutch, who had shouldered the responsibility of trying to keep his partner and all the innocent people at the restaurant alive.

The door to the room opened and the doctor came in. He was still talking to Starsky when Hutch returned with the coffees.

“Hey Doc? Can I borrow your stethoscope for a moment?”

The doctor looked bemused but unwound the instrument from around his neck and handed it over.

“Hey Hutch, come here,” Starsky called across to his partner, who was hovering by the window.

Hutch dutifully came forward, looking a little confused. Starsky handed him the stethoscope.

“Check my heartbeat,” Starsky ordered.

“What? Don’t be-”

“-Don’t argue with the guy in the hospital bed. Just do it…Humour me, pal.”

Looking apologetically at the doctor, Hutch put the earpieces in and then placed the chest-piece over Starsky’s heart, adjusting it until he could hear the beat. He closed his eyes.

He could hear a slow, steady lub-dub lub-dub lub-dub.

After a moment, he opened his eyes and saw Starsky’s eyes twinkling at him. He was also smiling and nodding.

“Sounds good?”

Hutch nodded and removed the earpieces. He handed the stethoscope back to the doctor.

“Thanks Doc,” Starsky said.

“You’re welcome. Keep following my instructions and you should be allowed out tomorrow…as long as there’s someone around to check in on you?”

Hutch spoke without taking his eyes from his partner, “Yes, I’ll be around.”

The doctor nodded and left. Hutch went and got Starsky’s coffee and handed it to him.

“Hutch? You okay? The truth.”

“I’m okay. Or at least I will be.”

“What’s the time?” Starsky asked.

Hutch hesitated before he pulled the golden timepiece from his pocket. He opened it slowly. All was quiet.

With slightly moist eyes, he said, “Eleven twenty.”

Starsky squeezed his wrist and said, “Thanks pal.”

Hutch nodded and put the watch away, feeling a lightening in his spirit as he did so. Starsky was doing okay and therefore so was he.