Kicking Tires

Merle sees Hutch after the shooting.

Author’s Notes: This was originally written in answer to Prompt Fic week 14 on the LiveJournal Starsky and Hutch community.
It was written in answer to prompt: Starsky and/or Hutch + Merle; kicking tires

I noticed Hutch out in my lot just sittin’ there in that car of his. I woulda understood if he didn’t come in at all. I barely had the stomach myself. But Hutch and me, we had a decision to make. Well, Hutch did. I was ready to take care of her if he wanted me to. So I kep’ my eye on him and waited.

Had to be nearly an hour before he got outta his car and made his way in. I busied myself in the back o’ the garage when I saw him comin’ so he wouldn’t know I been watchin’ him. Poor guy looked like hell itself had swallowed him up and spit him back out. Didn’t look like he’d slept since it happened. I figured what I been hearin’ ‘bout Starsky musta been true if Hutch was in such a bad way. Figured he’d say fixing her wasn’t gonna be necessary.

I’m not the formal shakin’ hands sort, ‘specially since I’m way past that with Hutch, but I offered my hand and gave a kind of “hello, Hutch,” type greetin’ cuz I didn’t know what else to say to the man, the state he was in, so lost like.

He didn’t even answer me. Just stood there, eyes searchin’ for what he hoped he wasn’t gonna find. I seen that same expression on many folks who crashed up a perfectly good car and wanted to check out the damage, same time afraid to. It was like that, only magnify it ‘bout a thousand times and you might be close to Hutch that day. What he was not wantin’ to see was so much worse. I really felt for him.

‘Ventually, Hutch just gave it to me straight. “He’s still in a coma. The doctors think there’s very little chance he’ll ever regain consciousness. They think he’s…” He just faded off after that. He wasn’t lookin’ at me. He was somewhere out there, I don’t know where he was, but he didn’t even see me anymore.

I got thinkin’ ‘bout Starsky. I wasn’t even that close to the guy. I knew his uncle, Al. That’s how he started comin’ to me. Al told him to. But there was somethin’ about him. Starsky was likable, you know? He was always happy, always seemed like he was havin’ a good time. I liked it when he showed up. Not that I like cops, or nothin’, but Starsky was different. Thinkin’ ‘bout someone just shootin’ him down that way. Good guy like him. Good cop like him. Just so cold man, so cold, so awful. And Hutch, he don’t deserve it neither, havin’ to live with what happened. Took the life outta him, too. Really pissed me off. Knowin’ what I heard on the news was right, Starsky most likely wasn’t gonna make it, just pissed me right off.

I turned around and planted a swift, hard kick right to a huge stack o’ tires I had next to me. Musta kicked harder than I meant to. Whole damn pile came crashin’ down. Damn near took Hutch out.

That brought him back from wherever he was and the two of us just froze there lookin’ at each other while the tires just rolled and crashed all over the garage. Neither of us said another word, but I saw in Hutch’s eyes the decision was made. No matter what they said ’bout Starsky, we were fixing up his car.