A Blue Day

A scene twist from the Episode A Coffin for Starsky.

With great trepidation, Starsky slowly opened his bottom desk drawer and pulled out a blue dog and sat him between Hutch and himself. Then he looked to his partner and said, “Blondie, I want you to take this guy. Ollie will need a friend. Ya know my dad won him for me at the carnival (shooting range) a week before he was gunned down. He’s from my father. Please, Hutch, take him and keep him always, will ya?”

The blond’s eyes shot up from the file he was scrounging through.

What?

“No, Starsk. I can’t, no no no,” came Hutch’s reply.

“Come on Pal, ya have to. I gotta know he is safe and cared for.”

Hutch shot up from his chair, eyes filling with unshed tears and body coiled like a cobra. He was determined not to face the dark side of this nightmare, seeking refuge by pouring himself a coffee while trying to get a handle on his emotions. As he drank the despicable concoction that tried to pass itself off as coffee, he said, “Look Gordo, I’ll agree to take the dog from you when you die in 75 years but not before, because as I see it, with all burritos and junk you eat, you won’t make it to 140, like me.”

Starsky gave a weak short snort in response. “Yeah, you know you are starting to sound like those doctors who are always questioning my eating habits.” Starsky slurred trying to remain conscious and in the present.

“That’s it! The missing piece, Starsk!” Hutch almost shouted as he whirled around—and froze mid sentence as he eyed his partner who was now slumped on floor.

“STARSKY! No!” came the wretched earth-shattering bellow.

Hutch was at Starsky’s side in less than two strides. “Starsk, hey buddy. It’s a bad time for a nap,” Hutch said as he reached out to see if his partner was still with him.

Dobey had come barreling out of his office after hearing Hutch’s terrified scream.

Dobey crouched next to Hutch and asked, “Is he still with us?”

Hutch nodded his head with confirmation and said, “His pulse is so weak and erratic,” as his eyes filled with tears and and the pain in his shaky voice was nearly palpable as Hutch had cradled Starsky in his lap and continued to croon to his partner. There wasn’t a dry eye in the squad room.

Reynolds said, “I’ve already called for an ambulance, Captain.”

Dobey nodded his acknowledgment. Discretely the other officers left the bull pen, leaving the partners and Dobey alone.

“Come on Starsk, you can’t leave me yet. We still got six hours. You hold on, ya hear me! Hey buddy, you stay with me,” Hutch croaked out between sobs.

Dobey gently put a hand on Hutch’s shoulder and squeezed gently offering reassurance, biting back his own tears. He thought the pain of this was almost too much for him. He was seriously worried about both his boys.

The medics arrived quickly and tried to get in to assess and treat Starsky, but Hutch would not let them near his partner. He was still rocking and cradling Starsky while agonizing sobs and tears freely ran down his cheeks. The medics looked at Dobey for assistance. “Come on son, let them get in to help Starsky,” said Dobey, while gently pulling Hutch away from his partner and best friend. As Dobey was pulling Hutch away, they also rose.

Upon standing, Hutch turned to Dobey and fell into his open arms sobbing and quaking with fear. All Dobey could do was hold on to half of his best detective team and rub circles on his back trying to offer comfort. He really hated it when one of his boys was hurting, but this seemed so unfathomable and unjust. He thought to himself, Damn, I’m gonna lose them both, knowing the extent of their relationship.

Abruptly the tirade ended as Hutch regained his thoughts that had been interrupted by Starsky’s collapse. “Cap’n, Bellamy only has a 10th grade education. He doesn’t have the smarts for it.”

“Then who?” queried Dobey.

“I don’t know, but I know who to start with,” replied Hutch.

With the tenacity of a pit bull, Hutch was going through Bellamy’s apartment looking for clues to who was the mastermind while not so gently pushing Bellamy’s girlfriend for answers as to who did this to Starsky.

Finally, she said it was someone from the University, but she didn’t know who. As that tidbit of information was revealed, it was like the last of the tumblers was clicked into place and the safe opened. He knew then that Professor Jennings had hired Bellamy to do his dirty work. Hutch ran from the building, heading to Professor Jennings’s campus residence.