Too Much Too Soon?

Hutch is still recovering from the plague but fed-up with Starsky’s mother-henning. He wants to be in control of his own life. Starsky’s worried about Hutch trying to do too much too soon.

Hutch was being driven crazy by Starsky. More so than usual. His partner’s mother-hen routine had been ramped up since Hutch had been given the all clear by the hospital to go home. Hutch knew the plague had nearly beaten him. He also knew that they’d both been shaken to the core by the close-call. He realised a full recovery would take as long as it needed to take. But he had hardly had a moment to himself the last two days and he couldn’t take much more ‘nursing’ – however well intentioned. Today was the start of him taking control of his life again.

“Starsky, thanks for everything but I feel almost back to normal now,” Hutch said brightly. “Think I might go to the beach today for a walk and some fresh air.”

“I’ll drive you.”

“No need. I can drive myself.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“No, that’s okay. Really. I’ll be fine by myself. Why don’t you go home? Catch up on your laundry or your monster movies or something?”

Starsky’s face fell. He knew he was being dismissed and he wasn’t quite ready to go. Reluctantly, he finished the washing up then gathered up his magazine and jacket and walked towards the door. He paused in the doorway.

“See you tonight?”

“See you tomorrow after your shift…if you like. I’m going to ring Dobey and ask if I can come back to work on Tuesday. I really do feel better.”

Starsky nodded slowly. “Okay…Well, you know where I am if…”

Hutch nodded. “I know where you are.”

“Don’t try to do too much too soon,” Starsky couldn’t help advising.

Hutch bit back irritation and just nodded.

Starsky gave a little salute and lopsided grin and then he was gone. Hutch listened to the silence and let out a long, soft sigh. It was good to be alone for the first time in days.

***

Hutch watered his plants and read for a while. He made himself a sandwich and tried to ignore the fact that his body was telling him to take a nap. He’d done nothing but sleep and rest, sleep and rest. How could he still be tired?

Very reluctantly, he decided he would take a nap but set his alarm clock to ring in forty-five minutes, determined not to sleep for long. When the alarm rang, he groggily reached out and turned it off. Aware he could easily drop off again, he forced himself to sit up and swing his legs off the bed. He staggered into the bathroom and washed his face, trying to convince himself that the reflection he saw didn’t still look horribly pale.

“Fresh air and a walk will wake me up,” he muttered to himself.

He collected his jacket and car keys and headed outside. As he settled on the driver’s seat, he felt a wave of weariness roll over him but fought against it. Carefully, he pulled out into the light traffic and headed towards a quiet stretch of shoreline – a favourite place to walk and think with convenient rocks to perch on half-way if he needed a short rest.

***

Starsky caught up on his laundry and watched a monster movie then he looked at the clock. He looked at the telephone for a long few seconds and then sighed.

He knew he couldn’t wrap Hutch up in cottonwool forever. He realised his partner needed to start doing things for himself and by himself. But. But Starsky knew Hutch had been cocooned in his care this last week and that if he tried to do too much too soon he might well find himself running out of energy.

He couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that Hutch, believing he was at ninety percent strength, might push himself too far. To Starsky’s practiced eye, Hutch was hovering around the seventy-five percent mark and definitely needed the rest of the week off just as the doctor had advised. But when did Hutch ever listen to doctors? His partner was nothing if not obstinate.

Starsky walked over to the TV and switched channels, searching for something to watch. Nothing grabbed his attention so he turned the TV off. Perhaps he needed to get out and clear his head. He could probably do with a work-out. He was due back in work tomorrow and needed to be ready for it.

As he headed towards the door, he scooped up his camera. He paused. Then for some reason he opened the cupboard door and took out his tripod. Then he hurried down the stairs to his car.

***

Starsky decided to drive out of the city to a quiet stretch of coast that he and Hutch both liked to visit. It was a good place to take photos at different times of year. There was a rocky stretch between two, wide sandy bays where cultivated gardens met wildflowers, where seagulls hovered in the sky and where you could sit and stare at the ocean if you were so minded.

Starsky parked the Torino and collected his tripod and camera. He made his way down to the sand and then strolled along the edge of the shoreline. He paused and shaded his eyes, looking out into the distance, noticing a ship that was just a dot on the horizon. He snapped a photo and moved on.

As he reached the place where the outcropping of rocks began, he stopped and set up his tripod, facing the camera towards the cliffs and the palms waving above him. He took shots of the view and then began to zoom in on small details: a small bird that he would have to find out the name of later, a bright yellow flower that he called Beach Sun Cup and a bright blue flower that he believed was called Baby Blue Eyes.

As he scanned the rocks, he observed the partial sight of a male figure, sitting and staring out to the ocean. He moved the camera upwards, intending to refocus his lense so as not to be caught staring. A shock of golden hair halted his movement and he looked over the camera and towards the other side of the rocky mound. Hutch.

He wondered whether to swiftly head off the beach and hope his partner hadn’t seen him. Hutch would be mad as anything if he thought Starsky was following him. He’d certainly never believe he wasn’t. But some instinct made Starsky decide to risk his partner’s wrath and check on him.

He carefully made his way around the edge of the rocks, waving to alert Hutch to his presence.

“Hey pal, this is a coincidence! Beautiful afternoon for some photography. Guess you decided it was time for that beach walk?”

Hutch nodded.

Starsky could see his friend looked pale. But perhaps the sun was leeching the colour from the scene and making his friend look paper white.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Starsky said uncertainly. “See you tomorrow.”

Slowly, Starsky started to turn away.

Hutch called after him, “Starsky.”

“Yeah.”

“Where are you parked?”

“Up near the old lighthouse. Why?”

Hutch looked away and sighed heavily then turned to his partner.

“Could you give me a lift to my car? Please…I think I might have overdone it with my walk. I parked down near Rocco’s café and I’m too tired to walk back.”

Starsky bit back a reprimand (Rocco’s café was a good four miles away) and simply nodded. He waited patiently while Hutch slowly climbed across rocks to reach the sand beside him.

As they walked up the beach side by side, Hutch said wryly, “Thanks for not saying, ‘I told you so.'”

Starsky smirked. “Never crossed my mind…But I reckon the person who didn’t listen to the doctors or his partner today should buy the coffee at Rocco’s. What do you think?”

As they started walking uphill and Hutch’s speed slowed from tortoise to snail, he puffed out, “I think you might be right.”