Disclaimer: The TV show “Starsky and Hutch” and the characters from it are the property of the persons who hold the copyrights and other legal rights to them. This story is a work of fiction, written for pleasure only and not for profit. It is not intended, in any way, to infringe on these pre-existing copyrights.

“A Time for Healing”

by Nancy

“One”

This story takes place approximately a year after the death of Starsky’s girlfriend, Terry Roberts in “Starsky’s Lady.”

Detectives Dave Starsky and his partner Ken Hutchinson were in the squad room at Metro station finishing up several days’ worth of paperwork before getting off shift for the night. Since they were both scheduled for some well deserved days off, they needed to get it finished before they could leave. They both hated doing paperwork, much to the dismay of Captain Dobey, and they usually put it off until the last possible moment.

Looking up at the clock, Starsky knew if he didn’t get finished in the next few minutes he would be late for the date he had tonight.

“Hutch?”

“Yeah, Starsky,” Hutch said, as he looked up from the typewriter.

“Do you mind finishing up these reports, because if I don’t get out of here right now I’ll be late picking up Erin for dinner.”

“Sure, Starsk, go ahead. I’ll see ya tomorrow and say hi to Erin for me.”

“Thanks, I’ll do that and I owe ya one,” Starsky said as he headed out the door.

Hutch just smiled has he watched Starsky leave. It had been a long time since he’d seen Starsky this content. The last year had been a tough one, watching Starsky cope with Terry’s death. There were times that Hutch was sure that Starsky would never make it. Then, if by some divine intervention, Erin O’ Malley found her way into Starsky’s life. Erin was a pediatric nurse at Memorial. Starsky and Hutch had met her when they had taken a 12-year-old rape victim to the hospital. Starsky was immediately taken by the brunette beauty’s soothing manner with the child. He and Hutch hadn’t been able to get anything out of the girl, but within 10 minutes of talking to Erin, the girl had given them a description of her attacker. It had taken less then a week to arrest the perp.

Starsky went by the hospital to thank Erin for all her help and they had ended up going out to dinner. Since that day two months ago, they had been dating as regularly as both their erratic schedules would allow.

Starsky looked at his watch has he pulled into his apartment complex, 6:45, he had about fifteen minutes to get a shower, changed and to Erin’s by 7. It would be close, but he was sure that he would make it with time to spare.

As he opened the door to the apartment, he heard the phone ringing. He caught it on the third ring. “Hello?”

“I figured you’d be running late as usual,” joked Erin

“Hey, babe. I was right on time. It doesn’t take me that long to get ready,” Starsky shot back jokingly.

“I know, I was just kidding around with you. Besides, I just got home myself. I wanted to let you know that you didn’t have to rush because there is no way I’m going to be ready by 7, ” Erin told him.

“Okay, how about I pick you up at 7:30 that way neither one of us have to rush,” Starsky suggested.

“That sounds great. I’ll see you then. Bye.”

“Great, see ya in a bit. Bye,” Starsky said as they both hung up.

Since he had a bit more time, Starsky decided he get himself a beer and watch some TV before he got ready. He wanted to see how the Lakers had done in last night’s basketball game. He reached into the fridge to get his beer and caught sight of the calendar on the wall as he closed the door, he saw tomorrow’s date, “February 19.” Seeing that date was like taking a dagger to his heart.

It’s been one year. Man, it’s hard to believe that Terry’s been gone a year, he thought.

He shook his head and pushed those thoughts out of his mind as he took a swig of the beer and headed for the shower. Suddenly he was out of the mood to watch any TV.

“A Time for Healing”

by Nancy

“Two”

Promptly at 7:30, Starsky pulled his wild red Torino into a parking spot in front of Erin’s building. He got out of the car and headed up the walk towards her second floor condo. He was still trying to force thoughts of Terry out his mind when he knocked on the door.

Okay, time to put on a happy face he told himself just before the door opened.

“Hey beautiful,” Starsky said as he flashed one of his trademark grins. She did look gorgeous tonight. She had her hair pulled back in a loose braid, and few stray tendrils had fallen out and framed her face. It always amazed him that Erin could make a pair of faded jeans and a cotton blouse look so sexy. She had a great figure and didn’t mind showing it off.

“Hey, yourself. Come on in. I’ll be ready in just a minute,” she said as she backed away from the open door. Starsky kissed her on the cheek as he came in and shut the door. “Just let me grab my purse and we can get going,” she told him as she headed to the bedroom to retrieve the purse.

“No problem,” Starsky said as he sat down on the sofa. Erin had a nice two-bedroom condo. She had decorated it in soft earth tones, lots of light tans and mauves. It was a very comfortable; inviting place and Starsky enjoyed spending time there.

“Ready?” Erin asked as she walked back into the room.

“Yep, let’s go,” he said as he took her hand as they walked out the door.

The drive to the restaurant was a quiet one. Erin sensed that Dave was out of sorts, but she figured it had to do some case he and Ken were working on and that once they got to dinner he’d be fine.

“So, where are we going?” she asked, hoping that conversation would help lighten up Dave’s mood.

“I thought that we would try that new Mexican place over on Main,” he told her.

“That sounds great. I’ve been wanting to try it out for a while.”

“I know, you’ve only mentioned it a million times,” he said looking at her with a mischievous smile as they pulled up outside the restaurant.

Starsky was still not his usual self over dinner, but he tried his best to cover so that Erin wouldn’t notice how distracted he was. It was too late, because she had.

“So, as I was saying,” she continued, “it turned out woman gave birth to a two-headed child.”

“What?” Starsky said, with a look of shock on his face and not quite sure if he had heard correctly.

“I only said that to see if you were paying attention,” Erin explained.

“I guess I wasn’t, I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he said apologetically.

“That’s okay Dave, but I wish you would tell me what’s got you so bugged tonight? ” she asked as she reached over and took his hand.

“I wish I could, but I’m just not ready to talk about it. I promise once I get it all sorted out I will,” he told her as he picked up her hand and kissed it.

“Alright, but just remember that you can tell me anything and it won’t change how I feel about you.”

“I know. I really appreciate that, it means a lot to me that you feel that way,” he told her.

“Would you mind if we called it a night?” he asked, watching her face for any hint of disappointment and relieved not to find any.

“No, that’s fine,” she told him, reassuringly. “Maybe after a good nights’ rest you’ll feel better.”

“I hope so,” he said as he paid the bill and they got up from the table to leave.

They got back to Erin’s and Starsky walked her back to her place. He unlocked the door for her and they stepped in. “I’m sorry that I was such lousy company tonight,” Starsky said, looking rather sad and lonely at that very moment.

“Don’t worry about, nobody’s perfect all the time,” she kidded him and it actually brought a smile to his face.

“I probably ought to get going before it gets too much later,” he said as he put his arms around her waist and pulled her into a soft, romantic kiss. Even with his conflicted feelings tonight, Starsky still cared about Erin a great deal.

When they came up for air, Erin was suddenly breathless. It took her a moment before she could speak.

“Yeah, that might be a good idea,” she said, trying to regain her composure and knowing that if he didn’t leave right then, that she would be hard pressed to let him.

“Okay, I’ll talk to you tomorrow, and don’t forget to lock the door,” he told her as he pulled the door shut behind him. Erin leaned her head on the door for a minute, then reached over and turned the deadbolt to lock the door. She knew that there was one person in this world that would know what was going on with Dave. She walked over to the phone and dialed the number hoping that he would be there.

Hutch had been enjoying a quiet evening catching up on things around the house when suddenly the phone interrupted the stillness of his apartment. He walked across the room and grabbed it on the second ring. “Hello?”

“Hi, Ken. I hate to bother you, but you are the only that can help me.” Hutch immediately recognized Erin’s voice. For an instant, he was afraid that something had happened to Starsky. “Erin, you know I’ll do what I can, what’s the matter?” he asked.

“As you know, Dave and I went out to dinner tonight. He was in a really strange mood and when I called him on it, all he would say was that he wasn’t ready to talk about it. I was hoping that you might know what the problem is?” she asked.

“I think I might,” Hutch told her. He was well aware of what tomorrow’s date was and surmised from what Erin had said, that Starsky had remembered it as well. “How about you meet me tomorrow for breakfast at my place and I’ll explain everything.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea, what time?” she asked, relieved that he was willing to help her. “What about 9:00?” he suggested.

“9:00 will be perfect,” she answered.

“Fine, I’ll see you then,” he said.

“Okay, and thanks Ken, I knew I could count on you,” she told him just before they hung up.

As Hutch hung up the phone he sure hoped that Starsky wouldn’t get angry with him for sharing something so personal with Erin.

“A Time for Healing”

by Nancy

“Three”

Erin pulled her blue ’68 Mustang in front of Venice Place and got out. She had been so worried about what Ken was going to tell her that she had tossed and turned all night, not getting much sleep. Erin hoped that whatever Ken told her that she would be able to help Dave. Erin knocked on the door and took a deep breath trying to calm herself just as Hutch opened the door. “Good Morning, come on in, “ he said.

“Thanks, I come bearing gifts,” she said to him as she handed him the covered dish.

“Erin, you didn’t have to bring anything. I had breakfast all covered,” Hutch told her as they walked back to the kitchen.

“I know,” she continued, “but I woke up at 5 am and couldn’t go back to sleep so I made Great-Grandma O’Malley’s coffeecake.”

“Smells wonderful,” he said as he grabbed two plates, some silverware and napkins. Erin was amazed that Hutch managed to juggle all that stuff without dropping anything.

“Let’s go sit in the greenhouse, it’s nice this time of day. Why don’t you grab the coffee and mugs.”

“Sure,” Erin replied as she got the coffee and followed him out to the greenhouse and sat in the chair that he held out for her. They both seemed nervous, so Erin spoke first.

“I know Dave is your best friend, so if you don’t want to get into this, I totally understand.”

“Erin,” he began, “if I didn’t want to tell you this, I wouldn’t have asked you to come over.” “If Starsky gets mad, I’ll deal with that when it happens.”

“All right, so what’s got Dave so freaked?” she asked, not really sure she wanted the answer.

Hutch decided not to pull any punches and just lay it all on the line. “A year ago today, Starsky’s fiancée died.”

“Oh, my God,” Erin gasped, that wasn’t what she expected to hear. “What happened?”

“Terry was shot in the head during a robbery by a man who had a grudge against Starsky.”

“Why?” was her next question. Hutch sighed, and went on with the story.

“George Prudholm blamed Starsky for the death of his son, Gary. We arrested Gary on a drug charge a few years ago and he was killed in a knife fight in jail.” Hutch then explained entire awful saga to Erin, how Prudholm had killed two innocent cops trying to get at Starsky before they finally captured him. About the mix-up that had allowed him to get out of jail and hurt Terry. Once the whole story was out, Hutch felt relieved that he had shared it with Erin. There were tears in her eyes when he got done.

“Poor Dave, I had no idea that he was dealing with something so painful,” she said, looking at Ken and seeing the pain that telling her this story had etched on his face.

“This isn’t easy for you either,” she continued speaking, “Terry must have been a wonderful person for you and Dave to have loved her so much.”

“She was, which is what makes today so hard,” Hutch said, trying to hold his emotions in check. “Are you going to tell Starsky that I told you?” he asked.

“I’m not sure, I guess I’ll decide when I see him,” she told him truthfully as she reached out and squeezed his hand.

Erin got up from the table and started to clear the dishes away, so that Ken could have a few moments to himself to deal with his memories. After about 10 minutes, he came into the kitchen to find that Erin had done the dishes and cleaned everything up.

“Erin, thanks, but you didn’t have to do that.”

“It wasn’t any trouble and it gave me a chance to process everything you told me.”

After a few more minutes of small talk, Erin got ready to leave. “Thanks for being so honest with me, I know it was hard for you,” she said to Hutch as they walked to the door.

“Starsky can be such a brooder at times, I wasn’t sure if he say anything. I figured that if you are going to put up with my crazy partner, you needed to have all the facts,” he said with a chuckle.

“Yeah, that’s true. He does make it a little tough to get close, but he’s sure worth the effort,” Erin said as she gave Ken a hug and kissed him on the cheek.

“See ya later,” he said as she walked out the door. Starsky, that woman is a keeper, if you let her get away you’re a fool, he thought to himself as he shut the door.

Erin was surprised when she got home and found Starsky’s car parked in the lot. She found him sitting on the steps in front of her door, so lost in thought that he didn’t hear her walk up.

“Hi,” she said quietly, as she sat down next to him putting her hand on his leg.

“Hi,” he responded, very subdued. “I came by to see you, but you weren’t here so I thought I’d wait.”

Erin took one look at Dave, seeing the pain that was so evident on his face, decided that there was no point in keeping the truth from him so she told him where she’d been. “I had breakfast with Ken,” she paused, waiting for a reaction from him. Starsky looked at her and knew that Hutch had told her about Terry.

“Please don’t be upset with him, I practically begged him to tell me what had you so upset last night.”

“I’m not,” he continued, “I’m glad he did because I’m not sure I could’ve gotten through it.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” she said as she put her arms around him, “I’m so sorry that you had to go through all of that.” “I know I can’t make the pain go away, but I’m here for you.”

They sat on the steps for a long time, just holding each other, not saying a word. Starsky was the first one to pull away, taking Erin’s hands’ in his.

“Ya know,” he began, “just when I think I’ve gotten past all the pain, it jumps up and slaps me right in the face.”

“You loved her, and she was taken from you without much warning,” she continued, “I’ve never lost anyone that I was that close too, but I would think that you never get over it, you just learn to deal with it.”

“I thought I was dealing with it, until today,” he sighed, running his hands through his hair.

“Dave, you’re doing fine,” she reassured him. “Me, on the other hand, am freezing out here!” “Why don’t we go in and get warm,” she suggested.

“Yeah, I am a little colder than I thought,” he said as he got up off the steps and went into her place.

“How about some coffee?” she inquired as she walked around the breakfast bar and into the kitchen. “Coffee sounds fine,” he answered, as he followed her.

“Erin, I’m curious about something?” he asked.

“What’s that?” she answered turning away from the coffee maker to face him.

“Why, did you go to all the trouble to find out what was wrong with me?”

She just looked at him and shook her head, surprised that he hadn’t already figured it out. “You know, for a detective you’re pretty slow at figuring things out.” Starsky looked confused as she kept on talking; “I went to all the trouble because I’ve fallen in love with you, David Michael Starsky.”

Starsky stood there, flabbergasted and momentarily speechless. Sure, he had feelings for Erin. Given his current emotional state, he just wasn’t sure it was love.

“Erin, my emotions are all over the place right now. I do feel something for you, but I’m not sure what it is. I don’t want to rush into anything and have either one of us get hurt,” he said hoping that his words wouldn’t hurt her feelings.

“I understand that, and I’m not trying to push you into something that you’re not ready for,” she told him as she stepped towards him in the small kitchen and reached out to take his hand.

“Let’s just take this one day at a time and see where it leads us, okay?” he suggested. “That’s sounds like a good plan to me,” she agreed. With that, a smile found its way to Starsky’s face and he grabbed her and pulled her into a kiss.

“A Time for Healing”

by Nancy

“Four”

Two Months later………

A lot had happened since the anniversary of Terry’s death. Starsky and Hutch had an intense conversation over Hutch’s decision to tell Erin about Terry. Starsky told him how grateful he was that Hutch had told her for him. They also spent one very drunken night, not long after the anniversary, remembering what Terry had meant to both of them.

Erin had found them the next morning, both passed out, on the sofa at Starsky’s and had to laugh at all the empty beer bottles that were strewn all over the coffee table and floor.

Starsky had been able to put much of the pain of losing Terry behind him. He still had days where it was tough, but they were becoming few and far between.

During this time, Starsky and Erin had gotten closer than ever. Erin had become adept at sensing when Starsky needed his space and didn’t pry, letting him work things out for himself.

They were spending a lot of their free time together, getting to know each other better. Starsky was surprised to learn that Erin’s father was a retired police officer in Chicago where she grew up. Her parents still lived there, as did her younger brother, Sean. Erin even shocked Starsky one night by beating him when they went bowling. It wasn’t uncommon for them to double date with Hutch and his current lady friend, Marti Anderson, who was a travel agent. Starsky still hadn’t been able to tell Erin that he loved her, but he was sure that day was not far off.

Spring had finally come to Bay City.. It was one of those rare days when the haze that normally hung over the city was gone and you could actually see for miles. Starsky and Hutch had a fairly uneventful day, it seemed that everyone was behaving themselves and enjoying the nice weather.

“Hey Starsky, you want to grab a beer at Huggy’s after we get off?”

“I’d love to, but I’m having dinner at Erin’s tonight,” he said. Suddenly, Starsky had a brilliant idea, “Hey, why don’t you and Marti join us. I’m sure Erin wouldn’t mind.”

“Are you sure?” “You better ask her before you show up with two extra dinner guests,” Hutch suggested.

“I’ll call her when we get back to the station and see what she says,” Starsky replied.

“Zebra-3, come in, Zebra-3”

“Zebra-3, over” Hutch answered.

“211 in progress at the liquor store, 1368 Talmadge. Handle code-3”

“Ten-four, we’re on our way,” Hutch told the dispatcher as he slapped the mars light on the roof of the Torino.

They arrived on scene just as the armed suspect was leaving the store. He saw them and opened fire with a sawed-off shotgun. His shot hit the windshield of the Torino, shattering it, just as Starsky and Hutch bailed out and returned fire.

“Man, that was just a little too close,” Starsky said

“No kidding,” Hutch answered, as he reached for the radio.

“Zebra-3 to control, shots fired at our location, we need back up now!

The suspect was now trying to get to his car, which was parked, in the alley. Starsky saw this at the same time Hutch did. “Cover me,” Starsky told Hutch as he moved from behind the safety of the car to the front of the building.

As Starsky came around the side of the building into the alley, the suspect fired at him, hitting him in the chest. Hutch, who had come up to the building right behind Starsky, moved around the corner and fired at the suspect, hitting him in the shoulder and causing him to drop the shotgun.

Hutch went over and kicked the gun out of the way and made sure the suspect’s injuries weren’t life threatening and cuffed him. By this time the back up units had arrived and they took the suspect into custody. Hutch ran back over to where Starsky was.

“Hey, buddy, how ya doing?” he asked, taking off his jacket and balling it up to put pressure on the wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

“I’ve been better. Hurts like hell and it’s getting harder to breathe,” he said grimacing in pain.

“I know, take it easy and don’t try to talk. The paramedics will be here soon and they will have you outta here in a flash,” Hutch told him. Hang in there Starsk, he thought just as the paramedics showed up.

“A Time for Healing”

by Nancy

“Five”

The ambulance arrived at Memorial in record time. The paramedics wheeled Starsky into the ER and the doctors quickly went to work assessing his injuries. Hutch stood there watching them, he felt like his feet were rooted to this spot in the room, when a nurse came over and told him that he couldn’t stay and would have to go the waiting room. Hutch was pacing when Dobey showed up.

“How his he?” Dobey asked.

“I don’t know. It looked pretty bad, still waiting to hear from the doctor,” Hutch told him as he continued to pace the small room.

“Has anyone told Erin?”

“No,” he answered as he looked at his watch '4:30', “Shit, I better go see if she’s still upstairs. Starsky was supposed to have dinner at her place tonight.”

“Maybe by the time you get back with Erin, the doctors will have some news,” Dobey said, trying his best to reassure Hutch.

“I sure hope so,” Hutch told him as he left the room and headed for the elevator. The ride to the 3^rd floor was over too quickly and it didn’t give Hutch enough time to figure out what he was going to tell Erin. Man, I hate this part of the job, he thought just as the elevator doors opened.

Erin was walking down the hall talking with another nurse, bringing her up-to-date on her patients, when she looked up and saw Hutch step off the elevator.

“Sara, excuse me for a minute, okay?” she said as she handed the charts to the young nurse.

“Sure, Erin, no problem.”

Hutch saw Erin coming towards him and met her halfway. Before he could even say anything, she spoke first. “How bad is he?” she asked, hoping that Hutch wasn’t going to tell her that Dave was already dead. Hutch was somewhat shocked that she had guessed that something was wrong with Starsky. He suddenly realized that the fear of the whole situation must be written all over his face, coupled with the fact the he had some of Starsky’s dried blood all over his pants, made it obvious that something was seriously wrong.

“I don’t know, it was a gunshot wound to the chest. The doctors were still working on him when I left to come up here,” he told her.

Erin closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she spoke. “Okay, I need to let my supervisor know I’m leaving and then we’ll get down back down there.” Hutch watched as she walked over to the Nurses’ station and spoke to the person behind the desk. Erin was staying so calm; it was unnerving Hutch ever so slightly. She walked back to where he was and took his hand. “Let’s go see Dave,” she said as they got on the elevator.

The ride down to the ER was quiet, Erin held on to Hutch’s hand for dear life. On the outside she was keeping her professional demeanor, but her mind was screaming a million thoughts. Please God, don’t let him die.. I love him so much. We haven’t had enough time together. I couldn’t take it if anything happened to him and neither could Ken.

Erin and Hutch made their way to the waiting room to find Dobey and a handful of other officers waiting for word on Starsky. Erin walked over to Dobey and gave him a quick hug. “Harold, have you heard anything yet?”

“No, the doctor hasn’t been out yet,” he answered her.

“I have a little bit of pull around here, so let me see what I can find out.”

“Erin, do you want me to go with you?” Hutch asked, wanting to do something other than waiting around.

“No Ken, I can handle it, but thanks for offering,” she answered him, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze before walking out the door.

“A Time for Healing”

by Nancy

“Six”

Erin was entering through the double doors of the ER just as Head Nurse, MaryAnn Phillips, was exiting. “Hang on Erin, you can’t go in there,” MaryAnn told her as she grabbed her by the arm. “Why not?” Erin asked defiantly, with her eyes blazing and pulling her arm out of MaryAnn’s grasp.

“Because, you’re too close to this. The doctor will be out in a minute to tell you how he is,” she answered. “MaryAnn, I need to see him, please,” she pleaded, nearly in tears. The veteran nurse could see that no matter what she did she wasn’t going to be able to stop Erin from her mission of seeing Dave Starsky.

“Fine, but stay out of the way.”

“Thanks.”

Erin wasn’t quite prepared for what she saw when she got into the treatment room. There was Dave lying on the examination table, unconscious, covered from the waist down with a sheet. His clothes had been cut off and were in a pile on the floor with his shoes and socks. He was hooked up to a heart monitor, had an IV in his right arm, and he had also been intubated and put on a ventilator to help him breathe. There was a urine bag hanging from the end of the table and a blood soaked bandage on his chest. When she walked in, Dr. Steven Timmins, the trauma surgeon on call, looked up from the chart he was writing on and walked over to her.

“Erin, what the hell are you doing in here” he asked, taking her by the arm and trying to get her to leave the room.

“Steve, I had to see how he was,” she answered, resisting his attempts to get her away from Dave.

“How bad is he?” she asked, trying not to lose her composure. “It could be better,” he continued, “he’s bleeding internally and I’m pretty sure that the left lung has collapsed. We were just getting him ready to go upstairs for surgery.”

“Oh God, he isn’t going to die is he?” she asked, instantly terrified of the answer she might receive.

“He’s young and healthy. I’m sure once we get him stabilized and repair the damage, he’ll be just fine, but we have to get him upstairs now.”

“I want to talk to him before you take him up,” she said.

“Fine, Erin, but just for a minute,” he told her as he turned to leave the room.

“Thanks, Steve.”

Erin walked over to the table and looked down at Dave and brushed a stray curl off his forehead and kissed him. She found a stool and sat down next to him taking his hand. “Davey, I’m here. Open your eyes for me, please,” she begged him. Starsky’s eye lids fluttered, but he didn’t open his eyes. At least he can hear me, she thought. “I love you and I’ll be here when you wake up. Dobey, Hutch and a bunch of other cops have taken over the waiting room; everyone’s worried about you.” Two orderlies approached gurney and Erin got up and moved out of their way, reluctantly letting go of Starsky’s hand. “Well, they want to take you upstairs now, so I have to go. Baby, I love you so much, please don’t leave me, I need you,” her voice finally breaking. Just before they wheeled him out, she kissed him on the cheek.

“A Time for Healing”

by Nancy

“Seven”

Erin stood there in the treatment room looking around after they had taken Starsky up to surgery.. Her eye caught something sitting on the counter; it was his gun and holster. Sitting on top of them was his badge and wallet. One of the nurses must have taken them out of his pants before they tossed them on the floor. Erin went over, picked it all up and walked out towards the waiting room.

Several uniformed officers were standing around in the hall near the waiting room and Hutch was leaning against the wall when Erin came out, he saw her and walked over to her.

“These were left in the treatment room,” she said, handing the gun and ID to Hutch.

“Sanchez, take these back to the station and lock them up in Captain Dobey’s office,” Hutch told the young officer.

“Yes, sir,” the young man answered and then he walked away.

“Did Dr. Timmins come and talk to you?” Erin asked as she put her arm around Hutch’s waist. “Yeah, he did,” he answered, pulling her into a hug that they both desperately needed.

After a few minutes, Hutch pulled away and took Erin’s hand and they headed to the waiting room on the surgical floor to wait for word on Starsky.

“Dr. Timmins is the best trauma surgeon on staff, Dave couldn’t be in better hands. Everything is going to be fine,” Erin said, not sure who she was trying to make feel better, herself or Hutch.

“I know, but he looked so pale,” Hutch said, trying his best not to sound as worried as he was.

“That’s from the blood loss and shock, once he gets stabilized his color will return,” Erin told him.

“He’s been through so much in the last few years between being shot in the shoulder and the poisoning, I’m worried that his body can’t take much more.”

“Ken, you know as well as I do that he’s a fighter. Dave’s not going to give up without one heck of an effort,” she reassured him.

“Erin, he’s so lucky to have you. You’ve been the best thing for him these last few months,” he said. Erin smiled at Hutch, “Well, I think I’m the lucky one to have you and Dave. I wouldn’t trade one minute of the last four months, not even this. What’s that old saying, ‘What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.’ I firmly believe that. We’ll come out of this better than ever, all three of us.”

“You know, the fact that Starsky and I are as close as we are, has killed more than one relationship for both of us. Most women don’t understand our friendship, feel threatened by it and eventually leave,” he told her.

“I’m not going to do that. I knew right from the beginning that having you in my life was part of the package when it came to being with Dave, so it doesn’t bother me. I feel better knowing that he has someone looking out for him on a daily basis that loves him as much as I do. I always wanted an older brother, so you fit the bill perfectly,” she said with a laugh.

Hutch started laughing too, “Thanks a lot sis,” he teased. “At least I get along better with you than my own sister. She a little tough to take most of the time.”

Erin was finally overcome with a case of the giggles that she couldn’t stop. It took her a minute to catch her breath before she could answer Hutch. Everyone in the room was looking at her like she was crazy at that very moment. “My little brother is the same way. I love him, but most of the time when we are together I want to strangle him.”

“A Time for Healing”

by Nancy

“Eight”

Hutch took out his pocket watch to check the time, ‘7:00’ and realized that it had been two hours since Starsky had been taken to surgery. They still didn’t have any word on his condition. Dobey and most of the others had to get back on duty and left, promising to check in later on Starsky.

Erin, too keyed up to sit still any longer, was pacing the room when Dr. Timmins finally walked in. Before he could even get all the way in the room, Erin and Hutch bombarded him with the same question, “How is he?”

Steve Timmins had to chuckle at Erin and Hutch, both so single minded in their concern for Dave Starsky. Timmins decided that Starsky was one lucky guy to have these two people care about him so much. “He’s fine,” Dr. Timmins announced.

“Thank God,” was all Erin could say as she reached for Hutch’s hand.

“We repaired the damage and stopped the bleeding. We did have to remove his spleen, but he can live without that. We still have him on the ventilator to help take some of the strain off his lungs, since the left one had collapsed. He’ll have to stay on it for awhile until we’re sure that the lung has healed properly.”

“When can we see him?” Hutch asked.

“He’s in recovery right now, but should be in a room in the ICU in about 30 minutes or so. The nurse on duty will let you know when he’s all settled in.”

“Thanks so much Steve, I really appreciate all you’ve done,” Erin told him. “Thanks Doc,” Hutch said as he shook the doctor’s hand.

“Don’t worry about it, I was just doing my job. I’m just glad that I was able to help. See you later,” he said as he walked out of the room.

The stress of the past few hours finally caught up with Erin and her knees gave out on her. Hutch caught her before she fell and helped her to a chair. “Hey, are you okay?” he asked, clearly concerned about what was going on with her.

“I’m fine. It’s just that I haven’t eaten anything since lunch and with all the stress over Dave, my blood sugar has dropped,” she told him.

“So, if you get something to eat you’ll be fine?” he asked, still worried.

“Yes, once I eat everything will be back to normal,” she explained.

“Great, you had me worried for a minute,” he said, relieved that Erin was going to be all right.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you,” she said. “I’ve got hypoglycemia and I’m usually better at keeping it under control so I don’t have these problems.”

“Okay,” Hutch said as he helped her up, “Let’s go get you some food and then we can go see Starsky.”

“Sounds good to me,” Erin said as she took Hutch arm as they headed towards the cafeteria.

“A Time for Healing”

by Nancy

“Nine”

An hour later Starsky had been moved from recovery to the ICU. Hutch and Erin had just come up from the cafeteria when they saw Dr. Timmins.

“Doctor, how’s Starsky doing?” Hutch asked.

“Sgt. Hutchinson,” the doctor began, “Sgt. Starsky is doing remarkably well considering all he’s been through. Baring any complications, which I don’t anticipate, he should be up and around in a few days.”

“That’s the best news, thanks Doc,” Hutch said.

“What room is he in?” Erin asked, anxious to see Starsky.

“He’s in 408,” Timmins answered, “and I’ve let the staff know that you and Sgt. Hutchinson have unlimited visitation.”

“Thanks Steve, I doubt either one of us are going to leave until we know that Dave’s going to be okay,” Erin told him.

“That’s what I figured,” he continued, “well, I have other patients I need to check on, but if you need anything have the nurse page me.”

“We’ll do that and thanks again,” Erin said as she shook Steve’s hand.

Hutch pushed open the door to Room 408 as he and Erin entered. Starsky was lying in the bed, connected to various machines. The only noise in the room came from the steady beats of the heart monitor and the rhythmic sound of the ventilator that was breathing for Starsky. Most of the room was dark except for a small light above Starsky’s head. Erin and Hutch walked over to the bed and Erin reached out and lightly touched Starsky’s face with her hand. Hutch had taken his hand and started talking to him.

“Hey buddy, Erin and I are with you. You just take it easy and rest okay, and we’ll be here when you wake up,” he told him as he sat in the chair next to the bed. Erin had stepped back from the bed while Hutch sat with Starsky. Her emotions, that she had managed to keep in check all evening, were threatening to spill over when she saw how tenderly Hutch was talking to his best friend.

As she watched them, the tears flowed. Thank you God, for pulling Dave through this, she thought. She wiped the tears away and walked back over to Hutch and put her hand on his shoulder, he reached up and covered her hand with his.

“You look exhausted,” she told him.

“I am a little tired,” he answered, relaxing for the first time since this whole ordeal had started.

“Why don’t you let me sit with him for awhile and you try to get some sleep in the other chair,” she said.

“That sounds like a good idea. You’ll wake me if you need anything, right?”

“I promise. Now, let me see if I can find you a pillow,” she said as she searched in the closet. “Success! I knew that there had to be some extra ones around here,” she told him as she handed it to him.

“Thanks, my neck will be eternally grateful,” he said as he tried to get comfortable.

“Goodnight, Ken.”

“Night, Erin.”

Erin pulled the chair closer to the bed and took Starsky’s hand. He looked so peaceful as he slept, almost angelic. She leaned over and kissed his cheek and whispered to him, “I love you so much. You really scared me today. If it hadn’t been for Hutch, I’m sure that I would have been a basket case. He’s such a wonderful friend, but you already knew that.”

“I still owe you that dinner. I sure hope that enchiladas freeze well because I’ll have to save them until you get out of here, then we can have a party. I guess I’ve rambled on long enough. There’s just so much that I want to say, but it will have to wait until you are awake and can answer me. I’ll be here when you wake up, I love you,” she said as she laid her head next to his arm and fell asleep.

“A Time for Healing”

by Nancy

“Ten”

Someone stroking her hair had startled Erin awake and it took her a moment to remember where she was. She had looked up to find that Dave had been the one touching her hair.

“Hey,” she said quietly as she sat up, “your awake. I’m sure happy to see those beautiful eyes this morning.”

Starsky tried to speak, but the tube was preventing it.

“Relax and don’t try to talk. The doctor will be in later to see about taking the tube out, but if you fight it, it will only make your throat more irritated,” she told him.

Starsky made a writing motion in the air in an effort to tell Erin he wanted a pen and some paper.

“You want to write something?” she asked. He nodded his head and she went to her purse and found something for him to write on. She handed it to him and he wrote Where’s Hutch? and showed it to her.

Erin pointed to the chair in the corner and said, “He’s over there asleep, I’ll go get him up so you can talk to him.” Erin went over and knelt by side of the chair and gently shook Hutch’s arm as she spoke to him. “Ken, wake up.” Slowly Hutch opened his eyes and stretched before he sat up. “Good morning,” he said sleepily.

“It is a good morning because Dave’s awake,” she told him.

With that, Hutch was now fully awake, out of the chair and next to the bed in record time. “Hey buddy, it’s sure good to see you awake,” Hutch told him, “you had us worried.”

Starsky wrote on the pad, Sorry, I guess I should’ve ducked. Erin and Hutch both laughed.

“Yeah, that would’ve been a good idea,” Hutch said.

“I’m gonna go find Dr. Timmins and see what he can do about getting that tube out of your throat,” she told Starsky. He handed her a note, Thanks.

“Sweetie, you don’t need to thank me. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for you,” she said as she kissed his cheek. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

About 15 minutes later Erin returned with Dr. Timmins in tow. “Good Morning Sgt., let’s see how you’re doing,” Timmins said as he started his examination. “It looks like we can take you off the vent sooner than we thought,” he told a very relieved Starsky, who was more than anxious to get rid of the offending tube.

“That’s wonderful news,” Erin said as she squeezed Starsky’s arm.

“How long before Starsky will be able to go home?” Hutch asked the doctor.

“It’s going to be at least 2 or 3 more days,” the doctor said, “we need to make sure that everything is healing properly and that there are no signs of infection. With all the necessary equipment set-up, the doctor got ready to remove the ventilation tube. “Okay, I need you to exhale as I start removing the tube,” Timmins told Starsky.

Starsky coughed as the tube came out and Erin gave him some ice chips to suck on to help soothe his irritated throat. “Hi,” Starsky whispered to Erin. “Hi,” she replied as she kissed him gently on the lips.

“I’ll be back later this afternoon to check on you,” Timmins told Starsky as he opened the door to leave the room. “Thanks Doc, Starsky said.

Sensing that Erin and Starsky wanted some time alone Hutch decided it was time to make himself scarce. “I’m gonna go make some phone calls, so I’ll be back later.”

“Sounds great, we’ll see ya when you get back,” Starsky said.

After Hutch left, Erin sat down on the bed next to Starsky and took his hand. “I don’t ever want to feel as scared as I did yesterday. When Ken came to see me, his face was so ashen, I thought for sure he was coming to tell me you were dead,” she told him as tears slid down her face. He reached up and wiped the tears away before he said anything. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to put you through that. It happened so fast there was nothing I could do to stop it.”

“I know you didn’t and it’s not like I’m a stranger to the dangers of your job. I guess its something that I don’t like to think about.”

“Babe, I don’t like to think about it either,” he said as he leaned over and kissed her. They lost themselves in the passion of the kiss, a passion that was borne out of the fear of what they had nearly lost. Finally after a few minutes they came up for air. “Wow,” Erin said breathlessly.

“That was kinda intense,” he said. Starsky took a deep breath before he spoke again. “Erin, there’s something important I want to say, so let me finish before you say anything,” he told her as he looked at her beautiful face.

Erin couldn’t take her eyes off Starsky as he spoke, “I’ve known for a while how I felt about you, but I guess I was too afraid to say it. When I got shot yesterday, I thought I’d blown any chance I had of telling you how much you mean to me.” He paused for a minute and than continued, “Erin, I love you, more than I thought was possible.”

“Oh, David,” was all Erin could say as she threw her arms him and kissed him. Erin pulled back to look at Dave. He’d been through so much in the last 24 hours and it showed on his face.

“You look tired, you really need to get some rest,” she said as she made a move to get up off the bed.

Starsky grabbed her arm, “Please don’t go,” he said.

“Alright, I’ll stay till you fall asleep,” she told him as she laid her head on his shoulder. Within minutes, they both were asleep. That’s how Hutch found them when he walked back into the room 30 minutes later. He just shook his head and laughed as he left the room.

“A Time for Healing”

by Nancy

“Eleven”

Three days later Starsky was getting ready to leave the hospital. He was still sore, but had managed to convince the doctor he could rest just as easily at home as he could in the hospital. Dr. Timmins relented only after Erin and Hutch promised that they would make sure that Starsky took it easy.

“Hey Hutch, where’s Erin?” Starsky asked when his partner walked into the room alone, pushing a wheelchair.

“Erin said that she’d meet us at your place. She said something about a surprise when I talked to her,” he explained.

“What kind of surprise?” Starsky asked. “I don’t know, she didn’t tell me,” Hutch answered as he picked up the overnight bag and helped Starsky into the chair.

A nurse walked in with Starsky’s discharge papers that he needed to sign. With that done, he and Hutch headed out towards the elevator and to Hutch’s battered LTD, which was parked out front.

Once settled into the car, they drove in silence to Starsky’s place. Hutch looked over and saw that Starsky had put his head back and his eyes were closed. Hutch pulled the car into the driveway and killed the engine. Hutch gently touched Starsky’s arm, “We’re home,” he said as Starsky opened his eyes.

Erin heard Hutch’s car pull up just as she was putting the finishing touches on her surprise for Dave. She walked out of the kitchen just as the guys came in the door.

“What is that heavenly smell?” Starsky asked.

“That’s my surprise, Enchiladas O’Malley,” Erin told him as she put her arm around his waist and helped him over to the sofa.

“I didn’t think it was possible for anything that smelled that good could come out of Starsky’s kitchen,” joked Hutch.

“Very funny,” Starsky said as he sat on the sofa, “I can cook, I just don’t like too.”

“Of course you don’t when you can have someone else do it for you,” Hutch kidded him.

“It’s not my fault that you can’t get Marti to cook for you,” Starsky shot back.

“You two are terrible,” Erin said with a laugh.

“I know, but you love us anyway,” Hutch said as he put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek.

“You’re pushing your luck Hutchinson,” Erin told him as she playfully pushed his arm away just as there was a knock on the door, “why don’t you get that while I check on dinner.”

Hutch opened the door to find his girlfriend Marti on the other side. “Hi there,” he said softly as he leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss before she walked into the apartment.

“Hi Marti,” Erin called out from the kitchen. “Hi Erin, dinner smells great.”

“Thanks, it should be ready in just a few more minutes.”

“Hey Marti,” Starsky said.

“How ya doing Dave?” Marti asked as she sat down on the sofa with him and Hutch.

“I’m doing okay, just a little tired.”

“That’s understandable, I would imagine that getting shot would take a lot out of you.”

“I wouldn’t recommend it as a way to get time off from work,” he said with a chuckle.

“I think I’ll pass. I need a vacation, just not that bad,” Marti laughed.

“I hope everyone is hungry, because there’s lots of food,” Erin announced.

“Great, I’m starving,” Starsky said.

“What else is new,” cracked Hutch as he helped Starsky get up from the sofa.

Erin had prepared a veritable feast, besides the enchiladas there were refried beans, salsa and Spanish rice.

“Erin, are you sure there’s enough?” Marti jokingly asked as she sat down at the table.

Erin laughed, “I figured after having to eat hospital food, Dave would be anxious for something not quite so bland.”

“You got that right,” Starsky quipped as he filled his plate. He had taken a bite of the enchilada and thought he’d found the Promised Land. “This is delicious, better than Pancho Villa’s.”

“Starsk, anything is better than Pancho’s,” Hutch told him as he took a bite.

“I agree, this is fantastic,” Marti said.

“Okay, where did a nice Irish girl like you learn to make such terrific Mexican food?” Hutch asked Erin.

“Rosa Gonzalez, my roommate in college at UCLA, was from Tucson. I went home with her one summer and her abuelita taught us how to make authentic Mexican food.”

“God Bless Rosa and her Grandmother,” announced Starsky as he raised his glass in a toast.

“A Time for Healing”

by Nancy

“Twelve”

After dinner, while Marti and Erin cleaned up, Hutch and Starsky settled themselves on the sofa to watch the Dodger-Giant game on TV. The soothing voice of announcer Vin Scully lulled them both to sleep in a matter of minutes.

Noticing how quiet it was, Marti went to investigate. When she walked into the room she couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the guys sleeping so peacefully.

“Erin, you have to come and see this.”

“What?” Erin answered as she walked in wiping her hands on a dishtowel. She stopped short when she saw them. “Don’t they look precious, it’s almost a shame to wake them up, “she said.

“I know, but it’s gonna be so much fun,” Marti said with a wicked gleam in her eye.

“Marti, what are you gonna do?” Erin asked, wary of what she had planned.

“Just a little something to get his attention,” she replied.

Marti knelt next to Hutch and softly blew into his ear. Hutch reached up to swat away whatever it was that buzzed his ear. Marti did it again and this time Hutch opened his eyes.

“Hi there, sleepyhead,” Marti said softly as she brushed his hair off of his forehead.

“How long have I been out?” he asked as he sat up and stretched the kinks out of his neck and back.

“Not long, half hour or so.”

Meanwhile, Erin walked over and shut the TV off.

“Hey, I was watching that,” Starsky said as he sat up slowly and stretched.

“Dave, you were asleep. The only thing you were watching were the inside of your eyelids.”

“I mighta had my eyes closed, but I was still listening to it,” he argued.

“Okay, if you really were listening, what was the score?” she asked as she sat on the arm of the sofa, knowing full well that Starsky wouldn’t be able to tell her.

“Uh..Uh…got me,” he finally admitted, “What was it?”

“Giants were winning 5-0 in the middle of the 7^th inning.”

Hutch and Marti had been watching the entire exchange and had to laugh when Starsky finally admitted defeat.

“Starsk, you should know better than to argue with a woman because you can never win,” Hutch said, laughing.

"Yeah I know, but you coulda at least helped me out there buddy."

"No way Starsk, you backed yourself into that corner, you had to get yourself out."

"I hate to throw a damper on things, but I have an early morning meeting. I should get going before it gets too much later," Marti said.

"I'll head out with you," Hutch said.

"Hey, it's not that late," Starsky said, not wanting the party to break up so soon.

"Starsk, you just got out of the hospital, there's no point in overdoing the first day," Hutch told him.

"I'm not tired," he said as he tried to stifle a yawn.

"Sweetie, Hutch is right. You need to get some rest," Erin told him.

"Okay, I guess you're right," he admitted.

"Thanks so much for dinner Erin, it was great," Marti told her as she gave her hug.

"You're welcome, I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"You take care of our friend over there," Hutch told Erin as he gave her a hug.

"You know I will," she told him.

"See ya later Starsk."

See you later Dave," Marti said.

"See ya guys later," Starsky said as Hutch and Marti left.

"You're not going too, are you?" Starsky asked Erin as he slowly got up off the sofa.

"Not if you don't want me too," she told him.

"No, I want you to stay," he said as he took her hand.

"Okay," she replied as she shut the lights off and headed to the bedroom with him.

Starsky found an old T-shirt in his dresser and handed it to Erin, who went into the bathroom to change. She came out a few minutes later to find Starsky in bed with his eyes closed. Erin climbed in next to him and laid her head on his chest, he woke up. She looked up at him and was so thankful that he was okay. He leaned down and kissed her.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you, too," she told him as she snuggled closer and the both fell asleep.


The end......

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