CHAPTER 17
It was almost 1:30 when they finally walked back into the apartment. The Christmas tree was twinkling in the otherwise dark room and Hutch stood beside it as he leaned against the wall to remove his shoes. Starsky crept quietly down the small hallway to take a quick peek into her room. She had apparently stirred while they were gone because she was now facing in the opposite direction and Ollie had been pushed off onto the floor. He moved slowly into the room and bent down to pick up the fallen bear.
He held him in his hands for a moment as he remembered Terry…how she used to hold him so tightly in her arms during her last days on this earth. Cassie loved him too but she probably wasn’t aware that he was in bed with her or she never would have allowed him to fall. He took a deep breath and released a sigh before walking over to place him back into his chair. Ollie had a special bond with him…with Hutch…and even with Cassie. It’s funny how he seemed to blend into the furnishings of her room. He belonged there just as much as she did.
He took one last look at his furry little face before turning to walk out. Tomorrow was Christmas and Cassie was about to get something that she had been wanting for a while now…a little more independence. He grabbed the doorknob with his left hand and pulled it closed as he wondered how much more time he really had left…how much longer he could keep her n his life.
Hutch had made himself comfortable on the couch when Starsky came back
into the living room to look for him. All he could see of his partner was
a tuft of blonde hair resting on the edge and he knew that Hutch had fallen
asleep. He remembered the extra blanket and pillow that he kept neatly
tucked away in the hall closet for just such an occasion. He pulled them
out and walked quietly over to his sleeping partner. He picked his head
up just enough to slid the pillow under it and then he jerked the blanket
open and rested it softly over his body. Hutch groaned and adjusted his
body to get a little more comfortable and Starsky smiled down at him. He
had always been such a good friend and in all the years that they had known
each other…he couldn’t think of one instance where Hutch had ever let him
down. Through the good and the bad he was there no matter what. Starsky
gave his shoulder a light pat before turning to walk away. With only one
thought now on his mind as he
closed his bedroom door behind him… poor Hutch was going to have a
sore back in the morning. He made a mental note to ask Cassie to rub some
muscle cream on him tomorrow. Satisfied with the notation…he pulled his
shoes off…then his shirt and jeans. He threw on a pair of his pajama bottoms
and made his way into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Now feeling the
effect that 2 o’clock in the morning always had on him he managed to do
a halfway decent job on his teeth before groggily heading back to his bed.
He crawled a little on his knees and ended up sprawled across it sideways
as he drifted off… on
his stomach.
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Hutch awoke to a strangely familiar sound that startled him a little. His rubbed at his eyes and peered out the window just in time to see a green sedan pull out of the driveway…but that didn’t catch his attention as much as what he saw now sitting next to his car. It was the Torino!
“What the Hell?” Hutch said out loud as he stared out the window at it. He knew that Starsky’s car was in the shop and he had been informed that he would have to drive him around for the next week or so…so what was it doing here?…Who?… How?
It was around 7:30 on Christmas morning and now with the light coming through the blinds…the flickering lights of the tree could barely be seen. Hutch knew that Starsky would still be asleep but he was so puzzled by the whole thing that he felt he just had to wake him. As he began to make his way down the hall to knock on his bedroom door …Cassie pulled her bedroom door open and tightened the hold she had on her robe as she grabbed him by the arm.
“Don’t wake him…let him sleep.” She told him in a hushed voice.
“But…C’mere…I gotta show you something.” He told her as he led her to the front window to peer out.
Cassie looked outside and let out a small squeal as she ran to open the front door. “It’s here!” She cried with excitement as she pulled the door open and ran over to grab the keys out of the ignition. She didn’t bother to look around or she would have noticed the strange looking vehicle parked on the side of the street near the front of the building…with a big red bow on the hood. Hutch watched her curiously as he rubbed the back of his stiff neck and stood in the doorway.
“Cassie what are you up to?” Hutch asked as she ran back inside and closed the door behind her.
“Merle dropped it off for me…it’s my present to him…do ya think he’ll like it?” She asked him with a wide smile.
“But I thought…” Hutch was interrupted by a voice from the other side of the room.
“What’s going on?” Starsky said in a groggy voice as he stood leaning against the wall in his pajama bottoms.
“Nothing!” Cassie said suddenly as she moved the hand that held his keys behind her back quickly and Hutch stood there with a dumbfounded look on his face.
Starsky studied the two of them with the eye of a well-seasoned Detective. Cassie was obviously hiding something and Hutch looked like he was caught like a mouse in a trap…not knowing weather to run or eat the cheese.
“Nothing!” Hutch finally said after an awkward moment… looking at him
and back at Cassie… and then gave his partner a hesitant smile.
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Chapter 18
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