CHAPTER 6
Cassie sat quietly, keeping her eye on the doorway
as she waited for him to return. She hoped by now that Hutch had regained
consciousness so that Davey would have a chance to talk to him before surgery.
It broke her heart to see him lying there so helpless and vulnerable. She
had always thought of him as such a strong and healthy man. To watch him
suffering so miserably was almost as painful as the night she had witnessed
her own father’s death.
Starsky stepped through the doorway after only about
fifteen minutes and Cassie could see the anguish on his face. It was obvious
that he was hurting. He looked like a little boy…who just put his favorite
dog to sleep.
“So…how is he?” she asked as he approached her.
“They took him to surgery…” He told her as he kept
his eyes from meeting hers.
“He didn’t wake up did he.” She stated knowing by
his mood that he hadn’t been able to speak to him.
“No…”
She reached her hand up to rest on his shoulder
and gave him a little smile.
“You hungry?”
He looked at her and managed to turn the corner
of his mouth up at her suggestion…then he nodded his head and put his hand
on her shoulder gently to escort her to the cafeteria.
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They sat in silence for the first few minutes…Cassie
eating a bowl of cereal with a banana she had cut into slices and placed
on top…Starsky with a couple of donuts and a cup of hot coffee.
Conversation between them lately had been awkward
at best…but there was something about the look on his face…that caused
her to speak to him.
“He’s gonna be alright…you know that don’t you?”
She prompted as he stared at the cup he held in his hands.
“I don’t know…I hope so.” He said without taking
his eyes from it.
“As soon as they remove the tube…He’ll feel much
better and when he wakes up everything will be fine.” She told him as she
tried to get him to look on the bright side of things.
“ I wish it were that simple…”
“What do you mean?” She asked curiously. “The paramedics
saved him…he’ll just have a scar on his neck…that’s all.”
“You don’t understand…” He said as he looked up
and their eyes met…but he let his words trail off suddenly.
“What?” She questioned him. “Is there something
you’re not telling me?”
“Remember when the nurse told you that he went a
long time without breathing?” He began as he allowed her to answer him.
“Yeah…so.”
“So…It’s possible that he might have suffered some
damage.” He told her with an intense look on his face. “We won’t know until
he wakes up.”
“What kind of damage?” She asked with a worried
look on her face.
“Brain cells will die from lack of oxygen.”
“You mean he might wake up stupid or something?”
She inquired with the innocence of a child. “Not Hutch…he’s got brains
enough to spare….now if it where YOU on the other hand…”
Starsky let out a small snort at her teasing remark…as
he felt a little of his tension fade away.
It was something she hadn’t done in months. A smart-ass
comment like the ones he had come to expect out of her up until the night
of the rape. The feeling was comforting to him…like slipping into a favorite
sweater…or sitting in a familiar chair. A soothing sense that all was right
with the world …if only for a brief moment… washed over him.
----------------------------------------------------
Hutch spent close to three hours in surgery and another
45 minutes in recovery. They had kept him sedated so that he wouldn’t fight
the tube that was helping him to breathe. It was the reason that he was
so out of it during their brief visits. The Doctor had felt it best to
make sure he remained immobilized during the entire ordeal.
Hutch awoke slowly and began to glance around at
his surroundings. There were nurses passing by him and voices over the
intercom, echoing overhead. They didn’t seem to notice that he was awake
until he tried to call out to one of them.
“Heeeyy….oooowww….” He said as he gripped his throat
with his right hand. It felt like someone had just poked him in the neck
with a cattle prod. His words were barely audible…just a little above a
whisper.
A young nurse carrying a chart glanced up as she
walked passed and noticed him…
“I see you’re awake.” She said with a smile as she
stepped closer and adjusted his IV with her free hand. “Don’t try to talk…just
rest here for a while…they’ll be moving you to a room upstairs soon.”
Hutch held his hand as if he were holding a pen
and placed it in his other palm…indicating that he wished for a pencil
and a piece of paper.
“Ok…I’ll be right back…then you can tell me what’s
on you’re mind.” She cooed at him as she placed her hand on top of his
to lower them to his chest.
She returned after a couple of minutes with a pad
and a sharpened pencil in her hand. She handed them over to him and waited
as he scratched out a quick message for her.
He tore off the top sheet and presented it to her
eagerly. She took it from him and read the words he had written…
(What happened to me?)
“You had a close call with a piece of fruit.” She
told him with a smile. “It blocked your airway and they had to put a tube
in your neck to help you breathe.” She explained to him slowly.
He quickly reached his hand around his neck as her
words sunk into his mind…no wonder his throat hurt like hell.
“It’s alright.” She said calmly. “They removed the
tube a little while ago.”
He scribbled another message on the note pad and
ripped it off quickly…holding it up for her once more.
(I don’t remember. How long?)
“You were brought in last night…you’re partner has
been here waiting for you downstairs…you can see him in a little while.”
She told him.
Once more his hand moved the pencil across the notepad…this
time with only two short words…as he tore it off and held it up so she
could read it.
(MY WHAT?)
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Chapter 7
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