NEAR DEATHS DOOR

BY P&C PRODUCTIONS

CHAPTER 20…FINAL

Starsky just stood over her for a few seconds…looking into her eyes…smiling at her. She touched his face…laying the palm of her hand on his cheek…as she smiled back at him. Then he began to laugh. Hutch woke to the sound of his laughter and sprang to his feet…rounding the foot of her bed to the other side. He lifted her hand slowly…careful of the IV tube in that arm…and smiled down at her. Then he reached for the white teddy bear that he had brought her…who had been resting on the bed rail since his arrival. Cassie looked over at Hutch…

"Hutch…were you singing to me?" She asked him. "It sounded so beautiful."

"You remember?" Hutch asked her. "What else do you remember?"

"I heard you talking…both of you." She said weakly

"I have something for you." Hutch told her…then he put the bear closer…so she could see him. "His name is…"

"Ollie…." Cassie said as she pulled him closer…and hugged him. "It’s Ollie."

Starsky looked at Hutch…who was looking at him…both with the same puzzled expression…then they turned their attention back to her…but she had already drifted off to sleep again.

"How did she know…" Starsky questioned him.

"Beats the hell out of me." Hutch replied.

They watched her for a few minutes…both of them so grateful that the ordeal was finally over. Now as she rested peacefully…the tension of the past week and a half seemed to all fade away. It was like a bad dream…that suddenly came to an end the moment she opened her eyes.

"I guess I better tell the Nurses." Hutch finally spoke up. "The Doctor will want to schedule her surgery."

"Not yet." Starsky told him. "It can wait…Go on home and get some sleep…I’ll tell them in the morning."

"You sure?" Hutch asked. "I’ll stay if you want."

"She’ll be ok…come back in the morning…I’ll be here." Starsky assured him. "You need some sleep…I’ll catch a few hours myself."

"Alright…I’ll be back early." Hutch promised. "See ya ."

Hutch walked over to the chair he had fallen asleep in earlier and grabbed his jacket…then he headed for the door.

"Hey.." Starsky called to him as he pulled it open.

Hutch stopped to look back at him.

"Yeah."

"You’re my Pal Hutch…thanks for hanging around." Starsky said softly.

Hutch just smiled and said. "Anytime…Partner."

Starsky slept a total of 5 hours that night…the Nurses came in and out through the night…Cassie didn’t wake up as they changed her bags…there was no need to take blood…her last test results were normal.

The next morning…Nurse Susan Staton entered the room and began to take her blood pressure. Cassie startled her when she opened her eyes and spoke to her.

"Where’s Dave?" Cassie asked in a groggy voice…disoriented but more aware of her surroundings than the night before.

Susan smiled at her and answered. "He’s right here…how do you feel?"

"Tired…How long have I been here?" She asked.

"Almost two weeks…I’m Susan…we’ve been waiting for you to wake up." She told her. "You sure had these two guys worried…they’ve been watching over you the whole time."

"They’re my friends." Cassie told her.

"You’re a very lucky girl." Susan said with a smile.

"Yeah…they are kinda cute." She whispered.

Susan laughed a little…then she squeezed her hand and turned around to wake Starsky…who was sleeping on the cot near her bed. She touched his arm and shook him gently.

"She’s awake." Susan told him.

Starsky rubbed his eyes and sat halfway up. "She woke up last night…I was gonna tell you this morning." He said.

"The doctor will want to get her to surgery…the tube has to come out…then she’ll probably be released in a day or two." Susan told him. "I’ll call her right away."

"Thanks for everything…really." He said as he rose to his feet…and extended his hand.

She returned the gesture and held his hand for a moment. "It’s my job."

Hutch arrived shortly after 7:30AM and discovered that they had her surgery scheduled for 9:00AM…not wasting anytime…they wanted her side to begin to heal…so the scar wouldn’t be too noticeable. Both Starsky and Hutch waited down the hall from her on the second floor while she was in surgery…they wanted to be close…just in case. After two and a half hours went by…the Doctor walked out and told them that they would be moving Cassie to a room on the fourth floor…a regular room with a television and a phone. She would be allowed to have flowers…and as many visitors as she wanted.

The next two days passed quickly. A fully awake Cassie…no restrictions on her diet…and everyone came to visit…Dobey, Huggy, Stacey and her mom…other kids from school…and of course Starsky and Hutch…who between the two of them continued to keep watch over her.

Flowers filled the room along with cards and candy boxes…Cassie was getting around well enough to remove her folli catheter and finally…on the last day…her IV. She hadn’t really had time to talk to Dave alone…too many distractions. She wanted to tell him about her dreams…but there just didn’t seem to be a good time to bring it up…so she decided to wait. Going to the bathroom for the first time on her own was a painful experience…after having the catheter for so long. They wouldn’t allow her to go home until she could do it. She finally got a good look at the two noticeable scars on her belly…while in the bathroom. Dave noticed a definite change in her mood when she finally opened the door and walked out. She didn’t speak to him at all…but went straight back to the bed…with a sad expression on her face.

Starsky walked over to her slowly and tucked her in. "What’s wrong?"

"They’re so ugly." She said…her mood apparent in her voice.

"You mean the scars…so what…after a while you won’t even notice them anymore." Starsky told her. "You want to see scars…look at this."

He removed his shirt and began to point out to her every bullet wound…knife wound…and explained them all in detail. Hutch walked in as his back was turned…and Cassie was touching a large scar on his shoulder.

"What’s going on here?" He said with a smile. "Strip search?"

"I was just showing Cas some of my old battle scars." Starsky explained.

"Wanna see some scars?" Hutch said as he removed his shirt. "Look at these." And began to tell her the story behind each one of his own.

Just about that time…Dobey came strolling in…and snickered at his two half-naked detectives. "Giving her an anatomy lesson?" He joked.

"Just showing her some of our scars." Hutch told him.

Dobey began to remove his shirt. "I didn’t spend close to thirty years on the force without my share…take a look at these." He said as he showed them his chest and back…giving them a detailed description of his brushes with death.

Huggy came in next…and had to lean against the wall to keep from falling down as he laughed at them…all three stripped to the waist…and Cassie enjoying the show.

"Ha…Ha…Ha…If you where going to have this kind of party…you shoulda told me…I coulda brought some more women." He said between his chuckles.

"We were showing her our scars…you know…bullet holes…surgery…knife wounds." Dobey explained to him.

"I got some of those…wanna see?" Huggy asked as he removed his shirt.

The sight of Huggy’s skinny bare chest had the whole room laughing hysterically, even Cassie who decided that her scars wouldn’t really be so bad after all.

On the day she was released…Hutch excused himself and let Starsky take her home alone. Hutch had to get everything ready for her big surprise.

The place seemed quite as they pulled into the driveway…(Cars concealed around back) Starsky helped her step out of the car and up to the door…she was still stiff from her surgery. As the door opened…lights were flipped on and "SURPRISE" was yelled out loud by about twenty or so people. A large cake and balloons…disco music and all her closest friends from school…Dobey and his wife…Huggy and Hutch…Stacey and her mom…Tracy…Robin…Lisa…Ann…Deb…and Valerie. The landlady Mrs. Cotton and a few other people she didn’t really recognize…Cops off duty.

"Hey…where’s Mike?" Cassie asked Stacey as she cut the cake.

"Mike…what a creep…He found out that you were sick and started dating Cathy Blair…you know…the cheerleader with the big…" Stacey stopped when she saw that Cassie had walked away from her…. she followed…walking up from behind. "Sorry Cas."

"But it doesn’t make any sense…he came to visit me in the hospital." Cassie remembered the words that were spoken to her. Mike was the only one who could of said it. Who else…unless it was just a dream.

Starsky noticed Cassie standing by the counter…leaning on it with Stacey behind her…a hand on her shoulder. He walked over to see if she was all right.

"Hey…you ok?" He asked her…and Stacey decided to back away…to let him talk to her.

Cassie put on a fake smile and turned around. "I’m fine." She told him.

He knew she was lying…she wasn’t good at it...he let it go for now.

After the party died down and Hutch and Huggy finished helping him clean up…Starsky told them he wanted her to rest…and they took it as a sign that they should leave a little earlier than they had planned…Hutch understood.

Cassie slowly got ready for bed…though it was only around 6:30PM…she was really tired…and still depressed over the latest bombshell that was dropped on her. How could Mike do this to her?

Starsky knocked on her bedroom door and was invited in…he slowly crept up to her bed and sat down next to her.

"Had a big day today…Now you ready to tell me what’s bothering you?" He asked her.

"What are you talking about?" She pretended.

"C’mon Cas…it’s me…I know something’s bugging you…now give." He persisted.

"Stacey told me that Mike started dating Cathy Blair as soon as he found out that I was sick…she’s the one with the big…"

"I get the picture…no wonder the little punk never showed." He said out loud.

"But I remember him there…he told me he was in love with me…I heard him." Cassie told him. "I know I did…do you think I could of dreamed it?"

Starsky knew what she heard…but he couldn’t tell her…maybe it was best to leave it alone. "You must’ve dreamed it…cause he never came by…not even once."

"But I remember Hutch singing to me…and you telling me I could drive your car…the Bee Gee’s tickets…why would that have been a dream…maybe it’s just like the lady." She said.

"What Lady…a Nurse?" He asked her.

"No…the lady in my dream…she brought me back…I saw Daddy too…Dave…I saw daddy…and this lady with short brown hair and brown eyes…she told me to tell you that she said she would always be there." She told him as she scooted down under the covers…and he tucked her in. She was so tired.

"What else did she say." He asked as he strooked her hair and watched her eyes grow heavier.

"She said she would always be there if you needed her…and tell Dave I still love him." She said as her eyes closed and a yawn escaped her.

HE watched as she drifted off to sleep …glanced over at Ollie…and thought about her words…could it have been? Terri…it would explain how she knew about Oliie…and the words she spoke when she woke from the coma…hello best friend…Terri’s words…it would explain everything. Could it have been? He leaned over to kiss her on the cheek…and then he looked up at the ceiling of her room…turned out her bedside lamp and…said in a whisper.

"Thanks Terri…for giving her back to me."

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