NEAR DEATHS DOOR

BY P&C PRODUCTIONS

CHAPTER 3

It was 12:15 in the afternoon when Starsky walked in the door…carrying a brown paper bag. He yelled in the direction of her bedroom as he put the bag down for a moment to remove his heavy jacket…"Cass…I’m here…you awake?"

Cassie called to him in a weak voice "Dave…Come here…I can’t get up."

It was more they way she spoke than the words that made him rush to her side…a sense of panic swept through him.

"Hey…" he said softly as he knelt beside her "I’m here…" Starsky put his hand around her back and lifted her halfway up so he could hold her in his arms. She held onto him for a minute…then she looked at him and said…"Can you help me to the bathroom?"

"C’mon.." He said as he lifted her to her feet…"Do you think you can walk?"

"AAAAAA…." Cassie cried out as he stood her up…she grabbed her side and bent over for a second…then as she got used to standing "Yeah…just let me hold onto you."

They walked slowly together all the way and he let her go in alone…closing the door behind her. After he was fairly sure she would be alright for a minute he went back into the living room and picked up the paper bag…then into the kitchen to get a spoon.

After about five minutes…Cassie came out of the bathroom and began to make her way slowly back to bed…holding onto her belly and taking small steps…he walked towards her and grabbed hold of her arm to steady her. Then he sat her down in her bed and pulled the blanket up over her legs.

"Let me feel your head." He said as he lifted his hand…"You’re pretty hot...have you taken any more medicine?"

"No…I’ve just been resting…I haven’t even noticed if I had a fever." She answered him.

He picked up the thermometer and shook it before putting it into her mouth…"Hold still for a minute."

After waiting for about three minutes he removed it…"You need some more Tylenol…hold on." He said as he got up and left the room…back in a moment with a glass of water…he put two more pills in her hand and gave her the glass.

Cassie took them and put the glass on her nightstand…then she asked curiously "What’s that?"

Starsky pulled a plastic cup out of the paper bag and opened the lid. "Eat this..." He said as he held out a spoonful of chicken soup…"It’ll make you feel better."

"I don’t want anything…I don’t think I could keep it down." She told him.

"Try anyway…my grandmother swore by this stuff." He said…"and Moma Geanellie’s is the best in town…"

"Alright…I’ll try it …but ya don’t have to feed it to me…I think I can manage on my own." She said as she smiled at him.

"I’ll be right back…just stay there and eat your soup…" He said as he leaned forward and kissed her on her head.

Starsky’s landlady, Mrs. Mari Cotton, lived in the house next door and he knew that she would be home…she liked Cassie and he hoped she wouldn’t mind looking in on her while he went back to work. After a short conversation with her he was assured that she would be happy to do him this small favor.

He came back into the room to find Cassie had only eaten about half the soup and was lying back down with her eyes closed…he walked over and pulled the blanket over her…then starred at her for a minute before turning around to head back to work.

Hutch had been waiting for him at Huggy’s…Starsky had dropped him off there while he went home to check on Cassie. As he walked into Huggy’s Hutch slid off the barstool to greet him.

"How is she?" Hutch asked.

"She’s still sick…I don’t think she’s pregnant Hutch…I think she’s just got the flu or something." He told him.

"Just keep fluids in her and keep her fever down…’bout all you can do for the flu."

"Mrs. Cotton said she’d check on her while I was gone…Maybe she’ll feel a little better by tonight." Starsky said as he held the door for Hutch and they walked out to the curb to get into the car.

Another five hours passed quickly and their shift ended…Starsky dropped Hutch off at the station and hurried home to Cassie…stopping only to pick up some more chicken soup. His grandmother used to make him eat it even if he threw it up a couple of times until he felt better…it was a tradition.

As he walked through the door of his apartment he took off his jacket and holster and put them both away. Cassie must have heard him come in because she immediately asked him…"Dave…can you bring me something to drink?"

"Sure...what do you want?"

"Just some water…" she said…"I’m thirsty."

"Be right there." He answered her as he took down a glass from the cabinet and filled it with tap water…then reached into the fridge for a couple of ice cubes.

As he stepped into her room he noticed right away that she looked worse than she did earlier that day…her face was pale and she was shivering.

"Hey…" He said, his voice calm and tender…"Feel like another round of soup?"

"No…." she said through her shivering teeth…I’m just so cold…besides the last time it didn’t stay down long…I don’t want to go through that again."

Starsky walked over and felt her head…he didn’t need a thermometer to tell him that she had a high fever. "You’re cold because your temperature is so high…we have to get it down…stay there and I’ll run a bath…then you can take some more medicine." He told her.

"I’m not gonna let you put me in the bathtub!" she said as loudly as her weakened state would allow.

"Cassie you have to cool down…it’s the only way…you can keep your nightgown on." He said firmly…"I’m sure you have another one to wear."

Cassie didn’t have a choice but to agree with him…although she had her doubts as to if he really knew what he was doing…she was too weak to argue.

After he ran the water he went back to her room and picked her up in his arms…"It’s gonna be cold…just hang in there…you’ll feel better in a little while." He said calmly.

As he lowered her into the cold bath water she clung to him and screamed…then she shivered uncontrollably as he poured the water over her head and shoulders again and again using a large plastic bowl…wetting her entire body down and most of his too.

Cassie began to clutch her belly harder and was feeling sick to her stomach again…she shoved him aside and came out of the tub and over to the toilet to throw up again…Starsky could only grab her around the waist from behind and hold her hair back. He dropped his head down and rested his chin on her shoulder…he was running out of ideas.