‘Before It’s Too Late’ – By Stephanie White
Smokey Bear woke up to the
feeling of her fiancé, Ken Hutchinson, spooned up behind her. She sighed and felt him unconsciously
tighten his grip. She carefully
disentangled herself – being careful not to wake him – and, robe in hand, she
padded off to the shower.
It had been nearly a month
since Lester Feinstein, a former zookeeper with a grudge against Smokey, had
killed Pippa. Since that time, for all
intents and purposes, she had been living with Hutch. She had been back to her own house a few times at the beginning,
but found it too painful without the presence of her tiger. Gradually her clothing migrated to Venice
Place, as did various personal items and some of her furniture.
‘I’m gonna have to put the
house on the market,’ she thought to
herself. ‘God knows I can’t live
there without Pippa. It’s just not
right.’
She jumped a mile and nearly
yelled out loud when something attacked her feet. She looked down and grinned as she saw the kitten challenging the
fierce belt of her robe. She reached
down, picked up Pippa Jr. and held her up to eye level.
“You know, you challenge
inanimate objects like that and they’ll kick your cute little tail every
time.” She grinned as the kitten, which
had been a present from Hutch, mewed softly as she put her down and continued
on to the shower.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Standing in the shower,
Smokey let the water revive her a little before she began the daily ritual of
washing herself. She washed her hair
first and then picked up a washcloth and a bar of soap and started on the rest
of her. That’s when she felt it.
She gasped as she felt the
small lump in her breast. She strained
her memory to remember the last time she had actually done a self-exam and
couldn’t.
‘It can’t be,’ she thought to herself, fighting down a rising panic.
She put the washcloth down
and performed a proper self-exam. Sure
enough, the lump was there, just below her armpit.
‘It can’t be! It just can’t! I’m too young for this!
You’re not supposed to have to worry about this until after age 40!’ She was
really beginning to panic now. ‘Okay,
get a grip here. It’s probably nothing
– just a cyst or something, right? I’m
too young for the c-word – aren’t I?’
She took a deep breath and tried to relax. It wasn’t helping. The concept a long and painful death at age 30 really didn’t appeal, nor could she get it out of her mind. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
“Smokey? You okay in there?” Hutch’s concerned voice reached her ears and she suddenly realized that she had been in the shower for an awfully long time.
She shut off the now-cold water and grabbed a towel. “Uh…yeah. I’m okay.” She called. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
After another few minutes, she came out of the bathroom wearing her robe, with her hair wrapped in a towel.
“You okay? You were in there an awfully long time,” Hutch said as he approached her with a cup of coffee.
“I’m fine,” she said in what she hoped was a confident voice. “I was just thinking and I guess I lost track of time.”
“Penny for your thoughts,” Hutch responded.
“Not worth that much,” she said as she moved in for a kiss.
He took the coffee cup away and put it on a nearby table. Then he slid his arms around her waist and kissed her. Suddenly, she was clinging to him with a passion born of fear. Hutch, not knowing what to make of her abrupt change of mood, allowed himself to be swept away in the sensations as he picked her up and carried her back to bed.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Starsky pulled the Torino up to Gottlieb’s restaurant and took a deep breath before entering the building. Tonight was the night. He looked at his watch – 3:30. He could wait…maybe.
The hostess looked up and smiled – both happy to see the handsome cop and even happier that it wasn’t some guy looking for a late lunch (shift changes were always a bear when dealing with new customers!).
“I think Julie’s about ready to get out of here,” the hostess said. “I’ll just call back there and see.”
The girl picked up the phone and dialed an extension. After a brief conversation, she hung up.
“She’ll be out in a minute.”
Starsky nodded his approval and stood there waiting – nervously trying to ignore the butterflies that were currently roller-skating in his stomach.
Finally, Julie came out of the kitchen. He grinned at her harried appearance. She was wearing a giant t-shirt with the faded logo of some rock band that Starsky had never heard of before and blue jeans. Her hair was piled in a loose bun on her head. As she walked towards him, she reached up, pulled a bobby pin out of her hair and it tumbled down in loose dark waves. Starsky grinned – he really loved that hair.
“Hi,” she said as she leaned up to kiss him. After a minute, she seemed aware that the other employees of the restaurant were watching them. Reluctantly, she pulled back. “Let’s go for a ride or something. These nuts don’t need to see everything.”
He grinned and led the way out to the Torino.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Once he got her all settled in the car, he leaned over and kissed her again. This time it was more than a ‘hello’ kiss. This time it was a ‘HELLO!’ kiss. Very quickly they lost themselves in the taste and feel of each other until finally she pulled back both to get a breath of air and to check the windows of the restaurant. Sure enough, the blinds were parted and they were being watched.
“What say we take that ride now, okay?”
He grinned and started the car. He pulled out of the parking lot and started driving. Julie got a mischievous look in her eyes and scooted over on the car seat until she was right next to him. He looked at her from the corner of his eye.
“What are you thinking?” he asked warily.
“Oh, nothing much,” she said casually as her hand found it’s way to his inner thigh.
“Uh…Julie? I’ve gotta drive here,” Starsky said, rapidly getting distracted by her exploring hand.
“Mm-hm,” she said as she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek and trail a line of kisses to his ear.
Starsky was never so glad to see a red light in his life. He reluctantly removed her hand from his leg and turned to face her. “Ya know, I once heard somebody say that a man has two brains and only enough blood in his body to operate one at a time. Well, I need the brain in my skull to drive and what you’re doin’ to me is sendin’ the blood to the wrong brain.”
She sighed and reluctantly moved back over to the passenger side. She gave him an impish grin and, with another sigh, let him drive in peace.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
They pulled up to Julie’s house and Starsky got out to open the door for her. He walked her to the front door and said, “I’ll see you later.”
“You’ll what?” Julie asked, incredulous. “You’re not coming in?”
Starsky shook his head. “Nope. Just be ready in two hours.”
“Huh? Ready for what?”
“It’s a surprise,” he said with obvious glee. “Just get dressed up real nice and I’ll pick you up in two hours.”
“Okay…” she said doubtfully. “Any chance for a hint?”
Starsky just shook his head, gave her another quick kiss and headed back to the Torino.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hutch and Smokey were lying in bed, recovering. He had his arms around her and she was still clinging to him like moss on a tree.
Finally, when he could breathe again, he said, “You wanna tell me what’s wrong?”
“Wrong?” Smokey laughed nervously. “What makes you think something’s wrong?”
“For starters, the way you just answered that question. For another thing, what we just did a few minutes ago.”
“You seemed to like it,” she said quietly, if not a little defensively. “You don’t like making love with me first thing in the morning?”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong,” he said, tightening his hold on her. “I love it. It’s just the method of attack as it were. You only jump me like that if something is upsetting you. Now give.”
Smokey thought quickly. She didn’t want him worrying over something that was probably nothing, so she said, “I was just thinking about the house. I was debating whether or not to put it on the market.”
“And you were missing Pippa,” Hutch said, confident now that he had gotten to the root of problem.
“And I was missing Pippa,” she said sadly. She felt badly for not telling him the whole truth, but couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud.
“What do you want to do today?” he asked after another few minutes.
“Let’s go to the zoo.”
“The zoo? Uh…you don’t get enough of it Monday through Friday?”
“I wanna go as a guest. I want the freedom to just wander around and appreciate the animals. I want to feed the ducks and go to the petting zoo. I want to stop taking the place for granted, that’s all.”
Now Hutch knew that there really was something wrong. She was sounding just a little bit fatalistic. “Uh, Smokey? What’s really wrong? And don’t give me the line about missing Pippa. That may be part of it, but it’s not the real problem.”
She hugged him tightly. “Please don’t ask me that. It’s not your problem.”
“Anything that concerns you is my problem,” Hutch said. “That’s what being in love means.”
“I do love you more than anything or anyone in this world,” she said. “But please don’t push this. I’m not ready to talk about it. Besides, it’s probably nothing to worry about anyway. Let’s just go to the zoo and be happy today, okay?”
Now Hutch was really scared. She was starting to sound as though she was dying. He knew that if she wasn’t ready to talk about it, she wouldn’t, but he wasn’t going to let her put it off for much longer.
“Okay, we’ll go to the zoo and be happy today,” he said quietly. “But I’m not letting this go either. We WILL talk about it.”
She nodded meekly and got out of bed for another shower before getting dressed.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The day Smokey and Hutch spent at the zoo was a memorable one. The two of them looked at all the animals – except for the big cats (Smokey had enough of those during the week). They spent a long time at the aquarium where they had had several extremely romantic and intimate dinners after the zoo closed.
Hutch was watching his fiancé closely. It seemed like she was doing a lot of the things she’d always meant to do but never got around to. That frightened him because most people only did things like that when they think they won’t ever have the opportunity again.
Later that afternoon, as he was watching her feed the lambs in the petting zoo, he noticed her looking at the mothers with children. He thought he saw a sadness in her eyes that had never been there before.
When she finally came over to him after nearly getting knocked over by goat, he hugged her and she buried her face in his chest.
“Why won’t you talk to me?” he asked quietly.
“I can’t.” She said even more quietly. “Not yet, I just can’t.”
“Soon?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” She answered honestly.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Meanwhile, two hours later than Starsky dropped his date off at her house, he returned. He checked his reflection in the rearview mirror and straightened his tie. Then he grabbed his suit jacket off the front seat and headed up to the front door.
He was standing there straightening his jacket when the door opened. He looked up and his jaw dropped.
Julie was standing in front of him wearing a short, emerald-green cocktail dress that made her hazel eyes seem a sparkling green. The dress hugged her figure in all the right places and the thick straps went over and cris-crossed on a very low back. Her hair was curled and flowed in loose waves over her shoulders and back. She wore small, jeweled combs to keep it out of her face. Her face was elegantly made up and her perfume was downright erotic.
‘You WILL be able to last through dinner,’ Starsky told himself firmly with a deep breath. ‘You WILL be able to last through dinner!’
What he said out loud was, “WOW! You look fantastic!”
“You like?” She did a little pirouette and the motion sent another wave of perfume wafting in his direction.
“I like!” He said nodding vigorously. “I like!”
She grinned and leaned in to kiss him. He took her in his arms and nearly forgot why he had her get dressed up.
The little voice inside his head was back. ‘Excuse me? You wanted to last through dinner, remember?’
His libido answered, ‘Shut up! I’m busy!’
The voice of reason came back, ‘It won’t be perfect if
you lose it now.’
‘Point taken.’
Starsky pulled back and took a deep breath. “If we don’t go now, we’ll never leave this house and I got plans for us tonight.”
“Well then, lead on!” she said with a smile.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The restaurant at the Los Angeles Hyatt Hotel was elegance defined. There were giant crystal chandeliers turned down to a romantically dim level. The royal red carpet was thick and plush under their feet as Starsky and Julie were led to their table. There were linen tablecloths on the small intimate tables and the candlelight made everything seemingly glow with romance.
As the couple ate and toasted each other over and over again with an excellent bottle of wine, a small orchestra was playing soft music near the dance floor. Starsky looked over and then stood up. He reached out a hand and led Julie to the dance floor. The two of them made the crowded dance floor their own as the world ceased to exist around them.
After a few songs, they returned to the table where Starsky signaled for the check. The waiter put it down and Starsky simply signed the chit. Julie looked at him curiously.
“I hope you don’t mind,” he said shyly. “I sorta got us a room for the night.”
She gasped, “David! How can you afford it? This place has got to be over $150 a night!”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. The look she gave him told him that she did worry about it. He sighed, “Okay, I called in a favor. The General Manager of this place is an old buddy of mine. He gave me a deal. Happy now?”
She smiled. “I’m sorry. It’s just I don’t want you breaking yourself over me.”
“I ain’t broke and I won’t be by the time we check out tomorrow either. Don’t worry about it, okay?”
“Okay,” she said as she kissed him on the cheek. He grinned at her and led her to the elevators.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The room in the hotel was bedecked in flowers and candles. There was a small stereo that Starsky adjusted until he found a station playing light jazz. The bed had been turned down and there was a bucket with a bottle of champagne on ice and two glasses on the night table.
Starsky walked over to the champagne and popped the cork. He poured two glasses and handed one to Julie. Their eyes never left each other as they sipped the champagne. Then he took the glass away from her and set it down on the table along with his glass.
“I want tonight to be perfect,” he said as he took her in his arms. “How’m I doin’ so far?”
“They say true perfection is impossible to achieve,” she said and then gasped as his lips made their way to her ear. “But you’re damn close.”
They kissed deeply for a few minutes before Starsky began fumbling for a zipper on the dress. She stepped back with a smile and simply lifted it over her head. Once again, his jaw dropped.
The lace teddy was exactly the same shade as her dress and as such also accented the green in her eyes. The stockings were attached to the garters and the ultimate effect was impressive.
“You like?” she said in a slightly husky tone.
“Parts of me are already applauding,” he said in a tone that could only be described as awe.
As he stood there staring, she smiled and reached forward to relieve him of his suit jacket and tie. They both worked at the buttons and soon his shirt followed the other garments to the floor. She ran her hands over his chest and he closed his eyes at the sensations that her touch ignited within him. He reached forward and gradually removed the straps of her teddy from her shoulders until they were hanging down her arms. He leaned in and began kissing her neck and shoulders, leaving a trail of fire in their wake.
Carefully, he pushed her back to the bed and gently lowered her among the pillows. He let his hands wander down her body until they reached her stockings. Very slowly and sensually, he lowered each piece of silk down her legs. Then he allowed himself the pleasure of removing the teddy – allowing his hands to softly brush her breasts as he slid the elegant piece of green lace down her body. She moaned and squirmed under his expert hands.
Finally, he stepped back to admire. “You are so beautiful, you know that?”
She smiled as she looked at him with eyes darkened with passion. “And you’re still wearing too many clothes, you know that?”
She gracefully arched up off the bed into a sitting position where she had no trouble reaching the fastenings on a pair of trousers that really couldn’t have been very comfortable at that moment.
Together they removed the trousers and underwear and then he was as naked as she was. He moved onto the bed and positioned himself over her. He looked at her, tacitly asking permission. She grabbed him to pull him into a fiercely passionate kiss and he took that as a yes. Slowly, he entered her and she moaned so loudly that he couldn’t be sure that she wasn’t actually screaming. He looked at her and saw that she was hanging onto her control by a thread. He began to move within her and very soon, that thread began to fray. Soon, all too soon, that thread broke and she cried out her ecstasy. He was driven over the edge and the two of them were coming together, shuddering and crying out in rapture.
“I love you,” he whispered as soon as he could breathe again.
“You know how I said true perfection was impossible?” she asked in a breathless tone.
“Yeah?”
“I was wrong.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Sunday morning dawned bright and clear. Hutch woke up to an empty space next to him. He got up and put on a robe. He found Smokey staring out at the greenhouse. She had Pippa Jr. in her lap and was absently petting the kitten behind her ears.
“Morning,” Hutch said quietly. “You feeling better today?”
She looked over at him and he could tell that she had been crying.
“I’ll take that as a no,” he said as he came over to kneel beside her chair. “Please tell me what’s wrong. Whatever it is, I’m here for you, you know that.”
She shrugged, “It’s probably nothing. You don’t have to worry.”
“It’s not nothing,” Hutch said firmly. “You’re obviously terrified by something. Please let me help you.”
She just shook her head.
“Please!” Hutch pleaded. “If you’re not telling me because you don’t want me to worry, then it’s not working. You’re scaring me to death here. Please tell me what’s wrong.”
She put the kitten down and flung herself into his arms, sobbing. He held on tightly and rocked her gently as she released the fear and panic that had been building since the previous morning. Gradually, she stopped crying, but she didn’t let go. She was holding onto Hutch like a lifeline and he wasn’t about to let her drown.
“What’s wrong?” he whispered. “Please tell me.”
“I…I…I found a lump while I was in the shower yesterday,” she said quietly as she struggled to catch her breath from her most recent crying jag.
“Where could you have…” suddenly it dawned on Hutch what she was talking about. “Oh my God.” He said softly.
“I’m scared, Hutch. I don’t know what to do. My grandmother and two of my aunts died from it. I don’t want to die yet!”
“You’re not going to die if I have any say in the matter,” Hutch said, his heart in his throat. “First thing tomorrow morning, you’re going to call your doctor and make an appointment. Okay?”
She nodded, “I’m almost afraid to. As scared as I am now, I’m afraid he’s going to tell me that everything I’m afraid of is true.”
“And if it is, then the earlier we catch it the better. If it is c-c-can…if it is what you’re thinking it is, then we’ll get through this together. If anyone can beat it, you can.”
She sniffled a little, “With you in my cheering section? How can I lose?”
“That’s my girl.” He tightened his hold on her and kissed the top of her head.
They sat there for a very long time holding each other. Both drawing on strength reserves that Hutch never suspected he had.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The next day, Starsky was driving the Torino and gushing.
“Man Hutch, it was the most incredible night of my life! I mean, I ain’t one to kiss and tell, but I ain’t kissin’ and tellin’ three times!”
Hutch didn’t respond. He sat in the passenger seat staring out at the streets flowing by. Starsky didn’t seem to notice as he was so wrapped up in his story.
“And then Sunday morning! It was the funniest thing! She jumps outta bed at 6:30 and yells something about being late to work.” Starsky laughed at the memory. “I had to catch her and tell her I had talked to her boss and gotten her the day off. Man, she nearly killed me! I guess I shoulda told her when I picked her up, but I was so nervous I forgot. Of course, she made me make it up to her, but there’s that kissin’ and tellin’ thing again.”
Starsky was starting to notice Hutch’s silence. He looked over at the blond man sitting next to him and decided to try an experiment.
“And then she convinced me that life wasn’t worth living and we’re both gonna shoot ourselves after dinner tonight.”
Hutch still didn’t respond.
Starsky looked at him, annoyed. “Hey, Blintz! Are you listening to me?”
Hutch jumped visibly. “What? Oh yeah, Starsk. Sounds good.”
“Just as I thought. You haven’t heard a word I’ve said. What’s wrong, Hutch? You and Smokey have a fight or something?”
“No. I only wish it were that simple.”
“What’s wrong?” Starsky pulled the Torino over to the curb so that he could concentrate his full attention on Hutch. “Come on, Partner. Talk to me.”
Hutch drew a long shuddering breath and Starsky could see that his partner was dangerously close to tears.
“Hutch? Come on. What’s the matter?”
“Smokey…she might have…” Hutch had to force the next word over his lips and even then it wouldn’t go unless it was a whisper: “cancer.”
Starsky’s eyes widened. He couldn’t fathom something like that happening to someone like Smokey. Cancer patients are supposed to be older…a lot older, right?
“Oh man, Hutch. That’s rough. When will she find out for sure?”
Hutch shrugged. “She said she was gonna try to get in to see her doctor today. Starsky, I’m afraid. I can’t lose her!”
“And you won’t. She’s strong. There’s lots of good treatments out there.”
“She’s lost three fairly close relatives to it. She’s petrified and needs me to lean on. I don’t know if I can stand up to it.”
“Then you lean on me, Partner.” Starsky said. “I’ll make sure to have enough strength for both of you.”
He pulled his partner in for a brief hug before putting the car back in gear and continuing on their beat.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
That night when Hutch got home, Smokey had a candlelight dinner waiting for him. She was dressed in a low-cut, short black dress that accentuated every curve. Black stockings and shoes completed the outfit. She handed him a glass of wine as he walked in and then kissed him in a way that promised so much more.
“Hey Lover,” her voice was like silk.
“Hello,” Hutch said as he looked at the display in front of him. “What’s the occasion?”
“I love you. Isn’t that a good enough reason?”
“You didn’t see the doctor today, did you?”
She turned around so she wouldn’t have to look at him. “I couldn’t. I was too scared.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
She turned to look at him. “Would you?”
“Of course I will. I just want to make sure you get the treatment that you need before it’s too late.”
“Okay,” she said shyly. “I promise to call tomorrow and get an appointment set up, okay?”
“I have Friday off,” he said. “Try to get it for Friday if you can. If not, don’t worry about it. I’ll make time to go with you.”
She smiled at him; “I knew I loved you for a reason, Ken Hutchinson.”
“I’m glad there’s a reason,” he said with an answering smile. “Now, I’m starving. What’s for dinner?”
She relaxed visibly as the topic was dropped and the two of them sat down to a remarkably romantic dinner.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Friday morning found Hutch sitting in the waiting room of the doctor’s office reading a magazine that was obviously for mothers and mothers-to-be. When he caught himself answering the questions of a quiz on breast-feeding, he gave up and tossed the magazine aside with a sigh.
After nearly an hour, Smokey came back to the waiting room tucking in her shirt as she walked.
“Well?” he said as he stood up to meet her.
She shrugged. “The doctor’s gonna read the mammogram and then let us know.”
“When?”
“In just a little bit.” She went over and sat down. “Might as well make ourselves comfortable. Anything interesting to read?”
He handed her the magazine he had been reading. “There’s an interesting quiz on breast-feeding in there.”
She laughed and leaned into him for a second. “I’ll skip it, thanks.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Another hour later, the nurse called Smokey to tell her the doctor would see her now. Hutch looked at her as she stood up. She held out her hand to him and they walked into the doctor’s office together.
Dr. Fred Abramovitz was sitting behind a large mahogany desk looking through a folder as Hutch and Smokey entered. As the blond couple sat down, the doctor looked up – casting a curious look at Hutch.
“This is my fiancé, Ken Hutchinson.” She said by way of explanation. “Hutch, this is Dr. Abramovitz.”
The two men stood up and briefly shook hands. Then the doctor looked at Smokey.
“I’m not going to beat around the bush. There is definitely a mass there. I had hoped it would just be a cyst, but it doesn’t look like it.”
Smokey was sitting there wide eyed, so Hutch asked the inevitable question, “What does that mean?”
“It means that there is an unidentified mass there. It could be malignant or it could be benign. There’s no way of knowing without surgery.”
“Surgery?” Smokey whispered. Hutch tightened his grip on her hand.
The doctor nodded. “We’ll admit you to the hospital first thing Monday morning and do a lumpectomy. In other words, we’ll remove as much of the mass as possible and send it to a lab to see if it’s malignant or not.”
“How long will she have to stay in the hospital?” Hutch asked.
“Well, if we do it with a local, it can be done on an outpatient basis. Otherwise, probably overnight.”
“What if it’s malignant?” Smokey asked softly.
“If it turns out to be malignant and we get all of it with the lumpectomy, we’ll do a month’s regimen of radiation and chemotherapy as a precaution. After that, we’ll want you to come in for a mammogram every six months for the next five years. After that, just once a year will be enough.”
“What if you don’t get it all?”
“Then we might have to do a partial or full mastectomy.” The doctor said. Then he added when Smokey gasped, “From the looks of your mammogram, if it is cancer then I think we caught it early enough. I don’t think it’ll come to that.”
Smokey closed her eyes and she felt Hutch squeezing her hand reassuringly.
“I want you at the hospital at seven a.m. on Monday morning, alright?”
Smokey nodded as she stood up.
“Don’t eat or drink anything for twelve hours before, okay?”
She nodded again. The doctor moved around his desk to see the frightened couple out. “It’ll be alright. If it is cancer, then we’re going to do everything we can to help you kick it. I’ve got a nearly 90% survival rate among my patients. I refuse to let you ruin my average.”
Smokey laughed at this as she and Hutch left the office. As they walked down to the LTD, Hutch put his arm over her shoulders.
“You okay?”
“No,” she answered honestly. “But I’m not gonna let that stop me.”
Hutch stopped and abruptly pulled her into a strong, steady hug. She sighed and melted into him, drawing comfort and strength from the love in that hug.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
That night, the two of them met Starsky and Julie at the Pits. Starsky hadn’t told Julie about Smokey’s predicament, so she was remarkably cheerful. Starsky cast a questioning glance at his partner. Hutch just said to Starsky, “Let’s go up and get some drinks for the ladies, huh Partner?”
Starsky took the hint and looked at Julie, “You want a beer or something?”
She shook her head, “Just a cup of coffee – Sweet’n Low® and milk.”
“Smokey?”
“Yeah, I’ll have a beer I think.”
Starsky looked at Smokey in alarm. If she was drinking beer, something must be really wrong.
As they got up to the bar, Starsky turned to his partner. “Okay, Hutch, spill it. What happened at the doc’s today?”
“She needs surgery to remove the lump.” Hutch said softly. “They won’t know if it’s cancer until they take it out. She’s checking herself in on Monday.”
“You gonna be okay, Babe?”
“I guess so. I talked to Dobey. I’m taking that day off. He said you could have it off too if I needed you. I think I need you.”
“Then you got me,” Starsky said softly. “Whatever you need Babe – you just gotta ask.”
“Thanks Starsk.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
By the time the partners returned to the table, Julie and Smokey were having a lively discussion about the merits of various types of lingerie. As their men returned to the table, both women shut up and turned what can only be described as bedroom eyes on their men.
“Uh…did we interrupt anything ladies?” Hutch asked, not at all sure if he wanted the answer.
“No,” Smokey said almost innocently. “We were just planning a little shopping excursion for tomorrow afternoon.”
“Uh…shopping?” Starsky asked, really sure that he wanted the answer.
Julie nodded. “Yeah. We were comparing notes and discovered that neither of us has been into a Victoria’s Secret in months.”
Starsky and Hutch looked at each other with equally big grins on their faces.
“We gonna be able to see the results of this shopping trip?” Starsky asked.
Julie winked at him. “What’s this we? I ain’t showing Blondie here what I buy and I sure as hell hope you’re not planning on checking out her purchases.”
Starsky laughed, “you know what I mean, you little imp!”
“Just wait and you’ll see.” She said with an answering laugh.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The next night, Starsky stood in Julie’s living room. “Well? You gonna show me what you bought or what?”
She appeared in the hallway wearing a short, black, silk robe with red accents.
“Nice.” He said.
“Oh, this old thing?” she said as her hands moved down to the belt holding the robe closed. “I’ve had this thing for at least a year. I just needed it so that I could unveil today’s purchase.”
“So unveil,” Starsky said with a huge grin.
And she did! She peeled off the robe to reveal what appeared on first glance to be a black, silk, one-piece teddy. Starsky whistled his approval and then she turned around.
“What do you think, David? Do you like it?”
‘Think? Like? Who’s David?’ Starsky struggled to put together a coherent thought as he was suddenly faced with the sexiest piece of lingerie that he had ever seen.
There was no back to it. None. Just strategically placed strings so that the front didn’t fall off. She looked over her shoulder at him and saw him standing there with his mouth wide open and his violet-blue eyes even wider.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” she fairly purred. “Why don’t you come over here and show me just how much you like it?”
He didn’t need to be asked twice…well, truth be told, yes he did. But that was only because the power of that Victoria’s Secret Special had completely paralyzed him.
By the end of the night, the teddy had been flung into a corner of the living room (and would later take Julie half an hour to untangle all the strings again) and Starsky had shown his approval on the floor of the living room, on the couch, in the shower, and on the bed – twice.
Julie made a mental note to stop into Victoria’s Secret a lot more often in the future.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
At Venice Place, Smokey was getting much the same reaction to her purchase (a similar piece also with no back and an additional piece cut out of the front as well). Hutch definitely approved – also on the floor in the living room, the greenhouse, in the shower and in bed – only once, but that was because the cat hadn’t been declawed and they forgot to shut the bedroom door.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Monday morning saw Smokey in the hospital waiting for her turn to be taken up to surgery. Hutch was sitting with her when Starsky stuck his head in the door.
“Hey guys, what’s the story?”
Smokey looked at him with deeply stoned eyes. Hutch also looked up.
“She’s next on the list. She’s a little groggy with the medicine that they gave her.”
“What’re you talkin’ ‘bout?” She slurred. “I’ve n’vr been more ‘lert.”
Starsky nodded. “I see what you mean.”
“Good,” Smokey said, thinking Starsky had been talking to her.
Just then, the door opened and an orderly pushed a gurney into the room. “Smokey Bear?”
“’At’s me!” Smokey said as she drunkenly raised her hand.
The orderly grinned. “Man, sometimes I envy these guys. They get some good shit around here.”
“Long as it’s only the patient who’s gettin’ it,” Starsky said.
“I dunno,” he said as he helped Smokey onto the gurney. “I’d love to try it sometime.”
Hutch decided he’d better say something before this kid got himself into real trouble. “Uh…we aren’t the best ones to be telling this to.”
The orderly looked at him blankly. He pulled out his wallet and flashed his badge. Gesturing between himself and Starsky, he said, “We’re cops.”
“Oh…uh…” the flustered orderly suddenly became all business. “She should be back here in a couple of hours or so. You can wait here or the cafeteria is downstairs.”
“Thanks,” Hutch said. Then he leaned down to give Smokey a brief kiss. “I’ll be right here when you get back, Love.”
“I’ll be waitin’.” Smokey slurred.
Hutch chuckled and leaned down to kiss her one more time. Then the orderly pushed the gurney out of the room and down the hall.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It was nearly four hours later before Smokey was wheeled back into the room. She was conscious, but still extremely groggy.
The orderly helped her back into the bed and pushed the gurney out telling Starsky and Hutch that the doctor should be with them in a little while.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Another three hours later, Dr. Abramovitz finally entered the room. He had a smile on his face.
Smokey had fallen asleep, so Hutch nudged her. She woke up and looked around blearily.
“Wha’s happ’nin’?” she said sleepily.
“The doctor’s here to talk to us.” Hutch said
“Oh.” Smokey really wanted to pay attention, but she was still extremely doped up. She looked at Hutch. “Wake me if it’s good news. If it’s bad news, I don’t wanna know.”
The doctor grinned, “Wake her up then. We’re still waiting for lab confirmation, but the mass I removed from her looked decidedly benign. If it is cancer, I would be extremely surprised.”
Hutch closed his eyes in relief and his legs suddenly refused to hold him up. Luckily, there was a chair immediately behind him or he would have landed on the floor. Starsky had grabbed the doctor’s hand and shook it vigorously. Hutch looked up at the doctor with shining eyes.
“Thank you so much.” He said quietly.
“Jobs like this are my pleasure,” the doctor said as he disentangled himself from Starsky’s grip and moved to shake Hutch’s hand. “I’ll send someone in with her discharge papers. You can take her home to sleep it off.” He pulled out a prescription pad and scribbled something on it. “These are prescriptions for a painkiller – which she’s going to need for the first couple of days – and an antibiotic to ward off infection. Have her call me later in the week to make an appointment to come back here to get the stitches out. When the nurse comes with the discharge papers, I’ll make sure she also has an instruction sheet for keeping the area clean.”
As the doctor left the room, Hutch stood up to look at the sleeping woman in the bed. He turned to Starsky with tears running down his face. “She’s gonna be alright, Starsk! She’s gonna be alright!”
“I never doubted it,” Starsky said. Then, when Hutch gave him a skeptical look, he just shrugged and grabbed his partner in a hug that was almost as happy as the one he gave Hutch when he had announced his engagement to Smokey.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Later that night, Hutch lay in bed with Smokey cradled in his arms. She was sleeping soundly and he was wide-awake. He lay there, relishing the feeling of holding this woman in his arms – trying not to dwell on what might have happened had the diagnosis been different.
He sighed and gently tightened his hold. She stirred slightly and snuggled in to him with a contented sigh.
“I love you,” he whispered. Then he turned his eyes heavenward and said softly, “Thank you.”
End.
Author’s note:
This story grabbed me and wouldn’t let go until I had it written. I wrote it in memory of My Aunt Esther ‘Sug’
(short for Sugar) Minkin who did wait until it was too late. I just decided I needed a happy ending and
that this topic needed some exposure.
Self-exams and regular doctor visits are important. Ignoring either can be deadly.
Okay, I’ll get off the soapbox now. Thank you and have a nice day.