‘Murphy’s Law Follows Me & Thee’ – By Stephanie White

Murphy’s Law states that whatever can go wrong in a given situation will go wrong.

Detective Ken Hutchinson sighed and looked at the clock. His partner was late – again.

‘Starsky’s gonna be late to his own funeral,’ he thought to himself with a wry smile. ‘I’m glad I drove myself to work this morning. He should know better than to spend a night out when he has to be at work in the morning!’

Suddenly, the door to the office opened and a small hurricane blew into the room. Well actually, Starsky came bounding into the room in an extremely good mood.

“Nice of you to come to work, Starsk. You’re lucky Dobey had meetings this morning or he’d be screaming at you by now.”

Detective David Starsky ignored his partner’s scolding. He was in far too good a mood. “Oh Hutch! You just won’t believe what happened to me!”

“Carolyn finally submitted to your charms?” Hutch asked, his ice-blue eyes twinkling in amusement.

“Who? Oh, her. Nah, there wasn’t nothin’ there. She was just trying to make her boyfriend jealous.”

Hutch looked curiously at his partner. Ordinarily, if a girl brushed him off like that, he would be complaining loudly – bemoaning the wiles of women and how they’re all out to get him or some such nonsense. Instead of being upset at being dumped, he was acting like he’d gotten extremely lucky with the lady in question.

“So are you gonna tell me what happened to put you in such a good mood?”

Starsky’s violet-blue eyes sparkled, “You know that new radio station, WZAZ?”

“Yeah, I don’t particularly care for them myself.”

“I know what you mean, it ain’t exactly my kinda music either, but my clock radio is busted and it’s the only station I can pick up.”

“And this makes you happy…why?”

“Well, they were doing this contest to celebrate their first week on the air. It was a trivia thing. Would you believe they wanted to know the five boroughs of New York?” Starsky grinned.

“And you answered it correctly.”

“Yep! Guess what I won!”

“A lifetime supply of beer?”

“Nope! I won an all-expense paid trip for two to Tortolla in the British Virgin Islands!”

“You’re kidding Starsk!” The blond man’s eyes widened in shock. “That’s fantastic! Who’re you taking with you?”

Starsky looked at his partner, “as if you have to ask, Blintz! You think Dobey’ll let us have vacation at the same time?”

“You want to take me?” Hutch grinned. “Sounds like fun, Buddy! When do we go?”

“I have to go down to the station this morning to get the details. I assume we can pick the dates…at least I hope we can. It’ll be easier to deal with Dobey that way.”

“Yeah. What are we waiting for?” Hutch said, his partner’s enthusiasm infecting him. “Let’s hit the streets. We can stop there first.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

When they got to the radio station, Starsky presented himself to the receptionist and was told to have a seat and the station manager would be with them shortly. After a few minutes, a rather large, dark-haired man in jeans and a Talking Heads t-shirt came out to greet them.

“I’m Mark Ferrell, station manager. You must be Mr. Starsky.” He said, holding out a hand to Hutch.

Hutch took the large hand offered and said, “He’s Starsky, and I’m Hutch.”

Ferrell got a sheepish look on his face. “Sorry, I guess I wasn’t expecting to see two people out here.” He turned to Starsky and offered his hand again. “Nice to meet you Mr. Starsky. Congratulations on winning our contest. If you want to follow me into my office, I can give you the documentation and answer any questions you might have. Anything I can’t answer, I’ll give you the number of the travel agency we used and they can fill you in on the rest.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

An hour later, Starsky and Hutch were back on the streets. Starsky was driving the Torino while Hutch was looking through all the paperwork that Starsky had been given at the radio station.

“This looks great, Starsk! The Ocean Front Resort is a famous place - renowned for its service and amenities. This is gonna be one helluva vacation! By the way, do you have a passport?”

Starsky looked sideways at his partner. “Uh…I guess I have to get one. How ‘bout you?”

Hutch thought for a moment. “I think it’s expired. I haven’t been anywhere lately. We both need to get one. We can stop by the post office for the applications later today.”

“Sounds good. We’ll need to get those stupid little pictures taken too, won’t we?”

“Yep. We can do that later this afternoon too. By the way, when did we want to go?”

“How long does it take to get a passport?” Starsky asked. “That oughta help us decide.”

“It takes something like 3 – 4 weeks I think. There are some airline blackout dates to consider too. There’s a big travel week coming up next month. You know 4^th of July and all. Maybe we could go the week after.”

“A tropical island in July? Ain’t that gonna be a little too hot?”

“That’s what swimming pools and oceans are for, Starsk. Besides, this thing says we only have ninety days to take this trip. Whenever we do go, it’ll still be in the summertime.

“Okay, you got a point there. How ‘bout the first week in August? It’s just that Ma wanted to come visit for a week in July. You know, she likes to get away from New York in the summer occasionally.”

Hutch nodded. “Okay, first week in August it is. There’s a post office on the next block, wanna stop in for a minute?”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The first week of August came around all too quickly (when you have cases to get wrapped up on a deadline). Well, except for the last few days of July, which crawled slower than molasses headed uphill in January.

Finally, Starsky and Hutch were sitting at the airport waiting for their flight. Starsky was a bundle of energy while Hutch on the other hand was calm, yet a bit concerned.

“Hey Starsk, did you see the weather report last night? They were talking about a possible hurricane near the Virgin Islands. You think it could be trouble?”

“You worry to much, Blondie! They said it probably won’t head inland. Just relax and enjoy the trip, okay?”

Hutch sighed. ‘Maybe I am just being paranoid.’ He thought to himself. ‘They did say it was only a possibility. I shouldn’t look the gift horse in the mouth, I guess. It’s going to be a great vacation!’

Just as he was thinking that, a voice came over the PA system. “Ladies and Gentlemen, TWA flight 329 to St. Thomas has been delayed for two hours due to a minor technical difficulty. We apologize for the delay and will be boarding as soon as we get the problem fixed. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Starsky and Hutch looked at each other, sighed and went for an overpriced cup of airport coffee.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Three and a half hours later, they were finally strapped into their seats and the plane (a new one - the difficulties with the other plane proved to be more than a two-hour job) was taxiing for takeoff.

“Okay, once we get to St. Thomas, we take a ferry over to Tortolla.” Starsky said as he looked at the itinerary. “We should get there before the last ferry goes at midnight.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

12:03 AM – Starsky and Hutch were standing on the dock watching the last ferry to Tortolla glide effortlessly over the calm nighttime waters.

“Now what?” Hutch said irritably. “Do we swim?”

“Relax, Hutch.” Starsky said almost as irritably. “We’ll think of something.”

“You lads need a lift?”

Starsky and Hutch jumped as a voice came seemingly out of nowhere. They turned around to see a weathered old man in cut-off shorts and a t-shirt.

“I got a boat here. I could give you a lift over to Tortolla if that’s where you’re headed.” Starsky nodded and the old man continued, “for $100 each.”

Starsky and Hutch looked at each other and then at the old man. “You gotta be kidding me!” Starsky exclaimed.

“You boys plan on spending the night on the docks here? Can’t be too comfortable…”

Hutch stepped forward. “$50.”

“$80.” Said the old man.

“$60.”

“$75 or you spend the night here.”

Starsky and Hutch looked at each other again and sighed in surrender. Hutch turned to the old man, “You take a traveler’s check?”

“American Express?”

“Of course.”

“You got yourselves a lift! Let’s go.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

An hour and a half later, an exhausted Starsky and Hutch dragged themselves into the lobby of the Ocean Front Resort. They presented themselves at the check-in desk and Starsky handed over his voucher for their 10-day stay.

“Ah yes, Mr. Starsky. We were beginning to think you weren’t coming. We have a lovely room for you and your…” she cast a curious look at Hutch. “Um…partner.”

Starsky was too tired to catch her meaning. He just nodded as she rang for a bellhop.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The bellhop opened the door to their room. He turned on the light as Starsky and Hutch stepped into the room and stopped.

The room was beautiful. It was light and airy with a private balcony looking out on the ocean, wet bar, writing desk, television, telephone, bathroom with Jacuzzi tub and separate shower stall. There was one king-sized bed in the middle of the room.

Starsky turned to the bellhop and said, “This has gotta be a mistake! I thought I specified two double beds when I made the reservation.”

The bellhop looked suitably flustered. “I’m sorry sir, this was the room I was told. Let me call down to the front desk and see if I can get you a different room.”

After a few moments on the phone, the bellhop turned to Starsky and Hutch, “I’m sorry sir, there are no double rooms available right now. There is one scheduled to open tomorrow morning. We can have you moved in by two o’clock. I hope you don’t mind sharing for tonight. We can have a cot sent up for one of you.”

Hutch sighed. “That’s alright. We’ll manage.” He turned to Starsky, “you just stay on your side of the bed and we’ll be fine.”

“Whatever Hutch.” Starsky mumbled, practically asleep on his feet.

Hutch shook his head and tipped the bellhop. As soon as the door shut, the two dog-tired detectives barely managed to get themselves undressed before falling into bed and instantly asleep.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The next morning, the sun was bright and Starsky and Hutch were awakened as they realized their room faced due east. Both men moaned and pulled the covers over their heads. After a few minutes, they became aware that the walls were not soundproofed very well and the couple in the room next to theirs were extremely early risers (among other things…).

Both men sat up and looked blearily at each other. Realizing they weren’t going to get too much more sleep under the current circumstances, Hutch offered to call for room service while Starsky took his shower.

Starsky came out of the shower wrapped in a towel. He looked at the breakfast tray and groaned.

“Hutch! What did you order?”

“Bran muffins, fresh fruit, milk, coffee. Something wrong?”

“You gotta ask? Bran muffins?” Starsky grimaced. Then sighed in resignation. “Whatever, gimme some coffee, would ya?”

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Starsky and Hutch settled themselves by the pool and looked around. They practically had the place to themselves (it WAS the off-season, after all). Starsky reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of sunscreen that he handed to his partner.

“Here, put some o’ this on or you’ll be a lobster in 20 minutes.”

“Thanks.” Hutch said as he accepted the bottle. “Too bad there aren’t too many lovelies around that I could get to do my back.”

Starsky put on his best wounded look, “I’m not lovely enough to put it on your back?” he asked in a mock serious tone.

“Oh sure, Starsk. You’re gorgeous,” Hutch said, rolling his eyes. “But I was kind of hoping for a bit of female companionship while we were here.”

“I know what you mean,” Starsky sighed. “I guess this is how a new radio station can afford to give away a vacation - make sure it’s the off-season.”

Just then, a beautiful blond woman wearing a red bikini made with less material than most shoelaces walked by - giving Hutch a very obvious once-over. Hutch gave Starsky a look that said, ‘don’t wait up’ and stood up to go talk to the lovely lady.

Starsky grinned and waved at his friend before checking his watch. It was nearly noon. Starsky eased himself out of the lounge chair and headed back to the room to get dressed for lunch.

As he was sitting in the restaurant, he saw his partner sitting at another table with the blonde beauty. He knew that if he went over to talk to them, Hutch would probably get very annoyed…which was almost enough incentive. Just then, the hotel manager found him.

“Mr. Starsky, my name is Paul Barton. I’m the manager here at the Ocean Front Resort. First off, I would like to apologize for the confusion regarding your room reservation.”

“No problem at all, Mr. Barton. Hutch ‘n me know enough to stay on our own sides of the bed. You got our new room set up yet?”

“Well, that’s what I came to talk to you about.” Barton looked decidedly uncomfortable. “It’s just that, well…Hurricane Daniel has reversed direction and is headed for the islands. The ferry has stopped running and flights out of St. Thomas have been cancelled. The people who were supposed to be checking out this morning are being forced to stay. I’m afraid the two of you will have to stay in the room you’re in.”

“You mean, there’s gonna be a hurricane? Here?” Starsky nearly choked on his root beer.

Barton slapped him on the back to help him breathe, and then said, “I’m afraid so. This is peak hurricane season after all. The storm is expected to hit within the next two to three hours. Storm shutters are being put into place on your balcony doors. We must ask that you not remove them until it is determined that the storm has passed.”

“You gotta be kiddin’ me!”

“I’m sorry. After you finish your lunch, I’m afraid I have to insist that you return to your room and stay there until further notice. We’ll continue to provide room service as long as possible. Bottled water and candles are being delivered to your room as we speak. If you have to leave your room for any reason, please keep to indoor routes. There is a map of the hotel in the top drawer of your desk. The television is on a closed circuit. We bring in the Weather Channel on channel 4, so you can keep up with the storm’s progress. Otherwise, there are movies on the other channels.”

Starsky sighed deeply. “I don’t believe this! All right, thank you Mr. Barton. I’ll see ya later.”

Barton clapped the curly-haired man on the shoulder in a sort of apologetic gesture, then stood up and continued with his duties. Starsky turned to where his partner was sitting. The table was empty.

‘Hutch, I hope you have enough sense to stay indoors.’ Starsky thought to himself. ‘Maybe you’ll get lucky with that little blonde and not even notice the storm!’

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The storm started out quietly enough - a little rain, a bit of wind; nothing too devastating at first. After about an hour, the storm was in full swing. The wind howled and the rain pounded on the roof. The storm shutters rattled ominously under the heavy onslaught. Then the power went out. Starsky sighed and fumbled for the candles and matches. Once he got the candles lit, he found the novel he had packed and sat reading by candlelight.

He was lying on the bed reading with his book in one hand and a make-shift fan in the other (when the power went out, so did the air-conditioner) when there was a knock on the door. When he opened the door, he got a shock.

Standing in the doorway were two bellhops. They were supporting an almost-limp Hutch between them. The blond man looked like he had been through the wringer. He was soaking wet and there was a bloody gash just above his left temple. Starsky quickly stepped aside as the struggling bellhops staggered into the room with their charge. They helped Starsky strip Hutch of his wet clothing and get him settled into bed. Finally, he turned to one of the young men in uniform.

“What the hell happened?”

“A tree fell through a wall near the front of the hotel, sir. If he hadn’t jumped out of the way when he did, it would have crushed him completely. He was lucky to only get a bump on the head.”

“Is there a doctor on staff here?” Starsky asked worriedly looking at his friend lying on the bed.

The two bellhops looked at each other uncomfortably. “Well, there is…normally.” Said one of them.

“What do you mean, ‘normally’?” Starsky asked ominously. He had a feeling their answer was going to make him very angry indeed.

They didn’t disappoint him. “He doesn’t stay on the premises during the off-season.”

“Where does he stay?”

“He lives on the other side of the city.”

“Can you get him here?”

“Not until the storm is over, I’m afraid. That’s assuming the roads aren’t washed out.”

“How long do you expect the storm to last?” Starsky inquired in a low voice.

“I’d guestimate maybe another day or so, maybe a day and a half,” the young bellhop said. “The eye of the storm should hit in a few more hours or so.”

Starsky sighed. “Fine, whatever. Look, I know the power’s out, but is it possible to get some ice? He’s gonna need an icepack.”

The bellhops, eager to help, nodded. “I think the freezer is pretty well insulated. I’ll see if I can get you some immediately. Is there anything else?”

“A first-aid kit couldn’t hurt either. And would it be possible to get some sandwiches or somethin’? I’m starving and he’s probably gonna want something when he wakes up.”

“We’ll get everything you need, sir. We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

The two nervous young men beat a hasty retreat, eager to get away from the fire in the violet-blue eyes of the man standing in front of them. Once the door shut behind them, Starsky was finally able to turn his full attention to the half-conscious man in the bed. He ran to the bathroom and grabbed a washcloth. He went to wet it in the sink and discovered there was no running water.

Swearing loudly, he opened one of the bottles of water that room service had delivered and doused the washcloth. He went over and gently began cleaning the blood away from Hutch’s face. He was relieved to see that the wound wasn’t that deep and probably didn’t need stitches. However, Hutch’s lack of coherence worried him.

“Starsky…help me! Starsky…don’t leave…please…” Hutch mumbled as he tossed his head, trying to get away from the pain caused by the pressure that Starsky was applying to his wound.

“It’s okay, Babe. I’m right here. I’m not leaving you. Just relax, okay?” Starsky spoke soothingly to his confused partner.

At the sound of his partner’s voice, Hutch sighed deeply and drifted off into sleep – or unconsciousness (Starsky wasn’t sure which). Starsky kept the compress on the blond head and watched his partner sleep

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

He was startled out of his reverie by a knock on the door. He gently got off the bed and went to answer it. Paul Barton was standing in the corridor with a small cooler, a first aid kit and a tray with a plate of sandwiches, a bag of chips and a carafe with two glasses. Starsky leaned out and took the tray from the struggling man and Barton followed him into the room.

“Once again, I have to apologize for all of this Mr. Starsky…” he began.

Starsky put down the tray and held up a hand. “You apologizin’ for Mother Nature? It’s a hurricane, Mr. Barton. It ain’t your fault.”

Barton smiled gratefully. “I guess you’re right. Anyway, there’s ice in the cooler, the sandwiches are nothing fancy – just cold cuts, and there’s iced tea in the carafe. The first aid kit should be relatively complete. I think it’s got bandages, disinfectant, aspirin and the like. Let me know if you need anything more and we can try to get into the doctor’s office.”

“This’ll be fine, thanks.” Starsky said. “I’ll let you know if I need anything else.”

Barton nodded. “The internal phone system still works. You can still get hold of the front desk if you need to, but there are no outgoing calls.”

“Thanks,” Starsky said as he ushered the manager out of the room.

As he shut the door he turned to his partner lying on the bed. “I guess Murphy’s Law followed me ‘n thee, huh? Some vacation, hey Hutch?”

Hutch didn’t stir from his sleep. Starsky sighed and opened first aid kit. He opened the bottle of disinfectant and began dabbing some on his partner’s head. Hutch moaned at the sudden stinging sensation and tried to turn his head away. Starsky gently put his hand on Hutch’s cheek and held his head in place while he applied the disinfectant. When he was through, he put some ice into a washcloth and placed it on his partner’s head. Hutch sighed in relief as the cold chased away the sting of the disinfectant. Then he was still. After a few minutes, Starsky removed the ice pack and gently bandaged the cut on Hutch’s head.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Several hours later, there was silence. Starsky woke up suddenly, realizing that he had fallen asleep. After the noise of the wind and rain, the silence was almost deafening. Starsky looked around the room; it seemed brighter as well. That’s when he noticed the sunlight creeping into the room through cracks in the storm shutters.

‘Is the storm over?’ He thought to himself. ‘Maybe they’ll be able to get the doctor now.’

Starsky looked over and saw Hutch sleeping peacefully. He leaned over and nudged him.

“Hutch? You awake Babe? Come on Buddy.” Starsky nudged Hutch again. “You gotta wake up for a minute.”

“Starsky?” Hutch mumbled groggily. “What are you waking me up for? I’m tired.”

“I know Babe. I’m sorry, but you got a knock on the head and I just gotta make sure you ain’t gonna check out on me.”

“I’m fine Starsk. I’m just sleepy. Don’t worry about me.” Hutch murmured as he drifted off once again.

Starsky picked up the phone to call the front desk. The internal phone system was now also dead. Starsky got out of bed and headed down to the front desk. When he got to the lobby, he was shocked to see a large palm tree lying in the lobby next to the bar.

‘They weren’t kidding when they said it could’ve crushed him!’ Starsky thought to himself, adding a small prayer of thanks for his partner’s life.

“Mr. Starsky? What are you doing out of your room? Is everything alright?”

Starsky turned to see Barton walking towards him. “Yeah, I just thought since the storm seemed to be over, I’d see if you could get the doctor here.”

Barton smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry Mr. Starsky, but we’re in the eye of the storm now. It’s far from over. The other side of the storm will be hitting fairly quickly.”

“How quickly are we talking?”

“I’d guess less than ten minutes.”

“Oh.” Starsky said quietly. There didn’t seem to be anything else to say.

“I’d strongly recommend that you return to your room. Do you need anything else for your friend or yourself while you’re here?”

“No, I guess not. I’ll see ya later.” Starsky said as he headed for the stairwell.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hutch was awake and sitting up in bed when Starsky came back.

“Where’d you go? It looks like the storm is over. I’m feeling much better; what say we hit the beach?”

“Sorry Hutch. I just talked to the manager. We’re only in the eye of the storm. It’s coming back.”

Hutch looked dejected. Starsky came forward, “Hey, it’s not so bad. We can tell ghost stories by candlelight.”

Hutch smiled ruefully. “Know any good ones?”

“I used to. Don’t know if I can remember any of them or not. Hey, you hungry? We got some sandwiches here.”

“What?”

“I said, you hungry? We got sandwiches.”

“What?”

“I said, are you hungry? We’ve got sandwiches.”

“What? “I don’t understand what you’re saying Starsk!” Hutch looked at his partner in terror.

Starsky was now more than a little alarmed himself. “I said are you hungry? We have sandwiches.” he was speaking slowly and deliberately.

“I don’t understand! Starsky I don’t understand what you’re saying! I mean I recognize it as English. I know the words, but I don’t understand what they mean! It doesn’t make any sense to me!”

Just then, Mother Nature made herself known again. The sunlight disappeared as suddenly as it appeared and the wind and rain returned with a vengeance. The sudden racket was just enough to push Hutch over the edge of fear into panic. He cried out at the unexpected noise and curled up in a fetal position on the bed.

Starsky ran over, sat down next to his partner on the bed and gathered him up in his arms. Hutch buried his face in his partner’s chest. Deep in his mind, he knew it was just the concussion and it would probably go away, but right now it was terrifying. Starsky was whispering words of encouragement in his ear. It may as well have been Greek for all Hutch was comprehending. He recognized the tone of voice and allowed it to comfort him until he slipped mercifully back into unconsciousness.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hutch woke up with a splitting headache, nothing on but his boxers, his partner spooned up against him and very little memory as to how he got that way. He looked down at his partner’s arm over his bare chest.

‘Do I really want to know why I’m lying practically naked in my partner’s arms?’ He asked himself. ‘Probably not…’

He tried to ease himself out of Starsky’s embrace without waking his sleeping partner. He was unsuccessful. Starsky stirred and woke up. He sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Hutch? You feelin’ better this morning?”

“I’ve got a helluva headache.” Hutch said. “Do I even want to know what happened?”

“What do you remember?”

“I remember a cute blonde in a tiny bikini, lunch in the restaurant, a couple of drinks at the bar and then not much. What did happen?”

“You were beaned by a tree falling into the lobby during the storm.”

“A tree?” Hutch’s eyes widened. “Then what happened?”

“They brought you back to the room, we got you out of your wet clothes and tucked you into bed.”

“Did you have a doctor come in to see me?”

Starsky shook his curly head. “Nope. He lives on the other side of the city and he couldn’t get here in the hurricane.”

“So you took care of me?” Hutch smiled affectionately at his partner. Then he knew there was something more he had to ask. “Uh…exactly why did I wake up in your arms naked? Just what happened last night?”

Starsky almost laughed at the conclusion his partner had jumped to. “Hutch, I really do love you, but it ain’t what you’re thinking. You were confused. The concussion scrambled your brain – English was suddenly a foreign language to you and that scared you. Hell, it scared me too. I was holding you to comfort you. I guess we both fell asleep.”

“Oh.” Hutch said, more or less relieved. “Thanks Starsk.”

Starsky went over to the first aid kit and got a couple of aspirin, which he handed to his partner. Then he poured some water into a glass and likewise handed that to Hutch. Hutch took the aspirin gratefully and once he had swallowed them, looked at his partner.

“Okay, we got stuck in a hurricane, now what?”

“Dunno. I think the storm may be over, though.” Starsky said, as he realized there was no more wind or rain noise.

Suddenly, as if to confirm what Starsky had just said, there was a loud clunking noise and sunlight flooded the room. As soon as their eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, they noticed that someone had removed the storm shutters from their balcony. Starsky walked over and saw a man on a cherry picker stepping onto people’s balconies, pulling off the storm shutters and passing them down to another man who was following them in a golf cart that was towing a bin for the discarded shutters. Starsky smiled and shook his head – that’s when he noticed the rest of the world.

Starsky had not seen devastation like this since ‘Nam. There were trees down all over the place, patio furniture was overturned and thrown around. There was the wreck of a sailboat sitting on the beach as though someone had planted it there. He scanned the horizon until he saw the marina. The sheer number of boats that had been obviously (from where he was standing) damaged or destroyed was staggering. This was the result of Mother Nature getting very angry indeed.

“Hey Hutch, come over here. You gotta see this!”

Hutch walked over to the balcony and whistled softly. “Wow! I’ve never seen anything like it! Would you look at that boat! It’s like someone shoved it mast-down into the sand!”

“I know. Incredible, ain’t it?” Starsky looked at his partner. “You should see the lobby! The tree that got you was huge! It’s a good thing you got good reflexes, Blondie.”

“What reflexes? I got hit!”

“The guys that brought you up here afterwards said if you hadn’t jumped out of the way you woulda been crushed. You were lucky to get off as light as you did.”

Hutch started to say something when the telephone rang. Starsky went over and answered it.

“Mr. Starsky? This is Paul Barton. We’ve gotten the internal phone system fixed. Well…I’m sure you guessed that by now. I was just calling to check on you and your friend. Is he doing alright?”

“Yeah, we’re okay. Though, getting the doctor here to see him still ain’t a bad idea. What’re the odds?”

“I’m fine Starsk.” Hutch whispered. Starsky waved his hand in a ‘shut up’ gesture and turned his attention back to the man on the phone.

“I’ve already sent for him. The external phone lines are still down, so I sent one of my assistants to pick him up. Assuming the roads aren’t washed out, he should be here in an hour or so.”

“Thanks. Any idea when we should be getting power or running water again?”

“Probably sometime later this afternoon for the power. Water is running again, but there’s no hot water, I’m afraid. That’ll take a few hours after the power comes back. There’s going to be a lunch served out by the pool at noon. We’ll be having a barbeque and beer. We’ll be trying to get a happier atmosphere back. Will you be there?”

“We’ll see what the doctor says. We’ll try to make it. Thanks again.” Starsky said as he hung up the phone.

“What’d he say, Starsk?”

“The doc oughta be here in about an hour…assumin’ the roads ain’t washed out. Then there’s a barbeque for lunch by the pool at noon. Think you’ll be up to it?”

“I’m up for anything Starsky. You worry too much!”

“You up for a cold shower? That’s all we’re getting for a while – no hot water.”

Hutch sighed. “Yeah, I could probably use a shower. I’ll go first. Wish me luck!”

“Good luck.” Starsky said with a grin.

Starsky was sitting on the bed musing on the interesting turn his vacation had taken when there was a loud yelp and a thud from the bathroom. Starsky ran over and burst into the smaller room.

“Hutch? You okay? What’s wrong?”

Hutch was standing in the shower stall with his back pressed up to the wall. “N-n-n-nothing’s wrong, St-st-st-starsk. It’s j-j-j-j-just c-c-c-c-cold. D-d-d-dropped the s-s-s-s-soap. I’m f-f-f-f-fine.” He stuttered through chattering teeth.

“Oh. Okay. Don’t stay in there too long, or you’ll freeze to death. You sure you’re okay?”

“F-f-f-f-fine.” Hutch said and gave Starsky a look that said, ‘do you mind?’ Starsky got the hint and headed back out into their room.

After about five more minutes, Hutch came out of the bathroom wrapped in a thick terrycloth robe with the hotel’s monogram on it. Starsky looked over as Hutch smiled evilly and said, “Your turn.”

Starsky took a deep breath and headed into the bathroom for the coldest shower of his life.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The doctor came and gave Hutch a clean bill of health. He was just told to take it easy for the rest of the trip. Starsky promised to make sure Hutch did exactly that.

The two men went down to the pool and found the party in full swing. Starsky made Hutch sit on a lounge chair while he went to get plates for the two of them. Hutch sighed impatiently as his partner wouldn’t let him do something as simple as getting his own lunch. He sighed even more impatiently when he realized Starsky wasn’t going to let him have a beer either.

“Come on, Buddy! Can’t I just have one beer?”

“You know what the doc said, Hutch. He said no alcohol for the next couple of days. Last time I checked, beer had alcohol in it.”

“Where’s the harm in one?” Hutch said in his most reasonable voice.

“The harm is you got a head injury. Head injuries and beer ain’t exactly a great combination.”

Hutch sighed in resignation. “Fine. After lunch you wanna go swimming?”

“You gotta wait half an hour after you eat.”

“Yes mother.”

Starsky just glared at his partner.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

After two more days, the partners were finally moved into a double room and Hutch was asleep more often than he was awake; but he was recovering steadily. Starsky watched over him and took care of him better than his mother ever did.

Finally, about day seven of their ten-day trip, Hutch felt well enough to do a little sightseeing. They took a package tour and then wandered around the city themselves. Everything was going great until Starsky got his wallet lifted.

“You gotta be kidding me!” he muttered, as he felt frantically through his pockets for something that was no longer there.

The woman behind the counter of the souvenir shop and Hutch looked at him curiously. “Problem Starsk?” Hutch asked.

“You ain’t gonna believe this. I lost my wallet!”

“You’re kidding!”

“Nope. Hey, I bet it was that guy that ran into us earlier today. Remember him? Nearly knocked you over?”

“You think he lifted it?”

“Yeah, smoothest touch I’ve ever seen.”

“Well, let’s go back to the hotel and call the police and then American Express.”

“I’m a cop for God’s sake! I’m supposed to be aware of shit like that!”

“Starsky, you said yourself; the guy had a silk touch! You’re only human.”

“That don’t make it feel any better, Hutch.” Starsky said; his face fixed in a pout.

Hutch smiled at the overgrown kid standing in front of him. He took out his own wallet and paid for the souvenir. Then the two of them headed to a police station. The police said that they thought they knew who lifted his wallet, but haven’t been able to catch him yet. Starsky and Hutch offered to help and were politely yet firmly rebuffed. When asked why they can’t go pick up the thief in question, they said he usually dumped the wallet before they caught up with him. There were plenty of places in the lower-rent area of the city that didn’t ask questions when they cashed traveler’s checks.

Starsky and Hutch sighed in defeat and headed to the nearest travel agency that dealt in replacing stolen traveler’s checks.

It was almost eight o’clock before the two exhausted men got back to the hotel. Too tired to face the restaurant, they headed up to their room and called for room service.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

After a few more mostly uneventful days (except when Hutch nearly drowned in the pool – scaring Starsky half to death), it was time to go home. As they were checking out, Paul Barton came over to them.

“I just wanted to apologize again for all the trouble the two of you had here. We’d like the opportunity to make it up to you.”

“S’alright Mr. Barton.” Starsky said. “Apart from the hurricane, his concussion, me getting my wallet stolen and his near-drowning, this has been a great time.”

Hutch looked at his partner, unsure of whether or not he was serious. Starsky’s face remained straight. He wasn’t giving anything away.

“Yes, well…we’d still like to try.” Barton handed each of them an envelope. “This is a voucher for you to come back for another all-expenses paid stay at our resort. Maybe next time you come, it won’t be hurricane season.”

Starsky and Hutch looked at each other. Starsky said, “You can count on that! Thanks again, Mr. Barton.”

Barton nodded and moved off. Starsky looked at Hutch and said, “And maybe next time, Murphy’s Law won’t follow us on vacation!”

Hutch grinned and nodded his agreement.

End.

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