All usual disclaimers apply, I don't own the rights, I don't get money and this is for entertainment only. Please excuse any errors; they are entirely mine.

I guess you could call this an Alternate Universe story. Lightning causes a most unexpected aftereffect on Hutch.

Chapter 1

The weather outside was anything but delightful. It was four in the morning and the drug bust had to go down despite the inclement weather. Rain came down in sheets and the skies were filled with nature's fireworks and the air was filled with the cracks and booms of thunder and the incessant hiss of rain on the pavement and builds.

Starsky and Hutch were oblivious to anything but the job at hand.

Hutch slammed his perp into the chain link fence as Starsky grappled with his.

Starsky lost his footing for a fraction of a second and the perp bashed him on the chin with a solid right hook. Thrown off balance, Starsky fell backwards, first into some trashcans and then into the wet garbage itself. He flailed about trying to get back on his feet, but he was finding no purchase in the wet, filthy alley.

Hutch glanced over his shoulder and saw his partner struggling, he whipped his perp around and cuffed him "Sit down!" He bellowed, "Don't move!" he shook his index finger in the perp's face.

The man nodded. The blond cop had a you move; you die look on his face. The perp nodded once more and sat down hard. He didn't want to die.

Starsky's suspect whistled sharply. Down the night, rain darkened alley, a massive Doberman Pinscher raised its head. Another sharp whistle and the dog was headed towards his master. As the dog hurtled towards them, the perp pointed at Starsky and hollered, "SIC 'IM!"

The dog changed directions and aimed for the fallen human.

"SHIT!" Starsky rapidly scuttled backwards on all fours in a crab walk. He reached for his gun. He didn't want to have to shoot the dog, but he didn't want to get bitten either. He kept fumbling for his holstered gun with his garbage greasy fingers as he simultaneously tried to get to his feet. Despite the rain, the hair on the back of his neck rose.

"STARSKY!" Hutch yelled, his friend wasn't fond of dogs and would like them a lot less if he got bit. Dammit! He wasn't sure if he could make it in time to intercept the dog shoulda used my gun... he thought as he leapt for the dog.

It seemed to happen in slow motion. Hutch moved to intercept the dog as it leapt through the air at Starsky. As Hutch's arms circled the dog's neck, there was a deafening boom and blinding flash of lighting, for a second the flash illuminated the scene with the brightness of the sun. The brief lightning flash illuminated Hutch and the dog. Both arched in pain of the lightning strike.

They hit the pavement with a sickening thud.

"Huuuuutch!" Starsky blinked rapidly, trying to get rid of the spots that blocked his vision from the brightness of the flash. He rubbed his eyes, then shook his head and finally cleared the spots from his eyes.

He scrambled to his feet and raced to his fallen friend's side. Starsky tenderly brushed the wet blond hair back off Hutch's forehead. "Hutch! C'mon buddy!" With shaky fingers, he felt along side of Hutch's neck for the carotid artery and found it. He put his ear over Hutch's nose and mouth to catch any sound of breathing over the sound of thunder and rain. Nothing! He almost panicked. What next? Then in his head, he heard his CPR instructor's voice ...Breathing is often inhibited by the tongue... when that happens... head tilt, chin lift... Starsky did just that.

Hutch then inhaled, exhaled and continued.

Thank you God! Starsky wiped the moisture from his eyes "Hey, Hutch, yer gonna think this is funny, but I just did the CPR ABC's backwards... ya know? A -- airway, B -- breathing, C -- circulation... well, I did it CBA..." Starsky broke off his babbling. A movement caught his eye.

The dog was beginning to stir. Starsky eased Hutch's arm away from around its neck. He stood up and grabbed the dog by a back leg and dragged it away from his fallen partner. He then noticed the perp he had been trying to collar was sneaking away down the alley. He pulled out his gun and pointed at him.

"Freeze whipo! Get yer ass back here before I put hole in it!" He waited a heartbeat and then realized that Hutch couldn't comment about it 'actually being a second hole in the guy's ass.' He rapidly handcuffed the man and ran back to Hutch's side, kneeled next to his head and checked him again still breathing, thank God!

"MEDIC! C'mon! I need a paramedic back here!" He hollered in the direction of the other officers that were on this bust. He would have used the radio he had been given for the bust, but he had lost it in the scuffle and it was buried in the trash somewhere.

He sat on the wet pavement by the blond and eased Hutch's head into his lap and then he leaned forward over Hutch, spreading one side of his jacket out to help keep the rain off the blond's face as he waited for help to arrive.

A couple of uniformed officers ran to his side from down the alley "Hey, Sergeant Starsky! You okay?"

"Hutch needs an ambulance! Hurry!" Starsky again brushed the wet hair off of Hutch's forehead Hang in there buddy, help's on the way

One officer called for assistance on his radio, the other took charge of the suspects. "What the hell happened? We didn't hear any shots... just a loud thunderclap" The uniformed officer glanced about trying to figure out what had occurred.

"Lightning, he got hit by lightning" Starsky kept lightly stroking his friend's face with his knuckles and occasionally checking his pulse still there... good job partner, keep it up "C'mon Hutch, wake up, please?" He patted the still face, trying for any kind of response and getting none.

"Oh shit..." The cop shook his head. Stabbings, shootings and beatings, he understood, but acts of nature... He radioed for additional help, then collected the handcuffed suspects and loaded them in a waiting police van.

The wail of the ambulance mingled with the thunder that still rolled through the city, the flashing lights accompanied the flicker of lightning. The rain continued to fall; it rattled on the trashcans but Starsky never heard it and barely felt it. His focus was on Hutch.

"C'mon partner... wake up... wake up" He traced a fingertip over Hutch's eyelid and looked for a flicker of movement; there wasn't any, just his chest rising and falling steadily. Starsky swallowed hard. "Hutch..."

A patter of footsteps approached and a hand squeezed his shoulder "Hi, I'm Bart Simmons; I'm a Paramedic with the Bay City Fire department... What happened?" He knelt next to the downed detective and reached for his stethoscope so he could start taking vitals.

"L-lightning, he was hit b-by lightning" Starsky didn't look up from Hutch's face; he didn't realize that he was shaking from shock and fear for his partner.

"You sure about that?"

"'Course 'm sure! Dammit, I saw it hit him!" He glared up at the paramedic and grabbed him by the front of his jacket "HELP HIM NOW!"

"Okay, okay, calm down" Bart put his hands up in a conciliatory manner; it was never a wise move to piss-off the armed. As he took the fallen detective's vitals, the rest of the ambulance crew arrived.

Starsky released the man's jacket "I'm sorry, I'm just worried..." He glanced at the medic and then returned his gaze to his fallen friend.

"It's perfectly understandable, we'll do our best for him" Bart couldn't imagine what it must be like for the poor detective. A lightning strike, crap. The poor victim, he was likely in for a long hard road to recovery, if he recovered. Bart stopped and refocused on the now, just get the man to the hospital and let the doctors do their thing.

Starsky helped them to load Hutch on the gurney; he moved from Hutch's head to his side and took the blond's hand in his own as the gurney was wheeled to the ambulance.

One of the paramedics started to ask the distraught detective not to board the ambulance, but Bart shook his head at his coworker and waved him off.

Starsky climbed in and sat on the bench next to Hutch, still holding his hand, his eyes fixed on the blond's face, and he stayed that way all the way to the hospital. One of the paramedics draped a blanket over the worried brunet's shaking shoulders to help ward off the chill from his soaked clothing.

Hutch's clothing was cut off and high flow oxygen was administered. They searched for any external wounds that the lightning could have made. The most of the damage would most likely be internal though. That kind of damage and the extent of the damage would have to be diagnosed at the hospital. They could do nothing for that now.

Once at the hospital, one of the nurses made Starsky let go of Hutch's hand and sent the dripping detective to the dreaded waiting room, where he began to pace anxiously. His sneakers squishing with rainwater with each step as he paced and the blanket swirling outward with each turn he made.

Captain Dobey arrived a short time later. He watched his worried detective pace like a caged lion for a moment "What happened?"

The pacing stopped. Starsky's head snapped up; soaked curls bobbed with the motion "Lightning" Worried midnight blue eyes connected briefly with his Captain's brown ones. "He got hit by lightning" The pacing recommenced.

"Oh shit" Was the brief reply. "Any word from the doctors yet?" Dobey pulled out his handkerchief and mopped his brow.

"No" More pacing "Shit Cap, how am I suppose ta protect him from lightning?" He stopped pacing to look at Dobey, expecting some answer.

"You can't, Starsky, it was an act of God" He put a hand on the brunet's blanket covered shoulder and squeezed.

"'Act of God'! Why would God wanna hurt Hutch? He's a good man--" He broke off as tears threatened. His eyes turned meet to his captain's, again wanting some kind of answer.

"It'll be fine, Dave, really" Dobey mopped his brow again.

Starsky nodded, accepting what Dobey said, but it also registered that his captain called him by his first name. Dobey only did that when he was truly upset.

Starsky went back to pacing.

Dobey sat down to wait. He was good at waiting. He hadn't always been that way, but with these two detectives he got a lot of practice in. He called Huggy to bring Starsky some dry clothes. He definitely did not need two sick detectives on his hands.

Huggy had arrived with a change of clothes for Starsky and stayed to join the vigil.

Starsky changed into the dry clothing and had stopped pacing at some point. He was now sitting next to Dobey, flipping through an ancient magazine without even looking at the pages when he heard Hutch howl. The sound chilled his blood and he was up and running down the hall, drawn to the sound like iron filings to a magnet.

As he pushed the curtain a side, a nurse fell back into his arms. Reflexively he caught her and stood her on her feet. "What's goin' on?" He moved closer to the bed where his partner was attempting to roll over on to his stomach.

She brushed at some blood spots that dotted the front of her uniform "He BIT me!" She held her hand out for him to see.

Starsky threw a startled look at her "Huh?"

She lifted her damaged hand to her face and peered at it, blood dripped from crescent shaped bite "Damn it! Human bites are nasty..." She looked up the hall towards the desk "HEY, get me some help in cubical eleven, STAT!" They needed to restrain the injured detective before he hurt himself or anyone else.

Starsky moved to Hutch's side, the blond had finally managed to roll over onto his chest in bed and was pushing himself up with his hands "Whoa, steady there Hutch, ya need to stay in bed" He put his arm around the blond and tried to encourage him to lay back down. He was nude, as they hadn't finished examining him. The blanket he had been coved with had fallen to the floor during his struggles with the nurse.

Hutch lifted his head glared at Starsky; his upper lip curled and exposed his left incisor. Starsky stared back into Hutch's eyes, they were wild and there was no recognition in them. "Easy there partner" Starsky reached out to cup the blond's jaw; the blond gave a throaty growl and snapped at Starsky's hand. Only his excellent reflexes kept Starsky from being bitten.

"Hutch! What the hell's wrong with you?" Dark eyebrows furrowed in question. He moved back to the bed, once more reaching for the blond, who had made it to his hands and knees. "S'okay partner, I know ya hate hospitals but they gotta finish checking ya out first..." He reached out again, speaking softly "easy there... does it hurt to lay down? Is that it? Huh...?"

Hutch slowly turned his head back towards him; his head lowered a bit as he made eye contact with Starsky and held it.

"Hi there Hutch, happy to see ya up partner... Ya really had me worried this time..." Starsky stopped for a moment. Hutch was still looking him directly in the eyes. The only thing he moved was his eyes and he hadn't blinked yet that's strange Starsky took another step forward with his hand out to touch his friend's shoulder as the blond had started to shake, possibly from the strain of holding the somewhat awkward pose he was in and possibly from the cold air on his nude body.

Hutch growled and bared his teeth. Starsky stopped and stared, a thought crossed his mind what if that lightning has fried his brain? He had no more time for such thoughts as help arrived in the form of a two of large orderlies. They brushed past him and reached for Hutch.

Hutch's growls increased in volume. The orderlies moved to each side of the patient and moved to restrain him. Hutch nearly lunged off the gurney and snapped his teeth at one orderly's throat. The other grabbed him around the waist and pulled him away in time to keep his coworker from a nasty bite to the neck. But he got a solid kick to the ribs for his troubles.

Starsky waded in, unable to stand back and watch. His friend was obviously frightened or feverish and didn't know what he was doing. All he had to do was touch him and Hutch would calm down. He was sure of it. Hutch hated hospitals and needles, but he would respond to Starsky even if he were delirious.

"Stay back! We'll handle this!" the black haired orderly snapped as he and his coworker struggled to subdue their patient.

"He's my partner, he'll listen to me" Starsky growing increasingly worried, he didn't want to have to see Hutch restrained or sedated "Hutch, listen to me, you have to calm down, their just tryin' to help ya" He edged closer to his combative friend "Just lay back down partner, it'll be okay, I'll stay right here" He slowly stretched his hand out to catch a hold of the blond's flailing right hand.

Hutch batted Starsky's hand away. The orderlies pushed the blond back down onto the bed and flipped him over. Hutch kicked and swatted at them. They then proceeded to restrain him with belts and leather cuffs.

Starsky was appalled. When he had gone undercover at Cabrillo, similar restraints had been used on him. He hadn't liked it and knew Hutch wouldn't like it either. "Stop that! You don't need those things! Hutch, Hutch! Calm down..." he edged closer to the gurney.

"Sir, you need to leave now. He has to be restrained before he hurts himself or others" The nurse grabbed his sleeve and tugged "You can come back when he's calm--"

"Ta Hell with that noise, I ain't goin' no where" Starsky moved to Hutch's side and fixed the nurse with a look that had backed down more criminals then he could remember.

The nurse was unimpressed. "Get back sir, or you will be escorted out of the hospital"

"He's my partner an' I ain't goin' no where!" Starsky didn't even look at the nurse; he was too focused on his still battling partner. "Hutch, c'mon blondie, knock it off before they sedate you" Worry tinged his voice. It wasn't working. Hutch wasn't listening to him. He grabbed a flailing hand and held tight.

"Partner, calm down, please! I'm here, I'm right here... s'okay Hutch, just relax--"

"What's going on in here? What's all the ruckus about?" A tall thin doctor pushed his way past the throng of onlookers.

Everyone spoke at once, prompting the doctor to holler for quiet. When it was achieved, somewhat as Hutch still grunted as snarled incomprehensible words. "All right, much better. Now, you" he pointed at the nurse "What is this all about"

The nurse shot Starsky a 'so there' look and replied "This man was struck by lightning, according to that police officer there" she pointed to Starsky "And I had just started to take another round of vitals when the patient just went berserk -- he BIT ME! I then called for help and the orderlies arrived and, well this is the result" she finished lamely.

"What's wrong with my partner?" Starsky had to hold tight to Hutch's hand as the blond kept tugging on it trying to pull it from the brunet's grasp and the blond's snarl's increased in volume with each tug.

"Lightning, huh? Well, what can happen and seems -- I am stressing the word seems -- to be happening is that lightning and electrical injuries can, and do, affect the brain"

Starsky gasped.

The doctor held up his hand "Most times the patient return to normal shortly afterward. I can not say with any certainty at this juncture. It's far too early to tell. I have to ask you to leave now and I will be back to speak to you further on this subject as soon as I get some more information. Just please go back to the waiting room..." The doctor swept his hand in the direction of the waiting room.

Starsky nodded, too shaken to say anything at that point. 'Affect the brain' Oh God, no He shuffled back to the dreaded waiting room.

"What happened?" Dobey was standing in the doorway of the waiting room. Huggy stood directly behind him. Both sets of brown eyes were on the dejected detective.

"He's not positive, but, the doc told me that the brain CAN be affected but lightening" He held up his hand to forestall any questions from the two men "He doesn't know for sure yet and it may be a while before he does. He said he would tell me after he's done checking Hutch over"

Dobey placed a hand on the forlorn detective's shoulder "It'll be all right son, I know it will"

"Yeah, blondie will be back in action before ya know it Starsky. Hey, ya know, he might just get a free perm outta that lightening" Huggy gave a watery laugh at the joke.

"Why don't you just shut up?" Dobey snapped.

"Hey, didn't mean nothin' by it, Starsky knows that" Huggy looked at the worried detective. "Just tryin' to lighten the mood" His expressive brown eyes connected with Starsky's.

"Yeah, sure" Starsky grunted and resumed his pacing.

Chapter 2

The tall thin doctor entered the waiting room and Starsky was in his face instantly.

"How is he? How bad is it? Will he be okay? Why was he acting so strangely?"

"Excuse me? Whatever happened to manners?" The doctor placed his hands on his hips and stared at the distraught detective until Starsky stepped back, one step. "All right, come with me and we will speak in a more private setting. It is not this hospital's policy to discus patient information in a public setting"

Starsky looked around the waiting room at the seven other people there, including Huggy and Dobey "Oh, right" Dobey and Huggy nodded at him, accepting that he would be the first to know the extent of Hutch's injuries. This was standard operating procedure with them.

"My name is Doctor Steven Goldberg, I am the head ER doctor" He stopped and looked at the detective.

"Detective Sergeant David Starsky" When the doctor turned and walked away, Starsky stuck his tongue out at the doctor as he followed behind. Childish, yes, but it helped to lighten his mood slightly.

Doctor Goldberg continued down the hall to one of the consultation rooms, arrogant enough to believe, correctly in this case, that he would be followed to the room. "First off, are you family?"

"No, he's my partner, his parents are in Minnesota but he has a legal advance directive in case of injury or illness, just as he has mine -- Now, tell me what's goin' on with my partner?"

They entered the room and the doctor closed the door "Good, we will need a copy of that directive for our records if we don't already have a copy on file. Before we go any further, I have a few questions to ask. First, tell me exactly what you saw"

Starsky's brow furrowed in consternation "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I must know all of the mechanisms of injury to fully comprehend the direction for further medical assessment and treatment. Besides, lightning injuries are fairly rare and one must never pass up the opportunity to increase the knowledge base of information in such cases. Please proceed with your narrative"

Starsky started at the doctor for a long minute. He didn't want Hutch to be a case study; he just wanted his friend to be okay. This doctor obviously was full of himself and in love with trying to intimidate people with his large vocabulary. His vocabulary was probably the biggest thing the man had on him. Starsky chuckled to himself; he'd have to tell Hutch that one.

Starsky took a deep breath and began "We were on a bust, one of the perps sicced his dog on me, Hutch jumped for the dog and caught it in mid air. That's when the lightning hit him; they arched in pain and fell to the ground. Hutch wasn't breathing at first, so I did a chin lift, head tilt. I think his tongue was blocking his airway. Anyway, he started breathing on his own. I hollered for help and about five minutes later, the ambulance arrived. He didn't regain conscious at all during that time"

The doctor scribbled some notes on his pad and looked up when the narrative stopped "Uh huh, hmm, thank you, that answers some questions I had. As you know, he was hit by lightning or probably closer to the truth was that the lightning "flashed" over him. The 'arching in pain' was most likely not pain induced, but muscle contractions induced by the electricity."

Starsky nodded, that made some sense and relieved some of his anxiety over Hutch having been in any pain at the time.

"The flow of lightning current might flow internally, but it generally does so for an amazingly brief period of time and while it can cause short-circuiting of the body's electrical systems -- the nerves, brain, heart and the like -- it rarely causes any significant tissue damage or burns. Therefore, myoglobiuric renal failure and burns play only a small part of the over all injury pattern from lightning strike. While it is true that some lightning victims have literally been knocked out of their shoes and have sustained significant bodily damage, this does not appear to be the case in this incident. At this juncture there are no external signs of trauma and no discernible damage to his clothing. But sometimes the damage takes a few days to show up. He will need to stay in hospital for at least three days until we are sure of the extent of his injuries"

Starsky's head spun with the information overload "I want to go see him now" Starsky informed the doctor. He wanted to assure himself that Hutch was okay.

"He is sleeping now. He was very agitated as you know and we had to sedate him as well as restrain him--"

"What! Why?" He moved closer to the arrogant doctor, anger furrowing his brow.

The doctor looked down his long nose at the detective "As I said just a moment ago, he was agitated, that means he was--"

"I know what agitated means, I am currently agitated!" Starsky snapped, cutting him off "And I'm getting very close to moving beyond agitation"

"I can see that. Mr. Hutchinson was exhibiting some odd behaviors. It is not uncommon for a victim of lightning or electrical shocks to exhibit altered states of consciousness, amnesia, confusion and disorientation. Subsequently, the patient will often show normalization of mental sequelae or status that may range from distractibility and headaches to psychiatric disorder and right up to dementia"

Starsky felt his jaw drop and felt the blood drain from his face "Dementia? Psychiatric disorder?"

"We won't know the full extent of his injuries, physical or mental for a few days, hence the hospital stay. We will have to adopt a wait-and-see attitude and treat all symptoms as they present themselves"

"Doc, what did you mean by saying the lightning 'flashed' over him?" Starsky struggled with his growing need to see Hutch and the needed to pay attention to what the doctor was saying. The need to see Hutch, as usual, was winning that little war. But he focused as best he could on the doctor, knowing it was important.

"Lightning, unlike man-made electrical current is of extraordinaryily high amperage and voltage but it is of very extremely brief duration. Your partner was not in contact with the ground so there isn't -- as yet -- any proof that the bolt passed through him, hence it most likely 'flashed' over him, meaning it probably did not pass through him. It left his clothing and shoes intact. With the lack of external damage, it is difficult to determine how much or how little damage was done." The doctor reiterated.

"It was raining, hard, wouldn't that have grounded him?" Starsky paced the length of the small room, trying to keep his waning patience with the initiating doctor.

"Not necessarily, raindrops, no matter how hard they are falling, are still separated by particles of air, which is a poor conductor of electricity. Say your friend was being sprayed with a steady stream of water, or standing in a puddle or even dry ground, then yes, he would have gotten a bigger shock. How far from Mr. Hutchinson were you when the lightning occurred?"

"I don't know! I didn't take the time to measure it! The next time it happens, I will have a tape measure handy and take all kinds of measurements while allowing my partner to die while I do so, just to satisfy you! I'd really like to know what the hell that has to do with anything anyway?!" He paused his pacing long enough to stare angrily at the E.R. doc.

"I was attempting to point out that you were lucky. You were on the WET ground and were soaking WET at the time -- it could very well have been you instead of your partner. You were really lucky, that's all I was trying to say" There, Goldberg thought to himself, that ought to make the man feel better.

"You call that lucky? I wish ta hell it HAD been me! I'm goin' to see my partner now" His limited patience at an end, Starsky stomped out the door, slamming it hard behind him as he went in search of his partner.

Doctor Goldberg shook his head. Sometimes, he just didn't understand some people.

Hutch slowly regained consciousness. He had thought that he had heard Starsky earlier and had been puzzled when his friend had grabbed him by his leg and dragged him like a bag of trash to the curb. Even though he was some distance away, he could hear Starsky talking to him. He tried to answer, to move, but his body refused to respond to him. He had blacked out again as the sound of the ambulance had nearly shattered his eardrums. As consciousness fled he wondered when had they increased the decibels on those things? The sirens were now loud enough to wake the dead. The madding volume of sound chased him to oblivion.

Rain dripping on his head woke him next Starsky? Help, help me... I don't feel good at all Hutch listened for his friend as he tried to control the mad pitch and roll of his stomach. His nose seemed to have gotten more sensitive, or maybe it was simply because he was feeling quite ill right now, but somehow the garbage in the alley seemed to have gotten even smellier and he was able to discern several different stenches.

Ugh, his stomach turned and he vomited. He was so weak he was barely able to move his head away from the gross puddle he had created. Starsky? he rolled slowly to his chest and tried to place his forehead against the concrete of the alley to steady himself for the attempt to sit up, but his nose kept getting in the way. He let his head drop back to the ground.

Starsky? Where are you buddy? What happened? Hello? Help! Someone, anyone? I n-need help His stomach turned again and he heaved up some bile. His stomach tried for more but it was empty now, it just couldn't seem to get the message though. After several more attempts, his stomach finally gave up trying to regurgitate food that had long since passed through his digestive tract.

Hutch's head ached fiercely, but he gritted his teeth together and forced himself to try to get up again. Something must have happened to Starsky. He would never have left other wise. Had the bad guys kidnapped him? How could that be though? The whole area had been surrounded for the bust this morning... no, that wasn't it. He had heard Starsky talking to him. He had heard an ambulance and... and other police officers...

He quit thinking about that. He needed a plan, so he would get to his feet and get out of this alley and get to a phone. There. That was a nice plan. If he could just get past the 'get to my feet part'

He got his arms under himself and pushed up into a sitting position and held that pose with his eyes tightly closed, as the world spun madly around him. His stomach lurched yet again. He waited a bit then slowly opened his eyes. The alley and its contents had gone gray. Well, not completely gray, there were blacks and whites, but mostly everything was varying shades of gray.

He sat still for what felt like a long time. He brain refused to process anything too quickly. After a bit he tried standing up, but his legs felt funny. He slowly tried again and after a few tries, decided that he would just have to crawl out of the alley on his hands and knees. Undignified to be sure, but what the hell, if it got him out of that damn stinking alley, it would be worth it.

It felt like every bone and joint in his body was made of rubber and every bit of that rubber hurt. But he forced himself to crawl down the alley. He had to get to a phone and call for help. This part of Bay City was not known for its kindness to cops. Hell, this part of town wasn't known for kindness, period.

Knowing that the longer he stayed here, the greater the odds were that any one of the unpleasant locals could come upon him and rob and beat him (if he was lucky) or rob him and kill him (if he was not), he forced himself to continue his trek out of the alley. It felt like the trip of a thousand miles instead of one of several yards. The end of the alley seemed to keep moving away from him, but finally after what felt like hours, he made it to the sidewalk.

He leaned against the wall of one of the buildings that made up the alley and looked for a phone booth. It then occurred to him that in this part of town, people damaged phone booths for kicks. Maybe there would be a store or market that was open... Hutch looked up one side of the street and then the other trying to decide on which way to go. He didn't have the energy to go far.

He must have blacked out again for when he opened his eyes, the sun was high in the sky. Surly they must be looking for him by now. Starsky would be frantic. Why hadn't anyone come looking in the damn alley? How fucking hard would that be? Even the greenest of rookies would know to do that. He tamped down his anger. He would have his explanation when he got back to his precinct. Heads would roll. Much like his head felt like it was doing now.

Hutch went through the arduous task of sitting up once more. His mouth was bone dry. He licked his lips. His tongue felt really weird, like it had grown by several inches. He shook the feeling off and pushed himself to his hands and knees. One hand in front of the other, move one hand, move one knee, take a deep breath and repeat. His knees should be hurting by now, but then it was so hard to separate one pain from another. He heard the sounds of people and moved in that direction. Someone would help him. He made himself believe that.

He staggered as he moved and he kept himself going by repeating Get to the people. Get help. Wring Starsky's neck for leaving me alone in that alley. Get to the people. Someone will call an ambulance for me

Finally he made it to where he had heard the voices. He had been staring at sidewalk so long now it hurt to try to look up. He hoped it was a store and not some criminal types selling dope out of some building. He listened for a bit and heard the sound of a cash register being rung up. He could smell bread and other baked goods and coffee, a bakery! Yes! He crawled through the door. Some helpful baker would be calling an ambulance for him; help would soon be on its way! Water! I really could use some water right now.

"Hey! Get the hell outta here!"

Hutch looked up, instead of concerned looks from the baker and patrons; he saw only anger and fear. Help me! His legs collapsed. He pushed himself up on his arms. I need some help, please!

"I said GET OUT OF HERE!" The baker flapped the front of his smock at him.

Hutch tried again I'm a police officer, I'm hurt, I need an ambulance his voice sounded like a long whine, but dammit he needed help PLEASE! I need help

"I said get out of HERE!" The baker grabbed a broom and headed towards him, swinging the broom wildly.

Wait! Don't hit me! I said I'm a police officer, I need help!

The broom connected with his shoulder, he let out a yelp. The baker swung the broom again, and hit him again. "OUT! GET OUT OF HERE!"

Hutch stared at the angry baker what the hell is wrong with you?! I told you, I'm a police officer and I need HELP! Call an ambulance for me, PLEASE!

"He's mad!"

"Look out!"

"He looks like his gonna attack!"

"Listen to those growls!"

Hutch looked around at the different people. What the hell was wrong with them? Mad? Hell yeah, he was mad, who wouldn't be with that kind of treatment? But attack? He must have crawled into a madhouse masquerading as a bakery.

"He's foaming at the mouth! I think he's rabbit!" A large woman in a polkadot muumuu shrieked, edging her way back from him and holding her purse up to her quivering chins like he was going to steal it.

That's RABID, woman! Not RABBIT! He snapped at her.

"He almost BIT me! Did you see that? I feel faint" With that, the woman dramatically slumped against the counter. Other patrons rushed over to aid the woman.

Hutch rolled his eyes Bite you? Oh good GOD woman, really, this is going too far! I would rather bite one of Starsky's burritos! Hutch began to back out of the bakery. The people in there were crazy. The large woman slumps and everybody rushes to her side, but they can't take the time to call me an ambulance? He shook his head in disbelief.

The baker swung his broom at him again, hitting him once more in the shoulder.

OUCH! THAT HURT! I hope you know that you are assaulting an officer of the law, you could get jail time for this! Hutch had had enough. He turned and crawled out the door and the baker swatted him on the butt as he departed OUCH! I'm LEAVING already! Sheesh!

"And STAY OUT! Martha! Call the cops! Tell them that there's a dangerous--"

Cops! Yeah, you just call the cops! That's all Hutch needed to hear, I'll wait until the cops arrive and THEY will call an ambulance for me, OR better yet, they will just take me to the hospital! He moved as quickly as he could to get away from the mad baker and his equally mad patrons.

His head was buzzing with pain and weakness was dragging at his limbs, making them feel as it he had lead weights attached to each of them. He found a large cardboard box between two buildings and crawled in to wait for the Calvary, in the form of police officers, to arrive. He rested his head on his arms and though he tried to keep them open, his eyes drifted shut of their own accord.

Chapter 3

Starsky found the room Hutch had been placed in and stood in the doorway looking at his partner. The words of the ER doctor repeated themselves, '...psychiatric disorder or dementia...' dear God, let it not be that bad He ran his hand through his hair and then squared his shoulders and walked to Hutch's side. He looked down at the restraints that encircled his friend's wrists; each restraint was affixed to the sturdy guardrails on either side of the blond.

Starsky looked around and noticed that the other bed was empty. He privately hoped that it would stay that way. He found a chair and sat down. He lightly took Hutch's right hand into his hands. "I'm here Hutch. I'll be here when you wake up. You aren't alone, I'll be right here" He stared at the restraints for a while and then began to remove them from his sleeping friend's wrists.

"Hi! You sick?"

Hutch felt a few pats on his head and forced himself to try to open his eyes. He had one hell of a headache and the head pats weren't helping. He groaned and managed to crack his lead-weighted eyelids open. A small boy, about four years old, was squatted in front of him and looking at him with an earnestness that only young children seem to have.

Hutch tried to collect his thoughts, which aggravated his headache. He focused on the boy. Cute kid where's your mommy? Hutch moved his head off of his arms and looked around. The kid's mom had to be somewhere close. Ugh, my head. What happened to me? He remembered waking up in the alley, but before that he and Starsky had tangled with a couple of the suspects... Starsky had tripped or something and was down... I handcuffed my suspect and... and... His brain couldn't come up with what had happened after that. Another pat on the head brought him back to the present.

"Timmy! Come away from there!" A woman rushed up and grabbed the little boy and darted away from Hutch. The little boy waved bye-bye from over his mother's shoulder as she hurried away. Police sirens cut the air and a black and white screeched around the block.

Aaaahhhh! The pain that the sirens inflicted on his aching head was immense. It made him want to howl. He put his hands up to cover his ears. Or tried to anyway, his arms felt weird and didn't move in quite the way that he wanted them to. Thankfully the sirens were cut when the unit pulled to a stop over a block away.

Hutch studied the distance. Normally a block was nothing to walk, but feeling the way he did right now, it looked like a marathon hike. Gathering all his strength, he pushed himself into a sitting position. The uniformed officers exited the vehicle and walked to the bakery. The baker exited his shop and pointed up the street in Hutch's direction. Good, they can walk to me He leaned against the wall of the building and waited for help to arrive.

Then a white van wheeled drove past him and as it drove by he read the sign 'Animal Control' that was painted on the van's door panels. He watched as it stopped by the squad car. The driver got out and got a catch pole out of the van. Then the cops and the animal control officer headed in his direction.

Hutch looked around and thought there must be an animal in trouble somewhere around here the trio approached him and fanned out into a half circle, one cop on either side of the animal control officer. His puzzlement deepened and but he called out to them Hey, it's about time you got here, I... All three were looked directly at him with stern expressions on their faces. The hair on the back of his neck rose.

The animal control officer edged closer to the big Doberman "Easy boy, easy... that's it... just stay right there..."

A very bad feeling began to creep up Hutch's spine. His mind was started to grasp at a wayward straw; a straw that would explain a lot about what was happening to him today. His stomach took a slow roll to the left and then it turned and spiraled hard to the right.

"That's a good dog... just stay right there... easy, easy" The control officer advanced slowly with his catch pole in front of him.

Dog? Who are you calling a dog? I'm sick as a dog right now but... I-- the loop at the end of the pole was moved slowly towards his head. Hutch swallowed hard and snuck a glance at one cop and then the other. Each had their hand over their holstered guns. His mind caught the straw in a death grip and things started to fall into place Oh my GOD! They're after ME! He slowly got to his hands and knees and backed up a step.

"Easy boy... just let me get this on your neck and we'll take you to the pound... easy there big fella" The control officer spoke quietly and moved slowly towards massive dog "just two more steps big guy and we'll be home free..."

Hutch stepped back once more. He didn't know what lay behind him. Was it a dead end alley? He couldn't chance to look behind himself; a second was all the control officer would need to slip the cable noose around his neck. He panted, the only sure way out was forward, but, he would be out in the open, an easy mark, should they decide to shoot him. Shoot him down like a... dog in the street... His heart beat faster.

The control officer advanced a little more, the dog was getting scared. Its breathing rate sped up and its massive jaw gaped slightly. One false move on his part and the dog could quickly go from passive to aggressive. He glanced at the cops and nodded. They understood and slowly pulled their guns from their holsters.

Hutch flicked his eyes around the area, looking for an escape route.

"Easy big fella... just let me catch you and you can have a little ride with me... if no one claims you in seventy-two hours... you get to sleep forever... how would you like that? No more worries about food, no more cold nights on the street..." The man edged closer.

Screw you! Hutch bolted between the control officer's legs and dashed into the street. Tires squealed as a cabbie slammed on the brakes to keep from hitting him. Hutch stopped and stared at the radiator grill of the cab -- it was an inch from his head -- and gulped. The cabbie popped his head out the window and shouted curses at him. Shouts erupted behind him and Hutch darted around the cab and after looking for oncoming traffic this time, he ran the rest of the way across the street.

He got to the sidewalk and stopped now where do I go? He looked around; he wasn't sure where to go. He wasn't really familiar with this part of town. Uncertain where to run, he paused and tried to get a handle on where to go next. The sound of footsteps running up behind him brought him back to the present. He'd have to worry about where he was later. He darted between pedestrians and kept to the sidewalk. He turned a corner and accidentally knocked a lady down.

Hutch stopped and turned back around and went to her side Oh, pardon me! I'm so sorry! He looked to see if he had hurt her.

The woman released an eardrum shattering scream "HELP! Mad dog! I'm being attacked!" She whacked him in the head with her purse.

He was knocked sideways a step OUCH! He shook his head to clear his vision Whaddya got in that bag lady? Rocks? He moved back a little further from her.

She swung at him again.

He dodged the swing, turned tail and ran. He came to a crosswalk, the traffic was heavy he looked around trying to figure where to go next. His lungs were beginning to ache and his head wanted desperately to fall off. He heard the sound of running feet and looked over his shoulder; the younger of the two cops and the animal control officer were running towards him.

"Mad dog! Clear the way!" The younger of the officer yelled.

Great! Way to instill calm in the civilians buddy! Hutch threw over his shoulder as he treaded his way through the people.

The folks on the sidewalk yelled or screamed as they parted like the waters of the Red Sea, affording the young cop with a clear shot. He took it.

The bullet whizzed dangerously close to Hutch's head and buried itself it the wall before him, knocking particles of brick into his eyes. He altered his course and ran into an alley. The alley was garbage filled and stank of decay. His stomach clenched hard, revolted by the odor, the cramp nearly stopped him in his tracks but he pushed on. Another bullet pinged off the wall, kicking up bits of garbage. The shot and the echo of shot nearly deafened him. He kept up his headlong run and found his passage blocked by a chain link fence. He skidded to a halt.

His eyes darted around, trying to locate a weakness in the fence. He couldn't climb it and running at the cop and the animal control officer would most likely get him shot. He pressed his body against the wire, feeling for any weakness in it and he kept his eyes trained on his pursuers.

There! He eased his weight against the soft spot in the fence, it gave some more. He sidled backwards into the fence, the lower edge lifted and he scooted under. Hutch continued to shove himself backwards under the fence. He was nearly through when the lower edge of the fence hooked on his collar. He hadn't even noticed that he had one on until now. Dammit! What else could go wrong?

Crap! He hurled himself back, the sharp edges of the underside of the chain link dug into his neck. He shoved back hard, ignoring the pain as the links dug in deeper.

The young cop raised his pistol and took careful aim at the vicious dog.

The control officer put his hand on the cop's arm "Wait, don't shoot just yet, I might be able to catch him"

"What are you talking about? I got a clear shot at him!"

"Good, but give me a minute, okay? I think I can catch him"

"He's a menace! He nearly bit several people in that bakery"

"I think he's sick and if he really did bite someone, we'll deal with it, just give me one more try, okay? He moves towards me... well, do what you have to do"

"One inch towards you or me and he's bought it" He double checked to make sure that the safety was off on his service revolver. He refocused on the massive dog's head, ready to drill it right between the eyes. Never hurt to get in a little target practice.

"Deal"

Hutch listened to the exchange as he pulled back and his collar cinched up on his neck, sharp wire points from the lower side of the fence forced themselves into deeper into his neck. He kept his eyes glued on the cop. The muzzle of the gun was aimed directly at his head.

"Easy big fella, you got yourself in a jam, let old Hank help you out" Hank slowly moved towards the big dog.

The catch pole was slowly pushed towards him. Hutch gritted his teeth and shoved backwards as hard as he could and ducked his head between his arms... Okay, front legs this had to be some horrible nightmare, but until he woke up, he decided to err on the side of caution and play along with the bad dream until he had a little time to think about it. However, now was not that time.

"Easy... easy..." Hank moved closer a step at a time, knowing that the dog was seconds from breaking loose. He wasn't doing this for the dog's sake; though he made sure it looked that way. The experimental testing lab paid good money for dogs. He really didn't care what the animals were used for. It was easy money. And he only sent dogs or cats that were going to be put to sleep anyway. Get money, save on the cost of gassing the animals and having to dispose of the bodies. It was a 'win -- win' situation.

Hutch could feel the skin in the nape of his neck tearing, it hurt like hell but he pushed back even harder. His legs were quivering with the strain. He kept his eyes on the animal control officer.

Hank pushed the loop towards the dog's nose and started to ease it up the beast's long snout when it suddenly let out a near-human scream as it lunged backwards. The chain link fence bounced forward than back in recoil as the dog fell over backwards and lay there panting on the cement. "Well HELL!" He hit the fence with his hand, frustrated There goes fifty bucks! Damn it all!

"Move, Hank!" The young cop had walked up to his side while he was trying to catch the dog. "I can still nail him"

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" A teenage boy called from somewhere inside the fenced in area.

"Mad dog, gotta put it down" The young cop answered.

"You got a warrant?"

"Warrant? I don't need a warrant to shoot a mad dog, kid" Soon the cop was embroiled in an argument with the teen.

Hutch shook his head to clear it and regretted it, the cuts on the top side of his neck burned with the added movement. He got to his feet and moved towards some boxes in the yard. He didn't want to get shot. He looked around for an exit and then noticed some crates stacked up by the other end of the area. He made a beeline for them and climbed up to the top. It was about a fifteen foot drop to the concrete parking lot. He flicked an ear back and heard the kid and cop still yelling at each other. The young cop had a lot to learn. If... scratch that, when he got back into human form, or woke up, he would look that rookie up and have a little chat with him.

Hutch looked at the down at the concrete and wished it were soft grass instead. He jumped down and managed to land on his feet. As soon as he landed, he took off. He didn't care about the out come of the argument that was still taking place behind him. He had to get away from this part of town and get to where he knew his way around and somehow get a hold of Starsky.

Meanwhile...

Soon after he had freed Hutch from the restraints, the blond had rolled over on his side and had practically curled up into a ball, nose to kneecaps. Starsky shook his head at that odd position and after a bit, pulled the blankets over Hutch and tucked them in as best he could.

Watching people sleep wasn't the most mentally stimulating thing to do and it wasn't long before Starsky fell asleep himself. He had dozed off in the hard plastic chair after balancing it on two legs and with his head tilting backwards, mouth open, and his feet on Hutch's bed. One got used to sleeping in odd positions while on stakeouts.

The door to Hutch's room banged open, startling Starsky from his uncomfortable nap. He tipped the chair over when he was startled out of his nap, arms wind-milling for balance and finding none. He landed on his tailbone.

"Are you all right?" A familiar voice made Starsky's head snap up and he looked at the speaker.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the ER?" Starsky climbed to his feet and rubbed his sore butt as he dusted himself off.

The tall thin doctor tapped his plastic name tag "You must be thinking of my brother Steven, I'm Doctor Stephan Goldberg"

"Identical brothers, terrific" Starsky muttered as he tucked his shirt back in his pants.

"Brilliant deduction, I can see why you made detective grade in our fine police department" The doctor haughtily raised his right eyebrow and looked down his long nose at the shorter man.

Starsky managed to control the urge to say something he might, or might not, regret later and settled for rolling his eyes. He didn't want to aggravate someone he may need to help Hutch later, though it was very tempting to do so. He then looked back at the bed Hutch was occupying. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he looked to see if the racket had awakened his friend. It had.

The blond had moved only his head and was staring, unblinkingly at him, the light blue eyes occasionally shifted to look at the doctor. It was an eerie and nerving stare.

"Hey Hutch, how're ya doin'?" Starsky leaned forward slightly, looking deep into his friend's eyes. He could see no recognition in them. He lifted his hand to brush back a wayward blond lock and was greeted with a low growl and a curl of one upper lip. He eased his hand back and looked at the doctor "What's wrong with him? Why is he acting this way?"

"According to his charts, he was hit by lightning" The doctor flipped through the chart sheets.

"Really? Did you read that all by yourself or did someone have to read it to you?" Starsky quipped back, unable to restrain himself this time.

The doctor raised one eyebrow and continued "Also according to the charts, he was restrained. I see none on him. If you removed them and he falls and hurts himself, or hurts anyone else, we -- 'we' being the hospital -- are NOT responsible for any injuries"

Starsky looked at the doctor, than back at Hutch. He hated to admit it, but there was something very, very wrong with his friend. He couldn't put a finger on what it was; it wasn't just from the lightning strike. No, it was something else. It was like Hutch was possessed or something. Right now, he reminded Starsky of that girl in the movie 'The Exorcist'. Starsky certainly wasn't gonna say anything about that to the damn doctor though. "He's fine"

"Oh, so he's always like this. Growls at his friends all the time then, huh?"

"Pretty much" Starsky muttered "Steals food from my plate sometimes too" He carefully watched Hutch's face as he said that. Nothing. Not a twitch, not a raised eyebrow. Nothing. The blond maintained his unmoving posture and still stared at him and the doctor with a rare blink thrown in as the only change of... well of anything.

There was a knock at the door and then Dobey and Huggy entered the room.

"How's the patient?" And seeing that the blond was awake, Huggy moved over to his friend's side and reached out to shake his hand, now that he was conscious "Hey Blondie, you had me 'n curly all worried. You're lookin' pretty spry now" He was shocked when Hutch snapped at his hand and began to growl. Huggy shot a startled look at Starsky "What's with that?" Dobey added his look as well.

Starsky shrugged, at a loss of what to say or how to comment. "It's the lightning strike; I guess it has affected his mind, a little" He felt Dobey put his hand on his shoulder and squeeze. He looked at his captain and nodded, accepting the shared sorrow.

Dobey turned to the doctor "How long will he be that way?"

"It is difficult to say at this point. I will have to do a little digging and call a few colleagues, I have never heard of anyone that has been struck or was electrocuted that acted like this before" The doctor scratched down a few notes and prepared to leave "Detective?"

"Yeah?" Starsky's lips thinned at the doctor's tone.

"A nurse will be coming in shortly to take his vitals. He will have to be restrained again, you being an officer of the law, should be competent enough to hand that, am I correct?" He then left the room without waiting for a response.

Starsky lunged after the doctor, prepared to demonstrate just how much he did know about restraining people.

Dobey, anticipating this, grabbed him by the arm "Dave" and when Starsky met his gaze, the big man slowly shook his head "He's not worth it"

Starsky nodded, Dobey was right, as usual. He looked back at Hutch, who was slowly edging back on the bed, away from the three men, still giving a low growl and staring at them like they were the enemy.

Chapter 4

Starsky looked at his partner. The blond was on his hands and knees on the hospital bed.

Dobey and Huggy exchanged a look at the doctor's departure and then returned their attention to Hutch. Both were unsure what to make of the strange behavior Hutch was exhibiting.

Starsky was at a loss as to how to proceed. The damn doctor wanted Hutch restrained, but Starsky didn't want to do that to his best friend. But then he didn't want anyone to get bitten, correction, he didn't want anyone else to get bitten. Nor did he want Hutch to hurt himself. He glanced at his captain and Huggy; they looked just as lost as he felt right now.

Starsky moved slowly towards the bed, hand out, palm up "Easy Hutch, it's alright. You don't like that doctor either, do you? Who woulda have thought that there would be two of 'em? Pretty weird, huh?"

He kept moving forward, ever so slowly and he noticed that Hutch was backing further up against the bed's guardrails "Hey partner, careful, you don't wanna--" Starsky's concern rose as he watched the blond scoot as far back as the railings would let him. As he watched, Hutch hit the railing, then lost his balance and fell over backwards, falling off of the bed. Hutch's right leg tangled in the railing and he dangled upside down from the bed "--fall" Starsky finished.

That last word of the sentence was nearly drowned out by ear shattering howls of fear and pain. Starsky rushed around to the other side of the bed to help his friend up. Light blue, fear-filled eyes connected with his "Easy there Hutch, I gotcha"

Starsky reached out to help the blond and could not believe it as the fear dissolved and turned to anger. Hutch snapped at Starsky's hands and growl fiercely "Huuutch" the name came out as an exasperated groan.

"C'mon son, let's get you back into bed" Dobey and Huggy joined Starsky to help him get the injured detective back in bed.

Starsky nodded; suddenly very glad he wasn't alone in this. Huggy and Dobey each grabbed a flailing arm and Starsky got a hold under Hutch's arms and they all heaved up on the struggling man, it was like wrestling with a sack of wet cats.

As they situated the blond back on the bed, Hutch continued to fight, his wicked snarls increasing in volume. He would pull in one direction, then another, snapping his teeth at whoever was closest. Huggy disentangled Hutch's leg from the railing and got a solid kick to the groin for his troubles.

"Oh man, he's has one hell of a kick!" Huggy gasped as he held himself, trying to control the waves of pain that were shooting from his groin. He shuffled over to a chair and sat down.

Dobey and Starsky made short work of putting the restraints back on the snarling blond detective. When they finished, Starsky turned away from the sight. It hurt to see Hutch that way.

"What's all the racket? This is a HOSPITAL! Not a zoo!" The nurse swept into the room and glared at each man in turn, including the one in the bed.

"Sorry ma'am" Dobey went to tip his hat and realized it had been knocked off in the struggle. He scanned the floor for it.

The nurse had a hard time taking Hutch's vitals and the blond struggled and yanked at his bonds and then tried to bite the nurse when she attempted to put a thermometer in his mouth. She gave up after a few tries. When she finished she looked each man in the eye and said "Now, please keep it down it here" She then exited the room.

Dobey found his hat, picked it up and brushed it off. He looked at Hutch for a long moment and then he turned away, saddened by his detective's continued strange behavior.

Starsky cast a forlorn look at the restrained blond and then he started to pace.

"He'll get better Starsky" Dobey said as he watched the dark haired detective walked the small room. It was rather like watching a tennis match with the troubled detective prowling, back and forth, back and forth across the room.

Huggy looked up at Dobey's words "Yeah, Starsk, he's in a hospital now, they'll figure out how to fix what's wrong" He shifted uncomfortably "Could one of you fine gents please get me some ice? Blondie kicked me real hard and I might just want to have children some day"

"God forbid" Dobey muttered under his breath and louder he said, "I'll go, come with me"

"But cap'n" Huggy winced at the thought of standing up and walking in his current condition.

"Come along Huggy" Dobey tilted his head in Starsky's direction. The dark haired detective had stopped pacing and was staring out the window, his shoulders knotted and stiff with the effort of controlling his emotions.

Huggy understood and rose carefully to his feet. Starsky needed some alone time right now.

They exited the room.

Starsky stopped looking out the window when they left and stared at Hutch for a long time. The blond stared back. Starsky reached for Hutch's hand and was once more rebuffed with a snarl. Thus rejected, he backed away, sat down in the hard plastic chair and buried his face in his hands.

Hutch wandered for a long time, trying to get his bearings. He looked for familiar streets; his sore head with its pounding headache wasn't helping him at all. It also didn't help that he was much shorter than he used to be. That change in perspective kept throwing him off. Everything looked different from down here.

He also looked for some water. He was parched; his long tongue kept sticking to the roof of his mouth. He passed a few stagnant puddles of water and each one he passed by began to look more and more inviting, much to his disgust.

As he navigated the sidewalks and alleys, he kept an eye out for police and the animal control officer. He also tried to ignore the wide berth people gave him. Mothers pulled their children close or picked them up as he walked by. And even though he did nothing to anyone, people hollered at him and some threw things at him, like rocks and bottles. And sometimes those things hit him, adding to his aches and pains. Huh, and I thought people hated cops

He had avoided looking at himself in window reflections until now. It felt as if this was a bad dream and that looking into a reflected image of himself would make the dream a reality. But, he was curious too. What kind of dog was he, to cause people to react that way?

He saw large plate glass window and slowly walked over to it. The first thing he noticed was that he was big, really big. He estimated his height to be over two feet tall -- he chucked at that thought, in his human body, he was a little over six feet tall.

The next thing he noticed was the collar he was wearing. It was wide and made of leather; it also had spikes sticking out of it. No wonder it had snagged on the fence. He focused on his body next. His coat was black and tan; his ears were cropped and stood straight up, looking like triangles. He was a Doberman Pincher.

He looked again at his 'new' ears how much did that hurt, to have part of your ears chopped off? And why? What's the purpose? At that sad thought, his ears dropped down and he had his answer. He looked far more dangerous with them up. With them down, he looked like a hound dog. His dogs ears were tattered and had ragged edges. That could be another reason they were cut, to make it harder for another dog to grab the smaller ear, though it looked like both of his had been thoroughly chewed a time or two. He shook his head, poor dog.

Hutch then noticed how thin he was. He could see his ribs. If we hadn't arrested your master for drug trafficking, he should have been nailed for animal neglect and maybe abuse He rethought that. The drug charges carried a far heavier penalty, pity.

He could see now why people were afraid of him though. This was going to make getting help a little more difficult.

"There he is!"

Hutch turned around at the sound and saw the dreaded white Animal Control van Dammit! He had allowed himself to get distracted and the damn animal officer had spotted him. He bolted down an alley and through several parking lots to get as much space between himself and his pursuer.

After running for a while, he slowed and finally stopped, exhausted. He had very little energy left and was so thirsty that he could have drunk from a toilet. Well, maybe I'm not THAT thirsty He sat down hard and tried to catch his breath and his stomach growled.

"Hi doggy, how're you doin' doggy?" A somewhat familiar voice called from further down the alley "Nice doggy, are you hungry? Huh?"

Hutch turned to see who was talking to him. It was Mickey, Starsky's fink, the little alcoholic snitch/weasel who had tricked him and turned him over to Ben Forest's goon for a few lousy bucks.

Hey, I thought Starsky ran you out of town for what you did to me, turkey. You just wait till I tell him you're back Hutch snarled at Mickey and for the first time that day was glad he was a mean looking dog. The way he looked ought to keep the little creep away from him.

"Hi doggy, nice doggy" Mickey pulled a small bag out of his coat pocket and shook it "I got some food here for you, doggy" He flicked his cigarette butt to the pavement and held out the paper bag.

The scent of hamburger wafted towards him and Hutch's stomach growled loudly. Despite his extreme dislike of the fink, the food did smell good. And maybe, just maybe, the little creep had at least one redeeming quality and was kind to animals. When he wasn't drinking himself into a blind stupor, that is.

"Good doggy, here's a hamburger for you. You look awful hungry" Mickey put the bag down and backed away from it "Good doggy, eat up"

Hutch checked the alley, looking for any kind of trap or set-up. He believed in giving people a second chance and the hamburger smelled so good. He moved in and grabbed the bag in his teeth and backed away from the fink. His mouth watered at the smell and his stomach growled again. He eyeballed Mickey, who sat down on a trashcan and pulled out a bottle from his coat, opened it up and drank from it.

Hutch sniffed the bag again, the hamburger smelled good and it was still warm, he carefully ripped the bag open, the burger was wrapped in a popular fast food foil. So Mickey hadn't made the burger himself, which was a plus. He looked at Mickey, who looked back at him. Mickey then took another sip from his bottle.

Hutch carefully unwrapped the foil, taking a small bite of burger and as he did so, Mickey gave a quiet laugh. Hutch quit chewing and stared at him.

"Die doggy, die!" Mickey crooned; a blissful smile crossed his face "One less doggy in the world, once you eat up! That's a good doggy" Mickey cackled drunkenly "A little poison for you, sweet doggy... the quicker you eat, the quicker you die"

Hutch spit the food out, very glad he hadn't swallowed the burger I've changed my mind Mickey, you have no redeeming qualities! Hutch slowly moved towards the would-be dog killer.

Mickey's smile melted and his drunken laugh abruptly halted as he watched the dog spit out the food and headed towards him, stiff legged and staring, in his direction. "G-good doggy, eat up" Mickey stood up and backed away from the big dog, who was no longer interested in the poisoned food, but was instead, looking at him like he was now on the menu. "N-nice doggy, good dog"

I hate you Mickey, I really do Hutch stalked the fink down the alley I just tried to give you a chance. No more chances, Mickey. You've tried twice now to kill me. Granted, you don't know it's me this time. And the first time, you turned me over to one of Forest's goons, but to my mind, it doesn't make any difference and I really don't care if you know it or not

"Stay, doggy, s-stay" The Mickey positively reeked of fear and alcohol.

Hutch continued to slowly follow Mickey as the drunk backed down the alley, away from him.

Mickey backed into a corner and had nowhere else to go "G-good d-dog... don't bite me" he whimpered as he pressed his back to the brick wall behind him, doing his best to push himself through the bricks to get away from the angry animal. It was as if the dog knew what he had tried to do to it and now it wanted revenge.

Hutch closed the gap and growled When I get back in human form, I'm coming for you Mickey! I'm gonna nail you to the wall for poisoning dogs 'cause I expect I'm not the first dog you've tried to poison, but I'll be damned if I'm not the last!

Mickey whimpered and sobbed as the massive dog growled and barked at him.

Hutch nodded in approval. He then smelled the distinctive odor of urine and watched as Mickey wet himself. Serves you right, fink Hutch said with satisfaction. He moved cautiously away from the drunk and out the other side of the alley and as he did so, he heard Mickey yell "Mad dog! Help! I'm being attacked!"

Shit! Not again! Hutch forced his aching body into a run; he had to get as far away as possible from this area.

"Hey Hutch, ya wanna watch some TV?" Starsky didn't expect an answer, so he wasn't surprised when he didn't get one. He had come to the conclusion that he would just keep talking to Hutch and treating him like he was normal, regardless of the blond's odd behavior.

"Whaddya say we watch the evening news, huh?" he waited for a few seconds, just incase his friend choose that moment to respond and when he didn't, Starsky turned on the television anyway. Dobey and Huggy left a few hours ago, each saying that they would return tomorrow. Starsky flipped through an old magazine as he listened to the news.

"...That's all on the world scene. And in local news, the search continues tonight for a dog that is suspected of several attacks today in the Kingston district of Bay City. The dog is described as a large male Doberman Pincher with a brown, spiked leather collar. If you see this dog, call Animal Control or the Bay City Police department, do not attempt to catch this dog yourself. Next up Beth Silverman with the weather"

As the information about the area where this mad dog was, Starsky perked up and paid closer attention. "Hey Hutch, that's where we were on the bust today. I wonder if that's the dog you tackled this morning. I don't think I thanked you for that. Thank you" Starsky looked over at the blond who lay on the bed staring in the general direction of the window, not paying him the slightest attention.

Starsky sighed "If it hadn't been for that damn dog, you wouldn't have gotten hurt" He stood up to look out the window, to see if he could spot what now held his partner's attention. There was a bird on the windowsill.

The blond stared at the bird like he wanted to eat it. He licked his chops.

Starsky shook his head and sat down heavily in the plastic chair and looked back at the news show "I knew I shoulda shot that damn dog when I had the chance"

Hutch staggered down yet another alley. He was exhausted. His dry tongue hung out of his mouth. When he had run out of the alley, away from Mickey, he had nearly run smack into the animal control officer. He had to hustle to get away.

He looked for a place to spend the night. He thought he had found a place but a pack of semi wild dogs chased him off. He tried to slake his thirst by drinking out of a puddle but stopped after the first lap of water. It had tasted oily, so he moved on.

It was dark now and far easier to move through the streets. One other meager bonus was his improved night vision. There were few streetlights in this part of town, but it was remarkable how well he could see.

He kept moving.

He found a water fountain and with a little work, figured out how to manipulate the knob with his paws. He really missed having hands. Trying to drink was another problem. Dog lips didn't work the same way human lips did. He had to resort to lapping the water like, well, like a dog. It took some doing, but finally he got his fill of water.

Hutch felt a little better now that he wasn't thirsty anymore. He continued searching for a place to hide. He needed to lie down and sleep. He found himself in a familiar alley Hey, I know this place It led to the back of Huggy's bar Finally, I know where I am

He picked up his pace, a little, then slowed back down as a thought occurred to him How the hell am I gonna get Huggy to help me? I can't talk, I don't have hands and I don't look like myself anymore He sat down behind the back entrance to the bar and stared at the door. Then he noticed the trashcans next to the door. And he smiled a doggy smile I've got it

He rummaged through the smelly cans and found some items he could use and carefully placed them on the ground. After arranging them the way he wanted, he now only needed Huggy to come outside.

But how do you get a bear out of his den? You make some noise and get him to investigate Hutch chuckled to himself and knocked over the cans and as expected, the Bear popped out.

"Hey! Get out of the trash, you damn mutt! Aw man! Look at this mess! Leroy, come out here and help me clean this up" the thin black man put his hand on his hips and gave the dog a stern look.

Huggy! C'mere and look! Hutch did his best 'Lassie' impression and tried to lead Huggy to the message he had written in garbage.

"Get outta here mutt! Go on, get The Bear don't want the health inspector to see this mess, now get!" Huggy set the cans back up "Leroy! C'mon out here!" he started to put the trash back in the cans.

Hutch lay down next to his message and did his best to look pitiful Huggy, please... He could hear himself whine and he put his head on his paws to look less threatening.

Leroy came out the door "What's up Huggy?"

"Help me clean this up" Huggy waved at the mess in the alley.

"How'd this happen?" Leroy bent to the task of cleaning up.

"That dog over there" Huggy nodded his head in the big dog's direction, his hand full of garbage.

Leroy stopped and looked at the dog lying next to some trash "Huggy"

"What? Hey, don't just stand there help me pick up, we got customers waiting"

"Huggy, that's that dog" Leroy backed towards the door.

Hutch lifted his head off his paws at Leroy's tone of voice, Leroy sounded scared. Not good.

"What dog? He's harmless, just hungry and wantin' a little of the Bear's food is all" Huggy continued to clean up.

"The mad dog they were talkin' about on the TV, Hug"

NO! Hutch felt a knot form in his stomach.

Leroy grabbed Huggy by the elbow "C'mon man! Get back inside quick, before he attacks!" he tugged hard on his boss's arm.

Huggy, no, please don't be scared Hutch could only watch as Huggy allowed himself to be pulled into the back door of his bar Huggy... please, don't go, please? I need your help The slamming of the back door was the response he got. Huggy?

Hutch stared at the door for several long minutes and then slowly got up to leave. He didn't want to wait for the cops to arrive. From what little Leroy had said, he surmised that the word was out about a mad dog on the loose and he was the mad dog they were talking about.

He never felt so alone in his life. He started to walk away down the alley when he heard a sound behind him and looked about to see Huggy toss something at him. A bag landed at his feet and he looked up at Huggy.

"Here's a couple of the Bear's best burgers, now scram before the police come. And don't come back, Bears are bigger and meaner then dogs" He slammed the door shut.

Thanks Huggy Hutch picked up the bag of burgers and trotted away into the night.

Chapter 5

After eating Huggy's hamburgers, Hutch spent the rest of the night behind some dumpsters. It was cold and uncomfortable. Before the first rays of dawn, he forced himself to get up and get moving. He was sore from all the running he had done the day before and the scrapes on his neck from the chain-link fence ached painfully. His collar seemed tighter today as well. His neck must have swollen some from the damage the chain-link fence had inflicted yesterday.

He decided that he should head over to Starsky's apartment to see if his friend was there. As he walked, he wondered how he had gotten into this dog body, and wondered even harder about how he would get out of it. And where was his human body? Did he even have a human body anymore? If he did, where was it? Those thoughts filled his head and forced his mind off of his aching body.

Starsky awoke to the increasingly familiar sound of his friend growling. The brunet had fallen asleep in the other bed that was in the hospital room. "Hey Hutch" He stifled a yawn and rubbed at his eyes "Mornin' part--" He cut himself off as he noticed two doctors in the room with them.

"Well, what did I tell you? It's classic. We need to get a picture of this" Doctor Steven Goldberg wrote something down on the patient's chart.

"Indeed, you are correct. It is a classic example of feathering burns," Doctor Stephen Goldberg agreed.

"Hey, what's goin' on here?" Starsky rolled off the bed and to his feet, now completely awake.

"Open his gown a bit more so I can get the whole thing--"

"I asked you a question an' I want an answer" Starsky stepped between the camera lens and his growling friend.

"Could you step to one side? I really must get a shot of that" Doctor Stephen Goldberg made as if to step around the detective.

"Oh, pardon me, I didn't know that you were handicapped" Starsky said is a mused tone as he extended his arm to block the doctor.

"Handicapped? What do you mean by that?" Doctor Steven looked at the detective with a quizzical expression on his face.

"I didn't know that you two were deaf, sorry. You want me to use some sign language?" Starsky readied his middle finger for action.

The doctor duo exchanged a confused look and turned back at the curly haired detective "We're not deaf" they said in unison.

"Ya coulda fooled me" Starsky placed his hands on his hips and glared at the pair of annoying doctors. "Now, I asked a question and I want an answer to that question"

Again the doctors Goldberg looked at each other and shrugged "Sorry, what was the question again?"

Starsky rolled his eyes at them and then spoke very slowly and carefully "What is going on here?"

"Oh yes, we are taking photos of Mr. Hutchinson's chest" Doctor Stephen Goldberg replied.

"Why?"

"Because he has a very classic lightning burn that formed on his chest. It really is rather rare that one gets the opportunity to see, let alone, photograph such a pattern"

"Look you two, I told you I didn't want Hutch to be part of some study. You two have been nothing but rude to me and my partner and frankly, I'm sick of it. You use five dollar words and don't explain anything so's normal people can understand it" He crossed his arms over his chest, daring them to continue their rude ways.

The two doctors gave Starsky such a surprised look, that it indicated to him that no one had ever spoken to them in such a manner before. Too bad. They were just gonna have to get used to it. "So, tell me what this is about and I might think about allowing a few photos. Maybe. If I'm in a good mood" He narrowed his brows at the doctors.

They exchanged a conferring look, and then shrugged. It rather reminded Starsky of the way he and Hutch would silently communicate.

"Perhaps you are correct. We have been told that our bedside manner is occasionally lacking--"

"Just occasionally?" Starsky arched one dark eyebrow. He was enjoying watching the pair do some backpedaling.

"Err" One of the look-a-likes adjusted his necktie in a somewhat sheepish manner.

The other cleared his throat and proceeded to pick imaginary lint off of his pristine white lab coat.

Starsky snorted, "That's what I thought. Now, you care to explain to me, in layman's terms, these lightning burns you were talkin' about?"

"Certainly" the doctors said in tandem.

"I don't need it in stereo, one at a time please" Starsky decided that this is how Dobey must feel when he and Hutch did essentially the same thing on occasion, it gave him a new appreciation for Dobey and what he must go through. "You" Starsky pointed to Doctor Stephen Goldberg.

Stephen nodded and began "As I said before, initially the victim's skin may not show any sign of injury. It can take time for the burns, if there are any, to show. As I have mentioned, the burns are generally superficial, if they occur at all. Deep burns happen in less then five percent of all reported lightning injuries. If the burns do occur, there are four types. The first type being linear burns. These tend to happen in areas where sweat or water accumulates, example: the auxiliary, the thor--"

Starsky raised one eyebrow in warning.

"Ah-hem, the armpit, the chest, groin and the like. The second type are punctate burns, these look like many small cigarette burns that often have a heavier central concentration that are in a rosette pattern. This type seldom requires grafting. The third type is what your friend has, which are feathering burns. These feathering 'burns' are not really burns at all." The doctor pointed to Hutch's chest.

Starsky found himself interested despite his dislike of the two doctors and he looked at Hutch's chest and saw the bright red pattern there "It looks more like a fern then a feather" he looked back at the doctor "so that's not a burn?"

"No, there is no actual damage to the skin itself, it will fade in time"

"Is it painful? And what causes it?"

"No, it's not painful, a least according to the information on record so far. The feathering burns seem to be a complex instigated by electron showers that are caused by the lightning, which in turn makes the fern-like pattern that you currently see on your friend's chest. Not much is really known about them, hence our interest in them"

That was a mouthful, but at least Hutch wasn't in pain from the strange patterns on his body. "What's the fourth kind?"

"The fourth kind is any combination of one or more of the other three. Mr. Hutchinson does not seem to have any thermal burns, those would have occurred if his clothing had ignited or had he been in contact with any metal that might have heated up during the flashover."

"So why is he acting this way?" Starsky glanced at his quietly growling friend "He'll get better, right?" His hand moved subconsciously towards the blond's bound wrist and when he had made contact, the blond jerked as far away as the leather cuff would allow and the blond snapped his jaws together hard enough that the clicking of his teeth could be heard. Starsky closed his eyes as he removed his hand, releasing a gusty sigh as he did so.

The doctors exchanged a look. "We had not heard of anything quite like this happening. That is why--"

"He's not gonna be part of any study. Not with out his consent. If I even think you are going to study him, we're outta here, got it?" He fixed the twins with a hard look.

"We understand and will respect your wishes. When he improves, we'll ask him, okay?"

Starsky grunted at what the doctor said and looked back at Hutch as he mulled over the information. The blond lifted his upper lip and bared his teeth at him. Starsky sighed heavily before turning back "Okay, here's the deal. Take your pictures and give me the roll of film. When Hutch is better, I will tell him about what you said and let him decide what he wants to do"

"That is fair enough" The three shook on it.

After handing him the film from the camera, the pair left. Starsky turned to his partner "That was too easy. I don't trust those guys, what do you think?"

Hutch growled at him.

"I second that" Starsky agreed as he stared thoughtfully at the now closed door.

The sun was up by the time Hutch found his way to Starsky's apartment. He didn't see Starsky's car in its normal spot. Where could he be? Hutch went into some nearby bushes and sat down to wait. It wasn't long before he lie down and fell asleep.

A deep rumble woke him. Hutch opened his eyes and found himself looking a stray dog. Its pelt was matted and dirty. Hutch slowly got to his feet "Easy there dog, easy" It felt strange trying to talk to the dog. This wasn't like a Disney movie where he could understand what the dog was growling. The growl was just that, a growl. Hutch had realized by now that whatever he said, no human could understand. To humans, he sounded like, well... a dog.

He looked at the dog and noticed that there were others standing behind it. Not good. From what he could see, each dog had its hackles raised as they all stared at him. He was taller then the other dogs. But there were six of them and his whole body ached from yesterday. The lead dog took a stiff legged step in his direction and gave another low growl.

Hutch scanned the area, looking for a way out. The lead dog took another step and bared his teeth. The pack moved closer. Two dogs now flanked the lead dog and they started to close in.

Oh crap At his utterance, two of the dogs darted in, nipping at him and darted away. It was rather like a gang attack. They seemed to be testing him, looking for weaknesses before starting a full-bore attack.

Hutch knew he was still weak and sore from yesterday. He didn't stand a chance against all of these dogs. If he ran, they would chase him. If they caught him, they would most likely kill him or leave him wishing he were dead. He would rather stand and fight. Well, actually, he would rather just walk away and have nothing happen. But that was unlikely to occur. With no other options, he lunged at the lead dog, snapping his teeth at it as he did so.

The leader jumped back a bit and the others closed in from the sides. SHIT! Hutch leapt forward again, going for the leader's throat. The lead dog lunged at his throat and bit the wide spiked collar and it let go just as quickly. The other dogs came at him from the sides and bit at his hind legs. They were trying to hamstring him. It they succeeded, he'd be crippled.

One dog bit him hard on the upper thigh and he let out a yelp. Another dog pounced at his shoulder and got a mouthful of hair as he twisted away. The neighborhood dogs, the ones that had homes, began to bark and howl as the pack continued their attack on Hutch.

Hutch knew he was loosing ground, but he kept fighting. He kept attacking the leader, hoping that if he could chase it away or injure it and if he could do that, he hoped that the remaining pack would leave him alone. He barely felt the bites and nips of the others as they darted in and defended their leader.

Hutch was rapidly tiring when he heard the sound of human's approaching. The strays kept up their attack, embolden by his slowing reactions. It was only a matter of seconds now before he would be brought down by the pack.

"Get outta here! Get!" Cold water was sprayed at the fighting dogs. The strays, fearful of humans broke and ran away.

Hutch sat down hard on his haunches, panting and tried to catch his breath.

"You too! Get! Go on! Get outta here ya mangy mutt!" The man turned his hose on the remaining massive dog that now sat on the sidewalk.

Ice cold water hit him; Hutch forced himself to move down the sidewalk, away from the man and his hose. With all the commotion, the police and animal control were sure to be notified. It wouldn't be safe to stay here and wait for Starsky anymore. Hutch realized he had only one option left, Captain Dobey. He forced himself to pick up his pace; he had to get away from here before the authorities arrived.

Starsky left the room where Hutch was. He had to get away for a little while to stretch his legs and try to come to grips with what was wrong with his friend. Something more then a lightning strike had happened. It was so difficult to see Hutch acting in such a bizarre fashion. He had seen Hutch on heroin and had helped him kick it cold turkey. This was nothing like that, Hutch had been in an altered state then, but he had still been Hutch. But this time was different. Very different.

Starsky wandered down the hall to the nurses' station to ask where the vending machines were located. He could use a chocolate fix right now. As he approached the desk, he heard the nurses talking.

"Did you see the guy in 420?"

"The blond or the brunet?"

"The blond. Did you know that he bit Nancy yesterday? And he nearly took Carl's throat out, would have too, if Donny hadn't stopped him."

"No! Has he had his rabies shot?"

"Who? Carl or the blond" The nurses all chuckled "Carl can be quite the animal" There was more laughter.

"Maybe so, but at least he's not barking mad!" The nurses burst out laughing.

Starsky felt his anger rise and stomped up to the counter of the nurses' station "Who is the most senior nurse here?" he snapped.

A large nurse stepped foreword "That would be me"

"I don't appreciate you discussing my friend and partner like you have been. Is this how your treat all of your patients? I am a detective and I know a lot of people. I can easily spread the word about how you treat and discuss patients. I can guarantee that if I spread the word, you will have a lot fewer patients. Hmm, you know, I could call the media and inform them as well. How would you like to have them come down and do an expose on this place? I bet that would severely affect your revenue. Wouldn't it? Hmm?" He watched as the nurses all paled and then scurried out of the nurses' station, leaving the head nurse to take the brunt of Starsky's wrath.

The nurse looked at the floor, took a deep breath before raising her head again to make eye contact "You are correct. That was unprofessional of us. Please accept my apology and my assurance that it won't happen again"

"See that it doesn't" The thought of food forgotten, Starsky returned to Hutch's room.

Hutch kept to the side streets and alleys as he headed for the suburbs to Dobey's home. He was limping now. He had sustained several bites during the fight this morning and coupled with the injuries from yesterday, he was now hurting nearly everywhere.

He had also figured, after a few more run-ins with other dogs, that they somehow knew he was not a "natural" dog. Every dog he came across either growled at him or ran away in near panic.

It was afternoon when he finally made it to the Dobey residence. He noticed that Dobey was having his driveway re-paved and he carefully slipped around the equipment and he went around the side of the house and opened the gate to the back yard, he nosed the gate shut and painfully made his way to Edith's rose bushes and crawled under them. Once there, he stretched out his front paws and rested his head on them and fell asleep.

Starsky stared at his friend for a long time. What he had overheard at the nurses' station really bothered him. What if Hutch was stuck like this? What if he never got any better than he was right now? As combative has Hutch was; Starsky knew that he wouldn't be able to care for Hutch on his own. Starsky shook his head. It was far too soon to be having such thoughts. Hopefully in a few days his friend would be back to normal.

He moved over to the bedside table and poured some water into the plastic cup that was provided. He watched his partner lick his lips at the sound of water being poured into the cup. "Are ya thirsty Hutch?" This was the first that Hutch had shown any interest in anything, aside from the bird yesterday.

He drank from the cup and watched over the rim and saw Hutch once more lick his lips. "Do ya wanna drink?" Starsky refilled the cup and moved slowly to Hutch's side. He extended the cup towards his friend and watched as the blond sniffed at the water.

He slowly moved the cup towards his friend's lips as watch carefully as, for the first time since the strike, Hutch didn't growl at him. He brought the cup to Hutch's lips and the blond did something totally unexpected. He tried to lap up the water with his tongue.

"Hey... what is going on here?" He pulled the cup away from Hutch and the blond whined. "Just a second partner" Starsky looked around for a larger container and found a bowl poured some water in it.

"Here ya go Hutch. When you get better, I am going to tease you so much about this" He brought the bowl over and held it for his friend as Hutch lapped the water like a cat. He felt his throat tighten up. It really hurt to see his bright, intellectual best friend acting in such a manner.

Captain Dobey entered the room just then "Hi Starsky, Hutchinson" Dobey watched the curly-haired detective carefully. He hoped for improvement in Hutchinson's behavior, but could tell by the look on Starsky's face that there wasn't any.

"Hi Cap" Came the tired acknowledgement.

"Edith sent me to pick you up. You are going to have supper with us tonight"

"I can't leave him"

"Edith said I was to bring you home to supper, you can come right back here afterwards"

"But--"

"Edith said to bring you to supper. That's what you are going to do. What you do after that is your business, though I might suggest a shower and a change of clothes. It'll just be for a couple of hours, don't make me go home with out you, Edith'll have my head if I do that... or I could call her and you can tell her 'no' yourself" Dobey moved towards the phone.

Starsky gave his captain a weak smile "No, that won't be necessary. I'll come along peacefully" He looked back at Hutch "I'll be back in a few hours"

Hutch just growled.

Starsky dipped his head and shuffled out the door.

"Hi Uncle Ken"

Hutch lifted his sleepy, aching head off of his forelegs and saw Rosie Dobey sitting next to him in the dirt under the rose bushes.

"Whatcha' doin' back here, huh?" The little girl reached out and stroked his head.

"Rosie?" Hutch looked about, he and Rosie were alone in the bushes.

"Whatcha' doin' in a doggy body? Are you under covers?" Rosie shifted closer and leaned against him. "Oh look, you got boo boos! Poor Uncle Ken" Rosie gently touched one of the blood-encrusted scabs.

"Yeah, I got some boo boos... wait, you just called me by my name, can you understand me?" Hutch held his breath. Please say yes, please, please say yes

"I gots banded-aids in the house, want me to put 'em on your owies?" Rosie gently patted him on the head. "Ooooh, you gots lotsa owies, bein' under covers hurts, huh?" she stroked his head.

"You can't understand me, can you?" He looked into Rosie's dark brown eyes.

"I'll go in and get the banded-aids, you stay here" She got to her feet and skipped off to the house.

Hutch put his aching head back down. His wounds throbbed in time with his heartbeat. He could tell that some of them were infected.

A few minutes later, Rosie came back with a bowl of soapy water and a wash cloth. She cleaned all his wounds and when she finished she kissed his head "There! All better! I couldn't reach the banded aids though; they were too high up" Rosie expression saddened "Sorry"

"That's okay. Thanks Rosie, you're a real angel of mercy" He tried to kiss her hand, but dog lips just don't work that way, he settled for a lick on the side of her face, which made her giggle.

"Stop it!" She giggled again gave him a quick hug. She then got a serious look on her face "I can't take ya into the house, mama's 'lergic to doggies, says she gets all puffy and can't breathe good"

Hutch nodded. He remembered Dobey saying something about that.

Rosie suddenly stood up "I hear daddy's car! Daddy's home!" Rosie dashed for the side gate, opened it and ran out.

Hutch stayed put. He had to think about how he was going to get Dobey's attention and get his help. As he started to mull it over, he remembered the paving equipment. That stuff was in the driveway, Dobey would have to park across the street... "ROSIE!"

Hutch lurched to his feet and ran out the open gate; his trained eyes took the scene in and processed it instantly. Dobey was getting out of his car and with his improved hearing; Hutch could hear a car coming down the street "ROSIE! STOP!"

Dobey heard his daughter calling him and then he heard a series of loud barks and noticed a huge dog running up behind his daughter. He fumbled for his gun, fear for his daughter made his efforts clumsy. "Run Rosie!"

"Daddy! Daddy!" Rosie ran faster, now concerned by the fear she heard in her father's voice.

Starsky heard the commotion and lunged out the passenger door and grabbed for his gun as well. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as he watched Rosie run towards them with a massive Doberman gaining on her. He ran around to the front of the car and watched in horror as Rosie ran into the road. A horn sounded, tires squealed. He snapped his head around; he hadn't even noticed the oncoming car. It was going to hit Rosie! Starsky's heart stopped.

The massive dog slammed into Rosie, shoving her out of the way of the car, there was a dull thud as the bumper hit the dog. It spun off to the side and landed near Starsky's feet.

"Daddy!" Rosie screamed and started crying.

Dobey knelt down and carefully felt his daughter's head, arms and legs, looking for breaks or any other damage. When he found none, he hugged Rosie tightly.

"She alright?" Starsky asked with a quiver in his voice.

"Yeah, yeah, she's fine" Dobey's voice was shaking as well as he continued to hug his little girl close.

Starsky looked down at the dog at his feet. It was the same dog from the alley. The same one that was responsible for his friend being in the hospital. He leveled his gun at the dog's head. It had chased Rosie into the road and nearly got her killed.

"NO! Uncle Dave NO!" Rosie broke free from her father's embrace and ran over and threw herself on top of the dog "Don't shoot him! It's Uncle Ken!"

"Rosie, no it's not, Uncle Ken is in the hospital, remember?"

"NO! He just saveded me" Rosie clung to the big dog's neck despite the spiked collar.

The dog slowly lifted his head and tried to lick the little girl's face.

"He's hurted, you gots to take him to the doctor" Rosie turned her tear-streaked face towards Starsky "Pwease? He just saved me, pwease?"

Starsky exchanged a look with Dobey.

"No, honey, that's a bad dog. He has to go to... uh, dog jail" Starsky put his gun away.

Rosie burst out into an even louder set of tears and wailing "No! It's Uncle Ken, he's under covers! Don't you even know your own fwriend?" she hic-coughed and cried into the dog's fur, digging her little fingers into the coat.

The dog did nothing. It just lay there and looked Starsky in the eye, until Starsky broke eye contact. That look had given him the willies.

He and Dobey exchanged another look over the top of Rosie's head. The dog had just saved her. Whether the dog had done that on purpose or not didn't matter right now. They could not shoot the animal with Rosie here.

"Alright Rosie, I'll take him to the vet, that's an animal doctor" It wasn't a lie. Starsky would take the dog to the vet and have it euthanized.

"Pwromise you'll get him all better, I wanna see him again 'kay?" Rosie looked at Starsky.

"Rosie, I can't--" Starsky started to get choked up. He just didn't want to break the little girl's heart.

"Pwromise! He saveded me, you haveta make him all better, he's your fwriend, your bestest fwriend" Big tears slid down the little girl's face as she stared into his eyes.

"Alright, you win. I'll take him to the vet. The vet will make him better. I promise"

"Cwross your heart?" she backhanded the tears from her eyes and looked hard into his eyes.

Starsky solemnly crossed his heart. He couldn't go back on his promise. Not with this little girl trusting him to do as she asked, he had just promised. Oh God, what did I just get myself into?

The driver of the car had gotten out and was apologizing to both Dobey and to Edith, who had run outside the instant she had heard the car tires squealing. She picked her little girl up and hugged her fiercely "How many times have I told you to stay out of the road!"

Starsky turned from the scene and looked at the dog, which still lay on its side on the road, not moving. The dog kept looking at him. He had just promised Rosie that he would help the dog that had gotten his partner hurt. He knelt down and took his coat off and wrapped it around the dog. He then leaned down and whispered "If you make one wrong move, I will shoot you. Promise or no promise"

The dog moved its head, almost as if it understood him. It looked like the dog had just nodded at him. Starsky shook off the feeling and carefully picked the big dog up. "Cap'n, mind if I use your car?"

Dobey, still busy with the driver of the other car nodded.

Starsky laid the dog on the floor of the passenger side of the car. He thought about putting it on the back seat, but wanted to be able to see it, just in case. He went around to the driver's side and got in. Starsky looked at the dog once more. "Just one wrong move from you..." He let the threat trail off as the dog closed its eyes and looked away from him.

"It's alright Starsk, I understand" Despite his pain, Hutch felt better. He always felt better when Starsky was around. Now, all he had to do was convince Starsky of who he was and what he had become... it was going to be difficult, especially when he could hardly believe it himself.

Chapter 6

Starsky drove away from the curb and grabbed the radio mike and after receiving an answer, he requested information on the location of a veterinary office. Once he got the directions, he had dispatch connect him with Huggy. When Huggy responded, Starsky asked him to go to the hospital and sit with Hutch until he could get there himself. Starsky didn't trust the doctor duo and wanted someone there to keep an eye on Hutch while he dealt with the dog.

Starsky cast a jaundiced eye in the dog's direction. It lay curled up on the floor, covered with his coat. The beast was unmoving, save for its breathing. He returned his attention to the road ahead but kept one eye on the dog.

Hutch listened as Starsky briefly talked to Huggy. So, his body was at the hospital. That was a good thing. He had a body to get back to. From what he little he overheard, he gathered that the dog was in his body. Crap. He tried to collect his thoughts and figure a way to get out of the dog and back into his own body. The pain from his ordeals of the past twenty-four hours nearly overwhelmed him. Everything hurt.

The pain was worth it though; he was glad that he had been able to keep Rosie from being run over. And the little girl in turn had thrown herself on top of him and kept him from getting shot dead by his own best friend. It had hurt to have Starsky point the gun at him. Hutch understood why, and under the circumstances, even agreed, but still it didn't lessen the pain any.

Hutch tried to concentrate, he needed to think, to figure out a way to tell Starsky who he was and what had happened. But the pain was tremendous. He had gotten the wind knocked out of him from the car bumper. The impact had lifted him off his feet and shoved him forward. His whole right side had hit the car's grill. His left side had hit the pavement and as he skidded along the rough surface, he had lost patches of fur and now his left side was a road map of 'road rash'.

He must have drifted off for the next thing he was aware of was Starsky pulling into a parking lot. He lifted his head slowly and watched as Starsky got out and walked around to the passenger side and open the door.

"Uhhh, good dog, don't bite me, I'm just tryin' to help. Dammit, why couldn't you be a poodle or something?" The brunet slowly reached in and moved the coat over his head, presumably to keep him from being bitten.

It was strange, but Hutch realized something, he could smell his friend's fear. He clenched his teeth together in an effort to keep from yelping in pain as his partner lifted him out of the car. For all his grumbling, Starsky carried him with care. "Starsk, you are such a softy" Hutch thought with a smile.

Starsky was relieved that the dog wasn't giving him any trouble, at least not yet. He hoped the dog would continue to behave. He readjusted the dog in his arms, trying to figure out how to work the door knob to enter the building while carrying an arm load of dog. He settled for lightly kicking the door a few times. Sure enough, someone came rushing to the door and opened it.

"What do we have here?" The vet assistant asked as she lifted part of the coat to see the dog's head.

"He was hit by a car--"

"Oh dear, follow me!" The assistant cut him off and walked briskly down a hall.

Starsky followed her and soon found himself in a little room that reminded him of a doctor's office. Huh. Somehow he thought it should look different.

"The vet will be in shortly. What's his name and how old is your dog?" The assistant scribbled notes on a clipboard.

"He's not mine, I saw him get hit--"

"Oh, you know that you are going to be responsible for the vet bill, right? I mean, if his owner shows up, he or she is under no obligation to reimburse you and you'll have to give them their dog back"

"Oh, huh, I hadn't thought of that" He looked at the dog. It was looking at him again, like it was worried about what his response would be. "Ummm okay, sure. Just tell me where to put him, he's kinda heavy"

"Here, on the exam table" She patted the metal table. "The vet will be here in a minute" She left.

After a few tense moments of waiting for the vet, a familiar figure walked in the room.

"Doctor Goldberg, I presume?" Starsky was getting that "Twilight Zone" feeling.

"Did you read that off of the sign on the front door or have you met one or both of my brothers?"

"Both" Starsky readied himself to grab the dog and leave. He wasn't going to tolerate any abuse from this Goldberg.

"So sorry, you have my condolences, you probably guessed that we are triplets"

"Identical triplets" Starsky shook his head. The past few days were strange already and now they had just gotten stranger.

The tall doctor laughed "Yeah, I'm the 'black sheep' because I went into veterinarian medicine instead of human medicine; I'm Stanley Goldberg, by the way"

"Your parents really like the letter 'S' huh?" Starsky decided that he liked this Goldberg better than the other two.

"Yeah, everyone in my immediate family has the first initial of 'S', okay, enough chit chat, lets have a look at your dog" The vet proceeded to look into the dog's eyes and ears, teeth and felt all over its body. "This guy has had a rough life, especially recently"

"I wouldn't know, it's not my dog. I just saw it hit by a car and brought it in." For some reason, Starsky felt disinclined to give the vet all the details. Maybe it was because of who the vet was.

"Well, that was nice of you to be sure; however, you don't know what this dog's background is. He has been in dog fights before and again recently. He has several bite marks on him. There are gouges singe and burn marks on his neck and some of the fur is melted, looks rather like electric burns, though I can't be sure of that. His paws are bloody. He has done a lot of traveling recently. If you were his owner, I would suspect you were abusing this dog. There is clear evidence of a history of abuse." The vet looked at Starsky over the top of his glasses. "What are you going to do with him?"

"Do with him?" Starsky looked at the dog. It was looked back at him. Unnerved by the pleading look the dog gave him, Starsky scanned the room as he mulled over what the vet had said. He felt sorry for dog. It hadn't asked to be owned by a piece of crap drug dealer. If he hadn't promised Rosie, he would just have the poor thing put out of its misery. He certainly wasn't going to send it back to his drug dealer owner. Well, he couldn't send it back anyway, the guy was in jail.

"Yes, do with him. You should take him to the pound or have me euthanize it, for I couldn't send it back to someone who abuses it. The pound wouldn't put this one up for adoption, too risky with its history of abuse; it could attack the new owner. Though" The vet looked speculatively at the dog "he seems well mannered now, of course that could be because he is a little shocky and is slightly malnourished"

"Not to mention dog-tired" Hutch kept his eyes on Starsky. His life was in Starsky's hands now. He kept as still as possible as the vet started cleaning his wounds. The antiseptic stung, but he managed to keep from yelping each time another wound was cleaned. "Please Starsky, please, I maybe different on the outside, but I'm still the same on the inside. C'mon partner it's me and I could really use your help now"

"Here, hold his head; I'm going to have a closer look at these bites on his hind legs"

Starsky took a tentative hold on the dog's head and as he did so, the dog tried to swipe his face with its tongue. "Ewww, you have got some nasty breath there partner" He started to stroke the velvety ears "Uhhh, nice doggy, just hold still" He felt the dog stiffen as the vet cleaned the bite wounds.

The vet cleaned the wounds and finished palpating for other injuries. "Well, no broken bones, as far as I can tell without x-rays. He has some scrapes, bruises, he's gonna be sore for a few days. Have you decided what you're going to do with him? I don't want to do much more if you're just going to have it euthanized" The vet looked at the brunet.

Starsky looked at the dog and found that the dog was looking right back at him. The tan eyebrow marks were crinkled in such a way that it reminded him of the way Hutch looked at him sometimes. He shook his head to shake the feeling of familiarity it's just a figment of my imagination. I'm feeling this way just because of what Rosie said and because I feel sorry for it and I'm tired. Yep, that's all it is

"I don't mean to push, but please make your mind. I have other patients waiting."

Starsky looked at the dog again, than back at the vet "What do you think I should do?"

"I can't make that decision for you" The vet leaned against the counter as he waited.

"That's not really helping me much" He ran a hand through his curls.

The vet shrugged.

The dog shifted forward and nudged his hand, than licked it.

"You're not helping either" Starsky ran his hand over the dog's head. He could feel the bumps and ridges from old scars and looked at the ragged ears. It came down to if the dog had meant to harm Rosie or not. Had it been chasing Rosie? Or had the dog seen the car and had come to rescue her? It seemed ridiculous. Stuff like that only happened on the 'Lassie' show or maybe 'Rin Tin Tin'

"Do you think that this dog could turn on someone?" Starsky caught the vet's gaze and felt the dog gently shake its head back and forth in his hands, almost as if it was saying 'no'. He jerked his hands away from it and met the dog's soft brown eyes. He really didn't have much experience with dogs; but this one seemed to be pleading with him.

"Well, my 'off the record' opinion would be that he likes you. As you held his head while I cleaned his wounds, I felt his heart rate slow down. He seems to trust you and is comfortable with you. Also, he hasn't snapped or tried to bite either of us, even though some of what we have done to him must be painful. But again, that could be due to shock. It's hard to tell what he'll be like when he feels better. If you do decide to keep him, I would strongly suggest taking him to obedience classes. A big dog like that needs manners; he could hurt someone without meaning to. And, I would never trust him with children."

"Why?"

"If he was taught to dog fight, as in a ring fight, he would have been taught to kill small animals and other dogs. He might also have been fed gun powder."

"Gun power? Why would anyone feed a dog gun powder?"

"The theory is that it makes the dog meaner. What it really does is irritate the stomach lining and make them sick, this in turn will make some dogs more vicious because of the pain they're in"

"Good God! That's just sick" He ran his hand over the dog's head again. "Poor fella" the dog leaned into his caress.

"Could you make your decision now, please? Others are waiting" The vet moved towards the door.

"How bad is he hurt?" He eyed the dog, weighing his options.

"From what I could feel, nothing is broken. He'll be sore from being hit and some of his wounds were infected. He's probably never had a shot in his life. He'll need a tetanus shot and rabies for starters and later a parvovirus shot and he'll need to be de-wormed. I, in all seriousness, can not recommend that you keep him, given your lack of experience with dogs."

"You don't think I can do this" Starsky's brow knitted, he didn't like it when people told him he couldn't do things, it made him want to do it, just to prove them wrong.

"Correction, I don't think you should do this"

Starsky looked back at the dog. It was staring at him with wide brown eyes. It looked frightened. It saved Rosie and he had promised her he would help the dog. He hated to break his promise. Maybe he would look after it for a couple of days. He could talk to some of the K-9 officers and get their opinion. "I'll take him home for tonight and sleep on it"

"I don't agree, but it is your decision. Be very careful, you don't know what may trigger an attack. Move slowly around him and don't raise your voice or your hands. He may have been hit."

Starsky stared at the vet, absorbing what had been said. He had made a promise, he would keep it, but only if the dog behaved itself. He carefully lifted the dog off of the metal exam table and set it on the floor. It leaned against his leg and nosed his hand. He pulled his hand away from the moist nose; he had seen where dogs liked to put their noses.

"Alright, I'll send the vet intern back here to give those shots. I'll have some antibiotics and pain meds waiting at the front desk." The vet opened the door and started to walk through, then stopped "If you do keep him, you should get him neutered"

The dog yelped and ran behind Starsky's legs, where it stood there shaking, its butt tucked and its tail clenched down as tight as it could go.

"Starsk, please man, I am begging you, don't to do that!" Hutch thought as hard as he could all the while hoping that somehow, Starsky would pick up on it. "Please!" he leaned harder against his friend, fear making his legs weak.

The detective and the vet stared at the dog for a long moment "I think he understood you" Starsky chuckled.

The vet looked at him and the dog, then shook his head "That's the damnedest thing... he must have hurt something when he moved just now" The vet shook his head once more "I'll send in the intern back and I'll leave some instructions at the front desk for you, good luck," He than exited the room. "You're going to need it" he said under his breath as he closed the door.

Starsky looked and the dog and the dog looked back at him "I wish you would stop doin' that, your givin' me the willies" He paced the room "I better call a couple of the guys and them bring me the Torino and have them take Dobey's car back to him--" Starsky stopped pacing when the intern entered the room. The shots were given with minimum fuss.

After administering the shots, the intern left and Starsky made his call to his co-workers. He also put in a call to Huggy at the hospital. There had been no improvement in Hutch while he was gone. Huggy told him that he would stay with Hutch tonight. Starsky thanked him. He had been at a loss of what to do until Huggy offered to stay.

He grumbled when he saw how much the vet bill was. "You had better be worth this" He sent a dirty look at the dog, which nodded its head vigorously. Starsky stepped back a little, he must have imagined it or he was overtired yeah, that's it. He ran a hand over his curls.

Starsky sat down to wait for his car the dog leaned against him and tried to nose his hand. Starsky ended up folding his arms across his chest to keep the dog from touching them. He liked his fingers where they were, on the end of his hands. When the car finally arrived, Starsky got up and walked out the door with the big dog at his heels. He had had to buy a collar and leash for the dog before exiting the building since he didn't want it running away the second he opened the door. But the dog seemed content to stay by his side.

He opened the driver's side door and the dog painfully eased its way onto the front seat and sat down on the seat and leaned against the rider's side door and looked at him as if to say 'What are you waiting for? Let's go'

Starsky stopped off at a grocery store and bought some canned dog food and some dry food along with a few other things. When he got back into the car he looked at the dog "Having a dog is really expensive" He could have sworn that the dog shrugged in response.

Starsky pulled up to his apartment and was glad it was dark out. Hopefully no one would see him with a dog. He grabbed the bag of dog supplies and grabbed the leash "Uhhh, come doggy" He tugged gently on the leash.

"'Come doggy'? Sheesh Starsk, you really know how to insult a guy" Hutch rolled his eyes, which aggravated his headache. He slowly got to his feet and walked across the car seat to the driver's side and carefully stepped out of the vehicle. Everything hurt and after riding the car, he had stiffened up.

The vet said nothing was broken, but it sure didn't feel that way. The vet had not helped matters by putting fear into Starsky about him. Of course the vet didn't know who or what Hutch really was. Starsky was taking a big chance on him and he wasn't gonna blow it. He had to convince Starsky who he was and he had to do it tonight.

Chapter 7

Starsky led the dog to the steps to his second floor apartment. The dog stopped and looked up the steps. It sighed heavily and began to painfully climb the steps. Starsky was tempted to pick the dog up and carry it, but was worried about what the vet had said. It could turn on him. A big dog like that could do a lot of damage. Hell, that dog already had done a lot of damage. Hutch was in the hospital because of that damn dog.

The dog let out a little yelp as it moved up another step. Its head drooped and it panted a bit. Then it turned its large narrow head back towards him and gave him a sad look as if to apologize for making the sound.

Starsky broke eye contact "Just a few more steps, you can do it..." he trailed off and watched the dog stiffly move up another step "I don't know why I'm encouraging you. You're the one who's been causing all kinds of trouble lately. First my partner, then some folks down in the Kingston district and finally Rosie--" Starsky broke off as the expression on the dog's face changed. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Hutch wanted to know what the dog had done to his body. He wanted to ask Starsky what had happened in that alley. But first, he had to figure out how to communicate with Starsky. He looked back towards the steps and continued to slowly and painfully make his way up the rest of the steps and then limped towards Starsky's door.

Starsky stopped and dug for his keys, upon finding them, he opened his door and the dog limped into the room. When they were both inside, he shut the door. "Stay here, I gotta... why am I talkin' to a dog like it can understand me?" Starsky shook his head at his foolishness. He went to the kitchen and removed his supplies from the bag. He put several items away and left out the ones he thought he might need. A wave of exhaustion swept over him and yawning, he wiped a hand down his face.

Hutch watched as Starsky leaned on his hands the table, shoulders tense, with his head bowed. He looked as exhausted as Hutch felt. He followed the urge to go to the brunet's side and limped over to the table. "Hey buddy, tell me what's wrong... besides everything" He nudged at his friend.

"Stay away from me." Starsky whispered quietly "You've done enough damage in my life right now and if it weren't for my promising Rosie, you would be in dog heaven right now" He moved away from the dog.

For the life of him, Starsky couldn't figure out why he had made such a foolish promise to Rosie. The dog was dangerous. Why was he even taking such a chance on this dog? It had attacked him. Okay, its owner had sicced it on him. It had been doing what it had been told to. Hutch had been injured, but to be perfectly honest with himself, the lightning was the cause, though the dog had contributed. If the dog hadn't leapt for him, Hutch wouldn't have been forced to jump to intercept the dog. It was still a dangerous dog. Maybe Rosie couldn't see that, after all she was just a little girl with a vivid imagination, thinking that the dog was Hutch 'under covers' yep, a very vivid imagination.

He was being too soft. Of course he couldn't shoot the dog in front of her, no child needed to see that. First he made a foolish promise that he was honor bound to keep, then he took the dog to the vet, paid a large bill and now it was in his home. He had brought home a drug dealer's dog, what next? The drug dealers them selves? Yep, he was way too soft. Hutch would pick on him about this forever, if he found out about it.

A thought occurred to him and Starsky briefly glanced at the dog "You had better be house broken"

The dog chuffed at him and gave him a disgusted look as if to say 'I'm insulted'

Now he was acting like Rosie. Acting like the dog could understand him. Ridiculous. He stared at the ceiling for several long moments. He should probably lock the dog in the bathroom for the night so he could sleep without worrying about getting his throat torn out while he was sleeping.

What if he had to pee? He could just imagine accidentally stumbling over the dog as he headed to the can for an early morning whiz. It could be tragic and painful. Despite it being rather thin for its size, it was still a very big and powerful dog. I really need my head examined for this. I really do. What was I thinking?

Hutch could smell fear rolling off Starsky. That was the opposite of what he wanted. He was frightened too. He was in a dog's body and he didn't know how he had gotten there and he sure as hell didn't know how or IF, he would be able to get back into his body.

"I'm scared too, Starsk... I-I've never been more frightened and... and... you're scared of me. Please don't be... I can't take it... Both of us scared... me in a big, fierce looking dog and you with your Berretta... coupla big chickens, that's what we are Starsk"

Hutch padded slowly over to Starsky's side "I need you... I need you to t-touch me and tell me it'll be okay" He tried to lean against Starsky's leg, but Starsky moved away and walked around the table, keeping some distance and heavy furniture between them. Hutch understood, but it still hurt. He slowly sank to the floor and lay there. It was a far less threatening pose and he was just too tired and disheartened to go any further for the moment.

Starsky looked at the items on the table; there was medicine for the dog, notes and information from the vet, as well as a muzzle that the vet had loaned him. He stared at the muzzle for a long time. He should put it on the dog. That way he wouldn't have to worry about it biting him. His stomach rumbled and he realized that he hadn't eaten since breakfast.

He looked at the dog. It lay on the floor, head on paws, eyes on him. He didn't really know about dogs. He had never had one, nor had anyone in his immediate family. Was it normal for a dog to look a human in the eyes like this dog kept doing to him? It didn't really matter in the long run, he wasn't keeping the damn thing long enough to find out. His stomach rumbled again. He went to the phone and dialed his favorite pizza place.

While he waited for the pizza to arrive, he read the vet's notes. The notes consisted of wound care; behaviors to watch for and some basic dog care instructions. He picked up the two dog bowls he had bought and washed them. While in the store he had debated on whether to buy them or not but he just could see feeding the dog out of his bowls and then using for himself again. He shuddered at the though. Yuck. It wouldn't matter how many times he might clean the bowl, they would never be clean enough. So he had wasted more money on the bowls. As he dried the bowls, he looked at the dog, which of course was looking at him. Creepy. It was just creepy the way that it kept staring at him.

"Well, what do you want? Dry dog food or canned? I'm not supposed to give you too much at first. You are to get many small meals over the course of several hours. The note from the vet says that you might get diarrhea and an upset stomach from a too rapid change in diet." He opened one can and dumped half of it in the bowl. He opened the dry food and put a handful of that into the bowl and mixed them together. He put the bowl next to the dog. "Here, eat. And quit starin' at me, creepy dog" He muttered as he shoved the bowl towards the dog's face with his foot.

"I'm not eating that" Hutch sat up slowly; he thought dog food smelled bad as a human. It smelled worse with his improved sense of smell. How could dogs eat that stuff? He had to think of a way to communicate with Starsky. He thought about using items from the trash, but there were two problems with that. The first being that his neat-freak friend would have a fit if he rummaged through the trash and the second being that he could smell the fresh plastic of the trash bag, meaning that Starsky had dumped his trash for the day. The receptacle was empty.

Hutch looked at the dog food. If Starsky hadn't mashed the dry and wet food together, he could have used the kibbles to spell words out. Wait! He maybe he could use Morse code. Barking was out, too noisy. He tried scratching it out with his paw. All that got him was squirted with water from a water pistol.

"Hey, that vet was right. Works pretty good. Doesn't hurt the dog but it gets the point across" Starsky smiled as he lowered his watery weapon. "Bad dog"

"If I ever get back in my body, I'll 'bad dog' you" Hutch shook the water from his pelt "Here, do some cleaning and leave me alone. I gotta think" Hutch moved away from the smelly dog food and lay down once more.

"Hey! Don't do that! Aw man, you got water all over the cupboard doors... what is that smell?" He moved into the kitchen area and sniffed again "Not the dog food... smells more like -- ~sniff~ -- garbage"

"Who's the dog now, Fido?" Hutch watched as Starsky followed the smell, right to him "Crap, it's me, isn't it?"

"Yuck dog, you smell like garbage, must be because I got you wet. I can't have you stinking up the place" Starsky stood a few feet from the dog. It was gonna need a bath. He looked over at the table. He would have to get the muzzle on the dog to bathe it. Terrific.

Just then his doorbell rang. Pizza! He hadn't realized how hungry he was until now. Starsky paid the kid and moved to his couch and put the box on the coffee table. The dog wandered over and looked expectantly at him.

"No, this is people food, your food is over there" Starsky pointed "the vet said not to spoil you with human food and that when you got hungry enough, you would eat it"

"I would much rather eat at any one of your horrible little restaurants then eat dog food... I can't believe I just said that. Good thing you didn't hear that" Hutch looked longingly at the pizza. It smelled really good, even if it did have anchovies on half of it.

"Hey! Quit drooling on the carpet! Get outta here, eat your own food" Starsky waved his pizza free hand at it "Get!"

"I don't drool" Hutch thought, well not unless a petite little blonde was 'on the menu' as it were. "Hey Starsk, don't you usually have a beer with your pizza... That's it!" Hutch limped into the kitchen and after a few tries, got the refrigerator door open. "Ahhh, beer!" Hutch grabbed a bottle and closed the door.

"Hey dog, whaddya don' in there?" Starsky craned his neck to see what the source of the noise was. He was shocked to see the dog with a bottle of beer in its mouth. "What the..." The dog limped over to the coffee table and turned its head and gently set the bottle on the table.

"I brought you a beer, the least that you could do is let me have a slice of pizza" Hutch thought smugly.

Starsky stared at the dog, than at the beer, than back at the dog "Ummm... Fido, you forgot the bottle opener" The dog rolled its eyes at him and limped back into the kitchen and with a stifled yip of pain, it stood on its hind legs and got the bottle opener off the kitchen counter. It limped back over to the couch and dropped the opener next to the bottle. Starsky just stared, open-mouthed at the dog, totally at a loss for words.

"Call me Fido again and I'm gonna pee on your couch. Now, how 'bout a slice of pizza?" Hutch looked at the pie. It smelled even better than he could ever remember.

"That's amazing! Who would have though that a miserable drug dealer like 'Machete' Mike could train a dog to do all that? Wow! Simply amazing!" Starsky shook his head. "I wonder if there is a way I could sell you to the circus or something... who would I call?" Starsky munched away, staring off across the room, plots and schemes dashing around his head. He might be able to use the dog to get a little side money... and chicks! He could 'wow' the ladies with a pooch that did tricks. He smiled; ladies just loved that sort of stuff.

If Hutch could have slapped himself on the forehead right now, he would have. Better yet, slapping his friend upside the head right now would be even more satisfying. He knew that look on Starsky's face. It was his 'I've got an idea for the ladies' look. Typical Starsky, if he wasn't thinking with his stomach, he was thinking with his--

"Here's some crust" Starsky flipped the bread at the dog. It hit the dog in the head and bounced off and landed on the floor. The dog gave him a very dirty look and exposed its right fang at him. "Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm not even suppose to give ya human food"

"Most of the food you eat isn't made for human consumption" Hutch looked at the crust and then back at the brunet "And I'm NOT picking that up. You threw it, you can pick it up" He shuffled away a few feet and lay down. "I'm not gonna 'fetch' anymore beer either. My fetching days are over" He was out of ideas. If he fetched more items, Starsk would just think that he was a well-trained dog. Not a human trapped in a dog's body that was trying to communicate with him. His head started to pound with pain. For just a few seconds there, he thought he was getting through to his friend. Failure hurt.

Starsky looked at the dog laying just a few feet away. If he didn't know better, he could swear that he had just hurt its feelings. He shook his head at his foolishness. Maybe the dog didn't like crust. Those were some neat tricks though. Smart dog. He drank the beer and munched his way halfway through the pizza. He had bought the large size and he had ordered it with so that one side had his favorites on it and the other side had Hutch's favorites. He swallowed hard. For just a few minutes he had managed to forget his friend was in the hospital. How could he forget that?

He called Huggy at the hospital and found that, as he had expected, there was no change in Hutch's condition. While he was on the phone, the dog wandered over to him. When he hung up, the dog put a paw on his knee. He lifted the paw gently off of his knee "No dog, I don't want to 'shake hands' right now." He got up, got the pizza and empty bottle and put them away. The pizza went into the fridge, bottle in the case, to be returned for a refund.

Tired, but not tired enough to sleep, he wiped the cupboards down and washed the bottle opener. It had dog slobber on it. The animal lay there, watching him putter about. When there was nothing else to clean, he picked up the muzzle and keeping it behind his back, he walked over to the dog. "Hey there... dog, I've got a cookie for you" He waved the milk bone slowly.

"What are you up too Starsk?" Every line on his friend's body told him that Starsky was about to do something that was making him very nervous. It was making Hutch nervous too, but he held still, he didn't want to scare his friend any more then he was already.

In a flash, Starsky slipped the muzzle on and secured it behind the dog's head. He backed away from the dog, unsure what its reaction would be. It did nothing. Nothing but stare at him with its huge brown eyes, eyes that seemed to say 'how could you?'

"Sorry dog, but you reek. I can't have that smell in my apartment, so you're gettin' a bath and I can't take the chance that you'll bite me" The dog slunk off to the bathroom, head down "I'm sorry, okay? I just... am apologizing to a dog. Guess I'm more tired than I thought" He followed the dog to the bathroom "Hey, how did you know where to... go...? You are one creepy dog"

The dog looked back at him for a moment and then it ambled in to the bathroom. When Starsky walked in, the dog was sitting in the tub, with its back turned to him. "Look I... Am not going to apologize to a dog... again Starsky finished the thought silently.

He gave the dog a bath. It didn't move, it didn't growl, it didn't even look at him. Well, it did look at him once when he got too close to the dog's 'equipment' That look clearly said 'touch those and I will rip your throat out' Starsky held his hands out and away from the dog "Got it. You can wash those yourself..." The dog rolled its eyes and looked away once more.

Starsky toweled the dog as dry as he could. He let the dog out of the room and it limped back to the couch and climbed up "Hey, no! Bad dog! Off the couch, you're still a little damp... I don't want the cushions to smell like wet dog" The dog slowly got off the couch and gave him another sad look. Starsky threw his hands up in exasperation.

Hutch was disheartened. It really sucked being a dog. What was even worse was now he was a dog with a muzzle on. He pawed at it. It was on tight. He wondered if Starsky was going to leave it on all night. He hoped not, but he had a feeling that it would be. He sighed heavily. It sounded like a long whine. He didn't care.

He put his head on his paws and closed his eyes. He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he was aware of was a soft sniffle. He raised his head. Starsky was sitting on the couch with his face buried in his hands.

Hutch slowly stood up. His muscles ached even more now. Well, I should count myself lucky that I'm only sore and not dead He gritted his teeth and limped over to Starsky. "What's wrong buddy?" Hutch could feel the sorrow rolling off the brunet in waves. He put his paw on his friend's knee "Care to tell me what wrong?"

Starsky felt the paw on his leg and lifted his head slightly. The dog had such an expression of sadness in its eyes. He patted the dark head. Then he ran his fingers over the dog's ears. It felt nice. He put his hands on either side of its face and looked into the dark eyes. The dog seemed to share his sadness. Impossible... Still, he knew guys in the K-9 division that would swear their dogs knew when they were upset. He had seen one of the K-9 officer's break down in tears when his K-9 partner was killed.

He was beginning to see why people would talk to dogs. This dog seemed to be listening to everything he said. Like it cared about what he said or how he felt. Normally, he only felt that way around Hutch. But after the lightning strike, Hutch was different, changed some how. He felt a tear slide down his face. He shouldn't cry, men don't cry. Bullshit. He felt like crying, there was no one to see him do it. No one but a dog and the dog would never tell.

Hutch saw the tear and he could smell it. He pushed his head further into Starsky's hands. He wanted to cry too. He didn't know if he would be stuck like this forever. The brunet rubbed his head then traced his long ears with his fingers, only to return them to his head. It felt good. Hutch leaned in for more.

Starsky skimmed his fingers around the bone structure of the dog's large head. The fur was soft and smelled good. There was a faint 'doggy' smell still, but what the hell, it was a dog, and it should have such an odor. His fingers smoothed over its head again and this time he felt the straps from the muzzle. He didn't give it any thought. He loosened the buckles and removed the muzzle and threw it away. It landed somewhere across the room. The dog nuzzled nearer and licked a tear off his cheek.

That did it. Starsky couldn't hold back anymore and wrapped his arms around the dog and sobbed. He had had to hold himself together over the last two days. He couldn't do it for one more second. The dog crawled half way onto his lap and buried its face in his neck. Starsky completely let go. It was something he rarely did and only in the presence of his best friend.

But Hutch wasn't here. He was in the hospital. Starsky gently pushed the dog's head away from his neck. It looked into his eyes and he looked into its. There wasn't anything about this dog that he should like. He shouldn't trust it. But, somehow he did. And why he did, didn't seem important right now. It seemed as sad as he was. It needed to be hugged, just like he did. It seemed to be hurting, just as he hurt. Perhaps it was missing its master, just as he was missing his best friend. It felt good to hold the big dog in his arms. And so he did.

Rosie awoke to the sound of the phone ringing in her parents' bedroom. She listened to her daddy talk quietly on the phone. She heard her mama whisper to daddy and ask what was wrong. She felt cold when she heard her daddy say "His cover was blown"

Did that mean Uncle Ken no longer had covers? Poor Uncle Ken. He must be cold with out his covers. "C'mon Southpaw" She picked up the teddy bear that Uncle Dave had given her for her birthday. She dressed in her blue jeans and put on a sweater and grabbed her hooded sweat jacket, she wondered why it was called a 'sweat jacket', she had never seen it sweat. She shook her head and then grabbed Southpaw and tip-toed down the steps and out into the garage. She then climbed in the back seat of daddy's car.

"Shhh! Be very quiet, Southpaw... we don't want Daddy to know we're here. We gots to go see Uncle Ken, he losted his covers, they gots blowed away from him. He must be so cold" Rosie silenced herself when she heard her daddy walk into the garage. She put a finger to her lips to warn Southpaw to be quiet.

She felt the car dip as her daddy got inside. She knew she could get into trouble for this, but she was so worried about Uncle Ken. He had kepted her from getting runned over by a car and he had gotten more hurted saving her. And now poor Uncle Ken losted his covers, she just couldn't wait until morning. She had to see him tonight.

Chapter 8

Captain Dobey backed the car out of the garage and maneuvered his way backwards past the paving equipment that was next to the driveway. The officers who had returned his vehicle to him had driven his car right over his newly repaved driveway. Dammit! He'd have to have it re-repaved. He ought to make them pay for it. He returned his thought from his own problems to that of Officer Bentley.

George Bentley was a man with a wife and three kids to support. But now what he had was newly widowed wife and fatherless children. Dobey had tried to talk him out of volunteering for the job. Bentley had complained that he was "too young to be a desk jockey" and that it was supposed to have been a fairly simple, minimal risk venture. Famous last words.

Dobey muttered some foul words under his breath. He still should never have allowed it. Nights like this were the down side of his job. He loved the other aspects of his job. Though he whined about it, he even liked the politics, for the most part. He would never admit that to his men though, especially Starsky and Hutch, they would never understand. He smiled to himself for a moment, before the smile slipped away into the darkness.

But sometimes like tonight, when the awful burden that was wholly his to bear, made it difficult to continue. The grim responsibility of informing the wife of her new status, that of police officer's widow, was his. Nights like tonight, well, they made him want to pack it all in and retire immediately. He knew he wouldn't, not yet. However, the time was fast approaching when he would retire. But for now, he would go to the scene where his detective had fallen, gather what he could of the facts surrounding Bentley's death then drive to the new widow's home and inform her.

It was fitting that raindrops started to splash his windscreen. He turned on the wipers and continued his lonely drive the scene of the crime.

Rosie listened as Daddy muttered some words that Mama would have soaped his mouth for. She shoved her fist in her mouth to keep from laughing; the picture in her mind was funny. Mama chasing Daddy with a bar of soap and yelling, "You come back here!" Then she heard Daddy sniffle. He was sad. She almost got up and climbed over the seat to comfort him. Daddy needed hugs. She stopped herself. Uncle Ken needed her more right now, for he had losted his covers.

She wondered why Daddy and Uncle Dave didn't seem to know Uncle Ken while he was under covers. 'Course, Uncle Ken was really good at going under covers, from what Daddy said. When she had first spotted him under Mama's rose bush, she thought he was just a big scary dog. It was only when she got closer to the big dog that she had recognized him.

It was taking a long time to get to wherever Daddy was going. But they finally got there. She felt Daddy stop the car and get out. She waited a bit then peeked over the seat. There were police cars all over and there was a bambulance. She got out of the car and looked around. There was lotsa people around.

She grabbed Southpaw and hugged him; it was so scary; there was so many, loud people around. Where was Daddy? She shut the car door and began to look for him. It was sprinkling, so she pulled her hood up over her hair and began her search. Daddy would be going to Uncle Ken, so all she had to do was follow him. No one seemed to notice her as she made her way through the crowd.

She finally saw her Daddy. He was kneeling next to someone on the ground. Uncle Ken? If it was him, he now had covers. He had covers again. She was glad. She watched as Daddy lifted the covers to check on him. The covers that had been on Uncle Ken's head had red on it. Poor Uncle Ken, he musta gots hurted some more. She moved closer and was able to see Uncle Ken. Only, he didn't seem to have a head. It looked like raw hamburger with noodles and tomato sauce. Daddy dropped the covers back over his head. Her tummy began to hurt and her eyes filled up and made everything all blurry.

"Hey! Get outta here kid! You can't be in here!"

She startled at the yell and looked at the man doing the yelling. It was a police officer. She felt very scared and she backed away, slowly.

"Get outta here, NOW!" The officer started moving towards her.

She got scared, more scareder then she had ever been in her whole life and she was frightened for poor Uncle Ken, he had looked so... wrong.

The uniformed officer hollered again "Go home kid!" He ran towards her.

Rosie turned and bolted away. She would go to Daddy's car and wait for him there. Her eyes filled with tears and she couldn't see real good. She kept running. Behind her, she heard the officer yell at her again, she ducked her head and ran faster. She needed to get to Daddy's car.

"What's going on?" Dobey said as he stood up, he was glad of the interruption for the momentary reprieve it gave him after looking at the shattered features of his detective.

"Oh, just some kid was inside the barrier, I chased him out"

"I hope that child didn't see much" Dobey said distractedly as he surveyed the crime scene. Looking for clues, searching for a way to make sense of the senseless.

"A kid from this part of town has probably seen something like this several times ready" The officer shook his head.

"Yeah, maybe, still doesn't make it right though. Parents really need to keep a close watch on their kids, no child should ever see something like this, I don't care what part of town they're from" Dobey wandered off to talk to the crime scene photographer.

The officer went back to crowd control, giving no further thought to the child.

Rosie stopped running and looked around. She was alone. Really alone. She stood under the streetlamp and started to shake. She looked back in the direction she had come, and then she turned the other direction. Or was that the way she had just come?

"Uh oh Southpaw, I think we're losted" she looked about wildly "We're really losted!" She went to hug the teddy bear and noticed that he was no longer in her grip. She whipped her head around and looked at the ground, the bear wasn't there! "SOUTHPAW! Where are you? Southpaw! Oh no! You're losted too!"

She than did something she hadn't done for a long time. She stuck her thumb in her mouth and began to suck on it as big wet tears rolled down her face. She hugged herself with her free arm and sat down hard onto the sidewalk. Completely alone, with only the cold light of the streetlamp for company as the raindrops continued to fall.

Starsky lay on the couch with the big dog lying half way on top of him. He yawned and looked at his watch. It was 2 a.m. He wiped his hand down his face and watched as the dog lifted its head off of his chest and blinked sleepily at him.

"Hey dog, g'morning" His position was growing a little uncomfortable due to the extra weight on him from the dog. He rubbed the dog's head absentmindedly. The dog made a humming noise as he massaged its ears "Like that huh?" the dog hummed again. Starsky smiled at it "Okay partner, you need to get off of me, I gotta shower and get some sleep"

The dog eased off of him and stepped off the couch with a whimper. It sat down and looked at him.

"What?" He chuckled again as the dog tilted its head from one side to the other. He stopped when he realized what he was doing. "I think I've got the answer, dogs make people crazy, and that's why people talk to their dogs"

"Yeah, but your already crazy, so what's your excuse? Huh, Starsk?"

Starsky walked off to the bathroom and walked in, closing the door after him.

Hutch stared after his friend "Starsk, you are a big softy... and I am very grateful that you are. Don't ever change." He then heard the sound of the shower start and with his improved hearing, heard the glass shower door being slid shut. "Oh my God! I've got it!" he thought as an idea popped into his head, he now knew how he could communicate with his curly haired friend. It was perfect!

It took him a few seconds, but he managed to open the bathroom door, he nosed it shut and looked at the shower door. As expected, moisture covered it. Hutch quietly released the breath he had been holding and limped over to the sliding glass door and carefully began to write on the stream covered door with his nose. The message was simple 'Help me -- Hutch'

After a few minutes of showering, Starsky turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. Through the steam he saw the huge dog, he let out a startled yell and stepped backwards and his back hit the shower door, then his foot slipped on a wet spot on the floor and he slid down the door until he landed on his butt on the floor.

Hutch watched in amusement at his friend's startled response to his presence in the room. The amusement quickly ended as his message was wiped off of the glass door as Starsky fell to the floor. "NOOO!" He sat down hard and placed his paw over his nose.

"Shit! Dammit dog! How the hell did you get in here?" Starsky got to his feet and quickly wrapped a towel around himself. Then he wondered at his actions. It was just a dog, why was he embarrassed about being nude in front of it?

"I walked, that's how I got in here" Hutch removed his paw from his nose and looked at his friend. He was running out of options for communicating. He looked past Starsky to the shower door. His friend and done a through job of wiping the message away and there was no steam left on the door that he could use... Wait a minute... the mirror! That would have steam on it! He moved closer to Starsky and stood on his hind legs and put his front paws on the counter. His injuries burned with pain, but he gritted through it and stretched forward to touch the glass with his nose "I can almost reach it... just a little more--"

"Uh-uh partner, paws off the counter!" Starsky put his arm around the dog and gently, but firmly pulled it away from the sink. "You have done enough damage for tonight, I gotta brush my teeth, they feel like they've got fur growing on them" He opened the door and nudged the dog outside of the bathroom.

Dejected, Hutch lay down outside the door. If he knew Starsky, and he did, his friend would be wiping the shower door and mirror. He wouldn't be able to use them to write on again. He would have to try again in the morning. He dozed off.

Starsky wiped everything down and as he did so, he wondered about the dog. What was he gonna do with it tomorrow, correction, later this morning? He couldn't take it to the hospital. They would never let him in there with it. He didn't want to leave it in his apartment; he didn't know when he would be back. Maybe he could talk Dobey into letting him keep it in his backyard... no, the dog might hurt Rosie.

He yawned widely, his jaw made a little popping sound as he did so. He would give it more thought later, right now he had to get some sleep. He opened the door and nearly stepped on the dog, that had sprawled itself in front of the door. Poor thing, it looked as tired as he felt. He shook his head in wonder at himself. In a very short time he had gone from being terrified it would rip his jugular out, to feeling sorry for it. That played into his new theory that dogs made people crazy.

"C'mon partner, get up, ya can't sleep in front of the bathroom door, I might step on ya" He decided to give up on trying NOT to talk to the dog. It was just easier to give in to the urge, at least for tonight anyway.

Hutch lifted his head off his paws and looked up.

"C'mon, out of the doorway, move" The dog gave him a disgruntled look and groaned as it slowly rose to its feet. "Thank you" The dog rolled its eyes and padded after him to his bedroom "Oh, no, uh-uh you are not going to sleep in my room"

The dog nudged past him and carefully climbed up onto the bed.

"No! NO! Off the bed! I will not sleep with a dog in my bed!" Starsky planted his feet and pointed to the floor.

"It wouldn't be the first time, Starsk and knowing you, it probably won't be the last" Hutch grumbled as he lay down on the bed "C'mon ya big chicken, I don't bite... much" He curled up on one side of the bed and put his head down. "Ahhh, now this is comfortable" He closed his eyes and ignored his irate friend. Starsky would get over himself in a minute or two.

Starsky glared at the dog on his bed. Hell! The damn thing was ignoring him. He walked over to the bed and glared harder. The dog started to snore. He was about to give it a push when he remembered something someone said... something about letting sleeping dogs lie. He pulled his hand back and tapped his foot. Finally he threw up his hands and crawled into bed on the other side, all the while grumbling quietly to himself, he turned off the light and he was asleep in seconds.

In the dark, Hutch cracked one eye open, gave a dog smile and then truly drifted off to sleep.

Captain Dobey was walking back to his car when he spotted the stuffed animal. It looked familiar, so he picked it up. It was a teddy bear. He looked at its face and felt a chill run up his spine. He looked at the teddy's right button eye. It was sewn on with red thread. He remembered the day that the eye had fallen off and the only thread he could find was red. He had helped Rosie sew it back on. The teddy was Southpaw. Rosie carried him everywhere. She would pace back and forth in front of the washer and drier until her bear was clean and dry. She would never just leave it lying around.

He whipped his head around, scanning the area, he didn't see her. He ran back to his car and checked the seats. She wasn't there. Then he remembered the uniformed cop chasing a kid out of the area... "Oh dear God, NO! Kramer! KRAMER!"

Officer Kramer ran up to the Captain "What is it sir?"

"That child, the kid you chased off, was it a boy or a girl?"

Kramer gave it some thought, "I guess I couldn't really tell, the kid had a hood over his head"

"What was the child wearing?"

Officer Kramer described the child's clothing and Dobey felt his heart squeeze until he thought it would never beat again. "That was my little girl, Kramer, you chased my child away!" He stomped angrily towards the man.

Kramer wisely backed away "Look Captain, I didn't know... really I didn't... how did she get here in the first place?" His question went unanswered as the Captain ran off to his car.

Dobey climbed in his car and had a call patched through to his wife. He wanted to make sure, very sure, that little Rosie wasn't home, asleep and safe in her bed. Please let her be home, please let her be home... he prayed. But his prayer went unanswered. Rosie wasn't home in bed. She was somewhere in one of the most crime ridden parts of the city and she was all alone.

Chapter 9

Rosie sat huddled on the cold, damp sidewalk, sucking her thumb and rocking. She didn't know what to do. It was dark and sprinkling rain, her tears joined the raindrops that fell on her face. She got the funny feeling that someone was watching her. She looked around and saw a rabbit man. But he didn't seem like a nice Rabbit Man.

She almost expected to see bunny ears poking out the top of his hat, or maybe he had them shoved under his hat. Rosie didn't care. She slowly got to her feet and Rabbit Man moved nearer. She stepped back and stared at him.

"Hi little girl, are you waiting for someone?" Rabbit Man asked as he edged nearer. His movements were twitchy and rabbit like. He glanced around like he was about to steal a cookie from the cookie jar, just before supper.

Rosie stared at him; her tummy started to hurted her more. She remembered what Patch the Pony said "Neigh, neigh, from strangers, stay away!" And she remembered what Mama and Daddy said "If you get lost, look for someone in a uniform to help you" She looked around the dark street, but didn't see anyone, just Rabbit Man.

Rabbit Man moved closer still, twitching the whole time "Are you waiting for someone? Or are you lost?"

Rosie looked at him when he asked if she was lost, her tummy squeezed so hard it hurt. But she knew better than to talk to strangers. After all, Mama, Daddy, Cal, Uncles Ken and Dave and Patch the Pony all said not to do that, and she was already in trouble for sneaking into Daddy's car.

"You're lost. I can tell. My name is Mickey; I can take you to a phone..." Rabbit man put his hand out as if he wanted to take her hand as he drew nearer still.

"You're a stranger, I'm not supposta talk to strangers" She hugged herself as she stepped back and then noticed she was at the edge of the ring of light. One more step and she would be in the darkness. She would feel even loster in the dark... she swallowed hard and wished for Daddy to finded her.

"But I'm not a stranger; you know my name... its Mickey... like Mickey Mouse... I bet you like Mickey Mouse... don't you?" He was almost close enough... just a little closer... he controlled his breathing. She was just too cute. Don't startle her, don't make her scream...

It was dark, rainy and cold. She didn't want Mickey Mouse. She wanted Daddy and Mama. Now. Tears made everything blurry and she batted at them with the back of her hands. Her tummy really didn't like Rabbit Man. She moved to one side, trying to stay in the light.

"I was hoping you could help me, you see, I lost my puppy, so I know how you feel" Mickey stepped closer and carefully checked the area for people. Kids always fell for the 'lost puppy' story... He waited for her to ask about his puppy. When she didn't, he started to tell her about it.

"He's just a little puppy, with long brown hair," He put his hands out "about this big, he's real little. He missed suppertime" Mickey stepped nearer to his goal. This was just too perfect.

Sometimes, in this and other neighborhoods in the city, parents turned their kids out into the streets to fend for themselves. Sometimes those parents were too wrapped up in their own problems to care where their kids were. And sometimes, they just didn't care at all what happened to the kid, as long as the kid was no longer their problem. The throwaway kids were the ones he liked best of all, because no one cared what happened to them or looked for them, or missed them at all.

This little girl was cleaner then most of his prey. He nervously scanned the area once more. The streets were empty. He pulled his bottle from his pocket and took a sip to calm his nerves.

Rabbit Man smelled bad. Smelled of stinky seegars and boos. Least that's what Mama had said to Daddy one time when he came home real late. Rosie didn't know what seegars were, but she knew they were stinky and Mama didn't allow them in her house. Boos was what ghosties said to scare you. Rabbit Man also smelled like pee. She sidestepped again.

She looked around again for other people. She didn't believe he had losted his puppy either. So, he was a big liar too. Her trembling increased when she couldn't see anyone else. She popped her thumb back into her mouth and kept looking for another grown-up, but all she could see were dark, empty streets.

Mickey capped his bottle and put it back into his pocket. He wiped his mouth and took one last look around the area. This was the only streetlamp for several hundred yards, not another soul in sight. Now was as good a time as any. He grabbed her and bundled her in his overcoat, clamping his hand over her mouth. She didn't even have time to scream as he carried her off to a condemned building he had already picked out for an event such as this.

Starsky's sleep was interrupted by the ringing of his phone "H'llo? Whozit?" his brain wasn't awake enough to comprehend what was being said to him at first. "Could ya repeat that?" He sat bolt upright when the caller repeated herself.

Hutch lifted his head off the pillow he had been sharing with Starsky. His improved dog hearing allowed him to clearly hear what was being said without getting any closer to the receiver. He rolled to his chest and stared intently as the brunet.

"Okay Edith, I be right there... okay... try not to worry... she'll be fine... I'm leaving now, bye" Starsky slammed the receiver down and leapt out of bed, adrenaline surging through his veins as he grabbed his jeans and hopped around the room with one leg in his jeans and the other leg out as he grabbed socks and a shirt, attempting to dress everything at once.

Hutch watched solemnly as his friend did manage to put everything on, though the buttons on his shirt didn't match up correctly. He went to the front door to wait as Starsky squished his feet into his Adidas without untying them.

Starsky grabbed his car keys, jacket, gun and holster then and reached for the doorknob "Move it dog! I've got an emergency here and I don't have time for this!" He nudged the dog with his foot "MOVE!"

"I'm goin' with you Starsk... I can help you find her... Hell; I've now got the nose for it!" Hutch stood his ground and pleaded with his eyes.

Starsky shoved the dog firmly "I said MOVE IT!" his impatience with the dog was growing with every tick of the clock. Little Rosie was lost in the Kingston district.

Hutch stood on his hind legs and put his paws on his friend's shoulders, this put him right at Starsky's eyelevel "And I said I'm goin' with YOU!" He could smell Starsky's fear and anger. He continued to look into the brunet's midnight blues "C'mon Starsky! You have some notion of who I really am, I can feel it! Put the pieces together, NOW!" He knew that the word 'now' had come out as a soft bark.

Starsky looked into the dog's brown eyes and wondered why he was wasting time staring at a damned drug dealer's dog "Get offa me! Ya mangy mutt!" he gently pushed the dog off and again reached for the knob.

Hutch wedged himself between Starsky and the door and did the only thing that he could think of to stop his friend from leaving without him. He lifted his hind leg, as if he was about to pee on the door. He glared up at Starsky, daring him to leave without him.

"ACK! NO! BAD DOG! Don't do that in here!" Starsky popped open the door and Hutch trotted out the door. "You had better be quick about it, I ain't got all night"

Hutch smirked to himself as his made his way down the steps to the Torino and sat down to wait for Starsky to reach him. When the brunet rounded the end of the Torino, Hutch put his paw on the driver's door.

"Hey, you're gonna scratch the paint! Take your leak, dammit! I'm kinda in a hurry here" The dog just looked at him and raised one tan eyebrow at him. Looking at the dog, Starsky suddenly felt... strange. That eyebrow thing was familiar... nah!

"Creepy dog" he muttered as he unlocked the car and he was not surprised when the dog hopped in and sat on the passenger's side. Once it settled in, it put its right front leg on the armrest and leaned back in the seat and blinked at him as if to say 'what are you waiting for?'

Starsky shook his head to clear the weird thoughts that were trying to pop in there. "You are one creepy dog" he promptly dismissed the thoughts to concentrate on a far more important one; Rosie was missing. He put the car in drive and stomped on the accelerator, the tires squawked on the pavement. Once he was a block away from his apartment, he hit the siren and slapped the mars light on the roof.

Hutch cringed as the overwhelming loudness of the siren blasted his sensitive eardrums. It took all he had not to howl in pain that the sound was causing him. He wanted to bury his ears in his hands, but his dog joints just didn't bend that way. He settled for gritting his teeth and tried to concentrate on how he could convince Starsky to let him help look for Rosie.

Dobey was in near panic. He turned the scene of his detective's homicide over to Captain Ernie Shaw of the eighth precinct. He was heading up the far more pressing case of finding his missing daughter. What was she doing here in the first place? She had never attempted to hide in his car to go with him before, so why now?

Sure, she had wanted to go with him before, but she would ask and one time she had raced out to the car and climbed in to wait for him. Both he and Edith had been firm when explaining to her about why they could not permit it. She hadn't asked to go with him in months. He unconsciously hugged Southpaw tighter.

He and several officers had asked people in the crowd if they had seen her, or knew which direction she had gone. No one recalled her. Or, more frightening to Dobey, would admit to seeing her.

He couldn't remember ever being so afraid in his life. His little baby girl, lost in one of the most crime-ridden parts of town. The lump in his throat would not go away. His mind was an unending train of torment as various scenarios clacked over the railroad tracks of anxiety that were building in his brain.

He had debated with himself for a few moments on whether to bring Edith here or not. But he knew she would drive here herself, regardless of what he wanted. Knowing that, he had sent a squad to pick her and Cal up and bring them here. That way, she wouldn't be trying to drive here and possibly get into an accident on the way. He also knew that he desperately needed her and Cal to be with him.

He wanted to call on Starsky, but decided that he needed his rest and with Hutch still in the hospital... Someone shouting his name interrupted his thoughts.

"Cap'n Dobey!" Officer Kramer trotted up and informed him that additional police officers had arrived, as well as the media.

Dobey sent a prayer up as he hustled off to coordinate the search "Please God, protect my little girl"

When Rabbit Man grabbed her, Rosie had been too scared to move. The man's heavy breathing made her tummy ache like it had never ached before. She was all wrapped up in his smelly old coat and he held her so tight she could hardly breathe.

Rabbit Man was making her even loster then she had been before. She didn't know what he wanted. But she knew he wasn't gonna help her get back to Daddy or have her help him finded his losted puppy. She started to say her prayers, 'cause that's what Mama said she should do if she got scareded by the boogey man that her brother Cal had told her liveded under her bed.

She had to think the prayer 'cause Rabbit Man still had his hand over her mouth. If she struggled too much, he would put his hand over her nose too and make it so she couldn't get air. Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep and if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take That prayer was supposta make her feel better, but she didn't wanna die before she waked.

She then heard a police siren over the sound of Rabbit Man's breathing. She tightened her body as the siren came closer. She felt Rabbit Man freeze in his tracks and could feel his twitchy movements get even twitchier.

Mickey froze for a moment as he heard the siren. He almost wet himself when he recognized the car in the distance. The red and white Torino couldn't have been anymore frightening to him than if Death himself came walking up to him with scythe in hand. He backed into an alley and waited to see where it was going. He exhaled in relief as the Torino kept going down the road.

He gave a little laugh and shook his head at his own foolishness. There was no way that Starsky and Hutch knew he was back in town, let alone that he was kidnapping a throwaway kid. It wasn't really kidnapping though. It was just trash left on the streets, he was just gonna use it a little and throw it back. No one would know or even care.

He laughed again at himself and continued on his way. He had some plans for it. He felt the warm rush of power surge through him. He inhaled it. Power wasn't something that he felt very often. His mother ruled his home with an iron fist and a broken broom handle. He drank to get away from the failure that was his life.

But when he picked up trash, he held all the cards and all the power. He craved that power almost as much as he craved booze. Power and control. Control and power. He sped up. The building he had in mind was just one more block down the street.

Starsky's mind was in turmoil as he approached the scene. Edith had been difficult to understand, she had been crying so hard. But from what he gathered, Rosie had stowed away in Dobey's car and ended up at the scene of Detective Bentley's homicide. Why she had stowed away was a mystery to him, until he had looked over at the dog.

Rosie stowing away had something to do with that damned strange dog, 'Uncle Ken' she called him. He gave it a glancing glare and returned his focus on the road ahead. Why did she think that dog was Hutch? He glanced at it again. It was reclining in the rider's seat, leaning its back against the seat and looking back at him. It was too dark in the car to tell, but Starsky had the feeling that it had yet again raised one tan eyebrow.

"WOOF!"

The bark started Starsky and he stomped on his brakes just in time to keep from going through a red light. A semi truck drove through the intersection. He looked back at the dog "Uhhh, thanks..." The expression on the dog's face made its message clear 'Keep your eyes on the road, dummy!'

"You are one weird dog" Starsky proceeded cautiously through the now clear intersection.

"Speak for yourself and keep your eyes on the road. I have no desire to be literally -- caught dead -- in this striped tomato you call a car"

"Leave my car outta this" Starsky muttered as he once again accelerated down the street, the scene was just one more block up and to the left. He could already see other squads and the light show that they were making from here.

"Starsk! You heard me! Hey buddy, look to the right if you hear me again..." Hutch waited but his friend never looked at him. For just a second there he seemed to get through to the brunet. Maybe, just maybe, it would happen again. If he could have crossed his fingers, he would have.

Starsky pulled the Torino over and got out and the dog darted out the door before he could close it "Hey! Get back in there!" He opened door wide and pointed inside.

"No! I can help. I'm gonna help, whether you want me to or not" Hutch shook his head for emphasis. He began to look around for Dobey.

"Hey dog, you'd better stick close... why do I even care?" Starsky scratched his head and closed the car door, then proceeded to look for Dobey.

Hutch heard Dobey long before he saw him; this was due to his reduced height. He pressed his body as close to Starsky's leg as he could. He was back in the Kingston district where people thought he had attacked them.

Starsky pushed his way to his captain's side and listened as Dobey barked instructions and orders. Dobey looked terrified. Starsky couldn't fault him for that. He waited impatiently for a break in the conversation so he could talk to Dobey. The big man had acknowledged him with his eyes, but kept talking.

Hutch, unnoticed by everyone slipped up next to his captain. He recognized the teddy that Dobey was holding, well, more like crushing, to his chest. It was Southpaw. Hutch sniffed the teddy. He could clearly detect Rosie's little girl scent; that of baby shampoo, crayons, glue and finger-paint. He remembered that scent from under the rose bush in Dobey's backyard. He could find it and follow it. Now, if only he could get Starsky to follow him... how could he do that though?

Starsky bounced impatiently; he needed to do something, anything and he needed to do it now! All this waiting around when little Rosie was out there, somewhere in the crime filled streets...

A movement caught his eye and he watched the dog sniff Southpaw. The dog looked him in the eye and looked back at the teddy. Then again back at him. The dog lifted its paw and touched the teddy, then touched its nose with its paw. The dog did it a few more times, all the while staring him directly in the eyes. It was like it was telling him that it had Rosie's scent and could follow it.

Hutch watched as Starsky stared at him "C'mon! Put it together! Hurry!" He closed his eyes and sighed with relief when he finally saw Starsky nod once "FINALLY!" He threaded his way out of the crowd, the brunet on his heels. Once they were away from the crowd, Hutch stopped.

Starsky knew he should be getting his head examined by the police shrink and the sooner, the better. For he was following a drug dealer's dog that had told him, through a sort of 'Lassie' sign language, that it could follow Rosie's scent. He knelt next to the dog "This had better be good" he looked about to see if anyone was watching him.

"I can do this, Starsk, I've got her scent... okay, I've never done this before, but I have to try" He put his paw on Starsky's knee "Thanks for believing me enough to give me the chance, I won't let you or Rosie down" He gave his friend's hand a quick swipe with his tongue. He would never do that as a human, it would never have occurred to him to ever do so. But as a dog, it seemed like a natural thing to do. "Follow me"

Starsky stood up and watched as the dog trotted over to Dobey's car, its nose to the ground, sniffing. It circled the car once, moved towards the crime scene, where all that was left of where the detective had fallen was a chalk outline on the ground and a slowing drying patch of blood. He would morn Bentley later. Rosie needed him now.

Hutch could easily smell the coppery scent of the dead detective's blood. He dropped his head in respect, sighed and continued on with his search. It was more difficult then he expected. The scent didn't stay in a straight line; it drifted away from where Rosie had walked. Other scents mingled and distorted her scent, but he kept at it. He HAD to find her. No other option was acceptable to him.

Starsky waited and watched the dog work. It would stop and look back at him as if to beg him not to give up on it. It was trying. It circled the scene a couple times and then started to move out of the area, it looked back at him as if to say 'Follow me!'

Hutch found the scent and he could smell when it changed a little. Fear mingled with Rosie's scent now. Something had frightened her, her scent changed and moved away from the crime scene. He suspected that she had seen the detective's body. Poor Rosie. He looked back to make sure Starsky was following him, he was.

He followed the scent; wind had pushed it up against walls, along trash and other debris. He now knew why dogs moved back and forth while tracking, because the scent had moved. He looked back occasionally to make sure Starsky was still following him. He was.

Then Hutch found a spot that had a lot of scent. He lifted his head and looked about, almost expecting to spot her; there was so much scent here. He was standing under the only lit streetlamp for several hundred yards. He could smell Rosie's tears and fear. He could smell something else... no... someone else. The scent was... familiar to him... disliked by him... He sniffed harder, trying to place the scent. It mingled with Rosie's. The scents combined and overlapped.

Starsky watched the dog work the scent. It moved around in the light of a streetlamp and as it did so, it alternately whined and growled. Rather like it was worried and angry. Kinda like he was feeling right now. What possessed him to do this? He should head back to the command post and be part of the proper search, not be off by himself with a drug dealer's dog. He looked back the way he had come.

Hutch untangled the scent as best he could. He came to the conclusion that someone had picked Rosie up and was carrying her, not good! He heart hammered hard in his chest.

"Starsk, this way!" he started off in the direction of the mingled scent, but stopped when he didn't hear his friend behind him "Starsky! This way"

The dog barked and Starsky looked around, the dog was halfway down an alley, looking back at him. He looked back towards the way they had come, then back towards the dog. Be part of a proper search? Or strike out on his own with a drug dealer's dog? Never one to be conventional, he ran after the dog and he could swear he could hear it say 'This way'. No two ways about it, he needed a shrink. He pulled out his gun and flicked the safety off.

Mickey shoved the broken board out of the way and pushed into the darkened building. Once inside he paused to listen for any sound of movement, when he was sure that there wasn't anyone else in the room, he moved to the little room that he had set up. He had found an old mattress and placed it in the windowless little room. When he finished, he would drop the trash into a hole that went clear into the basement. No one would ever know about it.

Rosie felt Rabbit Man carrying her up some steps, the place smelled like Cal's sweat socks after he got done with basketball practice. She had to get away from Rabbit Man. She would wait until he put her down and then she would run.

Mickey closed the door behind him and unwrapped it from his coat. He had made it a rule to never to call the trash by anything else but by trash or it. When he picked it up, it belonged to him. That was the power he had, he could take away its identity and make it stop breathing.

Watching the trash slowly stop living and knowing that he was the reason, made him feel good. That was why he poisoned dogs and cats whenever he could. It was all about power and control. He did that in between picking up trash.

In the outside world, most people were taller then he was, stronger. But in this cloistered space, he was supreme ruler. He was the one who controlled everything. The trash would be doing all the flinching and the cowering that he normally did on the outside.

He had some car batteries hooked up to a light bulb, he made the connection and the little room was lit in a soft glow. He unwrapped his trash and set it on its feet. It was time.

The smelly coat was taken off and Rosie looked around. The room was dimly lit and Rabbit Man leaned against the door. She looked around for another way out; she didn't see one. She looked back at Rabbit Man "I want my Daddy"

Mickey smiled. The trash always made demands... at first. Pretty soon it would be begging him for favors. His smile widened.

Rosie stared at Rabbit Man and he stared back at her.

Hutch sniffed the ground; the sprinkling rain fell on his back, unnoticed. The trail was fresher now; at one point his quarry had become very afraid. Hutch looked up and down the alley, he than stood in the spot where the scent was strongest and he could see the road Starsky had driven down to get to Dobey. Had the bad guy seen the Torino? It was possible, with the mars light and siren wailing, it would get anyone's attention. He went back to the trail.

Starsky watched the dog move around in a seemingly aimless pattern and once more wondered just what the hell he was doing here. He determined that he would follow it down just one more alley, than he was heading back. Who was he fooling anyway? No one, not even himself. What the hell was he thinking any way? Following a damned dog.

The damn thing was probably just leading him to its owner's stash of drugs. He snorted. That would be ironic. He could just imagine trying to explain how that happened and he could imagine just how people would react to it.

Well ya see it's like this, it all started when I was looking for my captain's lost daughter. I had 'Machete' Mike's dog -- he's a drug dealer -- Anyway, I was using his dog to track down Rosie. Huh? How I did I know to use the dog? Well, it used 'Lassie' sign language and told me it could follow her scent, so I follow the dog and instead of leading me to Rosie, it led me to 'Machete' Mike's private stash... Hey, what's that net for? No, really it's the truth, honest, ya gotta believe me...

They would lock him up quicker then quick. He rolled his eyes at himself. This was a waste of time. He holstered his gun, turned around headed back to the command post.

Hutch followed the scent to a door that was nailed shut, he pushed it with his nose and it moved easily. The scent was even stronger inside the building. He pushed through the door and followed the scent some stairs. He scanned the area, his improved night vision allowed him to see the entire area. He turned his ears and listened.

Rosie watched Rabbit Man. She didn't move. She wanted him to move so she could get to the door and get out. He finally started towards her in a crouch. She waited until he was really close then slammed her head into his pee pee as hard as she could. He let out a yelp and made a grab for her. She knew hitting a pee pee hurt. She had accidentally hit Cal there onced.

She ran to the door and tried to open it. It didn't wanna open and then she remembered that sometimes doors had locks. She could hear Rabbit Man approaching, she managed to get the door unlocked, and she opened it and ran out. It was dark, but she made herself run into it, the dark would hided her from Rabbit Man.

Hutch heard a man gasp and the sound of feet running on a wooden floor above him. He dashed up the steps, adrenalin giving him strength and made any pain that he had been feeling, disappear "Starsky, this way, c'mon!" He leapt up the stairs.

Rosie darted down the hall. She didn't know where she was going; she just knew that she had to keep running.

"You little BITCH!" Mickey had finally gotten his breath back after the trash smashed his balls. It was gonna pay for that. He ran out into the hall, he heard her running and bolted after her.

Hutch gained the top of the landing and could see the man "MICKEY!" he slammed into the little weasel, knocking him to the floor "Your ass is MINE now!" he snarled into the weasel's twitchy face. "Starsky, get up here! I found 'em! You are so gonna get it now Mickey! When Starsk tells someone to move to another city, he means it... Starsky! Where the hell are you?" Hutch snarled again in Mickey's face "Where's Rosie? Where is she, fink? You twisted little pervert..."

Rosie kept running until she hit a wall in the dark, she let out a scream, thinking that Rabbit Man had caught her. She backed way from the wall and the floor cracked beneath her. She screamed louder this time as the floor crumbled and fell away.

Hutch bounced off of Mickey and darted down the hall in the direction of the scream. Maybe Mickey had an accomplice, and where the hell was Starsky? "Rosie! I'm coming honey, just hold on!"

Starsky was on his way back to the command post when he heard the big dog bark. He almost kept walking, but couldn't make his legs go forward. The dog barked again, louder this time. He looked over his shoulder in the direction of the sound. He dropped his head "I better not regret this" and ran back towards the sound.

Rosie was hanging on for her life. The crumbly wood dug into her belly and her legs dangled and she found that if she kicked them, it made her slip even more "H-help!" she didn't care if Rabbit Man heard her, she would even be happy if he came and pulled her out of the hole in the floor. She slipped a bit "HELP!"

Hutch spotted Rosie down the dark hall and slowed down. He didn't know if the floor would hold him. If a little girl could fall through, so could he. But, being a dog did have its advantages; his weight was spread out over four legs and he wasn't as heavy as he was in human form. "Rosie, hi there sweetie... You're safe... Uncle Ken is here now" he edged forward slowly, feeling for weakness in the floor.

Something was moving towards her in the dark, she couldn't see it. Then she heard a small woof "Uncle Ken! You camed for me!" Rosie started to cry, sobbing with relief.

"Yeah, Rosie I did, hang on honey, I'm comin'" Hutch lay on his belly and scooted forwards carefully. He hoped that Starsky would show up soon and help.

Mickey slowly got to his feet; he didn't want the dog to come back. He hoped it would attack the kid instead, he hoped it would eat it. The little bitch had hurt him. It was a vicious dog and it had snapped and snarled at him, its massive teeth clicking a hairsbreadth from his neck. He had been terrified that it would rip his throat out.

In the dim light from the little room, he could see it was a Doberman, like the one he had tried to poison the other day, maybe it was the same one, though this dog didn't have a collar on it. It was like it had remembered him and wanted revenge. He had wet himself in his terror.

Mickey carefully made his way down the dilapidated staircase and headed out the door. He heard the sound of running footsteps. Someone was running towards him from the alley on his left. He went in the opposite direction, slipped behind a dumpster and hid.

The person had apparently not heard or seen him, but continued his way towards the building that Mickey had just exited. When the man entered the building, Mickey stood up and ran down the alley, trying to put as much distance as he could between himself and the scene of his crime.

Starsky slowed down and eased his way into the building, keeping a low profile. He could hear sobbing coming from upstairs somewhere. It had to be Rosie. He tiptoed to the stairs and ascended them cautiously, gun at the ready.

Hutch continued to edge forward on his belly "Okay honey, grab my neck and I'll pull you out, I'll help you, c'mon..."

Rosie made a grab for Uncle Ken; she was glad that he hadn't been the man under the covers that Daddy was looking at before. She slipped further into the hole and she let out a frightened squeal.

Hutch thrust forwards and grabbed her hooded jacket in his teeth, then tried to scramble backwards to pull her from the hole. He dug in with his toenails trying to gain purchase on the wooden floor. He yanked harder, but she wouldn't budge. Her clothing must have hooked on something. He continued to pull backwards but he didn't have the weight or the leverage to pull her out "Starsky, where are you? I need you buddy"

Rosie wrapped her arms around her rescuer's neck and hung on as tightly as she could. "Don't let me fall! Help me Uncle Ken!" She squeezed his neck so hard she was nearly cutting off his air, tears streamed down her face.

Starsky snuck as quietly as he could up the old stairs, keeping to one side. He could hear Rosie's muffled sobbing. He squinted into the darkness, trying to pierce it with his eyes, he could see that a light was coming from a room down the hall, but there wasn't enough light to illuminate the rest of the hall.

Starsky had to take a chance "Rosie... is that you?" the whisper was barely audible. He moved slowly in the direction of the muffled sounds.

Hutch heard Starsky and sighed in relief "Rosie, Uncle Dave is here, he can help" He gave a little woof. "C'mon Rosie, call out... he can't see us, it's too dark here" He felt the material of her jacket rip a little, fear rose in him "Please honey, call him, your jacket is ripping" Her weight shifted and he was pulled an inch towards the hole. He could feel himself slipping closer to it.

Rosie looked past Uncle Ken's head and saw Uncle Dave in the dim light of the open doorway "UNCLE DAVE! Help! We're gonna fall!"

"Who is 'we' Rosie?" He moved out of the light and edged to the sound of her voice, he wanted to know if anyone was with her. He hadn't seen the dog, hell; he couldn't really see anything once he left the dim light of the doorway.

"Uncle Ken and me, you gotta help, I felled in a hole, he caught me, but..." Rosie let out another squeal of panic as more fabric ripped and she slipped down a bit more.

"I'm comin' just keep talking so I can hear you, it's too dark to see where you are" Starsky moved as quickly as he safely could. He would not do either Rosie, the dog or himself any good if he caused the floor to give way.

"C'mon Starsk" Hutch's thought was cut short as he slipped some more.

"I'm comin', don't get your underwear in a bunch" Starsky muttered as he got down on hands and knees so he could spread out his weight, it would also get him a better feel for how sturdy the floor was.

"I'm not wearing any underwear, Starsk; all's I've got is this fur coat. Would you mind hurrying it up a bit?" He carefully tried to shift his weight backwards. He couldn't do it. Rosie weighed nearly as much has he did right now.

Starsky was close enough to hear Rosie's and the dog's breathing. He put his gun away and lay down flat on his belly and began to crawl towards the sound of panicked pants. He than made contact with a furry leg "Don't be startled and drop her, dog, it's just me," Under his breath he muttered, "it's times like this when I really miss my partner" he kept in contact with the dog, working his way from it's hind end to its head.

Hutch's improved hearing easily picked up the minuscule sound "Yeah? Well, it's times like these when I really miss opposable thumbs"

Starsky finally reached the dog's neck and grabbed Rosie's little arms "Okay Rosie, you have to let go of the dog now so I can lift you out of that hole" He felt her release her tight grip on the dog "Good girl! I gottcha" He pulled her away from the hole and scooted backwards with Rosie in his arms.

Hutch heaved a sigh of relief and scuttled backwards and then stood up.

Starsky released the breath he had been holding and sat up, Rosie wrapped herself around him like a barnacle and buried her face in his neck "It's all right now sweetie, Uncle Dave's gottcha now. You're safe" He patted her legs and arms "Do you hurt anywhere?" He felt her shake her head 'no' against his neck "Okay then, let's get you back to your Daddy... he is so worried about you"

The big dog limped up to him and leaned against his leg. He reached down and rubbed its head "Thank you, I'm sorry I ever doubted you" His thanks was heart felt and the words were a little choked as he whispered them.

"I forgive you, you curly headed moron" Hutch leaned harder against Starsky's leg "Just don't cut it so close next time, okay?"

Starsky got to his feet and headed back the way he came. He paused briefly at the open door to the little room and peered inside. No one was there, but the sight of the old mattress on the floor made him feel distinctly nauseous. He knew then that someone had snatched Rosie and brought her here. He gave the little girl a gentle squeeze

Hutch peered into the little room as well. Mickey had to be caught before he had a chance to try this again on some poor child. He should be caught and soon. Preferably tonight, if at all possible. He wondered with a shudder, just how many other children the little snitch had attacked. He felt the hair on the back of his neck raise up.

"How did you get here Rosie?" Starsky asked as he made his way back down the staircase.

"Rabbit Man bringed me" she quivered in his arms and squeezed his neck harder.

Starsky leaned back a bit and looked into her face "Rabbit Man? Who is Rabbit Man?"

"He's a bad man, he smells like seegars and boos and pee. He grabbeded me and bringed me here" she buried her head in his neck "He scareded me real bad, then Uncle Ken knockeded him down and kepted me from falling down that hole in the floor"

Starsky felt her little body shake and he hugged her "It's time to take you back to your Daddy and as soon as we get you back to him, the dog... I mean 'Uncle Ken' and I will go catch Rabbit Man" As he carried her down the steps he asked her for a description of the 'Rabbit Man'. He was angry with himself for not following the dog, if he had, he might have caught the Rabbit Man in the act. Now they would have to search for him. The perp was likely to be miles away by now. Dammit!

The little group left the building and headed back to the command post. The brunet felt the dog nudge him in the leg; he looked down at it and watched as it sat down then touched its nose with its paw. Starsky smiled at it and nodded. The dog would sniff out the perp for him.

The dog gave him a look that clearly said 'follow me next time'

Starsky chuckled "I will" and the dog raised a tan eyebrow at him, clearly mocking him.

"Damn right you will, dummy. Let's just get Rosie back to Dobey" Hutch was limping again now that the numbing influence of adrenalin was gone. But it didn't matter, Rosie was safe. Soon, with just a little bit of luck, Mickey would be caught tonight as well. Then he could concentrate on convincing Starsky of who he really was. Maybe I could get some chalk and write on the sidewalk or something he mulled over the possibility as they continued to the post.

They were nearly back to the command post when Hutch caught a fresh scent of Mickey. He dropped his head and inhaled sharply. The scent was very fresh and had a tinge of urine in it. Mickey has pissed his pants when Hutch had snapped his fangs in the little finks face. Served him right, Hutch thought. He sniffed again, the little creep was close.

Hutch cast about, looking for the little fink, the scent was so fresh and hot that he half expected to see Mickey at any moment. He kept on the scent, there wasn't any way that the fink was gonna get away from him this time. That was when he spotted Mickey.

Hutch even from a distance he could recognize the little perp's twitchy walk; he seemed to be headed in the direction of the command post. Perfect. Hutch decided that he would chase Mickey to the post and hold him there until Starsky arrived with Rosie. She would identify him and Mickey would be cuffed and stuffed and in jail by the time the sun rose in the morning. He took off after Mickey, determined to capture him.

Starsky saw the dog bolt off into the night "Hey! Where d'ya think you're goin'?" he sped up as fast as he could after the dog, but he was carrying Rosie and she slowed him down considerably. The dog ran down the sidewalk in the direction of the command post. Where is he going now? Starsky wondered as he slowed his pace. There was no way he could hope to keep up with the dog.

Chapter 10

Hutch broke into a lope despite the protests made by his aching body and rapidly closed the gap between himself and Mickey. His pain was nothing compared to what little Rosie had just gone through. Granted, her pain was mental, only by the grace of God and good timing -- thankfully, not physical, it was still something no child should ever have to go through.

Hutch was determined to see the little fink was locked up tonight, the creep needed to be off the streets.

Mickey startled at a sound behind him and looked over his shoulder to see the big dog barreling down on him. He turned to face it and backed away slowly, he glanced about looking for an escape route. He made for a doorway. The dog cut him off. He tried to head down an alley. The dog ran in front of him and stopped, again cutting him off.

"Go away! Leave me alone!" Mickey kept walking backwards away from the dog.

Hutch smiled, exposing his fangs to the creepy little child molester and let out a low growl "I'm not letting you get away, slime. You're going to jail"

"Hey, nice doggy... good doggy... there's a burger joint just up the road... let me get you something to eat" Mickey looked about wildly for an escape route. He then noticed the red flashing lights a few blocks away. He tried to head away from the lights and loose himself in the darkness. But the damn crazy dog wouldn't let him. It was almost as if the dog was trying to get him to the police.

Hutch slowly stalked Mickey. Every time that Mickey would try to head in a different direction, Hutch cut him off. If Mickey stopped, he would pounce forward with a low growl and the little fink would stagger backwards and beg for the dog not to bite him.

"I'm not going to bite you fink, I would never be able to get the taste out of my mouth" Hutch continued to herd him in the direction of the command post that Dobey had set up.

Hutch then realized that he was beginning to enjoy himself for the first time in days, if he were only sure that his current condition was temporary, he could really start to take pleasure in being a dog, if only for a little while. It was rather liberating to pretty much do what he wanted, when he wanted. Like now, he growled at the cringing little creep.

"C'mon Mickey, keep moving... I gotta find me a fire hydrant pretty soon, so move it!"

The sniveling snitch whimpered and winced at each lunge the dog made at him. It kept cutting him off each time he tried to move in any direction other then towards the police cars.

Mickey occasionally tugged at his urine soaked pant legs. He really didn't want to be seen this way. But the massive dog wasn't giving him any choice in the matter. It was almost as if the dog was more then just a dumb animal. The way it looked at him. The way it made eye contact with him, the way it looked and acted... was positively frightening. It was as if it were possessed... like it was a demon dog that come to escort him to Hell.

"So, Rosie honey, do you remember anything else about this 'Rabbit Man'?" Starsky adjusted Rosie in his arms, the poor little tike was still shaking with fear and had her little arms wrapped tight around his neck. He hadn't been able to understand much of what he had gotten out of her so far; her thumb was firmly jammed in her mouth the whole time.

Rosie pulled her thumb out just long enough to say, "He said his name was 'Mickey Mouse' but he'sa big liar and, he smells like seegars, boos and pee" her thumb went back in her mouth and she sniffled as she buried her face in his neck.

"Is that all? Can you tell me anything else? Anything at all?" Starsky hated like hell to push the little girl for information, but they had to get a description in order to catch the molester and the sooner the better. Starsky gave her a little hug "S'okay, Rosie, sorry..."

"I want my daddy" Rosie pulled her thumb out of her mouth long enough to get the words out, than stuck it back in once more as she snuggled up to Uncle Dave and buried her face in his neck, he could feel the wetness of her tears, running down his neck.

"That's where we're going sweetie, just another block or so" he shifted her weight in his arms. She shivered again. "Just a second, honey, I'm gonna put you down..." His heart squeezed into a ball when she tightened her grip on him, using both her arms and her legs to lock on to his body. "I just want to take my coat off and wrap it around you, okay? Then, I'll pick you right back up"

Rosie leaned back and looked him in the eyes "Pwomise?" she said it around her thumb, which was still planted firmly in her mouth.

"Cross my heart, I promise" Starsky gave her a little hug and was then able to breathe a little easier as she loosened her grip and he set her on her feet, he tugged his leather coat off and wrapped it around her. He than picked her back up and resumed his walk.

They arrived at the command post a few minutes later. The gathering of city employees noticed the pair and separated, allowing them a clear view of the Dobey family.

Starsky hugged Rosie and whispered in her ear to look up. She was bashful, at first, there were so many people there and they were all looking at her. She again buried her face in his neck. When there was a clear path to her family, he again urged her to look up.

The Dobeys' sensed a change in the people surrounding them and three solemn faces turned to see what the disturbance was.

Uncle Dave again whispered in her ear to look up and when she did, she saw her parents "Mama! Daddy! Cal!" Rosie squealed and wiggled to be put down, Uncle Dave set her on her feet and she ran towards her family.

"My baby!" Edith Dobey rushed over and scooped her up and hugged her. Captain Dobey and Cal closed in and hugged the two and each other.

The surrounding crowd of police officers, firefighters and by standers broke into cheers and clapping at the sight of the happy reunion. Some of the onlookers shook each other's hands or slapped each other on the back. The group had gone from solemn to an almost party like atmosphere.

Starsky endured the glad-handing and the 'atta boy's' with good grace. Without Hutch at his side, it seemed... wrong somehow, like he shouldn't be enjoying the limelight of Rosie's rescue without the blond at his side. It all reminded him that he really needed to get back to the hospital and be with his friend. Huggy would be needing a break soon.

Starsky made eye contact with Dobey and nodded towards his car, indicating that he would be leaving, his captain nodded back and smiled, mouthing the words 'thank you'. Starsky nodded back, smiled and turned away, heading back towards his car. As he nudged his way through the crowd, he wondered where that dog had gotten to.

There was a disturbance towards the back of the crowd and some of the people started to turn their attention to the new distraction. A small man jogged reluctantly towards the group, his breath coming in wheezy pants. He paused to catch his breath and when he looked up; he saw a sea of people. His eyes widened at the sight of all of the different uniforms and he staggered backwards a step, unsure how to react.

Hutch was limping more now. Herding Mickey to the command post had been a lot more difficult than he had imagined it would be. Mickey had tried to escape many times. The little creep had even managed to throw some glass bottles he grabbed out of the trash and had broken them on the sidewalk, making it hard for Hutch to follow for fear of cutting open his paws. While it had slowed him, he was determined and made his way around the hazards, keeping Mickey headed in the right direction.

Hutch's dog tongue was hanging out of his mouth several inches. His pants were nearly as loud as Mickey's, but he continued his pursuit. Just a little further and the chase would be over. Mickey then did something Hutch did not expect. The fink turned and ran into the crowd, screaming.

"H-help! M-mad dog! He's gonna get me... Help!" Mickey threw himself at the nearest uniform, desperate to get away from the big dog.

Hutch, through the haze of pain and exhaustion, could only see that Mickey was making another escape attempt and lunged at the creep with a growl and a snap of his teeth "No way Mickey... don't try to use them as a shield, their the ones that are gonna take you to jail"

Officer Kramer heard a man scream and looked over to see a huge Doberman Pincher snap its teeth and lunge at a terrified, rumpled little man. The little man was practically crawling up a large and bewildered firefighter like he was a tree and the dog was a bear that was after him. Kramer pulled his gun out and aimed it at the dog. That must be the mad dog that they were supposed to look out for. This was the area the call about the dog had originated from.

The dog moved stiffly towards the firefighter that the fearful little man had climbed. Officer Kramer took careful aim. Missing would mean hitting one of the people in the crowd that were on the other side of the dog. The dog continued its slow stalk of the frightened civilian.

Starsky was nearly to his car when he heard a somewhat familiar voice scream about a mad dog. His heart stopped and then proceeded to pound loudly in his chest as he headed towards the sounds at a run. It had be the dog that had saved Rosie. The dog must have followed the molester here... or chased him here...

Starsky then started shoving people out of his way, he had to get to where the dog was and explain that the dog had saved Rosie, that it wasn't dangerous and that it was a hero... He didn't stop to think why he should care so much about it as he made his way to the center of the activity.

The man wailed loudly, begging for help at the top of his lungs.

Crap! Starsky sped up, knowing what was going to happen unless he could stop it "Don't shoot! Hold your fire!... Get out of my way!" he bellowed at some unfortunates that didn't heed him quickly enough. "WAIT! Don't shoot--" There was the sound of a firecracker going off. Only, Starsky knew from long experience that it wasn't a firecracker. "MOVE!" He shoved the few remaining people out of his way and he heard another 'pop' sound, it was the sound of a gun being fired for the second time "NOOOO! Dammit! No!"

He could hear the dog yelp in pain as he burst past the last few people that stood between him and the dog. Starsky watched helplessly as the dog staggered a bit, its hind end fell to the pavement as the brunet pushed his through the circle of people.

"Starsky!" Mickey was too late to stop his inadvertent yelp of surprise. Starsky was the very last cop in Bay City that he wished to see here.

Starsky turned to look at who had called his name and instantly recognized the whiney and shocked voice; he had ordered the little fink out of town months ago... "MICKEY!" He then took in the sight of the rumpled little man and his shifty movements and knew instantly that this was Rosie's 'Rabbit Man' Starsky whirled about and nailed the uniformed cop with his eyes "Put that gun away! Arrest that man!" Starsky pointed at Mickey and made for the dog's side.

"What? Why?" Officer Kramer just couldn't figure out why the detective was angry with him "In case you didn't know, I just saved that man's life! That dog was about to take a chunk outta him"

Starsky pegged the cop with another nasty glare, then pointed at Mickey and watched with twisted glee as the little snitch flinched and scooted backwards into a burly firefighter "He is a child molestation suspect... I suspect he that grabbed Rosie Dobey, Captain Dobey's daughter, just in case you did already know... Now, if you don't do as I say; I'll take a chunk outta YOU! That dog saved Rosie's life! TWICE!" Starsky didn't waste any more time with the cop and he dropped to his knees on the pavement next to the dog. "Get me some light over here!"

One of the cops' obliged him and pulled out his flashlight and lit up a small circle around the injured dog and the detective.

Starsky did not see the burly firefighter grab Mickey by the back of his rumpled old coat and lift him clear off the ground and shake him like a rat "Ya grabbed a little girl, huh? The man shook Mickey once more "I've got three little girls at home..."

Mickey was so scared that he couldn't even squeak as the big firefighter shook him again; his eyes darted around and noticed a whole lot of men in uniforms looking at him as if he had just crawled out of the sewer. He tried to swallow the lump of terror that now blocked his throat.

"Put him down" A stern voice broke through the angry murmurs of group.

The burly firefighter gave him another hard shake and let Mickey's feet touch the ground, but he still kept a firm hold on the rumpled coat. Mickey glanced at the big man who had just spoken and saw that the man was carrying the little girl that he had picked up earlier tonight and he felt his whole body break out into a cold sweat.

"Okay, baby... can you point out the person in this crowd that grabbed you? It's okay, honey... Daddy's got you"

Mickey watched in horror as the little girl lifted her head from her father's shoulder and looked at the sea of faces. She than looked at him and pointed "That's 'Rabbit Man, Daddy'" She then buried her face in her father's neck again.

A female let out a shriek "You grabbed my baby!" She then hurled herself at Mickey, fists flying and screaming foul words at him.

"I've got you Mrs. Dobey, come on, it's over now... it's over" A cop said as he gently grabbed the woman and led her away.

Mrs. Dobey? As in Captain Dobey's wife? SHIT! The 'trash' was Captain Dobey's daughter! As the weight of just how much trouble he was now in hit him, Mickey wet himself for the second time that day.

Captain Dobey glared at the little fink over the top on Rosie's head, he spoke quietly but his words were heard by all "Read him his rights, read them from the card... I don't want ANY loop hole for this 'person' to slither through. I want everything by the book... do you understand me? Dot every 'i', cross every 't' triple check that report."

Officer Kramer stepped forward and nodded, he then proceeded to handcuff and read the Miranda warning from a card as he carefully arrested Mickey.

Seeing that he was understood, the captain moved back through the crowd to his family.

Chapter 11

Oblivious to the drama that was taking place behind him, the curly haired detective felt a strange ache in his chest as he looked at the downed dog. It had fallen over completely and was lying on its side on the pavement, panting. "Aw, partner..." Starsky slowly put his hand out to the dog's head and stroked the soft, black fur. The dog moved its head a little bit and looked up at him. The tan eyebrows telegraphed volumes of information with just a few wiggles.

"It hurts... it hurts..." Hutch eyed Starsky, before pain made his eyes close tightly.

"I know... I'll make it better" Starsky didn't realize he couldn't hear the dog with his ears. But his heart heard the dog perfectly. He rubbed at a tan eyebrow with his knuckles.

"How? I don't think... that there is... gonna be a way of... making it better... this time, Starsk" Hutch forced his eyes to open, despite the pain. He wanted to look at his friend as long as possible, fearing that with each blink of his eyes that it would be for the very last time. A whine escaped, he tried to stop it, but it got away from him. The pain was increasing and he could feel his blood flowing out of his body and onto the cold ground.

Starsky sat down next to the dog and carefully lifted the it up and into his lap and he gently placed his hands over the two oozing red holes in the black coat, trying desperately to stanch the flow. "Someone get me a paramedic! Hurry!"

So much blood, how much more could the dog loose and still live? He didn't want to know the answer to that. His throat tightened. "Take it easy... I'm here... Hurry up with that paramedic!"

The single flashlight beam was not enough to provide the light that Starsky needed "More light!" Another cop stepped up and turned on his flashlight.

Starsky turned his head this way and that "Where is that paramedic?" He could feel the blood slide past his fingers, despite his applying pressure to the wounds. He pushed harder and felt the dog flinch. "Sorry... but I gotta stop this bleeding..." He increased the pressure a bit more and the dog let out a long drawn-out whine.

"I know... Starsk... I know... b-but it's... n-no use" Hutch looked into his friend's eyes and noticed that the edges of his sight had now gone black. He was dying and he knew the end was nearing.

"What are you talkin' about? C'mon... you'll be fine..." Starsky felt the dog shake its head 'no' in his lap. It gasped painfully and squirmed in pain.

"Shh, easy there, just relax... help is on the way... Where the HELL is that paramedic?" He scanned the few remaining people... the crowd was breaking up now. The excitement was over and who wanted to just stand around and watch some dog die?

"Right here... what can I do for you?" The voice was a female one; Starsky looked to his right and eyed the paramedic.

"It's about time you got here! My friend here needs help" He looked back down at the dog in his lap. "S'okay... partner, s'okay" He longed to caress its brow and sooth it, but he had to maintain the pressure on the wounds.

"Um, I hate to point out the obvious, but... that's a dog" she set down her jump kit and knelt beside the detective.

"No shit sister, tell me, what was your first clue?" When she didn't answer him, Starsky looked up again and saw the look on her face "I'm sorry... that was uncalled for... can you help him? Please?" he turned his attention back to the dog, its body seemed to be growing heavier in his lap. Its warm blood seeped into his blue jeans.

"I'll try, but it doesn't look good. The way he's bleeding, I think one of the bullets may have nicked an artery... he's bleeding out pretty fast" She shook her head sadly.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Starsky glared over at her.

"It means... I'm sorry, but it means he's going to die--" She looked away from the intense blue gaze. She hated this part of her job and the helpless feeling of not being able to do more to help the victim.

"Die? Whaddya mean he's gonna die? He can't die... he's my friend... he's my... my partner... he can't just die! He saved a little girl from a child molester tonight and he kept her from falling through a hole in the floor of some shitty building! He's a hero! He CAN'T die!" he watched as she shook her head and dropped her eyes.

"I'm really sorry about your dog, I am. I have a dog at home too--"

"Didn't ya hear me? He's NOT just a dog! He's my friend and he's a hero, dammit! He doesn't deserve to die like... like a DOG in the street! Now DO SOMETHING! Help me get him to the ambulance... we gotta get him to a hospital" Starsky pleaded with her, begging her to understand the importance of saving this dog.

The paramedic opened her jump kit and took out some bandages and bound the wounds. She knew it was fruitless, but she humored the distraught detective. Her job was to help people; she would help the detective, for he was now her patient, if only until the dog died. From the looks of things, it wouldn't be long now.

Starsky helped her bind the wounds and briefly wondered why he was getting so worked up about a dog, a dog that he hadn't even known for twenty-four hours. Yet, somehow this dog had become vitally important to him. Its life was important and the thought that it might die... that thought had become unbearable.

"We gotta get him to the hospital!" He carefully picked the dog up in his arms and headed for the ambulance. The dog began to gasp for air "Easy, buddy... easy, it'll be okay, just keep breathing"

"I'll t-try" Hutch did try, but it was getting harder to do that.

"Don't try DO IT!" Starsky felt the dog wince in his arms "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell... just... I know you can do it... please?"

"'Kay, f-for you... But it hurts... it hurts" Hutch's lungs ached so much it felt like he was trying to breathe through mud.

"Shh, s'okay... it'll be better soon... I promise" Starsky didn't know how he was gonna keep that promise, but he would try hard as hell to fulfill it.

Paramedic Dana Miller picked up her jump kit and followed the detective to her ambulance. The dog would likely die before they got it to a vet, but they could try, provided that they didn't get a call to respond to a human emergency.

Starsky climbed into the ambulance and laid the dog on the gurney, it struggled weakly, lifted its head and made eye contact with him "Easy there partner... easy, just lay down and stay still... " Starsky stopped and looked into the dog's eyes and watched as they seemed to go from brown in color to a familiar light blue. His jaw dropped. No, that couldn't be, that couldn't have just happened, trick of the light, it had to be. He shook his head to clear the strange thought.

Hutch kept trying to look at Starsky. The end was near. He could feel it. He just wanted to see Starsky. He wanted the very last thing he ever saw to be the face of his best friend. He tried to keep his head up but the world spun crazily and it dropped to the pillow. He attempted to raise it again but despite his best efforts, he couldn't do it. He paddled with his paws to gain purchase, wanting to roll onto his chest, it was growing ever harder to breathe, perhaps getting into a different position would make it easier.

Starsky watched as the dog's head dropped down on to the gurney and it struggled to lift it again, its front legs moved feebly. Starsky eased his hand under its head and gently lifted it a bit. It let out a pain filled sigh, as it looked him in the eye.

"Thank you... Starsk... thank you for every... everything" The world faded from sight, but a least he had gotten to see his friend one last time, at least he had that much.

"Hey, no problem... what're friends for...?" Starsky looked to the paramedic as she climbed in "Do something! Please... he's having trouble breathing... let's go! Tell the driver to start driving, dammit!" He looked around "why aren't we moving?"

Dana Miller ignored the last question and got out a facemask and turned on the oxygen tank to high flow and placed it over the dog's muzzle and held it there. It wouldn't be long now. She got out her stethoscope and listened to its faltering heartbeat. "I have to get a good set of vitals before we go"

She hated to lie to the man, but she was certain that he wouldn't listen to anything she had to say. His dog was dying. No vet could save it. She was pretty sure that even if they had been able to get it to a vet in the first three minutes after it was shot, it still would have been a lost cause. She would humor him and help the dog as best she could.

Hutch could no longer see. The pain was gone now. He inhaled easily, his chest felt weightless as though the two bullet holes were never there. He could no longer smell anything, not his own blood, not the scent of his friend... but he could still hear. So, it was true...

The brunet detected a change in the dog "Hey! Hey! Stay with me partner... stay with me! Do you hear me?" Starsky felt the dog relax more into his hands. The paws stopped their aimless shuffle and the eyes slowly closed.

"Good-bye Starsky... you're the best... friend I've... I've ever... had, thanks... for that"

"No! You can't say good-bye! You can't! You're not goin' anywhere... You hear me? Don't go... don't go Hutch... do you hear me?" Starsky gently shook the dog; only he didn't see it as a dog any longer. He saw it as a friend, as Hutch, his friend. The best friend he had in the world.

"I hear you... but... I can't stay... I want to... m-more than any... anything... I have to... say this before I go... I love you... David Michael Starsky... you're a better friend... then I ever deserved" Hutch's breath escaped him for the last time. He could not hear his own death rattle.

"I'm sorry detective, your dog is dead" Dana placed her hand on the trembling shoulder "Hutch must have been a very good dog... I'm sorry for your loss" She patted the shaking shoulder then gave it a squeeze.

Starsky turned to the woman "He's NOT dead! Do you have one of those heart-shocking thingies?" his eyes darted around the interior, looking for the lifesaving device. His one remaining hope.

"A defibrillator? Well, yeah--" she gave him a puzzled look.

"Then USE IT!" one hand still stroked the still body; the other grabbed her upper arm.

"But, I don't know about dogs... I've never trained for this--" Her hands about fluttered like frightened birds.

"No buts! Use it, use it NOW!" The brunet rubbed the soft black fur "It'll be okay partner... we'll get you back" He looked to the woman again, locking her in his desperate gaze, begging with his eyes, to try.

"But--"

Starsky could feel the tears stinging his eyes "What did I say about the buts? No buts... please... he's my best friend... I can't loose him... not like this! It's not right..."

Dana wiped away a tear that started to roll down her face at the sad sight "I'll use it... but I've never used it on a dog before... I don't know what the settings should be used for a dog... And even if I call them, medical control won't know either" She shrugged helplessly.

"Just TRY... that's all I ask... please? Just try!" He willed her to do as he asked.

She intubated the dog and got out a bag-valve-mask, she quickly showed him how to use it. She then hooked the dog up to the machine, she checked the heart monitor and made sure it was flat lined, the tone was a long steady 'beeeeeee' sound, she double checked with her stethoscope and when she was done called "Clear!" She looked up and down to make sure neither one of them was touching the dog. She could only guess at the position the paddles would go on a dog. She applied the paddles to its chest.

The dog flopped at the jolt. The monitor blipped once. Then flat lined again.

"Clear!" Paddles were applied; the dog flopped once more. The monitor blipped several times "We've got a heartbeat! Get that bag-valve-mask back to where I showed you and use it like I told you. Hurry!" when he had quickly accomplished what she needed done, she grinned at the detective.

Starsky did as she instructed and then grabbed her with his free hand, pulled to him and kissed the paramedic full on the lips "Thank you! You did it! You--" His joy was interrupted by the sound of the monitor giving off the monotone 'beeeeeee' of the 'no heartbeat detected' tone.

Dana applied the paddles several more times, to no avail. She finally gave in and admitted defeat. She slowly unhooked the machine and put it away. Then she gave the distraught man a brief hug. "I'm really sorry about your dog" she left him alone and went up front to sit with her crew chief.

Starsky didn't notice her leaving as he stared at the body before him. "He's not a dog... he's my friend" He fully realized it then. Hutch had been in that dog... he didn't know how. He couldn't explain it. Rosie had been right all along. Somehow, she had known it.

He thought about it, the mannerisms, the way it looked at him, moved its eyebrows... Hutch. It was all Hutch. The dog was Hutch. How could he have been so blind? How had he missed all the clues? And now... Hutch was gone. Starsky's heart was empty. A large gap remained. He tenderly picked the dog off the gurney and carefully exited the vehicle.

Starsky only made it as far as the curb of the sidewalk when his legs gave out and the enormity of what had just happened struck him. He sat down hard. The limp dog body flopped once at the sudden movement. "Sorry" he whispered, but it was far too late for the intended ears to hear.

He hugged the body to him and broke into silent tears.

"I gots ta give Uncle Dave his coat... 'kay Daddy?" Rosie smiled up at him and hugged his leg.

"Okay Rosie" Captain Dobey harrumphed as his eyes misted. He fought it off. She was safe now. Rosie was safe. He kept telling himself that. He grabbed her hand and walked off to see if Starsky was still around. He had lost sight of the detective during all of the excitement.

They found him sitting on the curb of the sidewalk. His feet were in the gutter; the dog lay in his lap. Dobey could tell that the dog was dead. Shit! What to tell Rosie? That dog had saved her life, she had told him all about it.

Rosie pulled her hand out of her Daddy's grasp and moved to Uncle Dave's side. He was crying. She stood beside him and reached out and touched him lightly on the shoulder.

Starsky almost missed the light touch. He turned to see the source. It was Rosie. Big wet tears were beginning to slide down her face. He wiped his own tears, cleared his throat and asked her, "Why are you crying?"

"Cause you're crying" Rosie sniffled and patted her pockets for the hanky Daddy had gived her. She pulled it out of her pocket and dabbed at the tears on Uncle Dave's face. He looked so sad. When she was done, she dabbed at her own tears. "Why're you cryin'?"

"Ummm, I'm just... uh, sad" He wanted to be alone to cry again and he really didn't want to explain death to her. What was he gonna say to her when she asked about the dead dog in his lap? Scratch that, his dead partner lay in his lap. The tears welled up in his eyes.

"You sad 'cause the doggy's dead? Huh?" Rosie draped the coat over Uncle Dave's shoulders then hugged him "I know how you feel. I was real sad when Elmer the hamster died. We had a funnel in the back yard and buried him. We could have 'nother funnel and bury the doggy there 'kay?" She kissed his cheek and hugged him again.

Something occurred to Starsky, something important "Wait, Rosie... did you say doggy? W-why aren't you calling him Uncle Ken?"

She ducked her head and laughed nervously under his intense gaze "That's not Uncle Ken, that'sa doggy. Uncle Ken isn't under covers any more... silly!" She kissed his cheek again and turned to her Daddy and motioned to be picked up. "Daddy, is it okay if we bury Uncle Dave's doggy in the backyard next to Elmer? Then he won't be lonely back there all by himself... we could dress in black and have a funnel, okay?"

Dobey and Starsky's eyes met. Dobey nodded. It was against the law to bury an animal inside city limits but he had a high backyard fence, no one would see it.

Edith and Cal hurried over to them "Harold! You have an urgent radio call from the hospital... it's about Hutch!"

Chapter 12

Starsky was on autopilot as he drove to the hospital and he mentally went over the events that had just occurred. And he wondered what the very near future would hold. He was glad it was early morning; the traffic was very light and he arrived at the hospital a short time later. He had sped through more than one red light along the way. He pulled into the parking lot and found a parking spot close to the entrance and pulled in.

As he exited his car, he stopped and looked at the rider's side seat. The dog lay there, wrapped in a blanket that the Dobeys' had had in the trunk of their car. Starsky pressed his lips together and they made a thin, grim line across his face. God, I hope Rosie is right that Hutch's spirit or soul or whatever is no longer in that dog's body.

During his frantic drive, Starsky had realized that it had all started in that filthy back alley when the lightning had hit his friend. That was when the strangeness began. Perhaps using the defibrillator on the dog had put Hutch back in his own body. He crossed his fingers. It was a small and probably futile gesture.

Then again, the lightning had hit them both at the same time. The defibrillator was used on Hutch alone in the ambulance and the dog was in Hutch's body, here at the hospital... what would that mean for Hutch? Could he truly be dead? Had the transference even taken place at all? His head ached with the thoughts. And what could the urgent call to return to the hospital mean? There was only one way to find out. He slammed the Torino's door and ran to his partner's room.

Unable to stand being cooped up in an elevator; he ran the steps instead of taking it to the floor Hutch was on. When he exited the stairwell to that floor the first thing he saw was Huggy was sitting on the floor, next to the door of Hutch's room, his face was buried in his hands.

Starsky dashed to the thin man's side and crouched down "Huggy? What's goin' on? Dobey said you called"

Huggy didn't look up and his voice was muffled by his hands "It's my fault... it's all my fault" the thin shoulders started to shake as the black man began to sob.

Cold fear slipped down Starsky's spine as he looked down at the upset man "Huggy... what's your fault? What happ--" He stopped talking as several doctors and nurses exited Hutch's room. All were hanging their heads and some talked quietly to the others. A couple of them were pushing machines.

"Hey... what's goin' on?" He spotted a familiar face "Doctor Goldberg!"

The tall thin doctor turned at hearing his name being called; when he saw Starsky, a solemn expression formed on his normally haughty face.

Starsky rapidly moved to the doctor's side and grabbed his arm. "Will you tell me what's going on here?" his heart thumped loudly in his chest as he stared at the man.

"I'm sorry Detective Starsky, your friend didn't make it" the doctor reached out and gently squeezed the detective's upper arm "You have my most heartfelt condolences"

"WHAT? What do you mean 'he didn't make it'?" Starsky shook off the hand that was on his arm and grabbed the tall doctor's arms and shook him hard "What did you do to him?!"

"I did nothing to him--"

Huggy interrupted the doctor "It's all MY Fault! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Huggy struggled to his feet and staggered over to the gape-jawed detective "Starsk... it's MY fault... my fault..." He leaned against the wall to prop himself up, as his knees were weak from his remorse and anguish.

"What's your fault Huggy? W-what happened?" Starsky started to shake as fear raced through him. He had just watched Hutch die... it couldn't have happened twice? Could it?

"I was watching him... like you asked... I got hungry and... and I got a hamburger out... out of the vending machine... I heated it up and came back to the room and started to eat it... the hamburger. It tasted awful... I noticed Hutch staring at the burger... he looked hungry, so... so I gave held it up to give him a bite... but h-he grabbed the whole thing in his mouth and gulped it down... I don't th-think he even chewed it at all... then... then... h-he started to ch-cho--" Huggy couldn't get the word out as total grief and guilt racked his body. He slid down the wall and ended up on the floor again and buried his face in his arms once more.

Confused, Starsky stared mutely at Huggy, trying to comprehend what the man was trying to tell him. Nothing was making sense.

Seeing the detective's shocked confusion, Doctor Goldberg intervened "What you friend is trying to say is that Detective Hutchinson choked to death on the hamburger. We did all we could to try to save him. I removed the food from his trachea--"

"Ch-choked to death? He's dead?" Starsky looked at the doctor as if he was speaking a foreign language "He can't be dead... he's in a hospital... he was fine... he was fine when I left him..." Starsky stared at the doctor without seeing him.

"I removed the obstruction, cleared his airway, rescue breathing was initiated and oxygen was administered, but then he went into cardiac arrest and that was the abnormal part... that shouldn't have happened... our response time was well within the parameters for a successful resuscitation..." Goldberg rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he pondered the conundrum.

Starsky's eyes glazed over and he headed for his partner's room.

"Although, since he was struck by lightning, it's very possible his heart muscle was damaged..." Doctor Goldberg trailed off as the detective turned away and made his way into the deceased patient's room. Goldberg shrugged, anytime the detective was ready for details, he would be happy to provide them. The doctor started off down the hall. He was determined that he would be there during the autopsy to see for himself just what had caused his failure to revive the patient, for he truly despised having failed to save the man's life... or any life, for that matter.

Starsky slowly turned away from the doctor and Huggy. If the doctor had said something more, he never heard it. The news that Hutch was dead overwhelmed him and he could neither hear nor understand anything else. Hutch was dead. Impossible.

He entered the room. If anyone tried to stop him, he didn't notice. He was in a fog. Nothing felt real any more. This couldn't be happening... not twice... not twice in one night. It wasn't real. None of it was. It's just a dream... just a dream... just a horrible nightmare... wake up, just wake up now and it'll be alright... it's just a dream...

He told himself that over and over, it worked until he stopped and stared at the white sheet covering the body. He forced himself forward to the bedside and slowly pulled the sheet off the body's head. It was Hutch. He was looking at the mortal remains of his friend. It was so unreal. These last few days were unreal.

Starsky didn't know how long he stood there, staring at the body. Then, as if he was a marionette and someone pulled the strings that bound him, he moved awkwardly the rest of the way to the bed and reached out and stroked the blond hair.

The room slowly turned blurry as he ran his hand over the softness. It was too much. Hutch was truly dead now. Starsky struggled to make sense of any of it. Hutch got hit by lightning, which made him; somehow, switch spirits or souls or whatever with a dog. Then, just when he finally figured out that Hutch is in the dog's body... Hutch, still in the body of the dog, dies.

His hopes were raised briefly by the thought that Hutch's spirit had somehow made it back into his own body. But now that his human body was dead, Hutch was truly dead. There was no hope. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair.

Starsky didn't know when it happened, but he found himself hugging Hutch's body, his head on Hutch's still chest and silent chest, weeping. All the while, his mind screamed out in agony It's not fair! It's NOT fair! IT'S NOT FAIR!

The racket his brain was making in his head, nearly made him miss the change from total stillness to a subtle and feeble lub-dub. Starsky silenced his brain, held his breath and listened to the sound under his ear... lub-dub... lub-dub... lub-dub

Starsky lifted his head for a moment and stared at the still and pale face. Slowly he lowered his head to his friend's chest and listened once more... lub-dub... lub-dub... lub-dub... That sound could be only one thing. A heart beat. Hutch's heart beat.

Starsky grabbed the nurse call button and pushed it. He then proceeded with mouth-to- mouth rescue breathing until the nurse came. She eyed him with great concern in her eyes as he explained --loudly -- that his friend had a heartbeat. And when she humored him and put her stethoscope to the 'dead man's' chest, she was the one calling loudly for assistance, for help for the dead man who wasn't dead after all.

Captain Harold Dobey sat down hard on the hospital chair and leaned back. His face a mask of confusion "Okay... explain it to me one more time... SLOWLY this time! Huggy, no interfering... I mean it! I just want to hear Starsky's version... Go ahead" He gestured at the anxiously pacing detective.

Dobey was having trouble with the day's events. He knew he wasn't the only one. Starsky and Huggy both had their share of ups and downs today as well. But having to deal with his daughter missing and then found, then getting to the hospital only to find out that Hutch had died...

He was more than a little pissed off at Huggy for nearly killing one of his favorite detectives... but he would deal with that later... Then after hearing that wrenching news, then he hears that his dead detective isn't dead after all. He really didn't think his heart or his sanity could take much more of this. He needed a vacation. Right now.

He listened as Starsky, without Huggy's help this time, breathlessly informed him that while he was saying his good-byes Hutch's heart had started beating again. The doctor had explained that the adrenalin they had administered during the cardiac arrest must have 'kicked in' and the detective's heart had somehow started beating again. It was a miracle. Dobey said a brief prayer for the wondrous gifts he had been blessed with this day.

But Dobey was also aware that Hutchinson wasn't out of the woods just yet. There might be brain damage from the lack of oxygen during his arrest. That wasn't Hutch's only problem, he had cracked ribs due to the CPR that had been performed on him.

When Starsky finished his narrative, he turned on his heel and headed back to his partner's room. Dobey knew from experience that nothing would pry the curly haired detective from the blond's room until he was well on the way to recovery. Just how much of a recovery he would make was yet to be seen.

Doctor Goldberg stopped by after Starsky had returned Hutch's room and the doctor explained that there had also been some damage done to the patient's throat when one of the intern's had used the laryngoscope and McGill forceps get the hamburger out.

Goldberg make it clear that he was very sorry, but the injury should heal in a day or two, if the detective recovered before then, he might find it difficult and painful to talk. It was a minor concern compared to the other issues. They would know the full extent of all the damages as soon as the detective woke up.

Starsky was very upset with Huggy, but he knew that it had been an accident. He told Huggy about the dog in his car and asked Huggy to take care of it. Huggy, still gilt ridden, offered to dig the hole in Dobey's backyard as well as having one of his cousins make the box to bury the dog in. Starsky handed Huggy the keys to the Torino.

With that grim task being taken care of, Starsky returned his attention to Hutch. Would Hutch be able to recover? And if he did, would he be his old self? Or would it be the dog in control in Hutch's body? Or... would there only be an empty shell, a husk of a breathing body with no soul or spirit of its own. There was no real way to tell just yet. All he could do now was wait.

The hours pasted slowly and nurses entered and exited, doctors filed in and out as well and shifts changed. Dobey stopped by and delivered flowers. Others came and went as well; the only constant was Starsky, who aside from short breaks for food and drink, stayed by the blond's side.

It was nearly thirty-six hours before Hutch finally started to show signs of regaining consciousness. Starsky detected a change and lifted his head off the bed. He had fallen asleep sitting in a chair with his head and shoulders resting on Hutch's bed. He was determined to be the first thing the blond saw when he woke up.

Though the movement was small, Starsky sensed it, even in his sleep. He blinked drowsily at his friend and watched as Hutch moved his head again, a little more this time. The blond's eyelids twitched and his fingers on the hand nearest Starsky curled and uncurled.

Starsky wiped the sleep out of his eyes and sat up a little straighter and gently took the blond's right hand into both of his. He watched the blond blink his eyes slowly. Starsky squeezed the hand he was holding "Hey Hutch... how're you doin'?" He watched as his friend slowly moved his head as though responding to the sound of his voice, "hey... partner... are you awake, yet?"

The light blue eyes slowly moved towards his face and a puzzled look strode leisurely across the blond's face. The eyes were unfocused and wandered a bit "Hutch... Hutch?" Starsky lightly patted the pale face and the light blue eyes started to focus a bit more and finally connected with his own. The blond eyebrows knitted in a frown, as the man seemingly grew more aware of his surroundings.

Starsky looked for any signs of recognition from Hutch. He again squeezed Hutch's hand and thought he felt a weak return squeeze. "Hey Hutch, enough sleeping now, time to wake up" he held his breath and waited as Hutch blinked at him a few more times. The light blue eyes drifted about the room once more.

"C'mon Hutch... wake up partner, c'mon... I know you can do it" Starsky pleaded.

The blond's eyes moved slowly back towards his face, his head turned as well and Starsky found himself on the receiving end of a familiar gaze.

"Hutch?" Starsky watched as the lids batted slowly at first and then more rapidly, then a slow smile spread across the blond's face. "Hutch... it is you? Isn't it?" he whispered and glanced around the room to assure himself they were still alone. He bit his lip as he waited anxiously for the reply. Would it be the dog... or his best friend that responded?

He watched as his friend struggled to speak, it was obvious that his throat was bothering him. The blond brows knitted in concentration and effort. Starsky waited impatiently for the answer. After several tries, Hutch managed to whisper "yes" it was quiet and pained, but clear. One blond eyebrow rose in question, as if uncertain he had been heard.

Seeing the familiar movement and with that single word answer, Starsky knew it to be true, his friend was back. Back where he belonged. He let out a war-whoop and hugged the blond briefly and he apologized at the wince he saw... after remembering, a little too late, that doctor Goldberg had said something about a broken or cracked ribs before bouncing out the door to inform the nurses, Dobey and Huggy that Hutch was awake.

He than went back to his friend's side and took his friend's hand. He relished the eye contact and the occasional hand squeeze for each told him that Hutch was back where he belonged. He grinned like a fool until they made him let go so they could do some testing.

It was hours later after Hutch regained consciousness and doctors and nurses had all done what they needed to do and Starsky was finally able to be alone in the room. Upon preparing to exit the room, Doctor Goldberg had shaken his head and muttered something about miracles after he filled the curly haired detective in on Hutch's recovery.

Yes, there was still damage to his ribs and his throat would be quite sore for a few more days, but there did not seem to be any brain damage and he was giving normal responses to questions. Something he hadn't been able to do just before the cardiac arrest. The tall doctor wandered back out of the room with a perplexed look on his face.

Hutch was dozing when Starsky quietly returned to his best friend's side. He leaned against the wall next to the bed and simply looked at his friend. Hutch was back. Back where he belonged, in his own body, soon to be back in his own life. But, just how much would he remember about what had happened to him? Would he remember anything at all?

Starsky crossed the room to retrieve a chair and after moving it next to the bed, sat down to wait. Hopefully, when he awoke, Hutch would be able to answer that question.

The last thing Hutch remembered was that he lay bleeding in his friend's lap and was saying good-bye to Starsky. He had been able to actually feel the love his friend exuded in that most painful of moments. It had been the sole bright spot in the whole dying thing. It had been good to know that Starsky understood who he really was inside the dog. At least he had that.

Than his world had gone black. He was sure that he was dead. But then he had opened his eyes to the sound of Starsky's voice and as he had regained consciousness, Hutch had been amazed, truly amazed to be alive. He had looked about and saw he was in a hospital. He could hardly believe it. If he were in a hospital, that could only mean he was back in his body, he hoped.

But there was so much pain. Pain that nearly blinded him with its intensity, however the sound of Starsky's voice pushed it back into a corner. The easing of the pain allowed him to smile and when Starsky asked 'Hutch... it is you? Isn't it?' he had had to really work to get the single word 'yes' out. He listened as his partner whooped and felt pain as the brunet hugged him.

There had been a flurry of doctors and nurses and small, but comforting peeks of Starsky poking his head in every so often to check up on him as he was deluged with sensory input from all of the activity. It wore him out when all he wanted to do was talk to his partner and get some details on the events of the last few days. He dozed off before he could see his partner again. But it was alright. He knew that Starsky would be there when he woke up next.

One week after Hutch had been discharged from the hospital, the Dobeys' threw a little cookout in their back yard for their two favorite detectives.

Neither Starsky nor Hutch had explained to them, or anyone else, what had really happened to Hutch when he had been hit by lightning. Nor did they try to explain the strange events that culminated with this little get together. No one needed to know and besides, no one would believe them anyway.

Except for Rosie, but she didn't seem to think any of it had been anything special. Hutch, to her, had been 'under covers' and now he wasn't and that was all that mattered to her.

Starsky had noticed a few small changes in his friend since his return to his own body, he dismissed them as inconsequential, but they were there, nonetheless. Like now, he watched as Hutch closed his eyes and sniffed the air, ever so slightly and then he disappeared into the kitchen. Starsky followed him at a distance, just to see what would happen.

He made his way to the sliding glass door of the porch and peered inside. He saw Hutch pick up some raw hamburger and pop it into his mouth "Hey! Whaddya doin'?"

Hutch blushed and looked away for a moment as he quickly chewed the food and swallowed it before looking him in the eye and answering "Umm, eating steak tartare"

"Steak tartare? Looks like you were eating raw hamburger ta me. Didn't your mother ever tell you that the only way to eat meat was to have it practically charcoaled?" Starsky shook his head and laughed as Hutch raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, Starsk... steak tartare IS raw hamburger! It's served in the finest restaurants and is considered to be a delicacy" Hutch gave him his haughtiest look and headed back outside as he licked his fingers; totally ruining the sophisticated look he was trying to pull off.

Starsky shook his head and laughed, "'Steak tar-tar' my ass... that's tiger meat... that cow is practically still mooing. That's just one more reason for me to stay away from fancy-schmancy restaurants. C'mon partner, I wanna show you somethin'"

Starsky led Hutch to a spot by the rose bushes.

Hutch recognized it as the spot where Rosie had found him. He looked down and noticed a small, flat stone. Carved on the stone were the words -- 'In Loving Memory of 'Partner' Hutchinson'

Starsky watched as Hutch knelt down and fingered each letter; when he looked up, Starsky could see that the light blue eyes were shining with unshed tears. A single tear escaped and slid unhindered down his friend's face.

"Thanks Starsk... he wasn't a bad dog" The blond got to his feet.

"No, he wasn't bad... and he was one hell of a partner... partner" Starsky put an arm over his friend's shoulders "C'mon, I think I hear a beer calling our names"

As they headed back across the yard to the porch, Hutch noticed a flash of movement. He stopped and stared at it intently.

Starsky stopped as well "Hey, whatcha lookin' at?"

"It's a cat!" Hutch whispered excitedly as he took a slow step in the cat's direction.

"So? It's just a cat... let's get that beer now" he grabbed Hutch's elbow and tugged.

Hutch looked longingly at the cat. It arched its back at him and hissed. He felt the urge to growl and give chase. He felt his friend tug at his arm again and forced himself to follow. Beer was more important than chasing a cat.

Well, almost

Hutch knew, as Starsky did, that the dog wasn't quite out of their lives just yet.

The End

Hutch in the dog's body. (Artwork by Starsky's Strut)