NEAR DEATHS DOOR

BY P&C PRODUCTIONS

CHAPTER 7

Hutch put his arms around him and held him for a few moments…until he pulled himself away and wiped the tears from his face. He walked with his partner back out into the emergency room waiting area and sat him down in a chair…near the lobby phone. "I have to call Dobey and let him know what’s going on." Hutch told him. "Want some coffee?"

"No…" Starsky said as he put his hands over his face and sat there…thoughts of the last time he spent the night in that room…the night that Jim was shot…ran through his mind. He had prayed at the time that he wouldn’t have to take care of Cassie…that Jim would pull through. Now all he wanted was to take her home with him…although he had only had her in his life for less than a year…he didn’t want to imagine life without her.

Hutch picked up the phone and called Captain Dobey at home…Mrs. Dobey answered the phone and took a second to wake up her husband. She was used to the late night phone calls after being married to a cop for so many years. In just a moment…Dobey’s voice came on the line.

"Dobey here…"

He answered expecting to hear the dispatcher’s voice and not Hutch’s.

"Capn’ it’s Hutch…We had to rush Cassie to the hospital and she’s in surgery…Starsky and I are waiting for some news." Hutch told him.

"What happened to her?" Dobey asked as he stood up and looked over at his wife…who was waiting to find out what was going on.

"It’s her appendix" Hutch told him. "They suspect that it’s ruptured and they’re removing it now."

"Poor kid…keep me informed…tell Starsky our prayer’s are with him…I’m giving you both the day off tomorrow, I mean today…but I want you in my office

tomorrow." Dobey said to Hutch. "I can’t afford to be without the both of you right now."

Hutch hung up the phone after saying goodbye to Dobey and went over to the vending machine…returning after a couple minutes with two small cups of coffee. "Drink this." He said to Starsky. "It’s gonna be a long night."

"I said I didn’t want any.." Starsky spoke harshly to him...then he stood up and began to pace the floor, rubbing his left hand on the back of his neck.

Hutch had seen him do this before…when he was worried or upset.

"Starsk…you can’t beat yourself up over this…It wasn’t your fault!" Hutch told him.

"Oh yeah…well than who’s fault was it Hutch…Huh…who’s?" Starsky turned to face him.

"Anybody else would have seen it…maybe got her here in time…I was putting her in a tub of cold water for Gods Sake...I could of killed her…maybe I already have!" He blurted out…as if he were talking out loud to himself and not Hutch.

"You did what you thought was right…You think other people with kids have all the answers?"

"I’m all she’s got Hutch…I’m responsible and no one else…I don’t know…maybe she’d be better off….." He left the sentence incomplete…he really didn’t want to see her with anyone else…but he was kicking himself for not doing the right thing.

"With someone else…is that what you were gonna say?" Hutch finished it for him. "Starsky she loves you and I know you don’t admit it but you love her too…you honestly think she’d be better off with strangers?"

"I DON"T KNOW!" He yelled at him. "All I know is…I don’t wanna loose her…Hutch….damnit…I just don’t wanna loose her."

The waiting room was unusually empty that night…no one around to hear the conversation except the occasional Nurse passing by. Hutch put a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave him an understanding half -smile.

"Want that cup of coffee now?" He asked.

A Nurse came out to the waiting room and walked up to the two officers holding a clipboard with some blank forms.

"We need these forms filled out so we can treat her…She’s upstairs with no name tag…nothing…do you know how to get a-hold of her parents?" She asked them.

"I’m her legal Guardian." Starsky told her. "I’ll fill them out."

She handed him the clipboard and a pencil and disappeared. Starsky took the forms and sat down to fill them out…Hutch walked over and sat next to him.

Starsky knew the answers to some of the questions…full name and Birthdate …but medical history…allergies…other questions on the form. Starsky didn’t have a clue. Hutch helped him fill it out as best they could along with the name of his medical insurance company…he was glad now that Hutch had suggested to him to put Cassie on his insurance a few months back.

When they were finished…Starsky took the forms back up to the Nurses station. "Did you sign the consent form for surgery?" She asked him.

"If it was in there…I signed it." He told her.

"She’s in surgery now…It’ll be a while before we know anything." She told him. "We had to pack her in ice for a few minutes to get her fever down along with some medication in her IV…The Doctor will speak to you when it’s over."

"I’ll be right here." He told her and then made his way back to sit with Hutch…"You were right…It’s gonna be a long night.’ He said as he reached into his pocket for some change. "Want some more coffee?"

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