Where are you David Starsky?
By Tooki
written 2004
CHAPTER ONE
She saw the man staggering along the roadside, at first she though that he was drunk but as she got closer she could see the blood running down his face and a rip in his shirt. Tessa Anderson debated if she should pull over and see if the man needed help, he looked harmless enough but these days you never knew. She drove past staring at him in her rear view mirror, that was when he fell into the gravel. She slammed on her breaks and backed up, he was still laying on the ground as she came around the car.
“Mister you need a ride some place?” She asked.
The head full of dark curls only groaned in response.
Tessa opened the back door of her car, “Come on get in.” She helped the man into the back of her car and slammed the door, “What are you doing Tessa?” she said out loud to her self.
Ken Hutchinson awoke from a drug-induced sleep; he squinted at the clock but couldn’t make out the time. His partner had ordered him to bed the day before; the flu was whipping his ass. He had argued as they were suppose to make a court appearance in San Diego but Starsky had insisted that he could handle it, as only one of them needed to testify.
Hutch shook his head trying to clear his thoughts. Starsky had also insisted in pumping him full of cold medicine and making him promise that he would keep taking it until he felt better. Hutch finally sat up in bed and picked up the clock so that he could make out the numbers. It read seven, morning or evening Hutch wondered, as the light in the room was no indication.
He forced himself to get on his feet. Hutch walked into the living room half expecting to see Starsky sprawled on his couch. When he wasn’t Hutch went into the kitchen to make himself some hot tea. As the water was boiling he wandered back into the living room and flipped the TV on and sat down to wait. It was definitely seven in the evening as the nightly game shows blared at him. Hutch’s brow furrowed, Starsky should be back by now. He reached for the phone and quickly dialed the number he knew by heart. It rang a dozen times before Hutch hung up.
The teapot in the kitchen signaled that the water was boiling so Hutch made his way in to the kitchen to fix his cup of tea. He grabbed a few crackers from the cabinet as he went back to the living room with his tea. Hutch wondered if his fever had broken, when Starsky had taken it that morning before he left it had been 102. He thought about going into the bathroom to get the thermometer but he was just too tired. Hutch leaned his head back on the couch and closed his eyes; he couldn’t ever remember feeling this bad before.
Tessa kept glancing in the back seat through her rearview mirror but the man hadn’t moved since she had hoisted him in. She had been on her way home from San Diego where she was in her second year of college. Tessa was traveling Highway 15 to Barstow where she lived with her mother. But her mother was back east visiting her aunt; Tessa was looking forward to having the house to her self. She had been just outside Los Angeles when she had seen him walking. Now she was doubly glad that her mother wouldn’t be there, she would have a fit to know that her daughter had picked up a strange man walking down the highway.
She smiled and settled in to finish her drive home, the man looked like he would probably be out for the rest of the trip. Tessa wasn’t sure what she would do once she arrived home with him.
Tessa was almost to Barstow when she decided that she was hungry and decided to stop at a burger joint for some food. She leaned over the back of the seat, “Mister you awake?” There was no answer, just the sound of his steady breathing. That was good she guessed. She was an art major not a medical student.
Once in the restaurant Tessa ordered two of everything just in case he woke up and was hungry. The man was still out cold when she climbed in with a big bag of burgers and fries. She wondered if perhaps she should get him some medical treatment but then how would she explain where he came from and why she just stuck him in her car and drove for miles before getting help? Her mother always told her she had no common sense when it came to everyday things.
The next time Hutch stirred it was nearly seven in the morning, he fever had broken during the night and he was feeling a little better but was stiff from sleeping on the couch where he had finally curled up. His cup of tea had gone cold and his crackers uneaten. The morning news was on the television, “Starsky?” he called out to his empty apartment. Where was his partner? Surely he would have at least come and checked on him when got back. Maybe the trial had run longer but it was an open and shut case, Starsky should have been back early afternoon the day before.
Hutch picked up the phone again and dialed his partner’s number but again there was still no answer.
Hutch hung up and then dialed Dobey’s office, “Dobey.” His Captain answered on the other end.
“Cap its Hutch.” The detective croaked into the phone.
“You sound awful Hutchinson.” Dobey said.
“Thanks Cap,” Hutch answered, “Starsky there?”
“Starsky? He isn’t there with you?” Dobey asked surprised.
“No I haven’t seen him since yesterday morning before he left for San Diego.” Hutch said.
Dobey hadn’t been concerned when he hadn’t heard from Starsky figuring he had gone to take care of Hutch. “Have you called him at home.”
“Before I called you.” Hutch said a feeling of dread was washing over him. This was not like Starsky especially since Hutch was sick Starsky would be there by his side bustling over him like a mother hen.
“I’ll try to raise him on the radio,” Dobey told the sick Hutch. “I’ll get back to you.”
“Ok Cap, I’ll give Huggy a call and see if he has heard from Starsk.” Hutch said. He got up from the couch he needed to clear his head before he went any further so he headed to the bathroom and a hot shower.
Emerging from the shower Hutch felt almost human again, he wrapped his robe tightly around him so that he wouldn’t get a chill and went to phone Huggy Bear.
Huggy Bear was sound asleep when the phone rang, he grumbled as he opened one eye to look at the time. “This better be good. Yeah.”
“Hey Huggy sorry to wake you but have you heard from Starsk?” Hutch asked hopefully.
“You wake me up at eight in the morning to ask if your partner is here?” Huggy asked incredulously. “What would he be doing here at this time of morning?”
Hutch could tell that Huggy was angry, “Sorry man I just haven’t heard from him since early yesterday morning. He had a court date in San Diego. He hasn’t checked in with Dobey either.”
“He is most likely hold up with one of his lovely’s,” Huggy suggested. “Can I go back to sleep now?”
“Sure Hug sorry, you are probably right.” Hutch said as he hung up. But he didn’t think that Starsky would not come by to check up on him. Maybe he had been there and just didn’t want to disturb him. That didn’t fly with Hutch either; Starsky wouldn’t leave him alone with him that sick. He was out of excuses; his next thought was that something had happened to his partner.
CHAPTER TWO
When Tessa arrived home the man was still unconscious in the back seat. How was she going to get him into the house, it had been all she could do to get him into the car and he had been awake then.
“Mister?” Tessa poked him in the shoulder he stirred. “Come on you need to wake up you can’t sleep out here in the car.”
His eyelids fluttered open to reveal beautiful blue eyes. “My head hurts,” he muttered.
“Come on,” she said gently grabbing his arm, “Let’s get you inside and I’ll take a look at that cut on your forehead.”
It took him a few moments to sit up and slide his legs out of the car, then Tessa grabbed his arm helping him stand. The pair made it slowly to a small one-story house that had ivy growing over the front of it. She leaned him up against the side of the house as she pulled out her key and opened the door.
Tessa guided him into the living room and on to the couch. Tossing her keys and purse in a near by chair she went to the bathroom for the first aid kit. He winched as she tried to clean the cut. “You might need stitches it looks pretty deep.” She sat back on her heels when she had the blood cleaned off his face and asked, “Hey what’s your name.”
He furrowed his brow partly from the pain and partly because he had no idea. “I…I don’t remember.”
“You don’t know your name?” Tessa wrinkled her nose up, it made him smile in spite of the pain he was in. He might not know his name but he knew a cute girl when he saw one. “I guess you really got a bang on your head. Were you in a car wreck?”
He shrugged, “I’m really not sure.”
Tessa put a couple of butterfly band aids on his forehead to close the gap, her mother who was a nurse had pilfered them from work. “Let’s take a look at your arm.” She ripped the already torn shirt to reveal another nasty cut. Once she had that bandaged up she asked. “How about a wallet that might help.”
He reached into his back pocket but there was nothing. “Maybe I was robbed.”
“You can stay here at least until I have to go back to school if you want. Then I can take you back that way.” Tessa offered.
Detective David Starsky smiled at her, “Thanks.”
It was nearing noon when Hutch walked in to Dobey’s office. Dobey had called early to let him know that he couldn’t raise Starsky on the radio.
“Anything?” Dobey questioned as the detective walked in to the room.
“Nothing, it’s like he has vanished. I went over to his apartment he hasn’t been there. I don’t know what to think.” Hutch said sitting down in front of Dobey’s desk. His head was pounding and he thought that his temperature might be returning but none of that mattered now.
“I call Detective Brent in San Diego, he said that Starsky was there and testified. After court Brent tried to get Starsky to have lunch but he told him that he had to get back because you were sick.” Dobey looked worried. “I’m going to put out an A.P. B. on him, maybe he had car trouble.”
“I’m sure he would have called by now if it was just car trouble Cap. Something has happened to him.”
“Come on son, let’s not think the worse,” Dobey tried to reassure his detective but he feared that Hutch was right.
“Here put this on,” Tessa handed Starsky a t-shirt. “It was my dad’s before he moved out.” He slipped out of his bloody torn dress shirt and slipped the t-shirt over his head. “Now what do we call you?”
Starsky shrugged, “I can’t remember my name, what’s your favorite name?”
Tessa thought a moment then smiled, “Sam! I’ll call you Sam, how about that?”
“I guess it’s better than hey you.” He grinned at her. “Where did you find me?”
Tessa quickly explained how she had found him walking down the side of highway 15. “You weren’t close to any exits and I didn’t see a car.”
“Thanks for picking me up ah ah…” He suddenly realized that he didn’t know her name.
“Tessa, Tessa Anderson.” She said as she stuck her hand out.
Starsky took it kissing the back of her hand. “Thank you Tessa for rescuing me.”
“Hey anytime,” She grinned at him. "You hungry? I got you a burger and some fries just before we got to town, want them?”
“Sure sounds good. By the way were are we?” He asked.
“Barstow,” Tessa answered as she handed him what was left in the bag. “I’ll get you something to drink.”
Starsky dug into the burger wondering how long it had been since he had eaten, he was starved. How long had he been walking down the road, did he have a car, friends and family that were looking for him? He wanted to call somebody but whom? Where had he been, he was dressed nicely what did he do for a living? All the thoughts were making his head pound even worse. “Hey Tessa do you have any aspirin?”
Hutch prowled around his partners abandoned car. It had been found in a ditch crashed into a tree the highway patrol had called Dobey’s office when they heard about the missing cop.
There was no way that Starsky would just leave his car. His dress jacket was tossed over the passengers side seat; Hutch pulled it out through the window. He found Starsky’s wallet in the inside breast pocket. It made sense that his partner would strip off his jacket first thing as he got into the car he hated being dressed up. Hutch then opened the door and slid into the car, he opened the glove compartment. Starsky’s gun was in there.
Hutch glanced over to the drivers side; his heart stopped there was blood on the steering wheel, had Starsky banged his head when he had hit the tree? The detective looked for other signs of blood put found none. It was clear that his partner had been hurt, maybe somebody had picked him up and taken him to the hospital but why hadn’t he called to let them know he was okay. Maybe he was hurt badly and couldn’t, he had no ID, nothing to tell anybody who he was.
“Tow his car to the police garage,” Hutch told the truck driver and gave him the address.
“Now what?” the Highway Patrolman that had called in the wreck asked the detective.
“I guess I start calling every hospital around.” Hutch answered.
“You can do it from our headquarters if you want, we are only a few miles up the road.” The patrolman suggested.
“Thanks, “ Hutch said as he got into this car.
An hour later Hutch knew nothing more, no body matching his partner’s description had been checked into any of the surrounding hospitals. He knocked on the captain’s door, “Come in.”
“Captain Moran,” Hutch said to the man behind the desk. “I need your help. Since my partner has not turned up at any hospitals I can only assume that maybe he has wondered off the road could you possibly put a search team together?”
The Captain nodded. “I understand you have his jacket?”
“Yes it was left in his car.”
“Good I’ll call out the search dogs.”
CHAPTER THREE
Tessa came into the spare bedroom where she had put Starsky the night before. “Wake up sleepy head.” She called softly. “Breakfast is ready.” Starsky’s eyes popped open and he looked around not knowing where he was at first. His head still hurt but not as severely as it had the day before. “Tessa?”
“Yep it’s me, come on your eggs are getting cold.” She said in a cheery voice. “You do like eggs don’t you?”
He sat up, “I don’t remember.”
Starsky found he indeed did like eggs as well as the bacon that Tessa put before him. “This is good.” He complimented her.
“Thanks, probably the only useful thing my mom taught me how to do,” Tessa quipped. “So do you want to go to a doctor? I have a friend that works at a doctor’s office. I could probably get you in.”
“No I think I’m okay…well except for my memory and I don’t think a doctor could help with that,” Starsky somehow remembered that he didn’t like doctors.
“When you are done eating I’ll get you more of my dad’s clothes, you guys look about the same size.” Tessa smiled at him.
After breakfast Starsky was going through the clothes that Tessa had laid out for him, he had his shirt off as Tessa waked through the door, she gasped, “Are those old bullet wounds?”
Starsky stepped in front of the mirror to see what she was talking about. “I really don’t know but it looks like it.”
Tessa squinted at him teasingly, “You aren’t some kind of a criminal are you?”
“No I don’t think so. This is driving me nuts. How can I not remember who I am?”
“You must have gotten hit pretty hard on the head,” Tessa said looking at the bandage, “Maybe I should call my friend.” Starsky shrugged, going to the doctor couldn’t hurt.
With in an hour Starsky was sitting in the waiting room of a doctor’s office with Tessa. Starsky was filling out a form the nurse had given them when they entered with out much success. He had ‘Sam’ written where it said name and not much else. He was able to put down his injuries though; he sat with the pen poised over the paper just in case he remembered something.
Tessa put her hand over his, “It’s okay Sam.” She could tell he was stressing over not being able to fill out the form.
Finally they were ushered in the examining room, Tessa was going to wait in the outer office but Starsky grabbed her hand wanting her to come in with him. The doctor entered the room only moments later. “I’m Doctor Simons but you can call me Doc Greg everybody else does. So what is the trouble…Sam?” He asked looking down at the form Starsky filled out then gave ‘Sam’ a curious look.
“Ah..uh,” Starsky stammered.
“Doc Greg I found him walking along the road he doesn’t remember who he is.” Tessa explained.
“I see, well why don’t we check you out Sam and see what’s what.” Doc Greg said, he turned to Tessa, “Why don’t you wait outside.
She looked at Starsky who nodded. “I’ll be in the waiting room if you need me.”
It was nearly an hour before Starsky came out of the examining room, he had a piece of paper in his hand with a prescription for some antibiotics to kill any infection that could have been cause by the cuts. He had a white bandage on his head with a couple of very neat stitches underneath. The doctor told him he had a mild concussion and most likely his memory would return when it had healed. “Thanks,” Starsky said as he shook the doctors hand.
“If you need anything just give me a call.”
“Feel better?” Tessa asked as they stepped out into the bright sunshine. It was a perfect fall day. “I think we should take a trip over the police station to see if somebody is missing you.”
Starsky nodded, “Good idea.”
As they were on the way to the local police station they passed a park where a carnival was going on. “Feel up to it,” Tessa asked pointing toward the tents.
“Sure as long as you don’t ask me to ride anything.”
Tessa giggled, “I promise.”
They walked among the brightly colored game tents, kids were trying their best to win stuff animals or posters of their favorite celebrity. They had to do anything from tossing a penny on a glass plate to shooting the bull’s eye in a target.
Tessa grabbed Starsky’s arm, “Win me something.”
“That is the least I can do for you.”
“Which game?” Tessa asked as she pulled some ones from her purse.
“That one.” Starsky said pointing to the shooting game.
“Ok that one it is,” Tessa handed the man running the game some money.
Starsky picked up the gun, as he was about to squeeze the trigger he had a flash of somebody shooting at him and he was returning fire. He stood there frozen until Tessa put her hand on his shoulder. Starsky jumped and looked down at her; he shook the thought from his head and aimed at the target. He hit a perfect bull’s eye with the first shot. Tessa squealed and jumped up and down. Every shot was perfect, the man running the game gave them the pick of any animal he had. But Tessa by passed all the large animals and chose a small white dog with a brown nose.
“I think I’ll call him Sam to remind me of this day.” Tessa smiled at Starsky then stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.
Before he realized it he had put his arms around her and kissed her back. He pulled away and looked down into her face, “Just how old are you Tessa?”
She smiled at him, “Twenty.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m older than twenty.”
She looped her arm though his, “Ask me if I care. I like you.”
“But Tessa you don’t know anything about me.” Starsky said as they walked toward the car.
“You are a good person, I can tell. Just because you can’t remember your name doesn’t change your personality.”
After hours of fruitless searching the dogs were called off. Hutch tired, dirty and hungry finally had to admit that his partner was nowhere around. Which meant he had been picked up by somebody and taken where? He had covered every possible place a hurt person could have been taken too. Maybe this was all more sinister, maybe Starsky had been followed by a criminal they had put away, ran him off the road, kidnapped him and done god knows what to his partner. Hutch closed his eyes trying to get a hold of his emotions.
“Why don’t you go home and get some rest Detective Hutchinson,” Captain Moran suggested. “I will call if anything turns up.
Defeated Hutch nodded in agreement. “No matter what time it is.”
“I promise now go get something to eat and get some sleep. You aren’t doing your partner any good like this.”
Hutch opened the door to his apartment hoping that Starsky would be sitting on his couch obvious to what had been going on all day long and into the night. He tried Starsky’s apartment one more time, it was possible that his partner had just slipped by him. It was wishful stupid hopefulness.
As Hutch lay down in his bed, his temperature back with a vengeance he couldn’t stop playing out scenarios that could have happened to Starsky for all he knew his partner was dead somewhere. Finally Hutch drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
CHAPTER FOUR
Again more paper work, Starsky stared at the form the desk Sergeant had given him at the police station. He had an odd feeling of familiarity when he had walked into the station as if he some how belonged there. How was he supposed to fill the form out when he had no idea what to say? He surely couldn’t put ‘Sam’ on this one for he knew that wasn’t his real name or at least he didn’t think so.
Tessa rapped on the desk to get the Sergeants attention. “Excuse me sir but we really need some help here.”
“Listen Miss is this an emergency?” the Sergeant asked.
“Well not exactly.”
“Then just fill out the paper work. I have my hands full right now, there was a big wreck and most of my men are out on duty. Fill the paper out put it on the desk and I’ll get to it.”
Tessa sighed, she took the paper from Starsky filled in the top with her name and address wrote that she had found a man wandering along the highway, where she picked him up and a brief description of ‘Sam’. Then she slapped the paper down on the desk. “Let’s get out of here. I never liked cops away.”
The Sergeant glared at the pair as they left hearing her comment. He picked up the form and tossed it into a basket on his desk. The paper missed and fluttered to the floor.
Hutch woke up with the sweats his whole bed was soaked. He felt cooler and hoped that his fever had broken for good. First thing he did was picked up the phone and dial Starsky’s number.
To his shocked he heard it being picked up. “Hello?” It was a female voice.
“Sara?” Hutch asked disappointed that it wasn’t his partner.
“Yeah, that you Hutch?” Sara asked. “Where they hell is Dave, we had a date last night. I was supposed to meet him at the restaurant but he never showed. I came over this morning to see what was going on. He never misses a date.”
“Yeah creature of habit.” Hutch said under his breath.
“What?”
“Nothing. I hate to tell you this Sara but it looks like he is missing. He hasn’t been heard from since he went to court day before yesterday. I have been out looking for him.”
“Oh my God Hutch,” She said tears forming in her eyes. “Shit I have to fly out in a couple of hours. Call the airline so they can get a message to me if you hear anything.”
“Sure thing Sara.” A disappointed Hutch hung up the phone.
When Hutch arrived at work he found a reporter sitting in Dobey’s office. Reporters often were not their friends reporting information that they rather not have reported.
But this reporter was there to help, Jennifer Landstrum was an ace reporter she had jumped on the news of a missing cop. She had been rather surprised when she had been ushered in to the missing cops Captain’s office; generally she was ushered out the front door.
Dobey waved Hutch in to his office when he saw him standing in the doorway. “Hutch this is Miss Landstrum, she is interested in doing a story on Starsky.”
“Miss Landstrum,” Hutch said only to be polite, he was in no mood for a fluff piece about his missing partner. “Cap I think we need to get Starsky’s picture out there, somebody has had to seen something.”
“That is what I’m here for Detective Hutch,” she said knowing that she had been dismissed by the officer.
“Just Hutch okay lady? And I’m not in the mood for this.”
“Listen…Hutch,” She stood up glaring at him. “I’m here to help find your missing partner not write about dating habits of cops or what ever it is you think I’m doing here. I don’t write those fluff pieces that I’m sure you are thinking about. I would like to help you find your partner if you will let me.”
“Then what are we still doing here?” Hutch said as he turned on his heel and walked out of Dobey’s office.
Jennifer watched Hutch leave then looked at Dobey. “If you want your story I suggest that you catch up with him.” After the reporter left Dobey just shook his head with a small grin on his face.
She finally caught up with Hutch out in the hall he was angrily jabbing at the elevator button. “Det….Hutch, I’m not the enemy here I really would like to help you.” Jennifer said. Then she blurted out, “My father was a police officer.”
Hutch stopped jabbing the button and turned to look at her. “What happened to him?”
“What makes you think anything happened to him?”
“You seem like you are on a mission,” Hutch said getting into the elevator when the doors finally slid open.
He held the door for her, Jennifer stepped in, “Ok you got me, when I was fifteen my dad disappeared while he was on the job, his body was never recovered and we never knew what really happened to him. I have had to live with that my whole life. You want to know anything else about me before you let me help?”
“You married?”
Jennifer ignored the question. “When was the last time you saw your partner?”
“Not here.”
Hutch took the female reporter to Huggy’s, where the barkeeper was eager to hear news on one of his favorite cops. “This is Jennifer Landstrum a reporter. Jennifer, Huggy Bear.”
“Huggy Bear, colorful,” she said smiling at him.
“Reporter uh? That desperate?” Huggy cocked his eyebrow at Hutch; he knew how they felt about reporters.
Jennifer sighed. “You know we aren’t all bad.”
“The ones I have come in contact with are,” Hutch said leading her to a booth. “Just because your daddy was cop doesn’t automatically give you an in.”
“FINE, I’m tired of being insulted because I offered my services.” Jennifer stood up to leave.
“Hey I’m sorry. Please sit,” Hutch said giving her a weak smile. “You have got to understand this is my partner that is missing, it’s like cutting off my leg not to have him around.”
“Ok I got it you have had a rough couple of days and you look like hell too.” Jennifer said noticing that he was beginning to sweat.
“I just can’t seem to shake this flu.” Hutch said wiping his brow.
“Now how about we get down to the business of finding your partner?”
“So now what?” Starsky looked at Tessa.
“I guess you stick with me until somebody claims you or you remember.” She smiled then she poked at him. “If nobody comes to claim you do I get to keep you?”
He grinned at her, “I might let you keep me anyway.”
She put her arm around his waist and he slung his arm around her shoulders. “How about some lunch?”
“I hate that you have to keep paying my way.” Starsky frowned.
“Don’t worry about it you can always pay me back if you want. So what’s your favorite food?”
He thought a moment then said, “Taco’s.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Hutch looked at the evening paper, a large photo of Starsky was on the front page, Jennifer had pulled a few strings and gotten it on there. She had also got him an interview on one of the morning news shows to talk about his missing partner.
“Maybe the wire service will pick it up,” Jennifer said as she watched Hutch read the article. After lunch and her deadline Hutch had asked Jennifer out for dinner, to make up for being such a jerk. Now she was sitting comfortably on his couch with her shoes off and her feet propped on his coffee table.
“Good article,” Hutch commented.
“See we aren’t all devils from hell,” she laughed. “So now we wait.”
“This will bring the nuts out of the wood work but maybe if we are lucky there will be one good call in there.”
“I really hope you find your partner.” Jennifer said looking wistful; this had brought back a lot of painful memories.
“And I’m sorry about your dad, that must have been hard. It’s bad enough to lose somebody but then to never know what has happened must be very hard.”
“It was, I hadn’t realized how much I wasn’t over until I heard about Starsky on the scanner. I knew I had to do something to help.” Jennifer looked at Hutch her eyes filled with the pain of the past.
“I’m glad you showed up. And stuck with me I wasn’t being very nice to you.” Hutch admitted.
She smiled, “Hey I’m a reporter I’m use to it. I have been cussed out, spit on, even shot at once.”
“Sounds like being a cop.”
“You know I wanted to be a cop when I younger.”
“I bet you would have made a good cop.” Hutch smiled at her.
Tessa awoke during the night to Starsky yelling in his sleep. She padded into the spare room to see him thrashing around in his sleep. Now he was mumbling and she could scarcely hear him.
“Zebra Three come in,” he mumbled. “Hutch where are you?”
“Sam?” Tessa shook Starsky gently.
Starsky’s eyes popped open and he sat up. He was breathing rapidly as if he had been running. It took him several minutes before he could speak but finally after he got his bearings he asked, “Was I talking in my sleep?”
“More like yelling,” Tessa said snapping on the light next to the bed. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, what was I yelling?” he asked.
“I’m not sure but when I came in you were saying something about zebras and a hutch.”
Starsky frowned. “That doesn’t make much sense does it?”
Tessa shook her head and smiled. “Why don’t you try to get some more sleep?”
He nodded, as she started out of the room he called to Tessa, “If I’m not being too forward would you…ah…ah.”
Tessa smiled and crawled into bed next to him. “I guess if you were an ax murderer you would have already killed me.”
“Thanks,” Starsky said as Tessa snuggled next to him. He tried to close his yes but the words zebra 3 and Hutch kept nagging at him. What did those words mean? Did he work at a zoo? Or maybe it was just a weird dream; he wished he could remember it. His head started to throb he was thinking so hard. He wondered how long it would be until he got his memory back.
“You look great Detective Hutchinson,” the morning show hostess said as the make up artist put the finishing touches on him. Hutch had on a corduroy jacket and dress pants, he hadn’t been thrilled when the woman came at him with power. She explained that it was to cut down on any glare from his face.
“Ok in five, four, three, two…” the director signed the hostess.
“Good Morning we are back with Detective Ken Hutchinson with the Bay City Police Department. He has a special request for all our views out there.” Cammy Jenkins smiled at Hutch.
“Thank you Cammy. My partner Detective David Starsky has been missing for three days. His car was found wrecked along side Highway 15 just out side L.A.” Hutch held up a photo of Starsky. “If any body has seen this man please call 555-2435.”
Cammy asked Hutch a few more questions then they were out for a commercial break, “I sure hope you find your partner Detective,” She said. “We will run this segment on the noon news, evening news and the late night additions.”
“Thank you so much for doing this,” Hutch said standing and shaking her hand.
Tessa flipped on the TV in the kitchen as she was fixing breakfast. “What do you feel like this morning?” She called to Starsky.
“I don’t care what ever is easy.” He called back. Starsky was a bit out of sorts, he hadn’t really gotten back to sleep and his head was still aching.
Tessa pulled the eggs out of the refrigerator and began cracking them into a bowl to make scrambled eggs. The morning show was just coming on. Cammy Jenkins appeared on the screen smiling her usual smile. “I’m going to make scrambled you like cheese in them?”
“Sure,” Starsky said listlessly.
“What?” Tessa turned down the sound on the TV. As she was waiting for her houseguest to answer her, she saw a blonde headed man appear on the screen. Just as Starsky’s photo was shown she walked out of the kitchen to see why he hadn’t answered. Tessa found Starsky sitting on the couch. “Are you alright?”
Starsky was sitting on the edge of the couch as if he were concentrating on something he looked up startled. “Yeah sure, I just remember something from my dream.”
She sat down next to him. “What was it?”
“I was being chase, someone was shooting at me.” Starsky looked worried, “Maybe I am a criminal.”
Tessa tilted her head back and laughed. “You don’t have a mean bone in your body.”
“Do you get the newspaper?” Starsky asked.
“Mom stops it when she goes out of town. I’m not much of a paper reader I guess I should be.” Tessa said, “I could go down to the corner and get you one if you want.”
“That’s ok,” he smiled at her.
“I better get back to making breakfast.” Tessa went back into the kitchen; she turned up the TV before she began on the eggs again. The blonde man was still on announcing a number.
“Any leads?”
Hutch looked up from a pile of messages on his desk. Jennifer Landstrum was standing there. He held up several of the phone notes, “Quite a few confessions that they killed Starsky.” Jennifer looked startled. “It’s the same bunch of crackpots that confess to every crime that happens in the city.”
“You will follow them up though?” Jennifer asked a look of concern on her face.
“Every last one of them.” Hutch said grimly. “But there is nothing that sounds solid.”
“I’m really sorry,” Jennifer sat down in a chair next to Hutch’s desk. “I wish there was more that I could do.”
“You have done a lot, got Starsk’s name out there quicker than I could have.” Hutch gave her a weak smile.
She reached over and put her hand over his, “You don’t think there is a possibility that he just took off?”
Hutch moved his hand from under hers and started at Jennifer. “You mean just skipped town? Why would he do that?”
“Who knows stranger things have happened.”
“Not Starsky, that is not even an option.” Hutch started going through the message slips again. “Number one he would never leave his car, number two he wouldn’t leave me like that.”
CHAPTER SIX
Hutch stood in the spot where Starsky’s car had been found; it had been exactly one week since he had disappeared. There had been no leads and the story of the missing cop had slipped from the front page of the newspaper to being hidden some where in the local section. Hutch knew it wouldn’t be long before it vanished from print all together. He had been on another stations morning shows; nothing had come of that either. The most interesting interview he did was a man that said that he saw Starsky in an alien spaceship that he had been in.
He was beginning to wonder if Jennifer was right, perhaps Starsky did just walk away from his life. Their job was a hard one and it was difficult to take some days. Hutch could understand Starsky walking away from the job but not from him not from the their friendship. But he was starting to come to the realization that could be what had happened. It was better than thinking his partner was dead.
Starsky and Tessa sat on a blanket they had spread on the grass in a near by park. They were having a picnic lunch as they did every day. “I have to go back to school in a week ya know.” Tessa told him.
“I know what am I going to do if I can’t remember who I am by then?” Starsky asked. The headaches had stopped and the doctor had given him a clean bill of health. Starsky was starting to wonder if something had happened to him and he didn’t want to remember his life before Tessa. He did know one thing; he was falling in love with Tessa. She kind and patient, laughed at his silly jokes, took good care of him never pressing him to remember his past.
“Come back with me.” Tessa leaned over and put her head on his shoulder. “I share a house with some friends but we could get a place of our own if want.”
“Are you serious?” Starsky kissed her gently on the lips.
“I sure can’t leave you here to live with my mom.” Tessa teased.
They were sitting there talking when a man walked by he was watching them, suddenly he stopped and came back to stand in front of them. “Starsky? Dave Starsky? How the heck you been man?” Roger Morse put his hands on his hips as he looked down at the couple.
Starsky looked up at him confused, “Do I know you?”
“Roger…Roger Morse we were in the academy together, remember you and Hutch and I used to hit the bars after classes.”
“I’m sorry I think you got the wrong guy.” Starsky said, he started packing up the picnic basket.
“No, no come on Dave I would remember you anywhere.” Roger was even more persistent.
Starsky stood pulled Tessa to her feet then picked up the blanket they were sitting on. “You got the wrong guy.” He tugged Tessa across the grass leaving Roger to stare after them.
“Are you him?”
“Who?”
“This Dave Starsky that the guy thought you were?” Tessa stopped walking and turned around to see if the man was still there but he was gone. “You should have talked to him, he seems to know you.”
“Everybody has a double.” Starsky answered pulling her along with him.
“Will you stop?” Tessa dropped his hand. “Don’t you want to find out who you are?”
He stopped his shoulders dropping, “I like who I am with you. What if I find out I’m some awful person?”
“He was talking about he knew you from the academy, what kind of academy? And he said you and Hutch; you were talking about Hutch in your sleep. It must be somebody you know.”
Starsky sighed, “I remember how I got onto the road.”
Tessa was angry with him for the first time since they had met. “And you didn’t tell me?”
“I’m sorry, I’m starting to remember a lot of things actually.” Starsky looked up at her.
“So why were you walking down the highway like that?”
“Swerved to miss a dog I ran off the road, wreck my car. I guess I must have hit my head on the steering wheel pretty good, I really don’t remember much after than…not until you.”
“You have to have people looking for you. Hell you could be married for all you know have kids. There is at least this Hutch out there that must be looking for you.”
Starsky held up his left hand, “No ring.”
“That doesn’t mean a thing and you know it. Stop being so flip about this.” Tessa told him.
He grabbed her hand pulling her toward him. “Tessa I like you a lot.”
She sighed, “What does that have to do with anything? Can’t you still like me when you have your life back?”
“I don’t know can I?” Starsky asked stepping away.
“Just what else have you remembered?” Tessa asked squinting at him.
“I’m pretty sure I’m a cop.” He answered. “I have been putting a lot of my dreams together along with some flashes I get.”
“I think we need to go to Los Angeles mostly that is where you are from.”
“Just because that is where I wrecked my car?”
“You really don’t want to find out who you are do you?”
Starsky shrugged, “I can’t image my life being much better than this.”
“But this isn’t real,” Tessa said. “Do you remember anything else?”
“Well in a lot of my dreams I’m with this blonde guy.”
“Hutch?”
“Probably.”
Hutch was sitting at his desk; it had been hard trying to get back into the swing of things since Starsky had disappeared. Dobey told him earlier in the day that he needed to get on with his life. He was just getting up to leave when the phone started to ring. He continued putting on his jacket and wasn’t going to answer it but at the last moment grabbed the receiver. “Hutchinson.”
“Hutch that you?”
“Yes who is this?”
“Roger Morse remember me from the academy?”
“Sure Roger how the hell are you?” Hutch asked. It had been years since he had seen or heard from Roger.
“Good, good. Got out of the police business just didn’t have the stomach for it.” Roger said on the other end. “You hung in there uh?”
“Yeah,” Hutch said unhappily.
“I was calling about Starsky.”
Hutch felt like a knife went pierced his heart. “Roger….”
“I saw him.”
“You what?”
“Yeah I was in Barstow yesterday I ran into him a park having lunch with a girl. He acted like he didn’t know I was. Then when I got back to town today I was reading my back log of newspapers and saw that he was missing.” Roger explained. “So I thought I would give you a call.”
“Thank you so much Roger,” Hutch said excitedly. “Do you know what park you saw him in?”
There was silence on the other end for a few minutes. “No sorry.”
“I’ll find him.” Hutch hung up the phone. Hutch immediately went into Dobey’s office. “Cap I have a lead on Starsk.”
Hutch quickly explained his phone call. “What are you still doing here?” Dobey wanted to know.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Hutch stood in front of the Sergeant’s desk at the Barstow police department he was armed with a photo of Starsky. “I am looking for this man.” He said holding up the photo with his other hand he shoved his ID across the desk.
“What is he wanted for?” the Sergeant asked first looking at Hutch’s ID then taking the photo.
“He is my partner and has been missing for a week. I was told that he had been spotted here.” Hutch answered.
“I can make copies and hand them out to my men,” he offered.
“I would appreciate that,” Hutch said.
Hutch stepped out on the sidewalk in front of the station and looked around. He didn’t know where to start but he did know that he wasn’t leaving without his partner. He couldn’t understand why Starsky hadn’t contacted him. He couldn’t be hurt if he had been seen having a picnic in a park. So what was the reason that his friend and partner hadn’t seen fit to call him?
Suddenly Hutch was angry, how could Starsky do this to him? He kicked at an empty foam cup that blew up against his foot. He was going to find him then beat the shit out of him. He couldn’t ever remember being this mad at his friend. They had their differences in the past but had always worked through them but this was a betrayal.
Starsky sat in a lawn chair out in the front yard of Tessa’s house. She had still been mad when they reached her house. The ride there had been silent, he was having a hard time expressing to her what he was feeling for he didn’t know him self. He did want to remember and was remembering more all the time. But his name still escaped him, as did the name of the man in his dream, although the name ‘Hutch’ seemed to fit.
“Thirsty?”
He looked up Tessa was standing next to him with two glasses of lemonade. He took the glass, “Thanks.”
She sat down on the ground next to his chair. “Look Sam, I’m not trying to get rid of you or what ever you might be thinking. You just need to know who you are.”
“Why Sam?”
“What?” Tessa asked confused.
“Why did you pick the name Sam to call me?” Starsky looked down at her.
“Favorite character in my favorite book.” Tessa had to grin.
“I see.” Starsky took a drink. “If you think that maybe I live in L.A. then lets go.”
“Really?” Tessa said. “But where should we start?”
“Police station I guess, see if I have been reported missing.” Starsky answered.
“First thing in the morning uh? Tessa said getting up.
“First thing.”
That night his dreams were back with a vengeance, he was back in the alley with a man chasing him, shooting at him. He was yelling for Hutch again. But this time for the first time he heard a voice call back to him. “It’s going to be okay Starsky.”
Starsky sat up in bed, was that really his name? Starsky?
Hutch was sitting in his car looking at a map to see where the parks in the city were when there was a knock on the window. He rolled it down to find a police officer standing there with a form in his hand. “I thought you might find this interesting.”
Hutch took the paper and read it, “This sounds like it could be my partner.”
“It got missed filed,” the officer said, he didn’t tell Hutch it had been found on the floor only the day before.
“Could you tell me where this is?” Hutch asked pointing to the address at the top.
“Sure thing.” The officer gave Hutch directions then said, “Hope it’s your partner.
Following the directions Hutch reached his destination with in fifteen minutes. He sat out side the house wondering if this was indeed Starsky what he was going to say to him. Finally he got out of the car and slowly walked up the sidewalk. He stood at the door for several minutes before he at last knocked. When the door opened he was face to face with his partner.
“Who is it Sam?” Tessa called from the bedroom where she was getting dress for the trip to L.A.
Starsky stood staring at the man as if he had seen a ghost; it was the man in his dreams.
“Sam?” Hutch asked incredulously, “Is that what you are calling yourself these days?”
“Can I help you?” Tessa asked opening the door wider so that she could see who was there. She had been concerned when Starsky hadn’t answered her.
“I’m Detective Hutchinson,” Hutch answered. “I’m looking for my missing partner.”
“Hutch?” Tessa asked then she turned and looked at Starsky. “Is this the Hutch in your dreams?”
“What is going on here? Starsky?” Hutch was annoyed.
“Please come in Detective,” Tessa stepping aside so that Hutch could enter.
Starsky started at him, watching his every move. Without taking his eyes from Hutch, Starsky sat down in a chair across from where Hutch sat down on the couch.
“Detective Hutchinson,” Tessa addressed him. “I found Sam…ah….” She wasn’t sure what to call him now since it was clear this man knew who her houseguest was. “…walking along highway 15 there was no car nothing to indicate how he got there. He passed out when I put him in my car so I brought him home with me. Detective he has lost his memory that is why we haven’t contacted you. He is just starting to remember bits and pieces now.”
The angry slid from Hutch’s face and it was replaced with concern. “I have been going out of my mind looking for you.”
“I’m sorry,” Starsky answered he was still staring at Hutch trying to remember this man that he must have a friendship with. “We are friends?”
“The best and partners have been for years buddy.”
“I’m sorry I just don’t remember but I have been having dreams. Are we cops? You said something about partner.”
“Yeah, we are Detectives.” Sorrow filled Hutch’s face as he realized this wasn’t a joke, Starsky really didn’t remember who he was. “We need to get you back and to a doctor.”
“I have seen one,” Starsky said. “Doc Greg said that it might take some time, I probably have a little swelling of the brain and that is what is stopping me from remembering.”
“Doc Greg,” Hutch murmured to himself. Then he spoke to Tessa, “Thank you for taking care of him Miss….”
“Tessa Anderson.”
“Miss Anderson, I think it’s time to get Starsky back home and have a specialist look at him.”
“Sure,” Tessa answered quietly.
“Is this what our friendship was? You making all my decisions for me? I’m not a child I just can’t remember.” Starsky snapped, “Did you think that maybe I don’t want to go back with you?”
“I just wanted…meant…uh,” Hutch stammered.
“Sam…” Tessa looked at Hutch.
“His name is Dave Starsky.”
“Dave,” Tessa put her hands on the sides of his face drawing Starsky’s attention away from Hutch to look at her.
His eyes dropped to her face and his angry expression softened. “We have been doing alright.”
She nodded, “Yes we have but now somebody from your life has found you. You should go with him.”
“Not unless you come,” he whispered they had both been talking in low voices, Hutch couldn’t hear what they were saying.
“You know I will,” Tessa put her arms around him hugging Starsky tightly, which made Hutch hike up his eyebrows. He wondered just how close these two were.
Tessa turned to Hutch, “Do you have some time? I need to pack, I told Dave I would go back with him but then I’ll have to go on to school in San Diego and I don’t want to have to come back to get my clothes.”
“Sure, no problem,” Hutch said delighted that she had gotten his partner to agree to come home.
Thirty minutes they were heading out, Starsky carrying Tessa’s suitcase, which he put in her trunk. Then he went around got into the passenger side of her car. Hutch gave him a pinched look but didn’t say anything, at least he was getting his way.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“I’m sorry Detective Hutchinson, I concur with the Doctor that your partner saw in Barstow.” Dr. Winston told Hutch and Starsky, they were sitting in the doctors office he had just finished examining Starsky. “I’m sure Detective Starsky you will regain your memory in time. There is no way to predict what the brain will do. Your x-ray’s still showed a bit of swelling but you are in no danger. This is common in a head trauma.”
“So we just have to wait?” Hutch asked.
The Doctor nodded. “You could try taking him to familiar places that might jog his memory. But the worst thing you can do is try to force things, it will only end up frustrating you and your partner.”
Hutch sighed, “Thanks Dr. Winston.”
“If you haven’t had any improvement at all Detective Starsky come see me in a week.”
“Thank you Doctor.” Starsky said
Tessa was waiting in the hall for Starsky and Hutch. “Everything alright?”
“If you can call Starsky not being able to remember anything then he is just peachy.” Hutch snapped.
Starsky grabbed his partner by the arm and whirled him around. “Listen Hutch, this is not Tessa’s fault. If it hadn’t been for her I would probably be dead. So lighten up.”
Hutch sighed and turned to look at the young woman before him. “Tessa I’m sorry. I really don’t mean to take any of this out on you. It’s just I was so worried…”
“It’s okay. I understand.”
“So do I have a place to live or do I live with you?”
For the first time Hutch smiled. “You have your own place. You want to go there?”
Starsky stood in his apartment looking around at “his” things, things that he didn’t remember. He picked up a photo of him and Hutch, they were both laughing. “We spend a lot of time together?”
“Yes, between work and free time.” Hutch said. “We go to the Pit’s a lot.”
“The Pits?”
“Yeah it’s a bar owned by a friend of ours, Huggy Bear.”
Tessa giggled, “Huggy Bear?”
Hutch hoped the name would ring a bell with Starsky but it didn’t seem too.
“I’m kind of tired,” Starsky said. “Maybe we can pick this up tomorrow…Hutch.”
“Oh sure,” Hutch said he found it hard to hide the hurt in his voice. He had been hoping they could spend the evening together talking. “Maybe you would like to come to the squad room tomorrow. There is lot of people that would be glad to see you.”
“Yeah okay,” Starsky answered.
After Hutch left, Tessa said to Starsky, “He’s trying.”
“I know but it’s just so strange, he knows me so well but I don’t remember him.” He sat down on the couch.
“Maybe tomorrow after you have had some rest this is a big step.” Tessa said sitting down next to him.
The next morning Starsky arrived at the station accompanied by Tessa. Most everyone there greeted him and said how glad they were that he was back. Starsky smiled and nodded but didn’t remember any of them. He walked over and jabbed the up button to take him to his floor with out even thinking, just as he knew right where to go when they got off the elevator. All this didn’t go unnoticed by Tessa.
Hutch was sitting at his desk when they arrived. He was a bit disappointed to see the girl with his partner. He was hoping to have some alone time with him.
“Hey Starsky!” Hutch called as they pushed open the squad room door.
“Hutch,” Starsky said as he looked around the room. So this was where he worked. He looked down at the desk where a gun in a holster was laying. “This mine?”
“Yeah,” Hutch answered.
Starsky picked up the gun, slid it out of the holstered, he looked at it the replaced it in the holstered and put it back on the desk.
A door behind them opened and Dobey stepped out. He walked over and clapped Starsky on the back. “Good to see you son!”
“This is our Captain, Harold Dobey.”
“Sir,” Starsky said extending his hand to his captain.
Dobey glanced at Hutch then shook Starsky’s hand. “Take a look around maybe it will jog that memory of yours.”
The week drug for Hutch who was trying everything he could think of to make his partner remember, he took him to lunch at Huggy’s, drove him around their beat, even met with some of seedy characters they used for snitches but nothing seemed to work.
As for Starsky every minute he didn’t spend with Hutch he was with Tessa who he was falling deeply in love with. When he had first started having feelings for her I thought it as because he was totally reliant on her but now it was different. They were in his apartment and he was taking her out.
Hutch had planned on suggesting that Starsky go back to the doctor on Friday since there was no improvement. But when he arrived at Starsky’s apartment his partner had other plans.
“Hutch is my car fixed?” Starsky asked as soon as Hutch had come in to his living room.
“Yeah I think so.” Hutch answered knowing that it had been finished for several days and was sitting in the parking lot at the station.
“I would like to get it.” Starsky said he was sitting on the couch with Tessa his arm around her shoulder.
“Are you sure you are ready for that?”
“I need my car,” Starsky told him.
“Sure,” Hutch said, “I was thinking maybe we should take you back to see Dr. Winston.”
“Why is that?” Starsky got up to face his partner.
“Well you don’t seem like you are remembering and he said to come back in a week if…”
“Hutch I’m moving to San Diego with Tessa. We are leaving tomorrow that is why I need my car.” Hutch stood rooted stunned at his partner’s words. “I know this seems kind of sudden.”
“Kind of sudden?” Hutch exploded. “You don’t even know this girl or maybe you are holding on to her because you feel like she is the only person you know. But you need to give this some time you can’t just run away from your life here.”
“Hutch…”
“She is a child…for Christ sakes you are almost old enough to be her father.” Hutch blurted out what he had been thinking since he had met Tessa.
“That is enough,” Anger filled Starsky’s face. “This is my decision not yours. You can’t force me to stay here.”
“Well at least until you can remember and make reasonable choices.”
“Damn it Hutch I do remember!” Starsky stormed.
It felt like the air had been sucked from the room, “You…you remember?” Hutch said breathlessly. “When…when did you remember? You have been leading me on all week long or was it from the moment I found you? This has all been an act?”
“No,” Starsky put his hand on Hutch’s shoulder but it was shrugged off. “It’s just come in bits and pieces all week long. Everything has just kind of fallen into place.”
“And you didn’t bother to tell me?” Hutch asked then he turned to glare at Tessa, “I’m sure you knew.”
Tessa shook her head as thunder struck as Hutch was. “I had no idea. I thought that maybe he was remembering little things like when we came to the station and Dave knew right were to go. But I had no idea that he had regain all his memory.”
“I wanted to make sure that it was back I didn’t want to disappoint either of you.” Starsky tried to explain.
“So you would rather lie?”
“I didn’t lie. Do you have any idea how much pressure I felt to remember Hutch? I come back to this life that I didn’t remember and you are such a big part of it and I don’t remember you. Do you know how that feels? People greeting me that I have known for years and I can’t even place their faces. It wasn’t even like oh yeah their face looks familiar but their name escapes me. They were total strangers. The only reason you looked familiar to me when you came to Tessa’s door was because I had been having dreams with you in them. That was it period.”
“Ok so now that you remember you are going to just chuck our friendship, your job, everything you have here down the drain for her?” Hutch asked incredulously.
CHAPTER NINE
It was early Saturday morning; Starsky had just finished packing his car when Hutch’s brown heap pulled up at the curb. Hutch walked to stand next to Starsky, “You aren’t going to change your mind are you?”
“Hutch I told you last night I just need to get away for a couple of weeks.” Starsky said stopping what he was doing to face his friend.
“And what if you decide not to come back?” Hutch said crest fallen.
“I’ll be back. Tessa needs to get to school or we would stay longer.”
“Starsky you have only known her for two weeks you have known me…” Hutch stopped he was sounding childish. “I’m being selfish.”
“You are being a friend Hutch. I know that so just try and understand. I will be back I promise.”
Tessa waited to come out until Hutch had left she didn’t want to make matters worse. After she was sure Hutch was gone Tessa carried her suitcase to her car. As she passed Starsky she said, “Are you sure you are doing the right thing?”
Starsky followed her to the car. “What do you mean? Don’t you want me to come with you?”
“Of course I do but you just have so much unfinished business here.” Tessa said slamming the trunk lid. “I don’t want to be the reason you don’t finish it. Will you ever come back once you leave?”
“Sure, I still have my apartment here and…”
“And your friendship with Hutch. I don’t want to come between the two of you. You guys have so much history, how can you just walk out on that.”
“Hutch put you up to his?”
“No, no Dave. I think I love you I really do but I don’t want you like this. I don’t want to invest time in this relationship only to have you change your mind and leave me. I still have two and half years left of school. I don’t want to get married or have kids until I’m out of college are you willing to wait that long?”
“You are getting a bit ahead of yourself.” Starsky grinned at her, at the idea of having a family.
“I’m serious Dave. The facts are the facts you are older than I am, are you really willing to wait for me?” Tessa looked up into his blue eyes.
“I have waited this long, I think I could stand a couple more years,” he said pulling her into his arms.
But Tessa put her hands on his chest and pushed herself away. “What are you going to do in San Diego while I’m going to classes?”
“I’ll get a job, I might be able to get on the police department there.” Starsky answered.
“Are you unhappy here?” Tessa asked.
Starsky thought for a moment then answered slowly wondering where she was going with this. “No.”
“Then why do you want to leave it all?”
“I want to be with you.”
“Is that reason enough to leave your whole life behind you?” Tessa asked. She wanted to be with him more than anything but she also didn’t want to be hurt if he decided to change his mind.
“Tessa.”
“Listen why don’t you let me go off to school. I’ll come see you next weekend or you can come see me. We don’t live that far apart. Lets just slow this down a little.”
Sighing Starsky admitted, “Maybe you are right. If we truly have feelings for each other they will still be there.”
“You can call me anytime and if you need me I’ll come, I promise.” Tessa flung her arms around his neck. “David Starsky I love you!”
“I’ll always be your Sam,” He whispered in her hair.
He stood and watched as Tessa pulled away from the curbed, she waved and he waved back. He couldn’t see the tears running down her cheeks as she drove off and disappeared down the street. Starsky stood outside for a long time. Finally he opened the trunk and took out his suitcase. He wondered if he would ever see Tessa Anderson again.
Hutch was sitting at his desk when Starsky walked into the squad room. His fingers were posed over the keys of a typewriter but he wasn’t typing. “Don’t you actually have to hit the keys to make that thing work?” Starsky tease he had snuck up behind his partner.
Hutch jumped and looked up into the face of his friend. “What are you doing here?”
“Come to see if you needed any help.”
Looking confused Hutch asked. “Where is Tessa?”
“She left for school, she is coming back this weekend.” Starsky explained. “We had a talk after you left. Actually she kind of talked and I kind of listened.”
“Tessa convinced you to stay?” Hutch asked, he had sorely misjudged the girl.
“Yeah she didn’t want to come between you and I.” Starsky said. “So don’t be come between me and her. If this works out it does and it doesn’t then it doesn’t but that will be for her and I to decide. I know you don’t like her.”
“It’s not that I don’t like her,” Hutch tried to explain, “I just felt you were moving to fast. You got to know her through odd circumstances. If you had just met her on the street you probably would have never dated her.”
“That age thing again,” Starsky said not accusingly but just as a statement.
“That age thing will always be there. I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with it. I’m sure there are plenty of couples out there with that much and more age difference. It’s just something you have to think about, ya know.”
“Yeah I know.” Starsky agreed.
“If she is what is going to make you happy then more power to the both of you but let’s be realistic here. You have known the girl two weeks and one of those weeks you didn’t even know who you were.”
Starsky sighed, “Do you think this will work out with Tessa and I?”
Shrugging Hutch answered. “I can’t tell you that buddy. But I will tell you this I won’t stand in your way. She is a pretty good kid.”
Starsky squinted at his partner, “Just stop calling her a kid, you make me feel like I’m robbing the cradle.
Hutch started to say something but didn’t. “You ready to get back to work or do you need a few more days off?”
After thinking about it, Starsky said, “I think I need to get back to work.”
“Good,” Hutch said, “You type this damn thing up it’s driving me nuts.”
“Geez thanks partner.” But he sat down in the chair that Hutch had vacated.
FIVE YEARS LATER
Starsky watched a young woman with a small child walking in front of him. He had decided to go to the park and get some fresh air after an especially grueling day at work.
“You want to swing?” he heard the woman ask the little girl. The child nodded and they headed toward the swings. He knew that voice and before he realized what he was doing he had followed them to the swing set.
“Tessa?” He called to the woman.
She turned around giving him a surprised look then she smiled. “Dave!” She ran to him and threw her arms around his neck while her daughter watch in confusion.
“Carlie sweetie this is a good friend Dave,” Tessa explained.
“Hi Carlie,” Starsky said giving the little girl a smile. Then turning his attention back to Tessa, “How are you?”
“Doing good,” Tessa answered softly. “We are living here now. Tommy got a promotion.”
“That’s great!” Starsky said with out much enthusiasm in his voice. His eyes pierced into hers. “I’m sorry you know, I just …”
Tessa put her finger to his lips, “Hush…I’m find, I’m happy.” He thought he saw tears in her eyes, it made his heart hurt.
They were standing so close to each other that if anyone had seen them they would have thought they were a couple. “You are probably my only regret Tessa.”
“I’m sure you have a few more.” She teased but her eyes were serious.
“Tessa I will always care about you.” Starsky said. He had wanted to say love but he didn’t think that was fair to her.
Tessa kissed his cheek then said, “And you will always be my Sam.”
The End