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Starsky had been through a rollercoaster of emotions over the last few weeks. He now knew how Hutch had felt when he himself had been poisoned and it had looked like time was running out. On this occasion, Hutch had been pushed off the road and spent two days trapped under his wrecked car. Starsky had gone through the agony of trying to find his partner before it was too late and then the ecstasy of finding him alive, albeit in a terrible state.
Hutch had hovered on the edge of life for several days. His broken leg was the least of Hutch's injuries; dehydration, shock, internal bleeding were all major difficulties that the hospital staff had to battle to help him heal. The lacerations and abrasions to his upper body were just minor irritations in comparison.
The wait for Hutch to regain consciousness gave Starsky plenty of time to revisit his guilt for not listening to Sonny and therefore missing the possibility of finding his partner earlier; a guilt that Hutch was quick to spot and relieve once he woke up.
It was a sweet moment for Starsky when he finally got to wheel his friend out of the hospital and show him his present: a car looking every bit as unloved as Hutch's previous one. Starsky knew he had a few weeks of caring and errand running ahead but it was his joy to look after his friend, knowing that it beat the alternative life that he had briefly thought might be ahead of him. A life with no best friend, no partner. Unthinkable but, for a few hours and days, Starsky had looked into that black hole and been changed by it.
Maybe that's why he was more attentive to every move of his partner and why he wondered whether Hutch was really okay even after the doctor cleared him for light duties. To Starsky it was clear something was off. There was a restriction in some of Hutch's movements, a wince here, a shoulder roll there, once or twice what Hutch told him was 'just a cricked neck' and more regular complaints of headaches that led to pills being popped.
As Hutch returned to light duties and the two of them rode a desk together, Starsky kept a close eye on his partner, what he called being on Blintz Watch. On the Friday before returning to active duty, Dobey sprang an unexpected task on them. He figured correctly that while they were chained to their desks they couldn't exactly say no to his request to go speak at the academy. Although they had moaned all the way there, they had actually found the experience quite enjoyable, leading them to speculate whether they might make good instructors once their days as detectives were over.
As Starsky fully anticipated, Hutch was quite grouchy by the end of the day and complained of yet another headache.
"Have you taken anything for that head of yours?" Starsky asked as he drove towards Hutch's to drop him home.
"Yes, of course I have," Hutch said testily, "but it doesn't seem to help."
As they pulled up outside Venice Place, Starsky placed a hand on Hutch's arm to stop him from exiting the car.
"Look, Blintz, don't rush anything. If you don't feel fully fit, I'll tell Dobey we gotta have another week of desk duty."
"Neither of us wants that," Hutch grimaced.
"Yeah, but neither of us wants you on the street with dull reaction times," Starsky said quietly but seriously.
Hutch went to protest but then nodded and sighed.
"Sorry...I should be doing better than this by now. It's been seven weeks."
"Seven weeks since your body went through a terrible ordeal," Starsky said. A dark look crossed his face as he remembered finding Hutch and the condition he had been in.
"Yeah, I know..." Hutch sighed again and rolled his shoulders to ease a kink. "I'll take it easy this weekend. I'm sure I'll be okay by Monday...but if I'm not, I'll say."
"Okay. See you Monday morning."
Hutch waved as his partner drove away and then climbed the steps to his apartment. With a sense of relief, he took off his jacket and holster, wincing slightly as his shoulders and neck protested at the unwelcome movement. Hutch tried to stretch out his aching neck and heard small cracking noises. He froze.
"That doesn't sound good," he muttered to himself.
Moving carefully, he went to get a glass of water. He looked at the clock. The headache that had been niggling at him all day was building but he had another two hours before he could take some more Tylenol. He sighed. Trying to take his mind off the aches he still had, he walked through to the greenhouse to care for his plants. Hopefully, a weekend of rest, some fresh air and drinking plenty of water would make him feel much better.
/\/\/\
Starsky checked in with Hutch on Sunday and was relieved when his partner said he was feeling better. On Monday morning, Hutch appeared ready for whatever the day would bring and Starsky figured all was well. They answered the first call that came in: a 211 at a small store. Hutch went in the front while Starsky covered the back. The situation was handled easily and Hutch cuffed the perp and handed him over to the uniformed officers that arrived. Back in the store, getting the finer details from the clerk, Hutch hid a grimace as he picked up a fallen packet of rice and his shoulders protested.
Before they could go into Metro, they were called to a homicide at a residence and the rest of the day was taken up with interviews and research into the victim's life. Starsky spotted Hutch popping pills during their rushed lunch but didn't say anything. As the end of shift drew near, Starsky carefully watched Hutch as he typed up his notes and put his file together. He saw Hutch rub his neck several times to try to alleviate discomfort there. He nodded to himself. He was going to have to persuade Hutch to go back to see a doctor and knew his friend wasn’t going to like it.
"Hutch, it’s time to call it a day."
Hutch didn't argue. He tidied up ready to leave and put his jacket on. As he followed Starsky out of the squad room, Starsky suggested they go see Huggy and have a beer. Hutch hesitated but then agreed.
Once at the bar, Hutch found them a table while Starsky went to place an order with Huggy.
“What gives?” Huggy asked, noting Starsky’s worried look as he glanced over to his partner. “All okay with Blondie?”
“Not sure, Hug. He keeps getting these headaches and something about the way he’s moving seems off to me, like his shoulders are stiff. He won’t like it but I think I’ve got to persuade him to go to a doctor tomorrow morning.”
Huggy looked thoughtful as he poured a second glass of beer. He handed Starsky his glass but made it clear that he was going to carry Hutch’s over to him. Starsky raised an eyebrow but nodded.
Huggy sat down with them and looked Hutch up and down. He could see Hutch looked very tired and decided not to beat about the bush.
“Blondie, you got my curly-haired friend here worried. You got shoulder problems?”
Hutch frowned at Starsky before answering, “It’s nothing.”
“Don’t tell me what it is. Just answer the question. Shoulder problem and your neck is hurting.”
“Well…yes.”
Huggy nodded. “Pain radiating from the base of your neck going up into your head and causing a headache you can’t shift.”
Now Hutch looked startled. “Yes.”
Huggy put his head on one side. “We should have seen this coming. Wouldn’t be a surprise after the accident. I guess them doctors were too busy focusing on your leg and everything else to think about it.”
“Think about what?” Starsky and Hutch said together.
“Whiplash, my friend. You sound like you got a case of whiplash. Those symptoms are just what my cousin Albie had after an accident.”
“Oh.”
Both Starsky and Hutch looked at each other as if they were apologising for not realising the possibility sooner. Hutch sighed.
Starsky said, “How long before Albie felt better.”
“Not long at all once he’d seen Doc Kim.”
“Who’s Doc Kim?”
“A friend. He’s a chiropractor. Not licensed here yet but doesn’t stop him from being good at what he does. I’ll give him a call. See if he can fit you in.”
Huggy got up and was gone before Hutch could stop him.
“Not licensed yet?” Hutch queried to the air.
“Hey, Blintz, if he gets results, try it. You can’t keep on popping pills and hoping this will go away on its own.”
Hutch sighed. “I guess.”
Huggy came back. “He can see you now.”
“Now?”
“No time like the present,” Starsky said, getting up. “Where, Huggy?”
“Two blocks down. Apartment 39, 1074 Lincoln.”
Hutch hesitated.
“Come on,” Starsky urged.
Hutch thought for a moment, downed his beer and then stood up.
“If he makes things worse, I’ll be suing you, Huggy,” Hutch said.
Starsky rolled his eyes. “What he means is – thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” Huggy said.
Once outside, the two of them climbed into the car and Starsky drove the two blocks to Kim’s apartment. Without suggesting it, Starsky went into the apartment block with Hutch and knocked on the door. A small Korean man, with balding head and glasses, answered with a nod and a smile.
“Mister Hutch? Huggy’s friend?” he asked, looking at Starsky.
Starsky pointed at Hutch and said, “That’s Mister Hutch. I’m Moral Support.”
“Please come in.” Doc Kim pointed to a couch. “You wait here for friend. Mr Hutch come with me.”
Looking nervous, Hutch handed his jacket and holster to Starsky and followed the small man through a door into a small room containing a raised bed, such as a masseur would use. Doc Kim asked a few questions about where the stiffness and pain was and then asked Hutch to take off his t-shirt and lie down on his front.
Very carefully, Doc Kim began to apply gentle pressure to Hutch’s spine, manipulating it until it was properly aligned. Then he massaged Hutch’s shoulders and neck to relive the nerve that was getting trapped. Hutch heard a few clicks as Kim worked but it wasn’t painful.
After half an hour, Doc Kim said, “Enough for today. Come back same time next week.”
Hutch eased himself into a sitting position and noted with relief that his headache had eased. He slipped his t-shirt back on and asked, “How much do I owe you?”
Doc Kim name d an amount that seemed very cheap to Hutch. He went to retrieve his wallet from Starsky and handed over the cash to Kim.
“How do you feel, partner?”
“A lot better already,” Hutch answered with clear amazement.
“Good.”
Kim smiled. “See you next week, Mister Hutch.”
“See you next week, Doc Kim, and thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
As the two of them headed back out of the building, Hutch said, “I’d better give Huggy a call and thank him.”
“Yeah, you’d better!” Starsky teased.
“And thanks to you too for noticing I was still having some trouble.”
Starsky shrugged. “I know my Blintz and I know when something’s off with you.”
Hutch snorted, but patted Starsky’s shoulder in recognition of his friend’s care. He knew that Starsky had been on Blintz Watch the last few weeks just like he’d been on Gordo Watch after the poisoning last year. It was just what they did for each other. Brothers looked after brothers.