CHAPTER 14

Hutch stepped from the elevator and cast a smile at the petite blonde nurse behind the desk as he walked past her and down the hallway towards Starsky's room. It had been a week since the resilient brunet had been rescued from the basement where he had been held prisoner. It had been touch and go for a few days, but now he was on the mend. He was still weak and in a fair amount of pain, but he was already complaining about the hospital food and the forced inactivity.

Hutch had visited almost every day. Slowly, the two men were getting to know each other better and becoming fast friends. The paperwork had been filed with the court, and all the charges against Starsky had been dropped. His name had been cleared, and he was once more in good standing with the BCPD.

Hutch had tendered his resignation at the firm, and was now officially unemployed. But, thanks to a private trust fund from his grandfather that he had never touched, he was thinking about starting his own firm and was looking at office space in various locations. His divorce from Vanessa was moving along despite Vanessa's repeated delays and new demands, all merely stalling tactics on her part to delay the inevitable as long as possible. Hutch had offered her a very generous settlement and, given her greedy nature, he had no doubt that she would accept his terms eventually.

He entered Starsky's room and found the injured man flirting with a nurse's aide. The young woman smiled shyly at Hutch as she scurried from the room to return to her duties.

Hutch arched an eyebrow at Starsky. "A little young, don't you think?"

"Just having some fun," Starsky said with a lopsided grin. "I ain't gonna date her. I'm not into jail bait."

"That's good to hear. You had me worried there for a minute."

"Did the doc say anything about when I can get out of here?"

"He said Friday, if you're a good boy."

"I never did thank you…for everything," Starsky said quietly.

"You don't need to thank me. Blaine did most of it."

"I already thanked him."

"I'm just glad it all worked out."

"I suppose." Starsky frowned slightly. "Kelly and I may have had our problems, but she didn't deserve to die like that."

"Nobody should have to die like that," Hutch agreed "So what are your plans now?"

Starsky shrugged. "Go back to work as soon as I get cleared for active duty. Being a cop's all I've ever wanted to do, and I'm good at it."

"What would you think about coming to work for me?"

"For you?" Starsky said in a startled voice. "Doing what?"

"I'm opening my own practice, and I could use a good man as an investigator. I'd be willing to pay twice your current salary."

Starsky whistled softly. They were talking about no small amount of money. "You drive a hard bargain, counselor." He said, smiling a little. "It's a tempting offer…very tempting. Can I think it over for a couple of days?"

"Sure, take all the time you need. It'll be a couple of months before everything's up and running. Personally, I think we'd make one hell of a team."

"I have a feeling you're right." The idea definitely appealed to Starsky. He would think it over and examine all the pros and cons, but he had a feeling he already knew what his decision would be.

Maybe it was time for a change.

THE END - OR JUST THE BEGINNING?