Brothers

By

Cynthia

Nicholas Michaels was accustomed to the looks he got from people.  His dark blonde hair and his deep blue eyes seemed to draw the looks.  He had a wild look about him and the anger in his eyes was always there even when he didn’t feel any anger.  He was angry.  He couldn’t deny it.  Nick knew he had a lot to be angry about it, but he made a point of keeping it pushed down inside of himself.  He knew that if he didn’t it would just blow and he was worried about other people getting caught in the crossfire.  So he worked out a lot.  It seemed to get rid of a lot of frustration that had been building over the years. 

He walked into the office and as he looked at the expensive furnishings Nick plunged his hands in his pockets.  He had been told to wait.  It was the first time he had ever been here.  He had never shown up out of the blue before, but this was important.  Nick had been surprised he wasn’t thrown out of a window when he had told the secretary he was here.  He noticed a photo on the desk and Nick walked over to it.

He picked it up and looked at the photo of a man.  Nick shook his head and looked at it.  His hair was much lighter blonde than his and he had brighter blue eyes than his own.  Nick would guess he was a good five years older than he.  He knew who it was and Nick sighed as he set it back down. 

The door opened and an older man walked into the office.  He took long strides over to the desk and he gave Nick a hard look.

“You know better than to show up here”, he told Nick.

“Sorry about that, Dick”, Nick told him.

Nick could see his emphasis on the word “Dick” made him bristle.

“What do you want”, he asked him.

“You owe me”, Nick told him as he walked around the office. 

The man watched Nick lean over to look at an expensive vase.

“Tell me what you want and then I want you out of here.  I don’t want to have to explain you to anyone.”

Nick looked up at him and he walked over to the desk.  He picked up the photo and smiled.

“I bet you’d hate like hell to have to explain me to him”, Nick said with a sarcastic look.

He yanked the photo from Nick’s hand and set it back down on the desk.

“I want to work for the FBI”, Nick said with a sigh.  “You can make sure I get in.”

“What makes you think I’ll even do it?”

“I’d hate like hell for everyone to know who I really am.  You do this and you won’t see my face ever again.”

“You think the feds would take you”, he said with a bitter laugh.

“I know a few people, but I need your strings to push my application through.  Whether I make it or not is up to me.”

“You’re damn right”, he told Nick.  “I’ll make the call and you’ll be accepted.  This is the last thing I’ll ever do for you.”

“It’s the only thing you’ve ever done for me”, Nick said with a dark look.

Nick looked down at the photo and then back at the man.

“I would bet you’d give him your right arm”, Nick told him.

“He’s done much better than you will ever do.  You’ll never amount to anything”, the man said bitterly.

“One of these days, I’ll take my accomplishments and shove them up your ass, old man.”

Nick turned and stormed from the office.  He prayed he would never have to ask that old man a favor again as he left the building.

FOUR YEARS LATER

Starsky hated being in Hutch’s car every time they had a stakeout, but this was one time he could ever actually remember being thankful for it.  They were on the worst side of town waiting for a gun deal to go down.  They had heard about the exchange from Huggy and it was a prime opportunity to take them out.  A sudden rash of automatic weapons on the streets had brought about an urgency. 

Hutch had carefully parked his care among the other cars in the junkyard and it just seemed to blend right in.  Starsky looked through the binoculars as a blue van stopped in a clearing. 

“Well, party of the first part just arrived”, Starsky told him.

Hutch picked up his and peered through at the van.  He watched the two men get out of the van and open the back up.  Less than a minute later a pickup arrived and two men got out and walked over to the other men who had pulled a crate out.

“Looks like the buyers are ready to do business”, Hutch observed.

The driver of the pickup didn’t look too pleased and his reaction on his face was obvious.

“What the hell is the matter with him”, Starsky said.  “He looks pissed as hell.”

“Maybe they got his order wrong”, Hutch told him.

“This isn’t McDonalds.  You can’t always have your way.”

“That’s Burger King, Starsk.”

Starsky sighed and watched as the guy was turning around and walking back to the pickup.

“Don’t tell me he’s backing out”, Hutch said with a sigh.

“He’s playin’ with ‘em”, Starsky said.  “He wants to drive the price down some more.”

Sure enough the guy stopped and turned back around.  He nodded his head and walked over to the pickup.  Both officers watched as he pulled a duffel bag from the front seat and he set it on top of the crate.  A man from the van opened up the duffel bag and nodded his head.

The were just about to move the crates when Hutch picked up his radio.

“It’s done.  Let’s move”, Hutch stated.

Sirens erupted all around them and Hutch drove the car forward.  He watched as the driver of the pickup grabbed the duffel bag and quickly got inside his pickup.  He started it and put it in reverse.

The junkyard filled with black and whites.  Hutch watched the pickup as it sped away looking for an entrance out of the large junkyard.  He put the car in reverse and drove it back towards where the pickup was headed.  Starsky pulled his gun out and Hutch kept his mind on catching the guy in the pickup.

The pickup was headed for an exit and Hutch pushed on the accelerator to go faster.  He was still in reverse and just before the pickup could get out, he blocked it with his car.  Starsky and Hutch got out of the car and watched as the driver attempted to back out and was blocked by a car behind him.

He sat back in the pickup and sighed heavily as the two officers came over to him.  He didn’t say anything as the dark haired one roughly pulled him out of the vehicle and slammed him against the pickup.  His eyes were large as the blonde one walked towards him with his .357 aimed at him.

“Spread ‘em”, the officer behind him said.

He did as he was told, but his eyes never left the blonde standing in front of him.  He felt his gun being pulled from its holster and then his hands were cuffed behind his back.  He looked over at his ‘accomplices’ who were also being arrested.  There wasn’t a damn thing he could do or say.  He knew he had to follow this through as much as possible.

“Nice piece”, the blonde told him as he picked the gun up from the hood.

“I expect that back”, he told him as the dark haired cop pulled him up.

He shook his head as the blonde gave him a look.  The dark haired cop put him in a patrol car and he leaned back against the seat after the door was closed.  He looked at the blonde hair cop and sighed heavily.  Of all the shitty luck, Nick thought to himself.

Starsky and Hutch stood outside the interrogation room and looked through the three files they had.

“We still don’t have a make on the one driving the pickup”, Starsky told him.

“Why”, Hutch asked.

“Not sure.  We ran his prints and so far nothing has spit out.”

“Could be his first bust”, Hutch told him.

“He’s not talking.  I sure as hell would like to know where he got 50k.  He don’t look like he could afford that crappy pickup he was driving.”

“So we’ve got a buyer and a supplier to track down”, Hutch said with a sigh.  “Let’s see what he’s got to say.”

Starsky opened up the interrogation and both men walked inside. 

Nick looked up at the opening of the door and he gritted his teeth when he saw the blonde again.  He pulled at the cuffs behind his back.

“This is Detective Hutchinson and I’m Detective Starsky”, Starsky told him.  “Why don’t you start with your name?”

“Why don’t I start with a phone call”, he told them.

“So where did you get fifty thousand dollars”, Hutch asked him. 

“It was payday”, Nick ground out.

“Let’s see”, Starsky said with a sigh.  “We’ve got you buying automatic weapons from known mafia associates.  Not a good way to begin the day.”

“It’s still early”, Nick answered.

Hutch sighed and walked over to the table and leaned down close.

“Listen, punk”, Hutch told him.  “We don’t have time to play games.  These guns are hitting the streets and people are going to start dying.  You don’t start spilling your guts and you’ll be looking through bars doing a nice long stretch.”

Nick looked at him with anger and if he could have hit him he would have.  He took a deep breath and looked straight ahead.

“Take me out of these cuffs and I’ll talk”, Nick told him.

Hutch looked over at Starsky.  Starsky walked around and pulled the key out of his pocket.  He took the cuffs off.  Nick rubbed his wrists and looked at both officers.

“Got a pen”, he asked them.

Starsky handed him a pencil and Nick scribbled a number on a piece of paper.  He pushed it in front of them.

“You want to know about me”, he asked them.  “Call that number and tell them you’ve got Nick in custody.  I’m sure you’ll learn more about me than you’ll ever want to know.”

Hutch reached for the paper and picked it up.  He looked over at Nick and he saw something in his eyes.  It was like he knew something they didn’t.  Starsky walked over to the door and opened it up.  He hollered for an officer.  When the officer came in, Hutch turned towards him.

“Take the prisoner to holding”, Hutch told him.

Nick stood and put his hands behind his back as the officer cuffed him.  After he was gone, Starsky walked over to him.

“What’s wrong”, Starsky asked.

“I just got a bad feeling about this”, Hutch answered. 

Starsky placed the call and in half an hour he and Hutch were in Dobey’s office with an agent from the FBI.  He pulled a file from his briefcase and handed it to Dobey.

“He’s Special Agent Nick Michaels”, he told them.

“He doesn’t look like any fed I’ve ever seen”, Starsky said.

“He’s not like most agents.  We’ve assembled a task force to go after these guns and we haven’t been able to get anywhere.  Michaels has specialized training and we put him undercover.”

“We should have gotten something back on him”, Hutch said.

“No you won’t.  His records have been sealed.  You gentlemen may have just cost us this investigation.  We’ve been working at getting him inside this organization that’s selling the guns.  When the main player didn’t show today, we knew we’d have to keep at it until they trusted him enough.  This bust of yours may have just scared off our only chance of taking this guy down.”

The door opened and Nick was brought inside by an officer.  He looked over at Hutch and then at the agent.

“Nick”, the agent said.

“Sam”, Nick said.  “You set these guys straight?”

“You should’ve identified yourself from the beginning”, Hutch told him.

“I’m undercover”, Nick told him.  “If any of those assholes get wind I’m a fed, I wouldn’t get past first base.  I may still have a way in.  They saw me get busted and I might be legit in their eyes now.”

“My officers have been working at stopping these weapons from hitting the street”, Dobey said.  “Your office had an obligation to let us in on this.”

“No way”, Nick said with a shake of his head.  “The less people know, the better.”

“If you had, we wouldn’t be stepping on toes”, Starsky told him.

“It’s my ass on the line”, Nick told him.  “We’ve been at this for almost eight months and today was the closest I’ve gotten until the keystone cops show up.”

Hutch looked at Nick with a hard look.  Nick pulled a pack of cigarettes from his jacket and looked at them.

“My understanding is that these officers know the streets pretty well”, Agent Tanner asked.

“Yes”, Dobey replied.

“We’ll look for an in somewhere else”, Nick said as he lit the cigarette.

“No, Nick.  Captain Dobey, the FBI is just as anxious as you to put a stop to this.  We would appreciate it if you would allow our agent to work with your officers.”

“No way, Sam”, Nick told him.  “They damn near blew this case already.  I can get in and get the job done.”

“It’s an order, Nick.”

Nick hated it and when he looked over at Starsky and Hutch he could see they weren’t any happier about it than he was.

“Fine”, Dobey said.

Sam left and Nick stood there as Starsky and Hutch looked at him.

“I expect you to work together to get these guns off the street”, Dobey told them.  “Get the hell out of here.  Michaels, you stay.”

Nick didn’t say anything as Starsky and Hutch left.

“Those two are my best men and if they as so much as get a scratch, you’ll be doing janitorial work at the federal building.”

Nick didn’t say anything as he stepped out of the office.  He saw Starsky and Hutch at their desks.

“So you think you guys can see about getting my piece back”, he asked them.

“Sure”, Hutch said as he stood.

Nick didn’t move as Hutch started for the door.  He didn’t want to even be near the guy, but he knew he had to go.  Nick slowly followed him out the door.  A few minutes later, Nick was checking his piece.

“When did the feds start using bobtails”, Hutch asked.

“I know a guy”, Nick told him.  “He works for the company and he specially made it for me.”

“Must’ve cost you plenty”, Hutch told him.

“Is there a point to this line of questioning”, Nick asked.

“Not really”, Hutch said.

Nick put the weapon in his holster.  He followed Hutch back to the squad room and sat at a nearby desk.

“So how did you guys get wind of this deal”, Nick asked.

He watched as both officers looked at each other and Nick could almost swear they were talking to each other without saying a word. 

“We’ve got a friend who gave us the word”, Starsky told him.  “How did you get it set up?”

“I know the middleman”, Nick told him.  “Don’t know who the suppliers is and I’ve been hoping to get a face to face with the guy.  So far nothing.”

“The guns are still getting on the street”, Hutch told him.

“I’m not the only customer”, Nick said simply.  “I thought today would be it for sure.  You’d think that kind of money would be enough to get his attention.”

“So how is he getting them”, Starsky asked.

“We have no clue”, Nick said with a shake of his head.  “The best we can figure is they’re getting in the country somewhere.  We put guys in at the docks and nothing is passing through customs.  There are a hundred ways they could have come out of eastern Europe so there is no way we can stop it at the source.”

“So we need to find the leak here and stop it”, Hutch said.

“Someone’s got a private dock somewhere”, Nick said.  “It could be anywhere so we figure our best bet is to get the supplier involved with a deal and bring him down.  I’ve just got to get inside to get the layout of the entire operation.”

“Going alone”, Hutch asked.

“I was picked for this assignment”, Nick told him.  “They figure I have a better shot at it than anyone else.”

“Why is that”, Starsky asked.

“Special Forces”, Nick answered.  “I spent a year in country doing black ops.”

“’Nam”, Starsky asked.

Nick nodded and didn’t say anything as he pulled out his cigarettes.

“You don’t look old enough to even have been drafted”, Hutch observed.

“I did one year, got out and became a fed”, Nick told him after he had lit it.  “That was over four years ago.”

The phone rang and Starsky reached for it.  As he spoke on the phone, Nick took a moment to study Hutch.  He looked like him, Nick thought.  I bet he makes the old man proud.  Nick took a drag from the cigarette and looked over at Starsky.  It was obvious to him how close the two of them were and he wasn’t sure quite how to take that.  Nick almost shook his head.  Why should he care, he thought to himself.  The sooner he was done with this assignment, the better.

Starsky hung up the phone and looked over at Nick.

“That was Tanner.  He wants you to get your things out of the hotel you’ve been staying at.”

“I suppose I’ll have to”, Nick said.  “Can’t take a chance on anyone thinking I’m anything other than a buyer.”

“He wants you to crash over at one our places”, Starsky said.  “You’ll have to stay at Hutch’s.  My place is getting fumigated and I don’t think Huggy has the space for you.”

Nick angrily put his cigarette out and took a deep breath.  He almost cursed aloud at the idea. 

“Soda machine”, Nick asked.

“In the hall”, Hutch told him.

Nick quickly left them and headed out in the hallway.  Starsky watched him leave and he looked back at Hutch.

“What was that all about”, Starsky asked.

“Got me”, Hutch said.  “I’m not exactly looking forward to having him at my place.”

“Well, we need to get our heads together about this case.  He’s got to stay under for a couple of days.”

“When will your place be done”, Hutch asked.

“Two days”, Starsky told him.  “Dobey’s wife is a great cook.  I’m hoping she’ll adopt me.”

“I wouldn’t hold your breath”, Hutch told him.

Nick walked out in the alley and lit a cigarette.  He walked around as he took a long drag in an attempt to maintain some control.  He looked over at an empty trashcan and kicked it as hard as he could.  Nick watched it fly across the alley and the trash scatter.  He took another drag from his cigarette. 

This was not what he wanted and he didn’t see a way out of it.  He had never backed out of a case and this was the first time he had ever contemplated doing so.  If he did, he would have to offer a hell of an explanation and he couldn’t come up with one.  He took a final drag and tossed the butte down on the ground.  He turned around and saw Starsky staring at him.

Nick didn’t say anything and he brushed quickly past him.

Hutch opened the door to his place and he walked inside.  Nick hesitated before walking inside.  He looked around the clean apartment and set his bag next to the couch.

“You can take the bed”, Hutch said.

“That’s alright”, Nick said.  “I’d prefer the couch.”

“Suit yourself”, Hutch said as he walked into the kitchen.

He opened the fridge and pulled two beers out.  He held one out to Nick and after a moment, Nick walked over and took the beer from him.  He took a long drink from it.

“Nice place”, Nick commented.

“Thanks.  Where do you live?”

“Back east”, Nick told him.

Hutch took note of the fact Nick wasn’t opening up to him.

“We’re hooking up with Starsky over at ‘The Pits’.”

“The Pits”, Nick asked.

“We hang out there a lot and that’s where we get some of our information.”

“Snitch”, Nick said.

“Friend”, Hutch asserted.

Nick pulled his cigarettes out and looked over at Hutch.

“Do you mind”, Nick asked.

Hutch shook his head and walked over to the machine to check his messages.  There were a couple from a few girls and the last one made Nick stop in his tracks.

“Son, it’s me.  You’re mother and I are coming out to LA.  I have a business meeting and we should arrive Thursday morning.  I’ll call as soon as we get settled in.  See you soon.”

Hutch pushed the button to rewind the answering machine.

“Tomorrow”, Hutch said with a sigh.  “You’ll be spending some time alone while I see my folks.”

“Sure”, Nick said shortly.

“If you want to tag along you’re more than welcome to.”

“No.”

Hutch looked at him when he heard the tone in his voice.

“I think it would be better if I stayed underground”, Nick told him.  “I don’t want to take any chances.”

“What about the Pits”, Hutch asked.

“Your partner said a lot of cops go in there, so I don’t see it being a problem.”

“Don’t be surprised if they show up here”, Hutch told him.  “My mother never thinks I eat enough.”

Nick gripped the bottle tightly in his hand and took a deep breath.  This thing was just getting better and better, he thought grimly.  Nick asked about the shower and Hutch pointed him in the direction of the bathroom.  After the door was closed and the shower running, the phone rang and Hutch answered it.

“Hey, buddy”, Starsky said.

“I guess we’ll meet you there around nine”, Hutch said looking at his watch.

“So how is the new roomy?”

“Okay”, Hutch said with a sigh.  “Not very talkative.”

“Hutch”, Starsky said.  “Watch out for this guy.”

“Something wrong?”

“I don’t know.  I just don’t trust the guy.”

“He’s something else”, Hutch said.  “I don’t know what to make of him.  My folks are flying in so you won’t be seeing too much of me for the next few days.”

“I could take them out.  I know this great Italian place.  I know it’s a little out of their realm, but it’s got great atmosphere and good food.”

“I’ll talk to them.  See you soon.”

Hutch hung up the phone and looked over at the bathroom door.  Starsky was just as concerned about this guy as he was.  Hutch shook his head and walked into the bedroom to change shirts.

Nick took a drink of his beer and looked at the skinny black man sitting across from him.  Starsky and Hutch sat at the table with them.  Nick pulled his cigarettes and lit one.  He took a drag and blew the smoke out.

“So do you have a line on who the supplier is”, Nick asked him.

“This cat wants to keep his name out of the local directory”, Huggy told him.  “I’ve got a middleman and that’s it.”

“Yeah”, Nick said.  “Joey and he won’t give.  I could hook up with him and play some hardball.  It might loosen his tongue if I play the hurt party.”

“Probably”, Starsky said.

“Joey’s layin’ low”, Huggy told him.  “He won’t see daylight till the weekend.  The bust has made him and his boss nervous.”

“Shit”, Hutch breathed.  “They’re smelling snitch.”

“I’ll hit him up on Saturday”, Nick told them.  “He never misses the track on Saturdays.”

“True”, Huggy agreed.  “His regular bookie hangs in the back.”

“Looks like you won’t be getting rid of me for a while just yet”, Nick told Hutch.

Hutch took a drink of his beer and Nick took a drag from his cigarette.  After Huggy left, Starsky looked over at Nick.

“Pool”, Starsky asked.

“Sure.”

Nick walked over to the pool table and set it up while Starsky looked for a stick.  Starsky broke and Nick watched him.

“So how long have you two been partners”, Nick asked.

“Seems like forever”, Starsky said with a sigh. 

‘That bad”, Nick said with small grin.

Starsky stood up and gave him an even look.

“No.  That good.”

Nick didn’t say anything as he took his turn.

“Where in country were you at”, Starsky asked.

“You know how black ops are”, Nick told him.  “Uncle Sam still likes their little secrets.  I can tell you me and a couple of buddies did some Intel by Da’ Nang.  The 45^th Cavalry was bringing us in.  Those assholes certainly jumped the gun by about two hours.”

“What happened”, Starsky asked.

“I was the only one that walked out alive”, Nick said when he missed his shot.  “They came in early and Charlie smelled ‘em.  We got jumped and I walked out with two pounds of shrapnel in my leg.”

“I got out with not so much as a scratch”, Starsky said with a shake of his head.  “There were probably a hundred times I should’ve died.”

“I guess we were meant to tell the story”, Nick told him.

Starsky nodded in understanding and stood up to let Nick take his shot.

“What made you want to be a fed”, Starsky asked him.

“Did you ever see that movie with Jimmy Stewart in it”, Nick asked.  “The FBI Story.”

“No.”

“I watched it”, Nick said.  “I must have watched that movie a hundred times and that’s what made me want to be one.  The bureau must’ve liked what they saw on my application and they took me.  I haven’t looked back.”

“My old man was a cop”, Starsky told him as he leaned down for his shot.  He hit the cue and the ball fell in the pocket.  He picked up the chalk and used it on his stick.  “It just seemed like the natural thing for me to do.  What about yours?”

Nick looked down at his beer and then took a long drink from it.

“Nothing to tell”, Nick told him.

“You’ve got one, don’t you”, Starsky asked.

“I’ve got one.  He’ll never admit it”, Nick said with a bitter smile.

“Why?”

“It’s your shot”, Nick said.

Starsky didn’t say anything as he took his shot.  Nick lit a cigarette and looked over at Hutch talking to a girl.  He looked back at Starsky who had missed his shot.

“So what’s the story with your partner”, Nick asked.

“Hutch?”

“Yeah, I heard you call him that.”

“Ken doesn’t seem to fit him to me, so I call him Hutch.  It just took and most everyone does except for the girls and his family.”

“He looks like he should be a businessman or something”, Nick said.

“His old man wanted him to follow in his footsteps and Hutch didn’t take to the idea too well.  He came here and became a cop.”

“You know what they say”, Nick said.  “Like father, like son.”

Starsky looked at Nick and he saw a hard look in his eyes.

“Hutch is nothing like his old man”, Starsky told him.  “They had some problems a while back, but they’ve seemed to have settled most of their differences.”

“I’ve heard he’s a hell of a cop”, Nick told him.

“Where’d you hear that?”

“People talk in this business.”

“He is”, Starsky told him.  “Hutch has probably saved my life more times than I can even count.  He’s the best cop I know.  What’s funny, is that he’s always excelled at anything he sets his mind to.  He probably could be a business man and he’d make a million bucks like his old man, but this is what he wants to do.”

“Yeah, he was probably student body president and football captain in school.  The best at everything.”

Starsky closely studied Nick and he took a step over to him.

“What’s your interest in Hutch”, Starsky asked.

“I knew someone like him”, Nick said as he walked over to the pool table.

It was late by the time Nick and Hutch arrived at the apartment.  Nick sat down on the couch and ran his hand through his hair.  He looked up when Hutch brought over a pillow and bedding.

“If this isn’t enough, there’s more in the closet”, Hutch told him.

“It’s fine”, Nick told him. 

Hutch didn’t say anything as he walked into the bathroom.  Nick was starting to feel like jerk.

“Hutch”, Nick said.

Hutch walked back in the room and looked at him.

“You didn’t have to put me up.  I appreciate it.”

“Sure”, Hutch told him.

“I know we didn’t exactly hit it off.”

“Well, we didn’t meet in the most ideal of circumstances.  I’m hitting the sack.  If the phone rings and I don’t hear it, will you get it for me?”

“Sure”, Nick said after a moment.

“I don’t want my folks thinking I forgot about them.”

Nick didn’t say anything as Hutch walked back in the bedroom.  He hoped the phone would wake him.  The last thing he wanted to do was to answer it.  Nick made his bed and he laid on the couch for hours before he finally slept.

Hutch was in the kitchen cooking breakfast when he looked over at Nick sleeping.  There was something about him and he couldn’t put his finger on it.  One minute they guy was looking like he was going to blow a fuse, the next he was all business and then he was mister nice guy.  Hutch could not figure him out.  He looked over at Nick as he slowly sat up.

Hutch poured a cup of coffee and brought it to him.

“Thanks”, Nick said as he rubbed his face. 

Nick took a sip of the coffee.

“I thought a big breakfast was in order.”

“I’m starved.  You don’t have to wait on me, you know.”

“I’m not”, Hutch said.  “You’re doing dishes.”

Nick shook his head and lit a cigarette.  He had just taken a drag when the phone started ringing.  Nick stared at it while it rang.

“Get that for me, will ya’”, Hutch hollered.

Nick couldn’t move as he stared at the ringing phone.  Would the old man even recognize his voice?  If he did, what would he say?  Nick knew what he would say and he didn’t want to hear the words.

He looked up when Hutch finally answered it.

“Yeah…Starsk, I was just getting ready to call you…I would imagine just about anytime…okay…I’ll tell him.  Bye.”

Hutch set the phone down and looked over at Nick.

“Tanner wants you to call him”, Hutch told him.

Nick didn’t say anything as he reached for the phone.

Hutch met up with Starsky at the hotel where his folks were staying.  They headed for the elevator and while they were waiting for the door to open, Starsky looked at him.

“Took you long enough to answer the phone this morning”, Starsky told him.

“I asked Nick to get it and he just sat there.”

“Something wrong?”

“I don’t know”, Hutch said.  “He looked like he was going to be ill.”

“Is he sick?”

“No, he was fine when I left.”

“So you think you’re folks are going to hit you up for another sight seeing tour.”

“I hope not”, Hutch groaned.  “Dad said he had business.  I imagine Mom will come to the house to check the fridge while he’s tied up with business meetings.”

“Your mother and Ma’ have been exchanging recipes”, Starsky told him.  “Don’t be surprised if there’s some concoction you don’t recognize in the fridge.”

“Better mine than yours”, Hutch said with a sigh.  “There will be some noodle dish in yours the next time your mother is in town.”

The elevator opened and both men stepped inside.  A few minutes later they were at the door and Hutch smiled at the warm welcome from his parents.  Starsky enjoyed the attention as well and after a few minutes all were sitting on the couch.

“How long can you stay”, Hutch asked. 

“We’re here till Saturday morning”, his mother said.  “You’re father has meetings today and tomorrow.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to take your mother to do some shopping”, Richard asked.

“Sure”, Hutch said.  “I’ve got someone staying at my place and I’ll have to stop in from time to time to see how he’s doing.”

“Who”, Martha asked.

“He’s an FBI agent”, Starsky said.  “We’ve got a case and he needed a place to stay.”

“Maybe we should bring him along”, Hutch’s mother offered.

“I’ll stop by and check on him”, Starsky said.  “You two need some time together.  I thought I’d take us all to dinner tonight.  I know a great Italian place.”

“Sounds good”, Richard said with a smile.

“Why don’t you bring your friend”, Martha asked.  “I’m sure he can’t be enjoying being cooped up like that.”

“I’ll ask Nick”, Hutch said.

Richard froze at the sound of the name and he took a few moments to compose himself.

“Nick”, he asked.  “What’s his last name?”

“It’s Michaels”, Starsky said.  “Do you know him?”

“No.  I thought I might, but it’s not who I thought it was.  What time would you like to meet”, he asked him.

“I was thinking I’d pick you both up at seven”, Starsky said.  “We’ll hook up with Hutch at the restaurant.”

“I might be running late, so if you’ll just tell me where it’s at, I’ll make sure I’m there”, Richard told them.

“Richard”, Martha said.  “You said your meeting would be over well before five.”

“You know how these things are”, he said with a gentle smile.  “I’ll call you if I’m running late.”

Martha smiled and patted his hand.

Nick leaned over and shut off the TV.  He was bored out of his mind and he was tired of being cooped up.  It was almost noon and the day was only inching by.  He knew Starsky and Hutch were running down leads and he wished it would get over quick. He heard a knock at the door and he walked over to answer it.  When he opened it he was looking in the bright blue eyes of an older woman.

“Hutch isn’t here”, he told her.

“You must be Nick”, she said.

“Yes, ma’am.”

She walked into the apartment carrying a sack and Nick took it from her.

“I’m Martha Hutchinson”, she said pleasantly.

Nick was speechless as he closed the door with his foot.  He took the sack in the kitchen and set it on the counter.

“Hutch isn’t here”, Nick told her nervously.

“I know”, she told him as she looked around.  “Dave told me you were here and since you’re stuck here alone and my husband is working, I thought I would come over and we could keep each other company.”

Nick could see the kindness in her eyes and he wondered how in the hell she wound up with an asshole…Nick shook his head and threw the thought out of his head.  He watched as she walked into the kitchen and emptied the sack.

“I know my son keeps a horrible fridge, so I bought some things over.  I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I brought two different kinds of cake.  I have chocolate and yellow.  I thought I could make it while we talked.”

“Talked”, Nick asked.

“Why, yes”, she said with a smile.  “I would think while we are keeping each other company that we would talk.”

Nick felt his palms sweating and when he saw the warmth in her face he began relaxing.

“I like chocolate”, he told her.

Nick walked into the kitchen and began helping her.  After a few hours both of them sat at the table eating their cake and drinking coffee.

“So tell me about your family”, she asked.

“I don’t have one”, he told her nervously.

“Nick, why don’t you relax?  You look so nervous.”

“Sure”, he told her.  Nick tried to smile and he took a sip of his coffee.

“Where are your parents”, she asked.

“My mother passed away twelve years ago”, he told her.

“I’m so sorry.  You must have been so young.”

“I was thirteen”, Nick told her.

“Your father”, she asked.

“I never saw him”, Nick said as he looked at the door.  He almost expected him to walk right through and throw him out of Hutch’s apartment.

“You seem to have done well for yourself’, she said brightly.

“Yes, ma’am.  I think I have.”

“My Ken certainly has”, she told him.  “He could have done anything he wanted with his life and done well.  But he chose to be a police officer.”

“You wanted something else for him?”

“I wanted him to be happy”, she told him.  “He has done so well and he’s helped so many people.  Ken loves being a police officer, but I do worry about him.  It’s such dangerous work.”

“Yes, ma’am.  It is”, Nick said.  “But he’s a good cop.  I’ve been told and he knows what he’s doing.”

“Nick, are you on a case”, she asked.

Nick smiled at the mischievous look in her eyes and he could see she really wanted to know.  He knew it wouldn’t hurt so he told her a bit about the case.  He could see the wonder in her eyes and he felt good talking to her.

“So you think you’ll catch this man selling these guns.”

“I have no doubt”, he told her.  “This may sound like I have an ego, but I’m good at what I do and it’s only a matter of time before he makes his mistake and we catch him.”

“You are confident”, she said.  “Just like Ken.  With confidence and belief, you can accomplish anything.  I’ve always believed it.”

Martha looked down at her watch and quickly stood.

“Oh, my.  I have to go.  If Richard calls and I’m not there, he’s liable to worry.”

Nick helped her get her things together and he walked her to the door.

“Nick, you are such a nice young man and I hope you catch your man.”

“Yes, ma’am”, Nick said with a smile.  “Thank you.  It was wonderful meeting you.”

“I hope we can do it again soon”, she said.

Nick opened the door and watched her leave.  After he closed it he walked over to the couch and sat down.  He really liked her, he thought.  Nick lit a cigarette and took a long drag.  If she ever found out the truth about him, she would hate him just as bad as the old man does.

Starsky and Hutch arrived that night at the hotel to pick up Hutch’s parents.  When they arrived, Martha explained that Richard had to work a little longer and would meet them at the restaurant.  Hutch was a little put off by it.  There had been a time when his father had put work ahead of his family and Hutch had thought he had changed.  He kept his lips tight as he walked with his mother out to the car.

Nick cut himself another slice of cake and poured himself a large glass of milk.  He smiled as he thought about the conversation he had with Martha Hutchinson.  He could have talked with her for hours. 

He walked into the living room and set the plate and the glass on the coffee table.  Nick was just about to sit down when he heard a knock at the door.  He walked over and he had barely gotten the door opened, when it was shoved open.  He was grabbed by his shirt and thrown against the wall.  He found himself staring at the angry eyes of Richard Hutchinson.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing”, Richard bit out.

“Let go of me”, Nick told him with a lethal voice.

Richard held tightly to him for a moment and then he let him go.

“If there was any way I could get out of this, I would”, Nick told him.  “I don’t like it any better than you do.”

“You pack your things and get out”, Richard told him.

“I’m in the middle of a case”, Nick said with a raised voice.  “I can’t leave.”

Nick walked over to the table and retrieved his cigarettes. He lit one and stared at Richard.

“One of two things will happen if I walk.  Hell, maybe both”, Nick said with a cold smile.  “I’ll lose my job for one and if I get made out on the street, I’m dead.  Although the latter would probably please you more.”

Nick watched as Richard pulled his checkbook out.  He signed his signature at the bottom.

“Name the price and you can go start a new life.  I want you away from my family.”

“You son of a bitch”, Nick whispered.  “Since when have I ever wanted a damn dime from you?  You didn’t bother giving my mother the time of day and you think I want your money!  Go to hell.”

“I want you out of here”, Richard yelled.

“It won’t happen”, Nick yelled back.  “I’m not here to screw up your nice little family.  I sure as hell don’t want anything to do with it.”

Richard took a step closer to Nick.

“I’m warning you”, he told him.  “If you so much as say a word…”
            “You don’t have to worry about that”, Nick told him as he blew smoke out of his mouth.  “They wouldn’t believe me anyways.  You’ve snowballed them with enough of your lies as it is.”

“Your name had better not come up in a conversation with my son again”, Richard told him.

“It would suck like hell for him to find out about his bastard brother”, Nick said with a bitter look.

“Just remember what you agreed to”, Richard told him.

Nick watched him leave and he took a long drag from his cigarette.  He could feel the anger deep inside of him beginning to grow.  He walked around the room for a minute and took a deep breath.  Nick walked over to the cabinet and looked for something to calm him down.  He stopped when he found an unopened bottle of bourbon.

It was almost eleven when Hutch got home.  He opened the door and didn’t see Nick.  He tossed his jacket on the couch and he stopped when he saw Nick lying on the kitchen floor with an empty bottle in his hand.  He could see he was passed out.

Hutch kneeled down and sighed.  He took the empty bottle out of his hand.  He leaned over and pulled Nick up.  Nick was barely conscious and Hutch managed to pull him up and get him in the bedroom.  He got him in the bed and laid him on top of the covers.  Hutch took his socks and shoes off.  He picked up a blanket and covered him up.

Hutch closed the door behind him and walked back into the kitchen.  He picked up the bottle off the floor and he saw that Nick’s wallet had fallen out of his pants. He picked it up and something dropped from it.  The last thing Hutch ever expected to find in his wallet, was his father’s business card.  Hutch studied it for a moment and walked to the phone.  He called Starsky.

“Did I wake you”, Hutch asked.

“Just getting ready to hit the sack.  Something wrong?”

“I need a favor.”

“Shoot.”

“Have Minnie run Nick Michaels”, Hutch said.  “I’ll give you his license number.”

“Hutch, the feds locked up his record.”

“I want his personal info.”

“Why?”

“I’ll explain later.  Trust me.”

“Okay.”

Hutch read off Nick’s driver license information and after he hung up the phone he walked over to the couch and sat down.  What was Nick doing with his father’s business card, Hutch asked silently.

Hutch found his father at the hotel the next morning getting ready to leave.  He walked over to him.

“Ken”, Richard said.  “I didn’t expect to see you this morning.”

“We have to talk.”

“What is it?”

“Somewhere private.”

Richard walked over to a conference room and Hutch followed him.  He closed the door behind them.  Hutch pulled the card out of his pocket and showed it to his father.

“I found this in Nick’s wallet”, Hutch told him.

“What did he tell you?”

“He was passed from drinking a bottle of bourbon.  He wasn’t in any condition to talk.”

“I wouldn’t know”, Richard answered.

Hutch could see his father was lying and he gripped the card tightly in his hand.

“Don’t lie to me”, Hutch warned.  “Dad, I thought things had changed with you.”

“You know they have”, Richard told him. 

“Explain this.”

“I knew Nick’s mother”, he told him.  “I helped her son out.  It’s no surprise he would have my card.”

“Are you telling me the truth”, Hutch asked.

“Of course”, Richard said.

“Why didn’t you say anything”, Hutch asked.

“Well, Nick has a lot of pride.  I helped get his application pushed through with the FBI.  It’s something he wants to keep quiet.”

Hutch wasn’t sure if he believed his father or not.  He sighed as he left him standing.

Nick moaned as he slowly opened his eyes.  The light blinded him and he covered his eyes with his arm.  He rolled onto his stomach and slowly pushed himself off the bed to a sitting position.  Nick put his throbbing head in his hands.  He had just stood when he felt his stomach give and he stumbled to the bathroom.  Nick vomited and when he finished he sat back against the wall.  He looked over at the door and saw Hutch standing there.

“What time is it”, Nick asked.

“It’s after ten.”

Nick pushed himself up and leaned against the wall. 

“I made coffee”, Hutch told him.  “There’s aspirin in the cabinet.”

After he left, Nick pulled the aspirin down and opened it.  He took the aspirin in the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee.  He took it and he saw Hutch staring at him.

“Do I have a horn growing out of my head”, Nick asked.

“What happened last night”, Hutch asked.

“Listen, man.  Sorry about downing the bottle.  I’ll get you another one.”

“I don’t care about that.  I’m just trying to figure out what would make you put a bottle away like that.”

“Just a form of self abuse”, Nick told him.  “I won’t be doing that again for a while.  My head feels like it was used for a kickoff.”

“I don’t buy it, Nick”, Hutch said with a shake of his head.

The phone rang and Hutch answered it.  He looked at Nick who was lighting a cigarette as he listened to Starsky. 

“Nicholas William Michaels”, Starsky told him.  “He’s 25 years old and was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  His mother died twelve years ago in a car accident.  Father is unknown.  He was raised in a foster home until he turned eighteen.  The rest we know about as far as the Army goes and the FBI.”

“Thanks, Starsk.”

“You going to talk to me”, Starsky asked.

“I will.”

Hutch hung up the phone and looked at Nick.

“My father says he knows you”, Hutch told him.

Hutch could see the shock on his face and he walked into the living room.

“So you asked him about me”, Nick asked.

Nick sat down on the couch and lit a cigarette.

“He said he knew your mother.”

“Yeah, he did”, Nick said as he took a drag from the cigarette.  “You had me checked out, didn’t you?”

“What makes you think I did?”

“It’s what I would have done.”

“I found my father’s card in your wallet”, Hutch told him.  “It fell out after I dragged you to bed.”

“So you asked yourself what would I be doing with it”, Nick said as he blew smoke out of his mouth.  “You had all these questions and from the look on your face, you still have them even after talking to your old man and the rundown your partner gave you about me.”

“So what’s the story, Nick?”

Nick shook his head and took a drag from his cigarette.

“He got me my job.”

“Is that it?”

“That’s all he’s ever done for me”, Nick told him.

Nick wanted to laugh.  He didn’t tell him a single lie, but he didn’t tell him the truth either.  He wasn’t sure which was worse.

Hutch knew there was more, but he had no clue as to what it was.  He figured he was just getting too suspicious.  It’s no wonder with his life, he thought grimly.

“We’ve got to get to the precinct”, Hutch told him.  “Starsky and I want to put a plan together on your approach to Joey.”

“Give me half an hour”, Nick told him.

Hutch watched him head to the bathroom and he pulled the card out of his pocket.  He couldn’t get rid of the nagging feelings he had inside.

Nick sat at the desk reading over the files he had been given and Starsky walked with Hutch out to the hallway where they could talk.

“So what’s the deal”, Starsky asked.  “Why did you want me to run a make on Nick?”

“It was something stupid, I suppose.”

“Talk to me, Hutch.”

“I get home last night and Nick is passed out on my kitchen floor.  When I got him to bed, I found his wallet and Dad’s business card was in it.”

“Why would Nick have it?”

“I asked Dad and he says that he knew Nick’s mother.  He helped get him in the FBI.”

“Think he’s lying?”

“No.  Nick confirmed it this morning when I asked him.”

“This is stilling bugging you”, Starsky observed.

“Starsk, it doesn’t seem like that long ago that Dad damn near drove his entire family away with his workaholic schedule and the rest of the crap he brought down on us.  Especially my mother.  You know how he gets at times.  I remember when I was a kid and my mother damn near divorced him over the way he treated her and pushed me.”

“Okay, let me take a stab at this”, Starsky said.  “Special Agent Nick Michaels comes to town and he happens to be in the smack dab middle of a case we’re working on.  He’s not liking you to begin with.  I could tell that from the beginning.”

“He certainly wasn’t happy about staying at my place.”

“Your folks show up and he gets drunk and passes out on your floor.  You find your father’s business card on him.  Come to find out he knew Nick’s mother and he helped get him his job.”

“What does it tell you”, Hutch asked.

“It tells me that there are too many coincidences”, Starsky told him.  “Hutch, your old man knew Nick.  Even when I mentioned his name at their hotel room, why would he lie?”

“He said Nick wanted to keep it quiet”, Hutch explained.

“Do you buy it?”

“No”, Hutch said with a sigh.  “But there isn’t a hell of a lot I can do about it.  God, I can’t wait till this case is over.”

Starsky couldn’t agree more.  The effect of Nick’s presence and the questions about Richard Hutchinson’s involvement was bothering Hutch and Starsky didn’t like it one bit.

Nick leaned over Starsky’s shoulder looking at the layout of the track.  Hutch looked up at him as he spoke.

“I would guess the best spot for you guys to be at is over by the cages.  If you can pull a good enough cover, you can keep the place scoped and stay on Joey if he gets spooked”, Nick told them.

“He could decide you’re too hot to be seen with”, Starsky told him.

“We’ll run him in and see if we can rattle him enough to spill his guts about this supplier”, Hutch told him.

The door to Dobey’s office opened and Dobey stuck his head out.

“Hutchinson, got a minute”, Dobey asked.

Hutch nodded and walked into the office.  Nick looked back over at Starsky.

“If you have to bring him in, he can’t see my face.”

“We’ve got to keep your cover either way”, Starsky said with a sigh.

Nick looked up at the squad room doors opening and he tensed up when he saw Richard and Martha Hutchinson walking in.  Starsky stood up and walked over to them.  Nick picked up his cigarettes and lit one.  He looked up at Richard who was giving him a look. 

“We didn’t expect to see you here”, Starsky said with a smile.

“I’ve got a break in between meetings and we thought we’d take you and Ken to lunch”, Richard told him.

“I think that’ll be fine”, Starsky told him.  “Hutch and I don’t have anything planned.”

“Nick must come along”, Martha said.

“Martha”, Richard said.  “He might have other plans.”

Starsky looked over at Nick who was hanging back.  He could see a dark look in his eyes and he looked over at Richard who looked a bit uncomfortable.

“Richard, Nick should come with us”, she told him.  “Nick?”

Hutch walked out of Dobey’s office and he smiled when he saw his parents.

“Your folks want us to eat lunch with them”, Starsky told him.

“I was just trying to convince Nick to come along”, Martha said.

“Uh, I’ve got other plans”, Nick said before taking a nervous drag from his cigarette.

“You know Nick”, Hutch asked her.

“Why yes”, she told him.  “While everyone was working, I went to your apartment, dear.  Nick and I had a wonderful time.”

Nick took a minute to look at Richard and he could see the muscles working in his jaw.  Martha walked over to Nick and smiled at him.

“Nick, you must join us.  Tell me you will.”

“Better do what she says, Nick”, Hutch said.  “You won’t win when she gives you that look.”

Nick could feel his heart pounding in his chest and when he looked at Martha, he knew he couldn’t say no.  He really liked her and he felt good when she was around him.

“Okay”, Nick agreed.  “I’ll be right back.”

Nick quickly left the squad room and made his way out back to the alley.  He ran his hand through his hair and took a long drag from his cigarette.  He finished his smoke and pulled another one out as he lit it.  God, I need to quit, Nick thought quietly.  He turned around and saw Richard walking over to him. 

“She showed up”, Nick told him.  “What the hell was I supposed to do?”

“It’s no surprise”, Richard told him.  “Martha’s always had a heart of gold.”

“Yeah”, Nick bit out.  “I’ll find an excuse to get out of this lunch.”

“No”, Richard told him.  “Martha will feel bad if you don’t come along.  For some reason she thinks a lot of you.”

“You don’t think I’ll taint your family”, Nick bit out.

“Let’s just make the best of it”, Richard said with a sigh.  “I don’t see what it will hurt.”

Nick nodded and walked into the building leaving Richard standing there with his hands in his pockets.

The lunch was tense at best.  Martha Hutchinson chatted away as if it was any normal other normal day.  Nick played with his food and Richard was strangely silent.  Hutch looked over at how subdued both men were and then back at Starsky who gave him a small shrug of his shoulders.

“So, Nick”, she asked.  “What made you decide to be an FBI agent?”

“It was something I always wanted to do”, he told her as he reached for his glass.

“I hear it’s rather difficult to get in their agency”, she told him.

Nick could feel his heart pounding and he swallowed the large lump in his throat.  He looked over at Richard who had taken a deep breath.

“It can be”, Nick told her.  “If you’ll excuse me, please.”

Nick stood up and found refuge in the men’s room.  He had only been there a moment when Starsky walked in.

“Why doesn’t she know”, Starsky asked.

“Know what”, Nick asked without looking at him.

“You know what I’m talking about.  She doesn’t know that Hutch’s old man helped get you in the bureau.”

“I wouldn’t know”, Nick said quietly.

Starsky grabbed him by the shirt and turned him around.

“There’s one thing you’d better understand right now”, Starsky told him.  “Hutch is my best friend in the world and if you as so much cause his family a moment’s grief, you’ll be answering to me.”

Nick jerked away from him and gave him an even look.

“You don’t have to worry about that”, Nick bit out.

Nick left Starsky and headed back to the table and when he arrived, Martha was sitting alone with Hutch.  He looked over to see Richard handling the bill.  He watched as Starsky walked over to him.  Nick turned his attention back to Martha and Hutch.

“Nick, how much longer will you be in town”, Martha asked him.

“Till this case wraps up.  After that I’m heading back east.”

“East”, she asked.  “Where?”

“I’m living in New York City actually.”

“Are you from there?”

“No”, Nick answered.  He was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the questions, but he didn’t have the heart to treat her with anything other than the utmost respect.  She was a good woman he liked a great deal.

“So where are you from”, she asked.

“Minnesota”, Nick said with a sigh.

“Really”, she said with brightened eyes.  “You must come and visit us, Nick.”

“I stay pretty busy”, Nick told her as he took a quick look at Hutch who was studying him intently.

“Nonsense”, she said.  “I guess I’m one of those people that believe everyone should have someone.”

“I’ll think about it”, Nick said noncommittally as he stood up. 

After he left, Hutch leaned over to his mother.

“Mom, what’s going on”, he asked her.

“Ken, Nick doesn’t have any family to speak of.  It’s sad really.”

“I don’t think he’d want you feeling sorry for him.”

“I don’t.  I just think he’s lonely and he needs someone.  Besides, I really like him.  I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something about him.”

Hutch looked over at Nick who was walking out the front door.  She was right.  There was something about him and Hutch wasn’t sure if he trusted it or not.  Nick headed back to Hutch’s place.  He knew Starsky and Hutch were finishing up paperwork at the station and he had to stay put until it was time for him to make his move on Joey. 

It was late that afternoon when he heard the knock on the door.  Nick didn’t say anything as Richard walked through it.

“This is some kind of record”, Nick told him.  “I’ve seen more of you just in the last few days than my entire life.”

“I needed to talk to you”, Richard told him.

Nick didn’t say anything as he walked to the couch and sat down.  He lit a cigarette as he listened to Richard pacing behind him.

“Martha wants to delay our flight till Sunday night.  I haven’t been able to come up with a viable excuse to give her.”

“I’ll stay out of the way”, Nick said.  “I won’t be here after Saturday anyways.”

“It’s for the best”, Richard told him.

“For you it is”, Nick said as he blew smoke out of his mouth.

“I know you haven’t felt I’ve done right by you…”

Nick jumped up from the couch and stared at him.

“You’ve never done a damn thing for me”, Nick told him.  “You got me in the bureau to get me out of your hair.  God forbid if anyone even knows I exist!”

“You know it has to be this way”, Richard told him.  “You agreed…”

“I know what I agreed to”, Nick yelled.  “I told you I would stay out of your life and your family’s as long as you got me in the bureau.  I never planned on any of this and I never wanted it any more than you do.”

“Nick”, Richard began.

“Save it”, Nick told him.  “You’ve made yourself clear where you stand and I’ll tell you exactly where I stand.  I know what I mean to you and you mean just as little to me.  You can have your precious family and that golden boy son of yours.  I’m not going to mess it up.  Just remember, ‘Dick’, I’m not doing it for you or Hutch.”

“Why are you keeping quiet”, Richard asked.

“Your wife is a good woman”, Nick said with a sigh.  “I won’t hurt her.”

“It’s just as well”, Richard told him.

The door opened and Nick and Richard turned to look at Hutch who could see the tension between them.

“What’s going on”, Hutch asked.

Richard didn’t say anything and Nick took a drag from the cigarette in his hand.  Nick looked over as Richard walked to the door.

“I came by to tell you your mother and I decided to stay another day”, Richard told him.  “I’ll call you later, son.”

Nick closed his eyes at the affectionate tone in Richard’s voice towards Hutch.  He kept his back to Hutch when he heard the closing of the door.

“You and my father don’t get along”, Hutch asked him.

“It’s nothing”, Nick told him quietly.

Hutch walked over to Nick.

“No”, Hutch said.  “There’s something going on and I want to know what it is.”

Nick put the cigarette out and picked up his jacket.

“I’m headed out”, Nick told him as he put his jacket on.

“Ever since my family got here, you and my father have been keeping something to yourselves that no one else knows.  There are just too many damn coincidences here and I want some answers.”

“Ask him”, Nick told him. 

Nick headed towards the door and Hutch grabbed him by his jacket and turned him around.

“I’m asking you”, Hutch said evenly.

Nick jerked loose from Hutch’s grasp and looked at him.

“I’ll probably be in late”, Nick said.  Hutch watched him leave and after the door closed behind him, he was ready to tear his hair out in frustration.  He walked over to the phone and picked it up.

“Hey”, he said.

“Hutch, what’s up?”

“Got plans tonight”, Hutch asked.

“Yeah”, Starsky said.  “I’m taking a girl to a movie.”

“Do me a favor”, Hutch asked.  “Nick’s out for the night and he’ll probably be at Huggy’s.  Check on him.”

“Something wrong?”

“I don’t know.  I got here and my dad was here with him.  They weren’t too friendly with each other.”

“I’ll stop over there when I take her home”, Starsky told him.

“Thanks, buddy.”

“I’ll call you later.”

Hutch hung up the phone and sighed.  He hated being kept in the dark.

Three hours later, Starsky arrived at Huggy’s and found Nick in the corner of the bar nursing a beer and a shot glass.  He walked over as Nick downed the shot.  Starsky sat across from him while Nick was lighting his cigarette.

“Checking up on me”, Nick asked.

“Hutch called me.  He said his old man was at his place when he got there.”

“They’re staying an extra day”, Nick told him.

“He could have called”, Starsky observed.

Nick said nothing as he took a drag from his cigarette.

“Nick”, Starsky began.  “It’s obvious there is something going on here that you’re not telling.”

“You and Hutch must have ESP”, Nick told him.  “He said the same thing.”

“Tell me I’m wrong”, Starsky told him.

“Do you have a brother?”

“I do”, Starsky told him.  “As a matter of fact he’s got the same name as you.”

“You call him Nicky, I bet.”

“How’d you guess”, Starsky said with a small smile.

“I don’t know.  You seem to be a protective sort.”

“He hates it when I call him that”, Starsky said with a shake of his head.

“You’re always there for him, I bet.”

“I try to be.  He’s had a lot of problems.”

“Like what if you don’t mind my asking?”

“Our dad was killed when we were kids.  Nicky was just a baby and I had some problems just as well.  Ma sent me out here to live with my aunt.  Becoming a cop was a natural thing for me to do.  Nicky didn’t fare so well and he felt left behind.  He had problems with the law.  He still walks that fine line.”

“How many times have you bailed him out of trouble”, Nick asked.

“There’s been a few.”

“What makes you think things might have been different if you had stayed?”

“I would have been there for him.”

“Don’t kid yourself, Starsky.  He could’ve walked that line whether you were there or not.”

“I guess.  I’ve just tried to be there for him as much as I can.  There’s been times I haven’t been able to help him like I wanted to.”

“He’s got to help himself”, Nick said as he finished off his cigarette.  “There comes a time when you’ve just got to take a hands off approach.  He’s got to make his own choices and deal with his own responsibilities.  He’s got to realize there won’t always be someone around to pick him up and tell him what to do.”

“Where’s this going”, Starsky asked.

“Nowhere”, Nick said with a sigh.  “I guess I’ve always wondered what it was like.”

“What’s that?”

“Having a brother.”

“I see.”

“I know you ran me”, Nick told him.  “I spent five years in a foster home.”

“What was that like?”

“Okay, I guess.  They had five other kids there besides me.  I never really stood out.”

“They didn’t want to adopt you?”

“I was thirteen, Starsky.  I was practically a grown kid.  People want babies.  Not a moody kid like I was.”

“You’re mother just died”, Starsky said with a shake of his head.  “Surely they’d understand how tough it was.”

“I doubt they really cared”, Nick said as he dug for another cigarette.

“I was just a bit younger than you when my old man died”, Starsky said.  “I know what it’s like to loose a parent when you’re young like that.  It’s worse since you didn’t have a dad around.”

Nick motioned the waitress for another beer and shot.

“You don’t need anymore”, Starsky said.

“I’ll finish this up and I might head out.”

“Why not crash at my place tonight”, Starsky said.

“I thought you didn’t like me.”

“We’ve got a lot in common”, Starsky said with a smile.

“More than I ever thought”, Nick told him as he took a drag from his cigarette.  “Let me ask you this.  Have you ever had a secret that you’ve never told a living soul about?”

“Sure, once.  Why?”

“I’ve got one”, Nick said with a mischievous look.  “I’ve never even said it out loud.  I’ve wondered what it would be like saying it, but I never dared to even whisper it.”

“I told Hutch”, Starsky said.  “No one else.”

“You both are more than best friends”, Nick observed.

“We’re as close as brothers”, Starsky told him.  “Sometimes closer.”

“I could see it.  You guys don’t even have to talk to each other and you still talk to each other.”

The waitress set the beer and shot down in front of Nick.  After she left, Starsky looked at him.

“Me and Hutch have this thing”, Starsky told him.  “Kinda hard to explain.”

“In ‘Nam we came so damn close to getting killed.  I had a couple of buddies that saved my life and I saved theirs a few times.  It wasn’t long and when we did go out, we could read each other real well.  Not many people can do it.”

Starsky nodded in understanding and looked on as Nick downed his shot.  He took a drag from his cigarette.

“This secret of yours”, Starsky asked.  “Does it have anything to do with Hutch or his family?”

“I think crashing at your place would be great.  Hutch doesn’t need me crawling in there so late.”

“Nick”, Starsky said.  “You can talk to me, man.”

“I know.  Maybe I will.”

Nick took a long drink of his beer and both men left.  Starsky put Nick on his couch and walked back in the bedroom to pick up the phone.  He dialed Hutch’s number.

“Sleeping”, Starsky asked.

“I was reading a book.  How’d it go?”

“Nick’s okay, Hutch.  He’s had his share of dark days, but he’s got it together.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Just from talking to him.”

Starsky thought about mentioning the secret and decided against it. 

“Hutch, after this thing is over, I would have a sit down with him.  Maybe he’ll talk.”

“Yeah, I suppose”, Hutch said with a sigh.  “I just hate feeling like I’m left out of the loop.”

“I know, buddy.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Starsky hung up the phone and looked into the living room.  He hoped Nick would open up to Hutch.  Starsky really hated seeing Hutch worried like this.

Starsky and Hutch sat in the Torino just outside the track.  Nick was in the back seat looking out the window.  They watched as a short stocky man walked inside the building.

“I could set my watch by this guy”, Nick muttered.

“We’ll give him enough time to make himself comfortable before you go in”, Hutch told him.

“Joey sure does like the horses”, Starsky stated.  “Huggy said he’s into his bookie for a couple of grand.”

“He should be eager to make a deal”, Nick told them. 

They waited a few minutes and Nick watched Starsky and Hutch leave.  He looked at his watch and back at the building as they walked inside.  He had to wait four minutes before moving in to talk to Joey.  After the allotted time had passed, Nick crawled into the front seat and got out of the car.

He walked into the building and after a few minutes he spotted Hutch.  Hutch motioned his head and Nick followed his look.  He saw Joey with a paper in his hand.  Nick walked over to him and leaned against the wall just behind him.  Nick reached over and grabbed Joey by the collar.

“Joey”, Nick said.

“What in the hell are you doing here”, Joey asked.

“I’m out 50k and my guns.”

“I didn’t make a dime either.  You need to get lost.”

“I spent two days in the can and this is how you treat a customer”, Nick said as he lit a cigarette.

“It’s too hot right now”, Joey told him.

“I’ve got people to satisfy, Joey.  I don’t exactly stay healthy if I don’t follow through with their orders.”

“My supplier is nervous”, Joey told him.  “He thinks it’s too hot to move anything.”

“I’ve got orders to fill, Joey.  If you don’t come through for me, I’m dead and I won’t hesitate to let your name slip from my lips to the people I answer to.”

Nick could see Joey was nervous and he watched as he clenched the paper in his hand.  He decided to push a bit more.

“I’ve got a 100 grand, Joey.  Ten of that is yours if you can get me hooked up.  Only this time I want a face to face with your supplier.”

“You know he doesn’t meet with customers.”

“If he knows how important this is and how much money is involved, I’m sure you can convince him.  Make it happen Joey and you can pay off your bookie and you’ll still be breathing.”

Joey never had a chance to respond.  Gun shots filled the air and people screamed and scrambled for cover.  Nick looked over at the holes in Joey’s chest and he ran for cover behind a cement column.  He pulled his gun out and he stayed hidden as he heard the gunshots around him.  He heard more and he peeked out to see Hutch behind a group of trashcans firing off several shots.  He knew Starsky was close by from the shots he was hearing.  

Nick fired at the four men who had guns out.  He looked over and Hutch was pinned down by the guns blasting at him.  Nick fired several shots hitting one of them in the chest.  Hutch stayed down as the others kept firing their guns.  One turned their attention on Nick and he ducked down. 

Starsky came up from the other side of the room with his gun and he shot at them while he ran for cover behind a cement pillar. 

Nick watched as the men split up and he could see as they moved that Hutch would soon be vulnerable.  He fired several times in hopes of keeping him covered. He ducked down just before the bullets hit the cement.

Hutch fired several shots which hit on of the man in the center of his chest.  He fell back against the wall with the gun still in his hand.  Starsky jumped out and fired at one of the men who stepped out.  He was killed and he fell back on the hard cement. 

Nick looked over and saw that one of the men had managed to flank Hutch.  He wasn’t thinking as he ran over to Hutch amid the gunfire and pushed him down.  He felt a bullet rip through his arm and he pushed Hutch down.

Starsky used the distraction to take down the last man.  He walked over to Hutch who was helping Nick sit up.  Blood was pouring from his left arm and Hutch put his hand over the wound to stench the flow.

“How bad is it”, Starsky asked.

“The bullet grazed him pretty deep from the looks of it”, Hutch told him.

“Yeah”, Nick ground out in pain.  “Normally this would be just a scratch.  I think it’s a bit deeper.”

“Come on”, Starsky said as he helped him stand up.  “Let’s get you to a hospital.”

Nick didn’t argue as he was helped up.

Nick had gotten several stitches in his upper arm from the bullet wound.  It had made a deep cut which would leave an ugly scar.  The doctor had put his arm in a sling and ordered him to not to move it around too much.  The three of them arrived at the precinct and Sam Tanner was waiting for them.

“We can pretty much call this investigation quits”, he told them.

“Why”, Nick asked.  “I haven’t been fingered as a fed.”

“Our connection with the supplier is dead”, Sam told them.  “We don’t have anything to go on.”

“We’ve got four bodies in the morgue”, Hutch told them.

“They belong to Anthony Mastroni”, Sam told him.

Nick bit back a curse and leaned back in the chair.

“He’s untouchable”, Starsky said as he stood.  “He can’t be the supplier.”

“He’s not”, Sam told them.  “It looks like he found the supplier.  We’ve suspected him as a customer.”

“He got greedy”, Hutch said with a sigh.  “He wanted his own line and his own middleman.”

“It’s not over”, Nick said with a shake of his head.  “As far as any of these guys go, I’m legit.  They tried to take me out along with Joey.  We’ve got a name and I can approach him.”

“Wait a second”, Starsky said.  “Do you have any idea who you’re dealing with here?  Anthony Mastroni is a cold blooded killer.  If he even thinks you smile funny, he’ll waste you.”

“He’s also a businessman”, Nick told him.  “I’ve got a 100 grand for guns and I can guarantee him a regular account with cash up front.”

“It’s too dangerous”, Hutch said.  “You can’t go in there alone.”

“What do you suggest”, Sam asked.

“One of us should go in with Nick”, Hutch told him.  “One of us will be his boss who has come in personally to oversea a transaction.”

Sam looked at them and then over at Dobey who had sat silently throughout the conversation.

“I’ll have his file delivered on Monday morning”, Sam Tanner told them.  “I would imagine it will take some time to put something together that the three of you can work with.  Nick, I’m ordering you to stay put.  Keep your face out of public sight until we’re ready to move.”

Nick was silent as Sam left.  He pulled a cigarette out and lit it.

“Looks like you’re getting an extended visit at my place”, Hutch told him.

“If it’s all the same, I’d like to stay with Starsky”, Nick asked them.

Hutch looked over at Starsky and at the nod of his head he stood up.

“Sure, if it’s what you want”, Hutch said.  “Let’s get your gear.”

Nick was slow to stand up and he walked out to the hallway.  Starsky looked over at Nick.

“What’s wrong with staying with Hutch”, he asked.

“I’m wearing out my welcome”, Nick told him before walking off.

Starsky knew it was more than that.  He would bet his life on it.

Nick eased himself back on Starsky’s couch.  It was for the best, he thought.  It seemed a bit ironic.  He had actually saved his brother’s life today and the guy had no idea who he was.  It was the first time Nick had ever contemplated telling anyone.  As quickly as he thought about it, he dismissed it.

He liked Hutch.  Nick could easily see himself respecting him.  Nick remembered how just a few short days ago when they had met.  He was ready to kick the guy’s face in.  Nick knew it would all end if the truth ever came out and now he would protect it.  He didn’t think he could stand the idea of Hutch or his mother hating him.  He could careless about the old man, he thought.  He’s always hated him.

Nick heard the knock at the door and he was slow in getting up.  He didn’t even get halfway across the room when the door opened and Martha walked inside.  She walked over to Nick looking at his arm in a sling.

“I heard, Nick.  Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, ma’am.  I won’t even have to wear this thing tomorrow.”

“Come and sit down”, she said.

Nick followed her instructions as he slowly sat down on the couch.  Martha looked at the bandage and he could see the look in her eyes.

“That bandage looks ready to be changed.”

“It’s okay”, he told her.

“Of course it’s not”, she said as she stood up.  “I know where Dave keeps the first aide kit and I’ll change it.”

Nick was silent as she walked into the bedroom to retrieve it.  It was a few minutes later and Martha Hutchinson was wrapping a fresh bandage around the wound.

“You seem to know what you’re doing”, he said.  “You should’ve been a nurse.”

“Ken was always very athletic as a child.  He always came home with one thing or another.”

She helped Nick put the sling back on and he leaned back against the couch.

“Where’s everyone at”, Nick asked.

“They went to a car show”, she told him. 

“Do they know you’re here”, he asked.

“I would imagine not”, she said with a small smile.  “They’ll be a while so I thought I’d fix you something to eat.”

“You don’t need to go to all this trouble”, he told her.  “I’m fine.  Really.”

“It’s no trouble, Nick”, she said with a smile.  “They won’t be back till later and there is no sense in my sitting in a hotel room alone while you are here as well.  We might as well as make the best of it.”

“Thank you”, Nick said with a smile.  “I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

Martha could see the earnestness in his eyes and she smiled at him.

“You’ve had a difficult time of it, haven’t you”, she asked him.

Nick’s face turned serious and he took a deep breath.

“My mother was like you”, he told her.  “She was always making sure I ate right and she doctored a few of my scratches before she died.  It means a lot to me that you care.”

“Of course I do, Nick.  I consider you special and I think you are a very good agent.  Ken told me what you did for him today.  You saved my son’s life today.  I owe you a great debt of gratitude.”

Nick swallowed back the emotion he was feeling and Martha looked at him.

“Nick, you’ve never spoken of your father”, she gently said.

Nick looked at her and he could see the kindness in her eyes.  He also saw the love a woman had for her family and he knew he didn’t want to see a bit of pain on her lovely face.  Nick shook his head a bit and stood up.

“I need to go to the restroom”, he told her. 

Martha could see the emotion in his eyes as he looked at her and she was silent as he walked back to the bathroom.

Starsky opened the door to his place and walked in with Hutch and his father right behind him.  He saw Nick on the couch and Martha was in the kitchen cooking. 

“What’s all this”, Hutch asked.

Martha turned around with a smile on her face.

“I thought we would all have dinner together”, she told him.  “Nick is unable to go out and I didn’t want to see him sitting here alone.”

“Smells great”, Starsky said as he walked into the kitchen.

Richard looked over at Nick who was sitting quietly on the couch.  It seemed that his wife was set in her decision and there was nothing that could be done about it at this point.  While Starsky and his son were in the kitchen he walked over to the couch where Nick was.

“She just showed up”, Nick spoke with a low voice.  “After dinner, I’ll play sick and hit the sack early.”

Richard said nothing as he looked at him.  He could see the obvious anger in his eyes.  He looked down at his hand and saw that it was clenched into a tight fist. 

The rest of the evening passed slowly and Starsky could see how quiet Nick and Richard Hutchinson were.  Nick was barely speaking at all.  He looked over at Richard and from time to time, he would catch him looking at Nick.  Starsky knew there was something there, but he had no idea what it was.

Nick had only finished half of his dinner when he pushed it away.

“Something wrong, Nick”, Martha asked him.

“I guess this pain in my arm is starting to bother me”, Nick told her.  He stood up.  “I’m hitting the sack.”

“Take care of yourself, dear.”

“Yes, ma’am.  Thank you for the dinner.”

“Nick, call me Martha, please.”

Nick tightened his lips together and gave her a nod before leaving the room.  She sighed at the sound of the door closing.

“He’s had such a time of it”, Martha said with a shake of her head.

“Has he said anything”, Hutch asked.

“It’s what he hasn’t said”, she told him.  “He misses his mother a great deal.”

“Has he ever talked about his father”, Starsky asked.  “I tried, but he won’t talk about it.”

“No”, she answered.

“I think it’s time for us to leave”, Richard said as he stood up.

“Richard, we mustn’t be so rude”, Martha scolded him.  “I’ve made desert and I want to clean up.”

“I’ll clean it up”, Starsky told her.  “Don’t worry about it.”

“Starsk and I will take care of it, Mom”, Hutch said.

“I sure would like to get a look at that desert”, Starsky said with a grin.

Martha smiled and left to get the desert from the kitchen.  Starsky was quick to follow her.  Hutch looked over at his father.

“Is there something wrong”, Hutch asked him.

“What makes you say that?”

“I don’t know.  You’ve been pretty quiet tonight.  In fact you haven’t been yourself during this entire visit.”

“You know how these meetings are, son.  They tend to be a bit distracting at times.”

“Stow it, Dad”, Hutch said sternly.  “There is something going on between you and Nick.  I want to know what it is.”

“I’ve already told you, Ken.”

“You’ve told me what you wanted me to know.  You’re not telling me the full story.”

“Since when do I owe you any explanations”, Richard told him.

“Since I saw you and Nick at my place almost ready to tear each other apart.”

Richard sighed and took a drink of his coffee.

“We had a disagreement”, Richard told him.

“How did you know his mother”, Hutch asked with a sigh.

“She worked for me for a while.”

“So when you heard she died, you helped Nick out.”

“He had no family to speak of”, Richard answered him nervously.  “I thought it was the least I could do.”

Hutch wasn’t satisfied with his answers.  He looked up as Starsky and his mother walked in with desert.  After they had left, Hutch told Starsky about his conversation with his father.  It made little sense to them both.  Starsky lay awake for a few hours.  He had a thought, but he couldn’t dismiss it.

It was late in the night and Starsky woke up on the couch.  He had told Nick to stay in his room.  He looked over at the open door.  Starsky slipped his jeans on and walked out to the porch.  Nick was leaning against the rail smoking a cigarette.  Starsky noticed he had taken the sling off of his arm.

“You’re arm hurting you”, Starsky asked him.

“That damn thing was giving me fits.  Couldn’t sleep with it on”, Nick said as he blew smoke out of his mouth.

“I talked to Hutch after his folks left”, Starsky said.  “You’re mother worked for his father.”

“Yeah, I guess she did”, Nick said without looking at him.

“What’s this thing about your old man”, Starsky asked him.  “You told me he’d never admit it.  Why?”

“I’m just the dirt under his fingernails”, Nick told him as he took a drag from his cigarette.

“I would bet you’re the dirt under Richard Hutchinson’s nails”, Starsky said without looking at him.

Nick swung his head over at Starsky.  Starsky looked at Nick and he saw the truth in his eyes.

“How did you know”, Nick asked.  “Did that old man…”

“No”, Starsky interrupted.  “I just put two and two together.  It’s the only thing that makes sense.  It’s true, isn’t it?”

“Jesus”, Nick whispered.  “I never thought anyone else would figure it out.  I thought there were a few times that were close, but it would never cross anyone else’s mind.  They’d never believe it.  Does Hutch know?”

“No”, Starsky told him.  “He has to, though.”

Nick shook his head with conviction.

“Nick, Hutch has a right to know about you.”

“If he were to find out, it would destroy that family and I won’t do it.”

“You’ve kept this secret for too long.”

“I kept it because of that damn old man”, Nick said with a raised voice.  “He got me in the bureau and I told him I would never darken his door again.”

“Richard knew all this time”, Starsky asked.

Starsky could see the answer in his eyes and he took a deep breath.  He looked over at Nick who was lighting a cigarette.

“Hutch has to know”, Starsky told him.  “If you don’t tell him, I will.”

“You can’t tell him”, Nick told him.  “It would destroy his family.  I don’t give a damn about the old man, but his mother is a good woman and I won’t see her hurt by this.”

“How long do you think this thing will keep”, Starsky asked him.

“It’s kept this long and it’ll keep a while longer.”

“If I can figure it out, how long do you think it’ll take for someone else to put it all together?  Nick, they’ve got to know.  Richard was wrong to keep this away from them and you know it.”

“Do you think I don’t know that”, Nick told him angrily.  “My mother loved that son of a bitch and he barely gave her the time of day.  She died and we had no family.  He had me put in a foster home so he could keep his dirty little secret!”

Starsky ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath.

“I can’t begin to understand the hell you’ve gone through over this, Nick, but Hutch deserves to know he has a brother.  You know I’m right about this.  You have a choice.  Either you tell him or I will.”

Nick took a long drag from his cigarette and shook his head.

“I’ll call Hutch and have him meet us at his folks’ hotel in the morning.  If you don’t go, I will go and I’ll tell him.”

Nick watched him go in the house and he tossed his cigarette down.  He put both of his hands on the rail and leaned over.  He knew Starsky was right, but the thought of any pain on the face of Martha Hutchinson was more than he could stand.  He liked Hutch, but Martha reminded him of his mother.  He stood up and clenched his fists as he walked inside and closed the door behind him.

Starsky was walking to the door of the hotel suite and when he looked back Nick had stopped.  He stood in the middle of the hallway and Starsky could see the nervousness on his face.  Starsky walked over to him.

“Nick, no matter what happens in there, I’m here.  You won’t be alone and I’ll support you.”

“Hutch is your best friend”, Nick told him.  “He’ll need you.”

“I’m on your side, Nick.”

Nick took a hard swallow and slowly nodded.  Starsky put his arm on Nick’s shoulder and the both of them walked to the door.  Starsky knocked on the door and after a moment, Hutch opened the door.  Starsky and Nick walked inside.  Nick felt uncomfortable in the expensive suite and he barely glanced at Richard who was standing up.

“You said this was important”, Hutch told Starsky.

Starsky nodded and he put his hand on Hutch’s shoulder.

“What was so important, Dave”, Martha asked him.  “Was Nick being here important?”

“Yes”, Starsky said as he cleared his throat.  He looked over at Nick who had his hands shoved in his pockets.  “Nick has something he needs to tell everyone.”

“What would Nick have to say to my parents”, Hutch asked him.

“Just listen”, Starsky asked him.  “Don’t judge him.  Just listen, please.”

Hutch didn’t understand and he looked over at Nick who was growing more restless from the stares everyone was giving him.  He took a deep breath and when he looked up he saw the look in Richard Hutchinson’s eyes.  It was a look of warning and Nick’s nervousness disappeared and his anger appeared.  He took his hands out of his pockets and looked at Richard squarely.

“Maybe ‘Dick’ should tell”, Nick said.  “He knows the reason I’m here.”

“Dad”, Hutch asked.

“I don’t know what he’s talking about”, Richard bristled.

Starsky sighed and walked over to Nick and spoke low enough for only him to hear.

“Don’t play games and don’t try to get back at the old man.  There are other people here besides him.  Remember that.”

“Starsk, what the hell is going on”, Hutch asked him.

Starsky looked at Nick who was taking a step towards the middle of the room.  He looked over at Hutch and took a deep breath.

“I”, Nick began.  He took another deep breath.  “I’m…”

“Now see here”, Richard said.  “I don’t know what that young man has to say and he has no business here.”

“Richard”, Martha scolded.  “I think we should hear what Nick has to say.”

Martha walked over to Nick and looked into his eyes.

“Nick, please tell us.  We are all friends here”, she said with a gentle smile.

Nick thought that the look she was giving him would be his undoing.  He took one look into her eyes and he could feel the tears in his eyes.  He blinked them back and slowly began shaking his head.  His courage was gone and he was too afraid to see the look of hatred in her eyes. 

“I can’t”, Nick said.

Nick made a beeline for the door and just as he opened it, Starsky slammed it shut and Nick leaned his head against the door.  He knew what was coming next and he wished he could die.

“Nick is your brother, Hutch”, Starsky whispered.

“What”, Hutch said with disbelief.  He looked back at his father and then over at Starsk. 

“It’s true”, Starsky told him.

Hutch walked over to Nick and pulled him around.  Nick had no strength to stop him as Hutch grabbed him by the shirt.

“This is a lie”, Hutch told him as he shook him.  “It’s a lie!”

Starsky pulled Hutch away and kept his arms around him.

“I’m sorry”, Nick whispered.  “I’m sorry.”

“Shut up”, Hutch yelled.

“Oh, my God!”

Everyone turned and looked at Martha whose eyes were wide.  She put her hand over her mouth and looked at her husband.

“Nora Michaels”, she whispered.

Richard took a deep breath and walked over to the couch.  He was going to sit, but instead he ran his hand through his graying hair.

“She was my mother”, Nick stated quietly.

Hutch pushed Starsky’s hands away from him and he walked over to his father.

“Is this true”, Hutch asked him. 

Richard didn’t answer him and he looked away.

“Answer me”, Hutch yelled.

“Yes”, Richard whispered.  “It’s true.”

“You son of a…”

“Hutch”, Starsky said.  Starsky walked over and pulled his best friend away.  He turned Hutch around and made him look at him.  “Listen to me, buddy.  You can’t go off like this.  You’ve got to take a step back.”

“What”, Hutch said.

“If you say the wrong thing you will regret it for the rest of your life.  You won’t be able to live with yourself.”

“He…”

“I know what he did, Hutch”, Starsky told him.  “Before my Dad died, we got in a fight and that’s the last memory I have of him.  I can only pray and hope he forgives me.”

“You were a kid”, Hutch said as the tears threatened to spill over.

“It doesn’t matter, Hutch.  Please”, Starsky begged.

Hutch took a deep breath and walked over to his father.

“Nick is your son”, Hutch told him.  “You had an affair and you got a woman pregnant with your child.  How can you be so stupid?”

Richard said nothing and he looked over at Nick who hadn’t moved from his place near the door.

“We made an agreement he wouldn’t say anything”, Richard told Hutch.  “As far as I’m concerned it’s null and void.”

Nick gave him a deadly look.  Hutch pulled his father around to face him.

“I don’t give a damn about any agreements you made.  You lied.  You lied to all of us”, Hutch told him. 

Hutch took a step away from him and he had a look of disgust as he looked at his father.

“I don’t want to ever see you again”, Hutch told him. 

“Hutch”, Starsky began.

“I’ll never forgive you”, Hutch told him. 

Starsky was helpless as he watched Hutch leave the hotel suite.  He looked over at Nick who was looking down at the floor.

“You punk”, Richard bit out.

“Richard”, Martha said sternly.  “This isn’t his fault.”

“It’s his fault alright”, Richard told her.  “I told him to keep away, but he didn’t listen.  Our son is gone.”

He looked at Nick and he took two steps over to him.

“You can kiss your FBI job goodbye.”

Nick looked at his father and gave him a cold glare.

“Fuck you”, Nick told him.

Nick slung the door open and stormed out of the hotel suite.

Starsky stood at Hutch’s door for a moment.  It was still early afternoon and he had hoped the few hours he had given Hutch had been enough.  He opened the door and he saw Hutch sitting on the couch staring at a bottle of Jack Daniels.

“I know it’s too early”, Hutch said.  “But I can’t come up with a reason to obliterate myself like Nick did.  It won’t go away no matter what I do.”

Starsky walked inside the apartment and closed the door behind him.  He sat down on the couch next to Hutch.

“I’m sorry”, Starsky told him. 

“When did you find out”, Hutch asked.

“Last night after you left.  It just all seemed to add up and when I threw it out there at Nick, he owned up to it.”

“Jesus”, Hutch said with a shake of his head.  “Why didn’t I see it?  I should’ve seen it.”

“How would you even have guessed?”

“He’s known all this time”, Hutch said as he reached for the bottle.  Hutch picked it up and looked at it in his hands.  “He cheated on my mother.  He turned his back on everything he taught me by having an affair.”

Starsky had nothing to say to ease the pain his best friend was feeling.  He watched as Hutch stood up and walked into the kitchen.

“You’re mother knew”, Starsky told him.  “She must’ve forgiven him.”

“Why on earth she did it, I’ll never know”, Hutch answered while he put the bottle in the cabinet.

“She loves him, Hutch.  You know it as well as I do.”

Hutch turned around and looked at Starsky.

“I know that, but I ask why, Starsk.  He’s my father, but right now I don’t have a clue why she stayed with him.  He always put her second to his work and she stayed.  He pushed me to the moon and back and she stayed.  He was demanding, overbearing, obstinate and hypocritical and she stayed.  He turned his back on his marriage and still she stayed.”

Starsky could see the frustration in Hutch’s eyes and he walked over to him.

“Hutch, you told me yourself that at one time, your father was all that you described and more.  It wasn’t that long ago that he changed.  You’ve told me how he was spending more time with her and he was more understanding of you choosing to be a cop.”

“That was before”, Hutch said with a shake of his head.  “Before I knew he had cheated on Mom.  Before I knew he had fathered a child.”

“Before you knew you had a brother”, Starsky told him softly.

Hutch looked at him and he shook his head.

“He kept quiet, too, Starsk.  Nick knew who I was the minute he laid eyes on me.”

“Don’t blame him”, Starsky told him.

“He lied”, Hutch told him.  “He and my father both lied to me and my mother!  How can you stand there and defend them?”

“Because they’re your family”, Starsky told him.

Hutch looked at Starsky and he knew he was right.  He could feel the weight of the emotion in his chest and it was more than he could almost bear.  He felt Starsky’s arm around him and Hutch didn’t fight as his friend pulled him close.

Martha and Richard said nothing after Starsky had quietly left.  She walked to the table and pulled a Kleenex from the box.  She wiped her eyes and she looked at her husband.  He had not been able to look in her face since the bomb had dropped on everyone.

“We’ve been married many years, Richard”, she began.

“I’m sorry, Martha.  I never wanted any of this to hurt you.  Especially after what I did to you.”

“I know what you did”, Martha told him.  “I’ll never forget it.  But I’ve forgiven you.  It took a while, but I did forgive you, Richard.”

“I know I shouldn’t have kept Nick’s existence from you”, Richard admitted.

“You shouldn’t have, Richard.  I can deal with Nick being your son, but I find your treatment of him abominable.”

Richard said nothing as his wife walked around to face him.

“That boy lost his mother at thirteen years old and he had no one in the world except a father that refused to acknowledge he was even alive.”

“Martha…”

“I will tell you this.  I love you and that will never change.  But if you don’t make things right with your son, I will never forgive you.”

“Ken is…”

“I’m talking about Nick”, she yelled.  “We aren’t leaving here until you make it right with him.  He is your son and even now you won’t accept what he is in your life!”

Richard watched her leave and he slowly sat down on the couch.  He found himself at the same point he had been at so many years ago.  He was on the verge of losing everything dear to him.

Hutch walked over to his couch with a glass of tea and sat down.  He had managed to convince Starsky he was fine and he needed some time alone.  It was all too surreal to him and he was still having a difficult time swallowing the truth.  He heard the opening of the door and when he saw his mother, he stood up.

She slowly walked in and closed the door behind her.

“Mom”, Hutch said.  “Come over and sit, please.”

Martha nodded and walked around to the couch.  She sat down next to her son and Hutch held her hand.

“I’m so sorry”, Hutch told her. 

“It’s not your fault.”

“It hurt you.  Dad hurt you.”

“He did, Ken.  It was a long time ago.”

“I don’t understand.  Today at the hotel…”

“Ken, let me explain this to you as best as I can.  You know how your father used to be.  His work schedule and his time away from us did serious damage to our marriage.  It wasn’t until much later that the impact was felt on our marriage and on you as well.  We weren’t talking and I was so angry at him, I refused to communicate with him when he did try.  There was a time when our marriage was in serious jeopardy.  He felt he had no one to turn to and there was a woman who worked for him at his office.  It was no surprise he would turn to someone else.”

“He was married to you”, Hutch told her.

“Yes, he was.  He was despondent over the problems we had.  They had spent some time together.”

“What happened when you found out?”

“The affair didn’t last long”, Martha told him.  “Both of them realized early on it was a mistake.  You’re father came to me and told me the truth.”

Martha stood up and walked over to the window.

“I was so angry at him.  I even made him leave the house for a time.”

“I remember that”, Hutch said with a sigh.  “I’d never seen you so upset and Dad was beside himself.”

“Eventually we talked and after some time, we began putting our marriage back together.  It was a long road, Ken.  It took years for that whole episode to be put behind us.”

Martha turned and looked at her son.

“You’re father never meant to hurt us”, she told him.

Hutch stood up and walked over to his mother.

“He lied”, he told her.  “He lied ever since the day he found out that woman was pregnant with his child.  He hasn’t changed one bit.  He’s still the same hypocritical son of a…”

Martha shut Hutch up with a slap across his face.

“Let me tell you something”, she told him angrily.  “You may not like the things he’s done and you may be angry as hell at him, but he is your father and my husband!  I will not tolerate any lack of respect on your part.  I didn’t tolerate it from your father and I won’t from you.”

Hutch was stunned at the reaction from his mother and for a moment he didn’t move. He pulled her close to him and hugged her tightly.

“I’m sorry”, he whispered.  “You’re right, Mom.  I’m just so…”

“Hurt”, she finished for him.  “You feel betrayed knowing the truth after all this time.”

Hutch stepped back and ran his hand through his hair.

“How did you forgive him”, Hutch asked.  “I don’t know how to do it.”

“Love”, she told him.  “Ken, I love your father and I’ve never stopped loving him even after the mistakes he made.  I made my share as well.  I shouldn’t have pushed him away like I did.  I should have been there to listen to him.  If I had…well, it’s hard to say what sort of future we’d be dealing with right now.  Just love him, please.”

Hutch hugged her tightly and he hoped he could find a way to forgive his father.  Martha stepped back and walked over to the couch.

“I came to see if you knew where I could find Nick.”

“I don’t know”, Hutch said with a shake of his head.  “I haven’t even thought…”

“I know”, she said with a sigh.  “I feel that I need to speak with him.  He needs to understand so many things and yet I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t.”

“He was staying with Starsky.”

“I called Dave’s and there was no answer.”

“I’ll find him for you”, Hutch told her.

Martha could see the reservation in her son’s eyes and she wasn’t sure if this was a time to question him where Nick was concerned. 

Nick took deep breaths when he finally arrived at Starsky’s.  The car wasn’t there and he was thankful for it.  Nick wasn’t in any mood to deal with Starsky or anyone else for that matter.  He walked inside and headed for the bedroom.  He pulled his duffel bag out and started getting his things together.  He never even heard the door open but when he turned around he saw Richard standing not far from him. 

Nick gave him an angry look and continued with his packing.

“Where are you going”, Richard asked him.

“Away from you”, Nick told him.  “You won’t have to worry.  I won’t cause any more problems for you or your family.”

“We need to talk about this.”

“Talk”, Nick said with a bitter laugh.  “Since when did you ever care about talking to me?  It was always get the hell out of my life.”

“I was wrong about a lot of things.”

Nick stopped what he was doing and looked at his father with contempt.

“You came here to tell me that?  Or did your family tell you what an asshole you are and you want to look good in their eyes by being a father to your bastard son?”

“Don’t say that”, Richard said.

“The truth never bothered you before.  Why should it now?”

“I came here to try and make things right with you”, Richard told him.  “I should never have handled things the way I have.  I should have been more of a father to you.”

“You think you can make things right with me”, Nick asked with disbelief in his eyes.  “How in the hell will you do that?  You made it clear from the very beginning where I stood with you.”

“Your position with the FBI is safe.”

“God damn you”, Nick yelled.  “This isn’t about my damn job!”

Nick walked over to his bag and zipped it shut.

“You might be sincere in what you’re saying.  I don’t know.  But it’s good to know that I’ll leave here knowing you might feel a tenth of the crap I’ve felt my entire life.  Have a nice life, POP.”

Nick slung the duffel bag over his shoulder and strode out of the room.  Richard stood there not moving and he put his hands over his eyes.  He was slow to leave knowing what he had done to his family.

Starsky and Hutch arrived at the precinct early the next morning to begin their day.  Hutch was subdued and Starsky didn’t push him.  Both were acutely aware of Nick’s absence.  They looked up when Sam Tanner strode through the room and headed into Dobey’s office.  It was only a few minutes and Dobey hollered for the both of them.

Starsky and Hutch looked at each other and walked into the office.  They found themselves facing a very angry FBI agent.

“I want to know what the hell went on over the weekend!”

“What’s this about”, Starsky asked.

“One of my best agents resigned this morning”, he yelled.  “We’re in the middle of a major investigation and he walks out without so much of an explanation!”

“Nick”, Hutch asked.

“Who else would I be talking about?”

“Do either of you know what this is about”, Dobey asked his officers.

Starsky and Hutch said nothing for a moment and Hutch finally spoke.

“It’s personal”, Hutch stated.

“Do you know where he is”, Starsky asked the agent.

“He was staying with you”, Tanner told him.  “He arrived at my office an hour ago and handed in his badge and gun.  He walks out the door without saying a word!”

“I’ll get an APB put out on him”, Dobey said.

“I don’t know what kind of department you run here and frankly I don’t give a damn.  Nick Michaels is one of the damn best field agents there is and I consider him a friend.  If anything happens to him, I’m holding this department personally responsible!”

Everyone was silent as the agent stormed from the office.  After the door slammed behind him, Hutch took a deep breath.

“He can’t have gone far”, Starsky said.  “We’ll find him, Cap.”

“You two had better.”

Dobey watched them leave and he could see that it must’ve been pretty personal from the looks on their faces.

Starsky looked over at Hutch who was staring out the window of the Torino.

“I can do this”, Starsky told him. 

“No”, Hutch told him.  “I’m okay.”

“Are you sure?  You don’t have to come.”

“I can’t keep avoiding him”, Hutch said with a sigh.

Starsky nodded and both men stepped from the car and walked into the hotel suite.  Hutch could feel the anger threaten to boil over inside of him when he thought of seeing his father.  His mother’s words echoed in his mind, but he just couldn’t.  Hutch shook his head at the war raging within him.

Starsky knocked on the door and it opened.  Martha stood and she opened the door for them.  They walked inside and Hutch saw his father walking out of the bedroom.

“I’m glad you came”, Martha told him.

Hutch gave his mother a small smile and a kiss on the cheek.

“We’re looking for Nick”, Starsky said.

“He wouldn’t be here”, Richard told them quietly.

“We know that”, Hutch replied without looking at him.

“Nick quit his job this morning with the FBI”, Starsky stated.

“What”, Martha asked in surprise.  “Nick loves his job.”

“Maybe he felt threatened to do it”, Hutch said as he looked at his father.

“I never forced him to leave”, Richard said.  “He said this had nothing to do with his job.”

“You saw him”, Martha asked.

“I went to Dave’s place”, Richard said with a sigh.  “He was there.”

“Where was he going”, Starsky asked.

“I don’t know.  He was packing his things when I arrived.”

Richard walked over to the couch and sat down.

“Maybe none of this would have happened if you had been honest to begin with”, Hutch told him.

“I know that now”, Richard told him.  “I know I’m responsible for this mess.”

“We came here because we thought you might know where he might have went”, Starsky asked Hutch’s father.

“I have no idea”, Richard told him.

“You know him better than the rest of us”, Hutch accused.  “In fact when I think about it, you probably know him better than anyone else.”

“If I knew I’d go after him myself”, Richard shot back.

“We aren’t getting anywhere like this”, Starsky told both Hutch and his father.  “He’s not on any outgoing flights.  We think he’s still in the city somewhere.”

“Let’s check in at Huggy’s”, Hutch told him.  “Maybe he can pick something up for us.”

Starsky nodded and Hutch walked out of the room.  Starsky looked over at Richard and he could see that Hutch’s indifference had affected him.  He took a moment before finally leaving.

Martha stood in the room a moment looking at her husband.  She suddenly remembered something and walked over to her husband.

“I think I’m going to go for a walk”, she told him.  “I feel the need to clear my head.”

Richard looked up at her.

“Would you like me to go with you”, he asked.

“It’s okay”, she told him. 

Richard watched as she picked up her purse and left.

Nick had his duffel bag slung over his shoulder as he walked through the paths looking at the fossils.  He didn’t see anyone behind him until he heard footsteps.  He turned around and didn’t move.  Martha walked over to him and Nick looked down at his feet.

“I remember you telling me that the one place you wanted to see was the La Brea Tar Pits”, she told him.  “You said you had always loved dinosaurs.”
            “I figured I might not get another chance to see ‘em.”

“Nick”, she said.  “Why did you resign from the FBI?”
            “Why are you here”, he asked.

“Everyone is worried about you”, she told him. 

Nick shook his head and walked to a nearby bench.  He set his bag down next to the bench.

“I doubt that”, he told her.  “I just don’t get why you of all people would come looking for me.”

“Who else would come”, she asked.

“I remember when my mother died”, he told her.

Martha quickly walked over and sat next to him.

“He came.  Your husband did.  He didn’t say much to me, but I remember him telling me that I would be taken care of.  I thought I was going to live with him.  When he left me at that foster home, he said they would take care of me.  I remember standing on that front porch when he got in his car.  All I could think of was that his family didn’t want the bastard kid hanging around.”

“You listen to me right now, Nick”, Martha told him trying to control her emotions.  “You are never to call yourself that ever again.  You are a wonderful young man that I’ve come to care a great deal about.”

“I don’t get you”, Nick said with a shake of his head.  “My mother had an affair with your husband.  Why should you care what happens to me?”

“It wasn’t your fault for what happened”, she told him.  “Richard was wrong for how he handled you and for keeping you a secret from Ken and me.  He knows that now.”

“I thought you would hate me for what my mother did.”

“You were a child, Nick.  Even now, I could never hate you.  It wasn’t your mistake.”

“I thought there was something wrong with me”, Nick said as he tried to get a handle on his emotions.  “I wanted to be as good as a son as Hutch was.  I thought maybe if I went into the FBI, I would be.”

“You can’t blame yourself any longer”, she told him.  “I want you to be a part of my family, Nick.”

Nick shook his head and swallowed the lump in his throat.

“I can’t.  I don’t belong there.”

“You do belong and I won’t allow you to think otherwise”, she told him.  “My son is your brother and my husband is your father.  I know I can’t replace your mother, Nick.  I’d like to think we could be friends.”

Nick felt the tears on his face and he looked over at her.  Martha pulled him close and held him tightly.

“You don’t know how long I’ve wanted a family”, he whispered in her ear.

“Yes, I do”, she said with tears in her eyes.

“What a touching scene”, a voice behind them said.

Nick sat up and saw three men in dark suits standing over him and Martha.  He looked at them and the guns they were holding.  He grabbed onto Martha’s hand.

Starsky and Hutch got in the Torino and Hutch sighed as he closed the door to the car.

“I don’t get it”, Starsky said.  “Not one clue anywhere.  There would at least be something.”

“Let’s head over to your place”, Hutch told him.  “Maybe he’ll show up there.”

“No”, Starsky said with a shake of his head.  “He’d come closer to showing up at yours.”

“Thinks so?”

“It’s the only thing I can come up with.”

Hutch shrugged his shoulders and Starsky put the car into drive.

Hutch was walking in the door while the phone rang.  He walked over and answered it.

“Hutchinson.”

“Ken, it’s me”, Richard said.

“What”, Hutch asked impatiently.

“Your mother left to take a walk.”

“Yes.”

“She’s been gone for over two hours and I’m worried.”

“I’m on my way”, Hutch said.  “Mom’s missing.”

Starsky and Hutch tore out of the apartment and sped as fast as the car would go towards the hotel.

Nick pulled at the ropes behind his back and they had no give.  He looked over at Martha who sat with quiet dignity in her chair.  He was glad they saw fit not to tie her up.  He wasn’t sure where they were even at.  They had been brought in a darkened sedan to this empty warehouse and plans were forming in his mind to find a way to get him and Martha out.  So far nothing had a pleasant outcome.

He looked over at a tall man in an expensive suit and coat walking towards him.  Nick watched the cold smile appear in his face and he knew who it was.  Anthony Mastroni looked as cold blooded as the stories as he had heard about the man.

“Is this him”, Anthony asked his men.

They nodded and Anthony walked close to him.

“You have a knack for not dying”, Anthony told him.  “When I had discovered you and two others had killed four of my men, I knew there was something special about you.  Who were the other two?”

“Associates”, Nick bit out.

“Really?  Why don’t you tell me where they’re at?”

“Why?  Do you need knew customers?”

“You and your associates will be made examples of.  I shouldn’t have to explain why.”

“Yeah, it looks bad when we make someone like you look like an idiot.”

Anthony gave one of his men a look and the man walked over and hit Nick several times across the face and in the stomach.  Nick was hunched over when Martha suddenly stood.

“Get your hands off of him”, she yelled at the man.

Anthony looked over at the formidable woman and laughed.  The man looked at her and then over at Anthony.

“Who is she?”

“I am a business associate of Mr. Michaels”, she told him.

Nick looked over at Martha with disbelief in his eyes.  She looked like a lioness raring back to protect her club.  Only she had no idea who she was dealing with.

“An associate”, Anthony asked.  “You belong at home baking cookies.”

“What is your name, sir”, Martha asked him.

“Tell her who I am”, Anthony told Nick.

“Anthony Mastroni”, Nick said with a sigh.

“Mr. Mastroni”, Martha said.  “You may see me as only a woman, but I can assure you that I am Mr. Michaels’ financial backer in this business.”

“What business are you in”, he asked.

“Surely, you of all people know that confidentiality is of the utmost importance in businesses such as ours.  I have been anonymously providing Mr. Michaels the cash flow needed to procure the weapons we require.”

Anthony looked at the woman and crossed his arms.  She was a curious lot, he thought to himself.

“And you took it upon yourself to see that four of my men were killed”, he asked her.

“He was there to do business”, she told him.  “Can it not be helped if they defend themselves when attacked?”

Anthony said nothing as Martha Hutchinson walked closer to him.

“Mr. Mastroni, you are a businessman and a successful one if I’m not mistaken and I am a business woman with a great deal of influence.  We can do business together and we stand to make a great deal of money or you can kill me and Mr. Michaels.  If you do, you will have lost out on a profitable venture that will benefit the both of us.”

“Tell me what you have in mind”, Anthony asked her.

Martha looked over at Nick and he could see the glint in her eyes.  He gave her a small nod in understanding.

“We have half a million dollars in cash at the hotel suite”, Nick told him.  “We are prepared to do business if you have the guns to do it with.”

“What hotel”, he asked.

“Why, the Waldorf, of course”, Martha responded.

“Of course”, Anthony said with a cold smile.  “Let’s go see this cash.”

“You will understand if I let my people know I’m coming”, she said.

“I think not”, Anthony told her.

“Mr. Mastroni”, she said with a pleasant smile.  “I can’t have you and your people arriving unexpectedly.  Blood stains are murder on Persian carpet.”

Anthony smiled and motioned for one of his men to take her to a phone.  Martha smiled as she followed him.  Anthony walked over to Nick who was still tied to the chair.

“What is this woman to you?  I was told you both were in an embrace when you were found.”

“She’s like a mother”, Nick said.  “Her cookies kick ass.”

Anthony laughed a little.

Richard paced the carpet in while Starsky was on the phone.

“She didn’t say anything else”, Hutch asked him.

“No.  She was just going for a walk.  God, if anything happened to her…”

Starsky hung up the phone and walked over to them.

“We’ve got an APB out on her and Huggy’s sending his people out.  Hopefully we hear something soon.”

The phone rang and Hutch answered it on the first ring.

“Hutchinson.”

“Mr. Starsky, I need you to prepare for visitors.”

“Mom?”

“I understand its short notice.  Go to the safe and have the package waiting when we arrive.”

“Are you in trouble?”

“Have some champagne brought up for our guests and make sure we aren’t disturbed when we arrive.”

“Is Nick with you?”

“Of course, I will, Mr. Starsky.  Now do as I say.  We should arrive shortly.”

Hutch heard the click at the other end and he looked over at his father and Starsky.

“What is it”, Richard asked.

“I’m not sure”, Hutch said.  “I think she’s coming, but she’s not alone.”

“Nick is with her”, Starsky asked.

“I think so.”

Hutch walked around a bit and ran his hand through his hair.

“The shooting at the track”, Hutch said.  “They were aiming to take Nick out because they might have thought he was going to cut in on their business.”

“Who”, Richard asked impatiently.

“Anthony Mastroni”, Starsky said.  “They could have made him while he was out.  Your mother found him and they snatched them.”

“Who is this man”, Richard asked.  “Why would he take my wife?”

“If they’re coming here, there isn’t much time”, Hutch said. 

“Nick must’ve known we’d be here and he somehow managed to convince Mastroni to come here so he could buy his guns.”

Hutch walked over and picked up the phone.

“We’ll be ready”, Hutch told Starsky and his father.

Nick was shoved in the backseat of the car with his hands still tied behind his back.  Martha slid in behind him.

“You’ve got a lot of…”, Nick told her but he didn’t want to say it in front of her.

“I’ve sat on several of Richard’s business meetings”, she told him.

“Must be some meetings”, Nick said with a shake of his head.  “Who did you get on the phone?”

“Ken answered it.  I hope he understood.”

Nick watched the men get in the front seat and he hoped the same thing.

The car stopped in front of the hotel and Nick was pulled out.  The ropes were removed from his wrists and he walked over to Martha.  The both of them were escorted inside the hotel by Anthony Mastroni and his three men.  The six of them got on the elevator and arrived on the floor where the hotel suite was located.  Martha had purpose in her walk as she walked to the door.  She pulled the key from her purse and unlocked the door.

Nick’s instincts kicked in and he knew they were waiting.  He walked directly behind Martha keeping his back to the men standing behind him.  He was close behind her as they stepped through the doorway.  He could see Starsky out of the corner of his eye on his right and he pushed Martha straight ahead. 

When all six of them were inside the room, Starsky and Hutch stepped out and Nick pushed Martha to the floor covering her body with his own.  He looked up as the men started drawing their guns and police officers began filling the room.  Nick looked over at Anthony who had cold blooded rage in his eyes.

He froze when he saw the gun pointed at him.  Hutch aimed his gun at Mastroni and just as Mastroni was pulling the trigger, both him and Starsky shot Mastroni down.  When he had fallen down on the carpet dead, they turned to Martha who was pushing Nick off of her. 

She looked down at Nick and saw his pale face.

“Oh, no”, she whispered.

Hutch kneeled down next to his mother and looked down at the bloody wound in his side.  He could see the slow rising of his chest.

“Mom, he’s alive”, Hutch told her.

Starsky told one of the officers to get an ambulance.  He looked back at Richard fighting to get in the room.  Starsky motioned for them to let him through.  Richard walked over to his wife and put his arm around her.  He looked down at the pale face of Nick and he could see his shallow breathing.  No, he thought to himself. 

Martha clenched her fists tightly and looked over at her son as he took his hands in hers.

“He just wants a family”, she told Hutch.  “He’s never wanted anything else in his life, but a family.”

“I know”, Hutch whispered.

“Nick just needs to feel it, Ken.  Please let him know.”

Hutch couldn’t answer her and he wish he could.  He still couldn’t untangle the tattered mess his own emotions were in.  He laid his head on her shoulder.  Hutch felt like a young child again at that moment with his mother’s arms around him and he closed his eyes as he remembered her soft voice singing to him.

Starsky walked over to Richard who was pacing the waiting room.  He handed him a cup of coffee.  Richard nodded in thanks as he took it.  He looked over at his wife and son and sighed.  He wanted his son back, but he wasn’t sure if it would happen.  He may have lost both of his sons on this day, he thought to himself.

“He just needs some time”, Starsky told him.

“I hope you’re right”, Richard told him.  “I never want to see that look from Ken again.  I don’t think I could take it.”

Richard looked at Starsky and took a drink from his coffee.

“I’ve failed both of them, Dave.  I’ve done so much damage to my family and to Nick as well.  I spent years convincing myself I did the right thing by him when I knew deep inside I knew better.”

“Nick needs you”, Starsky told him.  “Hutch does, too.  They may not know it right now, but they do.”

“God, please don’t take him”, Richard whispered.  “He deserves to live a better life than I’ve given him.”

Starsky patted Richard on the shoulder.  He looked over at the doctor walking into the waiting room.  Everyone stood and walked over to him.

“He’s out of surgery”, the doctor told them.  “There’s been a great deal of blood loss and damage from the bullet.”

“Will he make it”, Richard asked.

“It’s too early to say”, he told them.  “He made it through the surgery, but the next 24 hours are critical.  The biggest hurdle right now is infection.  We’ve taken every precaution to guard against it, but it’s just too early to say what his prognosis is.”

“Can we see him”, Martha asked.

“He’s in recovery right now.  In a few hours we’ll move him to ICU and then you can see him one at a time for a few minutes.  It has to be brief.”

“Doctor”, Richard said.  “Money is no object.  You name it and I’ll have the top specialists flown in.  Nick will have the best in the country.”

“He does have the best, Mr. Hutchinson”, the doctor told him with a hopeful smile.   No one spoke after he left them.

Martha looked down at Nick lying in the bed.  He had been attached to every machine imaginable, she thought.  His face was pale and he looked like a small child to her in the bed.  She gently took his head in hers.

“Everyone’s waiting for you, Nick”, she told him.  “We aren’t leaving and you will never be alone again.”

Martha kissed his hand and walked out of the ICU.

Richard was a bit hesitant as he walked into the room where Nick lay.  He took a deep breath at the sight of him.  He walked over to the bed and put his hands on the railing.  Richard swallowed the hard lump in his throat and looked down at his son.

His son, he thought with a sigh.  It was something he had never even dared say to himself.  Richard realized he had intentionally kept Nick at a distance not just to keep his family but to protect his own heart as well.  He had been too afraid of being forced to choose between his sons.

Richard made a vow as he looked down at Nick.  He would make it right with him.  Richard would guarantee Nick a place in his family and his life or he would die trying.  It was time to put things to rights and his first objective was to be a father to Nick.  He was well aware of the anger Nick felt and he knew he would feel the brunt of it several times before it was all said and done.  He was never a man to back down and he wasn’t about to do it with his son.  Neither of them, Richard thought silently.

Hutch was walking towards the ICU when he saw Starsky walk out in the hallway.

“I was looking for you”, Hutch said.  “Dobey wants us to work on those reports as soon as Nick is out of the woods.”

“I’m on my way to the station”, Starsky told him.  “Are you going in to see Nick?”

“I’ll see him later”, Hutch said.  “I thought I’d get a head start on those reports.”

“Hutch, they can wait”, Starsky told him.  “You should go in there and see him.”

“Later”, Hutch told him.

Hutch started to walk away and Starsky held his arm.

“It’s still touch and go.  You should go in there.”

Hutch pulled away from Starsky and gave him a look.

“When I’m ready”, Hutch told him.

Starsky stood in the hallway as Hutch walked away.  He stuck his hands in his pockets as he watched Hutch walking away.  Hutch was having a harder time than he had realized.

Hutch sat in the chapel and stared ahead.  He had no idea why he was even here and yet he found himself here just the same.  He was never very religious and he was at a loss for words when it came to praying.  It always seemed to help his mother, but he had no idea of how to even begin. 

He heard footsteps and he looked over to see his father sitting in a pew across the aisle.  Hutch looked ahead and kept silent.  He didn’t even look at his father when he heard his voice.

“We thought we had lost you once”, Richard told him.  “You were almost two years old.  I had a pool put in and your mother and I were outside while you were playing with a toy truck I had bought you earlier that day.  I was talking on the phone and your mother was talking to the gardener.  You must’ve pushed that truck as hard as you could.  It went into the pool and you reached for it.  You fell into the water.  I heard your mother scream and when I saw you in the pool, I dived in and pulled you out.  The gardener helped me get you out.  You weren’t breathing.”

Hutch looked over at him and he could see the emotion in his father’s eyes.  His fists were clenched tightly as he remembered the event.

“I could only stand back and stare as the gardener helped you to breathe.  I made a bargain with God that day.  I told God if He would leave you with us, I would work every day of my life to keep the love in your eyes I saw that day when I bought you that truck.”

“You didn’t”, Hutch whispered.

“I know that.  I find myself in the same position right now.  Nick might not survive the night and I would do anything to see some affection in his eyes.  At this point, I’ll take his anger and his hatred of me to keep him alive.”

Richard stood up and walked over to a small stain glass window.  He didn’t look at Hutch while he spoke.

“Nora Michaels was a good woman and a good friend.  She deserved much better than what I gave her even though she never complained.  She never even said a cross word when I ended it with her.”

Richard turned around and looked at Hutch who was clenching his fists.  He suddenly remembered when Nick was sitting on Starsky’s couch with a clenched fist.

“I can’t offer you any explanations.  I have no excuses to give you”, Richard told him.  “You’re mother will attempt to take some of the blame upon herself, but I am at the beginning, the middle and the end of all the blame in this.”

“Are you asking me to forgive you”, Hutch asked him bitterly.

“You’re not ready for it, Ken.  It’s obvious to me that it will take you some time to ever be ready.”

“I may never be ready”, Hutch said as he stood up.  He started to head out of the chapel when Richard’s voice stopped him.  Hutch turned around and looked at him.  Richard took his time as he walked over to him.

“Forgiveness is a tough thing”, Richard told him.  “Asking you to forgive me will probably be one of the hardest things you will ever do in your life.  It will be the same for Nick.   I have a much tougher task than you or he will face in this mess.”

“What would that be”, Hutch asked him with anger in his eyes.

“Forgiving myself.  I’ve destroyed our relationship and I have done lasting damage to Nick’s childhood which he will carry with him for the rest of his life.  He will more than likely never forgive me for what I’ve done.  I’ll carry this for the rest of my life whether you or Nick forgive me or not.  You can rest assured that my payment for what I’ve done to the both of you has yet to begin.”

Hutch didn’t say anything as he slowly turned away leaving his father in the chapel.

Nick licked his lips and he slowly opened his eyes.  The brightness hurt a bit and everything was blurry.  His eyes were slow to focus and he saw Martha looking down at him with a soft smile.

“What happened”, he whispered.

“You were shot”, she told him.  “You saved my life.”

Nick moved his head and he saw Starsky looking at him.  He had a small smile on his face.

“Good to see you awake”, Starsky said.  “Doc says you’ll make it.”

“How long?”

“You’ve been out of it for almost two days”, Starsky told him. 

Nick looked back at Martha and then over at Starsky.

“You should’ve seen her”, Nick told him.  “She put us all to shame.  She’d make a hell of a cop.”

Starsky smiled at Nick and he looked at Martha.

“I heard.  I’m thinkin’ she’d be a great partner for you.”

Nick tried to smile, but he still hurt.

“Get some rest”, Martha told him.  “You have a lot of healing to do.”

Nick didn’t argue and he slowly closed his eyes.  Starsky looked over at Martha and both of them quietly left the room.

“I’m so thankful he’ll be fine”, she told him.

“He’s tough”, Starsky said.  “Must be some of those Hutchinson genes.”

“Dave, have you spoken with Ken”, she asked him.

Starsky sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets.

“Hutch has been working.  I don’t think he’s ready to deal with all of this yet.”

“I’m so worried about him.  He’s not handling it well at all.”

“I’ll talk to him.”

“His life has changed considerably.  I want Nick to be a part of our family.  He doesn’t realize it, yet, but he needs Richard and Hutch both.”

“You might be asking too much out of him”, Starsky told her.  “He’s still pretty mad about this whole thing.”

“Is he angry at Nick?”

“I think so”, Starsky said with a sigh.  “He feels Nick should have spoken up much sooner.  There’s probably more that I’m not seeing right now.”

“Lies have never settled with Ken very well”, Martha told him.  “I’m hoping he’ll at the very least offer Nick some understanding.”

Starsky put his arm around her and walked with her down the hallway.  He wasn’t sure if Hutch would ever be ready considering how he was feeling.

Starsky was headed down the hallway of the hospital.  It had been a few days since Nick had awoken in ICU and he had been given a private room thanks to Richard Hutchinson.  He wasn’t saying much and it bothered Starsky that Hutch had not came to the hospital to see Nick.  It seemed as if Hutch was avoiding any contact with his father and Nick both.  He knew Hutch would have to soon face them both and it wouldn’t be an easy task.

As he neared the room he was hearing something and as he got closer it was yelling.  Starsky broke into a run and when he ran in Richard stood over Nick’s bed and Nick was yelling at him.  Starsky could see Nick was throwing things and Richard was attempting to calm him down. 

He walked over to Richard and took him by the arm. 

“You’ve got to leave”, Starsky told him.

“I can’t”, Richard told him.

Starksy pulled Richard out of the room and into the hallway.

“Please, just for right now”, Starsky said.  “He just needs some time.”

Richard sighed and nodded.  Starksy turned around and walked into the hospital room.  Nick’s hand was on his side where it had a large bandage covering it.  He could see a small line of blood from the incision.

“Nick”, Starsky said.  “I’m going to have the nurse check you out.  Just relax.”

Nick kept silent as Starsky left.   After the nurse had left, Starsky walked over to Nick.

“Could you hand me that cup of water”, Nick asked.

Starsky retrieved the cup with the straw in it and he held it as Nick took a sip of water.  He set the cup down and Starsky pulled a chair close.  After sitting down, Starsky took a deep breath.

“I don’t think the doctors here want to have to put you back together again”, Starsky told him. 

“Just keep him away from me”, Nick told him.  “I don’t want to see him.”

“You’ll have to deal with him sometime”, Starsky told him.

“A lot of good it’s done me the times I did deal with him.”

“You might as well get it in your head right now that things are going to be different from here on out.”

“Don’t ask me to trust what he’s about”, Nick said with a shake of his head.  “I won’t do it.”

“Nick, I know he doesn’t deserve it, but give Richard a chance.  For your own sake as well as his.”

“You’re asking too much from me right now”, he told him. 

Starsky knew it was a lot to ask.  As he left the hospital he knew he would be asking a lot from his best friend as he headed to his place.

Hutch attempted to keep himself preoccupied as he cleaned his apartment.  He had spent most of the morning cleaning.  He had completed all his paperwork at the precinct and Dobey had practically kicked him out.  He was getting ready to water his plants when he looked up to see Starsky walking in.

“Hey”, Hutch said as he pulled the plant food out.

“Dobey said you were here.”

“I guess I wore out my welcome over at the precinct.  I even finished up your paperwork”, Hutch said with half a smile.

“Hutch, why haven’t you been to the hospital”, Starsky asked evenly.

“I’ve been busy”, Hutch told him.

Starsky didn’t say anything as Hutch readied the plant foot and he walked over to him.

“Don’t you think it’s about time you showed up over there?”

“I don’t see a reason”, Hutch told him.  “If there’s a problem I’m sure they’d call and let me know.”

Hutch started watering his plants and Starsky put his hand on his arm.

“It won’t go away”, Starsky told him quietly.

Hutch stopped what he was doing and he put the watering can down.  He turned around and looked at Starsky.

“You don’t think I know that”, Hutch asked him with an incredulous look.  “Ever since that day in the hotel room, I’ve thought of nothing else.  Everything in my life has been a lie!  Everything from my father to that day I found out what kind of man he is!”

“Was, Hutch”, Starsky told him.

Hutch swung at the watering can and it skidded across the cabinet and fell to the floor.  Starsky was silent as he looked at Hutch who was barely holding on to his temper.

“He lied and everyone expects me to just forget about it!  How in the hell am I supposed to look at him knowing what he’s done.  I’ve stood by and watched the hell he put my mother through.  I’ve respected her decision to stick it out with him and yet I’m supposed to be a better man than him.”

Hutch took a deep breath and sighed.  He could feel his temper boiling over.

“Why won’t you go to the hospital”, Starsky asked him.

“I’ve told you”, Hutch said with a shake of his head.

“No you haven’t.  You haven’t said what it is that keeps you from going down there.”

“I’m in no mood to deal with my father”, Hutch answered.

“What about dealing with your brother?”

“Nick has nothing to do with this”, Hutch replied.

“He has everything to do with it, Hutch and you know it.”

“Stop it, Starsk”, Hutch told him.  “I’m asking you to back off.”

Starsky sighed knowing that he was now treading on deadly ground with his best friend. 

“I can’t”, Starsky told him.  “You’ve been avoiding your father and Nick ever since this thing broke and no matter what you say or do you can’t runaway from it.  Your family needs you, Hutch.  You can’t turn your back on them.”

Hutch shook his head and put his hands on the counter.  He looked over at Starsky.

“My entire life everything has had its place”, Hutch told him.  “Everything.  There isn’t one thing in my life that hasn’t had a place in it until now.  As much as I despise my father right now, he has a place.  My mother will always have a place.”

“Hutch”, Starsky started.

“Until now”, Hutch whispered.  “I have my entire life laid out and everything is put in order and where it belongs.  I can pick up my father and put him where he belongs.  You have a place in my life.  But Nick.”

Starsky was silent as Hutch shook his head as if in denial.

“Where does he belong”, Hutch asked.  “Where do I put him?  He came out of the blue and I’m supposed to put him somewhere.”

Hutch turned around and walked over to stand next to the small table in the kitchen.  Starsky didn’t move as Hutch kept shaking his head.  Suddenly Hutch grabbed at the table and violently flipped it over sending it on it’s side and everything on top of it crashing to the floor.  Starsky walked over and grabbed Hutch by the arms.

“He’s your brother”, Starsky told him.  “He has a place in your life.  Nick needs a place in your life, Hutch.”

“How can I”, Hutch asked emotionally.  “I can’t even pick apart the emotions inside of me.  I am supposed to know what I feel and understand it and I can’t.”

“You will never know unless you go down to that hospital and start dealing with it”, Starsky told him.  “If you don’t, this will eat you alive for the rest of your life.”

Hutch sagged against his best friend and didn’t fight as Starsky held onto him.

Nick started to turn over and he realized he couldn’t after feeling the bandage across his abdomen.  He opened his eyes and looked over.  Hutch stood with his back to him.  Nick pushed himself up a bit and he didn’t say anything as Hutch turned around.

Hutch didn’t say anything for a moment as he looked at Nick.  He had to admit he was looking considerably better than the last time he had seen him.  In fact it was the day he had been shot.

“I talked to Sam Tanner”, Hutch said.  “Your badge and gun are waiting for you whenever you want it.  You’re covered in this.”

“Is that why you came here?  To tell me I’ve still got a job?”

“No”, Hutch admitted.  “Why didn’t you tell me the truth sooner?  You knew the first time you saw me.”

“I knew”, Nick said with a sigh.  “You accused me of lying that day.  Would you have believed me if I had said anything before then?”

Hutch stared at Nick for a moment not saying anything.  He was right.  He would never had believed him unless he heard it from his father’s own lips.  Hutch had nothing else to say and he quietly left the room.

Nick laid his head back and closed his eyes.  He wished he could read Hutch’s mind and know what he was thinking.  He knew he would never give Hutch the answers to the questions he would be asking him. 

Martha walked into Nick’s room with a vase of fresh flowers and set them down on a nearby table.  Nick smiled as he looked over at her.

“Thanks”, Nick said. 

“These hospital rooms are too depressing for my own taste”, she told them.  “I’ve spoken with the doctor and he said you’ll be able to leave tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I’ve got to call and get a flight reservation.”

“He recommended against you flying right now.”

“I can’t exactly stay here for the next couple of weeks.”

“It will take three to four weeks till you are fully recovered”, she told him.  “Richard and I have extended our visit.”

“You’re telling me something, aren’t you?”

“We would like it if you would stay with us at the hotel during your recovery.”

“You know that’s impossible”, Nick told her.

“Why?”

“You know”, he answered.  “You’re husband and I…”

“Nick, I’m well aware of the situation with you and Richard.  I think it’s time this family began living honestly and truthfully with each other.  I know it won’t be easy.  In fact I expect it to be downright difficult for everyone, but it will never improve if we all avoid one another.”

Nick knew she was right, but he was not comfortable with the idea whatsoever.  He would have preferred to walk to New York rather than face his father or Hutch.  When he looked at Martha, he could see the insistence in her eyes.

“I have a feeling that you won’t let this go until I agree”, he said with a small smile.

“Have you been able to say no to me before”, she asked with a smile.

“I’ll do it for you”, he told her seriously.  “Don’t ask me to do it for anyone else.”

Martha understood and she took her hand and brushed his hair away from his face.

Nick was silent as the orderly helped him into the wheelchair.  Richard, Martha, Hutch and Starsky were there the day he was released and he could feel the silence around him.  It felt like a thick moat of immovable liquid with no give to it.  Hutch grabbed Nick’s bag and followed everyone out of the hospital room.

When they arrived at the entrance, Nick gripped the handles of the wheelchair when he saw the limo parked out front.  He was helped inside the limo and it was painful as he scooted inside.

Hutch stood outside the limo while he watched Nick slowly get inside followed by his parents.

“I’ll catch up with you later”, Starsky said.

“You’re not coming with us”, Hutch asked him.

“It’s family time.”

“Starsk, you are family.  You should know that by now.”

“I know, buddy.  But I think this one time you need to be with ‘em without me tagging along.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’ll call you.”

Hutch nodded and he slowly got inside the limo.  Starsky watched the limo pull out and as he watched it drive off, he knew he was right in backing off for a bit.  They needed some time together and he could only hope for the best.

The ride to the hotel was filled with silence.  Nick looked over at Richard who held Martha’s hand tightly in his.  He watched her look at him and he could see the obvious love in her eyes for her husband.  He looked over at Hutch who looked at ease in the limo.  His focus was out the window and Nick wondered how far Hutch would go to ignore his presence.  He leaned back against the seat and sighed.  He was already questioning the wisdom of his decision in staying with the Hutchinson family.

Nick sat in the wheelchair in the middle of the hotel suite.  He looked over as Martha instructed Hutch to take his bag into one of the rooms.  Richard walked over to him with his hands in his pant’s pockets.

“I have a private nurse coming in for a few hours a day to help you get around and change your bandages.  The hotel physician will be up later to see you.”

Nick gave him a short nod.  Richard could see nothing else to say.  He walked over to Martha who was walking out of the bedroom with Hutch.

“I think I’ll get some rest”, Nick told them.

“Would you like some help”, Richard offered.

“No”, Nick told him shortly.  “I can manage.”

Nick wheeled himself in the bedroom and after the door closed, no one spoke.

“It’s almost time for dinner”, Martha said.  “Since Nick is resting why don’t the three of us go to the restaurant?  I’ll have something brought up for him when he wakes up.”

Hutch looked over at his father and said nothing.  Richard was just as silent.

“I’ve had enough of this silence between the two of you”, she told them.  “I expect the both of you to join me and to act like gentlemen.”

Martha picked up her purse and headed out the door.  Richard looked over at Hutch.

“I suppose we should listen to her”, he told Hutch.

“Yeah”, Hutch agreed.

Richard followed Martha out the door and Hutch followed as he looked at the closed door where Nick was.

The dinner was almost pleasant, Hutch thought.  They had managed to carry on a conversation, but when the subject of Nick came up, he remained silent.  Hutch had always been able to call it like he saw it, but this was one time he could ever remember not knowing how to deal with this knew circumstance.  For the first time in his life, he felt awkward.  Almost out of place.

“Kenneth.”

Hutch looked up at his mother who was looking at him.

“I’m sorry”, he told her.  “What did you say?”

“I wondered if you would go upstairs and check on Nick.”

“I’m sure he’s still sleeping.”

“Just the same, I would appreciate it.”

The love in his mother’s eyes was never one he could resist and Hutch smiled as he stood up.

“Sure.  I’ll be right back.”

Richard watched Hutch leave the restaurant and he looked at his wife.

“He’s having such a difficult time”, Martha said with a sigh.  “I do hope Ken and Nick can become friends.”

Richard took his wife’s hand in his and he gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

“It will happen”, he told her.  “I have faith in the both of them.”

Martha smiled up at her husband and she knew he was making as much of an effort as he possibly could.  It was all she asked for.

Nick woke from the pain in his side.  It was excruciating and he grimaced as he turned over.  He remembered his pain medication was in the living room.  It took a great deal of effort and pain to sit himself up.  He took several deep breaths as he slowly stood up.  Nick managed to get himself standing and he looked over at the wheelchair.

He had to start getting around on his own eventually, he thought.  He began the slow walk to the living room.  It seemed to take forever as he slowly reached the door.  Nick grabbed onto the wall and when he reached it, he leaned against the frame of the door and rested.  Just from that short trek, he was exhausted. 

Nick looked over at his medication sitting on the coffee table and it looked to be a thousand miles away as tired as he felt.  He looked behind him at the wheelchair in the bedroom and sighed.  God, just how stupid could he get?

He looked over at the sound of the door opening and Nick saw Hutch looking at him.  He wished the guy would just turn around and go the other way. 

When Hutch saw Nick standing in the doorway of his room, he could see the exhaustion in his face.  Hutch quickly made his way over to him.

“You’re not supposed to be overdoing it”, Hutch scolded him.

“I needed my pain medication”, Nick ground out.

“I’ll get you to the couch”, Hutch told him.

Hutch grabbed Nick’s arm and put it around his shoulder.  He put his other arm around his waist as he helped him over to the couch.  When Nick finally sat down on the couch, he breathed a heavy sigh of relief.  Just getting off his feet relieved the intense pressure in his side.

Hutch walked over to the bar and poured a large glass of water.  He took it to Nick and handed him his pain medication.  Hutch said nothing as Nick took two pills and a large drink of the water.  Nick handed him the glass.

“Thanks”, Nick told him.

Hutch was silent as he took the glass over to the bar.

“What are you doing here”, Nick asked him.

Hutch walked over to the window and stared out looking at nothing.

“Mom and Dad wanted me to check up on you”, Hutch told him.

Nick shook his head as he looked at him.

“You can’t even stand to look at me”, Nick stated.

Hutch kept his focus on the window outside.

“I guess it’s not every day you find out that your old man has a bastard you knew nothing about.”

Hutch swung his head around and looked at Nick.

“Hey, don’t worry about it, Hutch.  Ever since that first day we met I knew what you would think of me if you knew the truth.”

Hutch said nothing and looked back out the window.

“You’re just like him”, Nick said as he found his jacket on the couch.  He searched the pockets and found his cigarettes and lighter. 

“I’m nothing like him”, Hutch whispered.

Nick lit a cigarette and blew the smoke out of his mouth.

“Why deny it”, Nick told him.  “You’re working as hard to ignore me now as he did before everyone knew the truth.”

“You think that’s what I’m doing”, Hutch asked him.  “You don’t know a thing about me.”

Hutch turned to start walking out the door and Nick’s voice stopped him in his tracks.

“I know that every time you look at me you see your father’s infidelity.  Every time you hear my name or see my face you will see what that old man did to you.”

Hutch clenched his fists tightly and took a moment before leaving the room.  When he reached the elevator, he leaned against the wall and Nick’s words echoed in his ears.  He shook his head and when the doors opened he walked back into the restaurant where his parents were.  He walked over to his mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“I’ve got to go”, Hutch told her.

“Is something wrong”, she asked.  “Nick?”

“He’s fine”, Hutch assured her.  “He’s sitting on the couch.”

Hutch quickly left and Richard could see that something had happened between Hutch and Nick.  It was obvious from the look on his son’s face.

“Richard”, Martha asked.

“I’ll go talk to Nick”, he told her.

“Please don’t get angry at him.”

“I won’t”, he promised.  “Wait here and when I get back we’ll go on that walk I promised you.”

Martha nodded and watched her husband leave.  Please God, she prayed.  Help them find their way.

Nick had just put out his cigarette when the door opened.  He turned his head and saw Richard walking over to him.  Nick looked up at the man standing over him.

“In this family we don’t use our circumstances to beat down other people.”

“Is that what you think I’ve done”, Nick asked.

“You’ve done it often enough with me and Lord knows I deserve it.  Ken is just as innocent as you are.  I won’t have it, Nicholas.”

Nick didn’t say anything.  It was the first time he had ever heard anyone except for his mother to call him by his given name.

“Are you telling me this to protect your son from the bastard”, Nick spat out.

Richard took a deep breath and leaned towards him.

“I am doing this to protect both of my sons”, he told him evenly.  “I’ve realized that you are a good man with a strong sense of integrity.  Your harsh words only demean yourself and the kind of man you are.  No matter how well deserved you think they are.”

Richard turned around and left the room leaving Nick speechless.  Nick ran his hand through his hair and leaned back against the couch.  God damn it, Nick swore under his breath.  The old man was right.

Starsky had seen Hutch’s car parked out in front of his apartment when he drove by.  He pulled the Torino over and ran inside.  When he opened the door, Hutch was opening the bottle of Jack Daniels.  Starsky closed it and watched as Hutch poured himself a shot.

“Want to join me”, Hutch asked him.

“No”, Starsky whispered.

Hutch picked up the glass and stared at the contents.  Starsky saw a bitter smile cross his face before downing the drink.  Hutch set the glass down and looked over at Hutch.

“Nick and I had a very interesting conversation today”, Hutch told him. 

Starsky said nothing as Hutch poured another drink in the glass.

“He said I was just like my dad.  Can you believe that”, Hutch said with a sad laugh.

“Hutch”, Starsky began.

“He’s right, you know.  I have worked so hard to be nothing like him and what did I do?  I became my father.”

Hutch downed the contents and reached for the bottle.  Starsky crossed the room and took the bottle out of Hutch’s hand.

“You are not your father”, Starsky told him.  “You know that.”

“Do I really know that?  I don’t know, Starsk.  I’ve looked at my behavior since I found out the truth.  I have avoided him.  I didn’t want to see him.  I didn’t want anything to do with him.”

Hutch set the glass down and walked into the living room and turned to look back at his best friend.

“Do you know why?”

“No.”

“When I look at Nick, I see what my father did.  I see the affair, all the lies and the hypocrisy.  I can’t see anything else!”

Starsky set the bottle down and walked over to Hutch.

“Hutch, I can’t begin to understand how much this has affected you, but you aren’t your father.  You never have been.”

“Look at me, Starsk”, Hutch yelled.  “I’ve always been the one with a hand out and taking on lost causes!  I’ve stood up for the little guy and I’ve laid everything on the line to help out someone who’s made their own bed.  It didn’t matter how many times I was kicked in the face, I kept doing it!  Now, I can’t even deal with Nick.  I’m ready to write him off no matter how rotten of a deal he got!”

Starsky grabbed Hutch by the arms and forced him to look at him.

“Hutch, there is one thing you haven’t done through this entire thing.  You haven’t seen Nick for what he is.  It hurts too much for you to see anything else right now.  He is your brother, Hutch.”

“Stop it”, Hutch said weakly as he tried to pull away.

“No”, Starsky told him.  He held tightly on to Hutch.  “Nick is your brother and that is the reality you need to face.  He isn’t the one who is responsible for the decisions your father made.  You have to say it, Hutch.  Say it!”

“Stop it”, Hutch said as he jerked away.  Hutch took a few steps away and turned his back on Starsky.  He ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. 

“I can’t”, Hutch whispered. 

“You have a brother who needs you whether he knows it or not, Hutch.  Nick hates himself right now and he doesn’t think he’s good enough for you.”

“What”, Hutch asked as he turned around.

“Your mother told me”, Starsky told him.  “From the times I’ve talked to him and what your mother said, he wants to be as good as you, but no matter what he accomplishes in his life, he feels like he will never measure up to you.”

Starsky walked over to Hutch and put his hand on his shoulder.

“Face it, buddy.  From afar you had a little brother who looked up to you and worshiped the ground you walked on.”

The new information floored Hutch.  He shook his head a bit and than sat down on the couch.  He looked up at Starsky who walked over to the couch and sat next to him.

Hutch looked over at Starsky and smiled a little.

“I have a brother”, Hutch told his best friend.

Starsky smiled and put his arm around Hutch.

The nurse had just finished up with Nick when Hutch arrived.  His mother was sitting on the couch with a book and Nick had just wheeled himself into the living room.  Martha stood up and walked over to Hutch.

“I didn’t expect to see you today”, she told him.

“I took the day off”, Hutch told her. 

“What’s that you have there”, she asked when she looked at the case and the bag in Hutch’s hands.

“I thought Nick might want to clean his gun”, Hutch said.  “I figured I might as well clean mine at the same time.”

Nick didn’t say anything as Hutch walked over to the table.  Hutch opened up the small case with the cleaning supplies and he pulled Nick’s gun out of the sack.  Hutch pulled his .357 out of his holster and set it on the table.  He looked over at Nick.

Nick sat in the wheelchair looking at Hutch and he looked over at Martha and he could see the hopeful look in her eyes.  He wheeled himself over to the table and Martha picked up her book.

“Well, I think I’ll do some reading in the other room while you boys clean your toys”, she told them.

Nick was almost ready to ask her to stay, but she quickly left the room closing the door behind her.  He looked back at Hutch who pulled some small rags from the sack and sat down.  Neither spoke as Hutch began taking his gun apart.

Nick reached over and picked his gun up and started taking it apart as well.  For a few minutes neither spoke while they concentrated on their cleaning.

“She’s never been easy to say no to”, Nick stated.

“No”, Hutch told him.  “Have you managed to yet?”

“She has this way about her”, Nick said after shaking his head.  “Even Anthony Mastroni couldn’t say no to her.”

Hutch chuckled a little and he could see his mother standing up to the infamous criminal.

“I would imagine that was some scene”, Hutch told him.  “When I read your statement, I could see her doing it.”

“I thought she was going to tear those guys’ heads off when they were using me as a whipping post.  I couldn’t believe my eyes when she stood up to them.”

Neither spoke for a moment and Nick looked at Hutch while he cleaned his gun.

“You’re lucky”, Nick told him.  “Your mother is a hell of a woman.”

“You might as well figure you’ll be seeing quite a bit of her whether you want to or not.”

“I doubt I could stop her”, Nick said with an easy smile.

“I imagine Mom’s already talked to Starsky’s mother.”

“About this?”

“She’ll make sure that his mother checks up on you when you get back to New York.  You’ll have a well stocked fridge.  Countless dinner invitations that you will be hard pressed to ignore and I can guarantee your holidays will never be the same”, Hutch said with a nod.  “Starsky has already told me that my mother has paid a visit to his house and left two casseroles in the fridge for him.  I guess it’s an agreement our mothers made some time ago.”

It was a nice thought, Nick thought to himself.  He could almost imagine it and he could see that his life would be considerably different than it had been before.

“I don’t really understand”, Nick told him.  “I’ve never really had anyone before and now…”

“Now you’re not sure if you deserve any of this”, Hutch finished for him.

“I guess.”

Hutch set his gun down and looked at Nick.

“I’m sure Starsky explained to you how close we are”, Hutch said.  At Nick’s nod, Hutch continued.  “When our mothers saw this, they realized they needed to help each other take care of us.  As a result of our bond, they bonded.  Now you are a part of it as well.”

Nick set his gun down and looked at it for a moment.  Hutch could see he was going to say something and he could see the difficulty in his eyes.

“I shouldn’t have said those things to you the other day”, Nick told him.  “I was wrong.”

“You were angry”, Hutch told him.  “I don’t blame you for it.  I had no idea how to deal with you.  I wasn’t angry with you, Nick.  I was angry at our father.”

Nick looked up at Hutch when he said ‘our’. 

“At my place in New York, I’ve got this scrap book.”

Hutch watched the emotions play across his face for a moment and he could see that Nick was attempting to get a handle on them.

“I’ve been collecting newspaper clippings about you for a long time.  I’ve got ones when you were in high school and some from here.  I knew he was proud of you and I thought if I could just even come close, that maybe…”

Nick rested his head on his hand and Hutch could see how right Starsky was about him.  He almost smiled at the thought.

“I thought you resented me”, Hutch told him.

“I did”, Nick told him as he raised his head.  “I was jealous as hell of you.  You got something from him that I didn’t.  That I never had.  Something I’ve always wanted.”

Hutch could see Nick blinking back the tears that threatened to overcome him.  Nick suddenly pulled his chair away from the table and wheeled it into the living room.  He leaned over towards the coffee table and grabbed the cigarettes.  Hutch stood up and walked over to Nick.  He sat down and put his hand over Nick’s hand that held the cigarettes.

“You’ve got it, Nick”, Hutch told him.  “I know this may not mean much to you right now and it’s been a long time coming, but you’ve got it now.  You’ve got my mother who cares about you and she will stand by your side through thick and thin just like that day with Mastroni.  You’ve got our father who never left that hospital during the entire time you were there.  You’ve got me, too.”

Nick stared at him unable to believe what he was saying to him.

“I know I haven’t handled this too well, but I’ve realized that you’re my brother and I won’t let that go no matter what happens.  It’s past time that we started getting to know each other the way we should have a long time ago.”

The earnestness in Hutch’s eyes was enough for Nick.  He could see that Hutch meant what he was telling him and he gave him a smile.

“Thanks”, Nick told him.  “I want that, too.”

Hutch smiled at Nick and when they heard the door open, both of them watched as Richard walked into the room.  Hutch stood up as Richard stopped and looked at both of his sons.  He was slow to enter the room and he could see the animosity between them had disappeared.  He cleared his throat as he began speaking.

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but no greater one than nearly destroying my family and keeping Nick away and nearly destroying his life.  There is nothing I can say or do to earn your forgiveness”, he told the both of them.  “I just hope that maybe in time you both will see fit to forgive me.  I’m asking for a second chance from the both of you”, Richard said simply.

Hutch walked over to him and he looked back at Nick briefly before turning his attention to his father.

“I love you, Dad”, Hutch told him.  “In time I know I will.  I believe that.”

Richard looked over at Nick and he wasn’t saying anything.  He could see him gripping the handles of the wheelchair tightly with his hands.  The knuckles were white. 

“Nick”, Richard said as he took a few steps over to him.

Hutch turned around and walked over to Nick.  He kneeled down next to him.

“I know it will take some time for you”, Hutch told him.  “We have to start healing and you know I’m right.  This is a second chance for all of us.  Especially for you.”

Nick shook his head a little as a tear escaped down his cheek.

“I never dreamed in my lifetime that anything like this would ever happen.  You have no idea how much all of this means to me and I would be a fool to turn my back on it.”

Hutch smiled and put his arm around Nick’s neck and hugged him.  He looked over at Richard who walked over to Nick and touched his arm.  The three of them didn’t see Martha standing in the doorway with tears in her eyes.  She thanked God for her family.

TWO WEEKS LATER

Hutch stood with Starsky as the doorman loaded the luggage in the limo.  Richard handed the man a few bills and walked over to them.  Nick and Martha walked out the door and stood with her looking at Starsky and Hutch.

Starsky pulled back a little and Nick walked over to him.

“I just wanted to tell you thanks”, Nick told him.  “If it hadn’t been for you, none of this would have ever happened.”

“I’d like to think I pointed you and Hutch in the right direction.  You guys did all the work.”

“Just the same, Starsky, I’ll never forget it.”

“Check on Nicky when you get back to New York.  Tell him how important family is.”

“I will.”

Starsky gave Nick a hug. 

Nick looked over at Hutch who was giving Richard and Martha a hug.  He walked over to them and Hutch turned to look at him.

“I guess this is it”, Nick said.

“Yeah”, Hutch replied.  “Make sure you take care of yourself.  The FBI has a hell of an agent.  If you ever decide to take a crack at Southern California law enforcement, let me know.”

“I guess it says a lot when the both of us are cracking heads and taking names”, Nick said with a smile.

Hutch pulled Nick close and tightly hugged him.  Nick returned it with as much as he felt inside.

“Keep in touch, little brother”, Hutch told him.

Nick nodded.  Hutch stood with Starsky as his parents and his new found brother got in the limousine.  He smiled as it drove away.

“What hell of a visit”, Starsky told him.

“Sure was”, Hutch agreed.  “I guess I don’t have any more excuses not to go to New York.”

“No”, Starsky said with a laugh.  “How many casseroles do you have in your fridge?”

“One.  I’ve also got a half eaten chocolate cake.”

“Two here”, Starsky told him.  “Plus a pineapple upside down cake.”

“I’m eating at your place tonight.”

THE END

To be continued.....