The Saxon Six

By

Cynthia

VIETNAM 1968

Starsky kept low to the ground with his rifle tucked in close. He could see the movement of the Viet Cong not far from him. Turning his head back, Starsky saw his team members sinking low to the ground. They knew how to hide themselves as not to be found, but Starsky had seen the tall man near the river. He knew he was an American POW and he wanted to get close to him.

Starsky pulled his body staying close to the ground and inched closer to the POW. He was at the river and thick brush was between them keeping him well hidden. He looked up, not able to see the face of the man. Only his hands were visible as they reached into the river. Starsky watched as the soldier guarding him walked away to share a smoke with his buddies.

“Hey,” Starsky whispered in a low voice. “Can you hear me?”

“If they hear me, they’ll find you,” the soft voice explained.

“How many are with you?”

“Seven of us.”

“This place is crawling with Charlie.”

“We’ve seen three patrols since they caught us.”

“We didn’t know we’d run across you guys.”

“You’re on a mission.”

“Taking out SAM’s three klics from here.”

“Probably the same ones…”

“We can’t do anything for you.”

“I know. No idea where we’re going.”

Starsky watched as the hands sunk deeper into the water gently washing the dirt and blood from. He sighed hating the idea of leaving him. He reached into his shirt and pulled out the dog chain on his neck. Starsky pulled off the little memento that had been given to him two months ago. He was careful as he pushed his right hand through the brush and dropped it down near the man. “A buddy of mine had that with him when he got caught behind enemy lines. He said it brought him luck. I think you need it worse than I do.”

“Thanks. Maybe I’ll give it back to you one of these days.”

“Yeah, me too. What’s your name? I can at least let them know…”

The soldiers yelled in Vietnamese and Starsky watched as one came near him. He held his breath and pulled back as not to be seen. He had never even seen the man’s face as he was yanked away. He hoped that somehow someway he made it out. Starsky had heard stories about the horrors of being a POW and he prayed he never had to experience it. As he listened to the Viet Cong barking out orders and moving out, Starsky could only hope this war would soon die.

~*~

From time to time, Starsky still found himself thinking about that meeting with the soldier by the river. He would wonder what had become of him. The only way of ever knowing him was by the memento he had given him. The small medallion Grant Simmons had given him before shipping out was a strong source of memories for Starsky. Grant swore that the four leaf clover engraved on it had kept him alive. Starsky didn’t argue with him when it was given to him.

He stopped the car in front of Venice Place and looked over at Hutch. “We could just go to dinner if you want.”

“I’m tired, Starsk. I just want a beer, hot shower and bed in that order.”

“Sure?”

“Yeah, I’ll pick you up in the morning.”

“See ya’.”

Hutch stepped out of the Torino and watched as Starsky drove away. He was exhausted and even though the bust had gone down cleanly, it had taken a month of working overtime to close the case. Hutch headed up the stairs relieved that it was finally over. At least this one was.

He shut the door behind him and walked into his room. Hutch slipped his jacket off and hung it up. He pulled the holster which carried his magnum and hung it on top of the jacket. He pulled his shirt out of his pants as he walked into the kitchen.

Hutch pulled the beer from the fridge and leaned against the counter taking a long refreshing drink. He sighed heavily enjoying the beer in his hand. A knock at the door brought his attention to the door. All Hutch could think of as he headed to the door was that Starsky was going to insist on at least eating dinner with him. When he opened the door, the last person in the world he had ever expected stood in the doorway.

“Jesus.” Hutch couldn’t believe it. “Buck Avery?”

“Hot damn, Kenny. You are a sight for sore eyes.” Buck Avery was just about Hutch’s age and his soft brown hair hung down to his shoulders. The scar near his mouth was thin white and a few inches long. He walked in and gave Hutch a tight hug which Hutch returned.

“Come on in.” Hutch held the door open for his old friend still shocked to see him after all this time. “You want a beer?”

“You even have to ask?”

Hutch walked into the kitchen and after getting another beer he handed it off to Buck. He shook his head looking at him. “I can’t believe you’re here. How did you find me?”

“Well, remember that pasty faced guy we met at the hospital?”

“Uh, yeah, it was Hickman if I remember.”

“I ran into him back home and he met a high school buddy of yours. He told me where you were and what you were doing.” Buck took a drink of his beer and smiled. “A cop of all things. I would never have imagined you taking up a badge.”

“Well,” Hutch smiled. “It’s a living.”

Hutch walked into the living room and sat down on the couch where Buck joined him. “So, you’ve been keeping busy?”

“Yeah, I’ve been working as a contractor. Keeps me on the road quite a bit. I got a job here and I thought I’d better look you up.”

“It’s great to see you. What about everyone else?” Hutch looked down at his beer not wanting to know, but he had to.

Buck’s face turned grim and he took a drink of his beer. “Kenny, they’re dead.”

“What?”

“You and I are the only ones left.”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know. I can’t find out too much.”

“I can check into it.”

“No. Don’t get me wrong, Kenny. It’s just that I’m not sure if I want to know. It’s like a damn curse.”

“Morrison, too?”

“Yeah and Henley. I couldn’t believe it when I got the word about him.”

“How long ago?”

“Henley was three months ago. He was living in Chicago. Sad. His wife just had a baby. They say he was working late one night when the building caught fire. He never made it out.”

“You think it was something else?”

“No, they said it was wiring. I guess it just bugs me that you and I are all that’s left of the Saxon six.”

Hutch took a drink of his beer. “Do you ever think about it anymore?”

“Try not to.” Buck’s face was somber and Hutch could see the memories etched on his face.

“Same here. I like to think I did a damn good job of putting it all behind me.”

“Hard to talk about with anyone other than someone who was there.”

“Yeah.” Hutch looked down at the beer in his hand.

“You’ve never told anyone, have you?”

“No,” Hutch admitted. “That’s a part of my life I’ve buried. I guess you’re the only one that does know now.”

“I didn’t come here to bring you down, buddy.”

“It’s alright, Buck. I guess just between you and me it’s something that maybe we should talk about once every couple of years or so.”

“Well, Kenny, I talked to a counselor once, but he didn’t understand. He acted like it, but I could see it in his eyes. I never brought it up to another soul after that.”

“It’s no wonder.” Hutch finished off his beer and headed to the kitchen. “So, how long are you in town for?”

“Couple of weeks. This job won’t take long and then I’m flying to Seattle afterwards.”

“They sure keep you busy?”

“Yeah, good thing, too. I’ve got an ex-wife and two kids to support.”

Hutch chuckled a little and brought back two more beers. “Where are you staying?”

“I got a hotel just off the highway not far from the site.”

“You can stay here.”

“Thanks, Kenny, but no. I need to stick close to the site. I’ll be working pretty hard hours.”

“Well, don’t disappear on me. I’ve got a buddy I want you to meet.”

“Sounds good. You don’t want him to know about this?”

“Normally I wouldn’t keep anything from him, but this one thing is best kept in the past.”

“You’ve got it, Kenny.”

Hutch gave Buck at tap on his beer bottle with his own. They sat for four more hours reliving old times and catching up. Hutch enjoyed Buck’s company, but he really hated the memories which were being drug up in the process. He wasn’t going to tell him otherwise. Hutch had a feeling Buck just needed to see him to help relieve the guilt they had all felt. He needed it, too.

~*~

Starsky was putting his blue adidas on when Hutch walked through the door. He stopped midway when he saw the tiredness in Hutch’s face. “You look like hell. I thought you were going to get some sleep.”

“I did. Just didn’t sleep all that great.” Hutch collapsed in a chair and watched Starsky slip his shoe on.

“Dobey called before you got here and we’ve got a body to go look at.”

“God, this early,” Hutch groaned. He was still feeling the effects of the alcohol he had consumed with Buck.

“Come on, Hutch. You know bad guys don’t keep normal business hours.” Starsky stood up and yanked on his jacket. He watched as Hutch pushed himself up out of the chair. Starsky didn’t like the way Hutch looked and he wondered if it was more than just a bad night’s sleep.

The crime scene was behind an old construction site out past an oil field. Starsky and Hutch walked up to the group of officers who were milling around. Hutch left Starsky to talk to them and walked over to where the body was. Nothing seemed to stand out about the dead body, but when Hutch knelt down to look at the face, he felt like he had been kicked in the head.

Buck’s body was laid out flat and his head turned just to the left. Hutch could barely control his breathing as he stared at him. His friend had been severely beaten but it was still too early to tell if that was how he had died. The blood had soaked into the ground and surrounded Buck’s upper body. Hutch just gazed blankly at Buck’s face not noticing the perspiration on his face or that he had his fists clenched tightly. He didn’t even know Starsky was behind him until he felt his hand on his shoulder.

Hutch looked over at Starsky who knelt down next to him with his hand on his shoulder. “Hey, you okay?”

Hutch nodded. “Yeah, I’m feelin’ kinda sick.”

“Come on.” Starsky helped Hutch to his feet and they walked away from the horrific scene.

Hutch walked over to other side of the car and put his hands on it. He looked back over at Buck’s body being covered by a sheet. Hutch leaned over and before anyone could do anything, he lost the breakfast he had just eaten less than an hour ago. Starsky hovered over Hutch as he vomited.

He had never seen Hutch loose it like this and Starsky was worried. He opened up the passenger side of the car door. Starsky set Hutch inside and leaned over him. “You’ve got to be coming down with something. Stay here and I’ll finish up.”

Hutch nodded blankly still unable to believe it. It was only last night Buck had sat on his couch. He could still see Buck’s bright smile and hear his gentle laugh. Now, his friend was dead. Hutch closed his eyes and put his head in his hand.

Starsky looked back over at Hutch who had his head lowered. He turned back around at the uniformed officer who escorted a man to him. “This is Roger Calhoun, Starsky. He’s the foreman.”

“You found the body?” Starsky asked.

“Yeah,” Roger said softly. “Buck was supposed to start a job here with us today.”

“You knew him?”

“I met him yesterday when he came into town. It’s just so hard to believe.”

“You met him for the first time yesterday.”

“Yeah, we met at this hotel he was staying at and talked about this job.”

“Any problems?”

“Nothing I could see. He said he was going to meet up with some old buddy of his last night.”

“Did he say who?”

“Nope.” Roger shook his head. “He just said his friend lived in the city and he was really looking forward to catching up to him.”

“We’ll need to get in touch with his family.”

“I gave it to the officer already.”

“Thanks. These officers will get your statement. Stay close by in case we need to get in touch with you and if you remember anything else, give us a call.”

“Sure will. Buck seemed like a decent sort. I hope you catch the guy who did it.”

Starsky nodded and after Roger walked away, he looked back over at the car where Hutch still sat. He looked pale and Starsky didn’t like it. He finished up at the scene as quickly as he could.

~*~

Hutch walked through the door followed by Starsky and headed straight to the bathroom. He stood over the sink washing cold water over his face while Starsky looked on.

“I’ll cover for you today,” Starsky told him. “You stay in and get some rest. If you’re not any better by tomorrow, I’m takin’ you to the doc.”

Hutch was silent as he pulled a towel down and dried his face. He looked over at Starsky. “Yeah, I’m not up to arguing with you about it.”

Starsky gave Hutch a pat on the back and left the apartment. Hutch walked into the living room and slumped down on the couch. Even with seeing Buck’s body up close and personal he still couldn’t believe it. Buck Avery was dead. After everything they had been through together, he was dead.

Hutch shook the image out of his head and looked over towards the door. Why hadn’t he told Starsky? Hutch knew why he hadn’t told him. He knew why he hadn’t told him about a chapter in his life he would have just as soon forget about. Starsky wouldn’t understand.

Goddamn it, Hutch thought. Why wouldn’t he understand? They’d been through so much together and Starsky had seen him at his worst. But this was one thing Hutch wasn’t prepared to do. Telling Starsky seemed like it would accomplish nothing except to dredge up memories better left buried. He didn’t want to see the look on his friend’s face. It scared the hell out of him. Hutch felt more scared at this moment in his life than he could ever remember.

~*~

Starsky walked through the squad room and into Dobey’s office. He closed the door behind him and sat down in the chair across from Dobey.

“Where’s Hutchinson?”

“Sick, Cap.”

“You’d better not be pulling a fast one on me!”

“I swear, Cap. Hutch is sick. I had to take him home after we went to the scene this morning.”

“Fine,” Dobey grumbled. “If he’s not any better tomorrow, get his ass to the doctor.”

“Aye, aye, Captain.”

“Knock it off, Starsky. Tell me what you’ve got on this body.”

Starsky sighed and flipped open the file. “I got the prelim from the coroner and he says this guy was tortured. He had the hell beat out of him, had several large punctures on his thighs, plus other various disgusting things that would make me loose my breakfast, too.”

“Who was he?”

“Buck Avery. He’s a contractor. His residence is out of Miami and he blew into town yesterday for a job. I talked to the foreman and he tells me he wanted to see some old buddy of his last night.”

“You find the friend, you may find the murderer.”

“Possible. I’m gonna call his next of kin and see what they can tell me. This was personal, Cap. Given how this guy died, someone wanted him to suffer as much as possible.”

“Keep me posted.”

Starsky stood up and walked out of Dobey’s office. He sat down at his desk and opened up the file. He picked up the phone and dialed Buck Avery’s ex-wife. He could hear the sorrow in her voice as he spoke to her and Starsky hated questioning her. He knew detectives in Miami would be arriving soon to question her, but he thought he might catch a few leads. He was careful in his questions and Starsky listened as she explained how Buck Avery had spoken to a friend from his time in the army. She said that her ex-husband had been surprised to discover the whereabouts of a friend. She didn’t know much more than that the name of the army buddy was George Hickman.

When he finished his call, Starsky found Minnie in the hallway and he stopped her. “Minnie, that body Hutch and I got this morning…Could you see if you can run down his 201 file. He was in the army and check into a George Hickman. I guess he was an old army buddy.”

“Sure, Starsky. It’ll take some time for me to run them down. You know how hard it is to get files out of St. Louis.”

“Thanks.”

“Where’s your blond half?”

“Sick. He came down with something. I’m gonna head over in a couple of hours to see how he’s doing.”

“Jewish penicillin, Starsky.”

“I hear ya’.” Starsky smiled and went on his way.

He headed back inside the squad room and found Dobey at the coffee pot. Dobey handed him a cup and looked over at Starsky. “I called Hutchinson. He said he was going to get some sleep for a while.”

“I was thinking of stopping by there. I guess I’ll wait till tonight so he can get some rest.”

“So what happened at the scene this morning?”

“When I dropped him off last night, he was pretty well bushed. This morning he looked like he hadn’t slept and I’d almost swear he had a hangover. We get to the scene; he sees the body and loses his breakfast.”

“Doesn’t sound like Hutch.”

“I’ve never seen him loose it like that before. I figured he was coming down with something.”

“Maybe sleep is what he needs right now.”

“And some Jewish penicillin.”

“I’ll call Edith and see if she can make him a batch.”

Starsky nodded and headed back to his desk. He still remembered how Hutch looked and it bothered him. When he thought about it, even on Hutch’s worst days, he never lost it like today. Starsky hoped it wasn’t something more than just being sick.

~*~

Hutch crawled across the muddy floor over to the mat. He looked down at the pale and thin face. Hutch held the small bowel to the man’s lips as he sipped the water. He set the bowl down and he looked down at his friend’s bare feet. He saw the bugs and a large rat near them. Hutch scrambled over and threw them off. He grabbed the bowl and hit the large rat which scurried away.

“Kenny,” the voice whispered weakly.

“Yeah, Stevie.”

“We’re not getting out of here, are we?”

“We are. You’ve got to hold on.”

“God, I’m so tired.”

“You rest now.”

“No, man. I’m tired and I want to die.”

“Don’t talk like that. I’m wanting you to take me to Texas where you have those BBQ’s. Sounds great.”

“It’d be a hell of a party.”

“Yeah, it would.” Hutch couldn’t resist smiling as he looked down at the face with the sunken cheeks. “We’ll get drunk on tequila and I’ll flirt with your girl.”

“You could probably flirt with her, but she’d come home with me.”

“I don’t doubt it. You could charm the pants off a preacher.”

Hutch smiled at the small laugh his friend made. He watched him keep laughing and then slowly the laugh turned to a scream. The face turned dark red and suddenly blood poured out of him. The blood seeped into the ground around him and soaked into Hutch’s clothes. He pulled away at the horrific scene scrambling to get away, but the blood kept grabbing and pulling at him. Hutch screamed.

Hutch sat up straight in bed breathing hard and covered in sweat. He looked around the room realizing where he was. Hutch swung his legs over to the side of the bed and put his head in his hands. God, when would it stop? There hadn’t nightmares for a hell of a long time now. They were back with a vengeance and more vicious than he had ever remembered them.

~*~

Starsky yawned and looked down at his watch. It was almost 7pm and he looked down at the files Minnie gave him a few short minutes ago. It took longer than he had expected to get them. He opened up Buck Avery’s file first. He was a navigator during Vietnam. For the most part he had remained untouchable during his tour. The plane was shot down and he had spent the better part of 8 months in a POW camp. He came home, got married, had a couple of kids and the rest was history. Starsky closed it up and reached for George Hickman’s file.

He was a medic in the army and was stationed in Germany during the war. Starsky didn’t see anything that really stood out about him. He found the current address and phone number and gave him a call.

“Hello.”

“Is this George Hickman?”

“Yes. Who is this?”

“I’m Detective Dave Starsky.”

“Oh, the detectives here told me you might be calling.”

“I haven’t talked to them yet, but I’ve got your file and I thought I’d talk to you myself.”

“Sure. Buck was a hell of a guy. I can’t believe anyone would want to kill him.”

“How long have you known him?”

“I met him back in ’69. He came to the hospital where I worked at.”

“Do you know anyone that would want to kill him?”

“No way. Buck was as good as they come.”

“I understand you talked to him before he came out to California.”

“Yeah, we ran into each other. I was really surprised to see him after so much time. We usually don’t see guys we’re in the army with after going civilian.”

“So how was your conversation?”

“Pretty good for the most part. We talked about some of the guys we knew together and I told him I knew a guy one of his buddies went to high school with.”

“Really?”

“He got such a kick out of it and he wanted to track him down. So I called him up and he told me where the guy was.”

Starsky grabbed a pencil prepared to get the names. “Do you have a name?”

“You know when I think about it, the guy he wanted to see lived out there. I can’t imagine him having anything to do with it. He was a great guy from what I remember.”

“Who was the guy?”

“Hutchinson.”

The phone almost dropped out of Starsky’s hand and he took a hard swallow before asking the next question. “Are you sure about that?”

“Yeah.”

There has to be a million Hutchinson’s running around, Starsky thought. “This friend of yours that knew him in high school. What was his name?”

“Cal Myers. They went to school in Duluth, Minnesota.”

Starsky’s breath caught in his throat at the sound and he knew it was true. He shook his head a bit and he barely heard the man calling his name on the other end. “Uh, did this Cal Myers tell you where to locate him?”

“Sure. Like I said, he lived out west.”

“Thank you. You’ve been most helpful.” Starsky didn’t recognize his own voice as he slowly hung up the phone.

Starsky wasn’t about to let himself think anything. If he did the questions would start forming in his mind and he wasn’t about to do it until he talked to Hutch. He was giving him the benefit of the doubt and Starsky was not going to jump to conclusions until he talked to Hutch.

He grabbed his jacket and was slipping it one when Minnie walked into the squad room. “Minnie, I need a favor.”

“Sure, hotstuff.”

“Seriously. I need you to get me Hutch’s 201 file.”

“Hutch was in the military?”

“Please, just get it. For my eyes only.”

“Got it.”

Starsky rushed out of the squad room not wanting to acknowledge that Hutch had been in the military. He couldn’t imagine. Hell, he couldn’t even see him wearing a uniform. Benefit of the doubt, Starsky kept repeating in his mind.

~*~

Hutch still felt tired as he stood in the kitchen. He leaned down and found the bottle of bourbon in the cabinet. Hutch closed the door of the cabinet with his foot and grabbed a glass. He poured a healthy portion and took a deep breath. Hutch set the bottle down on the counter and reached for the glass.

He took a large drink from it and closed his eyes as he felt the liquor trace a burning path down his throat. Hutch heard his door and when he turned around, Starsky stood with his hand on the door knob. He turned back around as Starsky closed the door behind him wondering how much his best friend knew.

Starsky took his time walking into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. The first thing he noticed was that Hutch wasn’t looking at him. An uneasiness settled over Starsky.

“You knew Buck Avery.” The statement came softly and was without accusation.

Hutch was silent and started to take another drink from the glass. Starsky gently took it from him and set it down on the counter. He licked his dry lips and looked at Hutch who was looking down at the sink. “You were in the Army.”

“Yeah, I knew Buck and I was in the Army.”

“Tell me.”

“There’s nothing to tell.” Hutch closed his eyes wishing he was a better liar and knowing even if he was, Starsky would see through it. Hutch planted his hands on the counter and kept his focus away from Starsky.

“He was here last night, wasn’t he?”

“He stopped by. We had a few beers and talked over old times.”

“And now he’s dead.”

“He’s dead,” Hutch repeated quietly.

“Hutch, why didn’t you say anything?”

“I couldn’t,” Hutch whispered. “Seeing him like that…”

“Okay.” Starsky reached out and gave Hutch a gentle squeeze on the arm. “Why did he come here?”

“A job. He was here on a job and he tracked me down.”

“Do you know why anyone would want to kill him?”

“Starsky, I’m not one of your witnesses.”

“You were the last person to see him alive, Hutch. You know the drill.”

“I know my visit with Buck had nothing to do with his murder.”

“If it didn’t, why didn’t you tell me?” Starsky was feeling hurt by the fact Hutch hadn’t said a word.

“Because it didn’t.” Hutch was defensive and he turned away from Starsky and walked into the living room.

“You were in the Army and you never said a word.” Starsky followed Hutch into the living room. He wasn’t satisfied with the answers Hutch was giving him and he could see how his attitude was quickly changing.

“So, I never told you. Do I have to tell you everything?”

“When it comes to this investigation, you do. You know that, Hutch!”

“Are you investigating me, buddy?”

“Do I have to?”

Hutch had a furious look in his eyes aimed at Starsky and he could feel his temper. Starsky walked over to Hutch hoping to get him to realize the position he was in. “You know as well as I do that it won’t take long for this piece of information to come out. George Hickman said he told Buck Avery how to find you. He’s already talked to Miami P.D.”

“What are you telling me, Starsky? Am I a suspect?”

“Hutch, I’m telling you that you’ve got to tell me everything you know about Buck Avery before this goes any further.”

“There’s nothing to tell!”

Starsky sighed and turned towards the window. He leaned against the wall and looked out at the night sky. “You know what you’re doing, Hutch?” Starsky turned his head and looked over at Hutch. “You’re gonna make me go dig for it. There’s more to this than what you’re telling me and I have to go look for it.”

Hutch didn’t say anything as he walked back into the kitchen. He picked up the glass of bourbon and downed the contents. He looked back over at Starsky. “If I had any idea who killed Buck or why, I would tell you, Starsky. God, I swear I would.”

“But you won’t tell me what you do know, will you?”

“I can’t.” Hutch looked down at the empty glass in his hand.

Starsky pushed himself up from the wall and walked over to the door. He put his hand on the doorknob and opened the door. “Starsk.” Starsky looked back over at Hutch and he knew he wouldn’t willingly tell him. Starsky’s heart was heavy as he left Hutch alone in the apartment.

Hutch stood in the middle of the kitchen holding the empty glass tightly in his hand. He viciously threw the glass at the wall watching it shatter into a million pieces.

~*~

Starsky walked through the squad room early the next morning. When he got to his desk, he saw Hutch’s military file lying innocently on top. He stared down at it not sure if he wanted to know what it was Hutch was keeping from him. Starsky started to touch it when Dobey walked over to him.

“Hutchinson is still feeling under the weather. He won’t be in today.”

“Yeah,” Starsky said. He looked up from the file and looked at Dobey.

“Dave?”

“Cap, if you’ll just give me some leeway here, I’ll explain everything later.”

“It sounds serious.”

“It is.”

“Is it about the murder investigation?”

“I wish it wasn’t.” Starsky sighed heavily and looked back down at the file sitting on is desk.

“Just keep me informed.” Dobey gave Starsky an affectionate pat on the shoulder before walking away.

Starsky slipped off his jacket and set it on the back of his chair. He pulled it out and sat down. He was almost hesitant to touch it, but he did. Starsky felt like he was going behind Hutch’s back as he opened it, but he knew he wouldn’t get answers any other way.

He started reading through the file and was surprised to see that Hutch had enlisted in the Army. He wasn’t drafted. He volunteered. Starsky read through the file and found it exemplary. Hutch was given several awards during his hitch. As he read through it, Starsky found himself engrossed in it. He was shocked to discover Hutch had been in Vietnam. What floored him was the time just before Hutch was released from the Army.

Starsky grabbed Buck Avery’s file and flipped it open on top of Hutch’s. He scanned through it and bingo. At the bottom was the common bond they shared. He leaned back in the chair barely able to believe what he had just read.

It took a minute for Starsky to get over the shock. In just a few short minutes he had learned more about Hutch than he ever had in the years they had known each other. Starsky reached for the phone and dialed the number of a buddy of his who worked for Veteran’s Affairs.

“Richard McAllen, please.” After a few minutes of waiting, Starsky heard his old friend on the phone. “Dick, its Dave Starsky…yeah, I know it’s been a while…I’m good…yeah, the badge still fits…listen, I need a favor…I need to find out about an escape from a POW camp back in ‘Nam…It was in October ’68. The name of the prison was Pong Chow…how soon can you get back to me…I’ll be here.”

Starsky hung up the phone and looked back down at the files. Hopefully in a few hours he would know for sure. It stood out at him in black and white, but there had to be more than just a simple prison escape for Hutch to keep his silence the way he had.

It was almost three hours later when Starsky’s friend called back. Starsky listened to him as he related the details of the escape. There were three others besides Hutch and Avery that had escaped. He grabbed a pencil and scribbled the names down. Starsky thanked Dick and hung up the phone. He found Minnie and they began tracking down the men who had escaped along with Hutch and Avery from a Vietnamese prison camp.

~*~

Hutch emerged from the shower feeling better. He still wasn’t sleeping worth a damn. The nightmares were coming at him almost every time he closed his eyes. After two bad ones during the night, he wound up staying up with a pot of coffee. Starsky hadn’t come back and there was no call. Hutch was beginning to wonder how far Starsky had gotten.

It was late in the afternoon and Hutch fell asleep on the couch. The knocking at the door woke him and as he sat up, he was thankful for the few short hours of peaceful sleep he managed to get.

Hutch opened the door and Starsky stood quietly. He could see something in his eyes and Hutch’s first instinct was to close the door. Hutch stepped back and allowed Starsky inside. He closed it and walked over to the couch and sat down.

Starsky paced back and forth in the living room not sure where to begin. Finally, he turned around and looked down at Hutch. “You’re the only one left alive, Hutch.”

“I know that.”

“Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”

“Should it?”

“You and four other men escaped from a POW camp and survived to make it back home. Now, you are the only one out of them that’s left.”

“What does this have to do with…?”

“Stop it, Hutch.” Starsky clenched his fists to get a grip on the anger he was feeling. “I did some checking. Something you should have done but were too goddamn afraid to. Frank Morrison was killed in a gas explosion at his house. The cause is yet to be determined. Clifford Baylor was killed in a car accident when he went over a cliff. There was barely enough left for his wife to bury. Greg Henley died in a fire at the building he worked at.”

Starsky could see he was getting nowhere with Hutch and he continued. “I called Greg Henley’s widow. Normally, he’s always home at five. The guy never worked late if he could help it. At 10pm the building he works in catches fire. I talked to the Chicago P.D. They’re reopening the investigation.”

“Why? Buck said it was the wiring.”

Starsky walked over to Hutch and leaned down. “When I told them what I found so far, they found it suspicious, Hutch. Henley’s wife told me a few interesting things as well, although she knew just a tad more than I did.”

Hutch leaned back against the couch unsure of what to do with all the horrible facts being put to him. Starsky stood up and looked down at him. “You called yourselves the Saxon six.” Hutch put his head on his hand as Starsky kept on him. “Every one of the men you escaped with from that camp is dead under mysterious circumstances. Someone took them out and you are next.”

“No!” Hutch yelled jumping up out of his seat. “It’s just a goddamn coincidence, Starsky!”

“What in the hell will it take for you to see what’s going on?” Starsky yelled back. “Your buddies are dead and you are the only one left! Damn it, Hutch! Talk to me! What the hell happened back there for you to clam up and keep this such a secret?”

Hutch shook his head and walked to the window. He looked out at the stars in the sky wishing and praying for it to all go away. He wanted to run from it. To escape the torment.

Starsky could see the struggle and the pain in Hutch’s eyes and felt helpless to do anything about it. He walked over and stood close to him. “Please, Hutch. Don’t shut me out. This thing is eating you alive.”

“I just want it to go away. I want to go on with my life and pretend it never happened.”

The words were just a whisper, but the pain in them was apparent. “You can’t. You can’t go on with your life until you deal with it. You’ve been running from this for so long, that you let yourself pretend it didn’t matter anymore.”

“God, Starsk. After what I did, I can’t even trust that any of this has anything to do with what happened.”

“We won’t know until you tell me what happened to you over there.”

Starsky watched as a tear streamed down Hutch’s face. He wanted to wipe it away, but stood silently as Hutch gave Starsky a slow nod.

Hutch, Morrison, Avery and Henley squatted in the corner of their prison cell made of thick bamboo. They had laid out the plan and all was set for tomorrow night. Hutch looked back over at Stevie who was coughing loudly. He looked back at the others.

“We can’t do it,” Hutch explained.

“There’s no other way, Kenny,” Buck asserted. “He’s too weak and he won’t last even a day out there. We can’t even take him somewhere to leave him. They’ll be able to track us.”

“I’ll carry him,” Hutch offered.

“Oh, come on,” Henley said. “You’re skinnier than all of us. There’s no way in hell you’ll be able to carry him with the ground we’ve got to cover. We’ll get slowed down and if they catch us, we won’t come back here alive.”

“Man, I know how much you hate this,” Morrison told Hutch. “It’s either leaving him or all of us dying in this place. This place is a death camp and we’ve watched too many guys go ahead of us.”

“Kenny,” Buck said. “If you want to stay behind with Stevie, we’ll understand. I just don’t see any of us surviving much longer as it is.”

“But leaving him behind like this.” Hutch hated the idea and he was searching for something…for anything not to leave his friend.

“Kenny can’t stay,” Henley stated. “If we escape, they’ll tear him apart trying to find out what happened to the rest of us.”

“Damn it!” Morrison cursed. “There’s no way in hell they’ll leave you alone and as much as we’ve fought it, you’ll break and you know it. No one would be able hold up under the torture they’d put you through to get us back.”

Hutch looked at his friends and he saw that they were right. He felt the nausea in his stomach. They could all stay and hope that they somehow got out or they could leave Stevie behind and their chances of escaping were fairly good. Hutch knew if he stayed, they wouldn’t let up on him until he broke and he had came close to it more than once since he had been in this hellhole. He looked over at Stevie who was fighting a fever. Hutch turned back and looked at the four men in front of him. He gave them a silent nod hoping that Stevie and God would forgive him. He knew he would never forgive himself.

Hutch walked back to the couch and sat down. He buried his head in his hands afraid to look up at Starsky. “We left him to die in that camp. We knew if we stayed that we would probably die and we knew that Stevie would die.”

“He never made it out.”

Hutch lifted his head and wiped his wet cheek. He shook his head and leaned back against the couch. “We humped for 14 hours straight until we found a patrol. They radioed for a dust-off and we left.”

“Why did you call yourselves the Saxon six?”

“We all met at that cage they put us in. We were huddled in a 5 x 6 and we got to know each other pretty well. We discovered that we were always helping locals after we got in country. Buck was putting up a third of his pay to an orphanage in Saigon. Stevie was smuggling food to a group of refugees that he ran across during a patrol. It was that way with all of us.”

“You?”

“I was shuttling medical supplies to a couple of the villages not far from where I was posted at. I and another guy were diverting them from a hospital they were headed to in Tokyo. We called ourselves the Saxon six because we considered ourselves Robin Hood’s of sorts. He was a Saxon and it seemed to fit what we had been doing prior to our capture.”

“How did the five of you escape?”

“I snuck some food to Stevie and got caught. They dragged me into the commandant’s office and I managed to get a glimpse of a map which showed the patrol routes of our guys. The next day when I got back I told them and we began putting a plan together. We had to move quickly before they realized what we were doing.”

Starsky looked over at Hutch sadly knowing what he had suffered. He had seen the same look in others who had managed to come out of a POW camp alive. Starsky also admired his friend more than he ever had before. The courage and the strength he had been more incredible than he had ever imagined.

Starsky blinked back the tears and turned towards the window. He gazed out as he spoke. “During that time it seemed like everything that was right with the world went out the window. The lines that divided right and wrong were so damn blurry none of us could see where one began and the other ended.” He turned back towards Hutch who had guilt edged into the lines on his face. Starsky turned back and took a deep breath as a memory forced its way into his mind. “We had to make choices no one should ever have to make and we had to find a way to live with those choices no matter how painful they were. We played God with human lives deciding how many should die or who should die so others may live.”

Starsky pushed himself away from the window and walked over to the couch. He sat down next to Hutch and put his hand on his shoulder. “The only way you’ll ever find peace is by learning to forgive yourself.”

Hutch looked over at Starsky and shook his head. “I don’t know how.”

“We’ll find it, Hutch. I’ve got my own I’ve got to look for and I didn’t realize till now that I’ve never really done it.”

Hutch leaned his head down on Starsky’s shoulder. Starsky reached around and pulled him close. Leaving those soldiers behind from the river had been the toughest thing he had ever done. Starsky had always hoped they somehow made it out, but he knew he would never know.

~*~

The next morning Hutch sat quietly in a chair in front of Dobey who had nothing but understanding and sympathy. Hutch had suffered at the hands of the most brutal of enemies and on top it was layered with years of guilt. Dobey looked over at Starsky who stood close by.

“Hutch, there’s not much I can say that can relieve you of the pain you’re feeling. I’m afraid it’ll take more than a good speech and more time. You do understand that by withholding this information that a formal reprimand will be put in your record.”

Hutch nodded and he felt a bit of comfort when Starsky’s hand touched his shoulder.

“I want you to go home.”

“Cap, I should help out with this case.”

“No, you’re too close. I know there have been times that I’ve been lenient when a case has become personal, but in this instance I’m putting my foot down. Given the involvement you have from beginning to end, you won’t be able to look at this objectively.”

“I understand, Captain.”

“Good. Starsky will take you home and I’m putting a black and white on your place.”

Hutch got up out of the chair and Starsky held the door open. After Hutch walked out, Dobey motioned for Starsky.

“Starsky, this means that you’re right back at where you started from. All indications are that Hutch is next.”

“All we’ve got left is Stephen Connelly. He may have died in that camp, but I can imagine if he’s got family or close friends, they may not have taken it too kindly discovering he was left behind to die in a place like that.”

“Keep on it.”

Starsky nodded and left to take Hutch home.

~*~

Hutch walked through the apartment to the kitchen. Starsky left a few minutes ago assuring him that everything would be fine. He could see the confidence in his best friend’s eyes and since this had all began Hutch was beginning to believe it. He felt his heart lightened from the burden he had carried for so long. Starsky was going to help him carry it.

He grabbed a quick glass of orange juice before heading to the bathroom for a hot shower. Upon hearing the ringing of the phone on his way out of the shower, Hutch quickly wrapped a towel around his waist. He heard the click of his answering machine and stepped over where it sat. He rewound the tape and listened to the message that had been left for him.

“I’ve got your partner, Hutchinson. Take the old canal road down into the canyon just off Lake Front Drive. Come alone or he’s dead.”

Hutch didn’t even think as he rushed into the bedroom and dressed. He didn’t know the voice and he knew someone took Starsky to get to him.

~*~

Starsky tossed the file down angrily and stood up from his desk. He paced back and forth near the desk. Starsky stopped when Dobey emerged from his office. “Anything on Connelly’s family?”

“No, Cap. Most live of them live in Texas and they’ve all got air tight alibis for Buck Avery’s murder. I can’t even find a buddy who’d have a motive.”

“Well, it was a shot. It had to be tough talking to them about this.”

“Yeah.” Starsky ran his hand over his face. “They were asking me what I could do in regards to helping recover his body from the Vietnamese government.”

“They never got a body?”

“No, it’s not an uncommon occurrence. Some families have never recovered the bodies of their loved ones. In fact, some are even convinced that…” Starsky stopped in mid sentence and froze. He looked over at Dobey and then back at his desk. Starsky rushed over and began frantically searching through the stacks of papers.

“What is it?”

“Buck Avery’s death.” Starsky finally found the coroner’s report and jerked it up. “It’s how he was murdered. The puncture wounds on his thighs are like those goddamn bungee sticks Charlie used to set up for us. Jesus, Cap. This guy was tortured like he was back in a prison camp.”

“Starsky, that doesn’t tell us anything!”

“Yeah, it does.” Starsky set the report down and looked at Dobey. “Connelly’s body was never recovered. What if he did survive that camp?”

“Damn good reason in his mind to kill the guys that left him behind.”

Starsky yanked his jacket off the back of the chair. “I’m going to Hutch’s. If we’re right, Connelly will be coming after him.”

Dobey grabbed the phone as Starsky ran out of the squad room. He looked towards the door and hoped Starsky could reach him. He felt his heart skip a beat when there was no answer at Hutch’s.

~*~

Hutch pulled his car off to the side of the dirt road and turned off the ignition. He pulled his gun out and checked the chamber before getting out. Hutch kept his gun ready as he started down the rugged dirt path directly in front of him. He pushed his way through the trees and he saw a clearing not far from him.

He was looking straight ahead and he didn’t realize he had tripped a wire until it was too late. The bamboo swung and hit him directly in the upper thighs. Hutch screamed as the razor sharp ends embedded deep into the flesh. He hung over just a bit and grabbed onto the bamboo keeping them in place. He gasped loudly and didn’t notice his gun dropping from his hand.

The pain was blinding his vision and he didn’t even hear the footsteps coming up from behind him. Hutch could only stand there and endure the agonizing pain shooting throughout his body. He could feel the warm blood running down his legs. It was suddenly yanked violently from him and he yelled loudly. Hutch collapsed on the hard ground trying to catch his breath.

He saw his gun through his watery eyes and began reaching for it. It was picked up before his hand could reach it. Hutch looked up and his eyes widened at who he was looking at.

“Jesus. Stevie, is that you?”

Stephen Connelly knelt down next to Hutch. “Yeah, Kenny, it’s me. Long time no see, buddy.”

“You…you killed them.”

“Yeah, I killed them just like I’m going to kill you. I like to think I saved the best for last.”

Stephen stuck Hutch’s gun in his pants and reached down. He grabbed Hutch by the shoulders and started pulling him to the clearing. Hutch groaned with every yank as his legs dragged along the ground with blood dripping from the wounds along the way.

~*~

Starsky swung open the door to Hutch’s apartment. It was silent and empty. He walked through looking for signs of anyone that might have forced their way inside. Starsky saw nothing and he controlled the fear growing in his chest. He turned his head over to the ringing telephone and just as he reached for it he saw the button still down on the answering machine.

“Yeah.”

“It’s Dobey.”

“Hold on, Cap.”

Starsky rewound the tape and he felt his blood run cold at the message left for Hutch. He recovered his voice before relaying the information to Dobey. Starsky tore out of the apartment praying he would get to Hutch in time.

~*~

Hutch lay on the hard ground barely able to move. He looked up at Stephen who was walking around behind. Hutch moaned as Stephen pulled him up to a sitting position. “What are you doing?”

Hutch felt his arms yanked behind him and a thick piece of wood was shoved in between the crux of his elbows and his back. He gasped as he felt the ropes tied tightly around him. Stephen finished tying Hutch and let him drop down to the ground.

Stephen moved around to the front of Hutch and knelt down. “How are ya’ feelin’, Kenny? Does it kind of remind you of Pong Chow?”

“We had to,” Hutch whispered. He lay on his side looking up at Stephen.

“Do you have any idea what those bastards did to me afterwards?” Stephen’s voice turned venomous as he looked down at Hutch. “They kept me alive to find you.”

“Stevie…”

“Shut up!” Stephen stuck his hand into his pocket and looked down at Hutch. “Remember before you left? Do you remember it all?”

“I remember.” Hutch closed his eyes as he began to feel the stinging needles shoot up his arms into his shoulders. Agonizing pain shot through his entire body.

“I begged you, Kenny.” Stephen wiped the tears from his face. “I begged you not to leave me and you did.”

“There wasn’t any choice. If we didn’t move when we had the chance none of us would’ve made it out of there.”

“I didn’t!” Stephen screamed. “They came for me! Had a doctor come in to take care of me. Then they tortured the hell out of me and if they thought I was too goddamn hurt, they did it all over again! Do you know that it lasted for two fucking years?”

“Oh, God, Stevie, I’m so sorry.”

Hutch lowered his head downwards and closed his eyes. He gasped when he felt Stephen’s hand in his hair and giving his head a hard yank. Stephen held out something in front of Hutch’s pain filled eyes. “Remember, Kenny? This wasn’t what kept me alive like you said it would. Every time those sons of bitches dragged me out of that goddamn cage and tortured the hell out of me, I thought of each and every one of you. Everything they did to me, I would pay you all back except I wouldn’t give you the two years they gave me. I’m only going to make the last few hours on this planet the worst you’ve ever had in your life. The camp will be a cake walk compared to what I’m going to do to you.”

Stephen dropped Hutch to the ground and threw it at him. Hutch was breathing and barely able to keep his eyes open. But he saw it. It was so close. Hutch moved his eyes over to Stephen who stood at a table doing something. He didn’t know what. Hutch shifted his eyes back to the ground and slowly began moving. His body screamed in protest as he repositioned himself quietly. When he was within just a hair’s breath, Hutch’s fingers dug into the dirt and he finally had it in his hand. He dropped his head down and clasped it tightly praying that Starsky would find him.

~*~

Starsky gripped the steering wheel tightly and kept focused on the road ahead of him. He would get there. He swore he would. He wouldn’t allow himself to see the horrible things that had been done to Buck Avery. If he did, it would be Hutch’s face he would see. Starsky found the turn off for the dirt road and swung the Torino sharply feeling the tires skidding on the pavement before speeding down the dirt road.

~*~

Stephen walked around and tied a rope onto the stick at Hutch’s back. After a few minutes, Hutch felt a sudden jerk on his arms by the piece of wood. A painful gasp escaped as he was yanked up against his will. He hung from a tree by the piece of wood a few feet from the ground. Hutch could feel the sharp tingling of pain shooting through him and his arms felt like they were going to be yanked from their sockets.

He took deep ragged breaths in an attempt to control the torment his body was feeling. Hutch’s eyes were barely open and he was weakened from the blood loss he had already experienced. He watched Stephen approach him with a long knife in his hand. “Stevie, don’t do this.”

“Begging, Hutch? You never did that before. Henley and Morrison begged. God, they practically cried like babies.” Stephen took the knife and began using it to rip open Hutch’s jeans where the bamboo sticks had punctured him. He paid little mind to the gasps coming from Hutch and cared not that he was cutting into Hutch’s skin. “But Buck Avery didn’t beg. That son of a bitch didn’t even beg for me to kill him like the others did.”

Hutch realized there was no reaching Stephen. They had punished him so much that the only though on the man’s mind was revenge. It was what had kept him alive for so long and it was the only driving force he had left now. “So, you kill me and then what, Stevie? I’m the last one. What do you do after that?”

Stephen stopped when he was finished and looked up at Hutch with a blank stare. “I don’t know.” Stephen turned around and walked back towards the table. He dropped the knife down and grabbed a carton.

He walked back towards Hutch with the carton in hand. “I can’t tell you how much I’ve thought about this, Kenny. We were the Saxon six and out of all you guys, you were the one that took care of me in that place. But in the end you left me just like they did. That’s why I’m going to enjoy this much more.”

Stephen reached inside the carton and pulled out the white substance. Hutch watched it as threads of it trailed through Stephen’s fingertips along the ground. He had no idea what it was until Stephen ground it into his open wounds. Hutch’s head fell back on his shoulders as he screamed. It was salt that was being buried into the bleeding gashes.

~*~

Starsky stopped dead in his tracks as the scream echoed through the forest. He felt his insides tearing apart knowing that it was Hutch’s agonizing scream he was hearing. He broke into a dead run ignoring the tears on his face and pleading to God that he makes it.

He stopped when he saw the bamboo rod fixed with blood red on the pointed ends of it. Starsky could still hear Hutch’s screams coming from down the path and he gripped the gun tightly until his knuckles hurt. He could hear the uniformed officers behind him and he ignored their calls to him as he ran towards the cry which tore at his very soul.

When he reached the open clearing the screams had stopped. The once dead Stephen Connelly stood not far from Hutch who was hanging from a tree. Starsky’s breath caught in his throat at the sight of Hutch’s slumped head.

Stephen yanked Hutch’s gun out and aimed it at Starsky. Starsky didn’t even blink as he shot him several times. The dead body slumped in a heap on the ground. Starsky rushed over to Hutch and went to the rope.

He untied it and slowly lowered his partner to the ground. Starsky knelt down next to Hutch and touched his face. He felt for a pulse and felt a breath of relief escape him. “Hutch, come on, babe. Open your eyes.”

Hutch heard a whisper in the blackness and he wasn’t sure what it was. It was reassuring and gentle. He reached for it and wasn’t sure if he had the strength to see past the darkness he was enveloped in.

Starsky looked up at Dobey who was bending down next to Hutch with a knife in hand. He cut the ropes from Hutch and pulled the thick piece of wood out. Hutch breathed a sigh of relief and when he moved just a bit, his body rebelled against him.

“Easy, Hutch.” Starsky kept him close and had his arms wrapped around his partner. “You’re okay.”

Hutch’s eyes flickered open and he looked up into the wet eyes of his partner. A painful smile crossed Hutch’s face and then let his eyes close. Starsky smiled through his tears. “Rest easy, buddy.” Starsky looked down at Hutch’s bloody legs. He averted his eyes feeling his stomach lurch.

Starsky’s eyes caught Hutch’s right hand tightly clenched and he could tell something was inside. He reached over and gently took his hand in his. Starsky was having difficulty in prying Hutch’s hand open. “It’s okay, partner. I’ll take care of it.”

Hutch’s hand relaxed and opened up for him. Starsky looked past the dirt in his hand and brushed some of it aside. His eyes widened when he saw it. The medallion with the four leaf clover encrusted with dirt and aged over time lay in Hutch’s hand.

Tears fell on Starsky’s face as he gently picked it up. Starsky couldn’t believe it. He looked back at Hutch’s closed eyes and down at his hand. The hands, Starsky thought. Those were Hutch’s hands he had seen that day by the river.

Starsky clenched the medallion tightly in his hand and pulled Hutch closer to him. He lowered his head into Hutch’s shoulder and silently cried.

~*~

Hutch sat on his couch with his legs stretched out. It was a week since Starsky found him and he was recovering rather well. He was still pretty sore and had to make his way on crutches to get around. Starsky never left his side and had shown such patience and caring during his recovery.

He looked back towards the kitchen where Starsky was bringing him his daily concoction. Hutch had been surprised that when asked, Starsky made it without as much as a raised eyebrow. He took the glass and took a small drink. Starsky sat down next to him on the couch with a glass of orange juice in his hand.

“I enlisted because of my father.” Hutch looked over at Starsky who was taking a drink. “He believed in the war and I think a part of me did as well. I remember the looks I was getting because I had volunteered. When I got back, the whole world had changed. I changed, too. I went home and I found I couldn’t stay there. Maybe I was running to escape it all. I came here, went to college and I found that I just couldn’t do it. I felt like I was wasting time and there were more important things I could be doing.”

Starsky looked over at Hutch. He wanted to smile at the irony of it all. Hutch became a cop because of Vietnam. He set the glass on the table and leaned back on the couch. “I was a part of a special forces team. We would go in to take out targets and whatever else they deemed necessary for us to do. One time we went in pretty deep into enemy territory. We had to really watch ourselves and we learned real quick to become part of the background. Anyways, we came across this patrol and no one could know we were even there. I planted myself down in the bush near the river. The patrol was so damn close we could’ve spit on them. They had POW’s with them. We couldn’t get them out and I can’t tell you how badly I wanted to take the boys home.”

Hutch was silent as the memories came at him like they were yesterday. Only this time he wasn’t fighting and running from them. He let himself remember. Hutch turned towards Starsky who was reaching into his shirt pocket.

“I talked to one of them. He really seemed to understand why we couldn’t help them. I wasn’t sure if I did at the time. Charlie never knew we were there. Even though I didn’t think it’d do a damn bit of good, I gave him something.”

Starsky held out his hand and Hutch glanced down. He froze at seeing the small medallion. Hutch wasn’t sure if he had dreamed up the medallion when Stephen had him. He reached for it afraid it wasn’t real. He had held tightly onto that medallion with dear life during those eight months at that camp. He believed that was what had kept alive then and when he was at the mercy of Stephen Connelly.

Hutch picked it up and stared down at it. He then clenched it tightly in his hand. The tears were uncontrollable as they streamed down his face. Hutch looked over at Starsky who had tears in his eyes as well. “I left you,” Starsky whispered brokenly.

“No, you didn’t. You saved my life before we ever met.” Hutch reached over and pulled Starsky close to him.

They held each other tightly knowing they had become closer and their bond was much more than they ever dreamed possible. They met during the worst times of their lives and hadn’t even known it. But because of it, they would share a true gift that few would ever know.

THE END