Whispers of Morgan

By M. Willow

I don’t own the characters from the series.

Chapter one

It happened in an instant. One moment Starsky was riding in the car and the next it was careening into the icy depths of the dark water below. Starsky was dazed as his head hit the windshield but he still witnessed the last moments of the white-haired passenger seated next to him. His time was short so he said his goodbyes silently as he took a breath and the icy water entered his body. Strong hands reached him, pulling him out of the car. His last glimpse was of the blonde’s hair cascading around her, her eyes open.

Time moved slowly for the blond in the waiting room. He had received the call only an hour ago. He had been entertaining a red-head in his apartment when the call came through. It was the hospital telling him that his partner had been in a car accident. He thought it impossible at first— Starsky had left the party over two hours ago in the company of a very attractive blonde. But now he’d been in a car accident and Hutch paced the floor of the waiting room.

Soon a doctor appeared. He was young, far too young to be anything but an intern. Still, Hutch was happy to see anyone who could tell him what was happening with Starsky. The doctor offered his hand and quickly assuaged any ideas that he was an intern. Upon closer inspection Hutch realized the doctor was older than he had first appeared. He was a tall man with piercing blue eyes and a shock of red hair. Hutch shook the proffered hand and quickly started to ask questions.

“How’s my partner?” he asked urgently, watching as the doctor seated himself. Hutch stood for a second then seated himself opposite the doctor.

“He has a mild concussion. Your friend has been through a rather traumatic event. I expect a complete recovery, but mentally…well he may need some help. Survivor’s guilt is very prevalent among those who survive car accidents such as these. I would suggest professional counseling.”

Hutch took a shuddering breath. It had only been a year since the brunet had suffered at the hands of Gunther. Now this. Still, Hutch resolved that they would get through this too.

“May I see him?” Hutch asked, eyeing the doctor expectantly. The doctor ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath.

“Yes, He’s been asking for you, but I must warn you, he may be in denial and act as if everything is okay. Or he may go into a depression, asking why he didn’t die instead of her.”

Hutch was visibly shaken. Starsky had always been strong. Still, he had been through a lot in the past four years. Could this be the final straw?

“I need to see him,” Hutch said locking eyes with the doctor.

The doctor stood. “He’s in room 214. I would suggest letting him lead the conversation. Don’t ask any questions about the accident.”

Hutch agreed then headed to his partners room. He was worried this time.

Starsky was sitting in bed staring at the television when Hutch arrived. Hutch could tell that his attentions were not focused on the program. Hutch approached slowly, careful not to startle him. Starsky looked expectantly at Hutch and started to shake. Hutch quickly sat by his friend’s side, putting a supporting hand on his shoulder.

“It’s okay. It’s okay.” Hutch said soothingly, trying to hide his worry.

Starsky shook his head, “How…how could this happen?”

“Want to talk about it, Starsk?”

Starsky locked eyes with Hutch. Hutch noted the vulnerability in the eyes and gathered him in his arms. Starsky’s head rested against Hutch’s chest. His body shook as he spoke. “We’d just left the party. I wanted to get a cab, but she said she didn’t have anything to drink so we took her car. We stopped at the park. You know the place,” Starsky said not waiting for a reply. “We made out for a while and then decided to go to my place. That’s were we were headed when it happened.”

Starsky stopped talking for a moment, his eyes vacant as he recalled the terror. Finally he continued, “We were goin’ over a bridge in the park. It was dark. The park was about to close. I remember thinking how black the water was when we were driving over it. It was late, Hutch. You could hardly see anything but the black water. And then… and then…”

Starsky voice was so low that Hutch could hardly hear him. His eyes were wide as if the whole event was replaying before his eyes.

“You don’t have to talk about it now,” Hutch reassured, massaging his friend’s shoulder.

“But, I gotta,” Starsky said taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “I need to.” He continued to speak, his voice low. “Somehow, it felt like we were flying. I didn’t know why. It wasn’t raining. There was no reason. No reason for the car to fly. That’s what I remember thinkin’. And then, the water came in. I saw her. Just sitting there. Just sitting there while the water came in. I tried to move. I…I..I tried, Hutch. I tried to move, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t move for some reason.”

“The doctor said you have a mild concussion. You hit your head. It stunned you enough to keep you from moving.” Hutch said, pulling his friend closer.

“If I coulda moved, I maybe would have been able to save her. But I saw her, Hutch. Even in the dark. She had this eerie look on her face as the water came in. She looked at me, I mean straight at me as if….as if…I don’t know Hutch. I can’t describe it. And then she was dead but she kept lookin’ at me.”

Starsky was crying now, his voice breaking as he attempted to talk, his hands clutching at Hutch’s arms.

Hutch continued to hold the smaller man. “It’s okay, buddy, okay. We’re going to find out what happened. Soon as you get out of her. The doctor said it was okay for you to go home, as long as somebody is with you. Let’s go home, okay?”

Starsky didn’t say anything, just laid in his arms trembling, his hands clasping the arms of the tall blond. “She looked at me. Her hair was moving, like the wind blew it. Just moving all around and she kept staring at me. I remember saying goodbye. Didn’t think I’d ever see you again. And then, somebody lifted me outa there. I don’t remember anything after that. Just waking up here.”

“A man walking his dog saw the car go in. He’s the one pulled you out.” Hutch said, still holding his partner close.

Starsky moved away from Hutch, looking at him with remorseful eyes. “ I should’ve done something. Saved her. She drowned while I just sat there.”

“It was an accident, Starsky. It wasn’t your fault.”

“It was. It was my fault,” he stammered, his head dropping, eyes downcast. “I should’ve saved her. My God, why didn’t I do something? How could I just sit there and watch her die.”

Hutch reached for Starsky, pulling him into his arms. They stayed that way, Starsky crying in his arms, Hutch holding him against the creeping dread.