{"id":150,"date":"2019-12-22T04:19:19","date_gmt":"2019-12-22T04:19:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2019\/calendar\/?p=150"},"modified":"2019-12-22T04:19:19","modified_gmt":"2019-12-22T04:19:19","slug":"december-22nd-soon-by-laura-mcewan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2019\/calendar\/?p=150","title":{"rendered":"December 22nd- Soon by Laura McEwan"},"content":{"rendered":"

With thanks to Keri for the touch-ups.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Another year, another line on his face. Mine too, I guess, if I stopped to look in a mirror.<\/span><\/p>\n

At least his face is softer right now? But I don\u2019t like it when he\u2019s still like this. He\u2019s just relaxed, is all. He\u2019s fine. He\u2019s sleeping. He\u2019ll wake up.<\/span><\/p>\n

But memory is a powerful force. To me, he\u2019s too still, too quiet. His natural energy quelled. Usually when he sleeps, his breathing is different. He moves a lot. It used to wake me up every time but now I\u2019m used to it. It\u2019s worse when he\u2019s not there, sprawled like a starfish or wrapped around me. A Starsky-less bed is a cold and lonely one. I can\u2019t sleep without him now.<\/span><\/p>\n

The machines talk for him. Beep, beep, beep<\/em>. That\u2019s his heart, saying, yep, still ticking.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

But memory\u2026 There were other times, another hospital, another room. Funny how they all look\u2014and smell\u2014the same.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s just a knock to the head, but I worry. Always, always, I worry. This job is getting to be too much for both of us. Constantly targets. How did we even get back to this place in our jobs? After Starsk nearly died, we should have packed it in.<\/span><\/p>\n

But he convinced me. He wasn\u2019t done working for good in the way he does best. He needs the work, his mind needs that work, and I wasn\u2019t going to let him get back out there without me covering his back.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t know how long I\u2019d been sitting there, staring at him; but lost in thought as I was, I missed him waking.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStarsk? How you doin\u2019?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGot a headache the size of\u2026something big.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I chuckle. \u201cI bet you do.\u201d I push the button to call the nurse as she asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

Starsky reaches for me and I take his wrist as he grasps mine. It\u2019s our way of holding hands without tipping off anyone. Just friends taking care of each other, right?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHutch? I been thinkin\u2019.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He pauses for my inevitable joke about how he better not hurt himself doing that, but I don\u2019t. Instead, I say, \u201cMe, too, pal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBolivia?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe not that far. But, yeah. Maybe it\u2019s time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I squeeze his wrist and nod. As usual, he knows what I\u2019m thinking.<\/span><\/p>\n

He lets me go and touches my forehead with one finger. \u201cGrew another line there while I was out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo did you.\u201d If I say much more, I might break down. Save it, Hutch.<\/em> Save it for when you\u2019ve got him home and then he\u2019ll let you lose it on his shoulder and then make those plans.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I can see in his eyes, he\u2019s thinking the same.<\/span><\/p>\n

The nurse comes in, cheery and flirty. Starsk flirts back, but I know the truth.<\/span><\/p>\n

I wink at Starsk and step back to let the nurse do her work. He\u2019ll be mine soon enough.<\/span><\/p>\n

Soon.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Click on the image to view it larger.<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With thanks to Keri for the touch-ups. Another year, another line on his face. Mine too, I guess, if I stopped to look in a mirror. At least his face is softer right now? But I don\u2019t like it when … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,9,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fic","category-sfw","category-slash"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2019\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2019\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2019\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2019\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2019\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=150"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2019\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":520,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2019\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150\/revisions\/520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2019\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2019\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2019\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}