December 22nd: Christmas Surprises by DPPatricks

1975

“How’d you manage this, Hutch? How’d you get ‘em to let me go? Yesterday, the doc said I’d have to stay a couple more days.”

“You know how hospitals are at Christmas, Starsk.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Well, I do, now. They like to let as many patients as possible go home, at least for the day. It gives some of the staff a bit of time to spend with their own families.”

“Okay. That makes sense. Are you tellin’ me I gotta go back, though?”

“We’ll see. This morning, before I checked you out, your doctor told me that, if you don’t overdo things today and tomorrow, he may let you begin your out-patient therapy earlier than anticipated. He’s really amazed at your progress this past week. He’s calling you his miracle patient.”

“I keep tellin’ ya, Gene Autry got shot in the shoulder all the time.”

“I remember.”

“But I never knew my staircase had a hundred steps before. How can it have that many now?”

“Because it’s your first day out and about after getting shot. Twice.”

“True.”

“And it’s actually only eighteen steps.”

“You’re kidding!”

“I just counted.”

“Sure you did.”

“Want to rest for a minute?”

“Yeah.”

“Turn around. Easy. Don’t try to move your arm, I’ve got you. There, now. Take a breath. Relax. We’ve got all day.”

“I didn’t get a tree, Hutch. No lights or garlands are up. Your present’s not wrapped. Won’t feel like Christmas!”

“Don’t worry about it, partner. I think Santa’s elves have been busy.”

“What’re you… Wait! I hear voices. Who’s up there?”

“A few friends. Ready for the rest of these steps?”

“Give me a hand, okay?”

“Turn around easy. Right hand on the rail. I’ve got your back.”

“You always do.”

“Now, one step at a time…. There you go.”

“Good grief, where’d the decorations come from? And who are all these people?”

“I told you, Santa’s helpers have been here. And these are some folks you’ve never met who wanted to meet you. Plus one lady you have met.”

“Theresa!”

“It’s so good to see you on your feet again, Detective Starsky. This is my boyfriend, Jimmy Lee.”

“Hello, Detective.”

“Hi. Wow! Great handshake!”

“Starsky, this is the famous comedian, Sammy Grovner, and his fiancée, Robin Morton.”

“A comedian? What…”

“I’m not surprised you haven’t heard of me, Detective. I admit my act had gotten pretty stale but my lady and I have come up with one that’ll blow them away in Vegas. People are going to know what heroes you and your partner are.”

“Great. That’s… that’s great. Uh…”

“And this is Mr. and Mrs. Durant. They came into the restaurant after you were in the back office.”

“Hi! Walt Durant. We got caught up in the whole mess. However, thanks to your partner, my wife and I are alive and have quite a story to tell our grandkids!”

“Terrific. I’m glad to meet you both. Looks like there’s food and drinks around. Have a beer or… something.”

“I believe we will. Thank you.”

“Hutch…”

“One more person, Starsk. This is Mr. Giovanni, the restaurant’s owner and chef.”

“Also known as ‘the old man.’ Chief cook an’ bottle washer, that’s me. I’m here because you two saved my place, my customers, and me! Anytime you and your partner come back, your meals are on the house!”

“We’re not supposed to… Oh, hell! Thank you, sir! We’ll probably take you up on that.”

“I’m counting on it. Now, since I provided the food and know it’s damn good, I’m going to partake.”

“Good. That’s great. You do that. Hutch…”

“Sit for a few minutes, Starsk. I’m afraid I’m letting you do exactly what I promised your doctor I wouldn’t.”

“Doesn’t feel like too much, yet. But, yeah, I’ll sit for a minute.”

“You need your meds pretty soon. Doctor said no alcohol, though. Want a glass of lemonade?”

“Not right now. You can sit, too, you know.”

“As Mr. Durant said, I believe I will. Tomorrow, if you’re feeling up to it, Huggy wants to throw his own party for you at his place.”

“He doesn’t have to –”

“He wants to.”

“Then I’ll be up for it.”

“Good, because all the Dobeys, as well as most of the precinct, will be there. Plus a lot of our friends.”

“‘Our friends.’ Huh. It’s pretty great to be alive, isn’t it?”

“Especially since a week ago neither of us thought we would be.”

“I’m feelin’ pretty Christmasy right now, Hutch.”

“I’m glad, Starsk. Because this is the best Christmas I’ve ever had!”

1979

“Look at you, Starsky! You made it up the stairs and didn’t have to stop once! You’re not even breathing hard!”

“You can take the credit for that, Hutch, and you know it. Went to P.T. with me every day and got me swimming all those miles at the Y. Geez, you’ve even got me runnin’ with you three mornings a week!”

“I did all that?”

“Got me almost ready to re-qualify, too. What are we doin’ here, though? We’re due at the Dobeys’ house in an hour. And what’s with the wreath? You haven’t hung a wreath on your door in all the years I’ve known you. You hate Christmas!”

“As you well know, it’s not the season, it’s the commercialism I detest.”

“But… a wreath?”

“Helping you decorate your place put me in the mood, I guess.”

“Good, that’s great. Wow! You really meant it, didn’t you? A tree, with all the trimmings. Garlands all over the place. You even bought a poinsettia!”

“I bought three. There’s one in the greenhouse and one’s for you.”

“That’s nice, Hutch. Thanks. But I don’t have your present. It’s back at my apartment.”

“I told you not to get me anything, Starsk. You’ve already given me the best gift I could ever want.”

“Yeah. You told me. I lived.”

“And I meant it.”

“I know you did. I got you something anyway.”

“You can give it to me when we go back there tonight. The car is full of stuff for the Dobeys but I wanted this time, with just the two of us, so I can give you your present.”

“Not another tree, I hope.”

“Nope. Just this.”

“A photo album?”

“A Memory Book.”

“Geez! Look at all these clippings. Our cases?”

“As many as I could find in the Bay City News archives.”

“And a video tape?”

“It has your TV appeal to Callendar.”

“Really?”

“I’d never seen it before. I was busy dying at the time, if you recall.”

“Don’t remind me.”

“It got to me, Starsk. If I’d been Callendar, I’d have come in.”

“He did. So what else is on here?”

“The mayor’s misdirected attempt to return our badges after Dobey talked us back onto the force. Plus interviews we’ve done following noteworthy cases.”

“All of ‘em?”

“Smartass.”

“Just yankin’ your chain, buddy.”

“So, what do you think about these things?”

“I love ‘em! I also think, as soon as we get back on the streets, we should start another album!”

“Ah, Starsky and Hutchinson, Part Two.”

“We should write a book, Hutch! Put the BCPD on the map the way Tombaugh did for the LAPD.”

“I think you mean Joseph Wambaugh, don’t you? Cop-turned-author? Clyde Tombaugh was the astronomer who discovered Pluto.”

“Right! I always get those two guys mixed up.”

“Easy to do.”

“Anyway, we’ll write a book! Maybe they’ll turn it into a TV movie. Or even a series!”

“Have I ever told you I love your imagination, Starsk?”

“Not that I remember. Wanna tell me now?”

“I think I just did. Repetition would only diminish the sincerity.”

“Oh. Well, since I love your sincerity the way it is, don’t bother repeating yourself.”

“I certainly won’t. Now, let’s get our butts over to the Captain’s.”

“Can I show ‘em my present?”

“Since we caused Dobey so much grief during most of those cases, do you think we should?”

“He never got into any real trouble because of our… shenanigans. Hell! I bet he’ll get a kick out of it!”

“Then, by all means, bring it along.”

“Thanks, Hutch. This feels like it’s gonna be a really good Christmas!”

2022

“What’s wrong, Starsk? You’ve been awfully quite this whole month. You didn’t put up your tree. Your cards aren’t on display. Carols aren’t playing on the CD. It’s not like you.”

“Not feelin’ real jolly, I guess.”

“How come?”

“Hutch! The world’s a mess. This country’s a mess!”

“I know, but –”

“What happened? Where’d it all go? How did we let it get this bad?”

“We didn’t.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yes. I know.”

“Sorry. I’m just depressed, that’s all.”

“Want to go to my place? We could order a pizza. Go for a walk on the beach?”

“Naw. I’m not feeling very sociable today.”

“I’m your partner, Starsky! You never have to worry about that kind of thing with me.”

“I know, but… just the same, no, thanks.”

“I’ve got an idea. Let’s go visit your tree.”

“It’s winter. The leaves have fallen off. The limbs’ll be naked. It’ll look like a skeleton. I don’t really think that’ll cheer me up very much!”

“Trust me, Starsk. If being there doesn’t improve your mood, we’ll leave. I promise.”

“Yeah?”

“Promise.”

“Well, since you never break your promises…”

“Grab your jacket, it’s chilly this morning.”

“What’s this? What’re all these cars doin’ in the parking lot on Christmas Eve?”

“Maybe somebody’s having a party.”

“In the park? It’s fifty degrees! And cloudy! Sun’s not even s’posed to come out all day!”

“You really are grouchy, aren’t you?”

“You knew that before you dragged me all the way over here. What’s goin’ on?”

“You’ll see.”

“There’s my tree, all right. Sure has grown, hasn’t it?”

“Forty-six years.”

“Look! It’s got decorations on all the lower limbs. Balls and lights. Garlands and more lights around the trunk. Looks like somebody hung stuff as high as they could reach. Maybe even had a ladder.”

“Sort of makes up for the lack of leaves, doesn’t it?”

“Hutch…”

“Come on.”

“Wait a minute! Where’d all these people come from?”

“I asked them to hide as well as they could until we got here.”

“You asked them?”

“Remember the bash you threw for me on my birthday?”^*

“Couldn’t forget that could I?”

“Well, I thought it might be nice to invite everybody to a Christmas party.”

“You mean… Hey! There’s Huggy. And Minnie. There’s Kiko and his family.”

“Molly and hers.”

“Where’re Cal and Rosie?”

“They’re picking up the food so they may be a little late. Their spouses, kids and grandkids are already here, though.”

“You did this for me?”

“Sure I did.”

“You knew I was down, didn’t feel like celebrating… anything.”

“This is your favorite time of year, Starsk. I couldn’t stand to see you unhappy.”

“So you invited everybody to come to my tree and try to help me feel better.”

“Did it work?”

“You know it did. ‘Cause we’ve known each other for how long?”

“Nineteen sixty-nine to twenty twenty-two. You do the math.”

“Yeah. A long time. But… Wait! Is that my train set under the tree?”

“Yep. Since you didn’t set it up this year, I got it out of your storage bin. Sweet Alice and her husband brought it over and put it together early this morning.”

“Where’ve you got the generator hidden? I don’t hear it.”

“No generator. Alice’s husband brought a deep cycle marine battery from their boat.”

“Must be powerful. Mr. Lionel never ran that fast for me! Hey, look! It’s got a caboose! I never had one of those.”

“You do, now.”

“Ya know… That’s what I was hoping for that year. When you gave me this tree.”

“I do know. And I figured you’d waited long enough.”

“Aw, Hutch…”

“No soapy scenes. You hate those.”

“Yeah, but –”

“Huggy just signaled. He told me he was going to ask you to propose the first toast.”

“Let’s go, then!”

“You’re sure you don’t want to leave? I promised, remember?”

“I remember. But you knew just what it would take to dig me out of my funk and you did it! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – you’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”

“Back at you, Starsk. So, do you know what you’re going to say? For the toast?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Care to share?”

“Nope. Wait and see.”

“I’m sure you’ll knock our socks off.”

“Count on it!”

“Uh… Starsk?”

“Yeah?”

“Merry Christmas.”

“Thanks, Hutch. Really. Thanks!”

* In the story 79^th on Archive of Our Own.