The Tag ~ Glinda The Good Witch Grants Dorothy's Wish
“Hey, how’s Julie doing?”
“They’re gonna let her go home in a few days.” Starsky eased the door to her room closed as he stepped into the hallway. “She’s taking a nap.”
“You probably bored her to sleep.” Hutch laughed good naturedly as his partner elbowed him. “Come on, Huggy said Dorothy’s awake.”
“You think she’ll remember us?”
“I hope not.” He’d had on a dress when they’d found her in the dumpster. “She might think I’m the good witch of the north.”
Easing open the door to the girl’s room, they found her sitting up in bed, her face still bruised and swollen, but clearly on the road to recovery. She looked up, startled as they came in.
“Hi there. I’m detective Dave Starsky.” He sat on the edge of her bed. “And this is my partner, detective Ken Hutchinson.”
“Hello, Dorothy.” Hutch held his hand out to her. “You look a lot better than you did when we found you.”
“Dorothy?” She looked from one to the other. “My name’s not Dorothy.”
“We didn’t know your name, just that you wanted to go home.”
“So we named you Dorothy. Like in the Wizard of Oz.”
“How did you know I wanted to go home?” She looked down at her hands, playing with the tape holding the IV needle in the back of her hand. “I can’t go home.”
“Sure you can, sweetheart.” Starsky patted her shoulder.
“I ran away.”
Hutch sat down on the end of the bed. “We know that. Why do you think you can’t go home?”
“My boyfriend and I – Charlie – we just wanted to be together. But Mom and Dad didn’t understand. They said – they said that if I left – “ She wiped at the tears. “They said I couldn’t come back.”
“Parents say things sometimes.” Grabbing the box of tissues from the bedside table, Starsky pulled a couple out and handed them to her. “Why, my mother threatened to kill me and bury me in the backyard so many times – I hid the shovel.”
A chuckle escaped Hutch, and he covered it with a cough. He had no trouble visualizing Starsky’s mom threatening him for some boyish prank. “What Starsky means is that people say things in anger that they don’t always mean.”
“He left me. He – Charlie – he got scared and he wanted to go home.” She took more tissues from the box Starsky offered. “He took our money and left. I couldn’t go home – I didn’t have any money – then Andy seemed so nice – “
“He seemed nice to a lot of young girls.” Hutch patted her leg. “But he won’t hurt anyone ever again.”
“I tried to run away – I didn’t want to do the things he wanted – “
“Honey, do you want to go home?” Starsky asked softly.
“Momma said if I left not to come back – “ Fresh tears overflowed. “Now I don’t know what to do –“
“Do you want to go back home?” He echoed his partner’s question.
She nodded, unable to talk as more tears clogged her throat.
“You should call home. At least you’ll know if your mother meant what she said.” Hutch got the phone off the bedside table. “Isn’t not knowing the worst part?”
“I can’t – “
“Why don’t I call for you?” Starsky picked up the receiver. “I’m a cop, and I can tell her you’re okay and see what she says. Sound okay?”
“O – okay – I guess – “
She told him the number and Starsky dialed carefully. “Mrs. – “ He covered the receiver. “What’s your mom’s name?”
“Mrs. Gayle.”
“Mrs. Gayle, my name is Dave Starsky, I’m a detective with the BCPD – “ The woman on the other end began to cry. “Ma’am, please don’t cry, your daughter’s fine. No, she’s fine – she’s fine.”
Hutch smiled at the girl. “See there? She’s worried.”
“Well, she’s had an accident but she’s gonna be okay in a few days.” Starsky nodded in response to something Mrs. Gayle said. “Of course she wants to talk to you.”
Hesitantly, the girl took the phone. “Momma?”
Starsky got up and set the phone down by her side. He followed Hutch to the door.
“No – I’m sorry, too, momma – yes – I want to come home – “
Outside in the hallway, Starsky pretended to not wipe at his eyes. “You know, I should call my mom.”
“It’s not Friday.” He’d kid Starsk about getting all soapy if he wasn’t half crying himself.
“I know. No law says I can’t call her on a Tuesday.” Digging in his pockets, he found a dime.
“Maybe I should call my mom, too.” A rare, out of the blue phone call might help mend his fences with his mother.
They stopped and looked at each other before Hutch snatched the dime away and ran for the pay phone at the end of the hallway.
“Hey! That’s my dime!” Starsky raced him for the phone. “Hutch!”
*In Chapter 1 Hutch is singing Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Music by Elton John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin.