Author, Tammy Ruggles sent in an Excerpt to share with readers here at FVP. We’re happy to Spotlight her and other Indie Authors who submit excerpts or short stories to us! Here’s a bit about Tammy and her edgy Starsky & Hutch Next Gen Series:
Starsky & Hutch Next Gen Series (Each episode is a transformative work that contains no characters from the original TV series Starsky and Hutch, and is not endorsed or associated with Sony Pictures Television, Warner Brothers, or other rights holders).
INTRODUCTION/BACKSTORY
Not only are Davis Starsky and Kent Hutchinson young, single detectives with the Bay City Police Department in California, they’re brothers only a year apart, as they share the same mother, who died in an auto accident when the boys were young teenagers.
Other characters in Starsky & Hutch Next Gen include Captain Shaw (female superior), Tasha Brown (Huggy’s daughter), her boyfriend Tony (Phys Ed teacher), Mo (Davis and Kent’s snitch and psychic friend who runs a grungy gym), and Lucky (Davis and Kent’s hooker friend trying to go clean).
Davis drives a black Mustang with twin white stripes running down the hood, and Kent drives a white Audi.
Excerpt from Starsky and Hutch Next Gen:
On their way to the Audi, Kent’s phone buzzed in his pocket.
“Hello?”
“Kent, my mom was in a car accident and she’s in the hospital.”
Although the voice sounded nasal and weak from crying, Kent recognized the voice of Rico Menendez. “The welfare lady said I could call you. She—my mom. I think she might die.”
“Are you at Bay City Hospital?”
“Yes.”
“Sit tight. I’ll be right there.”
“Kent, I’m scared.”
“I know, buddy. I’m on my way.”
Kent hung up the phone, said “See you later” to Mo, then tried to call Lucky, but she wasn’t answering.
He texted her ^Maria and Rico at hospital. Are you sick? Worried about you. Call back^ as they got into the Audi and left Mo’s gym.
::::::::::::::::::
Rico’s mother, Maria Menendez, was in ICU.
Rico sat in the hall with a caseworker, who had her arm around his shoulder and was speaking gently to him.
When the boy heard the sound of the elevator, he looked up, saw Kent, then ran to him as hard as he could, slamming into him and bursting into tears.
Kent caught him and rubbed his back.
“I’m sorry, buddy.”
“Me too,” Davis said.
The child welfare worker walked toward them.
“I’m Althea Jones. I know his father is incarcerated, but are there any other relatives we should contact? Grandparents? Aunts or uncles?”
“No, Ma’am,” Kent replied to the older woman as he shook her hand. “I’m Detective Hutchinson. This is my partner and brother Davis Starsky. I’ve known Rico a few years now. We were paired in the BCPD Mentor program. He and his mother live next door to me.”
Davis took some money from his wallet and handed it to Rico. “Let’s go get somethin’ to eat so Kent and the lady can talk, huh?”
Rico looked reluctant to leave, but Kent ruffled the boy’s hair.
“Go ahead. I’ll be right here when you get back.”
The boy nodded and went with Davis down the hall.
Althea looked at Kent, and they were joined by Mrs. Menendez’ doctor.
“It isn’t looking good for her,” the doctor said. “She’s suffered multiple injuries, some of them internal. If we can’t get the swelling in her brain down…we’ll know in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours.”
Kent nodded.
When the doctor left, Althea said, “Mr. Hutchinson, if she doesn’t make it, and if there are indeed no other relatives, the boy will need to be placed in foster care. At least until his father serves out his sentence, which is, I think in about six months.”
“No foster care,” Kent said calmly. “As long as I’m around, he’ll always have a home . I’ll be his legal guardian. It’s a matter of paperwork, and I can get that in place when she…I mean if she…”
“We’ll need to do a home evaluation, just as a formality. Like you said, it’s all about the paperwork.”
He nodded. “I may have to arrange a sitter for after school and when I have to work odd hours, but that shouldn’t be a problem.”
She smiled warmly and placed her hand on his arm.
“They’re lucky to have you in their lives.”
“No,” Kent said smiling a little. “I’m the lucky one to have them in mine.”
She nodded, then turned with a small smile when she heard the door at the end of the hall opening and saw Davis coming back with the boy.
“Come on,” Kent said putting a hand on Rico’s shoulder. “Let’s visit you mom, huh?”
::::::::::::::
Rico’s mother looked nothing like her usual pretty self, but her little boy didn’t seem to notice or mind when he put his hand over hers.
“Mom, it’s me. Please wake up. I miss you.”
Kent placed his hand over both of theirs, blinking back tears.
“Maria, I’m here for you, and Rico. I’ll take good care of him for as long as you need me to.”
Rico looked at the machines and monitors surrounding his mother’s bed, and the wires and tubes attached to her body.
“Is that one for her heart, Kent?”
“Yes,” he said softly, ever the mentor. “And this one’s called a pulse oximeter, and it tells how much oxygen is in her blood. And this one is for her blood pressure. And this is a ventilator, which helps her breathe. And then you have this wire here, which is like a little alarm that lets the doctors and nurses know if something goes wrong. This tube here is called an IV, and it gives her nutrition and medicine.”
Rico didn’t say anything, he just took it in. Kent decided that it was better for the boy to have too much information than not enough.
“Kent, can we sit and wait with her?”
“Sure, buddy. Let’s send Davis on his way, then we’ll stay here for as long as you want.”
::::::::::::::
Davis called Captain Shaw to tell her what was going on, and Shaw gave both of them the rest of the day off. Since it was Friday, they’d have Saturday and Sunday off as well.
“Thanks, Cap. See you on Monday.”
:::::::::::::
Davis stopped by Lucky’s shop to check on her as Kent asked, but the assistant manager said she left without saying where she was going. He also drove past Kent’s house, hoping to find her car there, but there was no sign of it.
This left Davis heading for Chief’s Tavern for an early lunch, where he took a stool at the bar.
The Native American smiled as he approached him at the counter.
“Davis!” he said as he set a cold root beer in front of him. “It’s been a while. Where’s your fair-feathered friend?”
“Hospital with Rico’s mother. She was in a serious car crash this morning.”
Chief was quiet a moment, then said, “Sorry to hear that. She seems like a nice young lady.”
“She is,” Davis said taking a drink. “But, according to the caseworker, if she doesn’t make it, Kent is about to become the kid’s legal guardian.”
Chief gave a thumb’s up. “Sounds tricky. But do-able.”
“Man, I feel for Rico. His dad isn’t around to help him through it. Kind of a loser.”
“He has Kent, though. Can’t get much better than that.”
“Yeah. One thing about my brother. He walks the walk.”
By Tammy Ruggles, All Rights Reserved
You can find more about Tammy and her works at the links below…
Note…Here’s the Edge to this spotlight: Tammy sent FVP a PG rated excerpt, as we asked, but she says about the full length material: It’s a very strong R rating, but not X. It’s mostly the subject matter of crime and victimization (domestic violence, rape, murder, etc), so it needs a strong R rating and may not be right for those under 18.
Get Starsky and Hutch Next Gen on Kindle at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QMXSYNG
Tammy’s Bio: https://www.amazon.com/Tammy-Ruggles/e/B00CEA477Q/
FreeValley Publishing 