Troubled Waters

You may be looking for Troubled Water, a Starsky & Hutch zine.

Fanfiction
Title:	Troubled Waters
Author(s):	Terri Librande
Date(s):	May 1992 (print), 7 Feb 1993 (online)
Length:
Genre(s):	gen
Fandom(s):	Quantum Leap
Relationship(s):
External Links:
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Troubled Waters is a gen Quantum Leap story written by Terri Librande and Crystal Olson.

It was printed in Oh Boy #2 in 1992 and a year later, posted to alt.tv.quantum-leap.creative.

It is online here.

Summaries

"Sam leaps into a dying AIDS patient."

"Leaping into the body of an AIDS patient, Sam must deal with prejudice and fear."

"Sam leaps into a dying hospital patient, to make one last request. A sad love story."

Author's Notes

I have had a dear friend die of AIDS. When Elizabeth and Paul Glaser announced the death of their daughter, Ariel, I felt even more motivated than ever to write stories with a more realistic theme. Sam is very compassionate, and I feel, sensitive to this issue. He is a doctor, after all. I wanted to put him in the position where he had to deal with himself being terminally ill, and to give this man an opportunity to choose the way he wanted to die. So many AIDS patients are not given that privilege, nor do some of them have a friend or loved one that cares enough to hold them care for them, while they die.

This was written with the 'soul' theory, not the body theory of Leaping. When I first started watching Quantum Leap, I assumed that was the way things were until I was told otherwise. Enjoy.

This story was written with Crystal Olson. I have her permission to reprint it here. She is a nurse, and helped me with some of the medical terminology and methods.

I wrote this a long time ago, as I've said before, and there are a few inacuracies [sic] in it--I apologize. Calling HIV as the disease itself is a mistake, and a few other things.

Parts

• part 1
• part 2
• part 3

Reactions and Reviews

Sam leaps into a dying HIV patient. He is estranged from his partner and Sam manages to effect a reconciliation and get his host out of the hospital in spite of his condition, so that he can die free of machines in his lover's arms on Venice Beach. Sympathetically written and somewhat moving. I don't think they'd film it, not even after Tom Hanks' performance (and several others), but I know that Scott could do it.

My favorite story in the whole issue, even though it defies the “body issue.’ Sam finds himself hospitalized with AIDS in 1985. He is Stanley Frazier, and he’s dying. He’s faced with the task of reconciling with Stanley’s partner Richard... before it’s too late.

"Troubled Waters" was handled well. It touched on two important subjects, AIDS and dying with dignity. It's rewarding to see stories like this.

"Troubled Waters", very good. The AIDS angle was done in good taste. Letting him die with dignity was a nice touch.

But my favorite story was "Troubled Waters". I know it didn't completely mesh with the idea that Sam is leaping around in his own body...but that made it no less compelling. One of the pleasures of fanzines is that we can read stories that can't be done on the air, whether due to length, subject matter, expense, or stretching the Bellisario rules to make a good story. This one could never air, but it was a darn good story!

"Troubled Waters" had me in tears.