Warning: Story deals with heavy issues

Story is dedicated to the Garden of Angels, who gives those who didn't have a chance to hope, to dream, to love, a place in the world.

Grey Eyes

"…he was so light…"

It was what Hutch had been mumbling to himself the whole ride home. My mind kept flashing back to the scene where Hutch had found him and picked him up. Hutch had held the fragile body against his chest, his head bowed with a lone tear streaming down his cheek.

I tell myself it is better to remember Hutch being there for the baby, than to remember my first sight of the body covered by old newspapers, bottles, and a rat gnawing at its ear. Better to remember Hutch holding onto him, showing how deeply a person could care, than to remember the silent curiosity of the child who had found the body first.

It was better to remember how Hutch had gently planted a firm kiss atop the boy's forehead, than it was to remember the pain and grief written so clearly across my buddy's face.

Cap had given us the day off, seeing how deeply troubled Hutch seemed to be. Perhaps the Cap had also seen how it bothered me too, I like to think, that when the time is needed, I don't get emotional. I like to think that I don't take part in soapy scenes, but who am I kidding? I probably cause more of them than anybody else I know.

But to me, this wasn't a soapy scene. This was something that was ok to grieve over; something that you could let your feeling show for…it was after all just a newborn. Just.

Probably what the parents were thinking when they threw it into the dumpster.

I have noticed that I haven't been paying attention to the road since I got in the car. It's then I realized that today's incident really disturbed me, here I was driving automatically paying no attention to the road at all, and I didn't care. All I saw that mattered was Hutch and the body.

"…so light Starsk…so small…why…?" It always hurts when Hutch uses that childlike voice, a voice that still held innocence. A voice that as the years went by had almost disappeared.

"I don't know buddy." I answered truthfully, I kept my eyes on the road, not willing to look Hutch in the eye just yet.

"…he was soft too….had grey eyes…" Come on buddy, stop doing this to yourself, please buddy…stop doing this to us… "…he was so light….felt like I was holding nothing…nothing" I have known Hutch through enough years and cases to know that with that last desperate note, he was about to blow.

"His parents don't know that! They thought he was nothing! But did-did they know that? If given the chance…he could have helped the world! He could have made a difference! He-He could have saved us all." I heard a loud thump, and knew my poor girl was getting the end of Hutch's frustration, as long as it wasn't me, it was ok for today.

"Starsk? Nobody can save us, huh?" Great, there was that voice again, this time seeking reassurance. Hutch was sinking into a depression, and fast.

"Sure Hutch. Huh? We save ourselves right? Me 'n thee hmm?" This answer didn't seem to satisfy Hutch though, and I felt his anger boiling again.

"No Starsky! I don't mean us, I mean…us" I saw Hutch's hand waving around in puzzled frustration "…the human race. We can try buddy, but we can't save it. Me 'n thee isn't enough for this world."

"You're right." I can see this answer disappointed my pal, as his shoulders sagged against the seat. "But…" I continued hastily before I lost Hutch to his funk "it's like you said, we can try. As long as people like us are still trying, there is still hope for the world to be saved eventually right? The day we give up, is when we give up on the world. We care buddy, me 'n thee, and that's enough."

I felt the smile on Hutch's face, and heard it before I actually saw it.

"You're right buddy, me 'n thee." I nodded as I parked in front of Hutch's apartment.

"Now how about a name?"

"A name?" I turned towards Hutch the first time since I saw him with the baby. His eyes shone with unshed tears, and he was still wearing that smile I heard after my speech.

"Yea, Blintz, a name. You deaf? Every kid needs a name. So what should we name him?" Hutch's eyes sparkled, his smile flickering, as if he didn't know how to feel. He settled back with the smile in the end, and tilted his head up in thought.

"Hmm, well I like the name Michael…" I grinned at his pick of my middle name, and Hutch seemed to notice my proud smile for he continued "…yea your middle name, I never really liked David." I heard Hutch chuckling as I protested, and his chuckling led to my laughing, which led to Hutch's laughing. We sat there for several seconds just laughing, letting the day's events flow out of our systems.

I took a deep breath to end my laughter, still letting giggles slip now and then. Every time I would put on a serious face, Hutch would smile and I would break again.

"Ok, ok. Michael Kenneth…." I broke off not knowing what to end with.

"Dobey?" I looked to see if Hutch was kidding, but he wasn't. Hutch looked eagerly on at me to see if I would accept, and of course I would.

"Yea. Michael Kenneth Dobey, I like it." As we headed up the steps to the apartment, and Hutch fiddled with his key's to open the door, he spoke up.

"I think I have enough money saved up to buy a plot." That comment surprised me, even though it shouldn't seeing the body in the dumpster hurt us both, only made sense for Hutch to want to do something, though Hutch didn't have much…

"Hey buddy, I think the city can pay for it." My blond blintz shook his head.

"I want to Starsk."

"Then let me pay for it too, after all he is both of our namesakes."

"And Dobey's" Hutch added, and I nodded, I know when I told the Cap about it, he would be extremely touched.

So in the weeks that followed, Dobey ended up buying the plot, letting Hutch and I pay for the marker.

There in great bold letters we read together

"Michael Kenneth Dobey, Our Savior"

Finis