Chapter 11

December 25th, 1984

Christmas day at the Dobey household was generally a festive affair. The children had opened their presents when they got up that morning and the rest of the day was spent greeting friends and family members who stopped by to help celebrate the holiday. Delicious aromas filled the air from the treats that Edith Dobey had prepared. But, things were different this year. A pall hung over the festivities without Starsky's infectious joy at the holiday season.

Although he had been invited, Hutch had adamantly refused to come to the Dobey's Christmas celebration. Captain Dobey was concerned for the big blond's well being. He had tried to strong arm Hutch into talking to the department's counselor but he had stubbornly refused and Dobey couldn't bring himself to make it an order. Harold Dobey knew the pain of losing a partner…someone that you loved and trusted and depended on every day. After his partner and best friend, Elmo Jackson, was brutally murdered over twenty years ago, Dobey had never been able to go back on the streets with a new partner. It was a loss that he had never truly gotten over. He knew that, to Hutch, losing Starsky had been like losing the best part of himself.

Those closest to Hutch couldn't help but worry. They saw the signs, they felt his pain, but nobody knew how to make it better. Hutch seemed so lost and alone even with Lizzie by his side offering him unconditional support and love. The weeks since Starsky's disappearance had taken their toll on Hutch. With no body and no clue as to what had happened to the brunet, Hutch continued to refuse to accept the fact that Starsky could be dead.

Edith Dobey had watched her husband pacing and grumbling to himself all morning and finally she had had enough. "Why don't you go over and see Ken?" she finally suggested "See if you can't talk him into changing his mind about coming over for dinner? He shouldn't be alone…not today."

"It's time somebody knocked some sense into that boy's head," Dobey said as he looked into his wife's soft brown eyes grateful for the love and understanding he saw there. She knew that beneath his gruff exterior he genuinely cared for the men who worked for him. Over the years Starsky and Hutch had become more than just a pair of detectives that worked for him they had become a part of his 'family'. His eight year old daughter, Rosie, affectionately called them Uncle Ken and Uncle Dave.

Neither of the adults noticed Rosie hiding behind the kitchen door listening to their conversation. She may not have understood everything that had happened in the past few months but she knew that her daddy and Uncle Ken were both sad. She was too. Impulsively, she darted out the back door and ran to her father's car. Opening the door, she slid into the back seat and hid under an old blanket that was lying there. She knew she would be punished for leaving the house without permission but she had to make sure that Uncle Ken was okay.

She heard the driver's side door open and felt the car shift under her father's bulk as he settled into the seat. The engine turned over and her father smoothly backed out of the driveway, heading down their quiet residential street towards the city.

Hutch had moved to a secluded beach house a few weeks after Starsky disappeared. Every day he seemed to isolate himself more and more from his surroundings. The only constants in his life were Lizzie and the job. Without those two things to keep him centered, he would have lost it a long time ago.

Dobey pulled up beside Hutch's latest junkyard reject and climbed out of his car with a grunt. He walked across the hard packed sand to the deck that spanned the front of the beach house and knocked loudly on the front door. It was several minutes before Hutch finally opened the door, a deep scowl etched on his face. He glared at Dobey as he stepped aside and let him enter the tiny bungalow.

The air inside the house was stuffy and Dobey could smell a strong odor of smoke and alcohol. He knew that Hutch had started drinking heavily and that he had also started smoking, a bad habit that he had given up when he was in the academy. His physical appearance had declined as well. His hair had grown long and shaggy and his mustache hadn't been trimmed for weeks. His turtlenecks and neatly pressed slacks had been traded for faded jeans and loose fitting bowling shirts that hid his recent weight loss. But, the most noticeable change was in his ice blue eyes. The deep sadness and grief reflected there was evident to everyone who knew him. Sighing heavily, Dobey looked at the younger man standing defiantly in front of him and squared his shoulders mentally preparing himself for the long overdue confrontation.

Rosie stayed hidden until she was sure that her father was inside the beach house, then she slowly crawled out from under the blanket. She peeked over the back of the seat to make sure her father was indeed inside the house before quietly opening the door and climbing out of the car. She ran up to the deck and crouched down beneath the large picture window that overlooked the beach. She could hear voices, both raised in anger, inside the bungalow. The sounds scared her. She wasn't used to hearing either her father or Hutch raise their voices in anger, especially at each other. She trembled in fear as the noise escalated.

"What are you trying to do to yourself, Hutch?" Rosie heard her daddy say angrily. "Starsky wouldn't want to see you like this! Do you think any of us like seeing you like this?

"Well, maybe you won't have to worry about seeing me like this for much longer…SIR!" Hutch growled. "Maybe I should just take the easy way out and save you all the hassle…"

When she heard those words, Rosie jumped to her feet without thinking and bolted through the front door, startling both men into silence. She threw herself at Hutch, wrapping her arms tightly around one leg and sobbed, "NO! NO, Uncle Ken! Don't leave me! You can't go away and leave me like Uncle Dave did…PLEASE, don't go away. I need you, Uncle Ken…PLEASE…don't leave me!"

At the sound of her distraught sobs, Hutch began to crumble. He sank to his knees and gathered Rosie into his arms. She latched onto his neck and buried her face against his shoulder, her tiny body shaking in his embrace, as her tears soaked into his shirt.

It was at that moment that Hutch realized that he was not the only one affected by Starsky's disappearance and that he was making things worse for the very people that Starsky loved the most in his life. With a strangled cry, Hutch's tears merged with Rosie's as he took the first feeble steps towards recovery.

Dobey remained standing watching the heart tugging scene in front of him. He shed a few tears of his own as he watched the wall that Hutch had build around his heart begin to collapse, one tear at a time. When Hutch finally regained his composure and Rosie's sobs had faded away, he looked at his daughter and said sternly,

"Rose Marie Dobey! What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, Daddy." Rosie said in a tiny voice, looking at her father with her soft doe eyes. "I wanted to see Uncle Ken too. I heard you talking to Mama about coming to see him."

"So you hid in my car?" Dobey said gruffly "Your mother is probably worried to death about you. We'll talk about this more when we get home. Meanwhile, I'd better call your mother to let her know that you're with me."

Rosie lowered her head, tucking her chin against her chest. She knew that she would be punished for her actions and she knew she deserved it for disobeying. But, she knew that her father's punishment would be fair and just. She would probably be grounded, lose privileges and have to do extra chores around the house. But, it was worth it to feel the comfort of her Uncle Ken's arms wrapped around her, holding her close and safe in his embrace. She sensed that something had changed even if she wasn't sure what it was.

Dobey hung up the phone and turned to look at his youngest child. "Your mother is not very happy with you, young lady." He said sternly but with a hint of warm and affection in his tone. "You know that you are never to leave the house without telling your mother or myself and asking permission."

"I know. I'm sorry, Daddy." Rosie said apologetically "But, I was worried about Uncle Ken too." She looked at her father with a tilt of her chin that made the black man chuckle to himself at her boldness. Inside, he was proud of her for her loyalty to the man kneeling beside her.

"Well, we need to get back. Your mother said dinner will be ready soon." He looked at Hutch with a fond smile. "Won't you reconsider and join us, son?"

Hutch hesitated then slowly nodded as he rose to his feet. "Just give me a few minutes to clean up a little." He said as he turned and trudged down the hallway to his bedroom.

Rosie moved into her father's arms and looked at him questioningly. "Is Uncle Ken okay now, Daddy?" she asked with the innocence of a child.

"He will be, baby…he will be." Dobey reassured her as he planted a loving kiss on the top of her head. He was bursting with pride that his young daughter had accomplished in a few minutes what others had failed at miserably for months.

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