Chapter 17

December 3rd, 1985

Hutch shoved the files to one side and stood up, stretching his long frame to work out the kinks. A quick glance at his watch showed it was almost nine p.m. He sighed heavily as he headed for the door. He was going to be late again. It was becoming more and more of a habit lately to stay at the office instead of going home to Lizzie.

Things had been increasingly strained between them since the miscarriage. They had buried their son on a chilly, overcast morning with only a few mourners in attendance. A tiny cross marked the gravesite with the simple engraving "David Michael Hutchinson. Taken Much Too Soon." Lizzie had refused to allow a date to be put on the marker. It had been almost four months since they had lost the baby and she had not been back to the gravesite even though Hutch visited it frequently.

Work had become both Hutch's salvation and his redemption. Although he knew in his rational mind that it was hopeless, his heart had him keep a copy of Starsky's file in his desk and he reviewed it almost weekly hoping to find new clues that might help him to find his missing partner. Although the brunet had been declared legally dead, he would forever remain alive in Hutch's heart.

He left the building and crossed the parking lot to his car, a midnight blue newer model Cutless. Lizzie had talked him into buying it after they got married and Hutch was secretly pleased with the vehicle. It was definitely more reliable than some of his other vehicles had been. Every time he climbed behind the wheel he smiled sadly when he thought about what Starsky would have said about the car. He often found himself picturing Starsky's reaction to something in his mind. It actually gave Hutch a measure of comfort in the stressful days that had become his life.

Hutch started the car and pulled out of the lot merging with the downtown traffic. The streets were still congested. The traffic wouldn't start to thin out until closer to midnight. It took Hutch almost an hour to reach the little three bedroom house that he and Lizzie had bought just before the miscarriage. It was on a quiet street in an upper middle class neighborhood; the perfect setting to raise a family. Hutch had never seriously considered having children until he found himself an expectant father.

After losing the baby and finding the chance for a child of their own abruptly taken away from them, Hutch and Lizzie had been wrapped up in their own individual grief. Instead of turning towards one another for strength and comfort; they had instead, inadvertently driven a wedge between them as a couple.

Parking in the spacious one car garage, Hutch climbed out of the car and locked the doors from force of habit. He left the garage, closing the door on his way out, and entered the house. Lizzie was sitting on the sofa watching TV. She looked up as her husband came in and said, "There's carry out in the kitchen if you're hungry. You could have called and let me know you were going to be late….again." She made no attempt to hide the bitterness that crept into her voice.

"Sorry." Hutch said although his tone made it clear that he wasn't really sorry. "I got busy and lost track of the time." He strode into the kitchen and examined the carry out containers sitting on the kitchen table. Chinese. He sighed as he reached for a plate and began to help himself to his solitary meal. Lizzie seldom cooked anymore. Too many meals had either been ruined or gone to waste because Hutch wasn't home. Recently she had taken to ordering carry out every night something that Hutch could easily heat up whenever he got home. They were slowly but surely drifting apart and he didn't know how to stop it

He was leaning against the counter eating when Lizzie wandered into the kitchen. Ignoring Hutch, she got herself a glass of iced tea and took a sip before heading back towards the living room.

"Lizzie," Hutch said before she could leave the room. He waited until she paused and glanced back over her shoulder at him with a questioning look in her eyes. "Let's go out to dinner tomorrow night…and maybe take in a movie. The Color Purple just opened at the Paramont."

"Do you think you can make it home on time for a chance?" Lizzie asked with a thin smile.

"I'll be here. I promise." Hutch said somberly.

"All right," Lizzie said with a rare smile in her husband's direction. "I'd like that. We haven't been out together in a long time."

"Too long," Hutch said with a soft smile of his own. Sitting aside his empty plate, he crossed to his wife's side and slipped his arms around her slender waist. Leaning down, he graced her lips with a gentle kiss. "Let's go to bed." He suggested in a husky voice.

"Okay…" Lizzie whispered, burying her face against his chest and breathing deeply of his familiar scent. She felt safe and secure in his embrace. She had missed the closeness between them. She made a silent vow to do everything she could to salvage their marriage and mend the rift that was developing between them. She still loved this man with all of her heart and prayed that he still felt the same. They retired to their bedroom and made love for the first time since the miscarriage.

The following evening Hutch came home early as promised. He had made reservations at an expensive Italian restaurant not far from their house. They spent a pleasant evening together just like they used to do before they were married. They were both happy and relaxed when they returned home around midnight. For the second night in a row, they went to bed and made love.

The brief reprieve; however, didn't last long. Within a month, Hutch was staying late at work again and Lizzie found herself alone with nothing but the television for company.

… and the cracks in the foundation of their relationship began to widen again.