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Street had definitely lost count of how many red lights he had hit. Probably a thousand – like his first day at SWAT, five years earlier. Riding his Ducati, he had made his way through Los Angeles in less than 15 minutes – from Chris' house to HQ. After getting off his bike, he rushed into the locker room. The rest of the team was already there, they were all getting changed. But this time it wasn't his fault; in his defense, he had spent the early morning nursing Chris, who had woken up far too early because she wasn't feeling well.
"Street, just in time. Is everything good, kid?"
"Sorry, Hondo. Yeah, don't worry."
As soon as he reached his locker, he began to yawn, squeezing his eyes shut.
“Hey Street, too much sport with Chris last night?” said Tan, teasing him.
“How do you know…”
“Luca… Luca is telling everyone how he is always all alone at home now that you are with Chris. Actually, he can’t shut up about that, he sounds like a proud parent. Right, Luca?”
“I’m just so happy my two kids finally stopped being stupid and decided that being together was more important than moping on the couch watching English baking shows or pretending not to have feelings just to avoid getting hurt.”
“Well, anyway, I was with Chris, yes, but the reason I am tired is not because of what you think. I mean, not that we didn’t…”
“Street, stop, I don’t wanna throw up my breakfast, no need to overshare, it’s awkward…you can keep the details for yourself!” said Tan, pretending to make a disgusted grimace.
“I was not telling you details, but anyway, as I was saying, the reason I am tired is because Chris was not feeling well this morning. Well, it was 4 AM, so still night if you ask me…”
“Oh, I am sorry to hear that, does she know why?” said Deacon.
“She told me it was the food we had last night,” Street replied, although he did not seem entirely convinced. Something had been wrong for a while, but he didn't want to worry too much or show others that he was worried.
“But you are okay, aren’t you?” said Hondo.
“Yes, yes, I am. That’s why something doesn’t add up. Plus, it’s not like the first time, it’s something that has been happening on and off for at least three weeks now. Also, she fainted last week at the safe house. Remember when I got a call and I had to end the shift earlier than usual? Well, it was Chris, she begged me not to tell you because there was nothing to worry about.”
Hondo and Deacon glanced at each other, and Street noticed that strange look. “What?”
“Does Chris… I mean… Is Chris on birth control?” delicately asked Deacon, with embarrassment.
Street frowned, and a bewildered expression appeared on his face.
“Wha… what, yeah, I mean I think so?”
“You don’t know?”
“Yeah, I mean she is on birth control, but I don’t see the point of this question? Unless… wait, are you suggesting she might be… pregnant?”
“Well, the symptoms match. Nichelle had morning sickness the first trimester. Also, for part of the second…”
“Annie was so sick during her first pregnancy… but I mean, maybe she is not, she has just caught some kind of bug.”
“I guess... she would have told me? If she knew.”
“Maybe she doesn’t know. Have you talked about having kids?”
“No. I mean, yes, we talked about having a family back in the past, but at that point, if you had told me I would be with her in the future, I wouldn’t have believed you. It was a pipe dream, back then.”
“So, you haven’t talked about it?”
“Nope.”
“You should have that talk.”
“I’ll do it, tonight after shift.”
“Good boy. Plus, it would be amazing news.”
“Street a father??? To Chris’ baby? That would be so weird… in a positive way of course. I still can’t believe you two are together,” said Tan.
“I am sure he would be a good dad, right Street?”
“Yeah…” Street seethed for a moment. He liked children, it's true. But... he had grown up without a father, he had practically helped his mother kill him. How could he be a good father if he hadn't had one in the first place? What if he had the wrong genes in his blood?
He was deep in his thoughts as he mechanically finished putting on his gears when the alarm clock on their mobile rang, signaling that 20-Squad was needed.
“Guys, bank robbery Downton, 20 hostages, they need us.”
“Copy that, let’s roll.”
***
Later, that day…
The sun was setting when Chris stepped into her apartment and threw her bag on the couch. It had been a heavy day at the safe house. Not that the others weren't, but that day new girls had arrived from Mexico to help, and Chris had a lot to do, especially since Mama Pina...
Her eyes filled with tears.
Damn, why am I so emotional. It wasn't like her. Besides, she had been sick again that morning, and she feared she had caught a bug. Street had woken up and held her close to him, massaging her back and trying to make her nausea go away, and he had to get up early for his shift... she was still feeling bad for that. She had to book an appointment with the doctor.
She headed to the bathroom adjacent to her room and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked fine, in spite of everything. Definitely in need of a shower, though. She opened a drawer to retrieve a towel and stretched out her hand without looking. Her fingertips brushed against an open box of tampons. Tampons... Chris' mind began to do the math. Had she taken the pill regularly? Or had she forgotten a few times? She couldn't remember. The last time she had had her period had been... two months earlier? That wasn't like her. She looked in the mirror and saw her face contort, so much so that she was seized by a gag reflex. OK, keep calm Chris. The next move was to quickly run to the corner pharmacy and buy some tests. She was 35 years old, yet she felt the anxiety that a 16-year-old girl who got pregnant by accident would probably feel. Not that she had planned it... But... maybe it was fate? She didn't even know if she believed in it, in fate. In fact, she had even tried to deny that she and Street were meant to be. She had kept him waiting, she had rejected him, she had broken his heart... and yet Street had stayed there. I'm done. She remembered those words, coldly spoken by him on the day she had resigned from swat, and after she had failed to tell him she was in love with him, once again denying her feelings... for fear of losing herself. Was this child a sign of fate that they were meant to be? He was really good with kids... but what about her? Having a baby and being an aunt or godmother were totally different things. What if... what if she sucked at this?
These were the thoughts that crowded her mind on the short journey between her apartment and the pharmacy, and during the queue at the cash desk... when it was her turn, she had mumbled something, but the pharmacist must have understood her state of mind, so much so that she had brought her several tests, one of the ultra-modern and sensitive ones and one of the classic old-school ones with the lines. Back at home, she ran back to the bathroom
C’mon Chris, you just have to pee on these sticks, everything will be okay, it’s normal you are a grown-up woman, not a teenage girl. By repeating this sentence, she deluded herself that her breathing could return to normal.
Two lines
Two f****** lines.
Pregnant, 5-6 weeks
Oh my god – I’m pregnant.
Chris dropped the sticks on the bathroom countertop and turned away from the mirror. She covered her face with her hands, her fingers trembling against her cheek. Then, she walked back into the room as if in trance and stood beside the bed for she had no idea how long, when she heard a key turn in the door lock, and then a "Hey Babe, I'm home."
She woke up and shouted, "Yes, I'm in the bathroom, wait,”, and ran towards the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
It had been a hard day for Street too, a bank robbery and twenty hostages, luckily Hondo had managed to gain the thieves' trust and save the day. He left his backpack beside the couch, and headed for the bedroom, taking off his clothes, remaining shirtless.
"Hey Chris, how are you feeling? The team says hi and hopes you are feeling better."
"What have you told them?" the muffled voice of Chris came from the bathroom.
“Nothing but the truth, that you didn’t feel well… Well, they have theories, but if you ask me, it’s weird, I mean… They said you might be pregnant, but I told them you would know, wouldn’t you? Plus, you are on birth control, so I guess we are okay?”
There was a moment of silence, as Chris did not answer him. She feared opening the door that separated her from the bedroom.
“Chris? Chris?? Is everything okay?”
The bathroom door opened, and Chris came out, looking shocked, her mascara had melted, and she looked as if she had just cried. She was wearing only one of his baggy t-shirts.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Street approached her and embraced her. She had something in her hand.
"What are you holding?" He pulled away from her and noticed that what she was holding were two sticks... pregnancy tests. She handed them to him, and Street saw that one had two pink lines, the other said "pregnant, 5-6 weeks".
Chris started sobbing again. Damned hormones, she thought to herself.
Street hugged her back tighter. "Shh, shh, it’s OK, Chris, it’s OK.”
He began stroking her head and dragged her to the bed, where he sat down making her sit on his lap. He began to cuddle her softly.
“I… I didn’t plan this,” said Chris, when she managed to calm down.
“Hey, you… we… didn’t commit a crime. It’s a baby we are talking about, it’s not the end of the world.”
“I know, but isn’t it… early? We haven’t even talked about having kids, a family…”
“I mean, it’s fine by me. Having a kid with the girl I’ve been in love for five years? There are worse things…” said Street with a chuckle.
“I’m serious, Street. Plus, you were the one talking about it a few minutes ago, you didn’t sound thrilled…”
“Hey, don’t say that! I know you are serious, and I am too. But of course, I’d respect anything you decide to do. If you don’t feel like it’s the moment, I would agree with you. It’s your body, if you don’t wanna have k…”
“Stop, it’s not that. I do, I do want kids with you Street. You are probably the only person I have ever pictured as the father of my babies… I remember once, one of the first missions when you had just arrived at SWAT... it stuck with me how you behaved with the kid you gave Buck's watch to, remember?"
“Oh yeah, that was a long time ago.”
“Yes, well, it stuck in my memory. Then… all the kids we saved, they always bonded with you. So yeah, no doubt on that.”
“It’s funny how this morning everyone was joking about me as a father, and I seriously doubted myself.”
“For your past, you mean?”
“Yeah… I mean… I had a crappy father.”
“And I had a crappy mother.”
"Well, that too, two out of two for me."
Chris was still sitting on his lap. They looked at each other and burst out laughing.
“We are better people than they were, aren’t we?”
“We are… Whatever we might do, it will never be worse than what they did.”
They embraced tightly, and Street wrapped his powerful arms around her.
“Well, I guess it’s settled then. We are going to become a family of three.”
“I need to book an appointment with my OBGYN, can you keep it a secret from the team until I get an ultrasound?”
“Sure, of course. Can I get one to put in my locker? I already have a pic of you and a pic of us, I think it’s mandatory I add our little one.”
“I don’t know what we will be able to see, but yeah.”
They moved backward, lying on the bed in a more comfortable position. Street kissed her hair and stroked her back. Leaning against his chest, Chris mumbled something unintelligible. He continued to caress her back and hold her close to him.
"You might want to try to get some rest before dinner...after all, we woke up early today. I'll stay here with you, wake you up."
"I love you," whispered Chris, in a breath.
Street felt her warm breath on his skin. A few minutes later, Chris's body relaxed completely against him, and Street decided to close his eyes too, hugging her. He moved one hand to her abdomen, still flat, and began to gently caress her. He was holding her so close to him like that kept all bad thoughts away. It had been a long time since that day when she had rejected him – and it wasn't that he hadn't tried. On the contrary, he was sorry he had gone too far, but ... there was something special about her, and he had known it early on. Five years, FIVE YEARS, but they were finally together, and he was happy, he was really happy.
***
“You are pregnant, Ms. Alonso. See that small spot there, Mr. Street? It’s your baby.”
***
A few weeks later…
“Hey guys.”
The team turned to the locker room door, from which Chris entered. They had just finished their shift and were getting ready to go home.
"Chris, hey, good to see you!" said Tan, with a big smile on his face.
"Hey, stranger! What are you doing here? You miss SWAT already?" said Deacon with a smile.
"Oh no, I'm pretty busy with the safe house.... I'm here to take Street home, I dropped him off this morning, so he's without a ride."
"Poor little Street, I understand you're not coming to our house today," sneered Luca.
"Ha ha ha, very funny, and no... Chris and I have plans."
“You’re still both on for Sunday, right?” asked Hondo. He had this all barbecue planned at his house, the first with his newborn.
“Sure, I wouldn’t miss it for no reason whatsoever.”
“We will all be there, Hondo, don’t worry. Need to see my godson and spoil him a little.”
The team laughed; Luca was a different person since Hondo had asked him to be godfather to his then-unborn son.
"How are you, Chris? We heard you haven't been well recently, but then Street gave us no update..."
"Oh, I'm more than fine! Actually... guys I'm also here because I had to bring Street something..."
Chris pulled an envelope out of one of the pockets of her jacket.
"What's that?"
Chris and Street shared a look of understanding and smiled.
“Special pictures that Street needs for his locker.”
“How romantic. Let’s see them,” mocked Tan.
Street took the envelope from her hands and opened it, revealing its contents... the pictures were nothing but... ultrasounds!!!
Street opened the set of 4 photos of Chris' ultrasounds, revealing their little secret....
“Oh my god, Chris, are these real? Don’t tell me that you are…” said Tan.
“PREGNANT?” screamed Luca.
“Yeah, she is! Turned out Deacon and Hondo were right…”
“Oh, I knew it! FOUR kids, guys, four. I am an expert now.”
“Yes, Deacon, we know… but I wanted to remind you that you didn’t know anything about your fourth and Annie surprised you at your not surprise…” said Chris.
Everybody laughed.
“Can’t wait to tell Annie, she will be so happy for you… unless you didn’t want to tell everyone at the barbecue?”
“Oh yeah, no biggie, go ahead and tell her!! We are going to my relatives tonight, that’s why we are busy… to tell them the news. But we wanted to tell you first. Also, we’ve waited because I am now officially in my second trimester!”
“Congratulations kiddos, I am happy for you, it was about time!!”