"Did you figure out that statistics question?" TK asked looking over at the teen from the kitchen.
Bailey was slumped over the dining room table slaving over a statistics book. School wasn't due to start for another two weeks but she'd mentioned that she wasn't all too confident in her mathematical abilities and she needed to complete the Senior statistics course in order to graduate. TK, in all of his non-mathematical ability, had said that he'd help out where he could and that the rest of the 126 had also stepped up to the plate.
"I just don't get it. Qualitative, quantitative," Bailey groaned and ran her fingers through her hair. "Data is data, I don't care what the hell this stupid book says."
Bailey sat back in the chair, shutting the book and pushing it away.
"Hey now, what'd that book ever do to you?" TK said.
"It was written." Bailey grumbled.
TK laughed and shook his head walking around the kitchen island and behind her. He pulled the book back and opened it again, moving the pencil that she'd left inside onto the table.
"Okay, let's look at this together," He said, pulling a chair up and sitting down. He held the pencil out for her and Bailey looked at him for a moment. TK didn't know if it was shock in her eyes or thanks but either way he was going to help her. Bailey nodded and took the pencil. "Alright, qualitative data is descriptive, it's non-numerical so something like gender or name, citizenship, stuff like that."
"So like hair color?" Bailey asked.
TK smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, exactly like hair color. And quantitative data is numerical, it can be measured in numbers. So the number of students in a class or the amount of money you have." TK continued.
"Or height, weight, and age." Bailey added.
"That's right. Okay so," TK said, pointing to the textbook. "Number six; a student's work sample with comments from their teacher."
Bailey bit the inside of her cheek and pressed the eraser of her pencil into her forehead as she thought. TK opened his mouth to give her more direction but then closed it again. She could do this.
"It's not numerical, it's descriptive," Bailey said, going through a mental checklist. "So that makes it qualitative."
"Yes!" TK said, holding his arms up in victory.
Bailey laughed.
"You did it!" TK said.
"I did it." Bailey laughed.
"See I told you could do it," TK said. "Do you think you can get a jump on the next couple while I get the lasagna in the oven?"
Bailey nodded. TK pushed himself up from the chair and picked up his phone sending a quick text to Carlos before picking up the unbaked lasagna from the counter to put it into the oven. He balanced the pan in one hand as he opened the oven and as he did the front door blew.
Carlos' phone vibrated in his pocket as he sat down at his desk to finish a report. He pulled it out and saw that TK had sent him a text.
TK: Remind me to take a crash course in statistics before the start of the school year, we've officially hit the limit of my knowledge.
Carlos laughed before typing out a reply. TK sucked at math, but he had been adamant about wanting to help Bailey get ahead so he'd stayed up for a week before the custody transfer to get a jump start on it. He'd joked that he'd felt like he was back in high school, though Carlos had snipped that the 126 was like high school (he'd received a pillow to the head for that quip).
Carlos: So we made it past qualitative and quantitative data, huh? I'll pick up a Statistics for Dummies book on my way home. Should I also pick up some cupcakes from that bakery on Walnut to celebrate the custody transfer?
Carlos hit send and sat back in his chair with a smile broad on his face. Mitchell looked over and laughed.
"Why do you look so smug? Don't you have a CPS case agent tearing through your financial, professional, and personal lives right now?" He asked.
Carlos nodded.
"That I do," He said. "But I also have an amazing boyfriend who is currently helping our foster daughter do her math homework at our kitchen table."
Mitchell's face broke into a smile.
"So it's official? The custody went through?" He asked.
"Yup, TK and I got the call from the case agent this morning. We're gonna tell Bailey tonight." Carlos said.
"That's gonna be so great. I'm happy for you guys." Mitchell said.
"Thanks Mitchell." Carlos said.
The door blew hard and loud. TK dropped the lasagna pan at the sound and it shattered on the ground. His immediate thought was Bailey.
"Bailey!" He screamed, running toward the dining room before a bright flash blinded him and a bang sent him reeling to the floor clutching at his ears.
"Bailey!" He screamed again.
Everything was a blur; things were bright but dark at the same time. He saw feet in black boots and he heard screaming. Who was screaming?
Carlos' shift was almost over but he wasn't exactly relieved.
"Carlos, you good man?" Mitchell asked.
Carlos bit the inside of his cheek and shook his head.
"I texted TK almost a half hour ago and he still hasn't texted me back," He said, looking over at his colleague. "If he was on shift I would figure he was on a call but he's home Mitchell, he's home with Bailey. They were doing math. Something's wrong."
Mitchell leaned on his desk and nodded.
"You're off in what? Ten minutes?" He asked and Carlos nodded. "Knock off early. Your gut hasn't been wrong yet Reyes, go check on your family."
"Thank you." Carlos replied quickly gathering his things, juggling them precariously as he left the bullpen.
He was almost out the door when another officer called to him.
"Carlos, wait." He called.
Carlos paused, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"Oliver, can this wait? I've gotta get home, man." He said.
"You live at 736 Eucalyptus Drive right?" Oliver asked.
Carlos stopped, why did Oliver want to know that. He nodded.
"Y-yeah. Why?" He asked.
Oliver swallowed.
"Oliver, my boyfriend and daughter are there right now. Why do you need to know if that's my address?" Carlos pressed.
"Carlos, S.W.A.T. just raided it." Oliver said.
"TK!" Bailey screamed again as a set of arms wrapped around her middle. "Get off of me! TK!"
She could see TK on the floor but her vision was so off.
"Right clear!" Somebody yelled.
"Left clear!" Another called in reply.
Then more hands and Bailey was trying to push them off.
"Hey, you're okay, we've got you." A man said.
But Bailey still fought.
"TK!" She screamed.
"Bailey!" TK screamed back.
She saw TK push himself to his feet before he was tackled to the ground by somebody else dressed in black. Tears were pooling down her face and she was trying not to panic but things were so out of control. What the hell was happening?
Carlos probably broke every law in the book trying to get home. He dialed Owen's number frantically, thankfully he picked up on the first ring.
"Carlos, hey! I didn't think I'd hear from you today. TK told me about the custody transfer." Owen said.
"Owen, please tell me that TK and Bailey are there." Carlos said.
"What? No, why would they be here?" Owen said.
"S.W.A.T. just raided the house." Carlos said, his foot lying heavier on the gas pedal.
"What? Why?" Owen asked.
"I don't know but get there Owen. I'm almost there." He said hanging up and tossing his phone into the passenger seat.
When he pulled up to the house he practically drove his car onto the lawn to avoid the police cars and S.W.A.T. units. He threw the gear shift into park and stumbled out of the car. TK was being led out of the house in cuffs struggling to get back inside.
"TK!" Carlos screamed.
TK whipped his head around and when his eyes landed on Carlos he struggled harder. Carlos threw himself on TK, pulling his boyfriend into a bone crushing hug before somebody tried to pull him off.
"Sir, I need you to back off." A man said.
Carlos was pushed aside but TK's eyes were still wild.
"Go to Bailey, she's inside. They won't let me see her," TK said as they led him to a police car. "Carlos go get Bailey she's having a panic-"
The door was shut, abruptly cutting off the TK's sentence but he hadn't needed to finish to alert Carlos to what was happening to their daughter. He ran inside, nearly tripping over the front door which was still laying in the foyer.
"What the fu-" He muttered before looking around the room frantically.
He saw a couple of people hunched over trying to get to something behind the couch wedged between the plant and the bookshelf.
"You need to breathe Bailey." A man said trying to reach behind but quickly retracting from flailing hands.
Carlos sprang into full dad mode.
"Get away from her right now." Carlos said, pulling the men away from the couch.
"Sir, you can't just come at her like that?" One of them said as Carlos pulled the couch and plant away. "Sir, she's having a-"
"A panic attack, I'm well aware," Carlos said sitting down next to Bailey and pulling her into his arms. "Breathe Bails, I'm here now."
Bailey clutched to Carlos as he rocked them back and forth.
"In and out Bailey, in and out," He soothed. "Listen to my heart beat mija. Slow, deep breaths."
"Th-they ca-me thr-ough the fron-t do-or." She stuttered, arching through her words.
"No, no mija you're fine now. TK's fine. You're fine. Just breathe." Carlos said.
Bailey kicked out her legs at TK's name.
"TK," She muttered. "TK. Go-nna take 'im."
"He's fine, he's just outside right now. Calm down Bailey. Nothing's gonna take him." Carlos said, holding her tighter and sending a glare at the two men standing a few feet away from them.
Finally, Bailey was calming down, her breath evening and her heart rate dropping to normal levels. Now that one crisis was averted Carlos knew that he had to check on another. He gently placed the back of his hand on her forehead and nodded.
"You're heatin' up mija, we gotta get you cooled down." He mumbled.
Carlos looked up at the two men again. They're vests read S.W.A.T. but he knew that they had to be desk jockeys at the very least by their stature and attire. He could hear sirens coming outside and he knew that Owen would have rallied the entire force of the 126 as soon as they'd hung up. Which meant that Tommy was on her way.
"I need you two to go and get Captain Vega of the 126 as soon as she steps out of the ambulance. Tell her that Bailey is heating up and we need to stabilize her temp." Carlos said.
"Sir, I don't think you get the severity of this situation." One of them said.
Carlos would have punched the guy if we wasn't still on the floor holding Bailey.
"You get her or the next situation we'll have to handle is your head on my floor, do you understand." Carlos bit out.
The man looked like he wanted to argue again but he wisely decided to follow the instructions that Carlos had raddled off, his partner followed him out.
"I feel hot." Bailey mumbled.
Carlos loosened his grip on Bailey enough so that she could sit up against the wall.
"I know mija, Tommy's almost here and we'll get you cooled down. Where's your phone?" He asked, looking around for the paint splattered case.
"I don't know." Bailey mumbled, her breathing picking up again as she took in the state of the room around her; the door on the floor, chairs and stools tipped over, the shattered glass and lasagna on the kitchen tile, the couch pushed so far back that it had caught the table and pushed it up against the island.
"No, mija, it's okay, take a breath." Carlos said, stepping into Bailey's line of vision.
"Carlos!" Tommy's voice rang through the living room.
"Here." He called back.
Carlos turned briefly to see Nanci and Tommy making their way to him with the medical equipment.
"Idiots in suits told us to come in here because a crazy guy told them something about a girl's temperature, we put the rest together ourselves," Nanci said and Carlos couldn't help but laugh. Nanci looked around the room and whistled as she pulled on her gloves. "They really did…"
She tapered off when Carlos shook his head slightly, his eyes shifting to Bailey.
"Did you see TK out there?" He whispered to Tommy as she pushed an IV into Bailey's arm, making her cry out slightly.
"I'm sorry sweetheart but we gotta cool you down." Tommy said before turning to Carlos and shaking her head.
Carlos moved around Nanci and caught Bailey's eyes.
"Bails, I'm gonna go get TK okay? Can you stay with Tommy and Nanci?" He asked.
Bailey nodded and Carlos smiled.
"Atta girl," He said before leaning over Tommy. "Keep her attention here, headphones are in her pocket if you need them, this could get loud."
Tommy nodded discretely and Carlos stood. He was a man on a mission.