Chapter 43: Adjustement
Chris and Street walked till the locker room where the team was waiting for them to know about the HR decision. As they reached the second floor, they saw that Hondo and Hicks had not been in the room with the others. They looked at them and nodded to let the know they appreciated the fact that they let them announce the news to their teammates and friends.
"Ready?" Street asked in a whisper.
"Have we any other choice?" Chris said with irony, pressing Jim's hand tighter in hers.
"Not really… But…"
"They deserve the truth… We both knew our craziness could impact our teammates and careers…"
Street lowered his head as he was ashamed of what he had forced to do. "Maybe I shouldn't have…"
"Hey, Jim. It is not your fault. I was 100% in it, still am. And I'm proud of what we have done, of having been able to listen to my heart instead of my reason. We knew it was a possibility. But we did it anyway and I'm glad I've listened to you."
He raised his head and smiled, making his dimples more visible. He was really a risk worth taking. Her career will just take a different way, that's all. She could deal with this.
"So time to go…"
She nodded and pushed the door.
When the door opened, all eyes were on them. Like scrutinized. Under the microscope. Luca was the first one to talk. He was so excited that he couldn't stay motionless. Tan whistled when he saw them hand in hand.
"First time I see you like this, guys! It must be a good news!"
"So how it goes? Oh come on, talk. Suspense is killing me, indeed us." Luca begged them.
Tan and Deac were behind him, waiting for their report. Chris nodded as to say to Jim she was the one who told them about the bad news.
"HR doesn't want us to keep working together."
"Is this a joke? Tell me it is a joke?" Tan interrupted.
"We hope so, bro. But no. From next shift, I'll be in 50-David Squad. Rodriguez comes at my spot."
Deac, Tan and Luca remained speechless by the news. Up to the end, they had believed it would possible for Chris and Street to keep working together in 20-David.
"But it's ok, we know it was a risk when we started dating, even more when we got married. We accepted it. Just hurts, you know, not to be all together again. But I won't be far away and Rodriguez is a great officer."
"Yeah… But still sucks…" Luca was bitter.
"It's been working for a year, why breaking the group now?! I swear if…."
Deac grabbed Tan's shoulder and eased him.
"No need to get angry, Victor. HR is an old, archaic organization, I'm not even surprised by their decision. They don't care about a team's well-being. They just see rules everywhere…"
Deac turned to Chris and Street. "Sorry guys, really. But I also do know we are solid enough to handle this. And looking at you so conniving and smiling despite the circumstances, it tells a lot to where you are now. Proud of you two, kids."
He came closer and hugged each one, one after the other. "Speaking of kids, if you excuse me, need to go now to see them before they go to bed."
They all waved at Deac as he walked through the door. Luca and Tan stayed a little time more with Chris and Street to talk about the HR decision.
"Don't worry, guys. I'll bring you gossip about Rhokker!" Street joked before they all leave SWAT HQ to go home.
[…]
Hondo invited everyone to his house on their day off and they spent the whole night at Hondo's. Speaking of their old cases, of how each of them screwed up at some points, of their reckless moments. Lots of laugh, lots of jokes, lots of anecdotes. Until they realized this time was over.
"20-David will never be the same without you, Street, even if you can be such a pain in the ass!" Hondo told. "Gonna miss you, kid."
Street lowered his head, touched by Hondo's compliment. Luca tapped his shoulder, seeing he was feeling ill-at-ease.
"But now you'll be teaming up with the enemy!" Tan teased his friend. "We need information to beat 50-David on training days!"
"Oh come on, I can't give you tips, man! Or I'll torpedo myself too. Not fair. Won't do this but I can give you gossip about all the team."
"Come on, play fair, Street!" Luca interrupted.
"But I'm fair play, guys. For me too. I want to win against you, so you'll see who's the best." He announced proudly.
"Look at the peacock!" Dea got out of his silence. "Always be aware that 20-David will always kick your ass, whatever team you're in."
"Ohhh touché!" Tan screamed, overexcited.
"You touch the man, right in his proudness!" Chris applauded the guys.
"Hey, you're my wife. You're supposed to help me, not to crush me, Chris!"
"Street, for the best and for the worst. Now, we're in the worse. Sorry!"
"Thank you Chris. Thank you." He answered, falsely offended.
"You are always welcome!"
"And this is how you see who's the boss at home!"
"Tan, stop crushing the man more than his wife has already done." Hondo added, laughing.
The talking continued till midnight. Their shift was late tomorrow. They could hang out a little more.
"Thanks for the night, guys. Means a lot." Street told his friend before walking to the car. Chris was behind talking with Deac. He let her finish and sat against the trunk of her GMC. He waved at Deac as soon as Chris and he ended their talk.
"Interesting talking?" He told her with a faint smile.
"Yes, it was." And before she said more, she was already seated behind the wheel. He was aware he won't ever know more about the words she shared with Deac. Not that he cared anyway. He smiled, waved once again at Deac who was leaving with his car and got into the car. Before he was able to fasten his seat belt, Chris had already pulled the car out of the place where it was parked seconds earlier.
[…]
Days, then weeks passed without anyone could tell which day they were. Street was working with 50-David Squad for a month now. Slowly he was taking his habits with his new team, even if Rhokker and his teammates kept making fun of him. But he knew they were not thinking bad, they were just hazing him, as he would have done if he had been at their places.
Hicks was cool and tried as often as possible to make 20-David and 50-David Squads days off match. Their shifts were often at the same time, allowing Chris and Street to spend their free moments together. Street went to him to thank him when he noticed their boss took care of their well-being.
"My pleasure, Street. And this is the least I can do after the HR fiasco."
"Not your fault, Commander. Just sad to witness that in the 21st century, people still don't trust a husband and a wife being able to work side by side and being professional. We're far from the advanced society they want to make us believe we're liing in…"
Hicks let out a silent laugh. "One step at a time, Street. Don't go too fast for those people. Chris and you already got married when you both work at SWAT, they must be overwhelmed right now and for months at least. Even years." He joked. "By the way, Molly says hello and congratulations for the wedding."
"Oh." Street was surprised by Hicks's last words. Apparently it was his purpose. He laughed.
"Easy, Street. She was sure you'll be uncomfortable as I say you those words. She's not angry at you, not anymore. And she's fine now, with Pete and their baby girl."
"I'm glad she's finally found happiness."
"She did… Thanks to you in a way." Hicks saw Street blush. "I stop teasing you. Have a good evening, Street. Now get out of my office."
Street was relieved all of a sudden and giggled. "Good night, Commander. And thanks again for Chris and I." He turned and walked till the door. He ran till the locker room and found Chris changing with the rest of 20-David squad.
"Look who's there!" Tan started before Street could even say a single word.
"You miss right?"
"Every minute of every day! In my arms, man!" Luca hugged him before he could say more.
"What's up, Street? How is life in 50-David ?" Hondo started asking.
"Let's say it's different. Cool but different. But I enjoy kicking ass too, just miss your jokes. Rhokker and his men are more smutty."
"Ohhh tell me more about this!" Luca asked right away.
"Ah ah ah you'd like this! What do you give me in exchange? I'm not an easy man, Luca."
"Oh believe me, he's not!" Chris told, faking rolling eyes and frowning.
"Any file on this, Chris?"
"Tan, stop being curious. Not here and not the hour."
"Chris?!" Street answered, falsely offended. He missed this atmosphere, these people. Even if Rhokker and his other teammates were great with him, they were not 20-Squad.
The team kept talking for long minutes, till Alicia interrupted them telling goodbye. They all waved at her and wished her a good evening.
"Nice agent. She's a great rookie. Still a little shy. But she will make a great sergent in a few years." Hondo approved with his head what Deac had just told.
"See you tomorrow, guys!" Deac and Hondo told at the same time. Annie and Nichelle were waiting for them at home and they wanted to enjoy the night doing absolutely nothing.
"Anything planned tonight?" Luca asked Chris and Street.
"You mean, except eat and sleep?" Chris made some irony. "Kidding, no, nothing."
"Day has been busy. Sleeping is not a bad idea." Street added. "Ready?"
"Yep!" She grabbed her back pack and walked next to Jim. Personal space was a notion they had never been familiar with. "See you tomorrow, guys!" Chris waved at him and walked passed the door Street was holding for her.
"See you, guys!"
"Bye, Street!" Tan told as he was waving back.
"So it's just you and me tonight, Tan?" Luca asked.
"Yeah, Bonnie is with her sis. Wanna grab a drink?"
And the two man left SWAT HQ.
[…]
Street and Chris arrived at home, both tired because of their work day. Without talking, they attended to their own business. She took a shower while he laid the table, then he went to the bathroom while she heated the dinner in a large saucepan.
"Just in time for dinner." Jim told as he was out of the bathroom. She smiled shyly and enjoyed the view for a minute. Her husband was in the middle of the living room, wearing only boxers. She admired his muscled torso and let her eyes run up to his plump bottom. She was forced to come back to the reality when the timer of the hotplate beeped to announce the food was ready to eat.
He sat at the table in front of her and poured her a glass of Coca, before serving them.
"Not talkative, tonight, Long Beach."
"Just tired… Like you. These days are pretty busy. Dream of leaving anywhere right now."
"Is that an offer?"
"Yours to tell."
She lowered her head before giggling. "I'd like too… Maybe we could make another bike ride, like last time."
"That's an idea…I may know other places in the area."
"I was thinking about Upper Yosemite to be honest…"
"Ohhh, you've made some research on your own." He was both surprised and flattered she looked for a place for them to visit.
"I may have indeed… It seems so calm and peaceful there…" She blushed confessing her latest Internet research. He grabbed her hand and stroked the top of it with his thumb.
"Exactly what we need to escape from this frenzy!" She raised her head and grinned. Just what she needed to hear.
They cleared the dishes and she directly went to bed. She was exhausted. Last days had been very busy and her body made her pay all the kilometers she had run to catch criminals. She really needed to rest. She laid in the bed and took a novel from her nightstand.
Jim stayed for a while in the coach, watching a sport talk show. Watching the journalists debating over who the best football player was tired him. Especially when it was more than obvious that Tom Brady was the king of the sport, whatever the gossip said. He took the remote control and turned the TV off.
When he entered the bedroom, Chris was reading, rolled under the blanket completely disheveled and totally into her reading. He smiled at the scene. She got her head out of the pages.
"What?" She had this so special, so friendly tone, he thought.
"Nothing. Just thought you were sleeping."
She nodded no and read again. He laid under the blanket against her body. She was so warm. She shivered, feeling his cold feet.
"You're cold, Jim." She told, grumpy before putting her book back at its place on the nightstand.
"Maybe you can help me to get warmer."
She grinned and nestled her back against his chest. He enjoyed the moment to drop a kiss in her hair and embraced her with his arms.
"Did you know Rhokker had a lucky charm?"
"Like any of you, no?" She slowly turned her head to watch his sweet, gossiping face.
"Yeah, yeah but did you know it was a pink mini Teddy Bear?"
She snorted. Couldn't help herself. It was like an instinctive reaction. "And he kissed it quickly before any intervention. Her daughter gave it to him."
"Kind of cute."
"Yeah and did you know he loves watching My Little Pony with her and he knows all the characters by heart?"
"Deac too!" She laughed. "Must be a rite of passage when you have a little girl."
"Sure. And…"
This night, they kept gossiping about 50-David. Street had a lot to say about his new teammates after all.