As soon as they moved into the ward, Chris and Street began receiving visits from all of their colleagues.

Team 20 was held last, surely they would have stayed longer than the others to keep their friends company.

Deacon is the first to walk through the door, followed by Luca, Tan, Hondo, Annie, Bonnie and Nichelle.

"Hey you two, always ready to make us worry" Tan greets Chris and Street.

They both say nothing, they just nod and smile.

In the room there is an awkward silence, it has never happened that the entire team was left speechless.

Chris nods to Street and clears his throat "Guys, I think we have a lot of things to clear up with you."

He stops and looks everyone present in the eye. It is difficult for Chris to talk to anyone about his personal matters about him, but he knows that those present are his family, and he needs to give them justification for all the actions he has done in the past few hours.

"You all know me well, and you know how difficult it is for me to express my feelings." He stops again and looks Street in the eye. "I've been struggling with my feelings for 5 years, I didn't want to listen to my heart. If I have to be honest it was an exhausting struggle, which over time led me to distance myself from everyone, to close myself in my mental walls. "

Tears begin to flow down her cheeks, Street notices it, and puts a hand on her.

"I was afraid of what I was feeling, of how I felt. I was afraid that I would lose everything, my job, my career that I sweated so much, but above all you and Street. " It is the first time she has separated Street's name from that of the other team members.

The first people who notice this are Annie, Bonnie and Nichelle, who look at each other and smile.

Chris sighs and smiles "I'm messing with words, I think Jim's talkative is infectious."

Everyone smiles, the atmosphere seems more serene, but none of those present went unnoticed that Chris called Street after her.

"Guys, what I'm trying to tell you is that" doesn't have time to finish as Street cupped her face, turning her towards him, and kisses her.

"This is much more exhaustive than the two hundred words you would have wasted to say we love each other and want to be together," Street says very cheekily, even though she really knows that Chris will make her pay dearly for what she just did.

Chris doesn't know what to say, she's visibly flushed, she has to get used to being kissed in public by Street.

"Can't say this surprised us." Tan says, also looking at the others in the following for confirmation.

Deacon intervenes "from your faces, I think I'm the only one here who hasn't noticed anything. Yes, I have seen your connection, how well you work together, and how you care about each other. But until yesterday, I honestly never imagined that you were circling each other. "

"Deac, I swear you'll have to tell us one day how you got Annie, because I seriously don't know how you didn't read the signals these two sent." Hondo says laughing, then looks at Annie, and continues "I can see how even Annie, Bonnie and Nichelle, who aren't with them every day, aren't surprised"

"That's right Hondo, even a blind man would have been struck by the love that those two emanate when they are together." Confirm Annie.

"Ok, that's enough!" says Chris, "you're talking about us, as if we weren't there."

"Come on Chris, don't be embarrassed, you've been around it so much without doing anything that at one point I almost thought I had made a mental movie." Luca reassures her

Hondo intervenes "Chris, Jim, we are on your side, and we will always support you. I know you're worried about the consequences your relationship may have at work, and that's why I took the liberty of talking to the commander, "he pauses because at his last words, Chris's eyes have almost popped out of their sockets" and so does he. he wasn't surprised by what I told him. we agreed together that, given that you have always worked well together without being influenced by your feelings, there is no reason for either of you to leave the team. Of course you will have to declare your report to human resources, but no one will be able to argue with the commander's decision. "

Chris bursts into tears, she cannot believe the team leader's words, in all this time, she has always been convinced that the only solution to be able to be together on Street would have been to leave team 20, her family.

"Sorry, and I can't believe what you just said Hondo. In a way I knew that you here would understand and accept this, or at least I hoped so. But knowing that Hicks approves and supports us is a lot. "

At that moment a nurse comes in to warn that the visiting hours have ended.

Everyone nods, hugs and greets the couple and leaves.

"Whao, did I dream or did we really tell our friends we're together?" Street says with a pleased smile.

Chris smiles "I think they already knew. We worried about nothing "

They look at each other for a few seconds, still in disbelief, eventually Chris leans on Street's shoulder and they both fall asleep cuddling each they both fall asleep cuddling each other./p