Chapter 2:
After IA completed its investigation, the team was released. They immediately drove to the hospital Chris was taken to and waited for answers. Upon arrival, they met Hicks, Lynch, Chris' Aunt Helena, Uncle Sarzo, and Cousin Tomas. No one had been given any answers other than that Chris was still in surgery.
Street felt relieved to hear she was still in surgery. He was still scared shitless because she could die at any moment, and he knew he would not survive losing her, but knowing she was still fighting offered him some relief to calm his nerves.
Chris' family and the team sat and waited for hours. They all took turns sleeping, checking in with each other,
and fighting total exhaustion by consuming copious amounts of coffee. Hours later, a doctor finally comes out. Street notices the look on his face and almost throws up again, fearing the worst.
The doctor announces, "Alonso family?" into the waiting room, and everyone stands up and rushes to her. She introduces herself as Dr. Breazeale and asks, "Who is Ms. Alonso's immediate family?" Uncle Sarzo steps forward and says, "We all are! You may speak freely to everyone present. How is she?"
The doctor takes a deep breath and says, "She sustained a severe gunshot wound to her abdomen and required major surgery. We had trouble stabilizing her multiple times."
Everyone fears the worst at this moment. All the color drains from Street's face, and he begins to shake, on the verge of breaking down. The doctor continues to explain Chris' injuries and the results, but Street is only catching some words due to struggling to focus anymore.
The doctor says, "I cannot promise anything but Ms. Alonso is currently stable and in a coma as we speak. Her surgery was difficult, but we brought her back and stabilized her. We will keep a close eye on her overnight, and we should know more tomorrow."
Aunt Helena asks, "Can we see her?"
The doctor says, "Yes, but only two at a time."
Chris' aunt and uncle go first. The team had discussed waiting until all her family members had seen her, and then they would go, but when Tomas gets up, he asks Street to go with him. He looks at the team and then at her aunt and uncle; everyone approves of him going with him.
They make their way to her room as Street mentally prepares himself for what he is about to see.
Tomas opens the door, and they both walk in. Street is fighting his emotions, willing himself not to break down yet. After a few minutes, Tomas says to Street, "I'll be in the hallway. Please, take your time."
Street looks at him, very confused, and Tomas says, "I know how you feel about her, and I cannot imagine what this is like for you. I asked you to come with me so you could be alone with her for a little while."
Street is floored. He stares at Tomas, not knowing what to say or even do. Tomas smiles at him, and Street whispers, "Thank you," as he watches Tomas leave the room.
He moves closer to her and picks up her hand holding it softly in his. He continues fighting his tears but loses the battle and breaks down. He eventually says out loud, "You cannot leave me! I cannot do this without you. Please, Chris, come back to me!"
He holds her hand for a while longer, savoring the feeling of her skin touching his until Tomas knocks on the door and says they should probably let the next two people come to see her. Street shakes his head yes, kisses her hand before placing it back on the bed, and leaves the room.
On the way back to the waiting room, he dips into a restroom to clean up and tells Tomas he'll be right out.
After everyone has had a chance to see Chris, they all leave to try and get some sleep. Street really wanted to stay, but he knew he needed a shower, sleep, and to be alone with his feelings for a little while.
The next day Street goes back to the hospital and stays all day at her bedside. He repeats this for a few days as Hicks allowed them a few days off to process everything. He returns to work with the rest of the team after three days off. Unfortunately, Chris' prognosis had not changed. She is stable but still in a coma with no answer on when or if she will wake up.
Street goes to work every day and visits her every night after his shift. If he cannot make it to visit, he calls to check in, making friends with a few of the nurses in the process. They promise to keep him updated if anything changes.
Two weeks go by, and Street makes his way to her room after a shift one evening. He follows the same routine he has had for the last two weeks. He showers and changes at HQ, grabs something to eat on his way to the hospital, and then hangs out while reading next to her bed until visitation hours end or a little later, as the nurses don't mind him being there. He always reads or talks to her during his visits, or sometimes he'll watch a TV show narrating the episode for her.
On this particular day, he is reading out loud to her when he sees movement in his peripheral vision. At first, he thinks he is seeing things, but after staring at her for a while, he sees her hand move. He stands up, saying her name, and her eyes open, trained right on him, and he can see they are full of terror and confusion.