Disclaimer : I don't own the characters !
Second trimester !
That's it, Luca had just exchanged his vows with his brand new wife. He and Ally sealed their union with a kiss. Sitting in a chair in the beautifully landscaped garden for the ceremony, Street intertwined his fingers with Chris and shared a smile with his wife. Luca had come a long way too, and his reunion with Ally last year was no coincidence. Not as they got married today. The couple had decided to marry in the sprawling garden of Ally's childhood home. The latter had chosen Nichelle as bridesmaid, which had surprised no one. Since they met, the two women had become very close. Luca had obviously chosen his brother Terry as a bestman. It couldn't be otherwise, and Street understood that perfectly. And then, from the row of guests, he could see the ceremony more easily. Intimate, without too many people. The team, some members of the S.W.A.T. like Rocker and his wife, or Commander Hicks and Lieutenant Lynch. Luca's father was obviously present, and in view of his smile when everyone stood up to applaud the newlyweds, he was happy with his son's choice of companion.
The reception was as simple as the ceremony. Neither Luca nor Ally wanted anything extravagant. The menu was simple, with a cold buffet. With Annie and Deacon's kids, it would be so much easier for them. Street left Chris with the bride for a few minutes to congratulate his best friend.
"Congratulations, mate !" he said, giving him a hug. "It's okay, now you can breathe. The worst is over."
"Very funny !" Luca taunted, not without a smile.
"How long will you be gone ?" asked Tan, who joined the duo.
"We're only going for the weekend." he said to his teammates and friends. "I rented us a house in Santa Barbara."
"It's short a weekend, for a honeymoon." Hondo said.
"I have already planned everything for that." Luca said. "I've taken a week off for this summer, and I'm taking Ally to the Maldives. The weekend is just a little preamble."
"It's left just you, boss." Street said, giving Hondo a friendly pat on the arm.
"Oh there, let's calm down !" said the latter, while the eyes of the others turned to him. "We are not there yet, with Nichelle."
Deacon's two sons came running to him, because they were hungry.
Further, Ally was congratulated by Chris and cie. She was really very beautiful in her white dress with long sleeves made of lace.
"When's the baby ?" teased Annie.
"How about we let Chris have her own first, huh ?" Ally replied, amused.
"Nothing would make me happier than seeing you pregnant, too." Chris said. "I won't be the only one with nausea all the time and the constant need to go to the bathroom."
Ally stuck her tongue out at her. They all laugh.
"But I'm serious." Ally said. "I prefer to wait a little bit. With Dominic we are going to the Maldives for a week this summer, and only then will we be thinking about having a baby."
"An accident happened so quickly." Nichelle joked. "A forgotten pill."
"The condom that tears." added Bonnie.
"Oh that's not going to happen." Ally assured, turning to Chris to change the subject. "So, girl or boy ?"
"It's a little too early to know." said Chris, who put a hand on her stomach. "But anyway we want the surprise. I mean, I want to be surprised and Jim has no choice but to do as I say."
"And how do we do if we want to get you something for the baby?" Nichelle asked.
"You are waiting the birth." replied Chris.
"Relax girls, I've already made plans to help Chris with her baby registry when the time comes." Annie said.
Lila, who was holding Victoria by the hand, approached her mother. The two girls were hungry.
"Me too !" Chris breathed.
"Oh, come with me, I made something just for you." Ally said, leading the mom-to-be into the house.
…
"I would have liked her to give you an ultrasound."
Chris cracked a smile.
"Doctor Keysler didn't find it useful because all my tests are excellent." Chris said. "She will next month, as is expected for all pregnant women whose pregnancy is going well. Stop sulking and come kiss me."
He went to kiss her, putting a hand on her belly which had taken a little volume. Yes, the baby was developing well according to the doctor.
"I can't wait to feel them move." Street said.
"I feel them from time to time, but it's so stealthy that the time for me to tell you is already over." Chris said. "Doctor Keysler said it shouldn't be long before they really moves."
"Yeah !" sighed Street. "You're hungry ? It's almost noon. I could make us a salad, and cook the two steaks we bought yesterday."
"Okay, but I'm helping you." she says.
…
Chris was not a fan of shopping, and that hadn't changed with her pregnancy. Wandering the shelves of a pregnant women's store, she sighed as she answered a text from her cousin. Things were going much better between Chris and Lucia, who regularly checked in on her cousin, and told her about the family therapy she had started with her mother. Although Chris's aunt kept trying to get involved in Chris's pregnancy by calling several times a day. The road would be long.
"Your aunt again ?"
Putting her phone away, Chris answered, turning to Annie and Ally, who had organized this shopping spree.
"No, my cousin. She was checking in."
"After what you told us about the relationship between your aunt and your cousin, I feel a little sorry for almost crushing her hand at your wedding." Ally said. "I said a little."
"I blame myself for not having understood earlier how she really felt." Chris said, before shaking her head. "I don't want to think about it. Let's get this shopping spree over with, I'm going to go crazy if we don't get out of here fast. At this pace I'm going to have to buy clothes every week."
"Stop exaggerating." laughed Annie. "Your belly does not grow every day. Ok, the more the weeks pass the more your baby grows, which rounds your belly even more."
"Very subtle !" Chris said. "Okay, can we hurry ? I'm hungry !"
The shopping lasted a good hour, with the necessary fittings to make sure that the clothes did not compress the future mother.
"If that saleswoman had touched my stomach, I think I would have busted her nose." Chris said, as the three of them sat at a table in a restaurant near the shop.
"Yeah, and I think she got it from the way you looked at her." Annie taunted. "Honestly sweetheart, you could say hormones bring out your bad side."
"Oh no, that's my normal state." Chris defended himself. "I hate when people I don't know come up to me and touch me without my permission. Alright, topic closed. Let's order, I'm starving."
She was shattered when she got home, where Street was waiting for her. She dropped – more than put down – her bags, and went to sit on the couch.
"Next time, I'll buy everything online." Chris said.
"Not sure the girls agree with that." said the young man, who swung Chris's legs over his.
"Oh no, let me take a shower before massaging my feet." she said putting her feet down.
"Need a hand ?" he asked, watching her get up and walk away.
"I'll call you !" was his response.
In turn, he got up from the sofa but went into the kitchen and prepared a homemade fruity drink for Chris, who came out of the bathroom in her bathrobe.
"Oh great !" she breathed, accepting the glass of raspberry juice which he set down on the counter, where she sat down. "Hmm, delicious."
Street went to stand behind her, and took the towel she had put on the counter to finish sponging her still damp hair.
"You feel better ?"
"Um, yes, now that I'm back."
"You say that every time Annie takes you somewhere." he laughed. "But, if you want, the next time you need clothes, I'll take a day off and I'll come with you. If we only have to stay five minutes, we will only stay five minutes."
"I may take you at your word." she said letting herself go against him. "I love being pregnant but I can't wait for the baby to be born. Only to spare my bladder."
She felt her husband smile against her temple. Chris finished drinking her glass of juice, the acidity of the raspberry doing her the greatest good.
"Carry me to bed, please !" she smirked.
"At your command, Mrs. Street !"
He picked her up gently and led her into the bedroom. She swapped her bathrobe for leggings that still suited her and a sweatshirt from her husband.
"Hey, why bother me shopping when your clothes are big enough for me to last until my term ?" Street laughs. "What ? It's true, isn't it ?"
"If you say so." He kissed her on the forehead after pulling the blanket over her. " Get some rest my love."
…
One morning in the fifth month of pregnancy, Chris woke up in a great mood. She no longer had the slightest nausea. Leaving the bedroom, dressed and fresh for the day, she walked up to her husband and kissed him passionately.
"Wow, hello to you too, baby !" he wondered. "What did I do to deserve such a good morning kiss ?"
"It's the first morning in ages that I've woken up without feeling nauseous." she told him. "I feel so good that I wanted to share this good news with my wonderful husband."
"Well, I'm not going to complain about that. He kissed her back. "Does that mean you're hungry ?"
"Yes, I am really very hungry." she said, a smirk on her lips. "And, maybe tonight we can fill another hunger."
"Hmm yes, if you are still in good shape when we get back." he said. "Come on, breakfast is ready !"
Sitting at the table, Chris ate with relish, without abusing the quantity. Street's phone rang. It was an alert text.
"Shit. There was a kidnapping, a kid. The whole team is called and…"
"What are you still doing here ?" asked Chris. "Go !"
"But, we have the appointment with Doctor Keysler, and the ultrasound…"
"I would ask for a copy of the video, but you're going to work." Chris said, determined. "I'll call Annie, and she'll drop me off at HQ when we're done. Hurry, or I'll have fun alone tonight."
Street jumped up, stole a kiss from her, and he was gone in seconds. Chris picked up her phone and called her friend.
"Hello ?"
"Hi Annie, uh, hope I don't bother you ?"
"No not at all, I am about to take the children to school."
"Could you pick me up ? Street had to leave on a case, and I have an appointment with Dr. Keysler in an hour. I could take my car, but Jimmy might have a stroke if I drive without him."
She heard her friend laugh on the other end of the line.
"Okay, I'll be right there."
Chris took the time to put away and clean up the leftover breakfast. At five months pregnant, she was still able to do things on her own, although her husband brooded on her a little too much at times. She didn't say anything to him because it made her smile, and it was cute to see him take care of her like that. He took care of her but didn't suffocate her, that was the most important thing.
Once ready, she took her things and went to wait for Annie in front of the residence. She logged in to the news on her phone and read the abduction alert that had all 20-Squad members on the field called urgently. A seven-year-old child had been kidnapped by his father in the middle of the night, after entering his ex-wife's house. The alert said no more. She would know more once at HQ. Annie's car pulled up in front of her a few minutes later, and, smiling at her, Chris got into the vehicle after putting her bag in the back.
"Tell me we're not late ?" Annie said.
"No, I still have a good thirty minutes before it's my turn, and the hospital is only fifteen minutes away." replied Chris, who buckled his seatbelt.
"Great, we're lucky things are going well this morning." said Annie, who resumed her journey. "I guess Street must be disappointed not to be able to be there."
"Yeah, but a child is missing and they need everyone out to find him." Chris said. "Deacon was still at your house when the alert came ?"
"He was saying goodbye to the children." agreed Annie, keeping her eyes on the road. "I hope they find him."
Chris hoped so too. She was more and more on edge since she was pregnant. A hand on her belly, she could not imagine for a moment that a misfortune could happen to her child. She would move heaven and earth for him – or her – and beware of anyone who would come after her family.
Arriving at the hospital, the two women went up to the obstetrics floor and Chris checked in for her appointment. It was only after five minutes of sitting in a chair in the waiting room that Dr. Keysler called her. Annie followed Chris.
"Your husband is not with you ?" wondered the doctor, closing the door behind the two women.
"No, he had to leave for work. There was an urgency and S.W.A.T. has been needed in the field !" Chris said. "Um, this is my friend Annie, I needed moral support and..."
"You have the right to bring whoever you want on your visits, Mrs. Street." the doctor smiled at him. "Please, sit down !"
Once the three women sit...
"I got your test results, and again I have nothing to say." said the doctor. "Everything is excellent. How are you feeling this morning ?"
"I have never felt so good." confessed Chris. "Not a single nausea since I woke up, and I slept very well."
"It's great. Carry on with your pregnancy as you do."
She gestured for Chris to sit on the examination table. Annie stayed by her side while the doctor took and noted her blood pressure, her oxygen level etc… Came the moment of the ultrasound. Chris winced slightly in the chill of the frost. It didn't take long for the Doctor to find the baby's heart, and the beating started.
"It is a perfectly healthy baby, that I see." she says. "It is very well placed, as it should be at five months pregnant. It is the right size, the heartbeats are strong and regular. Ten fingers, ten toes. And sex is clearly visible."
"No, don't tell me." Chris said covering her ears.
"Relax Mrs. Street, I remembered you wanted the surprise."
"And I hope your team does not make a dumpling on the day of delivery." Chris said. "If I know the sex of my baby before having them in my arms, I am punching someone."
S.W.A.T. HQ !
Annie dropped her off at HQ, and left immediately. With the kidnapping of this child, it was better that no civilians were around. Chris went to put her bag in his locker room, and her lunch in the kitchen fridge before going to the operations room to see how the investigation was going.
"The suspect was arrested thanks to a police roadblock, and your team is already there." Hicks told him. "The child is fine."
"Thank God !" Chris breathed. "And the mother of the child ?"
"To the hospital." replied the Commander. "Erica and Lynch are with her, but she should be fine. And you then, why have you arrived only now ? That's not a complaint, don't worry."
"Uh, I had an appointment with my ObGyn for my monthly visit." Chris said. "Annie came with me."
"Yes, you mentioned that yesterday." Hicks recalled. "I am sorry that this investigation has…"
"No Commander, don't apologize for anything." Chris cut him off. "A child was kidnapped and everyone needed to be on deck. Jimmy will get over it."
The team returned to HQ about twenty minutes later.
"How is the child ?" Chris asked them.
"With his mother in the hospital." Hondo said.
"How did it go with Dr. Keysler ?" asked Street, who approached his wife. "Is the baby okay ?"
"Yes, the baby is fine." She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Everything is perfectly fine. The baby is fine, my analyzes are excellent. You can breathe now."
"But I missed the ultrasound." the young man lamented.
"Damn, was that this morning ?" Deacon said.
"I have a video copy of the ultrasound, we will watch it at home." she reassured him. "You don't have any reports to fill out ?"
In the evening !
Chris had slipped the ultrasound DVD into the compartment of her laptop, and throughout the viewing of the ultrasound, she explained to Street everything Dr. Keysler had said. At the end of the video, Chris took her husband's hand and put it on her belly, a smile on her face.
"We're both fine, Jimmy." she reassured him.
And there the baby kicked. It was not the first time. Actually, the baby had started kicking that day, but Chris had preferred not to say anything to surprise her husband.
"Wh-what was that ?" he asked.
"What do you think, handsome ?" she smiles. "It's the baby letting you know he's okay."
And there, a huge smile appeared on Street's face, and his eyes twinkled with emotion.