Disclaimer : I don't own the characters !
Third trimester !
S.W.A.T. HQ !
Paperwork, how boring it could be ! But it had to be done, and it allowed Chris to sit down. The sixth month of her pregnancy was going smoothly. The last appointment with Doctor Keysler had shown that everything was fine, and she had even done an ultrasound, especially to comfort the future dad. A hand on her stomach, Chris's memories faded to the previous night, and a small smile tugged at her lips. While on the phone with her cousin, Street had emerged from the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist, his chest slightly dripping, but his hair still damp. Her hormones had just taken a turn.
"Lucia, I'll call you tomorrow !"
She hangs up. Put down hier phone. approaches her husband. She kisses him.
"No question. Bedroom. Now !"
Remembering the facts, she bit her lip, replaying the film in her head. He had been gentle, sensual, caring. His kisses and caresses had made Chris totally feverish like never before. But it was probably the effects of her pregnancy. They didn't make love all the time like before, but whenever the mood took her, she made it clear to her husband, and each time it was a real delight. He took care of her, of her body, and made sure she enjoyed every minute. Elbow on the desk, cheek resting on her hand, Chris snapped out of her reverie when a milkshake appeared in front of her.
"Are we daydreaming ?" Street asked him.
"Hmm, I was taking a break." she said, sitting up in her chair. "Thank you !"
"You're welcome." he said then, watching her sip the strawberry milkshake. He half sat on the desk. "So, were you taking a break or daydreaming ?"
"A bit of both." she admitted.
"What were you dreaming about ?" he wanted to know.
When he saw her blush, he understood and sketched a satisfied smile that she did not miss.
"Of course you're happy about it." she muttered.
"Hey, you jumped on me." he reminded her. "Although I'm not complaining about it."
"I bet you aren't." she taunted, before grimacing.
"What ?"
He knelt down next to her after gently turning the chair to the side.
"Nothing, the baby kicked me pretty hard." Chris reassured him. "It's okay, it's over."
Street put a hand on his wife's stomach and stroked it gently.
"I wish I could keep you in my sights all day." he said with a sigh.
"But that's not possible, and you know that very well." she told him. He rolled his eyes. "Come on, go back to work. I'm not moving from here, I promise. Except to go to the bathroom."
He got up and kissed her for a long time before leaving to meet the rest of the team in the shooting range.
...
"A baby shower !" Chris exclaimed. "I don't want to go through this."
Hand in hand, they got out of the car and walked slowly towards a shop that sold strollers and other baby things. It was time for the expectant parents to buy a few things that Chris hadn't put on the birth list.
"You don't really have a say." Street said. "The girls have arranged everything for you to have a quiet day, doing nothing but unwrapping presents for the baby. I would stay with you, but they specifically made it clear that no men were allowed."
"But you're not even on call that day." complained Chris.
"I know, but I prefer not to alienate your clan of crazy girlfriends." he says. "It stays between us, but they scare the crap out of me."
Chris chuckled, which relaxed her. A little.
"You know what would relax me ?" he said, arriving at the shop. "You finally taking your maternity leave. All of it." He turned to Chris, a few steps from the entrance. "You're seven months pregnant, and I'd be safer if you stayed home. I'm not telling you to stay there all day, but…"
"I get it." she cut him off. She smiles. "Yeah, you're probably right. And every time we are together at HQ, and you have to go to the field, I worry. And it's not good, neither for me nor for the baby. Tomorrow I'll tell Hicks I'm taking maternity leave. I could not return to work immediately, but we will advise at that time."
"Hey…" He put his hands on the young woman's shoulders. "We can afford you to stay and take care of our baby while you recover from childbirth, and get back in shape to resume your place on the team. It's not for nothing that I extended my contract with the security job, I want you to be able to take all the time you need, and that our baby doesn't miss anything."
"It's crazy how different you are from our first meeting." she said, tears in her eyes.
"You make me better every day." He leaned over and kissed her. "Come on, mom..." She laughed. "Let's pick out a stroller and a crib."
They entered the shop – or at least they were about to enter in when, turning, they found themselves face to face with two people Chris hadn't seen in a year. Ever since that day on the Santa Monica pier. They had tried to get her back in their couple, but Chris hadn't even let Ty finish his sentence.
"Chris !" Kira exclaimed. "My God, the world is small, we were just talking about you."
"Yeah right !" scoffed Street. "You weren't making a plan to get her back into your life, were you ?"
"Uh, that's a bit of a strong term." Kira said. "We just wanted to try to see her again, and try to reconnect. Uh, Jim Street, right ? Looks like we met."
"Yeah, we've met before." he says. "Excuse us, but we have errands to run."
"Oh, can't we have a little chat ?" asked Ty. "Please Chris. At least listen to what we have to say."
"Are you really serious here ?" Street said. "While I am in front of you ?"
"In case you haven't noticed, I'm having a baby. With Jim." Chris put both hands on her stomach. She did not miss the look of amazement in the eyes of her exes. "Your ideas of bringing me back into your relationship, you forget them. Being with you was not a good idea, and I did it for the wrong reasons. And you need someone who will be one hundred percent with you. And that person is not me."
Street opened the store door, then extended his hand to Chris who took it, and they both entered the store.
"You're okay ?" he asked.
"Yeah." she breathed. "They are part of my past, don't worry. And I can't believe they dare to think they can get me back. First last year on the pier, and today."
"They will have to run over my body for that." Street said. "And I would never let them steal my wife from me."
He kissed her on the temple, and a saleswoman came to greet them.
"Hello, can I help you ?" she asked, all smiles.
…
It was an off-call day, and Street was spending it with the guys from the unit at Luca's, who had invited them over for a barbecue just the five guys of the team.
"I don't know what state I'm going to find Chris in after this little party." said the future dad, who was sipping a beer. "I just hope she doesn't sulk."
"Why would she sulk ?" Tan asked. "She is not happy that the girls give her lots of gifts for the baby ?"
"Well, yes, in a way." Street said. "She just doesn't like not having control, that's all. But it will be fine, I will console her for this long day of torture. Some kisses and cuddles, and it will be quickly settled."
"Dude, she's seven months pregnant." Tan reminded him.
"So what ?" Street said. "Did you ever make love to Bonnie when she was pregnant ?"
"Not to the end, no." replied the young man.
"It depends on the pregnancies." Deacon said. "With Annie we had four, and each time it was different. Even for sex."
"I focus on my wife's needs." Street said. "If she wants a to havesex, I don't want to have my balls cut off in my sleep for refusing. She orders, I obey. It's scary when she gets mad."
His tirade triggered the hilarity of his comrades.
"Come on, food's ready !" Luca announced.
He brought well-grilled steaks to the garden table, where other foil-covered dishes awaited them. About to help himself to a helping of potato salad, Street's cell phone rang. He expected it to be Chris, but no. He recognized the number, but dismissed the call with a sigh.
"A problem ?" Hondo asked, sitting across from him.
"I don't want to spoil the mood." Street said.
"No, tell us !" Deacon encouraged him.
"I get calls from the prison where my mother has been for some time." he ended up confessing to his friends. "I never pick up, but she keeps insisting."
"Has it been a long time since you spoke to her ?" Hondo asked.
"Since I sent her back to prison." Street said. "The little boy in me feels guilty, but not the adult. She got back into shit on her own, and it's up to her. I don't want to feel guilty anymore, or hear her tell me that if she killed my father it was for me or whatever other bullshit. And too bad if that makes me look ungrateful or a monster."
"Hey, no one here is going to judge you." Deacon reassured him. "We know it was not easy with your mother, and we know how it went when she got out of prison the last time. You are old enough to make your decisions."
"Did you tell Chris about it ?" Tan asked.
"No !" he says. "I don't want to stress her out with this."
"You should tell her." Luca said. "You promised each other not to hide anything."
Luca was right, and Street knew it perfectly well.
"Yeah, you're probably right." he says. "Okay, let's move on to a more jovial subject. Luca, my friend, I have something to ask you, but anyway you have no right to say no."
"I'm all ears !" laughed Luca.
"We talked about it with Chris and we would very much like you to be the godfather of our child."
"What ?" Luca choked out. "A-are you serious ?"
"Why would I be kidding ?" Street asked. "Yes, I am very serious. Besides, you don't know anything, but Chris is going to ask Annie to be the godmother."
"She's going to be thrilled." Deacon assured, smiling.
"So Luca, what do you say ?" Street said.
"Don't tell me you're surprised he's offering it to you ?" Hondo told him.
"Uh, I admit that I did not expect that." Luca said.
"Are you going to give an answer before the end of the day or what ?" laughed Tan.
Luca shook his head as if recovering from this shocking request, stood up and opened his arms wide, motioning Street to stand. What he did.
"I accept with pleasure."
The two best friends took each other in their arms, then the group clinked glasses.
On Chris's side !
The young mother-to-be had asked Annie to be the child's godmother, and the woman's response was an immediate yes, and a controlled hug so as not to suffocate Chris.
"Do you have anything to say about it ?" Ally asked Lucia.
It was stronger than her. With everything her cousin had put Chris through, she was having a hard time trusting her completely about this sudden redemption. In fact, she drew disapproving looks from all sides except Lucia, who just rolled her eyes.
"Relax Ally, I didn't expect my cousin to ask me to be godmother, not after the bullshit I gave her." Lucy said.
"Suck in your fangs, Ally !" Nichelle suggested. "And come help me cut the cake instead."
"Oh yes, cake !" Chris agreed. "Unwrapping all these gifts made me hungry."
"By the way, who did you choose as godfather ?" Erica asked.
"Are you really asking the question ?" laughed Annie. "They surely chose Luca."
"Jim has to tell him as we speak." said the young woman, then thanking Nichelle who was bringing her a piece of cake.
"It's great, but can we go back to basics ?" Erica asked. "The sex of the baby ? Ok we chose neutral colors for the party, but every time I see a blue or pink item of clothing, I have to stop myself from buying it because I still don't know if you are having a girl or a boy."
"It's just a detail." Chris sighed. "And the clichés, thank you but no. I warn you right now, if I give birth to a girl, I forbid you to drown her in pink. I would purposely discolor them in the washing machine."
"Noted !" Annie smiled. "And anyway, it won't be very long. In just two months, he or she will soon be with us. A little advice, Chris : get all the hours of sleep you can."
"Oh yes, I confirm !" Bonnie interjected. "Enjoy the most of it, you and Jim."
Chris didn't tell them that it didn't scare her. She knew very well that her child would very often wake up in the middle of the night to be changed or because he or she would be hungry. She was ready, at least as ready as she could be.
At the end of the day, Street returned home, phone in hand as he rejected the call. She would never stop, it's crazy. It was driving him insane.
"What's wrong ?" asked Chris. "A problem ?"
"What are the chances that you won't hit me if I confess that I hid something from you ?" he wanted to know.
"It will depend on what you have hidden from me." she says.
"Can we sit down and talk about it ?" he asked.
"Sit down if you want, but I'm stay on my feet." she said, pulling out a chair for him to sit in. "I sat enough today. Come on, tell me what you're hiding from me !"
It was not an invitation but an order. So he sat down on the chair and told her about the calls he had been getting from the prison for a while now.
"I never pick up hoping she gets bored and stops." he says.
"Why didn't you tell me ?" she asked, without getting upset.
"I didn't want you to worry about my shitty family stuff." he confessed.
"Honey…" she whispered as she approached him. "Your shitty family stories, as you say, are mine too."
She held out her hand, which he took, and placed it on her stomach. The baby kicked, forcing a smile out of Street.
"We're a team, remember ?" she says. "I'm more anxious if I know you're hiding something from me than the opposite. Never forget it."
"Good, madam !" he smiles.
"What are you going to do about your mother ?" she asked.
"I don't know." he sighed.
"I think you should go see her." she says.
"What ?"
He hadn't really expected that, especially not from her.
I'm not saying that you should make a place for her in your life, but just to tell her what's on your heart." Chris said. "Even if it's just to cut ties permanently by telling her face to face. The last time you saw her, she was taken back to prison, you probably need to turn the page, and, if she continues to call you despite everything, you will consult with the prison director."
As always, she said what he needed to hear.
That is why, two hours later, he found himself sitting in the visiting room of the prison where his mother was. He had called the warden of the prison for a favor, which he granted him. Sitting with his hands under the table, he felt the nervousness overtake him. He wasn't nervous about seeing his mother again, but rather about what she might say to him. Or ask. Whatever she said, whatever she asked of him, he knew he would say no. It was over for him. His mother had ruined his life enough as it was.
"Jimmy !"
He lifted his head. His mother approached him and wanted to go around the table to take him in her arms but too bad for her, a guard had stayed near Jim to prevent her from doing what she was about to do, exactly.
"Sit down, Mrs. Street !"
"I have the right to take my son in my arms." she protested.
"Sit down, mom !" snapped Street.
Reluctantly, Karen Street sat down across from her son. She looked better than the last time he saw her, which he pointed out to her.
"Yes, I recovered. I promise you, I quit drugs. I stay in good behavior." she told him.
"If you say so !"
"Believe me, Jimmy." Karen insisted. "I see the prison shrink very often, I even went back to school."
"Good for you." he said in a monotonous voice. "What do you want from me ?"
"Well, it's been four years since I came back to prison and I've tried so hard not to look like who I was, and I want you to know that I don't blame you anymore. Put me back in jail." she told him. "You did what it took to make me feel better, and I thank you for that."
She put her hands over the table, toward him, so that he could walk the rest of the way, but he kept his hands clasped under the table. He was "playing" with his wedding ring to keep his composure. The sooner this visit is over, the sooner he can return to his wife. They had two months left to do the baby's room, which was not yet ready.
"I… I applied for an appeal, so that I could obtain my release." Karen told him. What ? "With my impeccable behavior, my lawyer says that I have a good chance of obtaining my release if I have outside support. My son's support. With you as guarantor…"
"What makes you think I would agree to do such a thing, huh ?" he asked. "After the mess you put in my life the last time ?"
"I...I know, but I told you I was sorry, and I promise you it won't be like before this time." she assured, pleading her case to her son. "I will do whatever it takes. I would continue to see a shrink, and I would go to all my appointments with my probation officer. I will be rigorous in the work you find for me and…"
"Stop it, mom !"
"And I'll make myself so small in your house that you won't even know I'm there." she continued.
"Mom, stop !" he snapped.
It had the gift of shutting her up this time. His son had never spoken to her in that tone.
"No !" he says. "There's no way I'm helping you get out of here. If I didn't answer any of your calls, it was for a good reason. I am much better since I no longer have you in my life. I found my place in S.W.A.T. again, and for the first time in my life I have a stable relationship with a woman. I'm married…" He showed her his wedding ring. "…and, I'm having a baby in two months."
The look of happiness in Karen's eyes left him neither warm nor cold, and he continued.
"There's no way I'm letting you back into my life to mess things up again. I have to protect my wife and my baby."
"Is it a girl or a boy ?"
"I don't know, but don't even try to coax me." he warned her. "You can't control me anymore. I'm no longer the naïve little boy you can mold to your liking using the 'I've been in jail for you' card. It's over. Your decisions, it's time for you to assume them once and for all and leave me out of it. You want to go out ? You're on your own, because there's no way I'm helping you, much less taking you under my roof."
"I am your mother !" she burst out as he stood up. "Jimmy !"
The guard, who had remained near the table, intervened.
"You are old enough to take care of yourself." Street said. "I have my own life to lead. Stop calling me."
He left the visiting room, and after going to see the director of the prison, he went home. He went straight to the bathroom, and after a long shower to get rid of the prison smell, he went to meet Chris in the bedroom. She was reading, so he lay down next to her, one hand on her stomach. His baby's kick or punch drove away his bad memories, and he fell asleep.