Unexpected 8: Stand Proud

Chapter 17: Daddy'ing

Days flew by like birds in the sky and Friday morning came barging in. Gray skies, low temperature and constant showers became a trend as the city had already collected several centimeters of rain fall. It was rather strange to have so much precipitation two days in a row with summers in Los Angeles being so hot and dry, but many civilians were actually enjoying somewhat chilly temperatures so early in the year.

For SWAT it meant muddy boots, damp uniforms and lots of cleaning, especially for Luca who wanted Black Betty to always look sharp. Today was no exception, as the team had to tackle a violent bank robbery in East LA. Deacon was hit in the head, Luca had to get some stitches in the chin and Jim had a black eye. Everyone, even Hondo who was still sidelined and stood outside, needed a long hot shower after. All in all, a complicated op.

By noon, finally the guys  took a break and headed towards the kitchen, hoping for enough time for a quick lunch. Hicks warned them to stay alert for any possible call because everybody knew rain was the best cover for criminals in the city.

Street made a small detour to the locker room before joining the guys in the kitchen. Luca with his chin tapped  enjoyed Mexican food leftovers, sitting across from Tan who was enjoying leftover noodles from the night before. Deacon stood with his back leaning against the counter as he held an ice pack on his head with one hand and slowly drank a protein shake with the other. Meanwhile, Hondo had taken some containers out and was arranging them to heat up in the microwave.

Street came in with a folder filled with papers and sat on the edge of Tan and Luca's table. He opened the folder, then groaned loudly. He leaned his head back, then forward until he laid it flat on the stack. He groaned as the other men in the room frowned puzzled at the act unfolding in front of their eyes.

"Uh...Street?" Tan asked lost

"You ok, bro?" Luca asked puzzled

"And I thought I was having a bad day!" Deacon said taking off the pack and placing it back in the fridge, while some smirked.

Street suddenly rose and sat hunched up, grabbing his forehead with both hands as he rested his elbows on the table and closed his eyes. The others exchanged looks, as he took deep breaths. He suddenly regained his composure, sat up straight and took one final deep breath. 

"Everything's fine." he said with a dramatic nod. He went paper by paper, as the others frowned at him. After some seconds of watching him, they just shrugged it off and continued their tasks.

"I'm screwed!" he finally said, sitting back.

"Street, what's going on, man?" Hondo asked from the far side

"I...gotta figure out...the finances! Coz this -the bills- are really kicking my ass! Who would've thought having a kid would be so expensive. Damn!" he said frustrated as the others shook their heads.

"Tell me about it!" Deacon said under his breath. The problem was that since the room was so quiet, everyone was able to hear him, which provoked giggles and smirks.

"Right?" Street said turning to him, "With all due respect, Sergeant, you...you're crazy! No offense."

Deacon shook his head slowly as he said, "None taken! I question my sanity every day!" he said as if making a toast. Then he took another sip of his shake.

"But...it's 50/50. So...I'm not gonna freak out. It's all about balance, right?" he said to himself as the others smirked and watched him.

He went paper by paper, setting most to his right and to his left the least amount. Just one laid in the middle. "There! I think this works." he nodded confidently with a grin