Chapter 29: News!
Wednesday, Sacramento
Lisbon, Turner, Jane and Marbric
Marbric double-checked the hCG test results for Lisbon and Turner. He looked at the two women and Jane with a smile. "The test results show you are both pregna-"
Jane's shout drowned out the rest of the sentence. He leapt up, shook Marbric's hand. Incandescent with joy, he pulled Lisbon up for an exuberant kiss. Turner got a crushing hug. By then all were smiling, Jane's happiness irresistible and infectious.
Grinning, Turner said to Lisbon, "Wow. First time I've heard of a pregnant dad glowing!"
"Jane - Jane! Shhh. I want to hear the doctor." Lisbon straightened her clothes and sat down, trying to stop grinning and regain her composure. Lisbon's hand on his arm, Jane finally seated himself, practically vibrating in place. Turner chuckled with a smile almost as wide as his.
"That's all right Ms. Lisbon. My other patients will be thrilled that someone is receiving good news." Marbric allowed himself a smile, sharing in their happiness. After giving them a moment to calm down – not that he saw any change in Jane – he continued. "The time between the hCG tests was longer than typical because of the holiday and your schedule-" he glanced at Lisbon, "but the hormone levels definitely indicate you each are pregnant. Dr. Turner, your levels are significantly more elevated than expected so it is possible you're carrying twins."
Somehow Jane's smile widened. Then he shook his head a bit, trying to reconcile his pleasure at the "extra" baby with intellectually knowing twins were not medically desirable. He couldn't do it. He gave up and simply basked in the news that both women were pregnant.
"... Although twins are not a medically favorable event, thousands of twins are born each year in this country. About 30 percent are identical twins, and 70% fraternal twins. If you are pregnant with twins, Dr. Turner, they would be fraternal of course – one from each transferred embryo. The great majority of women carrying twins have successful pregnancies and deliver healthy babies. We will know for sure in a few weeks, Dr. Turner." Speaking to both again, "Your pregnancies are perfectly normal. Of course, that means you are still subject to the usual risks. As always, the first trimester poses the greatest danger of a spontaneous abortion. At your direction, we did not do genetic screening or selection of the embryos, so those risks are probably similar to normal levels." They sobered at that. "The clinic will monitor your pregnancies for the first trimester. After the first trimester, you will transition to ordinary prenatal care with the obstetrician of your choice. I will speak with each of you individually in a moment. Do you have any general questions right now?" They shook their heads. "Then, Ms. Lisbon, I'll start with you. Dr. Turner, please take a seat in the room across the hall." Marbric looked to Lisbon and then Jane. She nodded, indicating that both she and Jane would stay. Turner left.
"Ms. Lisbon, Mr. Jane. My clinic is completely at fault for fertilizing three ova thereby creating three embryos and forcing you to deal with the third embryo. I sincerely apologize for our error."
Lisbon and Jane had spent the weekend coming to terms with the situation. Lisbon replied, "Dr. Marbric, that is water under the bridge." Glancing at her partner, "Patrick and I want to focus on what we can do to protect the health of my baby and me."
"Do you have general questions before we discuss pre-eclampsia?"
"I'm pregnant. What should I expect that's different from a normal pregnancy?"
He smiled. "This is a normal pregnancy. Despite the process of getting pregnant through IVF, the pregnancy itself will follow an utterly normal pattern. You probably want to get a book covering gestation week-by-week." He gave her a prescription for prenatal vitamins and a list of books he recommended about pregnancy.
"Doctor, how we can tell if pre-eclampsia will be a problem? Is there a test or particular symptoms? What do we do?"
"Mr. Jane, we've discussed factors that put a woman at greater risk for pre-eclampsia, but at present there is no test to predict who will or won't experience the condition. The symptoms are swelling of the face, severe swelling in the extremities, sudden or persistent headache, and sudden weight gain – more than five pounds in one week. As you can see, these are similar to many normal symptoms of pregnancy. The definitive diagnosis is high blood pressure–"
"Which is what?"
"A persistent reading of 140 systolic and 90 diastolic or above. However, blood pressure normally fluctuates. The pressure would have to remain elevated several hours after the first high reading. A pre‑eclampsia diagnosis requires high blood pressure plus one of several other indicators. Protein in the urine, a low platelet count, impaired liver or kidney function, pulmonary edema, headaches, or visual disturbances. A suspicion of pre-eclampsia would typically trigger very close monitoring of blood pressure, more frequent office visits, and additional tests. Treatment is affected by how far along the pregnancy is. At minimum, the woman must reduce stress as much as possible, take medication, and reduce work - possibly up to bed rest at home or in the hospital."
"Blood pressure can be measured at home, right?" asked Jane. "I gather pre‑eclampsia can happen without the woman even knowing." Lisbon rolled her eyes at the thought of nine months of obsessive worry by Jane.
"Mr. Jane, home blood pressure monitoring could be helpful, but it's important to keep it in proper perspective. Blood pressure normally varies moment by moment. Efforts to identify a potential problem have to be balanced against causing stress and making the pregnancy more trying that it has to be."
Lisbon squelched a grin. Marbric has Jane's number! Pretty sure I'll survive the pregnancy. Whether Jane will survive it and whether I'll survive him are another matter altogether. Then she sighed, accepting that Jane's concerns weren't unreasonable. Only his possible reactions.
"I understand." Jane rubbed his forehead and leaned back. He had more than enough to think about for the moment.
"Ms. Lisbon, do you have more questions?"
"If Dr. Turner is pregnant with twins, can you tell us how much greater the risk is? I have no 'feel' for it at all."
"There are risks to the pregnant woman and risks to the fetus. Let's start with the fetus. The risk of a spontaneous first trimester abortion is between 10 and 20 percent for IVF pregnancies. One of the better studies showed that spontaneous abortion was seen overall in about 22 percent of singleton IVF pregnancies and 17 percent of twin pregnancies . Once a heartbeat is detected, fetal death occurred in about 12 percent of singleton pregnancies and 7 percent per gestational sac for twin pregnancies."
"How do the rates compare for regular pregnancies and IVF pregnancies?"
"Good research has yet to be done on that, Mr. Jane, because it is so much harder to determine the incidence of non-IVF pregnancies. The best guess is about 30 percent end in first trimester spontaneous abortions."
"What are the other considerations?"
"The risks are higher for various complications – notably, premature delivery, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, the need for a Caesarian delivery. Twins are considered full term at 37 weeks as compared to the usual 39 or 40 weeks for singleton pregnancies. Over half of twins are delivered before 37 weeks."
"What about the health of the babies?" Jane asked.
"That largely depends on the length of gestation. Twins delivered at 37 weeks are very nearly fully developed, although they are smaller than single deliveries. The earlier the delivery, the greater the risk of serious complications."
They thanked Marbric and left. Jane's grin reappeared and stayed. Lisbon made a follow-up appointment, then both sat and waited for Turner to finish up.
"Ally," Lisbon greeted her with a smile as she emerged into the waiting room. "Everything good?"
"You bet! I'm so happy for you."
"You knew you were pregnant, didn't you?" Lisbon accused.
"The morning sickness I've been having gave me a pretty good idea. Had no idea it might be twins. My mom Sam thought it might be, though," Turner replied. "Teresa, I'm sorry I dodged your questions but I really didn't want to raise false hopes."
She grinned. "That's okay. We got the news we were hoping for."
"Three!" Jane crowed.
Turner jabbed him in the ribs. "You don't have to carry them, Paddy."
"Patrick, three is not a sure thing. Think about what Marbric said about spontaneous abortions – especially in the first trimester."
Jane sidestepped the question. "How about a late breakfast?"
Lisbon and Turner exchanged glances. "Uh, Paddy, food may be a lot less appealing for awhile. Maybe we can find something that will stay down," Turner said dubiously.
He nearly danced around them, shepherding them onto the elevator. "We'll get whatever you want, wherever. We have to do something to celebrate!"
"Okay, Jane. My schedule's clear till noon." He kissed her again in the elevator and held both women around the waist, goofy grin plastered on his face. It was only just before the elevator doors opened that he remembered the need to be cautious and keep from advertising their connection to Ally Turner. He dropped his arm and moved a step away. They met at a nearly diner.
Afterward, Jane and Lisbon drove to work at the Capitol.
"Jane, I don't get it. Based on the probabilities, you were thinking it could take forever to get pregnant even using IVF. I'm amazed that I'm pregnant with the third embryo even without the medications Ally was taking."
He shrugged. "Well, the medication Ally took is similar to birth control. Helps the clinic perform the embryo transfers at the ideal time."
"Yeah. So?"
"You started back on the pill after we found out about the pre-eclampsia risks, right? Was that at about the same time?"
She nodded. "Maybe that's it. Still – three embryos and three pregnancies. What are the odds?"
"Probably somewhere around one in four, given the odds for IVF with ICSI and fairly youthful eggs."
She whapped him on the chest. "Watch it, old man."
He grinned, then sobered and continued. "Not out of the woods yet. Those embryos are still at risk for spontaneous abortion. If I understand what Marbric was saying, we're quite likely to end up with at least one child, but only fifty-fifty we'll end up with three."
Lisbon swallowed the lump suddenly in her throat. "Geez, Jane. I don't want to think about that. It's sad."
"Sorry. Way my brain works. I can't not know once someone provides the probabilities." They pulled into a space in the underground garage for the Capitol Building. Jane took her hand and pulled her close for a kiss. "Hey! We got the best news possible today. We should let ourselves be happy. I'm happy, dear. Aren't you?"
She smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, I am. –C'mon. Let's go do some law enforcement."
He muttered, intentionally loud enough for her to hear. "Or maybe go to meetings and push enough paper to kill a tree or two."
"Hush!"
Summer
Cho's Team
The summer quickly fell into a routine. Cho, Rigsby and Crenshaw tackled new cities with Mancini's teams. Their work plus Jane's observation of key interviews via streaming video flushed out a few more Blake members in each city they took on. Blessedly, the smaller cities required only a week of time, allowing Rigsby to be home with Van Pelt and his children on weekends. That was still far from ideal as Van Pelt's pregnancy advanced. Eventually, Jane reassured Rigsby and Van Pelt that she could call him any time for anything. That made the situation bearable but hardly good. Holding down a full time job and caring for their one-year old in the evenings was a strain for the very-pregnant Van Pelt regardless. Constant contact and close work settled Crenshaw into a comfortable working relationship with Cho and Rigsby.
Jane and Van Pelt and Lisbon
As he promised, Jane conscientiously tried to stay with either Van Pelt or Lisbon during working hours to thwart any new Blake attacks. He spent mornings at the CBI building to observe some interviews in the Blake operation. During afternoons two or three days per week, he and Van Pelt worked together on Blake files to tease out the communications links. They tacitly agreed that staying within view of Van Pelt was secure enough, though Jane ruefully reflected on the fact that an eight-month pregnant woman was ensuring his safety. Men's room breaks involved snagging a male uniformed officer to check that the room was empty and then to stand guard till Jane emerged. Fortunately, Jane had long ago developed immunity to embarrassment.
On the other days, after they had lunch Van Pelt drove Jane to Lisbon's office at the Capitol Building. There, Jane worked in the study off the main (public) room of the Director's office. Lisbon's study was equipped with desk, couch, and a beverage station for chilled soft drinks and making coffee and tea. A bathroom off the study obviated awkward men's room arrangements. When Lisbon – and her weapon – were away from her office, Jane simply locked the study door from the inside.
The CBI and Abbott
By September Jane and Van Pelt had identified enough 12-dot memos from Abbott's Blake case files to confirm Jane's theory. In a lull in the Blake hunting between one city and the next, Lisbon, Hightower, Cho, Jane and Van Pelt met with Abbott.
"Thank you for joining us, Dennis," Lisbon said, gesturing for him to take a seat.
Hightower extended her hand, "Special Agent Hightower, Agent Abbott. I believe you already know Senior Agent Cho, and his consultant, Patrick Jane. And this is Agent Van Pelt."
"Pleased to meet you. What can I do for you?" Abbott asked, scanning the group.
"Dennis, I think it is more what we can do for each other."
Abbott's eyebrows rose. Jane read avid interest beneath the calm exterior. Abbott's interactions with Lisbon had already presented extraordinary opportunities for him to make his reputation on major cases. At this point he was always interested in what Lisbon had to say. "I'm listening."
"You allowed the CBI and Sacramento FBI office to flush out the remaining Blake members in California. That work has been proceeding for months. We've uncovered some additional Blake members, but the work is slow and we're probably missing many of the most important targets – the upper levels of Blake. Jane and Van Pelt have discovered a faster way of identifying upper-level Blake members."
"Please continue."
Lisbon nodded to Jane to explain. "The Blake Association is an organization. How did it communicate to coordinate Blake activities? Van Pelt discovered that some of Bertram's e‑mails had 12 dots – periods - carefully located on an otherwise blank second page of a routine weekly memo. Those dots are the number to a burner phone. Each week, every high-level Blake member buys a burner phone and notifies the Blake level above, peer, and below using the e‑mails. Only Blake members get the e‑mails with the dots. Non-Blake members get the same e-mails but without a second page. The burner phones allow them convenient communication with little risk of being discovered or identified. It's taken us a while, but we've identified enough e-mails with the dots for several Blake members you've already rounded up. This proves our theory."
Slowly. "If I understand you, the e-mails will ID Blake members. And people who received calls from those burner phones are also Blake. You've found a way to ID upper-level Blake members and the links from one Blake cell to others." He looked at Jane. "Do you think this applies to states other than California?"
"I would expect it to. Since we don't have access to Blake files for other states, we haven't been able to check yet."
"What do you need from me?"
Cho spoke. "All your Blake files need to be mined for 12-dot memos to find other, undiscovered Blake members. When we've finished sifting through those files, the FBI would need to do a sweep of all the hidden Blake members simultaneously."
Lisbon added, "The nationwide scope and manpower required are beyond anything the CBI can handle."
"Has Gabe Mancini been informed?"
Hightower tackled that one. "Agent, the value of this discovery hinges on a surprise sweep of Blake members. We feel the fewer people who know about this beforehand, the better. For that reason, we have kept this to Director Lisbon, Cho's team and myself."
"I see. Can you give me a better idea of what you need to move as quickly on this as possible?"
Cho nodded. "Agent Van Pelt?"
"Sir, we first need access to all the Blake case files that your teams have generated, in electronic form. Since there are literally thousands of files, we desperately need ample computer hardware and an IT specialist to design ways of electronically searching for those telltale memos."
Lisbon added, "Once we have extracted as many leads as possible, we need the FBI to arrange all the warrants and handle the simultaneous sweep."
"How long before you would be ready for the sweep?"
"I can't say till after I work with an FBI IT specialist. It all depends on how much we can do electronically."
Abbott paused, thinking about logistics and resources, mindful of the on-going Blake hunt nationwide. "I have an IT specialist I can assign to work with you full time. He has limited experience, but more than makes up for it with talent and hard work. Jason Wylie will be reassigned from the Austin office to work with the CBI, starting Monday. He can arrange for whatever computer hardware you need and has access to all our electronic Blake files. I want an estimate of when you'll be ready for the sweep as soon as possible."
"Agent," Hightower inserted smoothly, "do we have your assurance that knowledge of this project will go no further than you and Wylie?"
During his momentary silence, it wasn't clear if Abbott was amused or annoyed. He finally tipped his head, "You have my word. Do we have an agreement, Director Lisbon?"
"Yes, we do. Thank you, Dennis," she rose, smiling, and extended her hand.
"Teresa," he acknowledged, shook her hand and left.
Looking around after the door closed. "Good work, everyone. This effort may nail more perps in one operation than most agents manage in a career."
Everyone but Lisbon left for the CBI building. Jane looked forward to the rare opportunity for lunch with the team, now that he and Van Pelt were the only ones not on the road.
Lisbon and Turner and Jane
Lisbon and Turner slogged their way through the first trimester. The day after Marbric confirmed the pregnancies, Jane bought two 'what to expect during your pregnancy' books and a blood pressure monitor. He insisted Lisbon test her blood pressure in the morning before work and in the evening before dinner. Since that reassured him, Lisbon cooperated to keep him calm, aside from any possible health benefit. Jane quickly bought a supply of ginger tea for their apartment, Turner's apartment, Lisbon's office, and Turner's locker at the hospital. As is true for women everywhere and everywhen, they did not enjoy the nausea, fatigue, moodiness, aches, leg cramps, and other delights attendant to pregnancy but managed to meet their responsibilities anyhow. Hearing the heartbeats for the first time was the high point of the trimester. By the time the trimester was over, their pregnancies were apparent to anyone who cared to really look.
Having finished her cardiology residency, Ally Turner continued working as a cardiology "hospitalist" during the pregnancy. The pregnancy meant more hassle, but she reveled in being able to help Paddy and Teresa. Turner's boyfriend (and soon-to-be husband) accepted her unique gift to Jane and Lisbon and helped wherever possible. Pete and Sam enthusiastically cheered their daughter by phone even though they were traveling the Midwest carnival circuit. As a midwife and the general go-to carny for first aid and more, Sam gave her daughter practical advice as well as emotional support. Patrick Jane saw Ally Turner at least weekly, often with Lisbon, and bought her anything she needed that was even remotely pregnancy related. He would also pay her salary during maternity leave if the hospital wouldn't.
By the three-month mark, Lisbon, Turner and Jane were confident enough in the healthy progress of the pregnancies to tell friends and family. Van Pelt was nearly as thrilled at Lisbon's pregnancy as she was for her own. Cho was relieved that Jane and Lisbon were on a more stable path than they had been during infertility treatment. Rigsby was surprised then happy for them. Crenshaw wondered how it might affect the team and, even more, the CBI.
Lisbon informed the AG's office. She also informed Hightower. Hightower quietly assured her she could keep the CBI running not if, but when, Lisbon would need to take some time off. When Lisbon confided her well-founded fear of pre‑eclampsia, Hightower assured her she would do whatever was needed to help with the CBI work should that come to pass.
Lisbon and Jane
Lisbon and Jane reacted differently to the pregnancy. Lisbon managed mainly by ignoring it as much as possible. With the nausea, fatigue, and other discomforts, that was neither easy nor entirely successful. Her responsibilities for the CBI coupled with an absolute deadline for radical changes to her life left her feeling out of control and pressed for time to accomplish ... everything before delivery.
Jane embraced every sign that their family would expand with unbridled enthusiasm. Only on quiet weekends were Lisbon and Jane somewhat in synch. Lisbon allowed herself to dream a bit and enjoy the thought of impending motherhood. (She avoided thinking too hard about the implications of possibly having multiple newborns at once.) In turn, Jane set aside his overwhelming excitement and enthusiasm for realistic discussions with Lisbon, taking her concerns and work pressure seriously.
Jane plunged into doing everything possible to prepare. He helped Lisbon and Turner every way he could think of. He finalized house plans and specifications for the general contractor, determined that his family would have a safe, comfortable home ready before the deliveries. Jane began to think seriously about the type and sources of help they would need to care for up to three infants while he and Lisbon (especially Lisbon) held down demanding, full-time jobs.
By mid-August Jane sold his Malibu house, formerly a happy home but now a monument to tragedy. Lisbon respected his need to be alone as he spent the weekend quiet and distant. The following Monday he signed a contract with his favorite general contractor to build their new home on the land he had purchased a few weeks earlier. Lisbon reflected there could be no doubt that Patrick had moved on and was embracing their future and family - a time she had feared for years would never come. That left her to worry about her own success in moving on from total devotion to career. That was the path they - she - had already chosen. Ready or not.
