Kate glanced at the clock on her computer for the hundredth time. 2:48. She wondered if it was possible for time to move backward. Sighing, she tried to concentrate on the folders in front of her, knowing that the distraction would help.
Tony watched as the obviously preoccupied brunette tried to focus. He could hardly blame her, his own thoughts were scattered. Kate's words, ectopic pregnancy,' kept echoing through his brain. He really wanted an explanation of the condition, but he was afraid to do an internet search; he didn't want it to be traced to his machine. He thought about talking to Ducky, but he didn't have an excuse to go down to Autopsy and knew he'd feel guilty going behind Kate's back to a colleague about her problem, anyway. He let out a quiet sigh of frustration and accepted that he was going to have to wait, along with Kate, for the call from her doctor.
Dropping another small stack of folders onto a larger one on the floor, Kate shifted irritably. She looked at the two piles remaining on her desk: the most pertinent reports on the events immediately preceding the murder, and the medical and psychological evaluations of the key players. She gathered these items together and called over to the man seated next to her.
Gibbs, I've sorted through all of this. Do you want me to call Owens and have him pick up the rest of these files?
He peered over the edge of his desk at the untidy piles of files and folders around Kate's feet. Unless you want to trip on them. Looking up, he noticed Kate's mind was clearly not on files or even in the office.
Hm? Oh, right. Kate realized she'd been staring at the phone, she picked up the receiver and dialed Owens, requesting he fetch the pile of excess documents cluttering her space. Then she flicked her eyes at the clock once again. 3:42. She sighed. She was just about to go get a soft drink from the break room when her phone rang. Snatching up the receiver before the tone had a chance to do more than chirp, she answered sharply. She didn't see the two men whose eyes focused on her, one in concern and one in curiosity.
Kate? It's Dr. Haines. I have your test results; do you have a few minutes to talk?
Kate paused. She didn't want to have to call the doctor back, but she didn't want to have this conversation here, either. She glanced sidelong at Gibbs then up at Tony. Making a quick decision, she gave a short nod to Tony and then spoke to the doctor.
May I conference in someone?
By all means. The doctor waited for confirmation that the parties were ready.
Kate tapped the buttons on her phone and Tony picked up his receiver. Thought you'd want to listen in, she said. Then she brought the doctor back on the line.
Dr. Haines, this is Tony, Kate said simply.
Hi, Tony. Kate, I'm sorry to say my suspicions were correct. We are dealing with an ectopic pregnancy. Your blood test came back positive, but the hCG levels, that's the pregnancy hormone, were too low. That's why the home pregnancy tests came back negative; there wasn't enough of the hormone to trigger it. Questions so far?
Tony felt like he had a hundred, but he sat quietly waiting for Kate.
Kate felt like the room was spinning. She swallowed and said softly, I'm sure I have a dozen questions, but I... Okay, what exactly is this and what do we do?
The doctor continued in her gentle voice, hoping to put the woman at ease. What it is, is fairly simple. You're pregnant, but instead of the fertilized egg being where it's supposed to be, it's lodged in your fallopian tube instead. And it's growing there. What we have to do is remove it. If we don't, the tube will rupture and cause severe complications.
Tony felt the blood slowly drain from his face, even as he watched Kate's complexion fade. He was unable to stop the word that escaped his lips.
It's a simple procedure called a laparoscopy. I want to do this tomorrow; be at the hospital first thing. I'm going to make the arrangements this evening. This is outpatient surgery, so you'll be back home tomorrow night, unless there are complications, but I don't expect any. Is there anything else I can answer for you right now?
Kate and Tony stared across the aisle into each other's eyes. Sharing a slight headshake, Kate told the doctor no, thanked her for calling so promptly and hung up the phone.
Gibbs had watched the entire conversation with interest. Clearly Kate's doctor visit was more than nothing. He waited patiently, knowing that sooner or later she was going to have to tell him something. He saw her rest her head on her arms and wondered if there was anything he could do to help. Glancing over at Tony, he was surprised to notice the man was almost as anguished as Kate. What exactly was going on?
After a minute or two, Kate lifted her head. She looked at her lover and without words they agreed they needed to escape the confines of the office. Turning to Gibbs, she saw blue eyes bright with curiosity. I'm taking the files with me, and I'm going home. I won't be in tomorrow, either. I'll call you and let you know about the day after that. She picked up her purse and stood without another word.
You're going to have to come up with something more than that, Agent Todd, her boss said with a hint of steel in his voice.
Fine. I'm taking some medical leave. If you need, I'll have my doctor send you an excuse. Her tone matched his and she carefully stepped over the files waiting to be collected. She was extremely careful not to show any hint of pain in front of Gibbs; she did not want to have to explain the nature of her medical leave to him.
Kate, what's wrong? Gibbs' voice softened slightly. Is it your ribs?
Please, I don't want to discuss it. Certainly not here. I'm going home. Kate turned and walked slowly out of the bullpen with Tony following her.
Tony walked back over to Gibbs desk. I'm going with her, and I'm taking tomorrow off as well. I need to be with her for this. He spoke the words quietly, but his tone was one of pure determination.
Blue eyes stared down green ones for a full ten seconds. Gibbs nodded slowly. Will you at least let me know if she's all right?
Yeah, I'll let you know that much. Tony nodded and hurried off to catch up to Kate who was waiting at the elevator.
