Disclaimer: None of the JAG characters belong to me...
A/N: This x-ray procedure is actually called a hysterosalpingogram, if anyone is brave enough to look up further details, and I included it because in the real world, Mac would undoubtedly have to go through it.
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Chapter 5:
"I'm really not looking forward to this" said Mac as she held tightly onto Harm's hand. Today was the day she was having the x-ray done, and the description the doctor's office had given her of what was involved made her more than a little nervous.
"You know I'd do it for you if I could" said Harm.
"Good, I'll loan you my reproductive organs for the day and let you have at it, flyboy" she said, with as much humor as she could muster being as nervous as she was.
"If you could, I would, you know that, right"? he asked.
She knew, and was things like that which made her love him all the more. "At least he can be in there with me" she thought to herself, thankful that she wouldn't have to do this alone.
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"Sarah Mackenzie" called a nurse with a clipboard in her hand. Harm and Mac followed her to the back, and once in the x-ray room, she handed Mac a gown and pointed her to the restroom in the corner. "I hate these things" Mac muttered to herself as she changed. When she rejoined Harm in the other room, the nurse began to go over the details of the procedure.
"Dr. Kendall will be doing your x-ray today, the purpose of which is to see if your tubes are clear and if your uterus has any structural abnormalities which could interfere with a successful conception and pregnancy. He'll fill your uterus with a special dye, which should then flow up through your tubes and spill out into your abdomen if your tubes are clear. He'll take x-ray photographs during the procedure, which he'll then review and go over with you in detail at your next appointment. The risks that accompany this procedure are uterine rupture, damage to your tubes and infection. Do you have any questions"?
Her head spinning a bit from the barrage of daunting information, Mac answered her "no, I think you explained it all very well, thank you".
The nurse handed Mac a consent form to sign, said "I'll go page Dr. Kendall", and left .
"You're nervous" said Harm as he watched Mac fidget with the string on her gown.
"Yeah", answered Mac "it sounds painful".
"It does, but I hope it turns out not to be" said Harm, hating the thought of seeing her in pain.
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It seemed to take forever.
"We're almost finished, Sarah, are you doing OK?" the doctor asked.
She answered "I'm hanging in there, but it really hurts".
Harm had been right beside her the whole time, and she squeezed his hand tighter and tighter as the pain intensified. She looked up at him with a tear in her eye, and he felt like someone had just torn out his heart. He wished he could make her pain go away.
"OK, all done. Don't try to sit up yet, Sarah, just lay there for 5 minutes or so" ordered the doctor.
Mac was hurting so bad just then she couldn't have sat up if she wanted to.
"Did it go well, doctor?" asked Harm, "anything jump out at you?"
"I can't give a complete report until I have a chance to review the films in my office, but my initial findings are good - clear tubes, uterus looks perfect, so far, so good" answered Dr. Kendall. "I've got to get back to my office, but take all the time you need before you try to get up, no hurry, and call me if you have any problems or any questions later on".
"We will, thank you" said Mac.
As soon as the doctor left, Mac asked Harm to bring her some pain reliever from her purse and the bottle of water she'd brought along.
"I'm sorry it hurt so much, Mac" Harm said as he watched her down 4 pills at once, "but he said everything looks good so far".
"Let's hope it stays looking good" she said, laying back down, "I'd hate to think I went through this for bad news".