Rifiuto: Non Mirena

"She's in the first stage of active labor, which is the latent phase."

"Latent phase?" Tim raised an eyebrow as he helped Ziva off the bed where Jeanne had checked her progress; the laboring young woman wrapped her arms around her husband, leaning against him. Instinctively, Tim slid his arms around her waist, one hand rubbing firmly yet gently along the base of her spine and over her hips. Ziva groaned softly, burying her face in his shirt.

Jeanne nodded. "There are two stages- the latent stage and the active stage of active labor. Think of it this way- the latent phase of active labor is the slower of the two stages. It's much like the prodromal phase, except the contractions she's gonna be going through now are going to be longer, they're going to be closer together, and they're going to be much stronger than they were before, and they're going to be roughly," The doctors waved her hand back and forth, thinking. "thirty minutes apart and about fifteen to thirty seconds in length."

"So what can we do?"

"Keep her spirits up. It's not uncommon for women in stage to be afraid of what's to come, and try to help her cope. She's not going to be focusing on conversation as much now, because she's going to want to put all her concentration into the dealing with the contractions, so she'll probably only want to talk in between. Keep her activity going, but don't let her overdo it. If she wants to get up and walk around, let her, but don't let her stay on her feet all the time, have her lie down and get some rest. Um... make sure she eats, because she needs to keep her energy up, and make sure she drinks plenty of fluids, and that she gets sleep when she feels like it. Try to keep her calm- Ziva's the type of woman who will overthink everything when it comes to this process, trust me, I know, I was the same, so try to keep her distracted from the pain as much as you can. And just... just be there for her, make her feel comfortable. She's not in this alone; she has both of you here to support her. I'll be back and forth to check on her; I've got a couple other patients that have come in- but if you desperately need anything, don't hesitate to come get me or one of the staff, okay?" They nodded. "I'll be back to check on her in an hour or so."

Once she was gone, Sarah turned to her brother. "Well, she's in active labor, that's good, right?"

Tim nodded, gaze moving to his wife as he began to sway with her in his arms. A moment passed, before she slowly lifted her head, meeting his gaze. "Hey sweetheart. How you feeling? Is it gone now?" She nodded, silent, slowly pulling back.

"Can I get you something, Ziva? Glass of water? Some dried cranberries? Banana chips? Chocolate?" The Israeli glanced at her sister, shaking her head.

"No." Sarah moved closer, reaching out to brush a loose strand of hair away.

"Are you sure? You heard Jeanne, you have to keep your energy up."

Again Ziva shook her head. "No, I just... I just want to lie down." She moved away, going back to the sofa and slowly curling up on.

"I know what she's going through." Tim glanced at his sister. "The pain you go through when your body opens up and pushes a small... parasitic human being into your birth canal and out between your legs. It's hell. She's gonna be going through hell, Timmy, and she needs us to help her get through it."

"I just... I don't know what to do for her. I'd take all her pain away if I could-"

"You be there for her, you go to her when she reaches for you, and answers when she calls, and talk when she wants to hear your voice and hold her when she wants to feel your arms around her, and give her your strength when she feels like she has none. Like a good husband."

"Tim-" The siblings turned as Ziva reached out a hand.

"Like I said," Sarah repeated, stepping behind her brother and pressing her hands to his back. "you go to her when she reaches for you, and help her through it." And without another word, she pushed her brother forward. Tim stumbled towards his wife, before turning back to his sister, who waved for him to continue. Without a word, he joined his wife on the sofa, allowing Ziva to curl into him again, her head resting once more in his lap. Sarah watched in silence as he took her hand, lacing their fingers.

"... you do the thing you were doing to my back? Please, Tim, it helped..." He whispered something softly to her, and then began gently stroking his hand up and down her back and over her hips. Once satisfied, Sarah went to the bag Ziva had brought. She rummaged around for a few minutes before pulling out a small tin.

"Hey Ziva, you want a cup of jasmine tea? I'm gonna go down to the kitchen and make a pot." She made her way to the couple, kneeling down to meet Ziva's gaze. "That sound good?" Slowly, her sister nodded, and Sarah smiled, leaning over to press a kiss to her head. "Okay. I'll be back in a few." She stood, reaching out and gently squeezing Tim's hand before slipping out of the room and heading downstairs.

It was silent for several minutes after Sarah left, before Ziva slowly released a breath and tilted her head back. He looked down at her, tilting his head to the side. "You look deep in thought. What's going through that mind of yours?" A tiny smile tugged at her lips, and she reached up, tracing a finger down his jaw.

"Tim, I'm scared."

"You have nothing to be afraid of, sweetheart. Women have been doing this for centuries; it's perfectly natural."

"That's what I'm afraid of. What if I can't do this naturally?"

"Hey, don't think that way. You can do anything you set your mind to, including this. Okay?" She nodded. "You're stronger than you think you are, Ziva."

"So are you." He furrowed a brow, though didn't question her on it.

"You want something to eat?" A moment passed before she nodded, allowing him to help her sit up. "Okay, what are you interested in?" It took a moment for his wife to reply; she closed her eyes, screwing her face up, hands resting on either side of her belly as another contraction hit. "O.. okay. Breathe, sweetheart. Remember what the books and documentaries say? Deep breaths. Focus on something other than the contraction-"

He moved closer, running his hands up and down her back and over her hips. Several minutes passed, before Ziva was finally able to relax and allow Tim to get up. Once he returned to her side, he held the bite of ginger out to her, and she took it with a smile before leaning into his chest and wrapping her arms around his waist.