Rifiuto: Non Mirena

Thanks to mcgeeksgirl for reviewing 67, DS2010 for reviewing 67, 68, 69, 70 and 71, and Reader aka Sun Samurai for reviewing 67, 68, 69, 70 and 71.

Six centimeters. Your wife is six centimeters dilated, and there's nothing you can do for her but tell her that she's doing good. Can't take away her pain, can't magically make your son appear-

"Tim?" He looked up, his thoughts broken as Ziva lifted her head from his shoulder, her outburst from earlier completely forgotten by three in the afternoon as the pain once more took control. She met his gaze, taking a deep breath as they continued to sway to the music. "I... l..." He smiled softly at her.

"I love you, too." A nod met him, before she leaned close, catching his lips in a soft kiss. They continued to sway for several minutes before she pulled away, going to the bed and slowly lowering herself to her knees. "Another one?" She nodded, breathing through the pain as Tim joined her, rubbing circles along her lower back. Just when Ziva thought she would be able to rest in between, another one hit just the first was starting to fade away. It caught her so off-guard she let out a scream, burying her face in the blanket of the bed she grasped. "Easy, honey, breathe. Breathe through it."

"They're camel-backs." Tim turned to Sarah as she joined him, having gotten a bowl of water and a wash cloth from the bathroom. She began dabbing at Ziva's neck and shoulders, the warm water an attempt to calm her sister down.

"Camel what?"

"Camel-back contractions- where one contraction hooks onto the first before the first one's officially finished. I had them when I went into labor with Shanti. They're absolutely horrible, and usually last the entire active labor phase before transition. Sometimes they even go through the transition until a woman starts to give birth- at least, they did for me." She dipped the cloth in the water again, ringing it out and dabbing at Ziva's forehead. "Shh, I know, Ziva. Trust me, sis, I know. They hurt. They're absolutely horrible."

Another scream escaped Ziva's throat, before the former Mossad assassin burst into tears. Tim instantly pulled away; he'd never seen his wife cry- not that he remembered actually- and it startled him. "Stop! Make it..."

"Shh, honey." Sarah glanced at her brother. "Tim, go start the shower, maybe that'll help her cope with the pain." But Ziva shook her head. It hurt to much to move. "Ziva, I think a shower might help with the pain." But her sister violently shook her head, another scream ringing through the room as another contraction caught the tail of the last. "Okay, we won't move right now. When you feel better then we'll move into another position, okay?" She glanced back at her brother. "Go get Jeanne. Go get Jeanne, Timmy, now!" Without a word, Tim bolted from the room, doing as his sister ordered. "Timmy's getting Jeanne, Ziva, okay? I'm here. I'm right here." She scooted closer, continuing to dab at Ziva's sweat-soaked skin.

When Tim and Jeanne returned, Ziva had shifted, sitting back against Sarah, who held tight to the older woman; she continued to dab at her skin, whispering softly to her, one mother to another. "Ziva," Jeanne knelt down until she was eye level with the laboring young mother. "Come on, sweetie. Let's get you up on the bed and check you out, okay?" Ziva nodded, allowing them to help her up.

As she settled on the bed, Jeanne pulled on a pair of gloves, before gently parting her legs. As she worked, Ziva reached over, grabbing Tim's wrist and digging her nails into his hand, a contraction grabbing her around the waist and taking control. Ziva let out a scream, and Tim swallowed, watching as his wife's belly contracted with the force of the pain. "I... didn't know you could..." Jeanne looked up, chuckling softly.

"Contractions are very visible, especially as labor progresses. When doctors use the cardiotocograph transducer to measure the fetal heartbeat and the uterine contractions externally, that's what they're monitoring and watching- the contractions. And usually, when a doctor is feeling around on the mother's belly during one, that's what they're feeling, the contracting of the uterine wall and the distance between each." Tim nodded, as Jeanne turned back to the task at hand.

"She dilating, Jeanne?" Sarah asked. Jeanne met her gaze.

"So far, she's six and a half centimeters. I think a big reason is because Ziva's nervous and she's stressed and upset and frightened, and that's impeding her progress. We need to keep her calm and relaxed and focused on the labor. Especially now. Okay? So we keep her calm and as relaxed as humanly possible right now, and with any luck, you little boy will be born soon." After Jeanne left, Tim and Sarah helped Ziva to the sofa, sitting on either side of her.

"Did Jeanne break your waters, Ziva?" The laboring woman shook her head, digging her nails into Sarah's hands as Tim worked on her back.

"She doesn't want her to."

"Unless she has to." Sarah finished what her brother didn't say, recognizing something she herself had wanted if she hadn't gone into labor so early. She turned her gaze back to her sister, as Ziva leaned forward, resting her head against Sarah's shoulder. The young woman burst into tears, pained sobs wracking her small body as the contractions continued and the siblings shared a look over her shoulder. "You're doing good, Ziva." The Israeli shook her head, letting out a choked scream as the contraction got worse. "Yes, you are, Ziva. You're doing really good, really, really good."