SLOU 8 - This is a large chapter, but I couldn't justify breaking it up, not that there was anywhere to break it up.
This is actually how this particular drug works and how it can make a woman feel. What exactly can happen to the women's body. It is the less invasive method of expelling foetal tissue, but it can be incredibly traumatic and painful. In some instances, it can be worse than childbirth.
Fun fact: Misoprostol was approved for use in medical terminations and abortion of a foetus by the FDA in the US, on September 28, 2002.
April 2003, Gibbs Family Home, Alexandria, Virginia
Last week, Tim was permanently reassigned to the Navy yard, on to his father in-law's team. He and Kelly had gone out to celebrate, specifically avoiding any and all liquor. They had gone back home to the Gibbs family home and quickly retreated upstairs. Gibbs had been in the basement with Fornell discussing who knows what. Tim hadn't wanted to know what his father-in-law and Fornell had been cooking up, nor did he care, as he quickly and silently closed the bedroom door behind his wife. He wanted to be able to claim plausible deniability if they were planning something they shouldn't have been.
"Congratulations baby." She cooed in his ear, her arms around Tim's neck, her lips grazing his ear. Her breath was hot on his ear. His hands travelled down her back, finding her hips.
"You're in an awfully good mood, tonight." Tim murmured, as his lips now grazed hers. She bit her bottom lip, her eyes boring into his. She knew he loved it when she bit her lip, it enticed him and got him all excited. He had told her numerous times that he adored that lip and what seeing her bite it, did to him.
"Make love to me, Tim." She begged in a whisper. Her voice was soft and low, sweet like honey. Tim recognised it as her bedroom voice. The one she always used to get her way, the one he could never say no to. "I'm really in the mood and pretty sure I'm ovulating. Dad's two floors away in the basement, no one can hear us. We're finally alone."
Tim loved it when Kelly was really in the mood, like this and it wasn't scheduled or planned out intercourse with precise mathematics and science. As much as he enjoyed maths and science, making love was supposed to be natural, not mathematically planned out, based on science. It was definitely a spur of the moment decision and that's what he preferred. Both Tim and Kelly, had been beginning to get frustrated with prescribed intercourse, being told when to abstain and when to go for it. It was beginning to feel like the doctor was the third wheel in their marriage.
He missed the days when he could come home from work and one of them would have a meal ready, or when he'd take his wife out to dinner on a whim. When they could sneak off and have a quickie on their lunch break. Or, even just lazily make love on the sofa after a bad day or on a lazy afternoon. Most of all, they missed their own space. Although they both had a good relationship with Gibbs, he was Kelly's father. They were married and they were both were working, too. They needed a place of their own, badly. He wanted to be able to make his wife scream in an earth-shattering orgasm and not worry if his father-in-law heard them, too.
"C'mere." Tim instructed her huskily, in his own bedroom voice as he allowed her to step into his arms before easing her down onto the bed. The bed that they shared in the Gibbs family home. He and Kelly had made love for the first time in a long time, for them and not because the doctor prescribed them to.
Christmas time, December 1994, Gibbs Family Home, Alexandria, Virginia
Kelly's mind flashed back to the first night Tim and Kelly ever spent under Gibbs' roof, in this house. Gibbs had been transferred here four weeks ago and Tim was home from JH for Christmas break. Just earlier that day, Gibbs had been annoyed. Tim was finally home and they weren't on call, but his team had been called in for a VIP case. He had given them a verbal warning, before reminding them that he trusted them to behave. Gibbs knew he could trust them, but he also knew they were teenagers and eventually, they would succumb to their urges. He also knew they hadn't gone any further than kissing. He'd had some honest and open discussions with both of them and he and his daughter had made a deal that if she was thinking about it, that he would get her on some contraception before they did anything.
They weren't intimate all the way, yet. Tim and Kelly had only just moved past kissing and light petting. Just that day. Tim had arrived that morning, on the greyhound. After travelling all night. Kelly was still in school, but had a half day and Gibbs had been running a couple of errands. But he had let himself in and headed straight for a shower and a nap. When he had awoken, Kelly was home and changed from school and Gibbs was back from his errands.
There were a flurry of hugs and kisses. Especially from Kelly, she had missed him and he had missed her. Even though they exchanged multiple letters a week, they still missed one another. Gibbs was relieved when he had walked into the house and had seen the young man, asleep on the sofa. He had wanted to drive up and collect him, but his work schedule didn't allow that and he preferred to use his actual leave for when the kids were both home. By now, he was well and truly no longer surprised when Tim had told Kelly that if he had of gone home to Penny's that he would have been celebrating Christmas by himself.
Late in the afternoon, Gibbs had received the call that had him cursing all the way to his lock box for his service weapon and his creds. He had given them the brief warning, like he had in this past. But this time, his words carried more weight, they hadn't seen one another since Tim had left Alameda, to go to JH. Tim had to return, back in Alameda on his spring break, for a promotion ceremony for his father and had been unable to see Kelly, as well.
As soon as Gibbs' blue truck was out of the driveway and safely down the street. Kelly had leaned over and kissed Tim, enticingly. Soon enough, they were making out, side by side on the sofa. Kelly had broken the kissing off and lead Tim upstairs, into her bedroom, the bedroom they would share. She had encouraged him to lay down, telling him that they'd have more space on the bed, before they resumed their earlier activity of making out. Things had been becoming heated between the young couple and when Kelly had unbuttoned Tim's jeans and slipped her hand inside his shorts, taking his manhood in her hand for the first time instead of their usual over the clothes routine. Tim had returned the ministration and he had slipped her jeans down, over her hips and he had slipped his finger inside her. They had matched each other, stroke for stroke, before Tim had Kelly calling out her very first climax. But it hadn't taken much more of an effort on Kelly's part and Tim followed her over the edge. She had wanted more, but Tim was worried because he felt that they weren't quite ready and didn't want to rush into it. Secretly, he had also wanted to make sure he had a supply of condoms too. He wouldn't deny it either, he was terrified of Gibbs finding out, as well.
Her father had given them another lecture, right before bed, reminding them of the house rules. That bedroom doors had to stay open. Gibbs was none the wiser, as to what they had done and experienced for the first time, earlier that day. But when Kelly had announced after dinner, that in no uncertain terms would Tim be sleeping in their guest room, Gibbs felt that his earlier warning needed repeating, with a new stipulation. Bedroom doors had to stay open.
April 2003, Gibbs Family Home, Alexandria, Virginia
Jethro Gibbs and Tobias Fornell came upstairs in search of coffee, from whatever they had been plotting in the basement. Tim hadn't wanted to know and hadn't cared. Kelly had been in the mood to make love and Tim didn't argue with her. It wasn't prescribed or set out. It was a whim and it took Tim back to the early days of their married life. As he lay their naked, their bedroom door locked, Tim holding his wife's naked body, he treasured her. He wondered what would have happened if he hadn't of had Shannon, Gibbs and Kelly there for him. He missed Shannon a lot and he knew his wife missed her mom. Tim had taken her death hard, but it had been his turn to be the strong one for Kelly and Gibbs. A chance to repay their kindness and empathy.
He always wondered what Shannon's reaction would have been to their relationship. Would things have played out the way they did, if she were still alive? No one saw her death coming and that was probably what had hurt the most about it. "You thinking about my mom again, sweetheart?" Kelly asked, as she rolled her naked body over to face him. She could always read him like a book and tonight was no exception.
"Just wondering how she'd react to all this. We were both so close to her." Tim told his wife, as he kissed her softly. "I know how much you still miss her. Miss talking to her."
"She and dad went through something like this before they had me. Could really use her wisdom right about now." She mused out loud. "Dad still gets squirmy when we talk about our love life."
"Yeah, although we should give dad more credit than we do. Last month he tried to talk to me about what was going on and he didn't seem as squirmy as he usually did." Tim told her, as he kissed her and rolled onto his wife's body.
"Less talking about dad and more love making, Tim." She quipped, between kisses. She pulled his body back to hers, enjoying the freedom of making love and expressing their feelings physically and not because it was on the set schedule that the doctor had prescribed to them.
"Yes, ma'am." He replied, going back to kissing her. He poured everything he had into his kiss. Like Kelly, Tim was enjoying making love because they could and not because they had to.
Tim rolled his naked body onto hers and began kissing her, sensually. Kelly grasped his hand in hers and dragged it down her body to her womanhood. "Tim?" she panted, hotly. Tim got the hint; he began his ministrations again. As his finger occasionally brushed her clit, he pushed past it, sliding his fingers into her slick, hot channel. "Ah, right there!" she encouraged him as he brushed G-spot with his long fingers, that was buried to the hilt.
Tim could feel Kelly's hands on him, it never took him much to get hard once he'd already climaxed that day and within a few minutes Tim was hard and beginning to leak pre-cum. Kelly rolled Tim over, knocking the lamp off the bedside table with her foot, as she rotated her body and sucked him off, allowing him to work her womanhood over with his tongue. Seeing the offer made, he wouldn't think about turning it down. He loved giving her oral sex and didn't do it anywhere near enough, in his opinion. They hadn't spent much of their time in this position before, not since they had become serious about conceiving a child. The sixty-nine position and oral sex wasn't a position conductive to impregnating one's partner.
Tim mentally recited the periodic table; he wasn't sure he had a third climax in him and he wanted to finish inside her. Kelly had been having a few good, but satisfyingly small orgasms from his tongue in and on her sex. After the third time she came apart on his face, Tim pulled her right way up and plundered her lips. She could taste herself on and in his mouth. He had other plans in mind. Another position that had not been recommended for optimal conception was doggy style and Tim rolled her over on to her stomach and climbed astride her.
Feeling his manhood rutting against her naked bum, she wriggled, enjoying the wanton moan that escaped her husband's mouth. He leaned over her and kissed her deeply in those dirty kisses he enjoyed giving her. Whispering hotly in her ear. Something not so respectful, but something he knew would get her even more turned on. Before he surprised her, skipping the foreplay she had expected and plunged himself inside her wet hole. He had felt Kelly go weak at the knees at the unexpected intrusion. She had always loved the dirty kind of love-making they used to do before they had begun trying to get pregnant. Trying to conceive and taking that effort too seriously, had resulted in a mundane sexual repertoire that had been becoming boring to both of them. Tim had been trying to get them back to the days of love-making before they decided to try for a child.
Kelly was meeting each one of Tim's thrusts, with one of her own., She could feel his balls slapping onto her ass, as she felt herself tighten around his shaft. Kelly had always loved this position and enjoyed the deep feeling that it created. She knew it never took long for her to orgasm in this position and another dozen or so thrusts, she was having a huge orgasm. It was big, she swore she blacked out for a second, her legs were shaking and quivering, she had screamed into Tim's mouth as he smothered it into a kiss. Tim panted into her mouth, thrusting harder, as he pushed himself into her welcoming channel to the hilt. He had done some dirty things to her, in their time together including nutting into her, which she loved. They'd had an adventurous sex life, when they'd lived alone. Since moving back home they had curbed their enthusiasm and toned it right down. But as Kelly had told him, Gibbs was two floors away. He could not hear them.
When she had come down from her orgasm, Tim had decided to go for it. He pumped harder into her, as he fumbled around for the vibrator, he'd stashed on the bed earlier. They had been playing with it earlier that morning, before they had gone in the shower to get ready for their day. She was really wet and slippery now, Tim was taking extra care not to slip out of her completely, as he lined up the vibrator up and thrusted himself back in, sliding the vibrator onto her clit, in perfect timing. She bucked on his cock, in another climax as Tim exploded inside her too, coating her inner walls with his seed.
Gibbs and Tobias sat in the kitchen, having coffee, they'd ventured upstairs after Tim and Kelly had arrived home. Gibbs had heard them on the second floor and was trying to give them as much privacy as possible. He knew that they were feeling crowded, they'd gone from having total privacy to living under his roof once again.
He loved having them there, but he knew that they wanted their privacy. He had high hopes that they would find something nearby. Although, he had to admit that Alexandria was probably out of their price range.
The two men were sitting in silence, each man wrapped up in thinking about Diane's upcoming wedding and what it meant for them. That's what Tobias had come by to discuss when a crash from upstairs made the two men jump, as it reverberated through the entire house. Gibbs realised that they must have knocked over the lamp onto the floor. Tobias was surprised to see that his friend barely reacted to the noise. "Aren't you going to investigate that noise? Someone could be robbing you blind." Tobias told the NCIS Team Lead.
"Nah, the kids are up there." Gibbs grinned, as he refilled his mug. "Not setting foot on the top floor. In fact, I've been wondering how hard it would be to turn the top floor into a soundproof apartment and turn the den off the formal living room into a second bedroom. With a shared ensuite that backed into the current guest room."
"Why the hell would you want to destroy your home like that?" Tobias asked. He was genuinely curious. This was a beautiful heritage craftsman style home. Beautiful exposed Timber beams and wainscoting. OK, that awful Navajo white paint Diane loved still adorned the walls and the fridge had seen better days, but overall, it was a beautiful house in an expensive part of Alexandria.
"The kids are back in DC permanently. Tim has been transferred to the Navy Yard full time." Gibbs explained to his friend. "They're going to need their own place. Getting to the age where they might think about having a family, Tobias. I'd love to see them here more often. Obviously if I redid the upstairs into an apartment, I'd insulate the floor. The den off the formal living room is directly under their bedroom. I don't need to hear what they are doing or talking about all night."
"What happened to the open-door policy?" he asked his friend. Tobias had been taking notes. Now he and Diane were separated. He would be a date with a daughter who would one day have a boyfriend and he needed to know how to raise her. He needed someone to copy from. "Wasn't there some house rule about open bedroom doors?"
"That went out the window when they got married." Gibbs explained to his friend. "They are married, I can't exactly tell them not to have sex, can I? When Tim came home after MIT and Kelly transferred her studies to Georgetown University, the kids lived here. We all had to adjust to the new norm, when they got married over that Christmas, Tobias."
"You mean...?" Tobias asked, as he stumbled over the words and fumbled his way around the topic. "You're so calm, Jethro. Hell, that young man is up there doing unspeakable things to your daughter and you're sitting here calmly drinking your coffee, like you don't have a care in the world."
"I've had so many open and honest discussions with them, both individually and together about sex and love, it almost doesn't even bother me, any more." Gibbs told his friend, seriously. "Hell, I had to explain the facts of life to both of them. McGee's old man was no help whatsoever to his son."
"Oh God, is that what I have to look forward with Emily?" Tobias asked him, horrified. Gibbs just levelled a grin at his friend.
May 2003, NCIS HQ, Navy Yard, Washington DC
"Hi, can I help you?" Kate Todd asked the young red-haired woman who was waiting on the edge of their bullpen, as she returned from the meeting upstairs. She had been asked by the Director to contact an informant that she trusted at the pentagon for additional information on the case they were working on
"Oh hi, you must be Kate." Kelly said warmly, offering the brunette agent her hand. She had heard so much about Kate, from Tim. He had told her that sometimes Kate was his ally and other times, she was Tony's co-conspirator in his hazing, but mostly she was his ally. "I'm Kelly McGee."
"Oh, you must be Tim's sister." Kate deduced, shaking her hand. She didn't know much about the junior probationary agent that had just joined the team, but she knew he had a kid sister. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Tim's just finishing up, upstairs with Gibbs and the Director. He will be down here, shortly"
Before Kelly had a chance to correct the former secret service agent, Tony came strutting into the bullpen from the mezzanine level up above. Looking up, she saw her husband, father and a man she recognised from his visit to their home a couple of months ago. "Dr Mrs McGee, you look as lovely as ever." Tony said to her in his most charming voice. "Ready to leave the McGeek for a real man, yet? That invitation to dinner still stands."
"Mrs McGee?" Kate asked, surprised. "McGee's married? I thought Gibbs was having me on, when he mentioned that Tim's wife was Ducky's goddaughter." Her voice was higher than usual, in shock. She then turned to Tony, narrowing her eyes and growling at him. She slapped him, hard on the arm. "You never thought to mention to me, that he's really married!"
"Yes, I'm Tim's wife." Kelly confessed, grinning at the female agent and seeing her husband and father make their way downstairs, too. "It's true, I am Ducky's goddaughter, too."
"You look awfully young to be married." Kate commented, coolly. She didn't have anything against the young couple, she was just still in shock that their baby agent, their Probie agent was married. "Wait, Tony said doctor. You're a doctor?"
"Hey Baby." Tim grinned at her, surprised to see her there, at the Navy Yard. He stopped by her and chastely kissed her lips, as he continued onto his desk. "Is everything OK?"
"Hey Gibbs, did you know McGee was really married?" she asked their boss, interrupting the couple's conversation.
"Well yeah." He grinned at his subordinates. "Lovely to see you again, Mrs McGee." He told her playfully, kissing his daughter's cheek. He loved seeing Tony and Kate's stunned reactions to that. Especially Tony's, he thought the senior field agent's jaw was going to hit the floor.
"Can we talk?" She repeated herself to Tim and Gibbs nodded at Tim. Tim had never wanted special treatment from anyone, especially Gibbs and Gibbs had never given it to Tim. Gibbs had done the same thing in the past, too though. When Stan's, at the time girlfriend, had come by the bullpen too. He had even made calls to his subordinate's partners when there'd been a bad day or if one of his agents got injured, in the past.
To Gibbs, Kelly didn't look like she was here to chit chat, something was on her mind that couldn't wait and he knew his daughter, she wouldn't have stopped by, just for something to do. She would have a reason and knowing her, it would be a good one. "Sure." Tim took Kelly by the hand and led her over, underneath the staircase. He made sure they were alone and angled her so no one else could read her lips before he asked her what was going on.
"I'm pregnant." She told him through watery, tear-filled eyes. He pulled her close and kissed her, softly. Leaving the promise of much more to come, later. "The doctor said she needs to see us at the clinic right away, though. Baby, something is wrong. I can feel it."
Tim felt a pang in his gut. Now he understood why Kelly had said it through watery eyes. "Everything is going to be ok. But she needs to see us, right now?" Tim asked, looking at her. It was the middle of the day, just before lunch and if he was lucky, Gibbs wouldn't kill him for having to leave early. At her nod, he told her that he'd grab his gear.
Kelly joined Tim by his desk, as he grabbed his gear. He quickly scribbled a note on a scrap bit of paper 'Emergency. We'll tell you 2nite.' When he holstered his weapon, he looked over at Gibbs. The older man looked up and saw what McGee was doing. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked him in his best boss tone, ignoring the angry look on her father's face.
"Family emergency." Tim told him, as he tossed dropped the scrap paper off on his boss' desk. "I've got to go."
By the time Tim and Kelly were over by the elevator, Tim could hear Tony crowing to Kate, that Tim would be in so much trouble and would probably get fired for leaving work earlier. But Tim hadn't cared. Even if he did get fired, Gibbs didn't know what Tim got job offers, every other week, from various letters of the alphabet soup, from private enterprises, from tech firms and several teaching offers.
May 2003, Capitol Medical Suites, Doctor Prue Berkeley's Office, Washington DC
Dr Prue Berkley was waiting for the couple to arrive. It was her lunch break and she had been fully booked out today, not expecting to receive the call that Kelly had made to her that morning. But she was happy to make time for them. They were a young couple and shouldn't be experiencing sub-fertility, yet. She had been floored when Kelly had told her that she was getting a positive on a home pregnancy test. She had sent Kelly for bloods right away and when she had seen the young lady's results, she had requested that they both come in, immediately.
Kelly had told her on the phone, early that morning that she was almost four weeks McGee late and Prue commented that if her calculations were correct that she would be eight weeks pregnant. As soon as she saw the young couple enter the waiting room, she waved the young couple in, ignoring the indignant looks on the faces of her next appointment. "Tim, Kelly, thank you for coming. I hope this wasn't too much of an inconvenience for you." She said warmly. "Please take a seat. First off, did you bring the tests?"
Kelly handed Prue the ziplocked bags that had contained three home pregnancy tests, all different brands and all positive. "They're all in there." Kelly had told Prue. She was still very emotional and Tim wasn't sure if it was just hormones or if, like him, she was still worried. He had tried to placate her and remind her to be positive, that everything would be ok. He'd even gone on to tell her that this was probably just a standard appointment that the doctor does to make sure everything was ok. But it hadn't eased her mind.
"It's ok, Kelly." Prue comforted her. "I have your results, right here and the blood tests show that you are indeed, pregnant." Kelly let out a huge cry that had Tim hugging her and kissing her hair. "It's an emotional and overwhelming time, I know. However, we do have some things to discuss."
Tim looked at the doctor carefully and Prue belatedly remembered that she had suspected that Tim had some kind of background in medicine. Plus, it unnerved her a little to know that he seemed to be able to read her so well, not to mention that he was wearing his badge and side arm. That intimidated her a little too, not that she would ever admit that to anyone.
"I'm ok." Kelly smiled though her dry, red and puffy eyes. The tears had stopped and she had taken the offered tissues dried her eyes. She could feel the burning feeling in them for all the crying she had done. She just knew her eyes would be all red and puffy, too.
"Now, I have a couple of concerns and that's why I called you in." Prue said, coming out from around her desk to sit on the chair beside them. She always found that when this situation arose, her patients took the news better, if she came around to the same side of the desk as them. It made the news, less clinical and more personal, reaching her patients on an empathetic level. "Your HcG levels aren't quite where we would expect for eight weeks pregnant. As I am sure you both know that HcG levels are the levels that register a positive pregnancy test in both urine and bloods. That includes your home tests, here. Above twenty, indicates a pregnancy and your levels should double roughly every forty-eight hours or so. Your levels should be really high for eight weeks. Almost one hundred thousand. However, they're only not even at fifty thousand, yet. This is a little concerning, but it can be explained. You could have ovulated much later than expected and not be as far along as you think or it could be almost anything else. I'd like to do an internal ultrasound. We won't see much, but we can take some measurements and check what's going on. Please don't be alarmed, if we don't see anything today. If you ovulated, later than expected then it might be too early to see something." She reminded them and saw both Tim and Kelly nodded their heads along with her. Prue smiled reassuringly at the young couple. This confirmed her theory. She already knew Kelly was a doctor and Tim was an agent, but he had a background or at least extensive knowledge in medicine.
Doctor Prue Berkeley wheeled their portable ultrasound machine over to the examination table, while Kelly stripped off from her waist down and hoped up on the table, put her legs in the stirrups and Tim covered her with a blanket. The specialist retrieved the KY jelly from the warmer behind her desk and rolled the condom down over the wand. Kelly giggled a little. "You use condoms and KY jelly too, so does our clinic. It's much more cost effective than the sleeves and gel from the supplier."
Prue gave her a knowing smile. "I'm sure you know the drill, Kelly. No matter how warm it is, it's going to be cold. Ready?" She asked, as she slipped the wand inside Kelly's channel. She felt the intrusion and jumped slightly, even though she knew it was coming and grasped Tim's hand. Prue moved the wand around getting it into position and searching, "Ok, you've implanted on your left side, that's good. that's the side there was a blockage on."
Prue took some more measurements as Tim asked if that was good, remembering what the doctor had told them about some studies have shown an increase in fertility. "That is good Tim." She reassured him, as she finished up taking her measurements. She withdrew the ultrasound wand and removed the condom, giving Kelly some tissues and paper towel to clean herself up. "Clean up and we will talk some more." She told them.
Tim cursed his skill and ability to read someone and know what they weren't saying, and he could read Dr Berkeley perfectly clear. Something was wrong. As soon as Kelly was cleaned up, they took a seat back by her desk and Tim noted that she took a seat next to them again, rather than opposite them and he steeled his composure. He knew it was his turn to be the strong one.
"I am afraid that the implanted blastocyst had no foetal pole. To put it simply, the baby has no heartbeat. I am very sorry Kelly and Tim." She said and Kelly let herself cry. Tim could feel the moisture building in his own eyes too. She gave them a minute to process the news and compose themselves. "We have several options, but based on the bloods we took today and the scan I just did. The best course would be to take a drug known as Misoprostol. It is used for a few things, but mainly it is used for a medical termination. It will act on the uterus and increases its contractions, expelling the non-functional blastocyst. Misoprostol may make you feel dizzy, sleepy, tired, or decrease alertness. We thoroughly recommend that you do not drive. Misoprostol's effects are dose dependent and include cervical softening and dilation, uterine contractions, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, and chills. It is a relatively new drug, not long approved by the FDA, only last year and is much more effective and less invasive than the previous medication used. It is an oral tablet, as opposed to intravaginally and up to eighty percent effective, to thirteen weeks of pregnancy. You can choose to have the intravaginal option, but I must warn you the gastric side effects are much greater."
Kelly and Tim took in this huge amount of information. Kelly too, had heard rave reviews about the new drug, but hadn't prescribed it to a patient yet. "Oral is fine." Kelly said, flatly. She didn't want to deal with nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, as well as the bleeding and cramps with uterine contractions."
"We will follow up with another ultrasound and bloods in seven days, and possibly in an additional seven days, after that. Kelly, we will continue to monitor your bloods until your HcG is under five. that is normal, not pregnant levels." Prue advised them, she wrote out the script and dispense it, on site. Because it was a new drug, it was not widely available yet and the clinic kept a stash on hand for situations, just like this. "Please, do not hesitate to call my out of hours line with any questions. Call 911, and head to greater the ER, if you begin to haemorrhage."
May 2003, Gibbs Family Home, Alexandria, Virginia
Kelly took the Misoprostol, as prescribed. While she did that Tim sent a quick message to Gibbs explaining that he wouldn't be back in the office. Gibbs had replied that he would be home early and he would bring dinner home.
The cramping began within the first hour and slowly, the nausea slowly developed next. By 1700 hours, Kelly's uterus had begun contracting sporadically and Tim had urged her pop a pad on because he was fairly certain that the bleeding wouldn't be too far away.
At 1900 hours, Gibbs had walked in the door carrying two bags of food from Elaine's diner. He was shocked to see Kelly being supported and braced by Tim, crying out in physical pain as she rode out the latest contraction. "What the hell?!" Gibbs demanded, dropping the food haphazardly on the table by the door and rushing over to them.
"It's ok, Dad." Kelly breathed through the latest contraction, as it eased off. As she let Tim go, and stood up again, she promptly vomited into the waiting bucket. "I'm ok." She repeated herself, between heaves. Her voice echoing into the bucket.
"It's normal, Dad." Tim reassured his father-in-law. "That's what the medication does." Gibbs wasn't quite sure what the hell was happening and he physically hurt at the sight of his daughter, in such physical pain, sweating, nauseated and vomiting, while screaming and writhing in pain.
"It doesn't look ok." Gibbs murmured, mostly to Tim. Kelly headed off to the bathroom and Tim followed. Gibbs wanted to follow too, but he had to remind himself that Tim was Kelly's husband, that she was in good hands.
Hearing another round of crying and screaming found Gibbs pacing outside the door. When the door opened, Kelly and Tim were re-composed. "Hey." Kelly actually greeted him. Her eyes were happy to see him, but he could tell that she had been crying too. He looked Tim over carefully too; he could see that Tim had been crying too.
Gibbs' gut sank. He wasn't one hundred percent sure and no one had been forthcoming with the information, either. "How far along were you?" he asked, praying he was wrong.
Kelly instantly started crying again and Tim held her close. His eyes getting wetter too. "Eight weeks," Tim whispered. "We just found out today. The hormone levels were out of sync, we had an ultrasound and there was no heartbeat."
Gibbs' heart broke for them both and he gathered both of them in his arms and comforted them. Hugging them and kissing both of them on the head. Suddenly, Kelly pushed him back and braced into Tim again, crying out in pain again. Riding the wave of contractions. Tim was murmuring in her ear, reassuring her that she was doing great. That they were nearly over.
The leaflet in the medication package had explained that she could have up to six hours of violent contractions from the medication. At the next contraction, Gibbs couldn't take it anymore. He led them both into the bathroom and turned the water on warm, under the shower. He stripped off his jacket and urged Tim to strip down to his underwear, before urging his daughter to get strip off her bottoms and get in the shower. "This helped your mom when she was in labour with you, Kell. Tim, get Kelly under the warm water and massage her hips. Women feel their contractions in their lower back the most. I'll brace her from the front."
For the next hour, Kelly and Tim stood under the hot water, turning the tap off between contractions to save the hot water, as Gibbs supported Kelly from the front and Tim massaging her back, hips and pelvis. The two men pretended not to notice and distracted Kelly so she didn't notice as the expelled foetal tissue washed down the drain. When the contractions started to slow and the pain began to ease, Gibbs excused himself and left the couple to clean up and get dressed. He was hungry by now, the food long cold and still on the table by the entryway. he was sure Tim would be starving. He doubted that the younger man had eaten lunch too.
When they emerged from the guest bathroom, Gibbs took a closer look. Kelly was now dressed in Tim's oversized sweats and Tim in his boxers and an old navy tee, that he had seen so many times before. Tim got Kelly onto the sofa and settled, as he heated the wheat bag up and Gibbs handed him a plate of dry toast for Kelly. It was something light, not knowing how his daughter's stomach was feeling. "If you can keep down the banana on toast, I'll make her something a bit heavier." Gibbs promised her, as he bought in two plates of hot food for himself and Tim.
The silence was golden and he was relieved that Kelly wasn't in as much pain now. "Well, that was really intense." Tim broke the silence, long after they had eaten.
"Ain't that truth, Timmo." Gibbs agreed, wholeheartedly. He had never seen a night like the one they had just had. If someone had of told him that he would be spending the night bracing and supporting his half naked daughter, while his son in law massaged her body and she was expelling a dead foetus from her body, he would have had them committed. "I want Ducky to check you over in the morning. Tim?"
"Good idea, Dad." Tim agreed and he was glad Gibbs had suggested it because he had been very close to suggesting it, himself. He had heard of the drug before, read the information packet, but nothing had prepared either of them for something like that. "Also, I think I should take the day, tomorrow."
"Of course, son." Gibbs had been about to suggest that himself. Tim wouldn't be the man Gibbs knew he was if Tim didn't want to stay home with Kelly. "Take a personal day. We will be ok. We solved the case today. It's just a paperwork day.
"I never want to do this again." Kelly told the men, in earnest. "God forbid this ever happens again, make them do the surgery, Tim." Both Tim and Gibbs couldn't agree more with Kelly's declaration. Gibbs had thought that the medication route was a little barbaric, but it was a sign of progression and the way of the future.