"Expect the Unexpected"- Chapter 4

By: Betherick1985

A/N: Every time I see a new favorite, follow, or review, it makes me smile! I'm so glad that I have a group of such dedicated readers! Hugs to y'all! This chapter is more medical/science jargon… but I promise to make it enjoyable! Reviews are welcome; all booboos are mine.

Chapter 4

"Are you ready for me?" Dr. Erin Friedmann called out.

NCIS Special Agent Timothy McGee adjusted his hospital gown, and smiled. "Ready as I'll ever be."

The young obstetrician entered the brightly lit exam room. "So, the first thing I'd like to do is take a blood sample to screen."

"Lovely," Tim replied sarcastically, as he held out his right arm.

"We just want to be certain that you're in perfect health before we do this," she explained as she performed the blood draw.

"I understand," he said. "There's a lot riding on the procedure."

"I'm going to run this to Dr. Heidenreich in the lab," she said, "and when I return, we'll get to know each other on a whole new level."

Tim turned pink as she exited once again. Even though the two women were physical opposites, Erin's demeanor reminded him of his friend and co-worker, Abby Sciuto. She was bubbly, hyper, and had no qualms about teasing her subject. Behind all the kinetic energy, though, was a clear love of science and medicine, as well as compassion for people. The combination of all these traits managed to put the agent at ease.

She knocked the door once again before entering. "You know, you don't have to do that," he told her. "I can hear your shoes."

"Noted. I have some news to share."

McGee raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"The embryo has been created, and it's going to incubate for a few days before implantation," she explained. "Then we'll implant the womb and embryo all in one shot. You'll have a recovery of about five days. By that time, we should be able to tell if it worked, or not."

"Will I be working on the data software in the meantime?" Tim asked.

"As far as I know, yes. But," she added, "in order to do the experiment, I need to make sure you're healthy enough to be our guinea pig. So, let's get to it." She raised her stethoscope to her ears, and listened to Tim's heart and lungs. "Your breathing's good, and you have a strong, stable heartbeat."

"That's good to know," the young agent said.

"Now, I need you to remove your gown," Erin ordered, "at least down to your chest. Then, lay down." She turned on a nearby machine as Tim did what he was told. She looked down at the rough-hewn, light red scar on his left side. "So, that's where the shard of glass caught you, huh?"

Tim nodded. "It's not going to cause problems for your plan, is it?"

"Nope, it's healing well," she said. "It'll be fully healed by the time you start to show." She picked up a tube of gel, and flipped open the lid. "I want to perform an ultrasound on you, and make sure everything looks good in your abdomen area. Fair warning, this is going to be cold." Tim gasped when the cold gel made contact with his skin. Dr. Friedmann ran the transducer across his pale skin. "Okay, so everything looks good." She handed him a handful of paper towels. "Go ahead and wipe off the gel, and put your gown back on while I get the next phase ready."

*NCIS*

"How's he doing so far?" Dr. Jayne Heidenreich asked, as her young colleague entered the lab.

"Tim is a model patient," Erin replied. "He's going to handle the pregnancy like a champ."

"And the scar he mentioned?"

"It's just about healed, and it shouldn't affect our work."

"So, now you're getting the hormones and medication?"

Erin picked up the vials that Jayne had set in front of her. "He's interested in starting his workload, so after we all get some rest, you might want to help him with that aspect." Jayne raised an eyebrow. "Not that I'm telling you what to do, or anything."

"No, that's a good plan," the elder woman replied. "It's nearly 1 a.m., and I'm nearly done here. After you administer those, feel free to head home to rest."

"I will rest," Erin said, "but I'm going to stay in the on-call room near Tim's room. I don't see anything going awry, but just in case."

Jayne nodded in approval. "Have a goodnight, Erin."

"You too, Boss."

*NCIS*

"So, what's next for me, Doc?" Tim asked, after Erin closed the door behind her.

"Two medications for you," she replied, holding up the vials. "The one in my left hand is an immunosuppressant. Since we're essentially performing a transplant, you'll be taking this to prevent your body from rejecting the womb. This other one is a combination of estrogen, progesterone, and other hormones to help maintain the pregnancy. Dr. Heidenreich and I concluded that you would stand a better chance of succeeding if these were in your system before the transplant."

"Hey, whatever you need me to do, I can do," Tim assured her. She gave him the vials, and he swallowed the contents. "So, what now?"

"Now…" She looked at her watch, and yawned. "Now, it's time to get some sleep. It's past one in the morning. We got a lot done tonight."

Tim looked down at his hospital gown, and frowned. "Can I change before I go to sleep? This is terribly uncomfortable."

"Absolutely. See you in the morning, Tim." She turned, and left. The green-eyed agent stayed awake long enough to change into flannel boxers and his well-worn "M.I.T." shirt, before collapsing onto the bed.

*NCIS*

-The Next Morning-

A beam of sunlight flowed into the hospital room, landing right on Tim's face. He squinted, and let out a groan as he rolled over.

"Morning, Tim," Dr. Heidenreich called out cheerfully. "Did you sleep well?"

He sat up in the bed, and stretched. "You're kidding, right?"

She chuckled, and pulled a chair next to the bed. "So, want to hear the game plan for the next couple of days?" He nodded, and she sat down. "Well, as Dr. Friedmann told you, the embryo has to incubate for about four days. In the meantime, I'll show you what I have on the laptop, and you can start working on that."

"Okay," Tim said, "But, can I ask you one thing?"

"Shoot."

"Could I please have some breakfast before I get started? I'm starving."

The gray-haired doctor smiled. "Absolutely. I'll have Erin stop on her way here, and get you something."

Tim gave her a puzzled look. "You sure? I can eat whatever they're serving here."

"Trust me, Tim, you don't want to," she replied. "I'll call her right now."

*NCIS*

NCIS Special Agent Ziva David dropped her backpack on the floor behind her desk, and stretched. It was just after seven in the morning, and her boss, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, had called her and her co-workers in for a case. It was Saturday, and the team happened to be on-call. She looked over toward Agent McGee's desk to greet him, but it was empty. "That is odd," she said.

"What's odd?" Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo whispered from behind her.

"Tony!" she exclaimed, spinning around. "Never do that again."

"Sorry," he replied. "Now, what's odd?"

"McGee usually beats me here, but he has not come in yet," she explained.

"It's probably nothing," Tony replied. "Maybe his professor friend kept him out late last night."

"I sincerely doubt that," Ziva said, folding her arms.

"Relax, he'll be here any second," he assured her.

"Gear up, we've got a dead Marine," Special Agent Gibbs called out, striding into the bullpen. He looked at his agents, then looked toward McGee's desk. "Where the hell is McGee?"

The young agents looked at each, then back to Gibbs.

"Well?"

"I can answer that, Special Agent Gibbs," a deep voice came down from the staircase.

"Leon," Gibbs acknowledged the Director. "What's going on?"

"Special Agent McGee came to me last night", Vance said. "He asked me for a week of personal time."

"You? Why?"

"I'm afraid I don't have permission to disclose that information," he answered. "I would advise you to leave Agent McGee alone at this time."

Agent Gibbs opened his mouth to protest, but wasn't given the chance.

"Don't. He will get a hold of you when he's ready," he assured the silver-haired agent, then headed toward the elevator.

"Boss?" Tony asked.

"Truck. Now."

*NCIS*