Happy Monday. Thanks for posting.

Thanks for the latest installment. Even when we know the outcome [after all the boy ends up at Annapolis...] you write such vivid and interesting stories.

Great chapter, thanks

In everything else that had been going on, that's definitely something that you forget - calling the friends and relatives. Has to be tough on Jeff to call his mother and Kim's parents. Although, as you have here, I'd have thought that the Tomblin's would have been able to deal with a lot especially given how much not only Kim but her siblings have been through. So it's nice that Jeff gets an easier call there.

At least Jeff ended up calling Siobhan before 5 and not before 2. So that's something of a break, even though she still wouldn't have been pleased with the call. Trying to remember why Jeff owes her but I'm sure that it's for many things over the years and stories. :-)

It's funny how kids get expressions on their faces when they sleep. I guess we do as well, but people aren't usually checking on us to see our expressions.

I somehow have a feeling that Kim may not be heading back to Egypt quite as soon as Jeff hopes. Still, you never know.

What a way to meet your son - coming into a plane in a plastic box as a preme. Still, he gets to meet Jack and he's doing well, even if he is about to take a plane ride to Andrews and see the family neonatologist friend.

Thanks as always for writing.

My son, being a big lacrosse player, is definitely following Ohio State lacrosse but I don't think they're ranked as highly as last year. Hope they do well!

Benadryl, planes, and children are a good mix in my opinion. Used it when travelling down to Aus a couple of times with younger children. Worked a charm as they slept for over 8 hours of a 14 hour flight.

I have a real issue with "noise cancelling" headphones. All I hear is a high pitched whine in my ear which I find unsettling - I guess it's the tone that the headset uses to cancel out the other sounds. I find sound isolating ear buds to be much better in that I actually hear less of what's happening with those in. Obviously personal preference though. :-)

Sounds like things are going to speed up in Germany if the baby is going to come earlier. Can't imagine that it's great for a new born child to be flying when they may not have lungs that are sufficiently developed, but I guess the level of care isn't going to be that much different wherever they are - and they're heading to a very high quality medical facility.

Perhaps Jeff's neonatology experience will come in handy after all, though I'm guessing they need him more being a father than a doctor at the moment.

I would be worried sick if I were Jeff, but then again it's essentially the same with any c-section, except that most of the time the father is there. You're still putting your trust in the doctor's hands. Hoping all goes smoothly!

It's amazing how mature small children can be on occasion. Definitely not all the time, but they understand a lot more than we, as adults, often give them credit for. Certainly my daughter was about that age when she went to the hospital because her little brother had just been born. She was very well behaved - though we didn't stay very long. She definitely comprehended what was going on though, and wanted to meet her little brother.

You didn't mention it in your "future" story, but is the squid still fluent in Arabic? Or is that something you want to think about? ;-)

Unfortunately seems like Kim really isn't very happy - unsurprisingly given her condition. Can't help but feel for Jeff in all this. Frequently he's been the one stuck somewhere with Kim fretting, but this time he's the one fretting while she's barely with it and not a whole lot he can do.

Looks like Jeff has a lot of hours ahead of him. Here's hoping it's fairly smooth!

Thanks as always for writing.

I just checked if there is anything new and discovered two new stories. You just made my afternoon lot less boring. Its amazing

Interesting installment. Thanks.

Following with interest so far. They will land at Ramstein and ambulance over to Landstuhl, won't they? I don't remember any landing sites on that hill! Thanks for writing!

At least Jeff is prepared - though it sounds like some of the procedures involved in making this happen are quite rigorous. I wonder how often these sort of flights are used for someone who is simply a civilian versus a member of the military, government, etc. Guess I can look that up somewhere. :)

Kids grow at an amazing rate. Some people I know used to buy clothes ahead of time and usually ended up returning a good number of them because their child had grown more than expected. We sometimes couldn't even buy my son jeans before school went back because he'd have grown too much by the time he got around to wearing them!

Taking Sydney on that flight will definitely be fun. Took me years to work up the courage to fly with my kids.

Last sleep in a while? Doctors and the like certainly have it rough when it comes to sleeping!

Thanks as always for writing. Looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Thanks for posting!

Well you're certainly continuing to up the ante on this story! While I know full well that Kim and Jack survive based on your future stories, if I didn't know that then I'd definitely be worried!

If Kim's admitting she feels that bad, then she REALLY feels bad. I picture Kim and her family like the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail - continuing to fight and claim flesh wounds despite having lost limbs.

Obviously mere civilians like me wouldn't even be included in the discussions from the medical team, but Jeff, being a doctor, would definitely have to be careful how much he involved himself. Of course, I'm sure that Delia would have him kicked out too if he got in the way.

Kim's stats certainly aren't good, even to a layman like me.

So the question is, how easy is it to get a medevac for someone in Kim's condition to the US? Jeff is certainly going to have his work cut out for him to swing that one.

Thanks as always for writing. Looking forward to next week.

If I didn't know how this was going to turn out, I'd be scared!

Having sat in waiting rooms waiting to hear the results of surgery or tests, I can definitely imagine myself in Jeff's place trying to get things ready for when Kim returns - you have to do something in order to stop your mind from just running wild. Sometimes I read a book. Sometimes it's the active need to kill something in an FPS or some other type of video game. At least Jeff does have research he can look into, even if it doesn't immediately lead him anywhere.

And I agree that making contacts is the most useful thing to do. I know that's the case in the large company I work for, and assume that's just as true for you in the military. Whether it's OB's, or the people who work in the same facility, or a Colonel who you heard lecture and a course you attended.

At least Jeff has some advice now, even if it's that the baby may very well be coming early. Exciting stuff to look forward to!

Thanks as always, and glad you survived the snow. In my part of New England we had absolutely no snow at all! :)

I guess I picked the disease correctly - though that doesn't help Kim very much.

Always interesting to read when you're getting into the more medical details. I feel like I'm actually learning by reading your stories. Which I guess cannot be a terrible thing - though obviously I shouldn't be putting any of this into practice. :-)

At least Kim has a husband that can diagnose a disease like that over the phone. If she wasn't able to call Jeff, you'd have to wonder how long she might have gone without a diagnosis, and whether that might have made a difference. I'm sure Jackson would have asked a doctor for a consult, if one were available, but it wasn't immediately obvious that was the case.

Good that Kim has Tony to pick up after her. He's good for that at least. And you know he'll be solicitous in following up to make sure she's okay.

Thanks as always for writing. Sorry for being a week behind on reviews.