**********************************************

"Mom-my... Mooomm-mmyyyyy..."

Pam opened her eyes sleepily and smiled as she looked into the sweet face of her little boy, standing next to the bed in his footie pajamas, dragging his Heffalump blankie behind him. She reached over and tousled his hair.

"Hey, little man... what are you doing?"

"Mommy ‘wake?"

Pam looked over at the alarm clock on the bedside table. 5:01 AM. She groaned.

"No way, kiddo. It’s way too early. Still night-night."

"Nigh-nigh?"

"Yep."

"I come in?" J.D. perched his little chin on the edge of the mattress and looked at her with his big hazel eyes. He really did look exactly like Jim.

Pam reached out her arms. "Okay buddy, come here." She pulled him onto the bed, and he crawled over her and settled between her and Jim. He turned over and began poking at Jim’s nose.

"Daaaaaadd-dyyyyy..."

"Shhhh, J.D." Pam admonished, pulling his little hand away. "Don’t wake Daddy up. You have to be quiet. No talking."

"’Kay," he whispered. "Shhhhh..." He snuggled down and burrowed under the covers. Just as Pam had almost fallen asleep, he began to press his little feet into her stomach.

"Baby, what are you doing?" No response. He just continued to press his feet harder into her. "J.D., stop that!" He pressed harder and harder until it really began to hurt.

Pam’s eyes flew open and she looked around. The room was dark and quiet. The clock read 4:03. She could hear Jim breathing behind her, pressed up against her back, his arm over her waist and his hand resting on her rotund belly.

She smiled to herself. Lately, she had been having dreams about the little boy growing inside her. In each dream, he ranged in age from newborn to about 5 years old, and each time, he looked exactly like Jim. Not just a resemblance, but an exact facsimile, albeit much smaller. She chuckled at the thought of having her own mini-Jim.

She closed her eyes, and then she felt it again: that same pressure, the same pain. She groaned. She had been having Braxton-Hicks contractions for the last few weeks. They happened often, and they were annoying as hell.

She put her glasses on and got out of bed, stretching her back, and then quietly slipped out of the bedroom and padded downstairs to the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of water from the pitcher in the refrigerator, and then paced the living room, sipping her water slowly. Over the last few weeks, she had found that water and walking got rid of those obnoxious middle-of-the night contractions. But then another one hit. She set her water down and held onto the back of the couch, clutching her belly with her other hand. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. These were different from the other contractions she had been having. These ones actually hurt. And they were coming fast.

"Jim?" she called. No answer. "Jim!" She heard footsteps above her head, and Jim appeared at the top of the stairs, his hair disheveled, his eyes squinting in the bright light.

"What’s up?" he murmured sleepily, making his way down the stairs.

"Um… I think I’m having contractions," she said, her voice shaking. Jim’s eyes widened as he approached her. He reached out to place a hand protectively on her belly.

"You’re only 32 weeks… are you sure they’re not Braxton-Hicks?"

"Pretty sure… they really-" She suddenly sucked in a breath and clutched Jim’s hand, squeezing her eyes shut. "Ow, shit!" she whimpered.

Jim led her to the sofa and sat her down. He held her hand until the contraction ended. She opened her eyes to look into Jim’s face, which was pinched with concern.

"Okay Pam, just sit here. I’m going to call the doctor."

"It’s 4 AM!"

"Shit… okay, I’m calling the hospital. Just hang on."

He hurried to the kitchen grabbed the phone. He found the hospital’s number on the OB/GYN card they had hung on the refrigerator and dialed.

"Moses Taylor Hospital Emergency Room."

"Um, yeah, this is Jim, uh, I'm Jim Halpert. My wife, Pam is having contractions, and it’s 4 in the morning, so I can’t call her doctor, and she’s only 32 weeks, so should I call an ambulance, or just bring her in?"

"Whoa, slow down," said the voice on the other end. "She’s 32 weeks along?"

"Uh-huh."

"Is this her first baby?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. She’s probably having what are called Braxton-Hicks contractions, and they’re perfectly-"

"No!" Jim interrupted. "She’s been having Braxton-Hicks for a few weeks, but now she says that they really hurt, and they’re coming every five minutes." He looked out into the living room just in time to see Pam suck in her breath again and grab her stomach. He rushed to her and held her hand as she tried to breathe deeply.

"I see… how far away are you from here?"

"A few minutes."

"Okay, I want you to get her in the car and bring her here now. Pull up to the ambulance entrance and we’ll be waiting for her."

"Thank you!" Jim hung up and tossed the phone onto the couch.

"Alright. We’re going to the hospital. I’m just gonna change really quick."

"What?! I need to change too! I can’t go like this!" she said, gesturing to her outfit of a t-shirt and a pair of Jim’s boxers.

"Pam, we’re going to the hospital. No one’s going to care what you look like. Besides, you’ll be getting into a gown anyway."

Pam started to protest, but then decided that she just didn’t have the energy to haul herself upstairs. She nodded and lay back on the couch cushions with a shaky sigh.

"Okay. Just… hurry. Please."

Jim ran upstairs, taking two at a time. He threw on a pair of jeans and tugged a sweatshirt over his shirt. He grabbed his cell phone and wallet from the nightstand, and on the way out the door, he stopped by the dresser to grab a pair of his socks, a pair of Pam’s socks, and then snatched her Uggs from the closet.

He rushed back downstairs and sat next to Pam on the couch, pulling on his socks. She opened her eyes and let out a small laugh.

"That’s got to be some kind of a record."

He began to laugh with her, but then she gasped and clutched his hand again, screwing her eyes shut.

"Okay, okay, breathe. Just breathe," Jim said quietly. He sat, holding her hand and feeling absolutely helpless until the contraction ended. Pam let out a deep sigh and opened her eyes.

"Okay?"

Pam nodded.

Jim helped Pam get her socks and boots on her feet, and then helped her to stand up. They hurried to the front door, and Jim helped Pam with her coat before shoving his feet into his own shoes and putting his own coat on. He held her hand as he opened the door and grabbed the car keys from their hook on the coat closet door. He looked back at Pam, whose eyes were wide and brimming with tears.

"Jim… I’m scared," she whimpered. Jim leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"I know," he whispered. "Come on. Let’s go."

**********************************************

******************************

A few minutes later, they arrived at the hospital. As promised, a nurse met them in the ambulance bay. Jim jumped out of his seat and ran to the passenger door as the nurse walked toward the car with a wheelchair.

"Mr. and Mrs. Halpert?"

"Yeah," Jim said as he opened Pam's door.

"Hi, I'm Mindi." She put her hand gently on Pam's arm. "So you're having contractions?"

Pam nodded.

"Okay, we'll get you taken care of," she said, giving her arm a reassuring squeeze. "Mr. Halpert, why don't you go park the car, and we'll get your wife checked into the ER. Just let them know who you are at the front desk, and they'll let you back."

"Okay." Jim helped Pam sit in the wheelchair, then kissed her forehead and knelt down in front of her.

"Hey... It's going to be okay. I'll be right back."

Pam nodded again.

Mindi wheeled Pam inside, and Jim raced back around to the driver's side and drove into the parking garage. He quickly found a spot, parked, and rushed back into the ER and strode to the front desk.

"I'm Jim Halpert, I need to go--"

"Fill out a form, and take a seat," the woman behind the desk said, shoving a clipboard at him.

"No, I'm not sick, it's my wife, she--"

"Then have her fill out the form."

"HEY!" Jim shouted, pounding his fist on the desk. The receptionist jumped and looked at him, wide-eyed. As patient a man as he usually was, he wasn't going to put up with anyone's shit. Not today.

"My wife is in premature labor," he said slowly, through clenched teeth. "The nurse met us at the entrance and brought her in so I could park the car, and if you don't let me back there right now, I'm going to lose it. Do you understand me?"

"Okay... what's her name?"

"Pamela Halpert."

The receptionist typed something into the computer. "Exam 4. Down the hall, to the left."

"Thanks," Jim called as he went back.

"Jeez... point taken," he heard her mutter.

He found Exam 4, and walked in to find Pam already in a hospital gown, sitting on the edge of the bed, clutching Mindi's hands.

"Okay, Pam, just breathe... you're fine... it's almost over," she murmured soothingly. The contraction ended, and Pam looked up to meet Jim's eyes.

"Hey."

"Hi... sorry that took so long. The receptionist wouldn't let me back at first."

"Yeah... sorry about that," Mindi said. "Angela gets a little snarky early in the morning." Jim let out a small chuckle.

"Her name's Angela?"

"Yeah..."

"Hmm... how fitting," he said, shooting a grin at Pam, who, in spite of everything that was happening, smiled back.

"Okay, Pam, why don't you lie back, and I'll get you hooked up to a fetal monitor," Mindi said, fiddling with a contraption that kind of looked like the maternity support Pam had bought a few weeks before.

Once the band was around Pam's belly, Mindi hooked it up to the small monitor on a cart by the bed. The sound of their baby's heart beat began to echo through the small room. Jim smiled as he sat next to Pam on the tiny bed.

"I love that sound," he murmured softly.

Mindi smiled. "So, are you having a boy or a girl?"

"A boy," they replied simultaneously.

"So far, it looks like he's doing well. His heart rate is at 160, which is perfect. I'm going to start an IV and start you on some fluids." She wheeled over a cart with the IV supplies. "Who's your OB?" she asked, tying the tourniquet around Pam's arm.

"Kristine McNulty."

"Oh, you're in luck. She's on call tonight. Okay, little pinch," she said as she swiftly inserted the IV into Pam's vein, and secured it to her arm.

"Alright, you're all hooked up," she said, pushing some buttons on the IV machine, starting the saline drip. "I'll page Dr. McNulty and get her down here, and then we'll see which medication she wants to start you on. Hang in there, okay?" She walked out the door.

Pam nodded. She sighed and looked at Jim.

"Jim... what if she can't stop it? What if..." Her eyes filled with tears.

"Hey," he said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "It's going to be okay."

"You don't know that."

"No... I don't," he answered honestly. "But Dr. McNulty's great. I don't know, but I really do think it's going to be okay."

Pam sighed, and then suddenly gripped her stomach and gasped.

"Jim!" she whimpered. He pressed his forehead against hers as she clutched his hand.

"Breathe, Pam... just breathe."

******************************

*******************

"I spy with my little eye, something..." Jim scanned the room. "...something beginning with 'I'"

Pam looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "IV. Seriously, Jim? That's the best you could do?"

Jim hung his head in mock embarrassment. "I know. I suck at this."

"Yep."

"Okay, fine, your turn. Better make it good, Beesly."

"I spy with my little eye, something beginning with... 'D'."

"Hmmm... drawers?"

"Nope!" She pumped her fist in the air victoriously. "Okay, I spy with my--"

"Hey, wait, I get another guess!" Jim protested.

"Nooo, you don't."

Jim stuck out his lower lip, pretending to pout.

"Fine. At least tell me what it was."

Pam lay her head on his shoulder and looked up at him.

"Daddy," she said quietly, giving his hand a little squeeze. Jim smiled.

"Awww..." He kissed her softly, lovingly. Pam began to melt into him as they kissed, but then suddenly pulled away, her face contorting in pain.

"Another one?"

Pam nodded.

Jim sat with her, holding her hand, reminding her to breathe. He felt completely helpless... he wanted so badly to just take away her pain.

Just as the contraction ended, there was a knock at the door, and Dr. McNulty walked in, followed by Mindi.

"Hi, Pam... I'll be honest, you weren't on my list of people I wanted to see tonight."

Pam smiled. Dr. McNulty had a way of instantly putting her at ease.

"I'm going to check and see if you're dilated, and then I'll get some meds started."

"Sounds good," Pam said. She looked at Jim, still sitting beside her. "You might want to move, Jim," she said, smirking. "Unless, of course, you want her to check you, too."

"No, thanks," he laughed, scooting off the bed.

Dr. McNulty sat on the side of the bed, pulling a latex glove over her hand.

"Alright, Pam, put your feet together and let your legs fall open... good. This is going to feel a little weird." Pam flinched as the doctor inserted two fingers into her.

"Yeah, sorry," she said. "There's no other way to do that." She withdrew her fingers and discarded the glove.

"Well, good news. You're only one centimeter dilated, and your water hasn't broken, so we have an excellent chance of stopping labor. I'm going to give you a drug called terbutaline, and that should stop your contractions. But just in case, I'm also going to give you something to help mature the baby's lungs."

"Is that really necessary?" Jim stepped in. "I mean... do you think that the baby is going to come early?"

"We give betamethasone to every woman in premature labor, just in case. It's not going to do any damage to the baby... we just want to be prepared for all possibilities. But we really do have a good chance of stopping it, okay? Don't worry."

She drew the medication from a vial into a syringe and injected it into Pam's IV. At the same time, Mindi drew another medication into a syringe, and came over to Pam.

"Sorry, Pam, I'm going to need you to roll over to your side. This one goes in the hip."

Pam groaned and shifted to her side. Mindi swiped the fleshy area of her hip with an alcohol pad and then quickly pierced the skin, injecting the contents of the syringe into the tender muscle.

"Okay, that's it!" she said as Pam rolled back over.

"I'll be back to check on you in about twenty minutes," Dr. McNulty said. "Hang in there, okay?"

"Thanks!" Pam called as Dr. McNulty left the room.

"I'll be back in a bit, too," Mindi said. "If you need anything, just press this button." She handed Pam a small remote. "And, of course, you can always send Jim out to drag me in here," she said with a smile and a wink.

"Thanks."

"Sure thing. Do you want anything? Ice chips... a popsicle?"

"Ooh, a popsicle sounds good," Pam said.

"We have grape, cherry, strawberry, orange, and lemon-lime."

"Hmm... cherry."

"Okay, I'll be right back. Anything for you, Jim?"

"Grape's good. Thanks."

"Alright. One cherry and one grape, coming up." She left the room, returning a moment later to hand them their popsicles. "Call if you need anything," she said over her shoulder as she walked out.

"So," Jim said, sitting next to Pam again. "To... stopping labor, and to Mindi and her amazing popsicles."

"I'll eat to that," Pam said as they tapped their popsicles together.

*********************************

**********************************************

"Who do you think he'll look like?"

Jim and Pam were stretched out together on her tiny hospital bed, both absentmindedly rubbing their hands over her belly.

"Hmm..." Jim mused. "I hope he gets my ears, nose, and chin, and your crazy hair," he said, smiling.

"Oh, God, poor kid!" Pam giggled. "He'd look like Kramer!"

"Yikes... he'd never forgive us."

"You know," Pam said, laying her head on Jim's shoulder. "Lately I've been dreaming of him, and every time, he looks exactly like you. I mean exactly. Exact same hair, exact same face... just smaller."

"Really?"

"Mm-hmm. Except for that one time where he looked like Michael. Like how he looked on that TV show when he was a kid.

"Jeez... sounds scary."

"Oh, it was. I was seriously creeped out the next day whenever I looked at him."

"I can imagine."

"Seriously, though," she continued. "I do hope he has your hair. I love your hair." She raked her fingers through his shaggy mop, emphasizing her point. "And your eyes. You have beautiful eyes."

"You mean sexy and manly eyes?"

"Yes. Sorry."

"Thank you," Jim said with a grin. "He'd look good with your eyes, too. As long as he doesn't get your eyesight along with it. I don't want my kid to be a four-eyes."

Pam let out a grunt of indignation and smacked him lightly on the chest.

"He'd look cute with glasses! Like a little professor!"

Just then, Dr. McNulty walked in, followed by Mindi, who was wheeling in an ultrasound machine.

"How're you doing, Pam?" Dr. McNulty asked.

"Okay... I haven't had a contraction in awhile," she said, realizing that, in fact, she hadn't had a contraction in 15 minutes.

Dr. McNulty examined the long piece of paper coming out of the monitor beside the bed.

"I can see that," she said with a smile. "Looks like the meds are working."

"Thank God," Pam sighed.

"We'll still need to monitor you for a few more hours, to make sure that labor's stopped. I also want to do a quick ultrasound, just to make sure that everything's okay." She wheeled the machine over and pushed Pam's gown up to expose her abdomen. She applied the ultrasound gel and pressed the wand to her belly.

"Alright, let's see how this little guy's doing," she said as she moved the wand around Pam's abdomen. She pointed to the monitor.

"There's his head... oh, look, he's sucking his thumb!"

"Oh great, we have a thumb-sucker," Jim groaned, warranting another smack from Pam.

"You are so mean!" she exclaimed. "You'd better not make fun of him."

"Hey, I say it with love."

Dr. McNulty continued to run the wand over Pam's stomach, and then paused, her brow furrowing.

"Hmm..." she said. "Mindi, who's on for anesthesiology?"

"Arora."

"Page him. Call up to OB and book a room, too."

"What's going on?" Pam asked, suddenly alarmed as Mindi hurried out of the room. Dr. McNulty turned the screen toward them.

"Do you see that gray line?" she asked, pointing to the monitor.

"Uh-huh," Pam nodded.

"You have what's called a placental abruption. That's where the placenta starts to separate from the uterus before the baby's born. That's probably what induced labor. It was your body's way of telling us that something was wrong. Right now, you and the baby are okay, but we need to get you delivered as soon as possible."

"But... it's too early!" Pam protested.

"I know, but an abruption is very dangerous. It can cut off blood supply to the baby, and can also cause maternal bleeding. 32 weeks is early, but we’ve given you steroids to mature his lungs, and our NICU cares for babies smaller than yours all the time. He’s going to be okay." She patted Pam's leg. "We'll take you up in a couple of minutes."

"Oh God, Jim," Pam sighed as Dr. McNulty left the room. "I can't believe this is happening." Tears began to well up in her eyes. Jim sat down next to her, in a daze.

"Me neither," he said softly, tears filling his own eyes. He leaned over, absentmindedly kissing her temple. "Me neither..."

**********************************************

**********************************************

“Hi Erin, this is Jim. So, Pam’s gone into labor and we’re at the hospital, so we both won’t be in today… and, uh, won’t be for awhile… so if you could let Michael and Toby know, that would be great. ‘Bye.” Jim snapped his phone shut and went back to Pam’s bedside.

“Hey,” he said. “I called the office to let them know we won’t be in.”

“Okay,” Pam said quietly, closing her eyes and laying her head back on the pillows. Jim sat down in a chair next to the bed, and reached over to hold her hand.

“Oh, my God, Jim…” she said. “This is all moving so fast. I mean, we don’t have the nursery ready… I don’t even have a bag here!”

“Hey, it’s okay… I’ll go to the house later and get some stuff for you. And the baby won’t be home for awhile…” His voice caught as he realized that their son would be in the hospital for a long time.

“Alright, Pam,” Mindi said as she entered the room with another nurse. “This is Carol. She’s going to take you up to OB now, okay?”

“Hi, Pam,” Carol said with a warm smile. “Dr. McNulty is going to meet us upstairs.” She raised the side rails of the bed and she and Mindi rolled Pam over to the elevator.

“Alright, this is where I hand you off,” Mindi said. She gave Pam’s arm a squeeze. “Good luck, you two.”

“Thanks for everything, Mindi,” Pam said. Mindi smiled.

“My pleasure. I’ll come up later to see how you and your little guy are doing.” She waved as Carol rolled Pam into the elevator.

Dr. McNulty met them at the elevator upstairs and got Pam settled into her room. Jim pulled up a chair next to Pam’s bed and took his place beside her.

“Alright,” Dr. McNulty said, handing Pam a clipboard. “I’ve got some forms for you to sign. The first one is a consent for the C-section, and the second one is a consent for blood transfusions.”

“Transfusions?!” Pam yelped.

“It’s just in case. You’re not actively bleeding right now, but abruptions can be unpredictable. We just want to be prepared.”

With a resigned and shaky sigh, Pam signed the forms.

“Okay. Dr. Arora will be in shortly to do your spinal block, and then we’ll take you to the OR and get you delivered.”

“Okay,” Pam said quietly as Dr. McNulty left the room. She lay her head back, closed her eyes, and sighed. Jim reached over and laid his hand on Pam’s belly.

“Hey… he needs a name,” he said quietly. Pam opened her eyes.

“What?”

“Our kid needs a name. He can’t come into the world as ‘Baby Boy Halpert.’”

“You know,” she said. “In the dreams I’ve been having, we’ve been calling him J.D.”

“J.D.,” he repeated. “I like that.” He smiled. “Now all we need is to figure out what it stands for.”

“Well… I was thinking James. The world could use another James Halpert,” she said with a little smile as Jim’s smile spread into a grin.

“Sounds good to me.”

“Alright, so we’ve got the ‘J’ figured out… now what does ‘D’ stand for?”

“Hmm… Darryl?” Jim suggested with that mischievous glint in his eyes that Pam knew all too well.

“No.”

“Dwight?”

“Stop it!”

“Dunder-Mifflin?”

“Oh my God, shut up!" she giggled. "Come on, seriously!”

“Okay, okay…” He thought for a moment. “Hey, what about Daniel?”

“After my dad?”

“Yeah… one name from my side of the family, one from yours.”

“James Daniel Halpert…” she murmured. A smile spread across her face. “I love it.”

There was a knock at the door, and Carol, Dr. McNulty, and another doctor walked in.

“Hi, Pam,” he said. “I’m Dr. Arora. I’m the anesthesiologist. I’ll be doing your spinal block, and I’ll be with you during the surgery."

“Alright, I need you to sit on the side of the bed. And Jim, why don’t you kneel down in front of her to help keep her back rounded.”

Pam sat on the side of the bed, and Jim knelt in front of her, holding her hands. Carol moved to stand next to Jim as Dr. Arora wheeled over a cart and lined up his instruments on a tray.

“Alright, Pam, I need you to keep your back as rounded as possible,” he said. Carol helped Pam lean over. Pam wrapped her arms around Jim’s neck and rested her forehead against his, taking a few deep breaths to calm her nerves.

"I’m going to give you a local anesthetic first to numb you up. Okay, stick and a burn.”

Pam tried not to flinch as the needle entered her back. Carol held on to her shoulders to keep her back rounded.

“Now you’re going to feel some pressure, and then a warm tingling sensation in your legs.”

Pam sucked in a breath as yet another needle entered her back. As promised, she felt pressure, and then she felt the warm sensation move down her legs.

“Wow, that feels weird,” Pam said.

“All done,” Dr. Arora said. Jim stood and gave Pam a gentle kiss on her forehead.

“You good?”

“Yup.”

“I need to put in a Foley catheter now, Pam,” Carol said. “Unpleasant, I know, but with the epidural, you won’t have control of your bladder.”

“Lovely,” Pam muttered as she lay back again.

Carol sat on the edge of the bed and inserted the catheter as gently as she could. She attached a bag to the end and hung it under the bed.

“Okay, let’s rock and roll,” Dr. McNulty said. "Jim, you can leave your stuff in here. We’ll lock the door. Pam, we’ll get you to the OR and get you prepped, and Jim, we’ll get you scrubbed and gowned.”

They all made their way down the hall, and stopped at a set of double doors.

“Alright Jim, come with me,” Carol said. “We’ll get you ready and bring you back.”

Jim squeezed Pam’s hand and leaned his forehead against hers.

“Okay… see you in a bit,” he said, and kissed her softly. Pam nodded.

Jim went down the hall with Carol as Pam got wheeled in the OR where a team of doctors and nurses were waiting in gowns and masks.

One of the nurses came over to Pam and smiled from behind her mask.

“Hi Pam,” she said. “I’m Shirley. I’m the OR nurse, and I’ll be helping with the surgery. Okay, I need you to scooch over,” she said, helping Pam move over to the operating table.

Suddenly, it seemed like the room was moving as everyone began to set everything up, sterilizing and draping her abdomen, setting up a screen at the middle of her chest, moving instrument trays.

Carol and Jim entered the room then. Pam smiled when she saw Jim in a cap, gown, booties, and mask.

“You look like a doctor,” she giggled. Jim smiled.

“We should get you a nurse’s costume.”

“So not the time, Jim.” Pam closed her eyes and sighed.

“...We should, though,” she said, smiling softly.

Carol laughed and rolled a stool next to Pam’s head.

“Take a seat, Jim. You two are so cute. How long have you been married?”

“We’ve been married for three months,” Jim said. “We were engaged for a year, and we were together for a year before that.”

“Wow…” Carol said. Jim laughed.

“I know, it sounds fast. But I was in love with her for six years before that. She was engaged to a buffoon for three of those years.”

Pam smiled. “And then I realized that I was an idiot. I married my best friend, instead.”

“Okay, let’s get started,” Dr. McNulty said. “Who’s in the room?”

“Subhash Arora, Anesthesiology.”

“Shirley Lenney, OR nurse.”

“Carol Hathaway, OB nurse.”

“Matthew Hyams, OR tech.”

“Abby Lockhart, NICU.”

“Kristine McNulty, OB.”

“Wow, all for me?” Pam said.

“You’re the guest of honor,” Dr. McNulty said.

Pam and Jim talked softly as the surgery began, half-listening to the conversation of the nurses and doctors.

“Skin incision. Retract, please.”

“So, how do you want to decorate the nursery?” Jim asked.

“Suction.”

“Pressure’s holding at 110/70, pulse ox 98, pulse is slightly tachy at 100, crit’s 40.”

“I saw this really cute bedding set at Babies R Us. It’s blue and brown with stars. And a great furniture set too. It’s oak, and the crib converts into a toddler bed, and then a full bed.”

“So it should last him until he goes to college?”

“In theory… depends on how rough he is on it.”

“Abdominal incision. Bladder blade, please.”

“You’ll have to bring my laptop in,” said Pam. “I’ll show it to you on the website. I also tried out some rocking chairs.”

“Alright, uterine incision. Pam?”

“Yes?”

“How’re you doing?”

“Fine.”

“Okay… you’re going to feel a lot of pressure and some tugging. You’re about to become a mom. Do we have a name?”

“J.D.” they replied in unison.

Jim and Pam looked at each other, tears brimming in their eyes.

Pam grimaced as she felt the pressure, then the tugging.

“Here he comes,” Dr. McNulty said. “Suction, please.”

“Why isn’t he crying?” Pam asked nervously.

“We’re just getting all the junk out of his nose and mouth,” Carol said. “He’s fine.”

Pam and Jim sat anxiously, and then they heard a small cry.

“There we go!” Carol said. She pulled down the screen a little bit, and Dr. McNulty held up their red, scrawny, squawking son. “Hi, Mom!” she exclaimed. She handed him off to the NICU nurse.

Pam and Jim both had tears running down their faces as Jim kissed Pam’s face over and over.

“Oh, my God, we have a kid!” Pam said giddily. They both laughed.

“1 minute Apgar is 7,” Abby called from the other side of the room. “He’s retracting, though. Pulse ox is 95, pulse is 100.”

“Pressure’s falling… 90/60,” Dr. Arora said.

“Squeeze in another liter of saline.”

“What’s going on?” Jim asked nervously.

“Pam, there’s more bleeding than we expected. We’ve still got it under control.” Dr. McNulty said. “I need suction,” she said to Carol. "Abby, how's he doing?"

"5 minute Apgar is 5."

Abby came over, holding a bundled J.D. in her arms.

“I’m going to take him to the NICU now and we’ll get him checked out,” she said. “Say hi to Mommy, J.D.” She held him in between Jim and Pam.

“Hi, sweetie,” Pam said, moving her head over to kiss him. Jim kissed him on the other side of his head.

“Hey little man,” he said softly. “I’m your daddy.”

“Alright, I hate to cut this short, but he’s having a little difficulty breathing, so I’m going to take him to the NICU. Say ‘bye, J.D.”

“’Bye, baby,” Pam called as Abby walked out the door. She and Jim looked at each other happily.

“Holy crap,” Jim said. “We’re parents.”

“I know… can you believe it?”

“No,” Jim chuckled. He frowned suddenly as he noticed that Pam’s face had gotten pale, and her hand was cold.

“You okay?”

“Actually… I’m kind of dizzy,” she said.

“Crit’s falling… down to 25. Pressure’s 80/60,” Dr. Arora said.

“Damn, the clot’s blown,” Dr. McNulty said. “She’s lost two liters.”

“Oh, God,” Jim whispered.

“Carol, call the blood bank. Get four units of type specific, and four of packed cells and FFP. Shirley?”

“Yes?”

“Could you…?” Dr. McNulty nodded her head toward Jim. Shirley rushed to Jim’s side.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Halpert, I need you to come with me. We need some room to work on your wife.”

“But… but I can’t…”

“Go be with your son. We’ll come get you as soon as she’s stabilized.” She began to lead him out of the room.

“Jim?” Pam called weakly. Her vision was beginning to blur.

A man rushed in, brushing by Jim and Shirley, carrying bags of blood.

“Blood’s here!”

“Throw in an IJ line and squeeze it in. Get the crash cart, have ten of epi standing by.”

“She’s bradying down to 60!”

“Dammit, she’s going into DIC!”

“I love you, Pam!” Jim called has he was led out of the room.

“I… love…” Pam managed to whisper as darkness enveloped her.

**********************************************

***************************************

Jim stood outside the OR door in shock. He ripped off his gown, mask, and cap and threw them to the floor. He fell back against the wall and slid to the floor, tears streaming down his face, and buried his face in his hands. After what seemed like hours, he heard a voice next to him.

“Jim?”

He looked up to see Abby standing there.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know… Pam started bleeding badly, and they made me leave…” He shook his head in disbelief.

“Oh, God,” Abby said. “I’m sorry. They called the NICU and told me to come back up here, but didn’t give me specifics.” She held out her hand to help Jim stand up.

“Come on. I’ll take you to the NICU.”

“Thanks.”

Abby led Jim down the hall and into the NICU. It was much larger than Jim expected: a large room with a nurses’ station, and all along the perimeter were smaller rooms. Abby pointed to a large sink.

“You need to scrub and put on a gown just like you did for the surgery,” Abby said.

Abby went to talk to one of the nurses at the desk as Jim scrubbed. She got a gown from behind the desk and helped Jim put it on.

“Come on, I’ll take you to J.D.’s room,” she said, leading him to one of the rooms.

Jim’s heart pounded as he walked into the room. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw: his baby boy clad only in a diaper on a table under a bright lamp, an IV in his tiny hand, a tube in his mouth, heart monitor stickers on his chest and a red light attached to his foot. Abby pulled a chair next to the table and Jim collapsed into it.

“I know it looks scary,” she said quietly. “But he’s actually doing really well for a 32-weeker.” A doctor walked into the room then.

“Hi, Mr. Halpert,” he said, extending his hand. “I’m Dr. Grandy, I’m the neonatologist.” Jim shook his hand.

“Call me Jim,” he said.

“Alright, Jim. Now, your son is actually doing well. He was having trouble breathing on his own, so we needed to intubate him--“

“Intubate?”

“Put a tube down his throat to help him breathe. We gave him a medication called surfactant to open up his lungs, and he’s oxygenating well. He should only need to be on the ventilator for a few days.” Jim nodded slowly, struggling to understand this flood of information.

“He’s getting fluids and nutrition through the IV, and won’t be able to eat for awhile, because his digestive system isn’t matured enough yet,” he continued. “But all in all, he looks great. What’s his name?”

“James Daniel… J.D.”

“Alright. I’ll be back in at 6 tomorrow morning for rounds, and we’ll see how he’s doing.” He reached out to shake Jim’s hand again. “Congratulations, Jim.”

“Thanks,” he said quietly as Dr. Grandy left the room. Jim sat back in the chair and heaved a shaky sigh.

“I know,” Abby said. “This is a lot of information. I’ll be keeping an eye on him today. We’ve got the monitor out here and we’ll make sure everything’s going okay.”

“Can I…” Jim choked out. “Can I hold him?” Abby shook her head.

“Not right now. Right now, his nervous system would get over-stimulated if you held him. You can touch him, though.”

Jim stood up and looked down at his tiny, helpless son. He reached out a hand and gently ran the back of his index finger over J.D.’s head.

“Hey, little guy,” he said softly. “It’s Daddy...” J.D. opened his little eyes and squinted at Jim. Jim laughed softly as he stretched his little arms out.

“I’ll let you guys get acquainted,” Abby said softly, and left the room. Jim stood looking down at his son.

“Wow…” he murmured. He laid his hand on J.D.’s head, amazed at how tiny it was underneath his large hand, and then chuckled as he realized that it was about the size of a tennis ball.

“Tennis Ball Head. That’s your new nickname,” Jim said. He turned around when he heard a laugh from the doorway.

“Hey,” Carol said.

“Oh, my God,” Jim said. “Is Pam okay?!” Carol nodded.

“Yes. She’s stabilized and in recovery. She lost a lot of blood, but we transfused her, and she’s doing okay.” She walked over and looked down at J.D.

“He’s really beautiful,” she said. “So... Tennis Ball Head?”

Jim laughed. "I thought it was appropriate, given the size of his head. And the... fuzziness."

"Come on, I’ll take you to Pam.”

Jim stroked J.D.’s head with his finger again.

“’Bye, buddy. I’ll be back in a little while.”

He followed Carol out the door.

************************************************

**********************************************

Pam opened her eyes groggily and looked around, trying to process and make sense of her surroundings. She was in a hospital room. An IV pole was standing next to her bed. A bag of blood was hanging from it. The blood was flowing into an IV in her neck. Her stomach hurt. Her head hurt. She kind of felt like throwing up.

She looked down and saw Jim in a chair next to the bed, bent over, fast asleep, his head next to her legs.

“Jim…” she whispered. He didn’t stir. She tried again.

“Jim?” She moved her legs to nudge him. He jumped and opened his eyes.

“Hey,” he said with a weak smile. “You gave us a bit of a scare.” He got her glasses from the bedside table and slipped them onto her face.

She stretched a bit. “What happened?”

“You lost a lot of blood in the surgery. They had to give you transfusions.”

“Oh… that explains the…” She pointed to the bag of blood.

“Yeah. Gross, huh?”

“Yep,” she sighed, closing her eyes again. Seconds later, her eyes flew open again.

“Oh, God, the baby!”

“He’s okay,” he reassured her. “He’s in the NICU, but Abby and the doctor both said he’s doing well. Here.” He fished a Polaroid out of his pocket and handed it to her. She studied it closely, her eyes tearing up as she looked at her son, dwarfed by the monitors and tubes.

"James Daniel 'J.D.' Halpert, 12/30/2009. 6:37 AM. 3 lb. 6 oz." was written underneath the photo.

“Oh, God…” she whispered.

“I know… it looks pretty scary,” he said softly. “They had to put the tube in his throat to help him breathe, but the doctor said that he should be off the ventilator in a few days. Really, he looks worse than he is. I got to see him, and he opened his eyes and looked at me. It was pretty cute. I even gave him his first nickname.”

“What?”

Jim grinned. “Tennis Ball Head.” Pam laughed and then grimaced in pain.

“Oh, God, don’t make me laugh,” she said. “…Tennis Ball Head?”

“Well, yeah. His head’s about the size of a tennis ball. And fuzzy… He’s beautiful though, isn’t he?”

Pam looked at the photo again and smiled. “Yeah… he is.” She looked up at Jim. “We do good work.”

Carol walked into the room then.

“Hi, Pam. How’re you doing?”

“Ugh,” she responded.

“Pain? Nausea?”

“Both.”

“Okay, I’ll get you some more pain meds. And I’ll get you some ice chips. Be right back.” She left the room and came back a moment later, handing Pam a cup of ice. Pam crunched on a few pieces as Carol injected some medicine into her IV. Pam felt the effects almost immediately and lay back on the pillows, sighing.

“Ohhh… that’s good.”

Jim snickered. Pam opened one eye to glare at him.

“Shut up,” she muttered. “Hey, can I go see J.D.?” Carol shook her head.

“Not right now. You need to recover a little more. You can probably see him this afternoon.” Pam nodded. Another nurse walked into the room.

“Hi, Janet,” Carol said. “Pam, this is Janet. She’ll be your post-partum nurse.”

“You’re leaving?”

“Yep. You’re in good hands.”

“Thanks.” Pam closed her eyes again and fell back against the pillows. Janet chuckled.

“Looks like the pain meds are kicking in.” She patted Pam’s leg. “I’ll be back in a bit to check on you. Get some rest.”

“’Kay,” Pam mumbled as Janet left the room. Jim laughed and stood up, taking her cup of ice and glasses, and placed them on the bedside table.

“Hey,” he said, leaning over close to her. “I’m going to run home and get some stuff for you.” He kissed her gently. “Get some sleep,” he whispered. "See you later... Mom.” Pam smiled.

“Mom,” she sighed. “I love it. See ya... Dad.”

“Yep,” Jim grinned. “Sounds good.”

**********************************************

****************************************

“Hey, Sleeping Beauty.”

Pam yawned and stretched, wincing from the pain of her incision.

“How long have I been asleep?”

Jim looked at his watch.

“Almost four hours.” Pam’s eyes widened as she put her glasses on.

“Holy crap,” she said. “I hope I didn’t bore you.” Jim shrugged.

“Nah,” he said. “You’re entitled to some sleep. It’s been a crazy day.” Pam nodded in agreement.

“And hey, it gave me a chance to get caught up on my celebrity gossip,” he said, holding up a copy of US Weekly. “Can you believe they’re still reporting about Jon and Kate Gosselin?”

“Ugh, I’m so sick of them,” Pam said. “I mean, hello, your fifteen minutes is up.”

“I know, but you know me. I’m a gossip junkie.” He laughed. “Actually, I’ve only been reading for about ten minutes. I was at home for an hour, and then I spent a few hours hanging out with J.D.”

“How’s he doing?”

“Conked out. I think his day’s been a little crazy too.”

Pam reached up to rub her neck, sore from the position she slept in. Her hand rubbed against a large bandage where the IV used to be.

“When did that come out?” she asked.

“I have no idea. It was gone when I got back. They took the Foley out too.”

“Good. I wasn’t a fan of that thing.”

There was a soft knock at the door and Janet walked in.

“Hey, you’re up,” she said. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better,” Pam replied. Janet nodded.

“Yeah, four hours of sleep will do that.” She looked at the monitors next to Pam’s bed and recorded the results in her chart. “Your vitals look good,” she said with a smile. “Do you want to go see J.D. now?”

Pam’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Absolutely.”

"Yes, I want to see him!”

Janet smiled. “I thought you would.” She pulled a wheelchair over to Pam’s bed and helped her to sit up. “Go slowly. There’s no rush.” Jim came over and helped Pam into her robe and slippers, and then helped Janet ease Pam into the chair. She took Pam’s IV bag from the pole next to the bed and hung it from the pole on the wheelchair.

“Jim, you know where the NICU is, right?” Janet asked.

“Yup.”

“Alright, I’ll let you take her down,” she said. “I need to stay up here. See you guys in a bit.”

“Okay, here we go,” Jim said, wheeling her toward the elevator.

They were both quiet on the ride down. Pam’s heart began to flutter as they approached the NICU. Jim pressed a button next to the door.

“Yes?”

“Hi, we’re here to see our son.”

“Name?”

“Halpert.”

There was a loud buzz and Jim pushed the door open and wheeled Pam over to the scrub sink. They both scrubbed their hands and donned their gowns, and then Jim wheeled Pam into J.D.’s room. Pam immediately burst into tears.

“What’s wrong?” Jim asked, alarmed. Pam sniffled.

“He’s just so… tiny!”

Jim nodded. “I know… but the doctor said he’s doing really well.”

“Can I hold him?”

“Not yet. He’d get over-stimulated. You can touch him.”

Pam reached over and gingerly rubbed his arm with her finger.

“Hi, sweetie,” she said softly. As if he recognized her voice, J.D. opened his eyes and looked right at her. She slipped her pinkie into his hand, and she gasped as his little fingers closed around it.

“Wow,” she breathed. “How is it possible to love him so much when I just met him?” She looked up at Jim. “I mean, I know I fell in love with you quickly, but… wow.”

“I know,” Jim agreed. “It’s almost scary how much I love him. I always knew you loved your kids… I just never realized how much you fell in love with them."

“Yeah…” Pam smiled, and then began to giggle.

“What’s so funny?” Pam looked up at Jim and grinned.

“He got your ears.” She giggled again. Jim laughed.

“I know. Poor kid.”

“Aww… I like your ears.”

They were suddenly startled as an alarm started beeping.

“Oh, God, what is that?” Pam asked, panicked. Abby walked in the door.

“Nothing to worry about, guys,” she said. “The IV’s just empty.” She removed the empty bag and replaced it with a new one, and pushed some buttons on the machine.

“All set.” She turned to Pam. “It’s good to see you up, Pam. How are you feeling?”

“Okay… a little sore. And tired.”

“Well, it’s been a wild morning. But so far, he’s doing great. He’s actually one of the healthiest babies I’ve seen here in awhile."

Pam’s eyes widened. “Really?” Abby nodded.

“Yup. He doesn’t need any medications to steady his blood pressure or pulse, he doesn’t need antibiotics, and he’s actually triggering the vent, which means that he’s taking some breaths on his own. I know it looks scary, but I promise, he’s doing great.”

Pam sighed with relief. “That’s good to hear.”

“So, I know you’re kind of busy,” Jim said, “but would you mind explaining all the monitors and stuff?”

“Sure. The stickers on his chest monitor his heart rate.” She pointed to the monitor’s screen. “That’s the first line. Those numbers next to it is his blood pressure. The line below that is his breathing rate, and the number next to it is how much oxygen is in his blood. Right now, he’s at 99%, which is pretty much perfect. That’s what the red light on his foot measures.” She smiled. “Any other questions?”

Pam thought for a moment. “Oh! When can he start eating?”

“Probably in a few weeks. We’ll start with tube feedings, and then move on to bottles. Are you planning on breastfeeding?” Pam nodded.

“Fantastic. We’ll let you use a breast pump here, and we’ll store your milk here, so when he’s ready, we’ll start giving it to him. And when you go home, you can rent or buy a pump at Babies R Us."

“Okay, sounds good,” said Pam.

“I’ll have them send a pump up to your room. Congratulations, you guys. He’s really beautiful.”

“Thanks,” they both called as she left the room.

Jim pulled a chair to the other side of J.D.’s bed and sighed as he sat down.

“Oh, hey,” he said. “I called my parents and your parents to let them know. Your mom wants to come up to help us out.”

“Good. She can help me shop for stuff once I recover.” She grinned.

“Oh, God,” Jim groaned. “Even surgery can’t keep you away from the credit cards.”

Pam laughed. “Hey, it’s not like I’m buying a bunch of crap I don’t need! He’s going to need stuff when he comes home.” She looked at J.D. “Don’t worry, buddy. You’ll have everything you need. One condition, though.”

“You’re handing out ultimatums now?” Jim laughed.

“Absolutely. James Daniel Halpert, you need to promise me that you’re going to get big and strong. Can you do that for Mommy?”

“Yes, Mommy, I can!” Jim said in a high voice. “I’m gonna get soooo big! Sooo big and manly, just like Daddy!” Pam laughed.

“Glad to hear it.” They both smiled down at their son and just stared at him.

“I love you, Tennis Ball Head,” Pam whispered.

*************************************************

**********************************************

Over the next few days, Pam and Jim fell into a routine: Pam had insisted that Jim go home to sleep, so every morning Jim would arrive at the hospital at 5:30 and wake Pam up. Pam would spend 20 minutes pumping, and then Jim would bring her milk down to the NICU for them to store, allowing Pam to sleep. He sat quietly with J.D., reading, until Dr. Grandy and his team arrived to do their daily rounds. Jim diligently took notes on the daily reports, and later relayed them to Pam, and then sent update e-mails to their families.

During the days, Pam and Jim spent their time in the NICU, talking softly to J.D. when he was awake, and researching baby gear online while he slept. Every three hours, Pam would pump and store her milk. The nurses were quite impressed at the amount of milk Pam had managed to produce in just a few days.

On day three of J.D.’s life, Pam was discharged from the hospital. She and Jim went home, and while Pam napped, Jim went to Babies R Us to purchase a breast pump and other necessities.

That afternoon, while they were in the NICU, Abby and Dr. Grandy came in.

“Hi, Pam,” he said. “I heard you got discharged today.”

“Yup.”

“Well, I have some good news for you guys. J.D. is ready to come off the ventilator.”

“Really?!” Pam asked excitedly.

“Really. We’re going to put him on CPAP, which will deliver pressurized oxygen through his nose to remind him to breathe. But he’ll be breathing on his own, so it’s a big step forward.” Abby came over with a supply cart.

“Abby, get ready to bag him.”

“Ready.”

“Alright, here we go.”

Dr. Grandy pulled out the tube, and Abby placed a mask over J.D.’s nose and mouth, squeezing the attached bag.

“Come on, buddy,” she said. “Make some noise.” Jim and Pam held their breaths and squeezed each other’s hands.

J.D. squirmed suddenly and let out a small wail. Jim and Pam sighed with relief.

“That’s what we like to hear,” Abby said with a smile.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to hear a baby cry before,” Jim said.

Dr. Grandy listened to J.D.’s lungs, and Abby attached the CPAP to J.D.’s nose. He stretched and smacked his lips, as if he was trying to figure out why his mouth felt different.

“Alright,” Dr. Grandy said. “Everything looks great. I’ll be by later to check on him, but it looks like he’s doing fine.” He left the room.

“So, Pam, would you like to hold him now?” Abby asked.

“Oh, my God, really?!”

“Mm-hmm. I think he’s ready.” She pulled a rocking chair next to J.D.’s bed. Pam sat down, and Jim sat down in a chair next to her.

“We’re going to do what’s called ‘kangaroo care’,” Abby said. “I’m going to put J.D. on your chest, underneath your shirt, and that’s so he can have skin-to-skin contact, and your body heat will keep him warm.” She gingerly lifted J.D. from his bed and brought him over to Pam. With some maneuvering, Abby slipped J.D. under the neckline of Pam’s shirt, and Pam smiled as she felt his little body relax into her chest.

“Look at that,” Abby said, pointing to the monitor. “His heart rate is already going down, and his oxygen level is up.” She smiled as she headed toward the door. “I’ll be back in a bit to check in.”

Pam rocked in the chair, looking down at J.D.

“Wow,” she said, awed.

“Wow,” Jim echoed. He reached out to lay his hand on J.D.’s back. “My God, he’s tiny.”

“Such a keen observation,” Pam laughed. They sat in contented silence for a few moments, and then Pam’s eyes suddenly widened.

“Um… Jim?”

“What?”

“I don’t know if it’s because I’m holding him or what, but, um… I’m leaking,” she said, embarrassed. “Do you want to take him while I pump?”

“Oh, let me think about that for a sec. Yes.” Pam laughed and pressed the call button, and Abby walked in a moment later.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“Jim needs to hold him while I pump.”

“Okay, no problem. Jim, the easiest way to do this is for you to take your shirt off.”

“Oookay…” Looking a bit uncomfortable, Jim peeled off his shirt. Pam whistled.

“Yeah, baby.”

“Oh, be quiet,” Jim said, rolling his eyes.

Abby laughed and gently took J.D. from Pam and brought him over to Jim. She got him settled against Jim’s chest and placed a blanket over him.

“You good?” she asked.

“So good,” Jim murmured with a soft smile.

“Alright, I’ll give you guys some privacy. Call if you need anything.” Abby left the room and gently closed the door behind her.

As Pam pumped, she and Jim talked quietly, both amazed at how casual they could be while Pam was doing something so private.

“Is this weird for you?” she asked.

“What?”

“This,” she said, gesturing to the pump. “Me being attached to a… milking machine. Like a cow.”

Jim laughed. “Yeah, it’s a little strange,” he admitted. “But it doesn’t gross me out or anything. I’m used to it now. Besides, it benefits J.D., so it’s a good weird.”

“You sure?”

“Yup. Besides…” he said with a sly grin. “It looks fantastic.”

“J.D., your dad is weird.”

She finished pumping and stored her milk in the small freezer that Bob Vance and Phyllis had given to them. She walked over and placed a soft kiss on J.D.’s fuzzy head.

“I hope you can start eating soon,” she said. “Our freezer’s getting full.” She kissed Jim’s cheek. “Who would’ve thought that our most useful baby gift would come from Vance Refrigeration?”

She sat in her chair and watched Jim as he held their son. She had always known that Jim would be an amazing dad, but seeing it herself was so much better. She reached into her bag and pulled out her sketchbook. She turned her chair so that she was facing Jim, and smiling contentedly, she began to draw.

**********************************************

*******************************************
When J.D. was two weeks old, Jim went back to work. David Wallace had graciously told him that he could take a month off, but Pam had insisted that he go back. They needed the money, after all, and even with insurance, the hospital bills wouldn’t be cheap.

Jim arrived to a warm welcome. Michael nearly knocked him down when he walked into the office.

“Jimbo!” he shouted. He embraced Jim awkwardly, and then stepped back to look at him proudly.

“Look at you…” he said. “Big Daddy. Daddy-o. Hey, was it freaky? Seeing him come out of Pam’s vagina?” He turned to the camera. “Medical. Not offensive.”

“She had a C-section, Michael.”

“Yeah, I knew that. They still had to open up her vagina.”

“Okay! Who wants to see pictures?” Jim called, desperate to change the subject.

Everyone gathered around Jim’s desk as he brought up a slideshow on his computer and proudly showed off the dozens of photos of J.D. Dwight, however, quickly lost interest.

“Pointless,” he scoffed. “Schrute babies could survive without all that machinery.”

“Really?” Jim deadpanned. “Even if they were born early?”

“Please. Schrutes are always punctual… Except for Mose.”

*********
Dwight: Mose was born early. He weighed 3 pounds. His mother fed him with an eyedropper, and he slept in a drawer by the wood stove. He didn’t need that fancy machinery, and he turned out fine.
*********


“Ohmigod, he’s SOOOOOO cute!” Kelly squealed. “He’s so hairy. What’s up with that?” Jim frowned, suddenly feeling very protective.

“Preemies are born with a lot of hair on their bodies,” he explained. “Keeps them warm.”

“Like Chewbacca!” Michael offered.

“Yeah, not… quite.” Jim muttered. He moved on to picture of Pam holding J.D.

“Wow, her boobs are huge!” Michael exclaimed. Jim quickly exited the slideshow as Kevin giggled.

“Okay, picture time’s over!” he announced. “I have to get back to work.”

“Yeah,” Michael said. “Gotta rake in the bucks. Gotta build your egg… your egg nest.”

“Nest egg,” Dwight corrected him.

“Whatever!” Michael called as he walked into his office. Everyone went back to their desks, congratulating Jim as they dispersed.

*********
Angela: “I’m happy for them. A baby is a wonderful blessing from God… even if he was conceived illegitimately. They’re married now, but,” she looked intently into the camera, “They’re not fooling anyone.”
*********
Oscar: “I’m glad the baby’s doing well. I think him being born early is a blessing in disguise. December 30th… Tax deduction.” He suddenly looked guilty. “Was that insensitive?”
*********

As Jim had predicted, he didn’t have a very productive day. Pam interrupted him several times by texting him with pictures of J.D.

“Jim, let me remind you that this is work,” Dwight said when Jim received his 10th text from Pam. “You are not getting paid to fiddle with your little phone.” Jim ignored him. “Jim! Are you hearing me? You are stealing company time! Jim!” He groaned in frustration. “That’s it. I am writing you up.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault,” Jim finally said. “Pam’s texting me. Are you telling me to ignore my wife? The mother of my child?”

“She should know better than to bother you at work.”

“Oh, she does. She just doesn’t care.”

“Fine.” Dwight pulled a notebook from his desk drawer. “I’m writing her up, too.”
************************************************

**************************************
“I like this room. It’s like… a baby spa.”

Pam glanced up from her book and looked at Jim, who was looking out the window to the hospital’s courtyard below.

“A baby spa?” she laughed. “Okay, I know this room is nicer than the last one, but come on, don’t you think you’re pushing it?”

“Nope. He’s got his own little climate-controlled environment, good eats… I mean, my God Pam, he’s even got his own tanning bed.”

Pam laughed again and peered at J.D. in his isolette, stretched out under the blue phototherapy lights to treat his jaundice. With his little eye shields on, he did kind of look like he was in a tanning bed.

J.D. was nearly four weeks old, and at 4 pounds, 5 ounces, stable enough to move to an incubator in a larger, sunnier room. His CPAP had been replaced with a small oxygen nasal cannula, he didn't need an IV anymore, and he had begun receiving Pam’s milk through a thin tube in his nose. His sucking reflex was stronger, and he was able to take about an ounce from a bottle before he got tired, and the rest went through the NG tube.

Jim, Pam, and Dr. Grandy had begun discussing when J.D. could go home. He was now referred to as a “feeder and grower”; in order to go home, he needed to be able to take all of his feedings by mouth, maintain his body temperature in an open crib, and reach at least 5 pounds. At the rate he was improving, Dr. Grandy predicted that he would be able to go home within the next two weeks.

A timer went off, signaling the end of J.D.’s jaundice therapy, and Abby entered the room to switch off the blue lights and remove his eye shields.

“Tanning time’s over, J.D. It’s chow time,” Abby said. She turned to Pam and smiled. “Do you want to try nursing him?” Pam’s eyes widened.

“Oh my gosh, yes!" she exclaimed.

“Alright. Why don’t you wrap him up, and I’ll get the nursing pillow.”

Pam got J.D. wrapped up in a blanket and sat down with him, and Abby walked in a moment later with a circular pillow. She helped Pam put it on and get J.D. positioned, and scooted a small stool under Pam’s feet. Jim sat in a chair next to Pam, and Abby pulled a stool over to the other side as Pam unbuttoned her blouse. J.D. was already beginning to pucker his lips and open his mouth.

“Yep, he’s definitely hungry,” Abby laughed. “Okay, Pam, the important thing is that you need to bring him to the breast, not the other way around. It’ll be easier for him to latch on, and will prevent back strain. Alright, now stroke his cheek so that he opens his mouth really wide, and then bring him up.”

Pam gently stroked J.D.’s cheek, and he turned toward her and opened his mouth. Pam brought him up to her breast, and he immediately latched on. He paused for a few moments, and then his sucking reflex kicked in. Pam’s eyes widened.

“Oh wow… that feels really weird.”

“It doesn’t hurt, does it?” Abby asked.

“No… just feels funny.”

“Good. It’s important that he gets the entire nipple, and most of the areola, into his mouth, to prevent soreness. Right now, his mouth is really small, but it looks like he’s got a great latch.” She smiled. “Looks like he’s a natural. I’ll give you guys some privacy. Just call if he gets tired out.” She left the room, closing the door behind her.

Pam looked at Jim, who was grinning like a fool.

“Wow,” he said. “He’s really going at it.”

“Yeah he is.”

Jim watched in awe as Pam rocked back and forth, smiling down at J.D. Every few minutes, he would stop and then start again. After about 10 minutes, he stopped altogether. Pam pressed the call button, and Abby walked in.

“How’s it going?” she asked.

“I think he’s tired out,” Pam said. Abby checked her watch.

“Well, he went 10 minutes. That’s pretty good for a first time,” she said. “Alright, slide your pinkie between his lips and the nipple to break the suction. Don’t try to just pull him from the breast, because believe me, your nipples will get sore.”

“Wouldn’t want that,” Pam laughed as she unlatched J.D. Jim leaned over and kissed his head.

“Good job, buddy,” he whispered. He raised his head to kiss Pam. "You too," he said with a smile.

“Alright,” said Abby. “We’ll give him a little bit more through his NG tube. You did great, Pam.”

“Okay, my turn to hold him!” Jim said.

Abby laughed and gently took J.D. from Pam and handed him to Jim. She left for a moment, and came back with a small container of milk. She inserted a syringe into the end of J.D.’s feeding tube, and poured a small amount of milk into it, letting gravity pull the milk down the tube. She repeated the action a few times until the milk was gone, and detached the syringe. She looked at her watch again.

“Alright guys, I’m off now. I’ll see you tomorrow. Remember to burp him, Jim.” She smiled and left the room.

Jim hoisted J.D. up to his shoulder and gently rubbed his back. After a few moments, J.D. let out a belch. Pam burst out laughing.

“Just like his daddy,” she giggled. Jim gave her a look.

“Hey now,” he warned. “Don’t be mean, or I won’t give him back.”

“I’ll have to feed him again in a few hours!”

“Oh that’s low, Pam. Just because you have breasts…” he shook his head. Pam smacked him on his arm.

“Whoa, hey! I’m holding a baby here!”

She laughed again and reached over to hold J.D.’s hand. She looked at Jim and smiled contentedly.

“One more step closer to coming home,” she said quietly. Jim smiled.

“Yeah… we’re almost there.”
****************************************

*******************************
“Oh, come on, Jim! J.D. does not need a jacuzzi tub… with a shower attachment!” Pam exclaimed as Jim scanned the barcode of the large box in front of them. “We don’t even have a jacuzzi tub.”

“But it’s so cool! Come on, what kid wouldn’t want a spa bath?”

“Jim… he’s a baby. He’s not going to care.” She snatched the scanner away from him. “That’s it, mister,” she grinned. “You have lost scanning privileges. I should’ve taken it when you scanned those eighteen bottles, but noooo, I had to let you keep going. Really, Jim. I think it’s a sickness at this point. I should’ve cut you off sooner.”

“So this is an intervention?” Jim laughed.

“Yep.”

“Alright.” He shrugged. “What tub do you find suitable?” Pam looked around, and then bent down to pick up a blue whale-shaped tub.

“This one!” she said, holding it up. “It’s simple, small enough to fit in the sink, and admit it, it’s adorable.”

“I hate to admit it, because really, I think I’m emasculating myself… but it is adorable. Okay. Scan it.”

“I win,” Pam grinned as she scanned the bar code. She sighed. “This store is huge. I think it’ll be another three hours before we cover all of it.” Jim nodded.

“That’s okay… we can come back another time, and we can also add stuff online. Don’t worry about it.”

Pam was right. Babies R Us was a big store. Since Pam hadn’t had her baby shower yet when J.D. was born, Pam’s mom had decided that she would throw them a baby shower/welcome home party after J.D. came home, so she had convinced them to register.

“Um, what should I put as the ‘event date’?” Pam had asked when she filled out the registry form.

“That’s your due date,” Cheryl, the woman at the desk, said.

“Well… technically, it’s in February. But he came early. He was born last month.”

“Oh, wow,” Cheryl said. “How’s he doing?”

“Really well,” Jim replied. “He’ll be coming home in a few weeks. She hadn’t had a baby shower yet when he was born, so we’re having a welcome home party instead. Which is why we’re registering.”

“Oh, alright. You might as well just put your original due date. It really doesn’t matter much. We just need a date to put in the system.”

As soon as Cheryl finished putting their information into the computer, she gave a little explanation on how to use the scan gun, and sent them on their way.

An hour later, they were still slowly making their way around the store, scanning things. They finally finished up in the infant care section and made their way over to baby gear.

“So… what kind of car seat should we get?” Pam asked. “Looks like there are a lot of them.”

“Hmm… oh, remember the one we saw online?” Jim looked around. “I think that’s it.” They walked over to a car seat on display.

“Yeah, this is it,” Pam said. “It looks even nicer than it did online. And it’s gender neutral, so if we have a girl someday…”

“Whoa, jumping the gun a little, are we?” Jim laughed.

“Don’t worry. Not planning on another one for a few years,” Pam said, scanning the bar code on the shelf tag.

“Uh… J.D. certainly wasn’t planned,” Jim smirked.

“Well, we’ll just have to be more careful, won’t we?” she replied, giving him a little pat on the butt.

Another hour later, they returned to the registry desk. Pam sighed as she plopped into a chair.

“How’d it go?” Cheryl asked.

“Good… a little tiring. We’re nowhere near finished,” Pam replied. Cheryl chuckled.

“Yeah, this store can get pretty overwhelming. Believe me, you’re not the first mom to say that.” She took the scanner from them and uploaded the information. She printed out the registry and handed it to them. “Remember, you can come back any time to add more items.” She smiled. “Alright, you’re all set. Thanks for registering with us!”

“Thank you,” Pam replied, standing up. “Come on, let’s look at clothes!” she said to Jim, scampering off to get a basket.

“You’ve created a monster,” he said over his shoulder he followed Pam to the clothing racks.

“Have fun!” Cheryl laughed.

“Oh my God, we have to get this!” Pam exclaimed, holding up a hooded coverall. It was blue and fuzzy, with bears on the feet and ears on the hood. “This will be perfect to take him home in!”

“That is cute,” Jim agreed. Pam grinned and put it in their basket. She sifted through another rack and pulled out another hanger.

“Ooh, monkey jammies!” she exclaimed, holding them up. Jim nodded his approval, and she added them to the basket.

“Hey, how about this?” Jim picked up a sweater vest and held it up for Pam to see. Pam giggled.

“Add a pink tie and he’ll look like Andy!” Jim gave the set another look and hastily put it back on the rack.

“Yikes.” He looked around. “Oh, look at this!” He grabbed a hanger off another rack and held up a brown onesie. “Guitar for a rock n’ roll baby?”

“Oh, that’s so cute!” Pam pulled another onesie off the rack. “Skulls to go with it?”

“Perfect,” Jim grinned. “He’s going to be the coolest kid ever.”

Pam laughed and looked at her watch.

“Hey, it’s 4 o’clock,” she said. “I have to feed him soon.”

“Ok, let’s go check out,” Jim replied. “Besides, I think if we stayed any longer, you’d buy out the entire store.” Pam looked up at him narrowed her eyes, but she couldn’t stop the smile forming on her lips.

“Oh, shut up.”

*******************************

*************************************
“Hey, squirmy-wormy… hold still,” Pam cooed as she tried to wrestle J.D. into a set of pajamas. “Look buddy, I know you’re used to being naked, but it’s time to stop being an exhibitionist. It’s time to start wearing clothes like a normal person.”

Pam finally pulled his little arms through the sleeves and put on his cap and booties. She smiled as J.D. continued to fidget, utterly confused at the ridiculous trappings that he was being forced to wear.

“Oh my God, you look so cute. Daddy needs to see this.” She pulled out her cell phone and snapped a picture, and then sent it to Jim, who was at work.

Over the last week, J.D.’s condition had improved rapidly. He was continuing to steadily gain weight, and had been moved to an open crib. He no longer needed oxygen, and was taking all of his feedings by mouth. He still needed some extra care; he was having periods of apnea, and he had developed reflux, but it was being easily managed with medication. At 4 pounds, 10 ounces, his little cheeks were filling out, and he now fit into preemie-sized clothing.

Since his first few days of life, he had received sponge baths, but was now able to be bathed in a tub, a task Jim and Pam were more than willing to take on. His first bath had been thoroughly nerve-wracking; he was already a squirmy little guy, and his skin was slippery, which caused Jim and Pam to worry that he would slip out of their grasp. But with some help from Abby, they learned how to support his tiny body to keep him safe. After that, bath time became an enjoyable activity.

Although they had felt like parents from the moment he was born, with the routine they had now fallen into, they felt even more so. They changed his diapers, they rocked him to sleep, Pam nursed him without assistance; it felt like practice for when he came home. Pam was surprised at how easily she had transitioned to the role of “Mom.” In the past, she had always felt that she was bad with kids, but with J.D., everything came so naturally.

Later that evening, Pam had just finished changing J.D.’s diaper when Jim arrived. He kissed Pam and then turned his attention to J.D.

“Hey, buddy,” he said. “Daddy’s back!” J.D. gurgled and began to wriggle around, something he had recently started doing whenever Jim arrived in the morning, or after work, as if he was so excited that he couldn’t contain himself. Jim laughed and picked him up, pressing kisses to his cheek.

“I missed you so much today,” he murmured in between kisses. “Were you good for Mommy?” He looked at Pam. “Weren’t you wearing a different shirt this morning?”

Pam laughed. “Yes I was. J.D. gave me a surprise shower when I changed him earlier. ” Jim smirked.

“I told you, put a wipe over him when you change him!”

“Ugh, I know,” she said, burying her face in his shoulder. “He was crying, I dropped the diaper, and when I picked it up, boom.”

“Fountain.”

“Yyyep.”

Jim held J.D. out in front of him. “Dude… you have got to stop peeing on Mommy. And spitting up. And pooping. She’s gonna run out of clothes.” He brought J.D. back to him and cradled him in his arms. J.D. puckered his lips and began to root around against Jim’s chest.

“Sorry, buddy,” he laughed. “I do not have breasts.” Pam burst into giggles and held her arms out. Jim passed J.D. to her. “Mommy, however, does.”

Pam sat down and nursed him, and after, as she was burping him, Dr. Grandy knocked on the door and entered the room.

“Hi guys,” he said. “How’re you doing tonight?”

“Good,” Pam replied. Dr. Grandy flipped through J.D.’s chart.

“Well, I have some good news. Even though he’s not quite 5 pounds, I think he’s ready to go home.”

Pam’s jaw dropped. “Really?!” Dr. Grandy nodded.

“Mm-hmm. He’s taking all his feedings by mouth, he’s maintaining his temperature, and his jaundice has completely cleared up. He’ll need to go home with an apnea monitor, but I think you guys can handle that.”

“So, when are you thinking of discharging him?” Jim asked.

“On Monday. That’ll give you guys the weekend to prepare. We need to make sure that he’ll fit in his car seat, though. Bring it in either tomorrow or Sunday, and we’ll make sure.”

“And if he doesn’t fit?” Pam asked warily.

“We have a special preemie-sized car seat. Don’t worry,” Dr. Grandy reassured them. “He will go home on Monday. I’ll go get his discharge paperwork started. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

Pam and Jim grinned at each other and stood up. Jim wrapped his arms around Pam, sandwiching J.D. between them.

“You hear that, buddy?” Pam murmured, kissing the top of J.D.’s head. “You’re coming home.” She looked up and Jim bent down to kiss her, squeezing her tightly. Pam sighed contentedly.

“I guess that means we need to go buy his car seat,” she said.

“Actually…” Jim said, smiling. “We have it already. I was going to surprise you when we went home tonight.”

“You bought it already?”

Jim shook his head. “Nope. Believe it or not, it was a gift from everyone at work. Everybody chipped in. I can’t guarantee that Creed’s money wasn’t counterfeit, though.” Pam laughed and rested her head against Jim’s chest.

“I can’t believe it,” she said. “He’s coming home.” Jim squeezed her tighter.

“Finally,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of Pam’s head. “Finally.”

*****************************************

*********************************

“Hey, babe?” Pam called from the bathroom, her words muffled by a mouthful of toothpaste. “You put the car seat in the car, right?”

“Yep.”

“And the bag?”

“By the front door.”

“Oh, and did you--”

“Pam!” Jim put his book down next to him on the bed. “Everything’s ready, I promise. Now stop worrying and get your butt in here.”

Pam flicked off the light and walked out of the bathroom. Jim couldn’t help but notice that instead of her usual bedtime attire of pajama pants and one of his t-shirts, she was wearing just a tank top and underwear. Cute underwear. The pink and black ones that showed off her ass. She climbed into bed and grinned like 3-year-old on Christmas morning. Jim laughed.

“A little excited are we?”

Pam laughed. “I just can’t believe it… he’s coming home tomorrow!” Jim’s face softened into a contented smile.

“Yeah… finally.” He turned off the bedside lamp and lay down beside her.

“We should celebrate,” she said, slipping her hand under his shirt and sliding it up his chest.

“Ooh, Chuck E. Cheese?”

Pam rolled her eyes and scooted closer, pressing her body into his.

“You know what I mean,” she said suggestively. Jim’s eyes widened.

“Really?”

“It’s been six weeks.”

“I know, but… are you sure?” Pam put her hand on the back of his neck and played with the ends of his hair. She smiled.

“Oh, yeah,” she murmured, and brought her lips to his. Jim wrapped his arms around her and pulled her on top of him, prompting her to giggle. They kissed, softly, gently, as Jim slipped his hands under her tank top and ran them over her back. Reluctantly, she pulled away and sat up to straddle him, pulling his shirt off, and then bent down again to kiss and suck just below his ear, causing his toes to curl.

“Mmm, Mrs. Halpert,” Jim groaned. “You are feisty tonight.” Pam sat up and flashed him a naughty grin.

“Are you complaining?” she asked, grinding against him. She could feel his answer, hard against her thigh. Jim wrapped his arms around her and in one swift motion, rolled them over.

“Hell no,” he murmured against her lips.

Later, as they lay wrapped up in each other, quietly allowing their heartbeats to return to normal, Pam sighed contentedly.

“So worth the wait,” she said, placing a kiss on Jim's chest as she snuggled into him. She looked up at him and smiled. “Do you know how much I love you?”

Jim pressed his lips to the top of her head.

“I have an idea.”
*******

“Good morning.”

Pam opened her eyes sleepily and smiled as she saw Jim, propped up on his elbow, smiling down at her.

“Mmm… morning,” she murmured, stretching. “How long have you been awake?”

“About ten minutes. I’ve been watching you sleep.”

Pam smirked. “You’re creepy.”

“You’re beautiful.”

“Oh, yeah,” she said, rolling her eyes. “No makeup, messy hair… this is me at my best.” Jim smiled and leaned down to kiss her.

“You’re always gorgeous to me,” he whispered against her lips. They lay there quietly, forehead to forehead.

“He’s coming home today,” Jim whispered. Pam opened her eyes and grinned.

“Wanna celebrate one more time?”

*********************************

*************************************
“One, two, three, smile!”

Pam and Jim smiled widely as Abby snapped a picture of them, holding J.D. in his homecoming outfit. He had successfully passed the car seat test, and had been officially discharged from the NICU.

“Okay, one more with Abby!” Pam said.

Abby handed the camera to Carla, another nurse, and went to stand with Jim and Pam.

“Say… ‘Graduation’!” Carla said.

Jim and Pam just laughed as she snapped the picture. She set the Polaroid down to let it develop, and Jim pulled his own camera out of his jacket pocket and held it out to her.

“Can you take another one for us?”

“Sure!” she said, taking the camera from Jim. She took the picture, and J.D. began to fuss, startled by the flash.

“Okay, buddy,” Jim laughed as he took J.D. from Pam. “Photo shoot’s over.” He held J.D. up to his shoulder and bounced him gently for a moment, shushing him quietly until he settled down.

Jim brought him over to his car seat and gingerly laid him in it. He couldn’t help but worry a little bit; even with the body support, J.D. still looked like he was being swallowed alive. As he buckled him in, he caught Abby’s eye.

“Are you sure he’s big enough to be in this seat?” he asked. Abby came over and checked the straps.

“He’s good,” she said. “The straps fit him snugly. Believe me, he’ll grow out of this thing before you know it.”

Pam picked up the diaper bag, and then got the Polaroid that Carla had taken.

“This one’s for you,” she said, handing it to Abby. “For the bulletin board.” She reached out and hugged her.

“Thank you so much, Abby,” she said, tears filling her eyes. “For everything.”

“You are more than welcome, Pam,” she said. She drew back and gave Pam’s arm a squeeze. “You’re going to do great. You’ll love having him home. Sleepless nights and all.” Pam laughed and wiped her eyes.

“Thanks for getting us through this, Abby,” Jim added as he hugged her. “We’ll send you updates, I promise.”

“You’d better!” she laughed. She bent down to give J.D.’s hand a gentle squeeze. “I’m going to miss you, little guy. Be nice to Mommy and Daddy, okay?” She stood up entered the access code into the pin pad by the door. The doors opened, and with a final wave, they left the NICU for the last time, finally as a family.

They rode the elevator to the lobby, and Jim darted outside into the cold February air to hand his valet ticket to the attendant. A few minutes later, the valet attendant pulled up, and they went out and got J.D. situated in the back seat. Jim went over to the passenger side and opened the door for Pam, but she hesitated, and looked at Jim sheepishly.

“Okay, I know I said I wasn’t going to be one of those moms who sits in the back with the baby, but…” Jim just laughed and opened the back door.

“Get in,” he said. He rolled his eyes playfully. “So neurotic.”

Pam stuck her tongue out at him as she climbed into the backseat.

As they drove away from the hospital, Jim caught Pam’s eye in the mirror.

“Hey,” he said. “My mom wants to come and stay with us for a few days, you know, to help us out, cook, that sort of thing. What do you think?”

“I don’t know… for the last six weeks, we haven’t really had a chance to be alone with him. I mean, we were alone in the room with him, but we were still surrounded by other people, you know? I’d kind of just like to spend time… just the three of us.”

Jim nodded. “Yeah, I see what you mean.” He thought for a moment. “What if she came later? Like next week, after the party? She could be here for that, and then stay a few days.”

Pam thought for a moment. “Yeah, actually, that would be nice.” She leaned over to J.D. “What do you think, buddy? Do you want a visit from Grandma Halpert? Does that sound good?” J.D. remained asleep.

“He sounds excited,” Jim laughed.

“I know how he feels,” Pam said, yawning. “I’m tired, too. God, what is it about the hospital that makes me so exhausted?”

“I don’t know,” Jim replied as he turned onto their street. “Wanna take a nap… just the three of us?”

“Sounds perfect.”

Jim pulled into their driveway and parked the car, and as he started to take J.D.’s car seat out, he stopped.

“Wait,” he said. “I think you should hold him. Isn’t that like, tradition, or something? And don’t I have to take a picture?”

Pam laughed.

“I had no idea there was a protocol for bringing a baby inside the house, but hey, who am I to mock tradition?” She lifted J.D. from his car seat and cradled him in her arms. Jim carried the empty car seat into the house and at the doorstep, turned around and took a picture.

As the front door closed behind them, Jim put his arm around Pam’s shoulder and gently stroked J.D.’s cheek with his finger.

“Welcome home, J.D.,” he whispered. “Welcome home.”
*************************************

******************************
“Mom-my... Mooomm-mmyyyyy...”

Pam opened her eyes sleepily and smiled as she looked into the sweet face of her little boy, standing next to the bed in his footie pajamas, dragging his Heffalump blankie behind him. She reached over and tousled his hair.

“Hey, little man… what are you doing?”

“Mommy ‘wake?”

Pam looked over at the alarm clock on the bedside table. 5:01 AM. She groaned.

“No way, kiddo. It’s way too early. Still night-night.”

“Nigh-nigh?”

“Yep.”

“I come in?” J.D. perched his chin on the edge of the mattress and looked at her with his big hazel eyes. He really did look exactly like Jim.

Pam reached out her arms. “Okay buddy, come here.” She pulled him onto the bed, and he crawled over her and settled between her and Jim. He turned over and began poking at Jim’s nose.

“Daaaaaadd-dyyyyy…”

“Whaaaa-aaaat?” Jim mumbled sleepily, opening one eye. Despite the early hour, and the somewhat rude awakening, he smiled as J.D. giggled.

“Hi, Dad-dy.”

“Hey, buddy… what’re you doing?”

J.D. closed his eyes. “I sleeping. Shhhhh…”

Jim and Pam both laughed as they snuggled in toward the center of the bed, sandwiching J.D. between them.

“Sounds good to me,” Jim said. He grinned at Pam over J.D.’s head, reaching over to envelop them both in his long arms.

“This is the life, huh?” Pam said, smiling.

“What, being woken up at 5 on a work day?” He chuckled. “I don’t want to hear one complaint from you. You don’t have to go to work.”

“Oh, you think that’s not work?” Pam said, pointing to the pink bassinet in the corner of their room. Jim smiled.

“Different kind of work. You don’t have to deal with Michael. Or Dwight. Or Andy. Or Angela. Or Kevin. Or Creed. Or Kel--”

“Okay, I get it!” Pam laughed. “You’re right. I love this job.”

They both smiled and closed their eyes, letting silence fall over the room once again.

“Yep,” Jim sighed happily. “It’s a good life.”
******************************

************************************

Apgar: The Apgar score is calculated 1 minute after birth, and repeated at 5 minutes. A perfect score is 10. 0, 1, or 2 points are given to each category:

Appearance (color)
0 - Blue all over
1 - Body pink, extremities blue
2 - Body and extremities pink

Pulse:
0 - No pulse
1 - less than 100
2 - greater than 100

Grimace (response to a catheter in the nostril)
0 - No response
1 - slight grimace/small cry
2 - sneeze/cough/pull away

Activity (muscle tone)
0 - none
1 - some movement
2 - active

Respiratory effort
0 - none
1 - weak or irregular
2 - strong

It's common for preemies to have a relatively high Apgar score at 1 minute, but the score drops after a few minutes as they tire out.



Apnea: When breathing stops for 10 seconds or more. Very common in preemies.

"Bagging": Using an ambu-bag - a bag connected to oxygen is attached to either an oxygen mask or an ET tube, and is squeezed to force air into the lungs. Kind of like a manual ventilator. Often used when an ET tube is taken out, to stimulate breathing.(Picture of a preemie-sized ambu-bag) (Picture of an ambu-bag being used)

Betamethasone: A steroid given to mature a premature baby’s lungs before birth

Bilirubin: The product of the normal chemical breakdown of red blood cells. Normally, the liver processes the bilirubin and excretes it through bile, but sometimes the product builds up, causing jaundice.

“Bradying down”: When the heart rate starts falling. Bradycardia is an abnormally slow heart rate

Braxton-Hicks contractions: False labor - a tightening of the uterine muscles for one to two minutes and is thought to be an aid to the body in its preparation for birth.

CPAP: Continuous Positive Airway Pressure - puffs of air delivered through the nose to help remind a baby to breathe. Often used in premature babies after they’re able to breathe on their own.

Crit: Short for hematocrit - the proportion of blood volume that is occupied by red blood cells. The lower a crit is, the higher the risk of DIC.

DIC: Abbreviation for disseminated intravascular coagulation - when the body stops producing clotting factors, causing severe bleeding.

Epi: Epinephrine, the synthetic form of adrenalin - Jump-starts the heart.

ET Tube: Short for endotracheal tube. A tube put into the trachea to deliver oxygen to the lungs.

FFP: Fresh frozen plasma - plasma, used to help blood clot during DIC

Foley catheter: A tube inserted through the urethra into the bladder to drain urine. (lovely, I know.)

IJ Line: Intra-Jugular Line - An IV inserted into the jugular vein. Used in transfusions to deliver blood quickly.

Intubation: Putting an ET tube down the trachea

Jaundice: Yellowing of the skin caused by a build-up of bilirubin.

Kangaroo Care: Skin-to-skin contact between parents and a preemie. Studies have shown that preemies grow faster and are less stressed when kangaroo care is used. It also facilitates bonding.

NG tube: Naso-gastric tube - a tube inserted in the nose that goes down to the stomach to deliver food. Premature babies usually can’t suck from a breast or bottle at first, so formula or breast milk is delivered via NG tube until the baby can suck.

Packed cells: Blood that has been processed to have a high concentration of red blood cells; used in transfusions to help blood clot.

Phototherapy: UV light to treat jaundice. UV rays break down bilirubin so the body can process it. In the hospital, a UV lamp is used, but for mild cases outside of the hospital, a few minutes of sunlight exposure every day can treat it.

Placental abruption: When the placenta begins to tear away from the uterus before the baby is born, which cuts off blood and oxygen supply to the baby, and causes bleeding in the mom.

Pulse ox: Measurement of the amount of oxygen in the blood. Normal is between 95-100%

Reflux: The backward flow of acidic stomach contents into the esophagus. Common in preemies due to a weak or underdeveloped esophageal sphincter (the band of muscles that separate the esophagus from the stomach.) The sphincter is only supposed to open to allow food to go into the stomach, but in reflux, it either opens spontaneously, or stays open, and allows stomach acids to flow into the esophagus. Which causes pain and, in severe cases, erosion of the esophagus.

Retracting: When a baby is struggling to breathe, their chest kind of pulls in with each breath.

Rounds: When the doctors from a certain department examine each patient, and review and brief each other on the cases, one by one. Medical students often tag along for learning purposes.

Surfactant: A substance produced by the lungs to keep them open, but isn’t produced in premature babies, so a synthetic form helps open up the baby’s lungs so they can oxygenate more easily

“Tachy” (pronounced “tacky”): Short for “tachycardia” - an abnormally fast heart rate

Terbutaline: A medication given to stop premature labor

Ventilator (abbr. “vent”): A machine that simulates breathing

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