Pam woke to the sound of Jim breathing shallowly next to her. She stirred and rolled over on her side to snuggle up next to him. His face was peaceful and content as he rested. Pam loved how innocent he looked as he slept. Thoughts about their new arrival flashed in her head. Finally, she nudged him enough times to wake him. His eyes fluttered open and he let a smile curl on his lips.

Pam nestled against him even further as she waited for his arm to wrap around her. “Whatcha thinking about?” she asked, running in finger down his arm.

Jim let out a yawn. “Everything,” his said, his eyes widening.

“It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it?” she asked, stretching the kinks out of her legs and arms.

Jim pulled her tight to his side. “Oh yeah. Just think about how many phone calls I’ve got to make,” he laughed.

Pam giggled too. “You know, you should probably hold off on that until we know for sure.”

Jim smiled. “Oh, I’m not worrying. If you weren’t pregnant before, you are after last night.”

Pam’s face flushed. “Jim Halpert!”

“What?” he asked, taken aback. “I was at the top of my game last night. It’s a shoo-in.”

“Literally,” Pam coughed.

“Oh my God. You did not just say that. That’s worse than ‘that’s what she said,’” Jim said, sitting up in bed and pulling the covers up with him. Pam pulled back on them to cover her bare skin.

“Give them back,” she said, tugging on the end of the floral printed comforter.

“I don’t think I can,” he said, teasingly. “You came here last night and seduced me.”

Pam pulled hard on the covers again. “Yeah, that was my intention,” she said as she rolled her eyes.

“It was,” he stated, leaning over and catching her lips with his. After their kiss, they both leaned back against the headboard in silence. Pam successfully grabbed a sufficient amount of sheets to cover her flushed skin.

Pam then remembered Jim’s news. He had been offered a job at corporate. In his excitement about a baby, they had completely forgotten about his offer.

“You got offered a job here in New York?” she asked, looking up at the side of his face.

He sighed and then looked over to where she was staring up at him. “It’s no big deal,” he said, carelessly as he tossed the covers off his body and got off the bed.

Pam watched as he went into the restroom and shut the door. She couldn’t help notice his indefinable expression. She grabbed her shirt and threw it over her head and found the rest of her clothes in a pile next to the bed. She put each piece back on and went to the bathroom door and knocked.

She heard him start running water for the shower. She knocked again and cracked the door open. “Jim?”

From the other side of the door he spoke. “I’m just gonna hop in the shower real quick. You don’t mind, do you?”

“No. Go ahead,” she said, a little concerned they hadn’t been able to share excitement in his job offer.

Pam paced the hotel room while she waited for him to emerge from the bathroom. Tired of waiting, she grabbed the bathroom door handle and barged in to the foggy bathroom.

“Hey, Jim…”

He peeked his head from behind the shower curtain. “What’s up?”

“Do you want the job?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Jim smiled. “It’s not priority, Pam. We have more important things to worry about,” he said, slightly shaking his head and pushing the curtain back to keep the water in.

Pam sat down next on the closed toilet situated beside the bathtub. She looked straight at the wall on the other side of the bathroom. She couldn’t help from wanting him to be able to have this opportunity.

“We could work it out,” she said, hoping for an answer.

There was silence until Jim spoke. “Pam, seriously. It was just an offer. I’m passing on it.”

“Why?” she asked.

Jim sighed from deep within the bathtub. “We can’t move just because of a job offer. There’s no guarantee that I’ll get paid enough to live in the city and be able to support the family.”

“At least consider it before you shut it down, Jim.”

Jim shut off the running water. “Towel,” he stated, holding a hand out. Pam placed an oversized towel in his hand. He poked his head out of the curtain, “Let’s not talk about this now. How ‘bout that?” he said, sounding stiff and irritated.

“M’kay,” was all Pam could say before she got up and walked out the bathroom door.

Pam waited in the chair on the other side of the room. Jim finally came out of the bathroom with the towel tightly wrapped around his waist. It reminded her of their first vacation together at the resort. They both had went scantily clad in nothing but a towel that weekend on one occasion. She smiled to herself as Jim shuffled through the closet and pulled out a suit and shirt. .

“So, what‘s on your agenda today?” Jim asked, hanging his clothes on a hook located on the bathroom door.

“I’ve got to head back to Mom’s. I told her last night I would be there this morning. So, I need to leave soon,” she said, standing.

“Okay,” he nodded, making his way back into the bathroom. He emerged a few minutes later with his clothes on. He was buttoning up his long sleeved shirt as he walked over to her.

“So, what are you going to tell David Wallace?”

Jim looked down at his feet. “Pam, I’ve told you. I’m not taking the job.”

“Why? I don’t understand Jim. We can figure this out.”

“No. That’s it. No,” he said holding out his hands. He sat down on the bed and proceeded to put his shoes on.

“Why? Because now that we might be having another baby you need to be Provider Jim all the sudden? Throw your dreams into the trashcan? Can’t go after your career now?” she patronized. She knew she was egging him on.

“What career?“ he asked, sarcastically. “Look, it’s for the best. We can stay in Scranton, stay out of debt, have the same old routine for a few more years, and live happy, normal lives. I’m fine with that.”

“Don’t give up so easily, Jim.”

“We’re not even six months into our mortgage, Pam. We’re there for thirty years. We can’t just uproot now. There’ll be other opportunities for me. Coming to NYC isn’t the last offer I’ll get. Well, I hope not at least,” he said, standing.

“We can work around the mortgage. There are ways,” she said, hoping to convince him to consider the offer before turning it down.

He placed his hands on her arms and pecked her lightly on the lips. “Thank you for being so supportive but, I think I’m going to have to pass.”

Pam nodded. “Fine.”

Jim smiled. “That’s it? Fine? You’re not going to put up a fight?”

Pam lifted an eyebrow. “You want a fight? Because I have a lot of fight in me,” she said, smiling.

“I know you do,” he said, hugging her close to his chest. He released her and she stepped back, looking him over before grabbing her purse and her keys.

She pecked him on the lips as she walked towards the door. “So, you’re headed back to tell everyone you know that you’re birthing my child, right?” he asked, jokingly.

Pam smiled. “Very funny.”

Jim turned as he remembered something. “You haven‘t told Scarlet yet, have you?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Are you gonna wait?” he asked, pulling his tie around his collar.

“I thought it would be nice for both of us to be there…for that,” she said. “As bad as I might want to right now, I think when I get home, I’m going to take a hundred hour nap instead.”

“A hundred hours? That’s not a nap, Pam. I’m pretty sure that’s a coma,” he said, sarcastically. He playfully pretended to think hard about it. “Yup…a coma,” he said, looking up towards the ceiling.

Pam swatted his arm and leaned in for another kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, right?”

“Yup,” he said, lingering next to her lips.

“Good,” she said, opening the door and walking out of the room.

Jim waved casually as she smiled and headed towards the door. Before he shut the door, he heard Pam offer one last bit of advice.

“Tell David you’re going to think about it!” she hollered down the hall.

Jim rolled his eyes as he shut the door, “Goodbye, Pam!”

-----

Pam opened the front door to her parent’s home to find no one occupying the living room. The house seemed too quiet and still. Pam walked around the corner towards the kitchen and yet again, no one was there. She panicked briefly before hearing Scarlet’s laughter in the backyard. Pam went to the kitchen window and peered out to see her family gathered around a table and some lawn chairs.

She went to the screen door and stood there, taking in her beautiful family. Her parents were sharing a laugh and looking each other deeply in the eyes. Pam loved that her parents were still very much in love. Her focus then turned to her daughter sitting on a swing in the backyard giggling as she sang the tune that Jim had taught her.

“Just a swingin’…swingin!” she sang at the top of her lungs. Mrs. Beesly chortled as Scarlet kept them entertained.

Her brother Phil was sitting at the picnic table sipping his drink and casually talking to his wife. He held her hand gently as they spoke and Pam smiled to herself at the sight. She remembers when Phil told her he knew the girl he was going to marry. He was so sure and so positive about the future. She only wished she had that type of courage with things of the unknown.

Pam finally pushed passed the screen door and was greeted by her family. Of course, Scarlet jumped off the swing in mid-song and hugged her knees. Pam placed kisses on the top of her head and made sure to see how she was since she had nightmares the night before. Pam knelt on her knee to look Scarlet in the eyes.

“How was your night?” Pam asked.

Scarlet rested her hand on Pam’s shoulder. “Fine. Papa snores and Nana talks in her sleep. Papa doesn’t cuddle like Jim does…I missed you…”

Pam laughed. “We missed you too. We’ll definitely be snuggling tonight,” Pam said, pushing Scarlet’s hair out of her face.

Scarlet’s eye lit up. “Jim’s gonna be here tonight?” she asked, eagerly.

“No. Sorry, hun. He’ll be here in time for bedtime tomorrow night.”

“Oh,” Scarlet said before Pam grabbed her hand and lead her to the chairs where her parents greeted her with warm smiles.

“How was Jim?” her mother asked, getting a glimmer in her eye.

Pam sat down next to her mother in the lawn chair. “Good. He‘s good.”

Her mother smiled. “Good,” she said, taking a sip of her tea. Her father looked on, slightly confused by their conversation. Her mother quickly pulled her tea cup away from her lips and happily looked at Pam. “You got something in the mail today.”

Pam shot her a look of confusion, just like her father did a moment before. “Huh?”

Her mother sat up. “Yeah. The mailman left it on the doorstep. It’s in the kitchen,” she said.

“Oh,” Pam said, standing and walking back into the house. Once inside, she found the white box with UPS markings all over it. There was no return address except Pam found the tracking code that told her it had been sent from Scranton. Pam pulled a knife out of the drawer and cut into the tape over the box.

When she opened the box, there was a note and an array of tissue paper before her. She picked up the little note and read it before plunging her hand in to dig into the contents. The scrawl on the paper was Jims. There was no doubt about it. It read:

Pam pushed the white tissue paper out of the way and her hand came in contact with the lush soft fabric. With one hand over her mouth, she pulled the dress out of the box and brought it close to her chest. It was the dress she wanted and decided she couldn’t afford. She remembers both Scarlet and Jim urging her to get it and instead of listening to them, she had decided to bring an old sundress she disliked. But now, she was holding something that she didn’t really need, but something that she really wanted.

Pam turned when she heard someone enter through the kitchen door. Her mother and Scarlet came in and when they saw the dress, both smiled. “Pam! Where did this come from?” he mother asked, taking the dress and holding up against Pam’s body.

“Oh, Jim and Scarlet gave it to me,” she said, looking down at her daughter, who was swaying back and forth.

“For what?”

Pam took the dress and looked at it. “I tried it on and thought it was too much to buy for the wedding. I guess Scarlet kept the ad from the store with the dress on it and Jim found it….Man, this…is the sweetest thing…”

Scarlet reached out a hand and grabbed hold to the fabric. “Jim liked it. He took me to go get it from the store. We found it and got it. Then, he said he was going to mail it to you…and, here it is!” she said.

“It’s gorgeous, Scarlet. Thank you so much!” Pam said, kneeling and hugging Scarlet warmly.

As Pam stood, she looked up to find her cousin Jessica putting her wedding planner on the counter and sighing.

“What’s goin’ on?” she asked, her eyes focusing on the dress in Pam’s hands. “Oooo! Is that the dress you’re going to wear to the wedding?”

Pam nodded. “Yeah. Is it too much?” she asked, holding up again.

“Not at all! You’re gonna look hot!” Jessica said, taking the dress from Pam and examining the tags. She handed it back with a smile. “Not a bad price for that type of material. It’s very pretty,” she said, taking a seat at the counter and opening her planner.

Pam smiled as she ran the fingers over the fabric. “It is. I guess I need to call Jim and thank him,” she said, looking around for her purse with a glow to her face. Once she found it, she fished her phone out and dialed Jim. Scarlet had already headed back outside and could be heard singing again.

“Scarlet is as pretty as….” she sang, sweetly.

Pam couldn’t get an answer from Jim. She figured it was because he was in meetings again all day. She forewent leaving a message and just decided she would talk to him in the evening. If not, he would be arriving tomorrow night anyways.

Her mother poured herself another cup of tea as she leaned against the counter. “So, Pam…what are your plans for today?” she asked, sounding a little mischievous.

Pam folder the dress lightly as she spoke to her mother. “Well, I don’t know. I guess just hang around here…”

“Why don’t you and I go out for a little while? What do you say?” Mrs. Beesly asked, raising an eyebrow.

Pam grabbed the white box up and rested it on her hip. “Um..okay. What are we doing?”

“Just gonna go…you know, hang out…mother-daughter stuff.”

“That sounds nice Mom, but what about Scarlet?” Pam asked, leaning against the counter herself. Her mother swallowed her drink, “Dad will watch her. Phil and Samantha will be here and the girls will be here as soon as schools out. She’ll be fine.”

“You sure?” she asked.

“Absolutely. Now, go get cleaned up…we have to be there by 1:30,” her mother said, pushing Pam towards the stairs.

“Be where by 1:30?” Pam asked, looking over her shoulder at her mother.

Her mother turned quickly and quietly mumbled, “Nowhere, dear…” Pam could only wonder what was in store for her the afternoon.