"Hello, Dr. Lambert," Larissa said. "How is my son?"

"Jim is out of surgery. The next few hours will be key, but he's stable for now."

Suddenly, Pam felt Larissa collapsing against her. They both tumbled to the floor. Michael helped Pam get to a seated position while the doctor looked at Larissa.

The older woman opened her eyes and started crying. After a few minutes, she calmed down and the doctor was able to continue. "They inserted a pacemaker. Right now, Jim's heart muscle is responding well. They're keeping him sedated until they're sure the device is operating properly." He looked at Pam and added, "I've spoken to the physician in charge and you can be in the room with him when he wakes up. He'll be a little disoriented, so it might be good to have some friendly faces there.

Larissa nodded but still couldn't speak.

"Thank you doctor," Pam said. "We were really scared we were going to lose him."

"Well, a lot of the credit has to go to the person who performed CPR. He was lucky."

Pam looked at Dwight and said, "We'll have to thank her. It was Angela, the head of our Accounting Department." She saw the pride in Dwight's face.

"Jim owes her," the doctor said. "You might want to try and get Larissa something to eat. It'll be a few hours at least before we can let you see him."

The doctor left and Michael helped Larissa sit down.

"I thought he was dead," Larissa said. "The first time, I was so afraid he was going to die. I was a basket case. Afterwards I was so embarrassed." She wiped her eyes and looked over to Pam. "The second time, I was more prepared. I knew what to expect, but still I was surrounded by all these strangers and I couldn't stop crying." Now she was shaking. "This time I was determined. I was going to be kind and gracious and the doctor would tell me it was finally over. I would be strong until I got home and then I'd let him go. When I found out I might have to do this again, it was all just too much."

Pam grabbed Larissa's hands to steady them.

"Did I really want him to die," Larissa asked, not expecting an answer. "Am I really that horrible?"

Michael, of all people, had an answer. "No, I think it's just that each time hurts so much you can only hope you don't have to feel it again."

Larissa managed a nod. She took a deep breath and to Pam Jim's mom suddenly seemed so much older. "I think I would like something to eat."

Pam looked over to Dwight, "Could you bring Angela over to the cafeteria? I think we'd all like to thank her for helping Jim," she said.

"Certainly," Dwight said.

Michael helped Pam lead Larissa into the cafeteria and got her some soup. It seemed like the logical choice. Pam got some kind of a sandwich, she wasn't really sure if it was ham or turkey.

As she ate, she tried to understand everything that had happened and how she felt about it. Why hadn't Jim told her? Would it have made a difference in how she felt about him? Could she imagine being with someone who had a heart condition? She pushed the sandwich away.

Dwight brought Angela into the cafeteria and Larissa immediately drew the rigid accountant into a hug. In spite of the circumstances, Pam had to stifle a giggle. Angela was so torn between pride and her discomfort of emotional scenes. She couldn't decide what to do with her arms; her upper body was almost bent backwards trying to keep some personal space between her face and Larissa's. Finally she relented and returned the hug.

Pam left the cafeteria and was almost back to the waiting room when she saw the new girl, Karen, sitting alone in a hallway.

"Some day, huh?" Karen offered.

"Yeah, I..." Pam stopped and shrugged, not knowing what to say. Finally, she managed, "The doctor's say Jim's going to be okay. I mean, you know doctors, they never say it like that, but it looks like he'll make it. They had to put in a pacemaker or something, so I'm not sure what that means." Pam pointed towards the waiting room. "Do you want to..."

"No," Karen said, quickly. "I stuck my head in there and they all are still...I just wanted to find out... I mean. I guess it's..." She stopped and took a breath. "You and Jim are pretty close?"

Pam could see there was something behind the question. She sat down beside Karen. "Jim was my best friend," she started. Before today, that would have been the end of her explanation, but she didn't see the point in pretending anymore. "I was engaged to Roy from the warehouse."

"They guy from the game this morning?" Karen asked.

Pam nodded. "Just before my wedding, Jim said that he loved me and he wanted more than friendship. I said no, and he left for Stamford. It wasn't until he was gone that I realized that I loved him too. I called off the wedding."

"But you two aren't...together?"

"I was too scared to call him and he was too hurt to call me," Pam said, shaking her head. "We wasted all this time. I don't even know what he's been doing." She leaned towards Karen, her face anxious. "What was Jim like in Stamford?"

Karen smiled, "Well, the first few months, he was really quiet. He was always in the office, he did good work. But there was always something off. He seemed so sad."

Pam leaned her head back against the wall.

"But he got better. I mean, he started to come out of his shell eventually, and you know how everybody always seems to like him."

"I know," Pam said, laughing. "Even Roy liked him."

"He and Josh made a good team," Karen said. "I think he was really pushing himself, but there were these times when he would just do something that was so dorky but so sweet..."

"Did you...I mean do you...?" Pam stammered.

"I liked him," Karen clarified as she forced herself to straighten in her chair. "But I could tell there was always something holding him back. We're friends." She sighed and got up. "It's been a long day, and I need to get back to my hotel."

"That's right, you're in a hotel," Pam said. "That has to suck. Look, once things have calmed down, I'd like to have you over to my apartment for dinner. It would be great to have another friend in the office. In case you haven't noticed, some of your new coworkers can be a little hard to deal with sometimes."

"A little hard? That's an understatement," Karen said, shaking her head. "To be honest with you, I don't know if I can work with these guys."

"Well, I hope you stay. You seem really nice... Well, I better get back."

"Yeah," Karen said. "I understand." Karen walked to the elevator.

Pam didn't see that on the way down, she Karen reached into her purse and took out an empty bag of Herr's potato chips. She left it in the trashcan as she walked out to her car.