Pam's big news  

She made the announcement of her impending motherhood at the end of the all-hands meeting (Michael had shown a video about avoiding forest fires). The reactions were…typical.

Jim grinned proudly, made a face at the camera, and settled back to watch everyone else’s reactions.

Kelly squealed so loud that Pam feared for the baby’s hearing, and immediately began suggesting names such as “Britney,” “Shiloh,” and “Apple”.

Karen flashed a brittle smile, said, “Congratulations,” quietly, and left the room.

Stanley said, “Congratulations,” and then cautioned her to start saving money for college.

Phyllis hugged her firmly, and told her she’d be a wonderful mother.

Meredith raised an eyebrow and wished her luck.

Kevin grinned, looked from Jim to Pam with a knowing leer, and said, “Niiiice.”

Oscar gave her a warm smile and congratulated her sincerely.

Creed stopped her on the way out of the conference room and said, “The gestation of a child is one of nature’s inscrutable mysteries. It is both absolutely mundane and yet somehow sublime. Mazel Tov, Penny.”

Dwight somberly gave her his best wishes, and then immediately started lecturing her on her diet, exercise routine, and exposure to hazardous chemicals.

Angela surprised her completely by giving her a genuine smile. “Congratulations, Pam. You’re fulfilling your purpose as a woman,” she said.

Andy congratulated her loudly, and then burst into a falsetto rendition of “Rock-a-bye-Baby” that was sure to haunt her dreams.

Toby gave her his usual half-smile, said, “Congratulations, Pam,” very quietly, and then reminded her to come fill out the HR paperwork sometime that week.

And Michael. Michael did not disappoint. He started by congratulating Jim loudly on the success of his “boys.” He made a few off-color remarks about the baby’s conception that Pam was sure made the fetus itself blush. He speculated loudly about how long it would take him and Jan to duplicate the feat, since they “do it all the time.”

But then, when everyone else had finally filed out of the conference room and back to work, Michael approached her and gave her a gentle hug. “You’ll be a great mom,” he said. “You’ll make sure the baby feels special, and respected, and gets all his paperwork done.” 

Pam returned to her desk with a smile on her face. Jim owed her a dollar- she’d predicted every reaction but Creed’s and Angela’s, which meant she’d beaten him by one. Michael had never yet let her down.