Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks again to Cousin Mose for the beta job and words of encouragement.
updated: 07/18/08
At 10 o'clock Regional Manager Michael Scott, sauntered up to Pam's desk and placed the palms of his hands down on the counter in front of her.
"Pamela of Sunnybrook farm, have you spoken with one Mr. Halpert?"
Pam's mouth went dry. She thought Michael had spoken to him that morning.
"No... um, no no I haven't. Why, didn't you?" Her hands felt clammy as she tightly gripped her pen.
"Yes. I was just curious to hear what he said to you. He told me he's 'sick.’ Know what I think? Hangover. Too much partying last night. Can't blame him though, I do throw a great party." Michael smiled wide and tapped his index finger against her desk.
"You sure do. I bet he is sick though. He wasn't drunk... last night." Her eyes fell to her desk and she could feel warm tears beginning to form. She smiled quickly, and fought them back hard.
"Right. Well if he happens to call, please tell him get well soon, from Michael Scott, his favorite boss... and best friend."
"Ohhkay, don't you think you could tell him yourself?"
"Yes, but he said he was going to be sleeping so I didn't want to wake him. He should call in though for his messages and I'd like you to give him that one. Please Pam, just do your job, okay?" He smirked at her and lifted his eyebrows to punctuate his point. Then slowly turned around and meandered back into his office.
Pam just nodded at him. Sometimes he was too much to handle. Plus, the headache she was experiencing with the waves of sorrow and bouts of guilt, was exhausting.
****
After Michael mentioned that Jim would be calling in for his messages, every time the phone rang Pam would hesitate to answer it. She knew he wouldn't call reception if he was indeed going to check his messages but the possibility made her nervous. She knew they needed to talk but she didn't want to bring it up, and she especially didn't want to talk about it at work. The office was relatively small and she wasn't that intimate with her co-workers. Not enough to share this huge conversation with them, anyway. Actually she didn't even want to have the conversation with Jim.
As much as she wanted to discuss their feelings and explore the possibility of them, she didn't want to rock the boat she had gotten used to. It's not that she hated her life, she just lived it day by day and there weren't any major problems, in her eyes. Roy was an okay guy, he took care of her when needed, paid the bills, and would fix things around the house. He wasn't romantic though and she knew that about him, and she'd accepted it. Why should she expect him to change now? She did wish he was more thoughtful though. Jim always remembered special moments and events and would surprise her with little gifts to remind her of it. Last year's Christmas gift was a perfect example. He had given her an adorable green teapot and inside it were small mementos of past events: a mixed tape, a hot sauce packet, and his High School yearbook photo. Roy would never think to give her any of those things, let alone keep them for such a gift.
Jim always seemed to put Pam ahead of everyone else. She hadn't realized how special he made her feel until last night. When she stood in her bathroom examining her life and her relationships, she realized it should've been obvious to her. His actions for years have shown a caring, loving, relationship, deeper than just friendship. He knew she was with Roy and he put his own happiness aside just for her.
The phone rang in front of her as she was thinking about her future, and she picked it up in a daze.
"Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam."
"Um..."
"Jim?" She knew it was him but still asked.
"Yeah, can I talk to Michael?" He sounded serious, almost urgent.
She lowered her voice just above a whisper, "Jim, listen..."
"No, not now." His voice showed his obvious exhaustion.
"Of course, no I wasn't, yeah I'll transfer you to Michael now."
"Pam?"
"Yeah." There was a long quiet pause as she waited for him to speak.
"Never mind."
"Okay... well, here's Michael."
"Thanks."
"Bye Jim."
With that, she dialed Michael's extension and released the call. She watched Michael through his office blinds and couldn't tell what the conversation was about. Besides calling Michael to tell him he was sick, she didn't know why Jim would call to talk to Michael? Any other time she would've already known what the conversation was about or she would know right after they hung up. Jim would've kept her in the loop but not anymore, things had already changed.
At first Michael seemed like himself, smiling, being animated but as the conversation progressed he seemed to be getting upset. At one point he turned his chair around away from his desk and Pam couldn't quite tell but it looked like he was crying. She couldn't come up with any idea as to what Jim would tell Michael that would cause him to cry, but she figured Michael would spill it once he walked out of his office.
Chapter End Notes:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
