Toby had never been that good of a liar. Sure, it wasn’t hard at first, but whenever Toby lied, it always seemed to eat away at him. Seeing Jim bite his nails nervously while they were walking out of the movie theater was Toby’s first pang of guilt. He watched Jim pitifully as he tried to turn on his phone with no avail. He asked Oscar multiple times if there was any service, even one bar, but the outskirts of Philadelphia seemed to be pretty underdeveloped in the telecommunications field. The low sound of oncoming thunder probably wasn’t a huge help either. Just as Toby reached to tap Jim on the shoulder, the car hit a huge bump, and Michael barely controlled the car from crashing into a tree. The undeniable sound of air escaping from a tire or two filled the car, and once it was stopped everyone jumped out to see the damage.
“Ah, looks like a double tire apparatus puncture,’ Dwight diagnosed as he inspected the scene.
“Shut up, Dwight,” Jim said tiredly as he rubbed his face.
“So we’ve got a flat?” Michael giggled. “That’s what she-“
“No, Michael, not now,” Oscar interrupted. “I’ll call AAA – shit. Still no service. Does anyone have any bars?”
It was then Toby was taken over with guilt. Jim was leaned against the car, head in hands, obviously frustrated and nervous beyond belief. And then his phone started buzzing. One bar. No one heard it, except for him. He pulled out his phone, looked at it, and then looked at Jim. Jim was, right now, missing probably one of the most important experiences of his life. Even if Toby had always liked Pam, Jim was always the one for her. Damnit.
“Hey, uh, I have a bar guys,” Toby announced quietly. Jim’s head shot up and he immediately walked over to Toby. Jim didn’t even have to say anything for Toby to hand over the phone. He immediately called the office, but no one picked up. As he tried Pam’s phone, the men started to ask.
“Are you calling AAA?”
“You have service?”
“Jim, who are you calling? You must tell me.”
“Angela?” Jim sounded surprised as the unpleasant woman answered Pam’s phone.
“Oh, well, hello Jim,” she said unhappily. “Now where might you be on the most important day of you and your wife – oh, excuse me, sex partner’s lives?”
“What? Angela, what are you talking about?” Jim’s stomach dropped. No. Not now. Not while I’m here with .. No.
“Yes, father of the year, Miss Beesly is in labor. It’s a good thing you have your priorities in order, you know. She could be here at Moses Taylor Hospital giving birth to your baby alone. Oh wait, she is!” Angela snarled. Jim almost dropped the phone when he heard it: Pam giving birth.
“Angela, you need to come pick me up,” Jim replied, begging.
“Excuse me? No! I had to drive Pam here taking up half my car with her belly. I am not driving to God knows where to -”
“Angela, you’re picking me up. Take the interstate into Philadelphia. You’ll see us near the Blue Route exit. Call us when you’re near,” Jim told her sternly. Angela was silent for a moment.
“Fine. I’ll be there shortly,” she replied curtly just before hanging up. Jim flipped the phone shut and struggled to not throw it against the ground. The men were silent. This wasn’t good.
Author's Chapter Notes:
I own nothing.
Chapter End Notes:
Sorry for the long wait!! I've been writing a big story and it's been consuming all my time. I'll try to finish this within the next week! (I'll have a lot of free time, I'll be home on bedrest!)
