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For the "Postponed but not forgotten" challenge. Enjoy!

Mercy 

 

The dark circles under Pam’s eyes looked greenish in the harsh fluorescent lighting. Her skirt was rumpled, and her hair was pushed carelessly back behind her ears. She looked exhausted and uncomfortable, curled up in a low chair with vinyl cushions.

 

Jim ran his hand through his hair, further rumpling what had been so carefully styled early that morning. He’d long since discarded his suit jacket, and his shirt was creased. He removed a coffee from the carrier he held, and handed it silently to Pam before sitting down beside her.

 

“Thank you,” she said, taking a long sip. She breathed an appreciative sigh and looked back up at him. “I tried calling again while you were gone.”

 

“Still nothing?”

 

“Nope, still no answer.”

 

Jim exhaled loudly. “Where could they have gone?” he asked. His brow contracted with concern as he examined Pam’s drawn, pale face. “You should go home. You look exhausted.”

 

“I am exhausted.” Pam smiled and shifted her weight in her chair so she could lean her head against Jim’s shoulder. “But I think I’ll stay. It’s not like I have other plans.” There was a teasing lilt to her voice despite her fatigue, and Jim couldn’t help but smile. He felt a sudden urge to kiss her, and realized with a swooping sensation that there was no longer any reason not to. He leaned over and pressed his lips against her head.

 

Pam twisted to face him. “What was that for?” she asked, but her eyes were shining and her lips twitched as though not quite daring to smile.

 

“That was for hanging out in this emergency room with me instead of going on a real first date.”

 

Jim hoped he would never forget the expression on Pam’s face at that moment. “It’s good just to be with you,” she said simply.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah. Definitely.” Pam turned and replaced her head on his shoulder. “And besides,” she continued, “we can’t exactly abandon Michael. I think his leg was really broken.” She yawned and settled herself more comfortably against him.

 

“I guess. But where the hell did they go?”

 

“I told you, I have no idea where Michael’s mom and Jan Levinson would go for a ‘girls’ night out’.” Jim felt Pam shake her head against him, and he echoed her motion.

 

“I promise, you get a rain check,” he said.

 

“A rain check? I think I deserve a medal,” Pam laughed lightly. Jim jerked his head slightly at her words, and shifted his weight so that she no longer had a comfortable place to rest. She sat up and looked at him questioningly.

 

“Sorry…” he said vaguely as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a carefully creased piece of paper and unfolded it. “Here,” he said, presenting it to her. “Your medal.”

 

It was the note she’d put into his folder of sales reports. She took it and looked up at him with tired, questioning eyes.

 

“You asked what happened today, and I never got to tell you because Michael fell off the desk, and then with the police and Dwight, and the ambulance, and all of that…” he trailed off at the look on Pam’s face. “ What’s so funny?”

 

“Nothing, just…who has days like this?” she answered, laughing. Her laughter was like sunshine, making him feel warm all over. Jim smiled at the feeling, and then really thought about what an insane day he’d had. He, too, started laughing. Soon, both of them were laughing uncontrollably. Several near-by patients and nurses looked at them reprovingly, and they tried to stifle their giggles.

 

“I’m sorry,” Pam said, still trying to fight down the remnants of her laughter.

 

“For what?”

 

“For interrupting. You were going to tell me what happened today. Why you came back.” Pam was still smiling, her eyes damp from the gales of laughter, but a softness in her voice showed that she was serious. She gestured with the note in her hand, the crumpled gold yogurt lid gleaming in the ugly light.

 

“Right. Well…it’s pretty simple, actually. I was interviewing for the job and I got your note, and it just totally threw me. And then Wallace asked me where I saw myself in ten years, and I realized that the only place I could see myself…” he swallowed and looked into her eyes. “The only place I could see myself happy was right here.”

 

Pam stared at him for a moment, somber and still. A smile hit her eyes a split second before her lips parted. “Here at Mercy Hospital?” she said, obviously trying not to laugh.

 

Jim’s lips twisted in spite of himself. “Yes, dork, here at Mercy Hospit-” Suddenly, without warning, Pam leaned forward and kissed him fully and intensely. The sights and sounds of the hospital faded away as she pressed her lips to his. The trip to New York, the scene with Karen in the park, the long drive back, the insanity in the office, all of it was gone in the taste of her lips and the smell of her skin and the knowledge that finally, finally, life made sense again. Eventually, they pulled apart.

 

Pam smiled triumphantly, although her laughter sounded as shaky as Jim’s stomach felt. “I still get a real first date,” she said.

 

“Agreed,” he answered. He no longer felt tired at all.

 

 

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.



nqllisi is the author of 87 other stories.
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