“Mom?” Pam whispered into the phone, voice trembling. “Hey, Jim got a heart.”
“Thank God,” Laura Beesley breathed. “What’s going on? Is everyone all right? Are you alright?”
“Yeah,” Pam choked out, turning slightly towards the family sitting worriedly in the plastic chairs. “I’m in the waiting room with his family. It all happened so fast and he’s already in the operating room. I..I just want to know if you can come down here?”
“Of course sweetheart,” Laura said soothingly. “How many people are there? I can pick up food.”
“Oh mom you don’t have to,” Pam spoke softly, now realizing how quiet the room was but knew that it would be far more awkward if she stepped out now.
“Please,” She could hear the sound of her mother rustling through her purse and grabbing her keys. “Those people need something to help.”
“Um,” Pam scanned the worried family. “About seven?”
“Alright honey, I’ll be there in a bit,” Pam nodded and quickly wiped her eyes before hanging up. She quickly sent a text to Toby, letting him know she would not be at work, and finally sat down.
She had not felt so awkward in such a long time. The family was huddled together, silent, and she was sitting across the room.
Pam had never felt so alone in her life.
She stared intently at her phone and jumped when she got a text from Michael. He assured her that they could hold down the fort without her and to text if she needed anything. He then typed “XOXO Mikey” but Pam still could not think of a better boss.
The door opened and Laura stepped in, holding several pizza boxes and a large plastic bag. She smiled faintly at the group and shut the door behind her.
“Hi, I’m Laura Beesley,” She introduced herself. “Pam told me what happened and I thought you might be hungry. I have pizza, bread sticks, and some brownies.”
Larissa instantly burst into tears and hugged Laura tightly. Pam grabbed the bags of food while her mother rubbed the back of the incredibly stressed woman.
“Sorry,” Larissa gasped through her tears. “I’m an absolute mess.”
“It’s perfectly okay,” Laura smiled warmly. “I can’t imagine being calm in this situation. You should eat something, starving yourself is not doing any good.”
The previously silent room suddenly was a flurry of noise as everyone busied themselves with the food. It seemed like the worried family was just glad for a distraction.
“So,” Laura said gently, taking a bite of her pizza and placing it back on the napkin in her hand. “I’ve only met Jim once in passing but Pam has told me so much about him. From all the pranks he pulls around the office it must have been fun with him growing up.”
“He almost wasn’t allowed to walk the stage at graduation after he saran wrapped the administration staff’s cars. He convinced the entire basketball team to help,” Rob smiled slightly and picked at the chocolate chips in his brownie.
“Do you remember the time when Jim put poprocks in our cereal?” Pete laughed suddenly. “He was like what…six?”
“Annoying little bastard,” Tom smirked into his soda.
The next hour was filled with stories and laughter, fear disappearing. The group saw around the waiting room and simply talked.
“Rob and Larissa,” Chris stood in the doorway, removing his surgical mask. “The surgery went great. The donor heart is beating just fine and he’s in recovery.”
Larissa seemed to collapse in on herself, Rob holding her up. Both parents instantly burst into tears and held onto each other. Pete and Tom hugged each other and then pulled Pam into a tearful embrace.
Pam felt like she was completely numb, tears running down her cheeks. Jim was going to be okay. Jim was going to be healthy for the first time in so many years.
~*~
Jim slowly awoke to the uncomfortable feeling of having a breathing tube down his throat. His hands jerked suddenly in response to the anesthesia and he felt the soft hold of restraints against his wrists.
“Mr. Halpert?” A young nurse with a mask on leaned over him. “Relax. You got through surgery just fine. The donor heart is going strong and is perfectly healthy. You have a tube in your throat that is attached to a respirator to help you breathe while your body heals. There is also a tube that is going down your nose into your stomach to help keep your stomach from bloating. Also, I’m sorry about the restraints but they are necessary because you may try to pull the tube out in your sleep and the tremors you get from the aftereffects of the anesthesia can hurt.”
Jim’s head was swimming and all he was aware of was that his chest was not as heavy and although his chest ached there was an overwhelming sense of euphoria.
He closed his eyes and could feel the pull of the medication before he drifted back to sleep.
~*~
“Can we see him?” Pam asked, still wiping her teary eyes with trembling hands.
“I’m sorry but we can only allow in immediate family members,” Chris said awkwardly, frowning slightly.
“She’s his fiancée,” Pete broke in, placing a hand on her shoulder and bringing her in for a quick hug. “And we’ve seen Jim waking up from surgeries too many times. Pam, you should go.”
Pam nodded and Chris put a hand on her back and led her out of the room. Her head was fuzzy and she felt slightly sick to her stomach. The receptionist had to wash up and dress completely in protective equipment. She felt silly in the hat and mask but her mind went completely blank when she walked into the ICU and saw Jim.
He was incredibly pale which just emphasized the dark bruises under his eyes. There was so many tubes coming out of him but the breathing tube down his throat was the most startling.
Pam gently took Jim’s hand in her gloved one and his dazed eyes opened. She avoided the IV line but gently rubbed her thumb across the back of his hand.
Jim squeezed her hand weakly and turned his head slightly towards her. Pam felt her tears dampen the mask she wore and she gently caressed his cheek where the surgical tape holding the breathing tube in place ended.
“You,” She began, her voice cracking. “Have no idea how worried I’ve been. Oh god I love you.”
He smiled slightly around the tube and only squeezed her hand tighter. Pam’s eyes travelled down from his glazed eyes to the large bandage covering his chest. A tube snaked out from under the bandage and emptied bloodied liquid into a container.
“Your parents have been worried sick and it’s been horrible waiting for you to come out,” She smiled when he pushed his face towards her hand softly. He winced and closed his eyes tightly when his movement jarred his incision.
“Are you in pain?” She asked and tenderly pushed his hair back when he nodded slightly. Worry began to build up in her when she saw that he had paled further and was trembling slightly from the pain. His wrists were still restrained but he would jerk up every so often from the tremors.
“I’ll let you get back to sleep,” She whispered when she saw his eyelids droop with exhaustion. “I love you.”
He squeezed her hand again before falling asleep. Pam stood in the room, listening to the sounds of the ventilator and the various beeps of the machines before making her way out of the room.
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© 2006-2023 More Than That | Skin created by Kali
© 2006-2023 More Than That | Skin created by Kali