Pam woke up slowly, joints aching. She had decided to sleep on the couch after the fight with Roy and still felt incredibly guilty.
“Pam?” She sat up fully, hair sticking up in every direction. Roy was standing in the kitchen doorway holding a plate of waffles and a cup of tea. “I made you breakfast.”
“Thanks,” She smiled and tried to smooth down her hair. Pam took the plates from him and stared down at the syrupy waffle. “I’m sorry I lied to you.”
“No, I’m sorry,” Roy quickly grabbed his fiancée’s hand. “I was jealous and tired. I didn’t mean to snap at you. If you want, I can give you a ride to the hospital after work. Didn’t he have the surgery yesterday?”
“Yes he did,” Pam smiled sweetly. “Thanks Roy.”
~*~
Pam walked down the hallway, gripping Roy’s hand tightly. Her fiancé gently rubbed her back as they walked towards the intensive care unit waiting room.
They could easily pick out Jim’s family amongst the other worried families in the waiting room. Pam recognized his parents and saw the two men who she assumed were his brothers, Pete and Tom. Two young women sat next to them, staring blankly at style magazines.
“Mr. and Mrs. Halpert?” Pam said softly, getting the whole family to glance up at them with reddened, exhausted eyes. “I don’t know if you remember us.”
“Of course I do,” She gave Pam a fleeting smile.
“I just wanted to come down to see if you needed anything,” Pam said awkwardly, Roy squeezing her hand.
“That’s very sweet of you dear,” Larissa smiled. “I think we’re fine but we would love for the two of you to join us. Jim should be out of the ICU soon.”
“Is he alright?” Roy asked, obviously feeling uncomfortable.
“They had to cut away quite a bit of his heart and he only woke up a few hours ago. I guess he still has the breathing tube in and they’re watching him closely to make sure his heart doesn’t give out,” Rob muttered, rubbing his face.
“He’ll be okay though,” The younger of the two brothers, Pete, said sharply.
“He’s as stubborn as they come,” Tom smirked.
“I’m going to head home, I’m supposed to help Kenny move his new TV in,” Roy kissed her on the cheek. Pam knew that Roy had nothing to do that night but he was incredibly uncomfortable. She gently squeezed his hand before he left the room.
“Larissa, I’m going on a snack run,” One of the women, a pretty blonde, smiled at her. “Pam, Ellen, would you like to join me?”
“Sure,” The other, older woman with long straight black hair stood up and placed the magazine on the plastic chair.
The blonde hooked her arm through Pam’s and gave her a bright grin. The three women left the waiting room then slowed to a stop as soon as the doors closed behind them.
“We really haven’t been formally introduced,” The blonde smiled. “I’m Rachel Halpert, Pete’s wife.”
“And I’m Emma Halpert, Tom’s wife,” The dark haired woman grinned.
“Have you guys been here all night?” Pam asked as they made their way to the cafeteria. Both women nodded, obviously tired.
“How long have you known Jim?” Emma asked with a tired smile.
“We’ve worked together for a couple years now,” Pam began to feel more comfortable with the two women. “He’s become my best friend and it’s just been really hard.”
“I totally understand,” Emma nodded, pulling her hair back. “I was dating Tom, who’s about seven years older than Jim, when he had his first heart attack. We were in the audience of the basketball game when he collapsed. It really did change his brothers, they were terrified.”
“Goodness, I can imagine,” Pam shuddered at the thought.
“And poor Vanessa and Jason have been so upset that Uncle Jim has gotten sick again,” Emma shook her head. “I have a neighbor watching them.”
Pam nodded uncomfortably, feeling completely out of place. These women were completely part of the family and she felt just like an onlooker.
Rachel jumped slightly and pulled out her cell phone, smiling embarrassedly. She glanced at the text and her eyes widened.
“Jim’s awake and they removed the tube. He’s still a little tired but aware,” She grinned. “Let’s go see him.”
Pam gave her a shaky smile and the bright grin on Rachel’s face faded slightly. She linked her arm through the receptionist’s and they began to walk back to the ICU.
Pete and Tom stood outside the room, talking and laughing. Rachel slid next to Pete and hugged him.
“How’s he doing?” Emma asked, brushing her hair behind her ears.
“Not too bad,” Tom said, smiling at Pam. “Mom and dad are in there with him now. But they’ll be out in a few minutes.”
Pam nodded shortly and clasped her trembling hands together, staring at the door. Rachel gently patted her shoulder and smiled at her. She glanced down and her smile faded slightly when she saw the thin gold band on Pam’s left hand.
The sound of the door opening made Pam jump. Jim’s parents walked out, smiling slightly.
“Well, we’ve all been in,” Larissa said brightly, obviously happy. “Pam, would you like to see him?”
“Uh, sure,” Pam smiled at the family and walked into the room, slowly.
Jim was lying in a bed, completely covered with tubes. He had several coming out of his arms, one in his neck, and several pads attached to his chest. She could see the deep incision peaking out of the blankets.
“Hey,” Jim smiled, his voice incredibly hoarse.
“Hi,” She gave him a trembling smile. “How are you feeling?”
“Actually, not too bad,” Jim closed his eyes for a moment and shifted up higher in his bed. “They’ve got me on all kinds of pain meds. It’s pretty awesome.”
Pam lips quirked into a smile but she could not keep her eyes off all of the tubes. They only made him look extremely ill and frail.
“I know the tubes are a little weird,” Jim said with a tired smile and Pam blushed, embarrassed to be caught staring. “The little pads are the EKG monitor, it checks my heart rate. The one in my arm is my arterial line, which monitors my blood pressure and the amount of oxygen in the blood. The one in my neck is a Swan-Ganz, which measures the pressure in my heart and pulmonary veins. And there are a couple of tubes in my chest, which are under the blanket, drain all the crap that builds up in my chest.”
“Wow,” Pam said slowly. “So, I’m guessing this isn’t your first heart surgery?”
“Nope,” He gave her a small smile. “It’s my fourth.”
Pam’s heart froze and Jim’s smile faded at the look of shock on her face. He reached out and grabbed her hand.
“Thanks for coming,” He said softly.
“I’m glad I came,” She responded, squeezing his hand faintly.
His smile faltered again and he gently pulled his hand away, leaning back on the pillows.
“Roy’s helping Kenny move his new TV,” She blurted out, not really sure why.
“Ah,” Jim raised his eyebrows, scratching at the IV site. “Good for him.”
Pam nodded, wringing her hands nervously. Jim stared down at his hands and sighed, he could feel the exhaustion that followed the surgery.
“Pam,” They both glanced up to see Rob leaning into the door. “I’m sorry dear but your time is up.”
“Oh,” Pam muttered and took Jim’s hand, squeezing it again. “I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah,” Jim said with a smile.
She turned around and walked out of the door, glancing behind her shoulder to give him a quick smile. Pete slipped into the room as Pam walked out and Jim groaned.
“Come on Pete,” He moaned. “I’m exhausted.”
“Oh whine, whine, whine,” Pete mocked him, plopping down into the plastic chair by the bed. “Pam’s cute. But Jimmy, she has a ring.”
“Really? I didn’t realize!” Jim gave a gasp of mock surprise. “She’s just a good friend.”
“Uh huh,” Pete nodded.
Jim rolled his eyes but a sudden pain in his chest made him freeze. Pete frowned and sat up as his brother’s eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped over. The heart monitor let out a loud, horrible wail as it flatlined.
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© 2006-2023 More Than That | Skin created by Kali
© 2006-2023 More Than That | Skin created by Kali