After dinner Jim and Pam retreated to the kitchen, cleaning up while Ellie and Ben played in the family room. Jim grinned as Pam gazed at the kids whenever an unfamiliar clatter was heard. He was thankful that, from the moment she met the kids, she remained the concerned parent—the mother in her still obvious. Jim couldn’t imagine having to assume that responsibility overnight—he had months to prepare. But, regardless of her current condition, Jim knew that’s who Pam would always be.
“I think we’re done here,” he said, drying his hand on his pants.
“It looks that way,” she smiled, taking one last look around the kitchen. “What do we do now?”
“Well, this is when the fun begins…It’s bath time.” Jim said, a smug smile tugging the corners of his lips.
Pam raised one eyebrow, looking suspiciously at him. One thing about Jim was his very expressive face, which was an indicator of his intentions. From his current guise, Pam knew she was in for a ride, and bath time didn’t disappoint. Pam got to see Ben’s terrified act, leaving Jim and the bathroom soaking wet. She was dumbfounded by his inexplicable fear of the tub. Even if Jim had mentioned it to her, it wouldn’t have prepared her for what she saw.
“Has he always been like this?” Pam said, rubbing Ben’s back worriedly as he clutched tightly to Jim’s neck. She hated seeing Ben so distressed.
“Pretty much. Ever since we made the transition from the baby tub. We’ve tried everything. I just hope he’ll eventually grow out of it.”
“He’s really scared of whatever he thinks is in that tub!”
“Yes he is!” Jim said, enveloping a whimpering Ben in a towel.
Pam followed Jim to Ben’s room, where he proceeded to diaper and clothe Ben. Pam was relieved when Ben’s hiccupping sobs reverted to soft moans. She never wanted to see her baby like that ever again. When Ben was ready and in his jammies, Jim signaled Pam to sit on the rocking chair so he could lower him to her arms.
“Rock him for a little bit and he should go to sleep. I’ll get Ellie ready.” Jim said softly, handing her his blanket.
Pam embraced Ben, watching him rub his eyes shut as he snuggled on her chest. His breathing calmed, but every now and again he would inhaled and exhale audibly—slowly recovering from his crying episode. Pam began rocking him, running her hand over the boy’s hair, amazed at how much Ben was like Jim—from the curve of this lips, to the way he walked. Even Ben’s tiny fingers and toes were miniatures of Jim’s. Pam wondered what part of herself she contributed to him.
Ben was already asleep when Jim returned to the bedroom, wearing a different shirt. The one he had worn before was wet from Ben’s bath time nightmare.
“He’s asleep, huh?”
“Yeah. I think he was exhausted from bath time.”
Jim chuckled, “Yeah… that’s one theory!”
“Hey…” Pam’s eyes darted between Jim and Ben, peacefully spilled over her arms. “Are you sure he’s mine too?
What do you mean?”
“I mean… I know he is mine,” Pam said matter-of-factly. “It’s just…He is so much like you that I can’t see any part of me in him.”
“Here,” Jim said, carefully lifting Ben from her arms. He raised his pajama shirt just above his bellybutton, exposing a small mark on his left side. “See?” Jim asked, and Pam nodded. Jim pointed towards the same spot on her, eliciting her to lift her own shirt. She sheepishly peaked under her blouse, finding the same distinct mark there.
“Wow…”
“Yeah, we don’t know what exactly that is, but we know he got it from you.” Jim said repositioning Ben is his arms. “A genetic anomaly!”
“Umm… Yeah.”
“He is definitely yours,” Jim said grinning.
Jim walked over to Ben’s bed, tucked him in, and kissed him goodnight. He then extended his hand to Pam, who was still obviously in awe from the recent realization.
“C’mon,” Jim said, pulling her gently to her feet. “We have another one to tuck in.” Pam placed the crutches under her arms and slowly made her way to kiss Ben goodnight before following Jim to Ellie’s room.
Upon arriving in Ellie’s room, they found her sitting on the floor, struggling to get her pajamas on. It was amazing how Pam could clearly see the obvious resemblance between her and the little girl. The curly hair, the eyes, and nose were a miniature of hers, and according to Jim, Ellie’s timid personality was also a gift from her.
“Here El,” Jim said walking over to her. “Let me help you.” Jim bent down removed the tangled shirt she had managed put on, untangled it, and slid it back on her. Then, Ellie held onto Jim’s shoulder, balancing on one leg, while he helped her with the pants.
“Okay, you’re ready, missy?”
Ellie jumped on the bed and crawled under the covers, “Ready.”
“Goodnight pretty girl,” Jim said, lowering down to kiss her forehead.
“ ‘Night daddy.”
“Goodnight honey.” Pam said, planting a kiss on her as well.
“Mommy?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you going to be sick again?”
“Oh…” The blood drained from Pam’s face, and her muscles quickly tensed under her skin. Pam’s eyes darted towards Jim, but he stood motionless, gazing at the floor with his hands in his pockets. “I… don’t think so….um… why?”
“I don’t want you to leave again.”
Ellie’s response tugged at Pam’s heartstrings. Pam walked to Ellie’s bed and sat next to her. “I’d never leave you, okay?”
Ellie sat up, landing a sloppy kiss on Pam’s cheek. “Okay mommy. Love you!”
“Love you too.” Pam walked out of the room with tears welling in the back of her eyes. She blinked several times in a futile attempt to dry them away.
“Are you ok?” Jim asked, seeing how Ellie’s query had shaken her.
“Yeah, I’m okay.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah...”
“If you’re up for it, I still have one last thing I want to show you.” Jim said, reaching for her hand.
“Really? What is it?” Pam said, wiping a few feeble tears that escaped her eyes.
“C’mon…” Jim said, guiding her down the hallway, “We have to go outside.”
“Outside?”
“Kinda.”
“Okay…” Pam nodded hesitantly, still questioning his motive.
They walked out the front door and Jim left Pam standing by the porch while he walked across the soggy lawn to open the garage door. He quickly returned, cleaning his hands on his pants. “C’mon,” Jim said, gesturing with his hand. “I’ll carry you over.” Pam nodded, still a bit hesitant—the dim porch light preventing her from studying his face. Jim placed his hands protectively behind her back and knees, scooped her up effortlessly, and carried her over to the front of the garage.
“What is this?” Pam said, gazing at the room before her.
“This…is your art studio.” Jim said, lowering her to the ground. If there was a place Jim thought Pam might remember, it would be her art studio. She’d spent most of her free time here—painting, sketching, and drawing. In fact, this was the room that sold her on the house. Jim was hopeful that this room, if nothing else, would trigger something.
Pam gathered her crutches under her arms, gazing at all the paintings and sketches hung around the spacious room. “Wow… I have a studio?”
“Yes you do.” This was actually Jim’s first time in Pam’s art studio since the accident. He hadn’t trusted himself to enter this room and not have an emotional breakdown.
Pam walked over to an easel standing in the middle of the room with a canvas resting on it. She couldn’t quite make out what it was. There was color—lots of it, and the beginnings of some curved outline. Pam tilted her head to the side, trying to obtain a better viewpoint.
“You were working on that before the…” Jim said, trailing off the thought. “It’s not done.”
“Oh…”
“I’m not really sure what it’s supposed to be. You never tell me until I have an educated guess.”
“I have no idea either.”
“Okay,” Jim said, understandingly, though disappointed. “Whenever you want to come here, and give this all a shot—don’t hesitate.”
“Yeah… but I don’t think I...”
“Just try okay?” Jim insisted.
Pam hesitated, her eyes dancing around the room, before meeting his gaze again. “Okay.”
“Thank you.” Jim said, noticing Pam stifling a yawn. “I think we should call it a night.”
“Yeah… I agree.”
Jim nodded, flicking the light-switch off before pulling the garage door closed. He carried Pam back into the house and helped her maneuver up the stairs. Jim walked her over to their bedroom, but stopped at the door.
“The room is all yours.” Jim said, leaning against the door frame.
“Oh… But where are you going to sleep?”
“We have a guest bedroom. I’ll be there.”
“I can sleep there, you know? This is your room…”
“It’s yours too…. I think you’ll be more comfortable here.”
Pam smiled genuinely, “Thank you.”
“Um… If you need anything, I’m down the hall. And if the kids come during the night, just bring them back to bed or wake me up—they can be pretty persuasive.”
“Will do…”
“Let me just get a few things and I’ll be right out.” Jim walked over to his dresser and fished out a few pieces of clothes and threw them over his shoulders. He also walked into their bathroom and retrieved his toothbrush. “Alright, I think I’m all set. Oh…um… Your pajamas are in the third drawer of the dresser.”
“Oh... thanks.”
“Goodnight Pam.”
“Goodnight Jim.”
………………
Pam woke up to the beeping of the alarm clock resting on the nightstand. She intuitively reached her arm out, slamming her hand on the snooze button. She perched herself up, narrowing her eyes to the morning light peering through the curtains. She was slowly adjusting, when she heard the pitter-patter of small feet outside her bedroom door. And it didn’t take long before the door squeaked open, revealing a smiling face peeking through the aperture.
“Mommy?” She heard Ellie whisper.
“Where do you think you’re going little lady?” Pam heard Jim call from outside. Jim’s query went unnoticed as Ellie continued to push the door open with both hands. She was almost through the door when Jim caught her amid her stride.
“I’m wanna see mommy.” Ellie exclaimed, squirming in Jim’s arms.
“Mommy’s still asleep, sweetie.” Jim whispered, turning on his heel to shut the bedroom door quietly behind him.
“No, it’s ok… I’m up.” Pam chimed in, running her hands through her sleep tousled hair. Jim turned on his heel, reluctantly entering the room. He hesitated, but let the fidgeting child loose from his grip. Ellie ran to the bed and launched into Pam’s arms.
“G’morning mommy!”
“Good morning there.” Pam said, kissing her rosy cheeks.
“We’re going to the park today!” Ellie exclaimed, with a big smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Pam gazed down at her adoringly.
“We are?” Pam said, eyes darting towards Jim.
“Daddy said when you woke up we could go,” Ellie continued.
“Yeah,” Jim chimed in, walking further into the bedroom. “Daddy also said to wait for mommy to wake up.”
“I was up... really,” Pam insisted.
Jim walked closer to the bed, eyeing the mischief plastered on his child’s face. “Now, little lady,” Jim said, scooping her off the bed, “Let’s let mommy get ready.” He planted kisses on Ellie’s exposed belly, eliciting a fit of giggles from her. “C’mon,” he said lowering her to the floor. “Let’s go tell Ben we are going to the park...” Ellie skipped out of the room, yelling for Ben.
“So, we’re going to the park?” Pam said, stifling a yawn.
“If you want…The kids don’t do too well at home all day. Letting them run around makes naptime a breeze.”
Pam chuckled, propping herself to a full sitting position. “Yeah, it should be fun.”
“It will… A day with the Halperts is always fun.”
“Is that right?” Pam said, teasing.
“Wait and see Bees, today is going to kick your ass!”
Pam gazed suspiciously at the lanky form of a man leaving the bedroom. Even with his disheveled hair and stained plaid pajama pants, Jim looked really good. Before this morning, Pam had only seen Jim in his work attire—tie, button-down shirts, and dress pants. Seeing him comfortably dressed, with his hair raining down over his eyes, caught her off guard. Not to mention his teeth—not his smile or his beautiful green eyes—no, his teeth. She blushed at her ridiculous observation.
Pam swiveled her feet off the bed, wincing as her toes touched the cold floor. She languidly reached for her crutches and made her way towards the bathroom. She gasped at the her image reflecting in the mirror—curls jumbled everywhere, eyes swollen with sleep, and a trail of something dry leading from her mouth. She quickly bent over the faucet, washing herself awake.
She grabbed a hairbrush off the side of the sink and began running through her hair—bad decision. The brush only encouraged her curls into disarray. She quickly opened the medicine cabinet, finding an elastic sitting among other hair stuff. She pulled her hair back and tied it in a ponytail. She went back to the bedroom and began opening every drawer, looking for something she thought was park appropriate. She pulled open a drawer, widening her eyes, as it revealed many of Jim’s underwear. She looked absorbedly at them, not noticing Jim standing by the door.
“I don’t think it’s there.” Pam was momentarily startled and rapidly shut the dresser drawer—on her finger.
“Owww!” She yelped and instinctively brought her finger to her mouth.
Jim hurried towards her, tugging at her hand. “Let me see.”
“It really hurts.” She withdrew her hand, her eyes glistening with tears.
“I know. Let me see,” Jim insisted, gently prying her hand away from her mouth. Her finger showed no cut, but was red. “Can you bend it? Does it hurt?”
“No…Owww.” Pam cried as Jim compressed the tip of her finger.
“Sorry,” Jim said gently rubbing her finger between his palms. “It’s not broken, it’s just sore from the impact.”
Pam turned her head away from Jim, feeling embarrassed. “I feel stupid.”
“Hey,” Jim said turning her face to him. “Don’t.”
“It still hurts.”
“I know.” he said, planting a kiss on her finger. He grinned when he saw her blush. “I think we should put some ice on it just to be safe.”
“Okay.”
Jim pulled her into a hug, placing a few stray curls behind her ear. It felt so good to have her so close to him again. He really missed her touch. Pam, in turn, melted in his embrace. He was so much taller than her that his body enclosed snuggly around hers. Jim pulled away just enough to see her face again.
“When I said it was going to kick your ass, I didn’t mean it literally Bees.”
She chuckled, burrowing her face in his chest. “I know it was all part of your evil plan,” she said teasingly.
Jim smiled, looking adoringly at her. “You know, you could take part in my secret evil plan.”
“Really?” Pam asked feigning interest.
“The question is, do you accept?” Pam looked impishly at Jim, twisting her mouth in thought. Jim could see the wheels turning in her head as she devised her answer.
“Absolutely I do.” She responded appropriately.
Jim’s mouth hung open as his mind wrapped around what Pam had just uttered. “W-what did you just say?” He stared at her in disbelief, causing her to become uneasy.
“I-I...um… do accept.”
“No… you said um…”
“I accept…” Pam searched Jim’s face, confused.
“You remembered,” he whispered to himself, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
“What?”
“You remembered,” he had a contagious smile plastered on his face.
“Remembered what?”
“A long time ago, I told you if you were to ever accept something secret you reply, ‘Absolutely I do.’ It was about Dwight, but…” Jim trailed off, lifting his hand to his hair, tousling it in disbelief. “You remembered.”
“It’s just a phrase…I don’t think….” Pam began, but was interrupted by Jim pulling her off her feet and spinning her around. “Jim…”
Jim stopped, cupping her face in his hand, their foreheads touching, his hair raining over her eyes.
“You remembered.”
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here is the second part! I hope you guys enjoy it!
Huge thanks to the best Betas ever EmilyHalpert and Smurfette729 Disclaimer: I own Zippa-dee-doo-dah.. Nothing!
Huge thanks to the best Betas ever EmilyHalpert and Smurfette729 Disclaimer: I own Zippa-dee-doo-dah.. Nothing!
Chapter End Notes:
Thanks for reading. Let me know what you guys think and if you are still with me!
