“She’s beautiful,” he whispered, touching her nose, so tiny, so warm, and pulled her closer to his chest. Pam lay next to him, sharing a bed the three of the, their other little ones fast asleep on the pull out couch in the birthing suite. Philip’s arms entwined around his sister’s back, holding her close. They’d slept like this many a night after the accident when he’d sneak into his sister’s room, and it was too sweet not to watch the moment, but they’d never tell either of them; embarrassment was the center of their world for those two.
“Take a photo,” Pam motioned quietly to the phone on the nightstand as Jim quickly got a capture attempting not to wake Cece and Philip up with the flash.
Cece stirred, “Shit,” he mumbled, a laugh escaping his lips, as he laid next to Pam, closing his eyes, the both of them pretending to be asleep.
“Coast is clear,” Pam smiled, opening an eye and pulling her husband, and her baby toward her. He planted kisses on her head for hours before, during, and after the procedure, and his lips had become raw from giving love to this beautiful, amazing, little girl, and her mother.
“Can you put her on me,” Pam asked, as Jim carefully placed the baby on her chest, opening her gown, and feeling her warm skin meet the babies and they were in sync. He watched her take tiny little breaths, her body, so small, 5lbs and 8 ounces, wrapped up in a swaddle, she was no bigger than Pam’s chest.
Jim took two fingers and slowly moved them around his face. Beautiful.
Pam pointed to Jim, and then nodded toward the baby.
“Beesly, that’s all you right there,” he whispered, pulling her close to him, an arm wrapping around her shoulders. She was impressed at how tight he was able to grip her in this moment, and she figured it must have been adrenaline.
The delivery was different. Not easy, not hard, but a different, terrifying, and beautiful experience. She watched her baby be pulled out from behind a drape,
“She’s perfect, Pam,” he’d choked, holding her knuckles to her face, tears hitting her fingers.
She gasped when she saw her, she had so much hair. This beautiful taft of auburn hair, and the lightest of eyelashes, she’d opened her eyes, and Pam swore she looked directly into her mother’s soul. This baby was the epitome of a miracle. So many miracles she’d watched over the past eight months, and yet this little girl grew into this world when everything felt as though it would never be better, when life was filled with despair. But in this moment...At this very second, at 11:33pm, Olivia James Halpert was the epitome of perfection and everything right in her world.
Pam knew the first few weeks would be difficult, Jim couldn’t help her as much as he usually would, and she’d be recovering from surgery. She knew eventually the kids being enamored by the baby would wear off, they would have to start to pack the house, and the crying would become exhausting. However, that night, her entire world was in one room together. And they had suddenly become five.
“When should we tell her?” Jim asked, watching a small yawn escape from his baby’s mouth, and he couldn’t help but smirk. Sometimes, every once in a while, he’d look up expecting to see a camera pointed at him. This was one of those moments, and he wished for a split second, someone could have captured the look of pure joy on his face.
Tomorrow Pam signed, and looked to Cecelia. She had become so tall, her legs were hanging off the side of the bed, and yesterday’s clothes were still on her. She was snoring slightly, her head draped over her arm, and the other arm, pulling Phil close to her.
“She’s going to be upset,”
“Not when she sees the stall in the yard,”
Jim’s head jolted to the right, and his mouth was agape,
“I sort of did a thing,” she couldn’t help but lift the edges of her mouth into a grin,
“Babe, do you remember the ‘Cookie’ ordeal?”
Pam snorted, bouncing Olivia lightly on her chest, “She’s older, Jim,” she glanced at Cece,
“And she’s been begging me for ages,” her smile faded, “we only have a few more years until she’s off to college,”
Jim turned, “Oh come on now,” he pulled her chin to him, “it’s not for a long time”
Whether it was exhaustion, hormones, or both, Pam shed some tears, and as he wiped them away, she mumbled, “We have to protect them.”
“I know,”
“You can’t leave me, Jim, promise me we won’t do this alone,” she eyed him fiercely.
“I’m right here,” it was quiet for a while longer, “I’m right here…”
