Pam hadn’t been feeling well since she woke up that morning, but her piece needed to be hung up with a description and a bio of herself in the art gallery before noon, and she had two classes before her show that night. The sweat on her forehead was growing steadily as she packed her backpack to bring down to the art building. Karen was still sleeping, so quietly she slipped out the door and down the hall, her stomach paining her the entire way. She sighed as she walked the long walk across the quad to Redstone Campus, her vision was feeling blurry, and she had to push herself the rest of the way up to the gallery.
“I thought I might find you here,” Jim sprawled out on the stairs to the building, books surrounding him, and his backpack open next to him, he looked as though he’d been there for a while.
“Hey Jim,”
He scrunched his eyebrows in concern and stood up to meet her glance, “Beesly, what’s going on with you?” The back of his hand slipped to her forehead, and his lips pursed. “You’re on fire,” his eyes were full of concern. She grabbed her side, and pushed through him to the stairs, setting her bag down.
“I don’t feel well,” she hated herself for whining, but she was unsure what was causing her so much pain, and she didn’t dare call her mother and worry her. She’d assumed the lasagna she ate the dining hall last night had been bad, and tried to focus her eyes on Jim.
“Does your side hurt?” He raised an eye and moved to sit down next to her, pulling her arm close into his shoulder.
She just nodded, resting her head back on his shoulder, “Something’s wrong,” she mumbled, “but I have to get my art up before noon, or I’ll get removed from the showcase,”
“Beesly, I’m not sure you’re going to make it to that showcase,” he bit his lower lip, a knowing look coming across his face.
“What are you talking about?” she glanced at him, inhaling quickly as she grabbed her side.
“Pam,” he started to put books back into his back, “You and I are going to go across the street,”
“Jim, I am not going to the Emergency Room, I’m telling you I’m fine and I have to go to my show!,” she growled, and he rolled his eyes.
“Stand on your tiptoes, and if you can do that without it hurting, I won’t make you go,” He eyed her with a smirk.
“You have yourself a deal,” she stood up, taking a hand from him, and as soon as she put weight on the top of her toes, she collapsed.
“Beesly,” he shook her, her eyes had closed,
“Pam,” this time his voice was raised in concern.
“I need help!” she wasn’t moving in his arms as a couple professors made their way over to them at a slight jog.
“I promise, it’s going to be fine,” she glanced over at him, completely ashamed of the state she was in. Her hair, damp with sweat, surrounded her face in unruly curls, and she was dressed in the most unflattering of gowns, an IV sticking out of her hand.
“How do you know,” she’d felt slightly better after they had given her something for the pain, and some fluids, but the pain was still persistent in her side, and it was becoming unbearable.
“Because, when I was nine, I had my appendix out too, and I promise you’re going to be just fine,” his chin rested on the bars on the side of the bed, a hand intertwined with her own.
“Don’t worry,” it was as though he knew what to say before she even thought it, “I already called your parents, they’re on their way, but,” he stopped. He began to rub circles over her knuckles, nurses moving quickly around them,
“What?” her eyes furrowed.
“They’ve got to get you into surgery before they come,”
“What?” she sat up in concern, her arms barely holding up her small frame, “No way, I can’t go back there without them, and I’ve,” her eyes began darting around the room in panic, “I’ve never had surgery, and I’m…” he watched as her eyes brimmed with tears.
His voice was barely above a whisper, “You’re scared, I know,” He pushed his chair as close to the bed as he could, and shut the curtains around them in the small ED room, “but you are so strong, and I promise, you go back and you fall asleep and you won’t feel a thing,” he lowered the bar next to Pam,
“Push over,” he smiled at her.
She didn’t feel strong in that moment, and she was fighting the tears desperately wanting to fall down her face. She moved over to the left side of the bed leaving just enough room for his long lean body.
“I’m freezing,” she mumbled, but he felt her body literally burning up.
“Come here,” he pulled his arms around her shoulders as she collapsed into him,
“I don’t want to do this,” that was it. The tears had come. And she wasn’t sure if they would stop.
He ran his hands through her hair, easing his fingers through the knotted curls, and tying her hair back away from her face with an elastic she’d had around her wrist.
“You have to, but I will stay right here with you until they take you back, I’m not going anywhere,”
She sighed against his chest, wiping tears from her face.
“I want my Mom,” she cried in between hiccups.
“I know,” he pressed a kiss to her head, and began running circles along her back, “and she’ll be here so soon, when you wake up, she’ll be right here,” he held her a little tighter.
“Is it going to hurt?” she looked up at him, “after I mean,”
“A little,” he nodded, “but when you wake up, they’re going to give you medicine so that you don’t feel the pain as much, and I’ll get you as much Ben and Jerry’s as you want. And that’s a promise,” he winked at her.
She sat back as her surgeon pulled the curtain back, smiling, finding both of them in the bed.
“Hmmm,” he gave Jim a wink, “which one of you is the patient?”
“He is,” Pam pointed at Jim, giving a small laugh.
Jim chuckled, rubbing a thumb along her cheek.
“Miss Beesly, we need to bring you back now, and take care of that appendix of yours,” the doctor had kind eyes, and gave her a smile, before slipping his mask on.
She turned to Jim, the anxiety creeping into her hands as she gripped his shirt. Before he crawled out of bed, he cupped her face, bringing it close to his ears,
“You’re strong Beesly, and you’re going to do great back there, I’ll be waiting right here, and I promise all the ice cream and cuddles you need when you’re done,” She felt her cheeks blush, this side of Jim new and exciting fighting her fear. But he was here, and that was all that mattered in that moment.
When they wheeled her back, she glanced back at him, he was standing by the spot where her bed was, hands in his pockets a smile on his face. There was love in those eyes and she could feel it, even as she began to get more and more groggy.
