- Text Size +
Story Notes:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Two weeks ago, Pam came down with the common cold. No big deal. Just about everyone caught it at some point or another. It was just the right time of year.

By now, everyone had recovered. Except for Pam.

----------------------------------------

The air conditioning is broken today, so the office feels more like a sauna than workspace. Everyone's sweating as if it were the middle of the summer.

Except for Pam.

Pam sits behind reception, bundled up in her white, puffy trenchcoat, dozing next to the keyboard.

Jim walks up to reception to see what's wrong with her. He knows she hasn't been feeling very well, but he simply couldn't understand her abnormal behavior.

She picks her head up at the sight of his shadow and sighs. "hey."

He's too concerned for small talk. "Pam, are you. . . are you feeling alright?"

Her green eyes seem to have lost thier brilliance next to those dark blue rings under the lids. "I'm fine."

"You're lying."

"I guess I just never really got over that cold."

"Well no offense, but you kind of seem worse than normal today. Have you taken anything?"

"Nothing works anymore."

"Well will you please do me a favor and at least take your temperature? You realize that you're freezing, and its like, 78 degrees in here, right? That's wrong."

She bobs her head, not just in agreement, but also from her simple inability to hold it upright. She finds her thermometer from her purse and puts it under her dry tongue.
She rests her head on her palm and shuts her eyes, squinting at first from the sharp burning.

Jim, too, falls into a trance. While hers is strictly from pain and fatigue, his is from utter admiration.
How could somebody so ill manage to look so beautiful?
He stands there, just staring, jealous.
Jealous of her trenchcoat; he wishes he could be the one to keep her warm.
He knows his thoughts are rediculously silly, but he's just so jealous of. .
. . .of the thermometer; able to read her body like a book. Tell her what's wrong and what's right. . .What to do next. . . More so, however, to able to touch her lips, to taste her beauty. . .

*beep*

They both jump out of their respective daydreams. Pam removes the thermometer and reads the results. The result frightens her, and she suddenly finds it hard to breath. Jim only realizes HOW terribly sick she is when her wheezing gives way to throbbing tears. "shit."

-------------------------------

Jim hurls around her desk to support her convulging body. He squats next to her chair and splays his arm around her shoulders. Her head falls loosely back onto his arm, and now she is struggling desperately to breathe. Jim lifts her up carefully so to not put her into shock, but fast enough to get the hell to his car before starting a larger commotion.

He rushes out of the office, holding her like a baby, wiping the painful, fiery tears off her delicate, pale cheeks.

------------------
Chapter End Notes:
to be continued.

probably tomorrow.

You must login (register) to review or leave jellybeans