Pam was gently shaken awake from her deep sleep. She opened her eyes but the lights were too unbearable so she quickly shut them again.

“Pam, wake up, we can go now.”

She made herself open her eyes once more and saw Jim kneeling on the floor next to her. There was now a little bandage on her neck and gauze wrapped around her left arm. She quickly remembered everything that had happened.

“How long have I been asleep?” she asked.

“About three hours.”

She looked down and noticed that her hand was still in his. He kept hold of her hands for three straight hours. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze before she let go and attempted to stand up. Her feet hit the floor and she straightened out her legs but she couldn’t maintain her balance and she started to fall. Luckily, Jim caught her and sat her back down. They both let out a small laugh.

“You’re obviously too weak to stand up, let alone walk three flights of stairs” he said and reached underneath her so he could pick her up. He carried her until they reached the threshold. She was surprised at how easily he carried her.

“Wait!” she interjected.

“What?”

“What about my clothes? And my toothbrush?”

“Oh yeah, right! I have spare toothbrushes at my house, so don’t worry about that.” Still holding her in his arms, he carried her to the bedroom. On their way, they passed the bathroom and it reeked of vomit.

Carefully, he laid her down on the bed and walked to the closet, taking out her suitcase. Pam watched as he grabbed the only pair of pajama bottoms he saw that looked like something a girl would wear and the tank top hanging with it. He looked to her and she nodded that they were hers. Next, he grabbed all of the work clothes in sight. There weren’t many. He folded them neatly; she couldn’t help but smile at how at home he seemed in her apartment. She also enjoyed how he took the time to fold her clothes instead of throw them in a messy heap like Roy would have done.

He turned to her and asked, “You ready?” She nodded and he picked her up once more. He made his way out of the damaged apartment, down the stairs, and out in the parking lot. She noticed that some police cars still remained along with the ambulance. They passed one car and she saw Roy. He was sitting in the back in handcuffs with his head bowed down. She gulped and tightened her grip on Jim’s jacket. It was unbelievable that the man that she once had been so close to was being taken to jail.

When they reached Jim’s small red car, he opened the back door and laid her down so she was lying on her back. He closed the door and sat in the front. The ride to his apartment was completely silent until he opened the door for her again.

“Jim, I just wanted to say thank you.”

“For what?”

“Everything.”

Even in the dark of the cold and early morning she saw his smile. He picked her up once again and led her inside to the living room. He carefully set her down on a chair and set the pull-out couch. Then he left to get her a few blankets and a pillow. When he returned, he said:

“My brother, Jonathan, is coming to visit and he will probably be here in a few hours; maybe around 4:00 a.m. Don’t let that wake you up because you need your rest. If you need anything, just call me with this,” he handed her an air horn. 

In spite of the situation, Pam smiled broadly.  “Are you seriously giving me this? Do you know how much I can annoy you with it?”

Jim winced. “Well then I guess you get an advantage. But considering you can’t even stand up—”

“I hate you,” she replied with a smile. He tried to put on an appalled look but failed and resulted in letting out a small laugh.

“Oh, I believe that. Night, Beesly.”

He started to make his way upstairs. She really wanted him down there with her though; she didn’t think she could handle another night alone. Without thinking, she blew the air horn and Jim came rushing back into the living room.

“God, that thing is a torture device!”

Pam giggled. “Uh, Jim?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t really think I will be able to sleep.”

“Well, I have a solution,” he replied with a smirk. Reaching under the stand the TV was sitting on, he pulled out a basket that was stocked with movies. He carried it over to where she was sitting on the pull out couch and set it down. “Choose one.”

She began flipping through her movies until she found one that specifically caught her eye. “How about this one?” she asked and handed it to Jim.

“Annie? Are you serious?” 

“Dead serious. Just curious. Why do you own that movie?”

“Toby drops his daughter off here sometimes so I can baby sit her. She accidentally left it here last time.”

“Well, I still think we should watch it.”

He rolled his eyes and put in the DVD, then crawled on the pull out couch next to Pam. Even though they weren’t touching at all, she had trouble concentrating on the movie. For the first 15 minutes, they sang along to every song and she teased him because he knew them all so well. Then, she asked, “Where’s your bathroom?” He helped her to the small room and she had to call him when she was done. It was a little embarrassing, but it was sweet of him to help her. When they got back, she made a point to sit closer to Jim. The small gesture must have surprised him because he didn’t speak for a few minutes. Halfway into the movie, sleep took over both of them.

*****

Pam was having a very pleasant dream about visiting Paris until the front door opening woke her up. Her first thought was that it was Roy . Then she noticed that her head was on Jim’s chest and his arm was tightly around her and she remembered everything that had happened. She tightened her grip around Jim and remembered him telling her that his brother was coming to visit. She was almost asleep again until she heard somebody call out Jim’s name. He jolted awake and then saw how he and Pam were laying together. The way he smiled at her caused pink to color her face. They were laying tangled together, smiling at each other until the voice called again. He slowly sat up and she let him go. “I’m in here,” he called back with a tired sound present in his voice. A tall man walked into the living room and he turned on the lights. She squinted and waited to adjust to the sudden brightness.

“Woah! Sorry, bro. I didn’t know you had a guest over.” She saw him eyeing her injuries, but he luckily didn’t say anything.

Jim slowly stood out of bed and made his way over to his brother where they embraced in a hug. “No problem. Jon, this is Pam. Pam, this is Jon,” he said and in spite of her pain, she slowly and carefully stood up and reached out to shake his hand. Instead, he pulled her into a hug. “It’s so good to finally meet you, Pam! I’ve heard so much about you!”

“Really? What exactly have you heard?” she asked and smirked at Jim.

He didn’t get a chance to answer because a feminine voice called out, “Jon?” Then, a petite blonde woman walked into the living room.

“Uh—Jim? This is Laura. She’s my girlfriend. I wanted to bring her here and surprise you. I hope you don’t mind—”

“Hey! It’s nice to meet you!” Jim shook her hand and Pam did the same. Once all of the welcoming concluded and Jon and Laura were upstairs, Jim and Pam crawled back into bed. She instantly scooted closer to him and got in the same position that she was in when she woke up. His arms immediately went back around her waist. She was so comfortable laying so close to him, but she couldn’t get herself to fall asleep. “Are you awake?” he asked.

“No. I can’t sleep,” she replied.

“Sorry Jon woke you up.”

“Don’t apologize; it’s not your fault! Anyway, I’m glad to have finally met him.”

It grew quiet and after a few minutes she yawned. Her eyes began to feel heavy again. His steady breathing let her know that he was asleep. Before she knew it, she was too.