Pam sat on the hospital bed, her arms around Jackson as he sat curled up on her lap. It was just past midnight, and both were having a hard time staying awake as they waited for the doctor to come in to put Jackson’s cast on. It was now just the two of them, sitting silently in the quiet room. Debbie had left a few minutes ago to go find some coffee for her and Pam. Pam gently ran her fingers through her son’s hair, memories flooding her of another man with similar hair. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of his head as he sniffled and snuggled further into her.

“Who do you want to sign your cast first?” She said quietly.

He thought about it for a minute, then responded, “Auntie Debbie, ‘cause she helped me. Then you can, mommy.”

Pam smiled into his hair. Her little boy was growing up too fast. He had a heart of gold, and she loved every moment that he let it show. “I think that’s a good choice, Jackson. I’m proud of you.”

“What’s ‘proud’ mean, mom?” He turned his head to peer up at her.

Those eyes…those big, expressive eyes. Wonder who they came from. “Proud means when you do or say something that makes me happy, and it makes you seem more grown up.” Those eyes she was looking into had a slightly confused look in them. “It’s like how mommy is proud of daddy.”

“Why are you proud of daddy?”

“Because daddy is brave. Remember how we talked about being brave earlier when you got your shot?” He nodded. “Daddy is brave because it’s hard for him to be away from us for so long, but he’s doing it because he loves us, and wants us to be a happier family. That’s why I’m proud of daddy, just like I’m proud of you.”

Jackson, always analyzing things, soaking up every ounce of information, sat quietly for a few minutes. Pam thought he had fallen asleep, until he surprised her by speaking again.

“Mommy, I’m proud of you.”

Pam stilled the hand that had been continuously running through his hair. He shifted and looked up at her again.

“’Cause you didn’t even get mad at me when I broke my arm.” She laughed softly as she leaned down and placed a kiss on his cheek.

“What am I ever going to do with you, little boy?”

“Get me a dog?” He asked hopefully.

The door swung open and Dr. Mason came striding in. “Jackson James Halpert!” he boomed. He had a smile on his face as he asked: “Didn’t I just see you last year?”

“Yeah.” Jackson blushed and returned his head to Pam’s chest.

“You, my friend, need to stop breaking your bones! What happened this time?”

“He fell out of a tree…again.” Pam answered for him.

“Looks like someone needs to stop pretending to be monkey.” Dr. Mason responded as he picked Jackson up out of his mother’s arms and placed him on the end of the hospital bed. “Now, hold out your arm and lets take a look.”

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

It was 3am by the time Pam finally tucked her sleeping son into bed, carefully placing his new bright red cast under the covers. She knelt down by his bed, and rubbed his stomach. He looked exactly like Jim, just 30 years younger. She stared at him, taking in his features for a few minutes, because doing so reminded her of the other man in her life that she was missing. She finally stood up, leaned down again and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

“Good night, little Jim.”

10 more days.