Jim slowly woke up; exhaustion still weighing heavily on him, when he realized someone was holding his hand. He turned his head to the side to see Pam sleeping, head resting next to his hip.
Confused, he looked down at her left hand in his and was shocked to see that the ring was gone. He pushed himself up, stirring her awake.
“Hey,” Pam smiled softly, smiling. “How’re you feeling?”
“Uh, okay,” Jim mumbled, smiling back. “What’s going on?”
“It’s hard to explain,” Pam gently, rubbed at her now empty hand. “I broke off the engagement with Roy.”
She smiled at Jim’s blank stare and squeezed his hand, only to have him jerk away.
“No,” He shook his head. “No, you can’t have. Did you do this because of me?”
A little taken aback by his sudden outburst she could not do anything but nod. Jim’s face completely drained of all color and he fell back into his pillow.
“What’s wrong?” She asked, nervous.
“This always happens!” Jim hissed, now looking angry. “Every time someone finds out that I am sick, they always react in the same way. Suddenly everyone feels bad and feels the need to do what they think I want. You just threw your entire life away to be with me, just because I’m sick.”
“Really?” Pam snapped back. “You really think that I can’t make that decision on my own? I have been with him for years Jim, years! He was never right for me but I didn’t see it. I thought that was how love was supposed to be but then I met you and you’ve been so good to me. When I thought that I could lose you, I realized I couldn’t imagine life without you.”
As she spoke her voice rose in volume and tears streamed down her face. Jim’s entire expression softened and he turned to look at his hands.
“I’m sorry,” He muttered, before looking at her. “I don’t think it’s any secret that I…have feelings for you.” Jim swallowed heavily and found a point on the wall to stare at intensely. “But I cannot go through this having you leave once I get better. That’s happened way too many times.”
Pam stared at him, tears continuing to run down her face. She could not think of anything else to say so she simply grabbed his hand, stroking her thumb over his hand. Jim’s eyes locked onto her hand and he gently squeezed it.
“Hey Jim,” They both jumped at the knock on the door and Pam slipped her hand out of his. Chris came into the room smiling and nodded at Pam. “I’m happy to say that you’ve healed enough to go home. We’ll let you go this afternoon, your roommate is coming by to pick you up, and you can return to work in about two weeks.”
“Okay,” Jim grinned brightly for the first time in days.
“You know the warning signs,” Chris flipped through the chart. “Come in if the incision site becomes inflamed and we’ll call you if you move up any on the list.”
“Awesome,” Jim said, with a huge smile. “I’ll get packed up.”
Chris gave them both a smile and stepped out of the room, leaving them in awkward silence.
“Well, I guess I should let you get ready,” Pam stood, giving him a tight smile. “Uh…I’ll see you at work?”
“Let’s get dinner,” Jim blurted. “You can help me pack and we’ll get some food. There’s no reason for me to call Mark and get him to drive all the way up here.”
“Oh,” Pam sat back down. “Okay, I’ll help.”
“Great,” He grinned brilliantly. “I’ll get dressed. Could you turn around? These gowns don’t have a back.”
“Ah,” Pam blushed brightly and turned towards the wall, waiting until she heard the bathroom door click shut. She busied herself by packing extra clothes, books, and other various things into Jim’s duffle bag.
“You’re a fast packer,” Jim said suddenly behind her, smile in place. He looked tired but happy in an old college t-shirt and jeans.
“I try,” Pam laughed.
“And you succeed,” Jim smiled even wider. “I’m really glad you’re here.”
He took her hand and she squeezed it gently, trying to ignore the bruise left from the IV site.
Sitemap | Terms of Service | Submission Rules | FAQs | Disclaimer | Donate | Contact Us |
© 2006-2023 More Than That | Skin created by Kali
© 2006-2023 More Than That | Skin created by Kali