“Depression? Isn’t that just a fancy word for feeling ‘bummed out’?” — Dwight Schrute

“Dwight, you ignorant slut!” — Michael Scott

And this is where Brent stops the camera.  He can’t stand to watch any more of this, and neither would the audience.

“We’re done here,” he coolly tells the rest of the crew.  They pack up their things, most of them leaving briskly to give them some privacy.

The Halperts were still there, holding each other like either of them could disappear at any second, not caring about who or what is happening around them.

“I’m so sorry.  I-I shouldn’t have said any of that,” Jim says through his tears.

“I’m sorry, too,” Pam admits, “I was out of line.”

“I don’t wanna be like this, Pam.  I don’t wanna hurt you again,” he continues in frustration.

“Shh, it’s okay, baby, you’re okay,” she whispers in his ear, “We’re gonna figure this out, I promise.”

They pull apart, foreheads touching.  She’s seen Jim cry before, of course.  His grandparents’ funerals.  The Niagara wedding.  Cece and Phillip’s births.  When they got home after Michael left.  But nothing like this.  His eyes are glassy with unshed tears.  His red cheeks are a contrast to his pale skin. It’s as if life has been immediately sucked out of him.  The last time she saw him cry like this was

“I’m really sorry… if you misinterpreted things.  It’s probably my fault.”

Her heart isn’t breaking anymore, it’s shattered.  She can’t help but cry as well, “Please, Jim,” she begs, “don’t blame yourself, please.”

“Pam,” he blubbers, his own heart shattered.  Not wanting to see the other so distraught, the couple gives each other a long passionate kiss, just wanting this terrible night to end. 

“IloveyouPam,” Jim whispers, barely getting it out after they pull apart.

“I love you too, Jim,” Pam returns through her tears.  After another quick kiss, she asks, “Wanna sit down on the couch?”

Jim can’t even speak, he simply nods.  They sit down on the couch next to the Regional Manager’s office, both of them breathing to regain their composure.

Meanwhile, Brian is looking at them. He wanted to step in and defend Pam that entire fight, but he knew he’d be reprimanded at best, fired at worst.

“I’ll check on them,” he tells Brent.

“No,” Brent insists, “I’ll call them later.”

“But I need—”

“Brian,” Brent interrupts, “They’re in no mood to talk to either of us or anyone else.  We’re leaving.”  And with that, they leave, not even acknowledging them as they sit on the couch.

“I’m gonna call Mom and ask her if she can keep the kids tomorrow, okay?” she tells him.  He just nods again.

Helene picks up the phone almost immediately, “Hi honey! … Hey, what’s the matter?”

“Mom,” she begins, “Jim is extremely stressed and anxious and he…” she swallows.

“He what?”

“He wants to take a leave of absence from work.”

“There’s no shame in that.”

“Yeah, but we need tomorrow to get this sorted out, so we need you to keep the kids at your place.”

“Of course, honey.  Don’t even worry about it.”

“But you’ve already done so much and—“

“No.  I’ve already told you, I will always be there for both of you.  No matter what.  You both need this.  I’ll be fine, and so will the kids.  Understood?”

Pam just nods, “Yes, ma’am.”

“I love you, Pam, with all my heart.”

“I love you too, Mom,” Pam tells her, relieved.

“Oh, there’s someone here who wants to talk to you!”

“Give me a minute.”  She deep breathes, his arm resting around her shoulders.

“Hi Mommy!” a little girl’s voice rings through the phone.

“Hi Cece!” she greets, smiling.

“You O-K Mommy?”

“Yes, honey, I’m okay,” she breathes, “Daddy’s very sick, he’s been sick for a while now.  Mommy needs to take care of him.  So you’ll be staying with Grandma until Saturday, okay?”

“O-K.”  She doesn’t sound disappointed at all, she loves her Grama.  Besides, at least she now realizes why he hasn’t been home.

“Now you be good for Grandma, okay?”

“Yes, mam.”

“You,” she looks over at Jim, who’s calmed down, “You wanna speak to Daddy?”

“Yeah!”

“He’s right here.  I’ll see you soon, sweetheart.”

“Bye Mommy!  Wuv you!”

“Bye Cece, I love you so much.”

Jim, feeling better to talk, takes the phone, needing to hear her voice again, “Hi, Cece!”

“Hi Daddy!  You sick?”

“Yeah,” he says, “That’s why I haven’t been home.  But don’t worry, Cece, I’m gonna be okay.  And I’ll be able to see you and Phillip a lot more.”  Pam, finally regaining her composure, smiles; the fact that the first thing he wants to do is spend time with the kids as he’s recovering warms her heart.

“Dats O-K, I come home an’, an’ kiss you all better!”  Hearing this just wants to make him cry again; he leans back and shakily exhales, fighting the tears.  God, she’s perfect.  He doesn’t deserve her, either.  Pam just clutches onto his other hand which rested near her shoulder.

“Thank you, sweetheart,” he responds happily despite his shaky voice, “I have to go now, but I love you so, so much.”

“Wuv you, Daddy!  Goonite!”

“Goodnight, Cece.”

A different voice comes through the phone, “Jim, listen.  I know you’re worried about providing for your family.  But right now, you need to get better.  You’ll get in the right headspace again.  Pam is right there by your side.  I’m here, and so are your friends, family and coworkers.  You’re gonna recover from this, okay?”

He sighs, taking in Helene’s words.  “Thanks, Helene, I needed to hear that.”

“Of course.  Love you, Jim, take care of yourself.”

“Will do.  Love you, too.”

After around 10 minutes of hugging, deep breathing, and a bit more crying, the couple gets up and heads home, Hank locking the door.

After they arrive home and eat dinner, Pam emails David and Toby about Jim’s leave.  Staggeringly, about 30 minutes later, everything’s ready for tomorrow’s appointment, much to the couple’s relief.  Immediately afterward, they take a quick shower (together), dry off, get dressed, and head to bed; she’s on her back as Jim is tightly wrapped around her middle, her right arm wrapped around his upper back while her left reaches over to play with his hair.

“I’m done with Athlead,” Jim says softly, stirring Pam from his stupor.

“What?”

“I can’t stand Dunder Mifflin, but I know Athlead is making you upset.  Calling Mark back seemed right at the time, but you’re right.  I’m a risk-taker, but I’m not risking this.  I’m not risking you.”  I’m not hurting you again.  I’m not making you cry again.

“Jim, it’s okay,” she states understandably, “We invested in it, it’s your baby.  Of course, you care about it.”

“Not as much as you.”  Pam couldn’t contain her smile, him smiling lightly back at her after she kisses the top of his head.  He sighs in desperation as he says, “I just want to know what’s wrong with me.”

“We’ll figure that out,” she reassures, “and then we can go from there.”

“I can’t wait.”

After saying goodnight and multiple ‘I love you’s, they fall asleep, mentally preparing for tomorrow.

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Helene hangs up the phone and breathes.  Pam didn’t say it, but she knew there was a fight.  A big one, too.  She’s just as intuitive as her daughter.

She turns to her granddaughter, “Now, who wants chicken nuggets?” she asks enthusiastically.

“I do!  I do!” She responds, jumping happily.

Helene Beesly, or as Jim likes to call her “God’s gift to humanity”, doesn’t mind taking care of the kids.  After the divorce, she hasn’t had much time for anything else.  And honestly?  She’s glad Will is out of her life.  He was never that close to the girls, not like her, and it didn’t feel like he made an effort… unlike Jim.

Both Pam and Penny are her life, and she wants the best for them.  As much as the sisters love each other, their personalities could not be more separate.  Penny knows what she wants and she goes for it.  She doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t put up with anyone’s bs, and just exudes confidence.  Pam, however, is usually quiet and is often afraid of taking risks.  It makes her responsible and organized, but it has a history of keeping her from what she needs.

Helene quickly became a “JAM fan”, a status far before its time.  She never hated Roy.  To this day she and his family still talk and even organize church events together.  But from the moment he showed up to the house for the first time, she knew that he wasn’t “the one”.  Sure he was handsome and a good conversationalist, but not one who was interested in commitment… and this was proven with the engagement.  Ten years, ten years she’s had to watch her daughter stay with him.  It was hair-pulling-ly frustrating.  It’s the only way she’ll learn, she figured, but she was constantly tempted to intervene.

That was until she met that boy from across the receptionist’s desk.

Helene has heard all the stories about Jim, and Pam never left out any details.  He was perfect for her… and she pushed him away.  The moment he was dating someone else, she consoled Pam but had half a mind to drive over there and smack her upside the head.  Thank God Pam woke up and told that boy the truth because she would have never been happy.  Pam was crying tears of joy after their first date, and Helene was crying right there with her because she was scared.  She was so scared Pam would let this slip away.  But she didn’t.  And from that day on, Helene promised to be there for Jim just as much as Pam, as thanks.

And her darling grandchildren?  A constant reminder of Pam’s happiness, of Pam’s fulfillment, of Pam’s love for Jim.  She sees those chubby faces and can’t help but smile every time.  Cece likes to call her “Faiwy Granmothur”, because — in a way — she is the couple’s Fairy Godmother.

She knows about Athlead and the sleepless nights that resulted from it.  But she knows that this, too, shall pass.  She doesn’t doubt that they’re gonna make it.  She and Will didn’t make it.  Roy and Pam wouldn’t have made it.  But Jim and Pam?  No.  They’ll be fine.  They’ll make it.

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Thursday, Jan 24, 6:15 PM

Jim’s Leave of Absence

FROM: pbeesly@dundermifflinpaper.com

TO: dwallace@dundermifflinpaper.com, tflenderson@dundermifflinpaper.com

CC: abernard@dundermifflinpaper.com, jhalpert@dundermifflinpaper.com

Dear David and Toby,

This is an urgent email regarding Jim; he needs serious mental help and requests time off work due to job-related stress.  He would be writing this email himself, but to be honest, he is distraught at the moment, so he’s requested that I help him write it.

We would normally give 30-days notice and apply for FMLA, but unfortunately, the stress is too much for him to handle right now; if at all feasible, we request that we negotiate a solution for him to leave as soon as possible via an appointment.

We both can’t apologize enough for the inconvenience.  We recognize that this is out of nowhere, so please take your time to respond.

Sincerely,

Pamela Beesly-Halpert

Office Administrator, Dunder Mifflin Scranton

Thursday, Jan 24, 6:22 PM

RE: Jim’s Leave of Absence

FROM: dwallace@dundermifflinpaper.com

TO: pbeesly@dundermifflinpaper.com, tflenderson@dundermifflinpaper.com

CC: abernard@dundermifflinpaper.com, jhalpert@dundermifflinpaper.com

Dear Pam,

DO NOT apologize for sending me this email.  Quite frankly, I’m relieved you did.  I’ve noticed Jim’s behavior as we spoke last week.  He seemed to be overwhelmed and even agitated when we talked about his numbers.  And we both know this isn’t like him.  I agree that taking time off will get him in a better state of mind.

We were going to have a meeting discussing solutions to improve his performance on the 31st, but of course, that can wait.

I am more than willing to attend an appointment with Toby over the phone where we can discuss a leave of absence.  If he needs to leave immediately, it can be done tomorrow morning, as early as 8:00 AM, before the workday begins in Scranton.

And tell Jim, from me, that right now he needs to take care of himself and not even think about work.  Boss’s orders.

All the best,

David Wallace

Chief Executive Officer, Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, Inc.

Thursday, Jan 24, 6:30 PM

RE: Jim’s Leave of Absence

FROM: tflenderson@dundermifflinpaper.com

TO: pbeesly@dundermifflinpaper.com, dwallace@dundermifflinpaper.com

CC: abernard@dundermifflinpaper.com, jhalpert@dundermifflinpaper.com

I have already made an appointment for 8:00 AM tomorrow.  I’ll have all the forms ready by then.  I apologize, I should have accommodated him before it got this out of hand.

I will meet you all in the morning.

Sincerely,

Toby Flenderson

Human Resources Representative, Dunder Mifflin Scranton

Thursday, Jan 24, 6:45 PM

RE: Jim’s Leave of Absence

FROM: pbeesly@dundermifflinpaper.com

TO: dwallace@dundermifflinpaper.com, tflenderson@dundermifflinpaper.com

CC: abernard@dundermifflinpaper.com, jhalpert@dundermifflinpaper.com

We cannot thank you two enough for your patience and understanding.  Jim will be happy to hear that this will be sorted out as soon as possible.

Toby, don’t feel responsible.  He admitted that he wasn’t aware of how bad it was.  I’m just glad it’s now being addressed.  Also, after the appointment, is there any way you can email the rest of the employees in the office and let them know?  He wants them all to be aware so it won’t come as a surprise.

Again, thank you both so much.

Sincerely,

Pamela Beesly-Halpert

Office Administrator, Dunder Mifflin Scranton

Friday, Jan 25, 8:38 AM

Jim Halpert’s Leave of Absence

FROM: tflenderson@dundermifflinpaper.com

TO: dkschrute@dundermifflinpaper.com + 14 Others

CC: pbeesly@dundermifflinpaper.com, jhalpert@dundermifflinpaper.com, dwallace@dundermifflinpaper.com

Dear fellow Dunder Mifflin employees,

Jim Halpert has requested a medical leave of absence due to job-related stress for six weeks and will return on the 11th of March.  Pam asked me to inform all of you so that you would be fully aware.  David Wallace and I have sat down with both and discussed the details of his leave.

Be sure to wish Jim a smooth recovery while he’s away.

Sincerely,

Toby Flenderson

Human Resources Representative, Dunder Mifflin Scranton

—————————————————————————————————————————————

“Hey, Mom.”

“Hi, honey.  How did things go?”

“As good as one could expect.  He’ll be gone until March.  Right now we’re just trying to figure out the next step.”

“Do Gerald and Betsy know?”

“He called them last night when we were on the way home.  They were thinking about coming down but he told them he’ll be fine.  He also texted his siblings.”

“Right.”

“How’re the kids?”

“Amazing as ever!  Cece’s drawing a ‘Get Well Soon’ card for Daddy.  And Phillip just laughs when I tear the paper in front of him!”

“Aww!  You tell them that Mommy and Daddy miss them very much and that we can’t wait to see them tomorrow.”

“Of course!  Send him all my love.”

“Will do.  Bye, Mama.”

“Bye sweetheart, I love you!”

“Love you, too!”

“Hey, Nellie.”

“Just checking in.  Doing alright, love?”

“As good as I can be.”

“How’s Jim?”

“He’s… okay.  We just had breakfast, he’s washing the dishes.”

“Wow, must be a full moon!”

“Hahaha, must be. …”

“Oh, Pam…”

“I’m sorry for crying, it’s just— he’s blaming himself for everything.”

“It’s alright, Pam, get it all out.”

“What I said last night, I-I was so selfish and indignant and—”

“Oi!  I’ll have none of that.”

“But—”

“I was suspicious of love after the split.  Then I met you.  That man downstairs?  He loves you.  Otherwise, he wouldn’t be doing this.  Got that?”

“...Thanks, Nell, I needed to hear that.”

“You two need anything?”

“Not at the moment, we’ll let you know.  Thanks again.”

“Give the man my best.”

“Will do.”

“Alright, Love you, Pam!”

“Love you too, Nell.”

You have 1 new message

[“Hey Pam, it’s Brent.  Hope you guys are doing alright.  I’ll swing by if you guys need anything.  Have a good one, and get some rest.”]

Brent

Thanks for checking on us, Brent!

Of course! Tell him to not sit on his ass and dwell on work. The man needs some sun.

Trust me, he’ll hear that in stereo LOL. Thanks again! <3

No prob!

Phyllis

I just read the email, I am so sorry!

Please don’t hesitate to reach out, Bob and I are happy to help in any way we can.

Thank you so much, Phyllis!

Of course, we love you guys!

Love you guys too! <3

“Hey, Darryl.”

“Hey.  Everything good?”

“Yeah, things have calmed down at least.”

“To be real with you, I was gonna say something if you didn’t.”

“David and Nellie could certainly tell something was up.”

“It’s not just them, either.  A lot of us could tell, even Kevin.”

“My only thing is… I just hope he isn’t bitter about Athlead.”

“Honestly?  It’s for the best that he’s not working there.  We lost a big investor last night.”

“Oh, gosh.”

“Yeah, Mark called me.  They’re scrambling.”

“He told me last night that he’s done with it, anyway.  I just don’t want him to placate me.”

“Pam, not to overstep, but I think this goes deeper than Athlead.”

“...I think you’re right.”

“Hey, I’m really busy at the moment, but I’m sure can squeeze in some time if you guys—”

“Darryl, you have enough on your plate.  Don’t worry about us.”

“Well, just know I’m here.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course.  Take care.”

“You too.”

You have 1 new message

[“Hey, it’s Brian.  Just reaching out.  Pam, if you need anything, absolutely anything, you know where to find me.  Alyssa sends her best, too.  Love you two.”]

“Hm.  Hello?”

“Hey, Barbara, it’s Creed.  Heard the tall guy broke his coccyx.  If you guys don’t mind lending me some acetaminophen, it’s um, for a friend.”

“Creed, how did you even get this number?”

“...”  *click*

“…Right.”

Angela

Robert and I send our best wishes and prayers to Jim.

Thank you, Angela. <3

Oscar

Tell him to be mindful of his blood pressure and exercise regularly.

Will do Oscar, thank you.

Of course.  Take care, you two!

You too! <3

“Hey, Dwight.”

“Pamela.”

“What’s up?”

“Please tell Jim that everything will be taken care of during his absence.”

“Of course, thank you, Dwight.”

“You’re welcome.  Oh, and… tell him that I do hope he gets better and that I consider him a true friend.”

“...He’ll appreciate it.”

“Take care.”

“You too.”

“Hello?”

“It’s Erin.”

“Oh hi, Erin.  Everything okay?”

“I’m just worried about Jim…”

“I know, but he’ll be fine.”

“He-He’s gonna come back, right?”

“Oh, Erin, of course he will.”

“Wait, is that Erin?”

“Hold on.  She’s crying, she’s worried about you.”

“I’ll take it.  Hey, Erin.”

“Please come back soon, Jim, p-please come back!”

“Erin, I promise you, when I’m ready to come back to work, I’ll be there.”

“…I know, I’m just s-scared.”

“I know, but don’t worry, if I try to skip another day, Dwight will drag me out of the house kicking and screaming.”

“Hahaha, yeah, he would!”

“Handing the phone back to Pam.  Have a great day, Erin.”

“You too, Jim.”

“We gotta go, but everything’s gonna work out sweetie, we promise.”

“…I know.  I know.”

“I’ll see you Monday, Erin.”

“See you then!”

—————————————————————————————————————————————

They’re sitting next to each other on the bed.

“Wow, I didn’t know they all cared that much about me,” Jim admits, perplexed, “Even Dwight.”

“Especially Dwight,” Pam says, “He considers you a true friend.”

“Really?” he asks in surprise.

“Really,” she echos.

He sighs deeply, “...There were times recently where I told myself that I’d love nothing more than to be out of that nuthouse.  But after hearing all this I…” he attempts to hold back his tears.

She scooches over and hugs him as tightly as she can, “They know this isn’t about them.  They just want you to get better.  And you will.”

He wraps his arms around her, “I know.”  Eventually, they share a deep kiss, and another, and another.

They have a very nice morning.

Before they drift off to sleep once again, Jim whispers “You are… everything” with the first genuine smile he’s had in days.  Pam smiles back as they share one more kiss and then sleep in each other’s arms.

It’s all uphill from here, no matter how difficult the climb.

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Schrute, Dwight Fart

so, Pam tells me you consider me a true friend?

Yes.

you know all your friends are weirdos, right?

Well, by YOUR definition of the word, yes.  But that’s highly subjective.  To me, you’re the true weirdo.  Weirdo.

well, I consider myself a weirdo, by both of our definitions, so I guess that makes us true weirdo friends

...Agreed.

Get well soon, Jim.

thanks, man, will do :)

Stop doing those emoticons, they make you look like a teenage girl.

ok ;)