Kelly was inconsolable, which wasn't unusual for a slow Friday afternoon at the office. The only difference was that Ryan wasn't there to soften the blow or at least act as her punching bag. You could hear her shrill sobbing from all the way down the hall. Most everyone had either shoved tissues in their ears or were listening to their iPods on full volume. Andy had locked his door and Toby (being the well-trained Human Resources Representative he was) was nowhere to be found. Jim had gone around and asked just about everyone he could think of to try and cheer her up but no one, not even Erin, was willing to volunteer to enter into Kelly's emotional war zone.
Jim knocked loudly on Andy's office door. He could see Andy look up from the papers he'd been scribbling on and quickly look away as if he hadn't heard.
"I know you saw me." Jim called through the glass panes, his eyebrows raised expectantly.
"Oh, Jim." Andy looked up and cleared his throat, "I didn't see you there. Please, come in."
Jim crossed his arms, "The uh—the doors locked, Andy."
Andy blushed an embarrassed shade of pink, his hands-off method of managing revealed as he was clearly hiding from Kelly's ever-present shrieking. "Is it? Haha, I didn't realize." He got up and unlocked the door, quickly ushering Jim in and proceeding to lock it again and draw the shades once they were both safely inside. "So, what is it you need?"
"Well," Jim's response was slow and careful, "I think we'd all appreciate it if you would take care of the Kelly situation."
Andy avoided his eyes continued as if confused, "Kelly situation? Huh, I'm not sure what you mean, Big Tuna." He laughed nervously, which quickly drowned out by another loud cry.
Jim's response was simply an eyebrow raise.
"I see…" Andy pursed his lips, "Maybe we could just wait this one out?"
Jim sighed, "Andy, it's been like this all day and not all of us have a nice cozy office to hide in."
"Hey, I am not hiding." Andy whispered. Jim gestured to the closed shades. "Point made… but why do I have to be the one to talk to her?"
"Because you're the boss." Jim was getting more impatient with each sob that echoed off the walls. He'd forgotten his iPod at home.
"I'm thinking you should take the lead on this one, Big Tuna." Andy looked away as he slid back into his desk chair.
Jim held up his palms defensively, "Oh no, there's no way that I'm going to—"
"You and Pam have always been better at this stuff than I have and now that Pam's gone…"
"But—"
"I'm your boss and that's an order." Andy said firmly.
Jim sighed and looked down at his feet as he trudged through the Annex to Kelly's desk. His fellow coworkers were shooting him looks that ranged from pity to outright alarm. Kelly was slumped at her desk, sobbing without the slightest emotional restraint. It struck Jim as amazing that someone so small could scream so loud.
"Uh—Kelly?" Jim mustered up his courage and tapped her on the shoulder. The room went deathly quiet and he had a feeling his every motion was being watched by his coworkers.
Kelly turned around, her cheeks stained with eyeliner and tears and her lip trembling, "What? What do you want?" She shrieked.
"What's say you and I head over to Poor Richard's and get some drinks? I'm buying. Would you like that?" He smiled in what he hoped looked totally confidant and completely not terrified of the 5'4 prima donna
She blinked in surprise, "Won't we get in trouble?" She sniffled and wiped her cheeks.
"Oh," Jim gazed back in the direction of Andy's shaded and locked office, "I don't think Andy will mind today."