Chapter 2

Pam's cheeks flushed a deep pink as they came in from the cold. Jim wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled into her forehead gently before kissing her frost-bitten nose.

"Will you be okay?" he whispered, still not letting her go. She nodded against him.

"Yes. Thank you." For some reason the light blue color of Pam's carpet, mixed in with the light brown of the walls put Jim at ease. It was always warm and smelled faintly of cinnamon. Something he would have envisioned when he thought of the word 'home'. Cries coming from Pam's bedroom ended their embrace.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Pam said panicked, making a dash towards her bedroom. Jim tossed his wet coat got over the couch before hurrying after her. When he got there Pam was already in the middle of her bedroom, holding the tiny deliverer of the cries in her arms. Savannah Rylan looked a lot like her mother had. Clear blue eyes, a bit of curly honey colored hair perched on her tiny head.

"Aba ba! Aba!" the incoherent babble made Jim laugh.

"She's talking," he said, grinning at Savannah who giggled excitedly, waving a tiny fist in the air. Pam burst into tears, thrusting Savannah into Jim's arms before crumpling to the floor near her bed.

"Pam!" Jim set Savannah down in her crib by the wall before collecting Pam in his arms and setting her on the bed. "Pam." He forced her to look at him.

"Their gone," she moaned, gripping him tightly. "Their gone, their gone, their gone." She cried hysterically into Jim's chest. He felt his heart being slowly ripped to shreds. Every time she rocked against him with her cries of agony he wished more then anything that he could go back in time and stop that guy from drinking so much. Stop him from grabbing his car keys and driving on the road. Pam was supposed to go with her mom and brother-in-law to a family dinner. They had gotten Pam's mother and were on their way to pick Pam up. Then…the drunk driver came screaming around the corner, his hazy eyes barely being able to register the fact he was going over 70 miles an hour.

"It's going to be okay Pam," Jim said softly, gently pushing her head into his shoulder. She sniffled loudly near his ear, gripped him tighter. Jim looked over at Savannah and couldn't help but laugh. The tiny girl had managed to keep a hold of the top bar of her crib, staring down curiously at Pam and Jim. He had never seen anything so innocent. Tiny pink Winnie-the-Pooh footsie jammies. The little wisps of hair she did have curled and slightly flattened from her nap.

"Hapat?" she seemed to ask, her tone questioning. Pam snorted.

"That was a Halpert if I ever heard it."

Jim smiled, getting up to lift Savannah back out of her crib. She squirmed around, her eyes lighting up when Jim placed her into Pam's lap. She babbled a few fragments in baby talk before taking hold of Pam's shirt staring up at her with big blue eyes. Jim retook his place next to Pam on the floor, allowing his back to rest up against her bed. Savannah sat patiently in Pam's arms as she wiped away her tears.

"It just kills me that their not going to be able to watch her grow up."

Jim was quiet. It hurt his heart to think about it. So instead, he poked Savannah affectionately in the belly and smiled as she contracted and giggled, her expression clearly stating 'Hey man!'

A month earlier, Jim and Pam had been at Pam's desk doing their normal Jim Pam stuff. Jim was trying to decide if they go ahead and fit in one more prank before the start of the long weekend. Pam was busy giving him her signature silly grin, twisting a strand of hair around her finger.

"So," she giggled her voice breathy in a whisper. "What's the verdict?"

Jim grinned, leaning over the counter.

"I say we got time." The anticipation and goofy smile on Jim's face only brought on more giggles from Pam's end.

"We're so terrible!"

"Shhh!" Jim hushed her as Dwight walked past, glaring at them suspiciously.

"What are you doing?" he asked in an accusing sort of tone. "Shouldn't you be making sure you get all your work down for the weekend?"

"Way ahead of you buddy," Jim said, patting a stack of paper on the counter in an almost affectionate way. Dwight peered over his shoulder skeptically before heading back to his desk. As soon as he was out of ear-shot Pam laughed hopelessly.

"Oh wow…poor Dwight."

"Yeah," Jim agreed. "Poor Dwight." The phone started ringing and Pam sighed.

"1 more call," she promised holding up a finger. "Then we play." Jim smirked.

"Promise?" he pouted playfully.

"Yes! Now scoot!"

Jim went back to his desk but not without tossing a balled up piece of paper at her.

"Dunder Mifflan this is Pam…," the almost automated response came from Pam's mouth without much thought. She never knew it was possible that a single phone call could change her life forever.

Ten minutes later tears were clouding her vision. Her body felt as if she had just overcome a horrible illness. Weak, sick, weary. It was almost as if she was having an out of body experience. Her hands were so shaky she was barely able to replace the phone back on its cradle. She wanted to call out Jim's name. But she knew she'd lose it all together if she did. Almost as if he had read her mind, Jim was making his way over to her desk at that very moment. She got up, met him halfway.

And broke down in the middle of the office.