A/N: Yay me for finally finishing this chapter! This one was a struggle! Forgive me if my courtroom drama isn't exactly realistic. I drew what I could remember off of the few episodes of Law and Order I've seen. And don't hate me for how Roy acts in this chapter. I hate leaving loose ends and I felt this was the only way I could sleep at night! LoL!
Moony - Thanks! Yeah, I wanted to make it obvious that Jim kind of lost himself after he left Scranton and he's just now starting to pick up the pieces. Glad you liked it!
Gummy Bear - Yay for fillers! Hehe!
henantz - Is it bad that I enjoy making this so heartbreaking? I'm glad you're enjoying this story. Hopefully we'll all be getting back the JAM we all know and love before long. Depends on where my mind takes me.
JimPamJAM - Yes, I had to throw in more of Daddy Jim. I left it out of this chapter though. Don't worry he'll be back soon! And this chapter should answer your question.
dancer - Yeah, I got the idea for sleeping in the bouncy seat from my niece. She refused to sleep anywhere but her bouncy seat for her first couple months so I thought I'd have Jim endure the same problem. There's more JAM interaction here so hopefully it meets your fix for now. :)
ktface - Thanks so much! I've always imagined that Jim and Pam had to have some kind of tap set up in Michael's office for their own entertainment. I hope you enjoy the next step in this chapter.
Yabberli - If I were Jim, I think I would have snapped on Dwight long ago. A broken heart mixed with not enough sleep and adding in Dwight would be enough to make anyone snap LoL!
Abyssion - Yes, a new, but not always so improved Jim. Hopefully we'll be seeing some of the Jim we all know and love in the next couple of chapters
Jayme - Was that not awesome? I love watching him scale that fence!
tophet - Thanks so much! I've always loved Jim and Pam's unspoken connection and it's been really fun to write. Only two chapters of Knocked Up left? Now I'm sad! Maybe when you're done with that one, you can do a story on how twisted their child turns out after too many interactions with Michael and Dwight. LoL!
For the next few weeks, Jim slowly began rebuilding his life in Scranton. He had run into several familiar faces that he had long since forgotten. He had run into his old roommate Mark at the grocery store, his sixth grade English teacher at the gas station and even his ex-girlfriend Katy at the video store. The meeting with Katy hadn't exactly been the most comfortable thing in the world but she had fawned for nearly twenty minutes over Abby, telling Jim how incredibly adorable his daughter was. He had smiled politely and even made a few jokes before excusing himself to head home. It was amazing how having a child had completely changed his life. Every day it was like she taught him something new. He was beginning to learn her quirks and habits, her likes and dislikes. For instance, she loved her bouncy seat but hated her swing. She refused to take her pacifier unless she had just finished her bottle. And perhaps the most endearing of all was the fact that once Jim picked Abby up from his parents' house, she refused to be held by anyone but him for at least the next hour. "She's definitely Daddy's girl," his mother had commented.
The one element of his life that he was struggling with the most was his relationship with Pam. She had been nothing but nice to him since he had come back. Every time he happened to look up from his desk and catch her eye, he could see how badly she wanted to rebuild what they had lost. She had never forced the issue though. She had been giving him space to make the first move toward becoming friends again while still giving him subtle hints that she was there if he needed her. He wanted nothing more than to get past the painful awkwardness that existed between them. However, every time he thought about getting up from his desk to go steal a jellybean from her stash, something held him back.
Today was going to be the biggest test he had endured since returning to Scranton. Today was Roy's sentencing. After Roy had finally sobered up, he had agreed to plead guilty in order to avoid a trial. He knew from conversations he had overheard at work that Pam would be at the sentencing. It was by pure miracle that no one had yet found out that Jim would be there also. Once Jim had placed the picture of him and Abby on his desk, the questions had begun to come from his co-workers. Most of them knew Jim had gotten married from stories Michael had told when he returned from Dunder Mifflin conferences. However no one, save for Pam and Toby, knew that he had a daughter. Kelly had squealed with delight over the picture while most of the rest of the office has quietly congratulated him.
The hardest part had been explaining about Karen. He had made a promise to himself that no matter what, he wouldn't let Pam take the fall for what happened that night. And he also knew that if his co-workers knew the truth, the painful rumors would begin to circulate. When asked about Karen he had merely answered that she had died shortly after Abby was born due to complications. He didn't feel anyone in the office had the right to ask for more details and if they did, he would merely choose to ignore them. Everyone had been very thoughtful and offered their condolences upon first hearing the story. Now, everyone seemed to have fallen back into the rhythm of every day life at Dunder Mifflin, almost forgetting about the returned employee with the broken heart.
For now, he had to focus on the present and that meant getting through this sentencing with as little drama as possible. As he pulled his car into an empty parking space, he spotted Pam climbing out of her blue Yaris only a few spaces away. Something told him she could use a friend today too.
She saw him as soon as he got out of his car. His tall frame was hard to miss. Pam nearly choked when she realized he was walking right toward her. He stopped at the edge of the sidewalk.
"Hey," he said, stuffing his hands deep into his pockets. Pam couldn't help but think he looked like a scared little boy. She wanted desperately to reassure him that things would be okay. However, she knew the only person that could promise that today would be the presiding judge.
"Hey," she answered, not knowing what else to say.
"Are you doing okay?" he asked. Pam noticed a genuine deep concern in his voice and it nearly broke her heart. Jim continued on. "I mean, as hard as this is on me, I can't imagine it would be any easier for you. We both lost people we cared about that day and no matter what, we have to continue to live with the nightmare it caused for the rest of our lives."
Pam nodded in agreement. "I can't say it's been easy. I mean, it's bad enough knowing that Roy was cheating on me for no telling how long. Now, on top of that he hurt someone else that I…" Pam trailed off, wondering if she should finish her sentence.
Jim searched her face carefully, trying to determine what exactly she was trying to tell him. "Someone that you…" Jim urged her on.
He watched as Pam's face crumpled and tears began to pool in her eyes. "Someone I cared a lot about and never wish a moment's pain on. Someone who didn't deserve any of it," she finished, trying desperately to wipe the tears that were pouring down her face.
After all the years apart, it still broke Jim's heart to see this woman in pain. He knew deep down inside that even though they had a long way to go before they were completely comfortable with each other, they were still best friends. Without a moment's thought, Jim reached out his arms and drew Pam into his chest. He rubbed her back gently, trying to ease the sobs that continued to rack her body. When she had finally calmed down enough to speak, Pam drew back, already missing the warmth that came from being in Jim's arms.
"Are you okay?" Jim asked tenderly, searching her face to make sure she told him the truth.
She nodded slowly. "I will be. Let's just get this over with."
Pam and Jim made their way through the courthouse until they reached the room the sentencing was scheduled in. They sat in a pair of seats close to the front of the courtroom and waited quietly for the hearing to start. As people slowly began filtering in, Pam became noticeably more and more uncomfortable. Her right foot bounced nervously as she waited for the hearing to begin. Jim could sense how uneasy she was and gently nudged her with his elbow. Pam turned slowly and met Jim's intent gaze with one of her own. "It's going to be okay," he whispered. "No matter what, we'll get through this." Pam nodded briefly and turned her gaze to the front of the courtroom. The officers were bringing Roy in. Jim could feel her instantly tense as soon as she caught sight of her ex-husband. The fear on her face was enough to hurt and anger Jim. He hated that Roy had this much power over her. She didn't deserve it. No one did, really. As Roy was led to his seat in front of the judge, he turned to look at Pam and Jim. Pam tensed once again and turned to look at the back of the courtroom, trying with all of her might not to meet Roy's intent stare. When the judge finally entered the room, Jim and Pam stood with the rest of the crowd in attendance. Once everyone had resumed their seats, the judge began the proceedings.
"Ladies and gentlemen, as many of you know, we are here to determine sentencing for Mr. Roy Anderson on two charges of vehicular manslaughter."
Jim froze at the judges words. "Manslaughter?" he whispered to Pam. "I thought they had deemed it a homicide?"
"Plea bargain." Pam whispered back. "Roy agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge with a reduced sentence."
"But he killed two people! How does that happen?" Jim asked incredulously.
Pam shrugged her shoulders. "I guess that's just the way the system works. Not fair is it?"
Jim shook his head in disbelief and turned his attention back to the judge.
"Mr. Anderson," the judge continued. "Would you like to address the court before your sentence is handed down?"
Roy nodded solemnly and moved to the podium in front of the stand. Pam watched as he took a deep breath and began to speak. "Your honor, I know I made a very big mistake. I wish with all of my heart that I could go back and do things differently. I hurt a lot of people that night. The family of the woman in my car, the family of the people in the car I hit, and my wife."
Roy turned to face a group of people on the right side of the courtroom. Pam assumed they were the family of the woman in the truck. He began to speak again. "I'm really sorry for all of the pain I caused you all. She didn't deserve to have her life taken away so suddenly because of my stupidity. I only hope that one day you all can forgive me, although I'll understand if you don't. I really am sorry."
Roy then turned his gaze to rest on Jim. "Jim, I'm really sorry about your wife. Again, I understand if you never forgive me. You have to know I didn't set out to hurt anyone that night. I know no amount of apologies will bring her back and neither will me serving a jail sentence but I truly am sorry. I'm glad your little girl is okay. It kills me to know that she'll never know her mother and it's all because of me and my selfish stupidity."
Finally, he turned to look at Pam. "Pam, I know I hurt you. And I mean more than just that night. I spent most of the three years we were married trying to hurt you. To this day, I'm not sure why. I just know that you didn't deserve any of it. I need you to know that too. I was an idiot to not realize a good thing when I had it. I took you for granted and I'll never forgive myself for that. You deserve better than me. Hopefully one day you can find someone who will treat you with all of the respect and love you should have had all these years."
The judge began to speak once again. "Mr. Anderson, is there anything else you would like to say in your defense before we hand down the sentence?"
Roy shook his head solemnly. "No, Your Honor. I've made my peace with whatever your decision may be. Whatever it is, I know I probably deserve worse."
The judge nodded and lifted a sheet of paper slightly off the bench in front of him. "Roy Anderson, on the first count of vehicular manslaughter, you chose to plead guilty. On this count you have been sentenced to five years in prison."
Jim and Pam could hear the gasps of the woman's family across the room. Pam was sure they had expected longer than five years.
The judge continued. "On the second count of vehicular manslaughter, you chose to plead guilty. On this count you have also been sentenced to five years in prison for a combined total of ten years. You will be eligible for parole at the conclusion of your first sentenced time of five years."
Jim and Pam exchanged worried glances. Was it possible that Roy might serve only five years for taking the lives of two people? When the judge finally dismissed the court, Pam and Jim stood in shock. "Jim, I'm so sorry," Pam said gently, noticing the tense look on his face. "I know this isn't exactly what you were expecting."
Jim bit his lip and quickly shook his head. "I'm not even going to think about it. Worrying about what happens to that man is not going to consume one more second of my life. Life's too short to worry about things you can't change."
Both of them stood in silence, each absorbing the words Jim had just spoken. They both knew that the past couple of weeks had been agonizing. The careful tiptoe they had done around each other had been awkward and painful. Today was a day of new beginnings, a day to start over. Just as they were turning to leave, a voice called out, "Mr. Halpert!"
Jim turned to see one of the security guards gesturing to him. Jim stepped quickly around Pam and made his way toward the burly man. "Yes sir?"
"Sorry to bother you sir but Mr. Anderson wanted to know if he could speak to you for a moment?"
Jim glanced at Roy over the man's shoulder. As much as he wanted to say no, he knew if he didn't hear the man out, he would always wonder about it. "Fine. He has thirty seconds."
The guard stood close by, stopping Roy within a few feet of Jim. "Just far away that he can't throw a punch at me," Jim thought to himself.
Roy looked up from the spot he had been staring at on the floor and met Jim's confused look. "Hey Halpert. I just wanted to say that I meant everything I said up there. I really am sorry that you lost your wife like that. I can't say I know exactly how you feel but I can say I now know how it feels to lose your wife. Just promise me you'll look out for her."
"You mean Pam?" Jim asked.
"Yeah. I know you guys were best friends before you moved away. She was really torn up when you left. She cares about you a lot, man. She trusts you. I know I don't deserve to ask you for anything but please take care of Pam. She really does deserve a lot better than the hand she's been dealt. And I know most of that is my fault. I'm just hoping that maybe you can help fix what I broke. If not for my sake, then for hers. She deserves to be happy."
Jim nodded in understanding and glanced back over his shoulder at Pam. She was standing at the back of the courtroom, watching the men nervously as they talked. "You're right," he finally spoke up. "She does deserve to be happy. And I'll make sure she achieves it."
"Thanks man. Have a great life. And take care of that little girl of yours."
The guards then escorted Roy from the courtroom, leaving Jim standing alone in the middle of the room. He had never been so confused in his life, but at the same time, the haze that had settled over his life in the last couple months seemed to lift. He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and whirled around to see Pam standing there. "What was that all about?" she asked.
"He asked me to look out for you," Jim answered solemnly, "and I promised him I would."
Pam met Jim's gaze and he could see the tears starting to form at the corner of her eyes. "Hey, you know that picture you left on my desk on my first day back in Scranton?" he asked her.
Pam smiled at the memory of drawing that picture and what it represented. "Yeah, I remember."
"Well, there was a note on the back of it. Did you really mean what you wrote on there?"
Pam looked into his eyes once again before giving her answer. "Every word."
Jim smiled down at her. "Good. Because after a day like today, I could use a best friend. How about you?"
Pam smiled back at him. "Absolutely."
"Well, then…what do you say we go grab a late lunch and catch up on the three years we've missed?" he asked, extending his hand to her. "Deal?"
Pam took his hand in her own, giving it a slight squeeze before releasing it. "Deal!"
A/N: So, like I said, don't hate me for redeeming Roy. I've had a soft spot for David Denman ever since I saw him in "The Replacements". I can't bring myself to dislike him for too long! LoL! And again, sorry if the courtroom lingo was a little off. So what do you guys think of the direction the story is going? Good? Bad? Needs improvement? Love it? Hate it? Let me know! Thanks for reading! You guys are the best!