"Pam."

It was a distant, faraway noise that slightly echoed in the room. She thought that she had recognized the voice, pulling her from the current. She wasn't ready to wake up yet, still wanting the darkness to sooth her a while more yet.

"C'mon- come back to me."

She knew she had recognized that voice. It was Jim's.

She pushed her heavy eyes open, expecting to see the goofy grin of Jim's face. She smiled in anticipation, ready to see him. She was in an ill lit room, the only illumination coming from the hallway leading into it.

She was in a bed, laying on her back- with thick sheets covering her. But there was no one else in the room with her. No Jim. No anybody.

Pam sat up- squinting against the poor light of the room. 'Where am I?' She wondered, still half-groggy. Carefully examining the contents of the room, she assumed she was in a hospital. She laid back onto her pillow, letting her arms trail over her face and sighed. Jim did it, just like he promised. They were safe.

So where was he?

Pam pushed herself back up on the bed, bracing her arms behind her as she craned her neck to see out the darken window. Maybe something happened? She worried that he wasn't there.

She wasn't sure how long she had been waiting in that bed, or where Jim was- but she wanted to see him; had to see him to make sure he was okay.

She shifted in her bed, ready to spin her legs out to climb out of bed to go look for him herself. She pulled her sheets away from her legs and then gasped out in horror.

Her right leg was gone; her thigh swelling and then turning into air right below her hip. She reached out to touch it- only finding mattress where her leg should be.

She started screaming.

She jerked awake; sweat dripping from her forehead into her eyes, stinging them. Her breath was heaving in her chest as she remembered the frightening dream. Her eyes scanned the room around her; no longer dark and bare, but now light and illuminated.

She lifted her left hand to wipe the sweat and tears out of her eyes, controlling her breathing as it rattled in her chest.

Her body felt heavy- glued down. She looked down to find a disheveled mop of hair face down on the side of her bed- a familiar nose and a soft snore greeted her.

Jim was laying carefully on the edge of her bed; his long torso sprawled out in a chair while his face was pushed into the mattress. He had one hand thrown across her belly, while the other one gripped her hand softly. Pam felt herself smile- watching him as he inevitably did with her while she slept.

She laid her head back on the pillow, watching the cracks in the ceiling slowly move out of the blurry fog they were shrouded in with better clarity.

Her heart was still fluttering in her chest, the dream fading; but not yet gone. She licked her lips, feeling the chapped skin that was rough on her tongue.

'Just do it, Pam.' She thought, as she wiggled the toes on her left foot. She felt them rub against the scratchy lining of the bed sheets, much as she expected.

Letting go of a breath, she decided to try for the right. Chewing on her lip again, she felt herself warm at the prospect of the dream holding some truth like a prophecy.

At that moment, she felt the bed shift.

She looked down, momentarily distracted as Jim stirred on the bed; the hand over her stomach rubbing small circles on her belly subconsciously. She tilted her head at him, admiring his shaggy appearance: the stubble on his cheeks that were far past 5 o'clock shadow, the dark circles under his eyes, and the pale complexion his face had adapted. He still looked unbelievable.

She watched Jim's eyes slowly open; disoriented at first, before focusing on her face. She watched his face twist into a grin as his hand snake away from her body as he used it to check his mouth for drool.

"Hey," he greeted, his voice sounding rough.

"Hey," she replied.

He quickly shifted out of his chair to lean over her at the head of the bed. His eyes were quickly shifting over her face, taking in every nick or scratch with extreme scrutiny. He delicately smoothed his palm over her forehead, pushing her wet hair down with great care.

"How are you feeling?" He beamed down at her.

She felt battered and tired; but she knew she was alive. She shrugged, not committing to a solid answer. Her eyes shifted back down to the bed- falling hesitatingly. She felt her mouth twitch in anticipation.

Jim's eyes followed hers and understood; he dropped his head briefly and upon lifting it asked, "are you ready?"

Pam's head snapped back up at him. She deliberated for a moment, closing her eyes and taking a breath. She finally nodded, opening them again- looking into his.

She felt Jim's hands trail down her stomach to her right thigh- he gripped the sheets in his hand and gently pulled them away...

Pam's heart was beating wildly in her chest- she was still looking at Jim's face, trying to find the truth to her unanswered question. Jim's face for his part was a blank canvas. He stared intently at her for a second, before tilting his head toward the lifted sheets, never breaking her eye contact.

Pam's eyes finally tore away from his face as she slowly let them trail down her body- finding the sheets that were gripped tightly in Jim's fist.

There was her leg; heavily bandaged and now suddenly throbbing; but intact non the less.

She left a manic laugh out as she let her head fall back onto her pillow. "Why couldn't you just tell me?" She asked, aspirated.

She heard Jim's soft chuckle. "What? And ruin the fun for you?" Her face shot back up at him, scowling.

"And what part do you think I would see as 'fun'."

Jim's face dropped when she said this; she instantly regretted it.

"Jim, I…" She started.

He shook her head against her words. He had released her sheets and his hands were now clasped on her bed.

"You're right." He started- his voice glum. "I'm so sorry Pam. . ." he apologized, his voice hitching in his throat.

"Jim, stop." She interjected- "It's not your fault. I should be thanking you." She ended.

"For what? Almost killing you? For almost turning us into Popsicles? God, Pam- you almost died." His voice jumped from guilt to anger. He hid his face in his large hands, shielding himself from her gaze.

Pam lifted a hand up and gently pulled his away from his face, seeking his attention.

"You saved my life." She smiled lovingly- wrapping her fingers around his. "I have a lot of reasons to thank you."

He lifted his head at her, nodding softly. "Yeah, I know the reasons," he grinned.

His odd statement confused her.

"What do you mean?" She asked, bewildered.

Jim made an odd face- scratching the side of his neck as she watched a soft blush creep from under his collar. She'd never seen Jim blush before.

"What is it?"

Jim's eyes shifted away from her, finding the bleeping monitor above her extremely interesting at the moment.

"Tell me." She shook his hand, the anticipation killing her.

His eyes fell back down to their hands, agilely avoiding her face. The blush now extending to his cheeks.

"Do you really not know?" He muttered, his voice barely above a whisper, his eyes still avoiding hers.

"Know what?" She laughed, this was absolutely nerve wracking.

Slowly his face lifted back up to hers and she felt her smile drop, waiting in torture for him to speak again. This news had better be big to draw it out like this.