Dallas, Texas

"Honey, what are you doing?" feeling Bobby's hand reaching out to touch her as she attempted to sit up and slide out of bed undetected, Pam relaxed back into the mattress, kissing him softly before announcing her intentions, "getting up for work".

Opening his eyes, wide-awake now, he didn't bother hiding his displeasure at her plan, saying, "I thought we discussed that on the way home from the hospital yesterday".

"We did, but I've changed my mind", whispering her answer, she knew he wouldn't be happy to hear what she had to say. She had agreed to ask Liz for some time off work to look after her health, but after thinking about it some more she'd come to the conclusion that work wasn't really the problem and working less wasn't the solution. For all the stress work brought her, it wasn't the only thing she worried about and when lined up against concerns about her health, her baby's health, her daddy's health and Jenna's eyes for Bobby, work was actually something she felt relaxed her and took her mind off other things.

"Pamela", saying her name, he sounded more fed-up than angry, which made sense because as he was always telling her, he loved her and wanted the best for her, it just happened they had different ideas of what was best for her.

"No, I appreciate that you're concerned, I am too, but the doctor didn't say anything about going on bedrest, so I don't see any reason why I should stay home. I sit at a desk all day anyway, it's practically the same as sitting around the ranch", explaining her reasoning, she felt confident in her decision, but she was sure he'd have an argument for why she was wrong anyway.

"Being at work is not rest", cracking a smile, he gently reminded her that although no one had mentioned bedrest specifically, general rest had been mentioned, something he didn't believe she could do while working.

"Not for my mind, but physically it's hardly stressful", playing it off as if physical stress was the only thing anyone was worried about, she knew it wasn't, but she wanted to go to work and she intended to go to work.

Watching her, silent for a long while, he finally spoke again, "I'd feel more comfortable if you stayed home".

"For how long? I'm not due for another four months, that's a lot of time to spend staring out the window all day". Knowing he was concerned, she didn't want to upset him, but she didn't feel it was really necessary to swap the office for the ranch, going from one extreme to another. Naturally, she wanted to have a healthy pregnancy, but weighing on her mind too was the fear of missing her opportunity to enjoy her final few months of independence before she became a mother.

"Not forever, just until the doctor says you're ok", tying her return to work to the state of her health, his comment made the difference in their perspectives clear; she felt she was healthy now but he obviously didn't agree.

"The doctor already said that", thinking back to their appointment, she knew there was room for improvement, both she and her baby could afford to gain a few pounds and inches, but beyond that she didn't think there were any pressing concerns. She was of course a neurofibromatosis carrier and so was her baby, but until that started to present itself with symptoms, there was very little the doctors could do beyond monitoring them.

"Well…" looking uncomfortable, he hesitated to agree with her statement.

"He said they'll monitor me more frequently and I should seek medical attention if anything changes, which I will. He never said anything about staying home and I don't see the point in staying home", summarising what she'd taken away from their appointment at Dallas Memorial, she understood that he didn't feel the same level of comfort from Doctor Henderson's words, but she willed him to trust that she did feel that way.

"Promise me that you'll be careful and minimise your stress, that's something he also recommended", bringing his hand to her face, he cupped her cheek as he cautiously gave her his blessing, on the condition that she didn't work too hard.

"I'll be fine", touching her hand to his, she reassured him she knew what she was doing.

"I'm just saying", obviously concerned, he turning his hand to grasp hers, lacing their fingers together.

Closing her eyes, she snuggled closer to him, wanting to show him she meant it when she said, "I know, and I love you, but you know I can't stand being told what to do. Please, let me make my own decisions, I won't do anything to put myself or our baby in harm's way".

"I'll try", whispering into her ear, his closeness sent shivers down her spine.

"Thank you", turning her head, she met his eye; he was handsome, caring, and agreeable to her needs and wants, and all of that made him very attractive to her.

Snaking his arm around her, he pulled her halfway onto him, kissing her before pulling away to make a suggestion, "you know, I don't have to be here at the ranch all day, we could have lunch together".

"I'd like that", needing no time to think about it, she accepted his invitation; she liked work, but she liked him more.

"How does noon sound? I'll come by and pick you up", verbally making plans for later, his fingertips at the hem of her nightgown indicated he had more immediate plans for the two of them.

"Noon sounds perfect", returning his earlier kiss, she didn't resist when he pulled her gently again, moving her so she was astride him.

"It's a date", toying with the soft silk covering her thighs, they both knew exactly what he was doing when he asked, "you don't have to get up just yet, do you?"

"No", shaking her head, she didn't bother looking at the clock on her nightstand, she knew it was still early as her plan to avoid questioning while she readied herself for work had failed, but even if it wasn't early, he had her in a position where she'd gladly skip breakfast.

"Good", raising his head as she lowered hers, their lips met again, their bodies melding into each other as their embrace turned from sweet to passionate. Enjoying the feeling of his strong hands brushing over her sensitive skin, it was not lost on her that he had little to say about overexerting herself when it came to their relationship, but if he wasn't complaining, then neither was she.

To be continued…