Denison, Texas
Turning around after hearing Jack calling his name, Bobby set the tray of coffee and fruit he was holding down on a decorative table in the hallway and approached his cousin.
"Are you sure you won't come with us? JR tells me it's a private boat, you two can just stay on deck all day, you don't have to swim". Inviting him again to spend the day out on the lake, just as he and his family had when he was younger, Jack's offer did sound tempting, but considering the current circumstances, he knew it was best to stick with the decision he and Pam had made at some point in the night.
"Thanks, but we're going to stay here, Pam's tired and just between the two of us, I think she wants some time away from the rest of the family", explaining the situation briefly, he didn't go into too much detail. Pam had had a surprisingly difficult night, from being unable to get comfortable in the unfamiliar bed to finding the marginally cooler overnight temperature unpleasant, which meant he'd had a less than ideal night too, so although he was tempted to go boating with his family, a peaceful, restful day at the lake house was slightly more tempting.
"Say no more", chuckling, Jack accepted his answer for what it was.
Thankful his cousin wasn't one to pry, he smiled and wished him well, "have fun, we'll see you later".
A couple of hours later, after a leisurely breakfast in bed, a short walk along the lakefront, up to a nearby lookout and back to the house, he lay comfortably on a pool float, enjoying the sun, waiting for the heat to feel scorching before he slid into the cool water.
"Oh", opening his eyes as he heard Pam's expression of surprise, he found it difficult to suppress a laugh as he watched her attempting to turn to lie on her side, the pool float dipping into the water as her weight distribution changed.
Catching his eye, it only took a second for her to lose focus on the task, losing her balance and slipping into the cool water with a splash.
Surprised himself, he laughed aloud as she resurfaced, a mix of shock and displeasure on her face. She'd told him she'd swim eventually, but falling in unexpectedly was not the way she'd planned it, nor was it something she appreciated if her facial expression was any indication.
"Bobby", spotting him laughing at her misfortune, she whined his name, petulantly splashing the water with her hand.
"I'm sorry Pammy", apologising, he held his hand out to help her up, not thinking about his own unstable floating situation until he too hit the water with a splash.
Surprised by the change in orientation and surroundings, he didn't react for a moment, but when he did and surfaced again, there was little he could do but laugh, and luckily, this time she joined him.
Later in the day, back in the same position he'd been in earlier, floating on the water peacefully, he had no frame of reference for what the time was, but his stomach knew, grumbling as he kicked off the edge of the tile to push himself back into the middle of the pool.
"Are you hungry?" sitting up, he called over to Pam who had moved to a sun lounger beside the pool so she could wrap a towel around her because apparently, despite it being close to 90°F outside, she still felt a little chilly.
"Not particularly", lowering her glasses to look at him, she reiterated the same thing she'd been telling him for days now.
"Well I am, and you need to eat, so how about I make us something for lunch?" sliding into the water, he swam over to the stairs and got out, drying himself off with a towel as he stood next to her.
"How can I pass up an offer to see you cook?" making a joke, she smiled and leaned over to grab her cover-up.
"Cook is probably a bit strong, I was thinking sandwiches and fruit", minimising her expectations, he waited for her to finish putting her cover-up on and then held his hand out to help her up.
"You'll make a wonderful father with those skills", grinning, she accepted his assistance, draping one arm around his neck to rest her hand on his back, the other on his forearm.
"Thank you", genuinely delighted by her comments, he leaned down to kiss her, holding her securely as they embraced, before pulling away, wrapping his arm around her waist and leading her inside the house.
Keeping an eye on her as he moved around the kitchen, preparing a basic lunch meal for them, he sensed something was wrong when she finished two tall glasses of water in quick succession. It was hot outside, but she claimed she was cold, and they'd been making their way through a pitcher of iced tea all morning, so surely she couldn't be dehydrated.
"Are you feeling ok?" refilling her glass, he asked after her health.
Laughing lightly, she nodded slowly, explaining, "a little weak, a little achy, a little cold, a lot pregnant".
"Do you think you should see a doctor?" remembering the advice they'd been given at Dallas Memorial, he didn't hesitate to raise the idea with her, it wasn't an overreaction to suggest she seek medical assistance if she felt unwell.
"No, I think I was lucky in the beginning to have very few symptoms, now they're all catching up to me", smiling weakly, she attempted to reassure him that she was fine.
"Are you sure?" asking again, he wanted to be certain. It was expected that at some point she would begin to feel weighed down and drained by her condition, he just hadn't expected it to be so soon.
"I'm sure", nodding, she sounded confident in her own judgement.
Accepting her word, he returned to their lunch preparation, falling into a comfortable silence with her as she watched him work.
"We should do this more often", following him with her eyes as he set their food down on the kitchen table, Pam's words were vague enough to mean any number of things.
"Spend time alone together", apparently seeing the confusion on his face, she clarified what she meant.
"It has been nice, hasn't it?" thinking about their day so far, he had no complaints.
"I like your family, but…" raising the subject, he knew what she was getting at. He loved his family, but being married was an experience in itself, one they were rarely able to enjoy the way they were now, not when they both worked fulltime and lived at Southfork.
"But you like our family more", watching her approach him, he finished her sentence for her, appreciating the way she leaned in to him to murmur her response.
"Exactly", whispering the word in his ear, she wrapped her arms around him, the curve of her protruding abdomen a wonderful reminder that their family wasn't just the two of them.
"I can understand that", kissing the top of her head, he held her for a long while before pulling away and walking her over to the table.
"What do you say, when we get back to Dallas, we start looking for somewhere we can do this more often? We're not moving to College Station after all", sitting down in the chair he pulled out for her, she looked up at him, holding his gaze as she spoke.
"A home of our own?" taken aback by her suggestion, he repeated it to himself.
"Doesn't it sound nice?" enthusiastic, it wasn't difficult to understand where she was coming from. She'd never wanted to live at Southfork at all, let alone permanently, and he hadn't married her with the intention that they would, things had just fallen into place as they were because they'd had other things going on in their lives and house hunting wasn't something they'd really discussed or prioritised.
Considering how happy JR and Sue Ellen were living in their own home, how much he enjoyed Pam's company, and how they were soon to become parents, he had no doubt about it being the time for them to move on from Southfork and find themselves a family home, and he told her so, "I think it's a wonderful idea".
"I am thrilled to hear you say that", squeezing his hand, she smiled up at him, confirming to him that it was the right thing to do.
Later that afternoon, after showering and changing clothes, he sat on the window seat in the bedroom they were sharing, reading while Pam dozed peacefully. He'd tried his best to join her in taking an afternoon nap, but he wasn't nearly as tired as she'd turned out to be, so while she rested in bed, he rested by turning his mind to enjoying something he rarely got to embrace anymore.
Engrossed as he made his way through a series of old comic books he'd found, favourites of Gary's if he remembered correctly, he looked up only when he heard the rustling of sheets. Watching Pam stretch and slowly come out of her slumber, he looked at his watch, noting he'd been reading and she'd been sleeping a little longer than he'd thought.
Saying nothing, letting her wake at her own pace, he looked out the window at the lake, thinking about his day and the day the rest of his family were having. They wouldn't be home for a few hours yet, but when they were the peace and quiet he and Pam had at the house would be broken, not that that was a bad thing. He was a family man, he liked spending time with his parents, brother, sister-in-law, cousin, niece and nephew and considering the decision he and Pam had made to purchase a home of their own before their family grew further in a few months, he thought he'd better enjoy the experience of all being in one house together while he could.
Turning his head as he heard her gasp, he saw Pam sit up quickly, her face pale as she threw the covers back to look at the sheets beneath her.
"Bobby!" calling over to him, it was clear from her panicked tone and ashen face that something was wrong.
"What is it?" leaping up, he tossed the comic book on the window seat and rushed to her side.
"I… I think I'm leaking", barely able to speak, she attempted to explain the problem.
"Leaking?" kneeling beside the bed, he repeated what she'd just said, trying to wrap his head around what she meant.
"That's the best way I can describe it. I can feel it and I can see it and I can't stop it…" confused and concerned, she pointed towards a dark spot on the sheet and a corresponding mark on her nightgown. It wasn't blood, that much was obvious, but that still left two other options, and her panic led him to believe it was the more serious of the two.
Shaking, she said what he was thinking, "I need to see a doctor, now".
Nodding, he said nothing as he supported her out of bed, keeping an eye on her as she changed out of her nightgown and into a loose dress, finally understanding what she meant when she said she couldn't stop the flow when she asked him to grab a towel from the bathroom.
Assisting her downstairs, he only had to look out onto the driveway to see the flaw in his plan. They'd driven from Dallas to Denison in two cars at his daddy's insistence that it encouraged family time, and it hadn't been an issue, until now.
Seeing the empty driveway, Pam physically collapsed against him, sounding like every breath was difficult to take and she was about to burst into tears any minute when she said, "I don't know if I'm just scared and anxious or if something's actually wrong, but I really don't feel well. Please, call an ambulance".
Helping her to one of the wooden chairs in the kitchen, he ran to the phone and dialled the three numbers that could get them the help she clearly needed.
"911, what's your emergency?" hearing the voice on the other end of the line, he knew not to relax just yet.
"We need an ambulance. My wife is 22 weeks pregnant and I think her water has just broken. She's shaky and doesn't feel well and we've previously had specialist advice that we must seek medical assistance if anything happens. Our address is…" saying it aloud, the reality of what was happening really set in; help would be on its way soon, he just hoped it was soon enough.
To be continued…