(Untitled)

[claire_fraser]

I wasn't officially back into the clinic duty rotation, but I had an appointment set for later in the day. I also wanted to get caught up on what was going on in the clinic, so I went in significantly early to try to get myself reacquainted on what had happened in my (mostly) absence. I hated feeling that disconnect. I was also mightily tired of

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[pambeesley]

Pam yawned behind one hand, even as she walked down to the clinic with Jim. She wasn't sure how she could still be so tired when she'd gone to bed early the night before and had actually slept in a little later than usual. Her other hand reached out for his, her fingers sliding between his as they neared the door.

[jim_halpert]

Her 'later' time was still early for Jim. He was already getting used to sleeping in again - god, he couldn't wait until his council term was completely over - and, well, Pam wasn't quite the sleeper he was.

She really had to work on that.

When he saw her reach for his hand, he took it, fingers lacing with hers. He stretched his other arm over his head as he let her lead him inside.

[claire_fraser]

They were so cute, I thought, when I looked up to see them at the door. Sometimes I wondered if I had ever been as young as they were. "Come on in," I said, getting up and coming from behind the desk. "How are you?"

[pambeesley]

"Tired," she mumbled automatically, eyes widening as she realized how rude she'd just been.

"Sorry. I just feel like I could sleep for another three days," she said, ducking her head and blushing as she settled into a chair.

[jim_halpert]

"I keep telling her to sleep later," he informed Claire as he sat himself in a chair next to Pam. "Me? I can sleep way past noon if she lets me."

She doesn't, usually. Or the council work doesn't. Either way, he wasn't being allowed to be lazy.

[claire_fraser]

"It's totally normal to feel tired during this time," I told Pam as they sat down. "Your body is responsible for two people instead of one, and that's a lot of work. One good thing about living here is that you can get as much rest as you need. How have you been feeling otherwise?"

[pambeesley]

She shot Jim a look that bordered on a glare, but quickly turned back to Claire with an embarrassed smile.

"Other than that, pretty good. She's started moving around a lot and my morning sickness has gone away. Mostly."

[jim_halpert]

"Yeah, it's hard enough for me to feel it now," he said, his smile softening a little. "She's figuring out ways of making herself known."

[claire_fraser]

"I'm glad to hear that," I said. I asked her a few other questions about her general health, and from her answers I was satisfied that she was doing well. In many ways, this was probably one of the best places to have a child; the environment was clean and unpolluted, there was less stress than in modern times, and there was a good supply of whole, unprocessed food. "Do you have any questions, or anything you're worried about that I can hopefully answer for you?"

[pambeesley]

"Um.." She glanced over at Jim then down at her lap. She wasn't sure why she felt so nervous and embarrassed about asking questions, but she did.

She chewed on her lip for a moment and twisted her fingers in the hem of her shirt.

"I was wondering about some things, actually. Like um.. I know we really don't have like.. vaccinations here and I was a little worried.. like.. what if, I guess?"

[jim_halpert]

"We just want to make sure we do everything we can on an island like...well, this," he added, looking over at Pam.

[claire_fraser]

I was probably one of the few people on the island vaccinated for everything one could be vaccinated for (at least, at the time). When I'd gone back in time the second time, I'd gone prepared. However, even if everyone here had done the same, that did not go for the island's smallest residents. "There are two things in your favour," I told them, starting with the positive news. "One is that this is a relatively closed population, meaning that it's difficult for diseases to enter this environment. As far as we can tell, no one has brought any major communicable diseases with them. Two is that you'll be able to breastfeed as long as necessary, and the longer you do that, the more of your antibodies and immunities will be passed along to your child."

[pambeesley]

Pam nodded, feeling a little more at ease about the whole thing. "And breastfeeding," she said, looking up at Claire and gesturing with her hands a little.

She blushed as she asked her next question. "How does that um.. Do they just figure that out or uh.."

[jim_halpert]

Jim was happy his guess was right. He had figured that would happen, but it was good to hear a doctor say that.

He kept quiet as Pam kept asking questions, listening even though it wasn't exactly something he'd need to know personally.