( ix ) โ™ก ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐›๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ฆ๐ฌ๐ž๐ฅ๐Ÿ ๐จ๐ง ๐š ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ




ใ€”๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ๐˜ช๐˜ท๐˜ช๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ; ๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฑ๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆใ€•
ใ€”๐˜ธ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜ฏ๐˜ด ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฎ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ง ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ข ๐˜จ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ญ.ใ€•










โ‹†










THE OFFICE WAS SURPRISINGLY filled with a lot of various conversations between the employees. It could possibly be due to the surprising absence of Michael Scott. Jim and Willow huddled over at reception with Pam, also participating in throwaway conversation. The phone rang, and Pam went to answer it.

"Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam.ย Michael, what's wrong?" Pam's eyes widened, a concerned look on her face.

"What happened?" Willow whispered.

"Okay, wait wait wait.ย Michael, do you need me to call an ambulance?"

"What's going on?" Jim asked. Pam shrugged, pointing at the phone.

"Wait a second, I thought you said that you were hurt."ย 

"Is it Michael?" Willow asked. Pam nodded, exasperated. Jim reached over and put the phone on speaker, where everyone heard a groaning Michael.

"Hey, whoa, Michael. Okay, it's Jim. Just say again really loudly what happened."

"Okay, ugh!ย I burned my foot very badly on my Foreman Grill and I now need someone to come and bring me into work." Michael explained. Willow's jaw dropped in amusement.

"You burned your foot on a Foreman grill." Jim turned to the camera then to Willow, biting back a laugh.

"Who burns themself on a grill?" Willow mouthed. Jim shrugged, trying not to laugh.

"Pam, could you come get me?" Michael asked.

"Uh, I have to stay and answer the phone." Pam replied.

"Okay, could someone come and get me please? Ryan?"

"Michael, you should stay home and rest." Phyllis suggested.

"There's no toilet paper here. Could Ryan... tell Ryan to bring toilet paper. Could you tell him that?"ย 

"Can you hop?" Kevin asked.

"I tried hopping, Kevin, and I bumped my elbow against the wall and now my elbow has a 'protruberance.'" Willow covered her mouth, trying her best not to laugh out loud. The office fell silent, everyone having similar reactions to Willow.

"No one wants to pick me up?" Michael asked. There was silence, as the door to the office opened.

"What is going on? What is going on?" Dwight said as he walked over to reception.ย 

"Michael is, um, 'sick,' and wants one of us to rescue him." Pam replied.

"I'm not sick!" Michael called out.

"I'm coming Michael!ย I'm gonna save you!" Dwight shouted as he sprinted out of the office.

"Gah, is that Dwight? I do not want Dwight!"

"Hold on Michael! I am coming!"

"I don't want Dwight!"

"Michael, why don't you call your girlfriend?" Pam suggested.

"I don't have a girlfriend." Michael replied.

"But you said that you went out with her this weekend." Jim said.

"It was all made up. Just someone come, okay? Anyone, anyone but Dwight."ย 

"Wow." Willow mouthed as the sound of a crash filled her ears. Immediate concern for Dwight overtaking her, Willow jogged over to the window of the conference room, everyone else following suit. She looked outside and saw Dwight's car crashed into the pole of the gate.

"Oh! He hit the pole!" Jim said. Willow gasped sightly as Dwight stumbled out of the car, a hand on his head.ย 

"Oh my god." Willow muttered.

"It's broken, right? He can't..." Dwight stumbled a bit before vomiting all over the back windshield.

"Oh! He's still driving! Dwight!" Jim exclaimed as Dwight went back inside the car and continued driving to get Michael.

"He forgot his bumper!" Willow called out in an attempt to maintain a joking manner, when in fact she was anxious as ever.

โ™ก

About an hour and a half after Michael's call for help, he came inside the office in crutches and bubble wrap around his left foot. Dwight followed him inside, holding a couple of blankets and other household items.

"Morning everyone. Don't freak out. I forbid anybody to freak out. Clearly, I have had a very serious accident, but I will recover, God willing. I just want to be treated normally today. Normal would actually be good, considering the trauma that I've been through." Michael said as he hobbled over toward his office.

"You missed two big conference calls today, one with corporate." Pam said.

"Did you explain why?"

"No, I didn't mention that you cooked your foot."

"Burned my foot, Pam."ย 

"Are you sure? Because people don't burn their feet on Foreman grills." Willow said.ย 

"Ha ha, Willow. This is a very serious accident and very rare, so treat me like I'm some sort of record holder."

"You said that you want to be treated normally though." Jim responded. Michael sighed before hobbling inside his office.

โ™ก

Taking a break from her work, Willow decided to look through iTunes to try and buy more songs. As she pulled up the official iTunes site on her computer, she saw Dwight stand and walk over to her desk.

"You trying to get more songs on your, uh, iPod?" Dwight asked, pointing down at the small device.

"Yeah, why not." Willow replied.

"Don't pay that much forย Mรถtley Crรผe, I know this Russian site that you can buy their whole album for two bucks."ย 

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Only, they recorded the whole album in Russian."

"Oh." Willow said, turning back to the computer.

"Kidding!" The two shared an awkward laugh as Dwight typed the address into her computer.ย 

"Thanks." Willow felt herself turn red as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Mhm. See you later, Wallow." Dwight said as he walked back to his desk. Willow nodded a bit, confused.

"'Wallow?'" she murmured.

โ™ก

Willow walked over to the water cooler and began to fill up a small plastic cup with water. After she got her water, she turned to walk back to her desk, only to see Dwight was right behind her, staring intently at the clock.

"Dwight? Are you okay?" Willow asked softly. He ignored her, continuing to stare at the wall. She took his hand in an attempt to get his attention. Surprised, Dwight looked down at Willow, his eyes glassy. Willow let go of his hand quickly.

"Willow?" Dwight muttered.

"Come on, let's go." Willow took his hand again and led him over to his desk.

"You're so sweet Willow, thank you so much." Dwight slurred. Willow smiled to herself as she helped him sit down.

โ™ก

"No, I'm not really sure why Dwight's acting weird. I feel like it was from earlier, but I think he'll be okay. I hope he's okay." Willow said.

โ™ก

"Can I have everybody's attention, please? Phyllis, Oscar, Ryan, who's supposed to be dead, can I ask you all a question? Do you all know what it's like to be disabled? Oscar?" Michael said as he hobbled out of the kitchen.

"I hadย scoliosis as a girl." Phyllis responded.

"No, never heard of it. No, a real disability, not a woman's trouble."ย 

"When I was a teenager, I was in an iron lung." Quality Assurance representative Creed Bratton said.

"Wha, how old are you? Look, the point is, I am the only one here who has a legitimate disability, although I'm sure Stanley has had his fair share of obstacles."

"I'm not disabled, and neither are you." Stanley said, not looking up from his crossword puzzle.

"Okay, what does this look like to you Stanley?" Michael lifted his left foot.

"Mail Boxes Etc."ย 

"Shut it. Okay, well you know what, disabilities are not things to be laughed at or laughed about. You people are jerks. Imagine if you had left Stevie Wonder on the floor of that bathroom instead of me."

"Oh we wouldn't we love Stevie Wonder." Phyllis said. Willow nodded in agreement.

"I burned my foot! Okay, twenty minutes, conference room, everybody's in there!" Michael shouted angrily as he hobbled back into his office.

โ™ก

Twenty minutes later, the employees made their way into the conference room.ย 

"While we are waiting for our special guest to arrive, I wanted you all to take a look at a few of the many, many disabled icons who have contributed so much to our society." Michael said. He stood next to five printed-out pictures of different people he considered to be 'disabled icons.'

"Quick question: uh, why is Tom Hanks on the wall?" Jim asked.

"Twice." Ryan pointed out.

"Good question. Forrest Gump: mentally challenged, Philadelphia, AIDS." Michael replied.

"I think that's from Big." Kevin said, referring to the picture of Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia on a giant piano.

"I don't think so."

"Yeah, he's dancing on a piano with Robert Loggia." Kelly said.

"He grew into a man overnight. Rare disability, still works."ย 

"No." Willow muttered.

"A crossword puzzle Stanley, seriously? Are you learning nothing here?" Michael sighed.

"Mhm." Stanley grumbled.

"What do you mean, 'mhm?'"ย 

"I mean I'm learning nothing."

"Okay..."ย 

"Michael Scott, I'm looking for Michael Scott." a man called out. Willow looked over and saw someone in a wheelchair presumably looking for Michael.

"Oh no." Willow whispered to Jim.

"Yes, right in here, come on in," Michael called out. The man wheeled himself inside the conference room. "This, ladies and gentlemen, is our special guest."

"Sorry I'm late. Someone parked in the handicapped parking space."ย 

"Of course." Willow rolled her eyes.

"Hey everyone, I'm Billy Merchant, you may have seen me around here before, I'm the properties manager of this office park."

"But it's hard for you! Right? Because you're in a wheelchair." Michael asked.

"No, I just have a lot of properties to manage."

"Let me ask you something, how long does it take for you to do something simple, every day, like brush your teeth in the morning?"

"I don't know, like 30 seconds?"

"Oh my God, that's three times as long as it takes me," Willow cringed at his statement. "How did you get in your wheelchair?"

"This morning? Just like every other morning, just climbed on in." Everyone laughed at Billy's joke.

"Hey, hey, hey, not funny! Not funny." Michael exclaimed in an attempt to defend Billy.

"Hey, hey, relax, just joking around here."

"Well, that's good, he still has a sense of humor."

"Listen, I've actually used a chair since I was four years old. I don't really notice it anymore."

"Well they notice it. Don't you? You notice it. It's the first thing you saw when he rolled in here, isn't it?"

โ™ก

"I want to clamp Michael's face in a George Foreman grill." Jim said.

"Not before I clamp myself in there first." Willow added.

โ™ก

"So, there are just a couple things I want to remind everybody of.ย First is parking. You can't block the freight entrance with your car, even if your blinkers are on. Does anybody have any questions?" Billy asked. Dwight raised his hand. He remained silent even after Billy called on him.

"Dwight, your hand is up." Pam whispered. Realizing this, Dwight, slowly put his hand down.

"Ignore him. You know what? We're not that different, you and I. When I clamped my foot into a non-stick-"

"You know what Michael?ย Let me stop you right there and leave." Billy cut Michael off before exiting the conference room.ย 

"I..." Michael scoffed before hobbling out of the conference room.ย 

"That was a fantastic waste of time." Stanley muttered as everyone exited the conference room.

โ™ก

As Willow continued working on some expense report, she heard a clatter across from her. Worry coursed through her veins as she saw that Dwight practically fainted onto his desk.

"Okay, I think we need to take him to the hospital, I think he has a concussion." she said.

"Oh, now you feel some compassion for him." Michael snarled.

"He needs to go right now, and you're his emergency contact. I think that you should go with him." Angela piped up. Willow internally rolled her eyes.

"Why don't you go with him?"

"I barley know him!" Angela lied.

'Oh please.' Willow thought to herself.

"I want Michael to take me... and I want Willow to come too." Dwight slurred.

"I can't take you, I don't have my car and yours is all vomity." Michael complained.

"I'll drive. Come on, let's go." Willow said.

"Yes, we'll go. I'm still recovering. So let's just... Ryan, could you get my coat please." Michael ordered as Jim helped Dwight stand and begin to walk outside.

"Slowly, slowly. Let's just get to the elevator," Jim directed. Dwight began to make sounds softly to himself. "What are you doing?"

"Vietnam sounds." Dwight murmured as he slumped onto the couch.

"Stop, stop." Jim said as he grabbed a spray bottle. He sprayed Dwight to try and wake him up.

"Ah!" Dwight exclaimed.

"I got him Jim, thanks." Willow said as she helped Dwight stand. Jim nodded and handed her the spray bottle.

"Just in case." he said. Willow nodded as she helped Dwight walk to the elevators.

"How are you?" Willow asked as they stepped inside with Michael.

"It smells like chicken soup."

"Uh huh."

"I have to go to the hospital..."

"I know."

"Come here, Willow." Dwight leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the smaller woman.ย 

"Oh, okay! Aw." Willow hugged back as she felt herself blush. She gave him a small kiss on the shoulder, feeling a bit more bold than usual.

The three exited the elevator and made their way outside the building; Willow still slowly helping Dwight walk.

"Shotgun!" Michael called.

"You don'tย think you should sit in the back with Dwight?" Willow asked.

"It's shotgun, Willow."ย 

"Whatever." she scoffed.ย 

"Where are we going?" Dwight asked as Willow helped him inside the car.

"Um, we're going to Chuck-E-Cheese."ย 

"Chuck E. Cheese? Oh, God, I'm so sick of Chuck E. Cheese." Michael commented.

"Michael, we're going to the hospital." Willow said as she buckled Dwight's seat belt.

"I know, I'm just saying."ย 

โ™ก

The three sat together in the waiting room of the hospital. Michael started filling out paperwork for his visit.

"Dwight, what is your middle name?" Michael asked.

"Danger..."ย 

"Something with a 'K.'"

"It's Kurt." Willow answered.

"What do I write under 'reason for visit?'"

"Concussion," Michael began scribbling something out on the page. "What'd you write?"

"Nothing, uh, I said 'bringing someone to the hospital.'"

"You thought it was yourย reason for coming?"

"You know what, Willow? This isn't about me anymore. I made a miraculous recovery, which is more than I can say for him."ย 

"Did you finish the paperwork?" Willow saw Dwight fall a bit toward her, accidentally resting his head on her shoulder.

"Yeah." Willow nodded as she gently poked Dwight on the shoulder to wake him up.

"Hi Willow, hi Michael." Dwight said.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"I, uh... I don't know."

"Okay, we're going in soon, it's gonna be okay."

"Thank you Willow." Dwight grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly. Blushing a bit, Willow squeezed it back and smiled a bit to herself.

โ™ก

After about fifteen more minutes of waiting, Dwight was called in by the doctor.

"Go, I'll stay out here." Willow said.

"No, no... Willow please come inside!" Dwight whined.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming in."

The doctor flashed a light inside Dwight's eyes to check for signs of a concussion.

"Doctor, what is more serious, a head injury or a foot injury?" Michael asked.

"A head injury." the doctor replied.

"Well, you don't have all the information. The foot as been fairly severely burned and healed quickly, very quickly, actually like suspiciously quickly."ย 

Ignoring Michael, the doctor told Dwight that he was going to get a CAT scan to analyze his brain.

"Sinceย you have the machine up and running, can I just stick my foot, we take a look?"

"Well, for a burn, you really just need to look at the outside of the foot. Does the skin look red and swollen?"

"That's what she said." Dwight said, turning to the camera and giggling. Willow smiled in amusement.

"That's my joke, damn it Dwight!"ย 

"We needย to get your friend into the CT machine." the doctor ordered.

"Into a machine? Okay, uh, that's bad. Will you stay with me?" Dwight asked.

"No." Michael replied.

"Okay... um, Willow, can you come with me?"

"Of course." she said as she stood to accompany him.

"Oh, thank you so much. Michael, can you call my cousin Mose?"

"Fine."ย 

A nurse came into the doctor's office to place Dwight in a wheelchair to bring him in for the CAT scan.ย 

"Can she stay with me please, nurse?" Dwight asked, motioning to Willow and grabbing her hand in the process.

"Um, yeah alright." the nurse replied. Willow followed the nurse, her hand still intertwined with his.ย 

As Dwight laid down to go into the machine, Willow gave his hand a small squeeze.

"I'll be right here, okay? It'll be over with very soon." she reassured.ย 

"Okay Willow. Okay." Dwight replied. Willow let go of him and sat in a small chair to the right of the machine.ย 

As the practitioner gave Dwight instructions for the procedure, Willow sat back in her chair and began to reflect a bit. She somehow felt a bit special; being the only one there for Dwight when going through something like this. Not even his own girlfriend or his boss whom he cares for so much stepped up like she did. And she hoped she could continue to be there for him.

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