You told me not to cry when you were gone

But the feeling's overwhelming, it's much too strong

Can I lay by your side, next to you, you

And make sure you're alright

I'll take care of you

And I don't wanna be here if I can't be with you tonight

-Lay Me Down- Sam Smith

You throw your head back in laughter at the poor attempt of a joke Mike had just made, Rachel clutching on to you as she cringes in embarrassment "that is the most terrible joke I have ever heard."

Mike rolls his eyes as he continues to stride beside the two of you, hands stuffed into his coat pocket as you make your way through Central Park. The night sky is a beautiful sight, the dusting of white specks across the dark canvas fills you with a sense of unfathomable happiness, life is wonderful. After the dramatic year you have had, you were finally at a place in your life where things honestly couldn't get any better. It had taken over a decade in the making and a string of failed and somewhat tragic relationships, but you and Harvey were finally together. The two most stubborn people in New York City, if not the world, had finally put their pride behind them and manned the fuck up, much to everyone else's amazement. You never thought it would happen, you gave up hope years ago, somewhere between Zoe and Scottie, but something shifted one day, and you've never looked back since. Sure, you worked for Louis now, and Harvey had some brain dead blonde who looked barely legal as his assistant, but the change in work dynamic, made the personal all the better. After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and even to this day, that's the excuse you give for your three month cold shoulder phase that the two of you went through.

"Can Harvey even cook?" Mike asked warily as you approach the end of the park "I mean, does he even eat? Because I just see him as this robot..."

You roll your eyes "the man can cook" you assure him, a smile tugging at the corner of your mouth "not much, but he can cook."

"You know, this new Harvey thing is hard to get used to" Rachel mused "you've turned him into an actual human being, Donna. Thats a miracle, some may call it the work of a saint."

You smile, feeling proud "I can't take all the credit" yes you can, and you will "I've just unearthed what was hiding deep, deep down."

Your feet come to a standstill as your smile fades, your eyes narrowing towards the flashes of blue and red just ahead of you. You swallow the lump that has formed in the back of your throat as the image before you sharpens, the sound of more sirens filling your ears. You glance towards Rachel and Mike, hoping that you were hallucinating, that what you're seeing is some sick joke your mind is playing on you. "Holy fucking shit" you hear Mike mutter as he rushes off in front of you, his legs sprinting towards the scene. Your feet are rooted to the ground as your pulse quickens to an alarming rate, you were over reacting, panicking when there was no reason to, not yet anyway.

"I'm sure it's nothing, just a hoax" Rachel assures you, her tiny hand grabbing yours, giving it a tight squeeze. But the unevenness of her tone doesn't fill you with much hope. Mikes now nowhere to be seen, hidden amongst the flashing lights and crowds of nosey strangers feasting on the misfortune of somebody else. You look up at the sky, smoke bellowing out of the apartment building, flashes of red and orange flames illuminating the higher floors.

"Oh my god" you mutter in shock, your eyes unable to tear themselves away from Harvey's apartment, a mere three levels above the epicenter of the fire. You kick off your heels, throwing $600 to the curb as you run towards the mayhem, your feet shredding against the tarmac.

"Harvey!" you mutter in shock as you look towards the street, paramedics huddled over a number of people. "Harvey?" You scan the crowds, hoping that he is watching in the wings, unharmed, but as your gaze falls on an arm, poking out from behind two medics, you feel like vomiting. Nausea hits you as you stare at the familiar custom Rolex, your heart in your throat as you stumble towards him, screaming his name hysterically. Heads snap towards you, first responders rushing to your side as they try to pull you away, but your strength and determination trumps theirs. "Harvey!" You hold back the bile rising in your throat as you see his face for the first time, black, covered it sot, barely responsive. His chest is exposed, his shirt ripped open as a medic assesses what you can only presume are burns "Harvey, oh my god... oh my, is he okay?" You look back and forth between the medics, pleading for an answer as they remain silent, choosing their words carefully.

"Miss, if you can please go stand behind the line, we're trying our very best to..."

"No!" you cut the young man off "is he okay?" you repeat slowly and deliberately, your tone blunt.

"Ma'am" the other medic speaks up "he was found unconscious in his apartment by the fire department, his condition is unclear at the moment, please let us do our jobs"

Your mouth opens and closes as you are rendered speechless, pain coursing through your body as the storm of emotions you feel transform into physical pain, he had to be okay. You close your eyes as the tears make an appearance, cascading down your face as you feel your composure slipping.

"Don't cry." Your movements falter for a second as you swear you heard a familiar voice, your eyes opening slowly, afraid that you are imagining things "you're such an ugly crier" you choke out a laugh, or perhaps a sob as your gaze is met with his, your heart swelling at the way he was looking at you, his fingers twitching by his side as he attempts to reach out for your hand. You fall to your knees beside him, ignoring the ripping sound of your dress against the tarmac, your hand gripping onto his for dear life.

You let out a shaky breath as you silently pray to God, practicing your newfound faith as you feel the pads of his fingers slightly graze your skin "If you really didn't want to cook dinner, you could have just said, you didn't have to go all dramatic on me" you attempt to joke through the tears as he looks up at you with a faint smile, his eyes struggling to stay open. His lips twitch, a cough escaping his mouth as he tries to respond, his chest heaving, fighting the smoke he had inhaled in the fire.

"And let you cook? I think I got off lightly." You roll your eyes, the tears falling faster, even now he's being a complete smartass. He winks at you slightly before his body tenses up, his eyes rolling back into his head before he seizes, his body shaking violently against the floor. You cry out his name once more as you are ripped away from him, Mike's strong arms pulling you away as you fight against him.

"Let. Me. Go." you seethe through gritted teeth, your arms hitting his torso repeatedly as you watch Harvey helplessly, his body being carefully put onto a board, a neck brace supporting his head.

"Donna" Mike's grip tightens "Donna, stop, please." you still in his embrace as your body loses all power, dizziness hitting you as your vision begins to tunnel. He catches you as you go limp in his arms, the tears still falling as Mike looks to Rachel hopelessly, unable to take control of the situation. You fail to comprehend what is happening as you are dragged away from the scene, and pushed into the back of a taxi, your vision blurred by the mascara tears that stung your eyes. The ride to the hospital is a traffic filled and noisy mess as you find yourself gripping onto Mike for dear life, your makeup smeared against his once white shirt. You're silently thankful that Rachel decided to stay at the scene to get some details on what had happened, knowing that you'd probably feel a little uncomfortable using Mike as a safety blanket, in front of her.

He practically carries you into the hospital, guiding you towards the ICU where you know he's been taken as the two of you play the waiting game. Your eyes are heavy, sleep threatening to overcome you as you hug your knees close to your chest.

You don't know how long you've been out for, it could have been seconds, it could have been hours. You let out an exaggerated yawn as your eyes flutter open, your surroundings hazy as the light takes a few moments to get used to. You watch as Mike talks to the doctors, you squint as you try to read their lips, neither of their expressions giving away much. The doctor excuses himself as Mike makes his way back to you, his lips pressed together, his hands stuffed into his pockets "Hey sleepyhead."

"How is he? Is he alive?"

"He's stable, but we won't know the damage until he wakes up."

"W-What damage?" you stutter, gripping onto the railing for support.

"From the obvious smoke inhalation and burns, they think he hit his head when he passed out in the building, which caused him to seize earlier. It's just a waiting game, when he wants to wake up, he'll wake up."

"So...he'll be okay?"

Mike nods, looking a little uncertain "that's what they hope." The young lawyer wraps his arms around you "why don't you go and sit with him?"

"But..." you protest, not knowing if you are emotionally prepared to be alone with him right now.

"I'll wait outside" Mike smiles as he gently pushes you towards the doors of his room, your hands shaking violently as you reach for the handle. Taking a deep breath you enter the sterile room, the bland decor the first thing you notice, a distraction from letting your eyes settle on the unresponsive man laying on the bed in front of you. You gulp harshly as you take in his battered appearance, the color drained from his face, despite the smoke residue still lingering on his skin. He looked so peaceful, his lips in a straight line, his mouth open ever so slightly, he looked like he was dreaming.

You feel your bottom lip quiver as you slowly stumble towards him, catching your reflection in a mirrored surface, god, you looked an absolute state. "You son of a bitch" you mutter through the tears as you struggle to stand up right, your hair falling like a curtain in front of your face, masking the sight of his sleeping figure. You purse your trembling lips in a tight line as the sounds of the machines fill your ears, the only true indication that you know he's still alive, that he's still with you. You look around the hospital room, suddenly feeling stupid, there is so much you want to say, but who knows if he can even hear you. "You know" you breath, taking a seat beside him as you look towards the ceiling "I was just beginning to think that things were finally going our way...You know that I know about your plan, right?" You ask, as you look at his peaceful face. "I saw the ring."

You weren't supposed to find it, hell, you don't even know why you were looking through his sock drawer in the first place, but when you stumbled across the velvet jewelry box with the most beautiful custom made ring you have ever seen, you couldn't help but sit on the floor and stare at it for an hour. You were late to work that morning, and when he asked you why, you simply said you overslept, but the reality was very different as you busily googled wedding dresses on your phone, provisionally making calls to your dream venues.

"It's beautiful." You smile, your lips pressed together in a line "The boy did good."

You brush away the stray hairs from his face, your fingers lightly grazing his forehead as you mentally will him to wake up. "I never saw you as the marrying type" you admit "I know you better than anyone else, and yet, I never saw this coming. We both know that you've been writing Mr. Harvey Paulsen over your notebooks for years, but still..."

"You need to wake up Harvey. I have not suffered fifteen years of bullshit and running around doing your ridiculously errands for you to skip out on me early like this. We have unfinished business, you don't run away from fights, so don't you dare run away from the biggest fight of your life to date."

Your head falls against the mattress of the bed as you break down and cry, your body exhausted, your mind reeling.

"Woman, will you pipe down, I'm trying to sleep here." You heave, swallowing a sob as relief racks through your body, an awe stricken smile spreading across your face. He looks at you sleepily through hooded eyes

"Are you okay?" you say, scolding yourself for asking such a stupid question. "I mean..."

He nods ever so slightly "I was, until you started going all Days of our Lives on me, I had to shut you up before you got the priest to say my last rights. You definetely missed your calling as an actress."

You hit his arm playfully as he winces in pain, a laugh escaping his lips, the sound like music to your ears "You are such an ass" you sniffle, wiping the tears from your eyes. "Don't you ever do that to me again!"

He pats the space next to him, indicating for you to join him as you slide cautiously beside him, throwing an arm lightly across his torso. You rest your head under the crook of his arm, the smell of stale smoke filling your senses as you tried to focus on the feeling of him beside you. "Only if you promise that I don't have to throw another dinner party again"

"Deal" you laugh "I don't think they're either of our strong suits." you add, referring to the dinner party you hosted all those years ago.

"Hey" he lightly protested, pressing a kiss against the side of your head "I had a good time that night. I got to see your..."

"Oi." you press a finger against his lips, silencing him "and if you ever want to see it again, you'll shut up right now, or I'll pull the plug on you and find myself a better looking man."

"Well that's rude."

"I love you" and you do. You don't say it much, but you vow to say it more often.

"God" he sighs with a smug grin "You're so into me."

Okay well this wasn't the happiest of one shots, but hey ho. let's mix it upppppp! You know what to do, leave the love, holla the hate.

lalalalala. two updates in one day. I'm back bitchessss.