A/N: First Suits story so be kind. A couple of changes is that Mike's Grandmother is still alive in this even though it is after the episode where Hardman is no longer at the firm and his grandmother's death episode. Other than that I changed Mike's past, but he still never went to Harvard or anything like that. Everything else is the exact same.
Summary: Mike is attacked in his apartment one night after work. He goes to the one person who makes him feel safe, Harvey. Harvey learns some shocking secrets from Mike and he will do everything he can to keep Mike safe. As Mike struggles to stay alive and deal with the stress of his life, Harvey struggles to keep Mike from ruining his life and going down a dark path.
Warnings: Mentions of drug use, drug use, drinking, swearing, violence, mentions of child abuse, mentions of child molestation (Vague and only one conversation) sexual situation and Slash (Marvey)
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Chapter 1
Mike was on his way home from work at the ungodly hour of two in the morning. He had been working hard all week and working long hours. Louis and the other Junior Partners had been riding him hard ever since he started to work there. He had been labeled Harvey's golden boy and everyone was dead set on breaking him and proving to Harvey that he had made a mistake. Even the other Associates had a problem with him because he was Harvey's pick and not one of them. They all felt that because they had been working there before him that they should have been given the opportunity to work under Harvey. As a result, Mike didn't have many friends. Even Jessica was furious still with him after finding out that he was a fraud. Mike couldn't blame her, but still it had made him work harder and made him feel like he had to work ten times harder to prove to her that he was worth the potential trouble that could come her way one day. Mike hadn't even left the office in three days because he was so busy working. It didn't help that his mind worked so fast that the Junior Partners gave him extra work besides their cases just to see what Mike's mind was able to do.
Mike was exhausted at this point and he knew that he would be getting sick soon. He was already feeling rundown and like he had a cold. He had this stupid cough that he couldn't seem to get rid of and sometimes he could have sworn he had a fever. Mike never said anything though, he just pushed through it like he has always done before. Mike wasn't one to complain and he was not one to go running to someone if he was in trouble or being picked on. Mike knew that everyone was expecting him to run to Harvey and tattle, but Mike refused to do it. He asked for Harvey to give him a chance and he was going to prove to Harvey and to Jessica that he was worth all of the hassle of having him there. He wasn't going to let them down, even if it kills him. Mike could handle the pressure and he could handle being sick, he could work through it. He had before.
When Mike arrived at his apartment he was still pleased to see that his new lock was on his door. Two weeks ago he came home to find out that someone had broken in. The place was a mess, more of a mess than usual. He had called the police and filed the report. Apparently, there had been three other break-ins in the area and Mike knew that he was just going to be some lost piece of paper in the system. It didn't matter because nothing was taken and nothing was really damaged. He got the landlord to put on a new door and a new lock and that was it. In the past two weeks Mike was still waiting to come back home one night to find out it was broken into again. He knew it wasn't logical as he didn't have anything worth taking. All of his money went to his bills and care for his Grandmother. Mike didn't mind taking care of her as she took care of him from the age of eleven. He wasn't going to let her be in some State ran facility where she wouldn't receive the best care. She was worth every cent he spent on her and Mike would never regret it.
Mike walked inside his apartment and closed the door behind him before turning to lock it. He took off his bag and placed it down on the couch before he removed his jacket. Before Mike even knew what was happening he was being hit across his back with some piece of metal. It knocked Mike down to the ground on his stomach and before he even had the chance to turn over or get up he was hit again hard across his back. His attacker didn't let up on Mike. He continued to hit Mike across his back and when Mike was finally able to roll back and kicked out, missing his attacker, his attacker didn't even flinch. He continued to hit Mike with a pipe from what Mike's mind was able to pick up. The blows rained down on him across his ribs, stomach, chest and his face. Mike brought his arms up to block the blows to his face and he would have been surprised if his bones didn't break or crack. Mike continued to try to get away, but he wasn't able to even get up. When it was finally over Mike heard the sound of the pipe hitting the floor, but no footsteps went with it. Mike finally was able to get his mind to focus on the person in front of him as his attacker bent down to him. Mike was shocked by who was bent over him.
Mike wasn't able to get any words out before two large hands wrapped around his neck and squeezed tight. Mike brought his hands up to the forearms of his attacker and tried to get them off from his neck. When that didn't work Mike did the only thing he could do, he started to swing out punches in hopes of landing a few good hits to make the guy let up. Mike couldn't believe this was happening. He had thought he was safe from this man. He thought that he would never have to deal with him ever again and now here he was possibly going to die by this man's hands. And chances were, his attacker would never be found. Mike's vision began to get blurry and he could barely hold on for much longer as the air in his lungs was quickly running out. The man leaned down and spoke into Mike's right ear.
"Maybe today will be the day."
Mike's mind instantly flashed through the many memories associated with that sentence, but before his oxygen deprived mind could fully process what was happening the man's hands were gone and he was getting up. Mike coughed and felt the burning in his lungs and throat as he fought to get his breathing under control. The man just simply picked up his metal pipe with a smirk and headed out of the apartment, closing the door behind him. Mike laid there on the ground shaking and coughing. He was trying to get his body to calm down so his mind could think, but right now he couldn't think of anything else but the fear and pain taking over his whole body. He knew he should go to the hospital to get looked at. He knew he should call the police. He knew he should be doing something, but all he could think about was not wanting to be here all alone. He wanted to be safe, he wanted to feel safe and that urge was taking over all reasonable thoughts.
Mike very carefully and slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position with his back against the couch. Even just sitting against his couch was painful and Mike knew that come eight in the morning he would be covered in bruises and the pain would be worse. Mike did something that he hadn't done since he was a kid, he pushed through the pain and blocked it out so he could get the hell out of here and get someplace safe. Mike forced his body to move as he grabbed his keys and headed out of his apartment and back down to the street. He knew he must be looking like shit right about now. He could feel the blood dripping down the left side of his face and he could barely see out of his right eye. He knew he needed a doctor, but he would do that later, right now he needed to be safe. He hailed a cab and got in and told the driver the only address that he could think of. He then sat back and closed his eyes trying to get the pain under control. Mike was thankful that the cab driver knew better than to ask him any questions about his current appearance. Mike just wanted to get to someplace safe where he could then let his mind freak out at the situation.
It was a good twenty minutes later when they finally arrived. Mike wordlessly handed the cab driver his money before he carefully and slowly got out. Mike headed towards the elevator and once it opened he went inside and hit the right floor. Mike was praying that the person was home. He really didn't want to have to spend the night sitting down out front of the door waiting for someone to come home. Mike's body was shaking now that the adrenaline was wearing off and the pain and fear were kicking in. The reality of the situation was kicking in and Mike was doing everything he could to keep it together and not break down at the wave of memories that were right there on the surface threatening to break through. The elevator dinged as it reached his floor and once the doors opened Mike stumbled his way down the hallway until he reached the door. Mike had his right arm wrapped around his waist as his left side of his ribs were hurting a lot more than his right. Mike raised his left hand and knocked on the door as best as he could, but his whole arm and hand hurt from the beating. Mike leaned against the right side of the doorframe and he couldn't help but pray that someone was here. After a minute Mike's prayers were answered when the door opened and Mike was greeted by the shocked looked face of Harvey on the other side.
"Mike, what the hell happened to you?" Harvey asked as he went over to Mike and gently guided him inside.
Mike stumbled and almost collapsed, but Harvey was right there to catch him before his legs barely buckled. Harvey kept his arm around Mike's waist and Mike groaned at the pain it brought to him.
"It's alright I got you." Harvey said calmly but Mike knew that he was worried and pissed off.
Mike had been around Harvey long enough to be able to tell his emotions, even the ones he kept hidden. Harvey brought Mike into his very fancy bathroom and got Mike to sit down on the side of his bath tub. Harvey went and grabbed a cloth and ran it under warm water as he spoke.
"Where are you hurt?"
"Everything hurts right now." Mike's voice was hoarse from the chocking and Harvey looked even more concerned.
He hadn't been able to take in all of Mike's injuries outside of the ones on his face. Harvey went over to Mike and gently began to get the blood off from his face as he took in the injuries to Mike's face, arms and neck.
"Shit Mike you were strangled." Harvey said with anger as he moved his hands down to Mike's neck.
"I'll be fine." Mike said as he always did when something was wrong.
"This is not what fine looks like and I don't give a shit if you will be fine. You're going to tell me what the hell happened and who the hell did this to you." Harvey said with pure rage in his voice.
"It's not that simple." Mike said sadly.
"You're going to make it that simple Mike." Harvey said back as he went back to wiping the blood off from Mike's face.
"I can't." Mike said regrettably.
"Why the hell not?" Harvey asked getting even more upset.
"Because you'll be pissed at me if I do." Mike said as he snapped his eyes down to the tiled floor.
"Then why the hell did you even come here if you weren't going to tell me?" Harvey said as he got up and threw the cloth into the sink.
"Because all I could think about was feeling safe and you are the only person that makes me feel safe. As pathetic as that sounds." Mike said with shame and embarrassment all throughout his voice.
At Mike's words Harvey's anger at him disintegrated. Harvey went back over to Mike and bent down in front of him so they were eye level. Harvey placed a gentle hand on the bottom of Mike's chin and lifted his head up so Harvey could look Mike in the eyes.
"That's not pathetic Mike. I'm not angry that you came here. I'm not even angry at you. I'm angry at whoever did this to you. You look like shit Mike and that's just what I can see. I need to know what happened so I can keep you safe and make this bastard pay." Harvey said with a gentle voice.
"It's not that simple." Mike said with pain all throughout his voice.
"Then we will figure it out. Right now, I need to see your injuries to make sure you are not going to collapse and die on me. Let's get this shirt off and after I look you over we can go from there." Harvey said hoping to get Mike started on the process.
Mike hesitated for a moment before he gave a nod and started to move his hands to undo the buttons on his shirt. His hands were shaking and he was having a hard time moving them from the bruising that was already starting to come though. Harvey moved his hands and gently took over for Mike. Once the buttons were undone Harvey removed Mike's shirt and he was shocked to see the bruising all up and down his arms. Mike untucked his undershirt and Harvey helped him to get it over his head. Mike's small scream was enough to tell Harvey that he was seriously hurt. When his eyes finally did land on Mike's torso all he could see was red. The rage in him was threatening to boil over at the sight of Mike's torso. His chest and stomach were already bruising and making his torso look like it was painted black and blue. Harvey looked at Mike's back and saw the same thing.
"Jesus shit Mike. What the hell were you hit with?" Harvey asked shocked at the level of damage down to him.
"Metal pipe of some sort. It hurts, but nothing feels broken or bleeding." Mike said.
"You need a doctor." Harvey said.
"Any chance you'll let that go?" Mike asked with a small sense of hope in his voice.
"I can't let this one go Mike. You need to get looked at. Even if nothing feels broken or any bleeding you don't know for sure. And if something is seriously wrong the longer you go without getting checked the worse it will get. I'll call Ray and he can drive us down. I know a few doctors I can have one come down to the hospital and get you right in. You'll get a few scans and then we can come back here." Harvey said in a tone that Mike knew he was never going to win against.
Mike gave a small nod and Harvey pulled out his cell phone and made the called before he helped Mike to get his suit shirt back on instead of the t-shirt. This way it would cover more of his injuries from Ray, but it also wouldn't involve putting his arms up. Once the shirt was back on Harvey helped Mike to stand up and Harvey could feel Mike shaking from the pain.
"We'll go as slow as you need." Harvey said calmly.
Mike gave a shaky nod and Harvey could tell he was doing his best to try and keep the pain under control. They made their way slowly out of the bathroom and down to the living room. Harvey grabbed his coat and slipped on some shoes before they headed out of the condo. Once they were able to finally make it outside they were both happy to see that Ray was already there standing out by the back passenger door. Ray instantly was concerned at the shape Mike was in and he opened the door as he spoke.
"Mike, what happened?"
"Long story." Mike said through clenched teeth.
Harvey helped to get Mike into the car and once he was in Harvey closed the door and spoke to Ray before he went around to the other side of the car.
"Drive fast."
Ray gave a nod and they made their way around to their seats. Once they were all in the car Ray took off at a quick speed for the nearest hospital where Harvey's doctor would be waiting for them. Mike sat back in the seat and closed his eyes trying to get the pain under control. Now that the adrenaline had worn off he was feeling the full effect of his pain that his body was in. Even something as simple as sitting back against the leather car seat was painful to his back. Mike honestly didn't even know how he was ever going to be able to fall asleep with his torso in this shape. That was the only reason he was even going to the hospital tonight instead of tomorrow, so that he could hopefully get some decent pain medication. Something that would not only help with the pain, but knock him out for a good twelve hours so he could just sleep.
When they finally arrived at the hospital Harvey and Ray both helped to get Mike out of the car. Mike had gotten stiff from the ride over and he was not looking forward to any time spent in the hospital. All he could think about was the mind numbing drugs that would hopefully be coming his way. Harvey helped to get Mike inside where his doctor was already waiting for them.
"Dr. Richmond, I appreciate you coming down here for me." Harvey said once they were close enough.
"It's no trouble at all Harvey. I have a room ready for us." Dr. Richmond said.
They followed the doctor over to an empty examination room and Harvey helped to get Mike down onto the bed.
"Can you tell me your name?" Dr. Richmond asked.
"Mike Ross." Mike answered.
Dr. Richmond pulled out his pen light and started to check Mike's eyes as he spoke.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"I was jumped." Mike said not looking to tell any more than that right now.
"What hurts?"
"Torso, right wrist and my head."
"Your voice sounds painful and rough. Can you open your mouth for me?"
Mike opened his mouth and Dr. Richmond looked and saw that it was raw and bruising was coming through.
"Ok you can close your mouth. You were choked, do you know for how long?"
"No."
"Did you pass out?"
"Almost."
"The inside of your throat is bruised and raw. It's going to be sore for a good couple of weeks. Your pupils are equal. Are you experiencing any dizziness, nausea or confusion?"
"No."
"I want to get a scan of your head just to be sure, but I'm fairly confident that you don't have a concussion. This wound to your head needs to be stitched. I would also like X-rays of your torso and an ultrasound to check for any internal bleeding. Assuming you don't need surgery you should be able to go home tonight with pain medication. I need to check your torso, can you remove your shirt please?"
Mike moved and slowly undid his buttons. Dr. Richmond helped to get his shirt off and only his many years' of experience as a doctor is what kept his face neutral at the sight of Mike's chest and stomach. Dr. Richmond began to look Mike over and he knew that he would need to have some scans done to make sure that Mike wasn't in any danger or at risk of any internal bleeding. He could tell that Mike had some broken ribs, that much was obvious from the bruising that was already black. Dr. Richmond then looked at Mike's arms and wrist and he had a feeling that his right wrist would need a brace.
"Alright, I am going to have a nurse come in and stitch your wound up. I am going to setup those tests I'll push you to the front of the line so it should only take an hour before I will have the results. If everything comes back fine then you can leave tonight. Do you have any questions?"
"No."
"When was the last time you slept Mike?"
"Why?" Mike asked confused at the sudden change in direction.
"You are clearly exhausted, more so than just from your injuries and the time of night. Have you been having trouble sleeping?"
"No."
"When was the last time you slept?"
"Three days ago."
"What? Why haven't you slept?" Harvey asked.
"I've been at work." Mike answered.
"You haven't slept at all in three days Mike?" Dr. Richmond asked.
"No."
"When was the last time you got a full eight hours of sleep?" Dr. Richmond asked.
"I do on the weekend."
"But not during the week?"
"No."
"Do you often go three days without sleep?"
"Ya every week."
"Why?"
"I'm an Associate at the top law firm in the city. I don't leave until after one in the morning and I'm in there for seven in the morning. Once I factor in commuting time I get about four hours of sleep a night on the nights I do sleep." Mike answered.
"How is that possible? I don't give you that much work for you to be staying up for three days straight." Harvey said as this was the first he was hearing this.
"I don't just do the cases you give me."
"We're going to be talking about this." Harvey said in a tone that Mike knew he was never going to get out of.
"I'll get the tests setup and a nurse will be in here within a few minutes. Mike, I would suggest that you leave your shirt off as you will need to remove it for the tests anyways." Dr. Richmond said.
"Thanks." Mike said.
Dr. Richmond headed out of the examination room leaving just Mike and Harvey alone. Mike really wanted nothing more than to lay down and try to forget about the pain and just give in to the sleep, but he knew that Harvey wasn't going to be letting this go.
"Why haven't you slept in three days?" Harvey asked with complete seriousness in his voice.
"I've been working."
"I don't give you the type of work that would keep you in the office for seventy-two hours straight every week. I expect that you are in the office from seven in the morning until nine or ten at night. I expect you to be getting at least seven hours of sleep a night. Anything less and your mind isn't as sharp and you open yourself up to mistakes, mistakes that could have been avoidable. What the hell are you doing?" Harvey asked annoyed.
"You know what everyone calls me? Harvey's Golden Boy. The other Associates give me shit, make comments all day long about it. Then I have the Junior Partners and Louis, they pawn their cases off on me. They give me a stack of like fifty cases each and every morning that I have to get through with a deadline of twelve to thirty hours that they have to be complete before they are due in court. At any given time I have fifty files on my desk that I have to finish before I can leave."
"That's not your job to do. They don't have any right to pawn off their own cases onto you. The only one that does is Louis and he is supposed to divide it up between the associates and he knows that you do work for me. How long have this been going on for?" Harvey asked irritated.
"Since like day one basically. They have a pool going to see how long it takes for me to break and who is going to be the one to do it, even the Associates have their own pool. When it's close to one of their days that they picked they will lock me out of my computer or they will hide one of my files or destroy one with coffee on purpose." Mike said with a small shrug, it was clearly something he had gotten used to long ago.
"Why didn't you ever say anything to me?" Harvey asked annoyed.
"Go and tattle to you? That's not gonna help. I just thought it would pass after a while. Then Hardman came back and it got worse and when he left I thought it would get better, but it didn't. It's like they all blame me for his leaving and you being able to go back to your office. It's fine, I can handle it. They can't do it forever." Mike said with exhaustion in his voice.
"That's not the point Mike. You should have come to me when this started. I would have done something about it. It's wrong and not their place to push their work onto you. You should never have so much work that you can't leave the building for three days or you are leaving at one or two in the morning. Yes there are times when you are there all night, but I make sure you go home early the next day or I send you home in the afternoon for some sleep. Your mind works best when it is rested, it's why I don't write you up or rip into you when you show up at eight instead of seven. If you are too tired you can't focus and you make mistakes. No more. I'm going to be ending it when I go into the office today. And I want your word if anyone tries something like this again to you, you tell me right away."
"Ok I promise." Mike said as a nurse walked into the room with a suture kit. She gave them a warm smile as she spoke.
"Hello, I'm Nurse Stephanie and I am here to stitch up that gash on the side of your forehead Mr. Ross."
Mike just gave a nod as he was too tired to be even bothered with much else. He just wanted to sleep in a pain free zone for a good three days. Maybe when he woke up his mind would have magically forgotten everything that had happened to him tonight. Nurse Stephanie just went about her work as both Harvey and Mike kept quiet. She could tell that Mike had been through something rough tonight so she didn't take offense to him not being chatty. After thirty minutes Mike's cut was stitched closed and he was being taken down for the scans that he would need. Mike was getting even sorer and in pain as the minutes ticked by and he was thankful when Dr. Richmond gave him a shot of morphine before he went in for a CT-Scan. Mike was still feeling some pain, but it wasn't unbearable when he had to lay down for the tests. It was a good two hours since they had arrived at the hospital when they were finally back in the examine room and Dr. Richmond had the results of his tests.
"Alright Mike, I have all of your results back. I am pleased to say that you have no injuries to your brain and no concussion. You also have no internal bleeding or damage done to any of your organs."
"So I can leave then?" Mike asked as he just wanted to sleep.
"You can. However, you are not without injury. You need to get a brace on your right wrist, it does have a hairline fracture in it. It will take anywhere between six to eight weeks to be fully healed. Your left wrist has a chip in the bone and we will need to wrap it in a tension wrap for six weeks as well. You have three broken ribs on your left side and four bruised ribs on your right side. The three broken ribs were lower on your rib cage and thankfully did not pierce your heart or any other organ. You have some bruising on your liver as well. You will notice that your lower back hurts from time to time while the bruising heals. You are covered in deep tissue bruising all over your torso and that will take a good month before it goes away. You will be very sore and in pain for a good week until your body begins to heal. Your throat took some damage from the choking and as I said it will hurt for a couple of weeks. You also have a moderate case of pneumonia. I have filled a prescription for you to take care of the pneumonia. You need to take all of the anti-biotics over the next two weeks. If you are still experiencing symptoms come back and get it refilled. I also have filled a prescription for you for pain medication. It is a Naproxen, it's not as strong as the higher narcotics that we have so it won't leave you feeling out of it or too exhausted to do anything. It will help with the pain though and still allow you to work once you feel well enough to go after the first month."
"Wait a month? I can't be off work for a month." Mike said worried about losing his job and not being able to afford his bills.
"Don't worry about work right now." Harvey said.
"I have bills to pay and Grammy's care. I can't just not work for a month Harvey." Mike said with worry.
"We will figure that out. It's not that important right now. What is, is you getting healthy again." Harvey said back.
"Harvey is right son. You need to focus on your health and that includes sleeping. It's the best thing for you right now. Spend the next couple of weeks in bed just resting and recovering. The less you move around with your injuries the faster they will heal. The level of exhaustion your body is in, is not safe. Just rest for a little while. I have a note for your boss that I am placing you on medical leave for a month. At that point come back here and I will check you over. If you are well enough then I will clear you for work. If not I'll extend the leave. Your boss is legally obligated to keep your position and being that you work in a law firm, your boss already knows that. Take this time that you need to heal."
"Oh he will be. Is he cleared to leave?" Harvey asked.
"He is." Dr. Richmond said as he handed Mike his medications and his note.
"Thank-you." Mike said.
"It's my job. I'll have Nurse Stephanie come back in and get your wrists all set and then you can head home." Dr. Richmond said.
"Thanks Steve, I owe you one." Harvey said.
"And I will never collect." Dr. Richmond said with a warm smile.
Harvey smiled back as Dr. Richmond headed out of the examine room just as Nurse Stephanie was coming in. She had a black brace and a tension wrap for both of Mike's wrists. She quickly got his wrists all set and headed out of the room. Harvey turned to look at Mike as he spoke.
"Let's get that shirt back on and get you out of here."
Harvey picked up Mike's dress shirt and helped him to get it back on. Once he was ready Harvey once again helped Mike to walk out of the hospital and back down to where Ray was still waiting with the car. Ray opened the door as he saw them get closer to the car. Ray helped to get Mike into the car and once they were all set he took off.
"Where to?" Ray asked.
"Back to my place please Ray." Harvey said.
"How are you feeling Mike?" Ray asked as he looked in his rear view mirror at Mike.
"Been better. They gave me some morphine though so." Mike answered as he sat back gently and tried to calm the pain down from moving.
"Good. Nothing was seriously wrong I take it." Ray asked with concern in his voice.
"He has some broken ribs, but mostly it's just bruising that will take a while to heal." Harvey answered as he could see that Mike was still in pain and the drive was not helping any.
"Well I am glad to hear that nothing serious was wrong. Hell of a way to go about getting some time off from work though." Ray said with a warm smile so Mike knew he was just teasing.
"Ya, but it worked. Got a whole month off." Mike said back, but Harvey knew he was worried about it.
He couldn't blame the kid. Harvey had more than enough money so having not to be able to work for a month was nothing to him. He would hate it because of his clients, but not because he wouldn't be able to pay his bills. Mike didn't have much and what he did have he spent on his Grandmother. Harvey didn't know what was outstanding on his grandmother's debt or care, but it wasn't like he could ask Mike. Mike would never tell him or allow him to help with the bills. Mike was too used to doing it on his own. When they finally arrived back at Harvey's place Ray once again helped Harvey to get Mike out of the car. With a nod of thanks to Ray Harvey got Mike back inside the condo building and back up to his condo. By the time they got back into his own place Mike was shaky on his feet from the exhaustion and moving around with the pain. Harvey got him over to the couch and sitting down. Harvey went into his bedroom and grabbed a t-shirt and some sweat pants before he went back out into the living room.
"I know this is going to hurt, but we might as well do it now. You can't sleep in those."
Mike let out a heavy breath before he spoke with a shaky voice. "Ok."
Harvey helped Mike get changed out of his clothes and into the borrowed clothes. They were a little big on him as Harvey had more muscles than he did so he weighed more. But baggy would be good, they wouldn't rub against his bruising and cause him any added pain. Once Mike was changed Harvey got him to sit back before he went into the kitchen and grabbed Mike a glass of water. He went back over and sat down on his coffee table in front of Mike and handed him the glass and one of the tablets for his anti-biotic.
"Take small sips. It'll help with the shaking."
Mike took the glass with his left hand as his right was hurting more. Harvey didn't let go of the glass until he was sure Mike had it. After taking the pill and a few sips Mike lowered the glass and Harvey took it from him and placed it down on the table beside him.
"Mike, I know you are in pain and exhausted, but I really need to know what happened. Who did this to you?" Harvey said with anger and care in his voice.
Mike knew that Harvey cared about him. If he didn't he wouldn't have done what he has done for him since he started working for him. Mike knew that Harvey had a hard time letting people in and showing that he cared, because that meant that he would be open for hurt. Something Harvey just couldn't handle anymore. Mike never held it against him. He would make it into a tease to add to their relationship, their friendship. Right now though it was clear that Harvey cared and he wasn't going to try and hide it. Harvey was a protector of people he cared about and every protector instinct in him was screaming for blood.
"It's complicated Harvey."
"I might not have your mind, but I can handle complicated matters. You know I'm not going to let this go so you might as well tell me." Harvey said with as much patience as he could muster.
Mike let out a sigh knowing that what Harvey said was true. He wasn't going to let this go. He was going to be like a pitbull refusing to let it go until Mike told him everything.
"It was my father." Mike admitted.
Confusion instantly took over Harvey's face as he was trying to process that information.
"See told you, complicated." Mike said with a pain voice.
"How is that possible? You said that they both died when you were eleven." Harvey asked trying to get his mind wrapped around this. At first he thought that maybe Mike had hallucinated during the attack and he saw his father when in actuality it was someone else.
"I lied. It was easier to tell you, everyone, that they were both dead than the truth."
"What could be worse than that?" Harvey asked.
"A lot." Mike said with pain all throughout his voice.
"What happened Mike?" Harvey asked gently.
"He's a monster." Mike said with pain and fear in his voice.
Harvey placed a gentle hand on Mike's knee as he spoke calmly.
"Tell me the story."
Harvey had been through this many times before from working as a prosecutor. Victims would come in and have to retell their story, but it never got easier the more they had to tell it. Sometimes it would take a little bit for the victim to open up and actually tell their story.
"They never wanted a kid. They weren't made to be parents. It was just us three in this really small and old house. They didn't have much money and what they did went to liquor or pills. There was almost never any food and what food there was it was always whatever they could find for cheap, usually just after it's expiration date or just before. I remember everything from the age of three and up, before that I don't have any memories. I just always remember them being drunk or stoned. They argued a lot and they left a lot. I spent most of my time alone or at school. There was no birthday or Christmas gifts. I didn't even know when my birthday was until I looked it up in public records in the library when I was five. I was three when it started, when he hit me for the first time. I never told anyone. I didn't have to tell my mom, because she was standing right there when it happened. She didn't stand up for me or ask if I was okay. She just looked at me like I deserved it. It got worse the older I got. Every morning he would look at me and say, maybe today's the day. The day he would kill me. And he almost did, a lot of times."
"Didn't anyone at school notice? Your grandmother?" Harvey asked hurt to know that Mike had been neglected and abused by his parents.
"I didn't tell anyone and Grammy I'll explain. That night when they got into a car crash they left me alone. They were hit by a drunk driver, but only my mom was killed. My father walked away without a scratch on him. When he got home he drank a whole bottle of whiskey and took it out on me. For six months afterwards I was the only one there and he was pissed. Six months he would beat me every day. He would lock me out in the storms, lock me in the dark closet for days. Than that night happened." Mike said as a single tear rolled down his left cheek.
"What night is that Mike?" Harvey asked gently.
"He came into my room in the middle of the night. He was drunk, he was always drunk. That night was different though. That night he didn't just want to beat me."
"He tried to kill you." Harvey said.
"No. Sometimes I wish he had. I remember everything. My mind remembers everything and it never forgets. Even the smallest detail I remember it. I can still see it perfectly, like it's happening all over again. The only time I can get my mind to stop is when I'm high. It's the only time it makes everything go quiet. I was thirteen when Trevor gave me my first joint. It was instant. Everything went quiet and dark in my mind. For the first time I didn't see anything that had happened. There was nothing but this numbness and I loved every second of it. I did it every day after that for over fifteen years."
"I had no idea you had been doing it for that long. You must have gone through withdrawals for those first two weeks." Harvey said feeling bad that he didn't notice that Mike had been addicted to pot more so than he thought. Harvey figured it was just a habit of his and not something he had been doing for fifteen years straight.
"First week was rough, but I kept busy. I made the choice to quit for this job, I don't regret it most of the time. Not gonna lie it's hard some nights when my mind won't shut off, but I get through it."
"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Harvey asked as that should have been something he was aware of. He could have offered to help Mike find the right program to help him overcome his addiction and find a positive stress reliever.
"What would be the point? It's not like you were going to tell me to light up. I just have to find something positive that will give me the same outcome." Mike said with a shrug.
"And have you?"
"Reading can as long as it's not some horror novel. Watching a movie as I fall asleep can sometimes. Recently I've been too busy with work that when I do get to sleep I sleep like the dead. The benefit of being up for three days straight I guess."
"Something that is going to be fixed, but not the point of this conversation."
"I know." Mike said softly as he looked down.
"What happened that night Mike?" Harvey gently asked once again.
"I've never told anyone what happened that night. Not Grammy, not Trevor. I never told anyone. I don't know why it's so hard to say the words." Mike said with pain all throughout his voice.
"It's okay, you can tell me. I won't tell anyone. You've been carrying this painful secret around since you were eleven. You can let it be our secret Mike." Harvey said calmly and with understanding in his voice.
Mike let out a sigh and just figured the best way to say it was to just come right out and say it. Tip toeing around it wouldn't help and Harvey would need to hear the actual words. Taking as slow and as big of a breath as he could to calm his nerves Mike answered.
"He um… he raped me." Mike finally softly admitted with shame in his voice.
"What?" Harvey asked with pain in his own voice. That is not what he was expecting Mike to say. He was expecting that he took a really bad beating and Mike wished he was dead from the pain. He was not expecting that at all.
"He was really drunk, but so pissed at me for no reason. I didn't do anything wrong. I stayed in my room and I cleaned the house like I was supposed to and I cooked him dinner. I didn't break any of his rules that day. I never felt pain like that before. I thought I was going to die in the middle of it. I counted the seconds in my head. I recited a novel that I had read in my head. I did everything I could think of to block out what was happening, because then maybe I wouldn't remember any of it. It didn't work though. It's still burned in my mind. Every pain staking second of that hell I can recall perfectly." Mike said with a deep pain in his voice.
"Mike, you never told anyone?" Harvey asked hurt.
"Wasn't anyone there to tell. Couldn't go to the cops, he made sure I would never do that. Didn't grow up in the best area either, cops were the enemy. When I finally did have someone that I could tell I was too afraid and ashamed to say it. I couldn't handle if they didn't want anything to do with me. So I kept quiet and just dealt with it."
"You dealt with it by smoking pot since you were thirteen. You haven't talked to a professional about it?"
"Never saw the point. What good would talking do? It wasn't going to help me forget about it. It wasn't going to make it easier to sleep. Besides the therapist could have told the police and I was never going to be filing charges."
"How long did you stay with him after that?"
"He passed out beside me afterwards and I knew I couldn't stay, that it would happen again. I wasn't going to go through that again. I couldn't. So I pushed through the pain and I grabbed what little clothing I had and put it into my school bag and I left. We lived in Chicago. I went to one of the truck stops by the highway and I hid in the back of one of the trailers and I ended up in New York City. It was as far as I could go to get away from him and still be able to hide in a crowd full of people."
"What did you do once you got here?"
"I lived on the streets for six months. Sleeping on the ground, in cardboard boxes. I panhandled for change to buy food or water. After six months Grammy found me. She didn't have much herself. She was working at a restaurant and just making enough to pay her bills. When she saw me though she couldn't turn away. She brought me to her home and said I could stay with her as long as I wanted. When school time started and I was still there she enrolled me under her last name, Ross, she illegally changed my last name and was issued a new birth certificate with my new name from some shady guy that she knew from the area. She knew I was from Chicago and that my mom was dead and my father was neglectful and violent. She had no idea how bad it got or how bad it was every single day. I kept that from her. But she took me in, she raised me as her own grandson. It's what we told everyone, that I was her grandson. It worked in our favor that when I got to New York her only child and son in-law died in a car crash. It became our story to cover up the truth. She knew that we couldn't risk anyone finding out otherwise. That my true identity had to stay hidden. I don't know how he found me."
"How right now isn't important. It's keeping him from you that is. Where were you attacked?"
"At home. He was already in my apartment when I got there."
"We need to file a TRO and file a police report."
"Do we really have to involve the police?" Mike said not looking to bring that whole mess into his life.
"Yes we do Mike. You know we do. If this was a case you would be saying the exact same thing. Are you sure it was your father? You were attacked late at night in a dark apartment. You haven't seen him since you were eleven. Are you absolutely sure it was him?" Harvey asked looking to make sure they were focusing on the right target.
"When he was choking me he whispered in my ear. Maybe today's the day. The exact same thing he had said to me since I was young. Even if someone wanted to argue that it could have been a coincidence. I saw his face while he was choking me. He's aged, but he has the same features and his voice is the same. It's my father Harvey." Mike said with pain and fear lacing his voice.
"Ok, then we take the proper steps in keeping you safe and putting his ass in jail. And the first step is calling Jessica and Louis and having them come down here and finding out about this."
"I get Jessica, she's the managing partner, but why the hell would we tell Louis anything? All he does is belittle me and try to bury me in work. Why the hell does he need to know?" Mike asked with exhausted anger.
"Look, I don't like Louis any more than you do and believe me I will be talking to him about the shit he has been pulling with you. But he is in charge of the Associates so he can make sure no one gets passed him if they sneak in to see you. He'll be all over keeping you safe while at work. They both should know and Louis will be able to help with any financials from your father. That might be the best way to get to him as you know that the only physical evidence is your injuries and nothing will work to tie it back to him. I'm going to call them and then after we get some sleep I'll call my detective friend and he can come over to talk to you." Harvey said.
"I really don't want to press charges Harvey." Mike said with fear in his voice.
"I know you don't. But you know it's the right thing to do and what needs to be done. He found you somehow and after all of these years he did this to you. There could be a chance that he has been hurting someone else during these years. He almost killed you tonight, that's attempted murder on top of breaking and entering. He's too dangerous to you and your life to be left out there walking free. We need to at the very least file a complaint so it's on record for anything else that might happen."
Mike gave a reluctant nod and Harvey got up headed into his bedroom. He grabbed an extra pillow and a spare blanket before going into the kitchen and grabbing an ice pack from his freezer. He made his way back over to Mike with everything. He placed the pillow down on the side of the couch and he handed the ice pack to Mike as he spoke.
"Here this will help with your ribs. Lay back and just catch your breath."
Mike took the ice pack and moved so his back was against the pillow that was placed against the arm rest of the couch. He put the ice pack against his broken ribs and took a sharp breath in as the cold stung more than he was expecting. Harvey placed the blanket over Mike before he pulled out his cell phone and stepped away to make the calls. He knew that nether Jessica or Louis would not be happy to be woken up this early in the morning, but he knew he didn't have any choice. This wasn't something that couldn't wait. After a good twenty minutes of dealing with an annoyed Jessica and a delirious Louis he was able to get them to agree to come to his place so they could hear what he had to say. Harvey went back over to Mike and sat down on the couch on the other side of it facing Mike. He could tell that Mike was miles away in his mind. He didn't even notice that Harvey had returned and sat down across from him. Harvey reached over and placed a hand on Mike's left knee as he spoke.
"Hey Mike, you with me?"
Mike took a sharp breath in as he blinked a few times. Harvey could tell he was trying to get his mind back to the here and now instead of wherever his mind had wandered off to.
"Sorry." Mike said slightly embarrassed that he had zoned out.
"It's fine. Where did you go?" Harvey asked calmly.
"Just a memory. Can't always stop them." Mike said sadly with a small shrug.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"I don't talk about it. I never do."
"I know, but that resulted in you turning to pot to get through each day. You need to talk to someone about the memories Mike. It doesn't have to be me, but just know that I'll always listen should you need to talk about it."
"You know some days growing up with Grammy I could fool myself into believing none of it happened. That my parents really did die in a car accident by a drunk driver. That the memories that would pop into my head were from some horror book I read and my imagination ran away from me. Then I would read something in the news or hear something and I was brought back down to reality and I knew that I would never be safe until he was dead."
"He's not going to get to you again Mike. I'm not going to let him." Harvey said with determination in his voice.
"I really want to believe that, but after all these years it's hard." Mike admitted with fear in his voice.
"I know. Until he is in jail you are going to be staying here. And I don't want to hear any arguments about it." Harvey said as he saw that Mike was about to argue.
"Thanks Harvey." Mike said softly with his head bowed slightly.
"Anytime. Now was this a recent memory or one from growing up?" Harvey asked trying to see if Mike would share anything about it with him.
"No it wasn't recent. It um…" Mike hesitated for a minute and Harvey allowed him the time to gather his thoughts and feelings on the memory. After a minute Mike spoke and Harvey could hear the pain all throughout Mike's voice.
"It was my eighth birthday. My father came into my room at four oh seven that morning. He told me to get dressed that we were leaving in ten minutes, that he had a surprise for me. I was so excited I was actually shaking. Like I said, I had never had a birthday or Christmas gift before. Like an idiot I actually believed that maybe that year things would finally be different. That maybe that was the year that I would finally be able to have a normal relationship with him. I got ready in like three minutes and we got into his truck. He didn't tell me where we were going and honestly I didn't even care. That could have been my gift, driving around going nowhere and I would have been the happiest kid in the world. We drove for about two hours, he didn't say a single thing, no music, nothing but dead silence. I was terrified that if I said something it would make him mad and he would take the surprise away. So I just stayed quiet and waited."
"As far as you knew this was your first gift. Any child would have stayed quiet and just waited for it to come. Where did he take you? I'm assuming it wasn't for a present."
"No. He would go hunting with a few friends. They would mostly get shit faced and shoot random things. When we finally did stop we were at the woods where he goes hunting. I didn't know that at the time. We got out of the truck and he grabbed his shot gun from the back with extra ammo. He told me that we were going hunting. I felt my heart drop because I couldn't go and shoot some innocent animal, but I didn't want to disappoint him at the same time. So I just nodded and hoped that we wouldn't come across anything. We walked for about fifteen minutes when he stopped. He looked at me and said he would give me a five minute head start. I didn't understand what he was talking about. He could tell. He called me an idiot. He liked to call me that. He hated that I'm smart. Whenever he found a test that I had gotten perfect on or a letter home from the school stating that I should be moved up. Or anytime I did or said anything that clearly showed I was smarter than him he would make the beating worse. He told me once that he was hoping one day I would wake up and be so brain damaged that I couldn't put two words together or know my own name. Actually happened once."
"You had brain damage?" Harvey asked gently with hurt in his voice.
"Temporary, when I was six. It lasted just shy of eight months. I had to teach myself how to read and write again. I didn't even know my name until I went to school and this kid in my class came up to me and called my name. The school year had just started a week ago so the teacher didn't think anything of it. I was six, it was natural for me to be weird and not know how to write my own name. I had a few skull fractures after that, a lot of concussions. I have to be really careful not to hit my head. It's why in high school I couldn't play any sports. I could play wrestling as long as I was careful. There wasn't much risk in it. Grammy's way of trying to get me to make friends outside of Trevor. I've had a couple since I've been with Grammy, bike accidents, but nothing extreme. I guess I got lucky tonight." Mike said with slight sarcasm in his voice.
"The only lucky thing that happened tonight is that he didn't kill you. What happened in the woods?" Harvey asked, but in actuality he truly didn't want to know. Mike had clearly been through Hell growing up and he was dreading finding out just what level of Hell Mike had experienced when he didn't have anyone there to protect him. Harvey could all too easily see a small little Mike covered in bruises and confused as to why his parents were treating him this way. It made his whole body fill with anger and a deep sadness.
"He laughed and said I really was an idiot if I thought that I would ever get a gift from him. He said the fact that I was still alive should be all the gift I need. He pointed the gun at me and he shot it. The pellets landed in a tree three millimetres away from my head. He told me to run again, that the clock was ticking. I understood then. I was the one being hunted. So I took off and ran as fast as I could. It was still slightly dark out though and I had never been in the woods before. I kept tripping on roots and rocks and I fell down a hill that I had no idea was even there. He continued to hunt me and shoot at me. He hit me with grazes, he was doing it on purpose. I took one graze to each bicep, three on my right leg and six on my left. I took four total on both of my sides. They were just grazes, but they bled a lot. He knew where to aim to make sure it would hurt the most and bleed the most without killing me."
"That son of a bitch actual shot at you?" Harvey asked with a deadly anger mixed with shock.
"For eight hours he hunted me in those woods. I was exhausted. I hadn't been sleeping well, because I was always too afraid to fall asleep at what could happen. I hadn't eaten anything in three days. Eight hours running in those woods felt like days. At one point I got dizzy and I couldn't see where I was going. I wasn't paying close enough attention and I fell right into a trap. This hole that was dug up and covered. I fell three storeys and landed on these large rocks. I broke my ankle, three ribs, fractured my left wrist and a skull fracture. I passed out the second my head hit the rock and when I woke up it was pouring rain and he was standing over the hole looking down at me. I thought he would get me out, but instead he told me that if I was so smart I could figure out how to get out of it and back home myself. He left me there. He laughed and for the longest time I swear I could still hear his laughter even hours after he was gone."
"He just left you there in that hole?" Harvey asked with pain edging in his voice at the image of Mike injured, bleeding and trapped down a cold and dark hole in the pouring rain.
"Yup. I kept passing out. I don't really know how long I was down there for."
"How did you get out? Did he come back? The police?" Harvey asked trying to figure out how Mike got out as he obviously did at some point.
"I climbed out. I think it was sometime the next day. I'm not really sure. There were tree roots growing out of the dirt. I used them to climb my way out. I fell five times between my wrist and broken ankle. The problem was I was still a two hour drive away from the house. I was also really dizzy and I couldn't remember how to even get back to the road. I just started walking, well limping and stumbling. I had to walk all the way home. By the time I got there it had been three days since my birthday. My parents didn't even care. They didn't ask how I was. They didn't even say a single thing to me. I got into my room and passed out. When I finally came to my ankle and wrist were in a brace. Apparently, they had some ex-vet look me over while I was passed out. They did that a few times when it was too close of a call. They didn't want me alive, but being dead would cause too many questions and they would no longer get money from the Government for me." Mike said with a small shrug.
Harvey could see that it was still very painful to Mike and Harvey couldn't blame him. He had almost died and it would have been completely his own father's fault. His own father had legitimately tried to kill him and do it slowly. Harvey could also see the exhaustion within Mike's eyes. He hadn't slept in three days straight and he hadn't been sleeping well besides that. Add in the medication that he received at the hospital and it was a miracle that he was even awake still right now. Harvey couldn't help, but feel bad and upset at the sight of Mike right now.
"Jessica and Louis will be here soon, why don't you go and lay down? I can handle Jessica and Louis." Harvey suggested.
"No it's my problem I should be here when they find out. Besides, if I am going to be fired I would rather hear it from Jessica first hand than from you." Mike said genuinely worried about being fired for all of this.
"She's not going to fire you Mike. If she was going to do that she would have when she found out you weren't actually a degree holding lawyer. She's invested now in your future. She's not going to fire you because you'll be off work for a month or because someone is trying to kill you. Believe it or not Jessica can be very mother hen. It'll be okay Mike." Harvey said trying to reassure Mike.
There was a knock at the door before Mike could say anything back and Harvey got up to answer the door. He opened it and wasn't surprised to find Louis and Jessica both there. They didn't live too far from each other and getting a call this early in the morning had put them both on alert. Harvey stepped back and let them in as Louis spoke.
"There better be coffee."
"Nope, didn't think of it." Harvey answered as he closed the door.
"You get us out of bed at this hour and you don't even have the decency to put on a pot of coffee?" Louis asked outraged.
"Sorry Louis I was too busy taking Mike to the hospital and making sure he wasn't dying to put on some coffee for you. But be my guest." Harvey said with a slight attitude as he gestured his hand in the direction of the kitchen before making his way back over to the couch where he knew the other two would follow.
"What happened to Mike?" Jessica asked as she followed with Louis.
Once they were out of the small hallway by the front door they could both now see Mike sitting back on the couch and just how horrible he looked.
"My God. What happened?" Louis asked as he walked quickly over to Mike so he could check him out. "Is anything broken?" Louis asked as he looked Mike over.
"Four left ribs. Thankfully they were low enough that they didn't pierce his heart or his organs. He's got some bruised ribs on the right, a fractured right wrist and cracked left wrist, he took some stitches to the side of his forehead as you can see. He's also covered in deep tissue bruising, his throat is bruised from being choked and he has pneumonia. The doctor said he would be all healed up in two months, but he can't work for a month until his wrists and ribs are more healed." Harvey answered.
"Do you have any pain medication?" Louis asked.
"Ya they gave me some morphine at the hospital and Naproxen for a month." Mike answered still slightly shocked at the way Louis was acting. Louis had been making his life a living hell since he had started working for Harvey. Now he was all concerned for his well-being. It was weird, but Mike could see the concern was genuine.
"You should put some ice on your ribs it'll help." Louis said.
"He's already got some on em." Harvey said.
"Good. Hot lemon tea will help with your throat, add a little honey into it and it'll taste better." Louis said.
"Thanks." Mike said.
Louis got up and went over to the other couch where Jessica was sitting.
"What happened?" Jessica asked Harvey not wanting to cause any more pain to Mike by making him talk more than necessary.
"He got home around two and was attacked in his apartment. His attacker was already inside when Mike got home. It's a long and complicated story, but the attacker was Mike's father." Harvey stated.
"Wait what? You said your parents were both killed by a drunk driver." Louis said slightly confused.
"I lied." Mike said with a hoarse voice that was barely above a whisper from talking so much.
"Stop talking." Harvey said with a smirk.
"I'm going to need someone to explain this to me." Jessica said with patience as she knew that someone like Mike must have had a good reason to lie about something like that. Sure he was lying about having a law degree, but that was different. That wasn't about people. Mike never lied about people.
"He lied about his parents both being dead, because they were abusive. Especially his father. They were drunks and drug addicts that neglected him to the point where they didn't buy food or even tell him when his birthday was. His father," Harvey stopped to look at Mike to see what the name was.
"Paul Patterson." Mike answered.
"Paul Patterson, was very abusive, broken bones, skull fractures, concussions, locked in a closet and worse. He told Mike every morning since he was three that maybe today is the day, the day he would kill him. When Mike was eleven his parents were in a car crash, both were drunk and high, his mother was killed but his father wasn't. Mike spent six months alone with him and one night the abuse took on a different level. Once his father was passed out Mike grabbed what little he had and ran away. He used to live in Chicago and he hid in the trailer of a transport and hitched a ride here. He lived on the streets for six months before he met his now Grandmother. She's not his biological grandmother, but she took him in and basically adopted him giving him her last name, Ross. She illegally changed it and got a false birth certificate for school. Mike told his grandmother how dangerous his father was so they kept it a secret. Her daughter and son in-law did die in a drunk driving accident roughly six months before she took Mike in. That became their cover story and until tonight Mike's father hadn't located him at all."
"Holy shit." Louis said clearly shocked at Mike's true story.
"And we are sure that it was him tonight?" Jessica asked.
"I saw his face and I heard his voice. He told me maybe today's the day while he was choking me. It's him." Mike said before he started coughing a deep cough.
Harvey got up and grabbed the glass of water on the coffee table. He handed it to Mike and waited for him to take a few sips to get the coughing fit under control. Once the coughing fit was finished Harvey took the glass back and placed it down on the coffee table.
"No more talking." Harvey said in a serious voice.
Mike just gave a nod as he closed his eyes and put his head back. They could see the coughing fit had caused a great deal of pain to Mike's broken and bruised ribs.
"Do we know where this son of a bitch is?" Louis asked with anger in his voice.
"No we don't, but he knows where Mike lives. Until the police catch him Mike's going to be staying here."
"We need to file a TRO and a police report." Jessica said.
"I have a detective I'm going to call and have this reported. I'll get the paperwork for the TRO going." Harvey said.
"I'll handle the TRO you worry about the police report." Jessica said.
"Louis, can you see what financials you can get a hold of? We may be able to get him on something else
"I'll get working on it right away." Louis easily agreed.
"You need to get some sleep Mike. Go on and head into the guest room and sleep. I'll call Donna have her cancel my appointments and let her know what is going on." Harvey said.
"I'll help you." Louis said as he got up and went over to Mike not letting him have the chance of arguing.
Louis helped Mike to get up and helped him to walk slowly down the hallway and into the guest bedroom. Mike couldn't believe the size of this room. It was bigger than his whole entire apartment. The bed was a king size bed that looked so soft and amazing that Mike knew he would be able to sleep for a week straight in it. Louis helped Mike over to the bed and once Mike was sitting in the bed Louis spoke.
"Are you going to be okay?"
"Ya I just…" Mike said with pain and sadness in his voice.
Louis sat down on the edge of the bed facing Mike and spoke gently to him.
"You just what Mike?"
"I'm smart. It's not bragging, it's true I'm smart. You give me a problem and some time I can usually figure it out. I can't figure it out though, I've never been able to figure it out."
"Figure what out?" Louis asked confused, but willing to help Mike in any way that he could.
"What's wrong with me? They're my parents, the two people in the world that are supposed to love me and protect me. But the things they did and said to me, they hated me. My whole life they have hated me and my father tried to kill me over and over again. And I can't figure out what is so wrong and horrible about me that would make then do that." Mike said with tears shinning in his eyes.
Just the sight of Mike and hearing him talking this way with a pain filled voice of a broken man was breaking Louis' heart. Mike was a good kid, despite whatever Louis has said about him or to him since he began working at the firm, at the end of the day Mike was a good kid. He didn't deserve this pain, he didn't deserve the past that he had and the treatment he had endured.
"Mike, listen to me. I know I've given you a hard time since you started, but that was about work, that was at work. You are a good kid. You don't deserve any of what they have done to you. You don't deserve this. So you listen to me when I tell you that you have done nothing wrong. There is nothing wrong with you and everything wrong with them. It's not your fault. Mike, there is nothing wrong or horrible about you." Louis said with strength.
Mike couldn't help the tears that came down his face at finally hearing those words. He had never heard them before and he was shocked at the level of effect it had on him. For so long he had believed that something was wrong with him, that it was his fault for what his father had done to him. Hearing that it wasn't for the first time felt like this weight had been lifted off from him. Mike couldn't help breaking down at hearing those words. Louis didn't care though nor did he miss a beat. He carefully pulled Mike into a hug and just held onto him gently so he wouldn't hurt any of Mike's injuries.
"It's okay Mike, just let it out. You need to let it out." Louis said gently.
Mike continued to cry in Louis' arms for a good ten minutes. He was just letting out years upon years of pain. Louis didn't care though he had no problem holding onto Mike until he felt better. Louis wasn't one for giving hugs without warrant, but this situation definitely warranted a hug. After ten minutes Mike finally pulled back and wiped his face from the tears as he spoke.
"I'm sorry Louis, that wasn't professional."
"We're not at work Mike and even if we were it would have been okay. You can't keep all of this inside of you, it'll destroy you. I know I give you shit at work, but if you ever need to talk my door is always open to you Mike. No matter what it is. Out of everyone in that Associate Pit you are the only one I can see being worth something someday. The only one that has a love for the law and just wants to help people. I'll always be there to listen Mike, no judgements and completely off the record. I give you my word on that." Louis said with seriousness in his voice.
"Thank-you Louis, I really appreciate that." Mike said with sincerity in his voice.
"It's no problem. Now get some rest your body needs it. We'll get this sorted out, don't worry about it. You just focus on your health and getting better."
"At least I'm safe here."
"You are safe here. Harvey won't let anything happen to you. He cares about you, that's pretty clear. We'll get this guy Mike and we'll put him where he belongs." Louis said with determination in his voice.
"I hope so."
"We will. You lay down and get some sleep. I'll call later to check in." Louis said as he stood up from the edge of the bed.
"Thanks again Louis."
"It's not problem Mike. Good night." Louis said with a soft smile.
Mike gave a small smile as he moved to lay back against the pillows. Louis headed out of the room and closed the door part way so that if something was wrong Harvey would be able to hear it. Mike leaned back against the pillows, but he didn't lay flat as it would hurt his back and ribs. He was half-sitting, half-laying down with the ice pack still against his left side. Mike closed his eyes and just let the exhaustion take him under. Louis walked back out into the living room, but he didn't sit down.
"He's trying to sleep now. He's a mess though Harvey, emotionally and mentally. I know that's not your thing, but he doesn't just need physical healing. He broke down in there. He said he hasn't been able to figure out what is so wrong and horrible about himself that his own parents would do this to him. When I told him that nothing was wrong or horrible about him he completely broke down. Even though it's been decades he's still an abuse victim in his head and heart. He needs professional help that's the only way he will ever be able to heal from this." Louis said.
"I'll make sure he gets it. I don't have some grudge against therapy. I want him better more than anyone. Which brings us to the next issue, what has been happening at work." Harvey said with anger in his voice.
"What has been happening at work?" Jessica asked clearly in the dark.
"Why don't you ask Louis?" Harvey said.
"I'm asking you." Jessica said not even in the mood to be dealing with any more drama.
"The Junior Partners and Louis have been giving Mike all of their work. He has fifty files every day to complete and they all have a twelve to thirty hour timer on them. He hasn't slept in three days, not even for an hour. He does it every week and on the days he does sleep it's only for a couple of hours. He's been doing it since he started. They even have a pool going to see who is going to break him and how long it will take. The Associate have one too and they will even get rid of his work on the days they picked. I just found out about it." Harvey said with anger as he got up and went into his kitchen to get some coffee himself. He was clearly not going to be sleeping any time soon.
"You've been doing what?" Jessica asked out raged.
"I didn't know that was happening. Or at least that he hasn't been sleeping and the Associates have been taking his work. It was just a little initiation and Mike just took it. He didn't complain or say he was overworked." Louis said in his defense.
"Of course he didn't because he didn't want to appear weak or ungrateful for the job opportunity. He didn't even come to me I had to drag it out of him when the doctor asked why he wasn't sleeping. This job is everything to him. He doesn't have a trust fund to fall back on or parents to help him out. This job pays for his bills and his grandmother's care. He can't afford to quit." Harvey said with anger still in his voice.
"I didn't know it was that bad." Louis said.
"You might not have known, but you joined in on it. I'm ending it now. Tell the Associates that they are to do their work and never touch another Associate's work without permission. I will deal with the Junior Partners." Jessica said with a deadly anger in her voice.
"I'll see to it." Louis said.
"Now if there is nothing else we have a lot of work to do. I want to be at the court house this morning when it opens to get that TRO. Harvey, I know you want Mike to sleep, but it would be better to call one of your detective friends and tell them what happened tonight. They may be able to find him and then this can start to be all over with." Jessica said as she stood up.
"I'll give him a call." Harvey agreed.
"Keep me update and we will keep you updated." Jessica said.
Harvey gave a nod and Jessica and Louis both headed out of Harvey's apartment. Harvey rubbed a hand over his face before he went and grabbed his cell phone to call his Detective friend. After three rings he had answered and Harvey knew he had woken him up, but he was a detective so he was used to it. Harvey cut through the small talk and told his friend what had happened and a little bit of the backstory for Mike. After a good fifteen minutes his friend was all set and was going to head into the station to get everything started. He would need to talk to Mike to get his official statement, but for now he would get started on finding Mike's father. With that done Harvey went down the hallway to check in on Mike. He opened the door the rest of the way and he looked in to see that Mike was sound asleep. Harvey watched Mike's chest rise and fall for a couple of minutes just to make sure that he was in fact alright and still here with him. Harvey then closed the door half way before going back out into the living room. He had to call Donna and explain this to her, but he figured he would wait for a couple hours until she would be in the office. She would need to cancel his appointments for the next couple of days as Harvey didn't want to leave Mike alone here just yet. Once she had that taken care of Harvey knew she would be coming over to check in on Mike and make sure he was in fact alright. They had both grown attached to Mike and they were both going to make sure he was taken care of and protected from his father until he was finally safe once again. For now Harvey could keep watch and make sure that nothing happened to Mike while he was finally getting some much needed sleep.