The next morning after the big reveal Stephen Huntley is entering his passcode into his laptop, the computer shows that he's denied access. Stephen reaches for the phone to call for assistance when Donna appears from a corner in the office.
"It's not going to work. I cut it off to get your attention." Donna takes a step forward and when the light of the room hits her face, her eyes display disappointment and hurt.
"Well, you have it." Stephen responses, he is a bit confused to what Donna is up to.
"Good, cause I just have one question for you. How can you live with yourself?" By the time Donna has finished her sentence she is stood in front of the desk he is seated at.
The corners of Stephen's eyes wrinkle and his mouth forms a straight line, "What?".
"You know what, I don't have questions for you, I just came in here to let you know you make me sick." Donna is done looking at his face and wants to leave the room as fast as possible, but she still has to tell him. "Obviously I hurt you Donna and I never meant to do that." Of course he'd think this is some petty way to get to him and he'd try to console her, but she wasn't having it.
"Oh you didn't hurt me. You just made me someone who slept with a murderer." The words in her mouth feel filthy and she spits them out with disgust, mirroring her eyes perfectly.
Something seems to click in Stephen's head and he gets up slowly. Donna feels a cloud of unfamiliar fear go through her body as he slowly comes closer to her.
"Murderer, I don't know what you think you know, but those people that were killed were terrorists." By now he is directly in front of her which only feeds her fear more as he speaks the words in a menacing dark tone.
"They were people, who lived on top of something that you wanted." Donna is getting angry, how dare he stand there and try to condone his actions.
"People who have guns, murderers, Donna. They deserved everything they got." She sees Stephen straightening his back and hover over her slightly, "Now if you're so invested by how business is done, I suggest that you return all of your designer clothes that you look so ravishing in, because they're paid for by the dirty work this firm does." As soon as he speaks the words she feels her skin crawl, she never thought she could feel dirtier than in that moment. "We don't kill people." Her response is immediate.
She sees a hint of a smile on his face and already fears the words before they even leave his mouth, "You mean the chemical companies that Harvey represents, or the car companies that he defends and how about insurance providers who's claims he helps deny." She is wrong she could feel dirtier, but not by Harvey or the firm, but because she didn't know. She didn't know this man she slept with for weeks, she didn't know him at all.
"Don't bring him into this!" Donna wants to scream, at both herself and him. The realisation that Harvey was right hits her like a force field, knowing that he'd unknowingly had her back from the beginning gave her a sudden wave of strength and with that she delivers the news.
"You know what, I've had enough of this." With a sense of empowerment she continues, "I didn't really cut off your shit to get your attention, I cut it off because you don't need it anymore."
She sees Stephen's eyes turn a darker shade and even tough she knows it's not a good sign she still continues, "You're fired." Donna feels the tension of the words leave her body but she can't relax as the tension is replaced with utter fear as a dark sinister smile graces his face.
"Darby would never allow that." That's what she thought he would say, maybe she does know him a little bit. "Edward Darby signed your pink slip an hour ago." Donna should feel relieved, she really should but all she can see are his eyes promising her of something dark. She needs to get out of the room, now.
Her worst fears are confirmed when he suddenly grabs her neck and harshly turns her around.
She feels like she is flying through the office when suddenly her back and head hit a wall behind her, she feels her vision fade black when a second later he is suddenly in front of her.
"Now Donna, let's not leave that quickly. How about we finish where we left of last time?" She is wrong, she doesn't know this man in front of her at all. When she feels his lips on her neck, licking and sucking, she wants the ground to swallow her whole. The moment she pushes him off of her she realises she just pissed him off a thousand times more. She feels a hand closing around her neck and sees his fist nearing her face, she prepares herself for the pain that is about to greet her. A second later she feels her cheekbone throbbing immensely. Please no, is all she can think as she feels a fist pummel into her liver.
Outside of the office Rachel Zane watches in horror as she sees Donna's lover beat her into a pulp. All she can think of doing is alerting the one person she knows would never hurt Donna in this way. Taking of in a sprint she reaches the office of Harvey Specter, she bustles through the door and goes straight to his desk. "Harvey! You need to come right now! Stephen is hitting Donna!" She sees a small frown crossing Harvey's face, "You mean hitting on Donna?"
That is when she realises that her boss thinks she ran in here to tell him that his secretary and the British hottie are flirting. She feels her whole body shake, they need to hurry, who knows what that freak is doing to Donna right now, "NO! Harvey! No! He is hitting her! He is beating her!" She knows that he understood this time because his eyes have grown twice the size they were before.
He stands up abruptly almost breaking the glass with his chair, "Where!" Is all he shouts out, but she sees the emotions running across his face. She turns around and runs out of the room, hoping that he follows. She looks behind her quickly to see that he is. When she reaches the room she notes with horror that there is blood running down Donna's face. Both her and Harvey burst in the room and she sees Harvey's hand take hold of Stephen's neck pulling him away from Donna.
She catches Donna in her arms before she can hit the ground and slowly pulls her to the nearby couch. By now a few people have rushed in the office and have taken Stephen out, putting him in a hold on the ground. Harvey lets go of the bastard and quickly runs to Rachel and Donna, in what seems like one giant leap. "Harvey, she's not opening her eyes!" He hears Rachel and it only adds to his growing concern.
The moment he crossed the corner with Rachel and he saw Donna against the wall with blood running down her face he felt his entire world spin. He had to be reasonable at this moment, even if he was as vulnerable as ever, he had to get rid of the threat first.
When after a few moments, a few people came running in and took over for him he could finally focus all his thoughts on Donna, forgetting completely what utter terror that would remind him of. Finally reaching both girls, he feels his world spin once more when he notices that she has her eyes closed. He hears Rachel confirm it and he feels the tears leave his eyes realising that this isn't his worst nightmare. He immediately puts his fingers on her neck to check for a pulse.
He feels a hint of relief enter his body knowing that she is still alive, "Donna. Donna. Come on open your eyes for me!" His voice is soft but firm, he needs her to open her eyes so he can help her, he feels so helpless. He quickly looks at Rachel and tells her to call an ambulance, what she responses with both angers and worries him a lot more, "You need to support her neck, I think something is wrong with it." Where does Stephen get off thinking he could lay a finger on Donna in this way?
He slips his hand under Donna's neck supporting her head and replaces Rachel's hand, he notices her step away and call 9-1-1. All he can think, hear or see is Donna. He wants to vomit when he thinks of the situation, how could anyone hurt this beautiful woman is beyond him.
A storm of emotions hit his body when he notices Donna blinking her eyes, a second later her beautiful eyes meet his and for a short second he feels relief. His relief is quickly blown away when she starts to speak, his heart breaks when he hears her voice, it's barely a whisper "Harvey… Stephen didn't… confess…" Tears turn into sobs when he hears her choice of words, he cant believe she went to see him to get a confession. "Shh… It's okay, you did good… You are safe now." He moves his free hand so it's slowly stroking her cheek but immediately moves it away when he watches her face turn white letting out a whimper. Worried lines are permanently edged into his face as he speaks slowly to her, "Donna, I need you to tell me where you are hurting… Can you do that for me?" He hears a very soft yes and he lets out a small sigh of relief, maybe he'll be able to help her now. He puts his face closer to hers and listens to the softest voice ever, "My cheekbone… It's broken… My neck… I… I can't feel it… He punched me… in the stomach… thrice … I… I… after that I passed out… I had no air… I'm sorry Harvey." This time he really does feel his world spin, he reaches over her and vomits all over the floor. After a second he comes back up and feels a soft hand touch his cheek. "Do not ever apologise for this again! You are not to blame here, and don't ever think so. Tell me more about your neck, okay." He needs her to know that none of this is her fault.
Suddenly he hears yelling but he isn't really bothered to help, as long as Donna is safe it doesn't really matter. He hears Rachel tell someone that Stephen hurt Donna when suddenly Jessica is at his side. "Oh my god! What the hell happened?!" Although he is quite pissed that she interrupted him finally being able to help, he knows that she means no harm so he lets it go.
"Donna went to Stephen to get him to confess, something probably triggered him and he beat her. Rachel stormed into my office and I took him down while she went for Donna." He explains to Jessica, hoping that it would be enough so he could tend to Donna. Expecting Jessica to reply he is caught off guard when he hears Donna's soft voice, "I don't remember that…" He doesn't really want to say it, knowing it will worry not only both woman but also himself. He offers a gentle smile before delivering the blow, "You were unconscious when we came in the room." He sees Donna's eyes water and he can't help but let out another sob. "Don't ever scare me like that again! I don't want to imagine ever again a world where you're not in it, okay." He feels Donna's hand on his face again this time softly grazing his skin. "I need you to talk to me about your neck. Do you remember anything I should know?" As he softly reminds Donna of his previous question he sees Jessica look at both of them with wide eyes of concern. Jessica can't help but notice that Donna's hand, the one that isn't on his face is searching for his. When their hands touch and she sees a hint of a smile on both of their faces she can't help but wonder if there is more going on between them then both of them admit.
"I… He wanted to… He tried to… So I pushed him off… Then he got really mad… He grabbed my neck… and then slammed me into the wall… That was when he started… punching my face…"
Although he is happy he now knows a bit of what happened so he can help, he can't remove the imagines that have formed in his head.
Rachel joins their side again this time with Mike next to her, "I've called 9-1-1 and I've arranged that they pick her up with the helicopter so they can help her faster, they'll be here in the next few minutes." He should buy this girl her own helicopter, what a genius! "Thank you Rachel, for everything." he replies with a thankful smile. It isn't until the boy speaks up that he notices Mike, "Hey Donna, how are you holding up?" This is the gentlest Harvey has ever heard Mike speak and it tears him apart that one guy's actions can have such an impact on everyone.
"Well… I've been better… but… I'll be okay…" Mike not really knowing what state Donna is in, is quite shocked to hear her soft and barely-there voice. "What is wrong with her voice?" Tactless Mike, is all Harvey can think. "She has most likely broken her cheekbone and supraorbital ridge. Which makes it a miracle that she can even speak at all." Even if Mike is tactless, he still deserves an answer.
His swears he feels his heart stop beating when Donna suddenly starts crying, "What's wrong? Tell me what I can do." He takes their intertwined hands and places them against his chest. "Harvey… my stomach… it's hurting really bad!" He immediately fears the worst and takes action, "Jessica, Rachel, unbutton her blouse!" He lifts himself up a little so they can reach her better, but in doing this he's somehow placed himself directly over Donna and he looks down at her. He notices that she tries to give him a smile but fails, only adding to his growing concern. A second later he hears multiple gasps surround him, he moves back to his previous position and looks at the source of shock. There located in the middle of Donna's right side is a ginormous purple bruise. He looks at Donna and sees the confusion in her eyes, having had enough he shouts to who ever has the answer, "Where the hell are those paramedics!" Next to him Mike and Rachel get up and run off to wherever they think the paramedics might be.
To her it feels like hours but suddenly the room is filled with paramedics and police officers, they quickly run over to where she is located. "Sir, can you give me a quick run-down?" she hears them ask Harvey. She feels him shift ever so slightly, that is when she realises that he has a hand placed under her neck. As if it's a big milestone, she squeezes Harvey's hand making him look at her.
"Harvey! I can feel my neck again! I can feel your hand!" Although her voice is still very soft, she feels a lot more confident about her recovery. Gazing straight into her favourite eyes she feels a small smile creeping onto her face. The look on his face is priceless, he looks like wants to kiss her, but she knows he won't, not when she can't kiss him back. She really shouldn't be this annoyed when the paramedic interrupts their moment but she really is. "Yes, when we got to her she was unconscious, I don't know for how long she already had been, but for at least 5 minutes.
She got slammed into a wall by her neck and punched multiple times on both her face and stomach. Her cheekbone is probably broken and her supraorbital ridge might be too. Her stomach is completely bruised and it's causing her pain. She also couldn't feel her neck for a good 15 minutes. That is all I can tell you right now." This is probably one of the weirdest times to be proud of someone, but right now she is so irrevocably proud of the man in front of her.
"Very well! That we can work with, good job sir! Miss. Paulson, my name is Robert. I have a few questions for you, if that's all right? Do you know what happened when you lost consciousness?"
She really doesn't want to think of it again, but she needs to so these men can help her, also she cant't help but notice the hopeful look on Harvey's face. "Uhm… he was punching me in the stomach… but he was gripping my neck… it was like he was trying to break my windpipe…"
She feels Harvey's hand grip hers a bit tighter, even more so when the paramedic asked the next question. "We are going to put your neck in a brace right now Miss Paulson, try to not to move your head or neck." What she had only intended to be a small joke to lighten the mood, had suddenly turned into a cause for panic, "I couldn't move it if I tried… So don't worry." Instantly she feels every nearby eye on her, but the only ones she sees are Harvey's and Robert's the latter's worry being a lot more concealed. "Miss Paulson, when you got slammed into the wall… Was the hand covering your throat or your neck?" She feels like she opened a giant can of medical worms, but she still replies, "Uhm… my throat… why?" She doesn't get a reply as Robert suddenly shouts to his partner, "Mick, I need that cervical collar NOW!" In the next couple of seconds everything starts moving around her, Harvey's hand on her neck leaves her skin only to immediately be replaced with the brace. She grips Harvey's hand and searches for his eyes, when she finally finds them she is disappointed that they are not aimed at her but at the paramedics. She sees their lips move and tries to make sense of what is being said, she hears one of the paramedics say, "Abdominal contusion, harm score 3 might be 4." She has a bad feeling about it, but before she can really think about it, she feels herself being lifted. A second later she is placed on a hard surface and she feels
Harvey let go of her hand. A strap is placed over her head, hips and ankles, she feels stuck like she is in some sort of prison. "Okay. Miss Paulson we are going to the helicopter now, I think Harvey here would kill me if I didn't take him with us, so anyone else you necessarily need with you in the helicopter?" She is delighted to see that Mick isn't wrong and thinks about who else she wants with her. "Rachel and Mike." She sees Mick frown a bit before he replies, "I'm sorry Miss. Paulson but we only have room for one more." From somewhere in the room she hears Rachel reply, "It's okay Donna, you go with Harvey and we will meet you at the hospital." She doesn't know how Rachel even heard what she said, but it didn't really matter, all she wanted was to get to the hospital so she could recover and then go home and have a nice long bath.