Chapter 2: Discovery


It had been exactly twenty-four hours since the doctor told him that he had cancer. He was cleared to go back to work the next day and he tried to act as normal as possible. He couldn't have the other associates seeing him as weak. Furthermore, he couldn't have Harvey seeing him as weak. Now that would be catastrophic. The more he pushed the topic away from his mind, the more it came creeping back in. He couldn't focus the entire day, especially during the meeting he had this morning. He couldn't have any more embarrassed.

"Gentlemen, I expect you to make them settle. Any means necessary," the client said threateningly.

"Yes, sir. We'll get it done," Harvey said while shaking the client's hand. He noticed Mike still sitting down with a blank expression on his face. "Mike."

Mike finally looked up from his daze and immediately stood up. The client headed towards the elevator and Harvey turned around.

"What the hell is up with you today?"

"Nothing, Harvey. Don't worry about it."

"Well, whatever it is, get it together. I can't be worrying about you and your girly feelings while handling McGregor."

"I'm fine."

Mike knew that this was Harvey's way of caring, but it just frustrated him more. He figured that if he told the truth, everyone would baby him and he couldn't have that. He was a grown man and he could take care of himself. He didn't need anyone else, yet. Earlier this morning, the hospital called him asking him to come in the next few days for an MRI. He asked if he could do it today since he didn't have to do much today. They squeezed him at 1 pm, right after his lunch break.

He worked for another two hours before heading over to Rachel's office. They scheduled a quick lunch date at noon since he and Rachel haven't had any quality time together. Rachel was juggling work and school and that was already stressful enough. He was almost at her office before his eyes started getting blurry. He then kept hearing a constant droning and a mix of sounds surround him. He closed his eyes for a moment and then plugged his eyes for a moment. Once he opened them again, his vision was normal again and his eyes stopped ringing. He exhaled and hoped it wouldn't happen again.

They went to this sandwich shop a block away from the firm and ate their sandwiches in peace. He tried to strike up casual conversation with her.

"When do you get your final results?"

"Hopefully, within a month."

Mike nodded and continued to eat.

"I know the doctor cleared you for work, but you know you didn't have to come back so soon."

"Rachel, come on. Harvey needs me. I can't just leave him with a pile of work that was assigned to me."

"I know, but you could have worked at home."

"I'm fine, remember?"

"No, what the doctor said was that you had low blood sugar. You're not taking care of yourself."

"Rachel, I promise you. I will take better care of myself. For now, please stop worrying about me. For both of ours sake."

"Fine, but I'm making a home-cooked meal tonight. Be home by six."

"Yes, ma'am."


After lunch, Mike went to his 1 pm appointment at the hospital. For some reason, he felt more nervous than anymore. He wished that it was gone, but deep down he knew that cancers don't magically disappear. He could have easily imagined the looks of despair from Rachel and Donna. He wasn't sure about Harvey though. It was still a 50/50 split between anger and sadness.

He laid down on the table and slid underneath the machine. The imaging only took five minutes, but to Mike, it seemed like an hour. There wasn't anything he didn't already know. Normally, Mike was never claustrophobic, but being trapped in the enclosed space felt tenser and more anxious than usual. He got out of there as fast as he could. On the way out, the nurse told him that the doctor would call him with results as soon as possible.


Rachel was absolutely worried about Mike. She hoped her lunch talk with him was going to convince him to take it easy, but she knew he wouldn't. It was one of the things she loved about him. He always cared about others and believed in doing good. After she finished her paperwork for the day, she went home to cook dinner. Tomato soup and salad was on tonight's menu. She was almost done with cooking when she heard the door open.

"Mike, is that you?"

"Yeah. What smells so good?" he said while walking to the kitchen.

"Soup," she replied as he leaned in to give her a kiss. "And salad."

"I didn't think salad could ever smell that good."

"It is when you have an amazing girlfriend to cook you an amazing meal for her hardworking boyfriend."

Rachel finished up with the seasoning and allowed to soup to simmer for a little longer. "Dinner will be ready soon."

She opened up a bottle of red wine while Mike grabbed two glasses from the cupboards and they sat down with their drink in their hands. It's been a long time since they've had a peaceful night at home. Although Mike didn't want to ruin it, he figured this was the best time to tell her about the cancer. He didn't when another opportunity like this would arise. He set his glass down and took Rachel's hands in his.

"Rachel, I have something important to tell you."

Rachel saw the serious look on his face and knew that this wasn't going to be good. "What is it, Mike?"

"You know how the doctor said that I was basically fine the other day?"

"That's not what he said, but yes. What about it?"

"It turns out that I-" he was then interrupted by her phone ringing.

Rachel went over to her purse and answered her call with her back turned to him. Mike was now annoyed. Whoever calling her better have a damn good reason for interrupting me. Mike heard a bunch of yes's and then a short period of silence. After the phone call ended, he asked who was it. She was still silent and had her back turned to him. She turned around and he noticed the tears pooling around her eyes.

She knew.


Author's Notes: Hello, everyone. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please review. Thanks!