Well after the frustrating and disappointing start for season seven it's been nice to spend some time with a much nicer version of Harvey. Hopefully the one on screen won't hang around long! Thanks again for all the support of my first story and do keep the comments coming, as it's lovely to hear what you think so far.

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Chapter Four

Mike shook Rachel gently awake as the surgeon appeared in the room. He felt sure his face mirrored the look of fear and uncertainty in hers. They stood and moved wordlessly nearer to where Harvey was sitting. They woke Louis as the doctor took a seat across from Harvey. The blood had drained from his face and Mike couldn't bear seeing the fear written across his friend's features. How is this happening? he thought.

"Mr Specter, I'm Dr Hathaway, you're Ms Paulsen's emergency contact?"

Harvey swallowed and nodded. "Her parents live out of New York, so yes. She's mine too." He smiled to himself at that thought. She would always be the first person he would want by his side if he were in trouble.

The doctor nodded, but Harvey spoke before he could. "How is she?" His eyes pleaded with the doctor to say she was okay.

"She came through surgery and is being moved to the Intensive Care Unit. I'm not sure if anyone spoke with you in the E.R, but Ms Paulsen, Donna, sustained stab wounds to her chest and abdomen. She lost a lot of blood as a result, which caused her blood pressure to drop and her body to go in to shock. We intubated her and gave her blood to stabilise her so we could operate."

Harvey closed his eyes at the images running through his head and clenched his hands in to fists, so tight the knuckles went white. His eyes met the doctor's again, silently letting him go on.

"We found a tear to her spleen, which was also causing further internal bleeding. Fortunately, the damage to the organ itself was not as severe as first feared, so we were able to repair it and stop the internal bleeding. She also needed multiple blood transfusions. Thankfully, none of her major arteries were damaged, which had been an immediate concern on her arrival at the hospital."

"Will she be okay?" It came out as a whisper.

The doctor paused. "She's lucky to be alive Mr Specter. Had she lost much more blood, she may not have made it this far. That is a good sign, but the next 24 hours in particular are going to be critical. We've induced a coma to give her body time to rest and as she's still too weak to be able to breathe on her own, we're keeping her on the ventilator. We'll keep her under constant monitoring. All we can do is wait."

Rachel buried her face in Mike's chest, as he wrapped his arms protectively around her, while Louis walked a small way away and stood with his back to them, trying to regain his composure.

Harvey wiped the tears from his face. "Can I see her?"

Dr Hathaway nodded. "It'll take us a few minutes to move her to the ICU, but I'll have one of the nurses come and find you and take you when she's settled."

Harvey gave him a small smile. "Thank you."

The doctor stood then and turned to go back to the O.R. He felt for this man, who seemed so adrift and laid a hand on his shoulder. "We're doing everything we can for her." With that he walked away.

Harvey stood up and walked to the window, placing his hands on the ledge to steady himself. He felt sick, but clung to the fact that Donna had come through the surgery. All he wanted in that moment was to be with her.

As Rachel left the bathroom, her phone started to buzz in her pocket. Retrieving it, she saw her father's name on the screen.

"Hi daddy." She felt comforted by his voice as he returned her greeting. "Hi baby. How is she?"

"She just came out of surgery. They're taking her to the ICU." Her voice broke. "I can't believe someone would go in there and do this."

Her father did his best to soothe her, reminding her that Donna was in the best place and would receive the best care. "If there is anything we can do, let me know."

"I will. I love you."

She hung up the phone and noticed her unread text messages including, she realised, one from her best friend. "Hey Rach – we need to step up the wedding planning! How about drinks tomorrow? D x."

Mike chose that moment to come up behind her. He rested his head on top of hers and put his arms around her. "What is it Rach?" She silently held up her phone. He sighed at the message in front of him and held her tighter. "We have to stay positive for her."

She nodded and held him close against her and kissed the top of her head. "I love you," he murmured in to her hair. She turned in his arms, more grateful to have him beside her. "I love you too."

She let go of him and glanced back towards Harvey, who continued to stare out of the window. "Has he said anything since the doctor left?"

Mike shook his head. "I've never seen him like this. I don't know how he'll cope if she doesn't pull through." Rachel held his hand. "We'll all get through this together, no matter what happens."

It had been about thirty minutes, when a nurse appeared in the waiting area. "Mr Specter?"

Harvey turned from the window at the sound of his name and nodded to the young man before him. "Dr Hathaway asked me to come and find you. If you want to follow me?"

He led them along the hospital's corridors, to the wing that held the ICU. As they walked along towards its entrance Rachel cast her eyes through the windows, searching for her friend. The nurse stopped at the doors.

"We usually only allow two people at a time on the main ward, but I think we can be flexible on this occasion. It's still relatively quiet." He opened the door and Harvey froze, caught between needing to see her and being terrified as well. Mike put a hand on his shoulder. "Take your time Harvey."

He moved forward and his friends held back, giving him the space they knew he needed. The nurse moved towards the far side of the unit, to the corner cubicle. The curtains were still drawn, so he drew them back and tied them out of the way. Harvey took a breath in and then followed him, walking closer until he could bring himself to look at her. His heart broke at what he saw before him and a part of his brain still refused to believe this was actually reality.

Donna lay in the bed, eyes closed, sheets tucked just under her chest to allow for the array of tubes that ran between her and the machines in the corner. She was connected to the ventilator, its tube secured with tape in her mouth. The rhythmic sound of the machine's pump as it moved up and down, filled his ears, along with the gentle beeping of the heart monitor. The IVs hanging by the left side of the bed ran in to the cannula on her left hand. She looked so pale.

The nurse gave him a warm, but sad smile and told him to let them know at the nurses' station if he needed anything or had any questions. Mike, Rachel and Louis watched wordlessly from a respectable distance as Harvey moved tentatively forward and around the bed to Donna's right hand side. He couldn't stop the tears that came to his eyes at the sight of her. Moving as close as he could to her bedside, he gingerly took hold of her right hand, holding it tightly in his.

"Hey Donna," he whispered, his voice cracking. He leant down and closing his eyes, kissed her forehead. Inches from her, he murmured, "I'm here now. I'm going to be right here when you wake up. I promise." With that, he pulled the chair closer to her bedside and took up his position.

Wiping yet more tears from his eyes, Louis moved forward to the opposite side of the bed from Harvey. "Hi Donna. We are all here with you and we all love you."

Mike and Rachel stood at the end of her bed. For a while none of them spoke. No words were needed, with the gentle beeps and noises of the machines filling the silent space.

Mike walked back towards the ICU from the cafeteria and found Rachel and Louis outside. A quick glance through the glass windows along the unit's wall told him Harvey remained in his chair at Donna's bedside. "Are you heading to the office Louis?"

"I need to decide what I'm going to say to the rest of the firm in a couple of hours. At least the reduced headcount these days means most people are sure to come. I told Harvey what I intended to do and he seemed fine with it. To be honest, I could have told him anything and he'd have agreed to it."

Rachel put her hand on Louis's arm. "You're doing a wonderful job keeping things together Louis. I'm sure he knows that."

Louis put on his coat and Rachel made a decision. "I'm coming with you. I can be there to talk about any concerns the associates may have too."

Louis smiled. "That would be a huge help to me Rachel. Thank you." Mike smiled. The generosity of his fiancé never ceased to amaze him. "Unless you need me Louis, I'll stay here for a while."

"No Mike. Someone should stay with Harvey. You'll call if there's any news?"

Mike nodded and the group went their separate ways as Mike re-entered the ICU and took a seat next to Harvey. He passed him the coffee and bagel he'd bought in the cafeteria. "You need to eat something." His friend accepted them and took a sip of the coffee. It was filtered rubbish, but it would do.

"I still can't quite believe this is real Mike."

"I know. Me too." He paused, unsure whether to express what had been on his mind for the last few hours. "If the clinic work is somehow involved in this Harvey, I….."

Before he could finish his sentence, Harvey cut him off. "It's not your fault Mike. Donna wouldn't blame you." He looked his friend in the eyes. "I won't blame you." He took a bite of the bagel. "What time is it?"

"A little after 7 a.m. Why?"

Harvey looked back at Donna. "Her father will be here in a few hours." Mike nodded. He knew there was history between the two of them, but it wasn't his place to ask.

Tiredness overwhelmed Louis as he collapsed in to his chair at the office. The area surrounding the crime scene was still sealed off and a couple of officers remained on the 50th floor. Putting his head back, he closed his eyes. He'd always craved more responsibility and authority at the firm, but he'd never imagined it would be as a result of something so terrible.

Opening his eyes, his gaze fell on the photo of a younger Donna as Ophelia on his desk and he picked up the frame, but before his emotions could take over completely, Gretchen appeared in front of his desk. "I have an initial draft of the email bulletin for the sub-tenants. As of yet, there have been no calls from reporters asking about what happened, so news can't have leaked out yet."

"Thank you Gretchen. You should go home and get some sleep." She gave him her non-nonsense look. "Unless you're intending to do the same Louis, I'll be here, doing my job. I have your back remember."

He had no chance to reply, as Katrina appeared at the threshold of his office. Gretchen took her leave and Katrina came to Louis and gave him a hug. He appreciated the gesture. "How is Donna doing?"

Louis sighed and brought Katrina up to speed with Donna's condition. Knowing the best thing she could do would be to distract him with work, she gave him an update. "I've been through the Hooper files and started work on the revised proposal. I should have something for you by lunch time. We could sit down and talk about it then?"

"Absolutely. Thanks Katrina."

The next two hours were a blur for Louis as he cleared his emails from the night before, liaised with the police and prepared something to say to the firm. At 9 a.m. he found himself in the corridor outside conference room C, with the greatly reduced population of PSL surrounding him and Katrina and Rachel standing either side of him. Among them stood a devastated Benjamin, whom Rachel had spoken to earlier, knowing his recent closeness to Donna. Louis cleared his throat and the assembled crowd hushed.

"Some of you may already have seen the police in the office this morning and that a section of this floor is currently cordoned off. I wanted to make everyone aware of events, before rumour and speculation started."

He swallowed. "Last night, Donna Paulsen was attacked in the office. She was taken to the hospital and is currently in a critical condition. The police already have a number of leads, which they are pursuing and, as a precaution, security will be increased in the building. I know this will come as a shock. Some of you know Donna very well, while others here may not, but regardless, its important that you all understand that this firm has always been a family and we protect our family. Harvey Specter remains as managing partner. However, he will understandably be absent for the coming days. If you want to talk to me about anything regarding what's happened, that's fine. I would also add that Rachel Zane is to be a point of contact for all associates. She has been a part of the PSL family for a long time and has a wealth of insight and experience from which you can all benefit."

The shocked chatter of the crowd had died down as he'd continued. Rachel gave him a smile of encouragement. "On behalf of myself and Harvey, I would like to thank you all for your work and your commitment, particularly during this difficult time. Now, we should all get back to work."

The assembled firm slowly dispersed. "It was a good speech Louis," stated Katrina, before heading off back to work. Rachel squeezed his arm supportively, before she too made her way along the corridor. Right Litt, back to work, he thought to himself, before returning to his own office.

On stepping in to his own space, he closed the door, needing a few moments to himself. He stared at the picture on his shelf of his friends, taken a year or so ago; all six of them together, smiling and happy.

It was then that he realised there was something else he needed to do before he could turn to his work. He picked up the phone and started to dial.

Harvey had fallen asleep in his chair, his hand still clasping Donna's. Mike was relieved that his friend was finally getting some sleep and had left him to sleep for the last few hours, with no intention of disturbing him. He didn't realise just how many hours had passed until he looked up to see an older man at the nurses' station being pointed towards Donna's bed. He stood up, making his way over to him.

"Mr Paulsen?" he asked gently. When the man nodded, he continued. "I'm Mike. I work with your daughter at the firm. Have they explained everything to you?"

Donna's father nodded and glanced towards her bed, catching sight of Harvey, who continued to sleep. "Harvey's still here?"

"I don't think Harvey is going anywhere. You'd probably have to drag him out and even then, he'd put up a hell of a fight."

The older man made his way to the other side of his daughter's bed and kissed her on the forehead, before brushing a hand through her hair softly. "Donna, it's daddy. Everything will be alright."

As he took a seat, Mike motioned to him that he was going to leave. Jim Paulsen nodded and gave him a small smile.

As he exited the ICU, Mike's phone started to ring. It was the detective from the night before.

"Detective? What can I do for you?"

"Mr Ross, we wanted to discuss a potential suspect with you. We've been compiling CCTV images and would like to walk you through them."

"Of course. I was on my way to the office, or do you need me to come to the station?"

"No, we'll come to you." He hung up, leaving Mike again contemplating whether the clinic really was the link to this man.

Mike was on autopilot when he reached PSL, heading straight to his new office. It was only as he was halfway down the corridor that he was confronted with the police cordon. He was grateful that Donna's old cubicle blocked the view somewhat of the scene. Shaken, he instead made his way to Louis's office. He looked up as Mike entered.

"The police are on their way to show me the CCTV images. I expect they'll need you to look at them too. And….and I can't get to my office."

Louis understood what he meant. He didn't need to think any more about the scene outside Harvey's old office. He doubted he'd ever get the images from the night before from his head. "You can work in Harvey's new office if you want. Benjamin can set you up a laptop in there."

Mike admitted that Louis not being territorial about him using the managing partner's office did surprise him a little. He really had come a long way in recent years. "Okay. I'll let Gretchen know and when the police arrive we can speak to them together. It shouldn't be long."

As Mike turned to leave, Louis asked after Donna and then Harvey. "There's no change. Harvey was asleep when I left, but Donna's father had just arrived, so I thought best to leave them be." He gave Louis a smile. "You're doing a great job Louis. Donna would be so impressed." With that, he walked away.

It was the nurse carrying out one of her routine checks on Donna that woke Harvey. He knew he must have been asleep a while, as he actually felt slightly more human. It was then that he saw Donna's father on the other side of the bed.

"Jim, when did you get here? You should have woken me."

Jim Paulsen looked up at him. He seemed suddenly so much older to Harvey than he had the last time they had encountered one another. "There wasn't any need to wake you and I sensed that it was the first rest you'd had all night."

Harvey turned his attention to Donna. He longed for some sign that she was getting better, but she looked just as she had when he'd first sat down in his chair. He gave Jim a hopeful look anyway. "Any change?" He shook his head, pushing another strand of hair behind his daughter's ear.

"I'm glad you were with her Harvey; that she wasn't alone with strangers. He paused, uncertain whether he wanted to ask his next question, but he persevered. "Did she say anything to you…..when you found her?"

Harvey stared at the floor, torn as to how much to say without causing Jim more anguish, but when he looked at his face, he knew he wanted the truth.

"She tried to say who had hurt her, but she was having trouble talking. She…..she said she was scared." He put his hand to his eyes at that, the memories of the night before all too fresh. "I told her everything would be alright, but I don't think she believed me."

"My daughter trusts you above anyone else Harvey. If she was going to believe anyone, it would be you." He rose then, disappearing out to the bathroom.

Harvey leant forward in his chair and took Donna's hand between both of his.

"Your dad might be actually starting to like me Donna. I bet you didn't expect that did you?" He longed to hear her voice respond with a witty comeback. He stroked her cheek, her skin comfortingly warm under his touch. "Louis said we needed to have faith in you, but you already know that I do. I'm not giving up on you."

He sat there quietly after that, not sure what to say, or whether he had the strength to say anything else without breaking down. The only thing he did know was that he wasn't going to leave her.

That's all for now. I'll try and have the next chapter up later this week. Thanks again! :)