Author's Note: Wow, so sorry for the late update on this. O.o Last couple of weeks have been busy with Christmas stuff, but I made it extra long! Forgive me? Thank you, once again, for being such an awesome audience. I always look forward to reading your reviews! =)

Chapter 7

"Hey, I was thinking about visiting my gram today. She wants to meet you, Harvey. And you too, Donna."

Harvey looked at Mike with an expression of utter disbelief. Then he winced, turned back to staring at the ceiling from where he'd been lying on his couch, and said, "That's not happening, kid."

"Well, tomorrow then?"

"Why is this suddenly so important?'

"Because it's the holiday weekend and, for once, you're not busy! So no excuses."

"Except that I was in a car wreck!"

"He has a point, Harvey. You don't have work. For once," Donna replied from where she was making them sandwiches and she couldn't help but smirk as she thought of ways that Harvey might use to dodge meeting Mike's grandmother.

She noticed with a pang that he hadn't bothered to try and crane his neck to see her. "What kind of drugs have you been smoking and why did you share them with Donna? All of my muscles are killing me! You did see me get up this morning, right?"

Donna grimaced again just at the mere memory. They had not gone straight to bed when Jessica had dropped them off at Harvey's apartment – it had only been 5 o'clock! – so they stayed up to watch a movie or two. Mike had taken the guest bedroom and Harvey had insisted Donna sleep in his bed with him rather than on the couch – which was the only other option. Once morning had rolled around, Donna found her muscles stiff more than sore and though the ache was terrible, it was manageable. Harvey had barely managed to summon the will to move, but with the promise of breakfast waiting for him he forced himself. Donna would swear she heard every single one of his joints crack and his back was as stiff as a board, so he kept it bowed like a hunchback. She noticed that he still held his left arm close to his stomach, like it was in an invisible sling. Suffice it to say, Harvey did not look much improved from the day before.

"Mike, I do think it's probably best that we all rest for the day. Tomorrow, Harvey and I will go with you to meet your grandmother. Does that sound fair enough to you?"

Harvey mumbled something underneath his breath that she could not hear, but then in a louder voice said, "Fine! I'll go and see your grandmother. Why in the world would she want to meet me anyway? You've told her I'm a bastard, right?"

"Everyday," Mike replied with a rueful grin. "Apparently she detects that deep down, you're really an okay guy who is giving her grandson the opportunity of a lifetime."

Harvey shuddered at the nauseating way his associate chose to describe him and he said, "Well, I'll do my best to change that impression tomorrow."

"Don't you dare be mean to my grammy!"

"Jesus, Harvey, the world is not going to end if a little old lady knows you're a nice guy. You can't fool everyone all the time," Donna said.

Harvey really wanted to look at Donna, but his aching shoulder wouldn't allow it so he simply settled for a huff and then he refused to talk for the rest of the afternoon. The only time he moved was to get up for the bathroom and when Donna needed a seat he had to move his legs and then put them back on her lap again. Normally she would make a snarky remark about having to put up with his smelly feet, but one look at him suggested to her that teasing him was not a good idea at the moment. So, instead, she scooted down the couch away from them and closer to him, but he appeared to take no notice of this as he kept his eyes closed.

Mike finally decided to leave not long after lunch. "Well, I'm going over to see my gram today. Call me if you want to meet her tomorrow. I hope you start feeling better tomorrow."

"How are you feeling?" Harvey suddenly asked, cracking an eye open at Mike who was staring at him from behind the couch.

Mike cocked his head. "What?"

"You weren't chatty at all today. That's always a cause for concern, even as nice as the silence was," Harvey muttered as he frowned up at Mike.

"I feel fine. Well, I'm sore, just like you are, but I am fine."

Harvey gave him a look that expressly said he wasn't buying it, but he did not say anything and merely closed his eyes again.

However, Donna was now frowning up at Mike. Harvey had a point: Mike did not seem his usual cheerful self, even taking into consideration the effect the car crash would have on him. It was difficult to forget the way he had flashbacked in the car to his parent's and now she wondered if he really was okay.

"Mike, take care of yourself. If you need to talk, call us," Donna said, with a little emphasis on the 'call.' "Don't think I haven't forgotten what happened in the car crash. Are you sure you're okay?"

She saw him swallow nervously and she was immediately concerned.

"Yes, I swear to you, I am fine."

"Fine. See you tomorrow then," Harvey snapped at him and then he sighed again and closed his eyes.

The rest of the day was spent doing as little activity as possible. Donna did, however, have to excuse herself for a few hours.

"Harvey, I'm going back to my apartment. There are some things that I need to take care of and pick up."

He gave her a look that she could not quite describe, but then he turned his attention back to the V where Jurassic Park was playing. "Fine. I'll see you tomorrow then."

She blinked at him and replied, "I'm coming back! The only thing I can do at home is watch TV. Might as well do it here with 40" High-def flat screen and soft leather couches."

"I knew you were only interested in my money."

Donna smiled and patted his leg, before he moved it so she could get up. That was the first real moment she felt was normal since the car crash, but she knew it would be a while before they returned their normal dynamic; they both knew she was coming back because Harvey was, for all intents and purposes, handicapped Making a decent meal would be difficult. He'd actually needed help pulling on his shirt that morning. He still needed a babysitter but the quickest way to get on his bad side was to tel him that. So after grabbing her purse and her little suitcase, she headed out.

Once Donna was in the back of a cab, she allowed herself to contemplate to the situation and her own dilemma. She had yet to speak of her feelings to Harvey. Somehow, the timing just did not seem quite right and she thought it might be better to wait a week or two until they had calmed down from the wreck. These types of situations always left all parties off-balance and needy, so she wanted to be certain that any feelings he reciprocated aren't simply byproducts of that.

Ever since the crash, she had been paying closer attention to his body language and actions. Actions speak louder than words, as the old adage went and the messages she was getting were hardly subtle. When they curled up on his bed at the hospital, she had felt him shiver ever so slightly when she hooked her leg around his. Granted, he hardly played the role of uncaring jackass in front of her because she knew him so well that keeping the façade was pointless, but even so, he did not have to curl his arm around here so that she was secure to the bed. It hadn't done his right shoulder any good but then having her there might have been symptomatic of that post-crash neediness. Except while she had been desperate to see her boys and know that they were uninjured, she certainly hadn't felt the need to curl up with either of them, so why had Harvey insisted? She seriously doubted it was because he was needier than her. It must have been the morphine.

The night before, though, when he had insisted she share his bed with him he had followed her as she had gotten out her sleep clothes and put away her old clothes – she had not lost enough sense to change in front of him. She wrote it off as his being concerned that she would be a stubborn idiot and would go to the couch as soon as he fell asleep but she got in without complaint. As he had pointed it out, they had slept in the same bed before so she was not about to create a situation over nothing.

Finally, the look that he gave her just before she left – she thought for the briefest moment that he had not wanted her to leave. He had covered it quickly enough with his mask and then he learned that she would be back, so he had relaxed and pretended not to think anything of it.

She had to concede that Harvey might very well have feelings for her. Scratch that – she knew Harvey had feelings for her. How deep they ran was the question. He definitely cared more deeply for her than the bimbos he took home for one night stands, but was the feeling deep enough for a lasting relationship? Several years ago she remembered one particular moment when he had approached her about them. It was after hours in the office, with only a few struggling associates remaining along with Harvey. Jessica had been on his ass about this particular case, so he had been more agitated than usual and Donna had come by with coffee in an effort to pep him up and help him focus. At one point, he had slammed the folder shut and threw it across the, sliding across the floor somehow still intact. Then he rested his chin on his hands and glared at his desk across the way.

Donna had sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. She felt him jump then, but she paid it little mind, assuming that he had forgotten she was there. "Don't worry about the case too much, Harvey. You'll find what you're looking for. You always do."

"Please don't touch me," he said in a hard voice, moving away from her even as he turned to look at her.

The lighting was low and she had studied and studied his expression to identify just what he was trying to tell her, and then it suddenly clicked: lustful. Her eyes widened and she immediately stood up from the couch. "No, Harvey."

"Why not?" Was he actually pleading?

"That can never happen. We can't be together. Us, together, would never work."

"How can you possibly know that?"

"I only know from experience what happens to relationships like ours when they go farther than they should. Do you really want to ruin our friendship? That's what would happen." Donna shifted uncomfortably, noticing that the expression had shifted to one of hurt. "I'm sorry, Harvey." She opened her mouth to say more, but nothing would come and so she snatched up her purse and walked out of his office.

He did not chase her.

The next morning, when he had come in, he acted as if nothing had happened, and although the memory troubled her for some time, she went along with him and nothing ever came of it. He never brought it up and he certainly never approached her again about expanding their relationship. It was what her mother had been referring to when she mentioned Donna already shooting him down once before. In hindsight, she regretted shooting him down so fast. She did not regret the decision to not have a relationship, but she had given less classier individuals a better chance of proving themselves to her than she gave Harvey. Yet he had never held it over her head and never confronted her about it. He appeared to pretend that it had never happened.

Mom was right, Donna thought grimly as she finally got out of the cab and paid her fare. If we're going to have a relationship, I'm the one who has to start it. Her thoughts continued to weigh heavily on her as she changed out the clothes and ran a few more errands.

When she re-entered the apartment, she was pleased to hear the shower was running and decided since it was five in the evening she might as well start on a simple dinner to get him eating. He had eaten breakfast, but only picked at his sandwich for lunch and after Mike had worn him down, his mood was sour; Harvey did not eat when his mood was anything less than content.

He came walking out in flannel pants, with his towel around his shoulders, and one of his white undershirts in his right hand.

"What have I said about eating shirtless at the table?"

"My condo, my rules," Harvey replied with one of his usual smirks on his face.

"I'm making the dinner. You wear the shirt!"

Harvey tipped his head back to peer down at her with a knowing smile. "But the whole reason why you're fixing dinner is because you're concerned about my eating. I don't wear the shirt, I don't eat, but you want me to. So, I win this round."

She put her hands on her hips and there was energy in her eyes that he only saw when she accepted a challenge. "Do you really want me to call Jessica?"

His mouth fell open and he glared. "That's cheating!"

"When it comes to your welfare, Harvey, I'm allowed to cheat. Now, shirt!"

"Well, I was coming out to ask if you could help me put it on," he grumbled.

"Don't pout. Makes you look two," Donna replied, taking the shirt from his hand. She could not help but linger on the seat belt bruise. It was still very much a splotchy black and blue, not unlike her own, but it still stunned her to see it contrast so sharply with the paleness of the rest of his skin.

"Well, are you going to help me?"

"Actually, mind if I look at your shoulder."

"I didn't know you had your medical degree."

She sighed and gave him a look of exasperation. "It's more than a little odd that you're having so much trouble with your shoulder when Mike and I aren't having any difficulty at all. You're right, I don't have a medical degree, but I have a basic medical knowledge and I would like to look at your shoulder to determine whether you should go back to the hospital or even if you should go to work on Monday."

"You wouldn't be cruel enough to deprive me of work."

"As much as it will doubtlessly drive me crazy to keep your workaholicism under control…" She said through gritted teeth.

He only sighed and walked over to his couch and sat down. She followed and sat on the couch next to him, gently prodding the area of his shoulder. It did surprise her that his shoulder did not seem to be his problem as he sat perfectly still, but as she went closer to his neck he suddenly shifted and recoiled. "Sorry," she muttered, but he didn't say anything. She noted that his bruise appeared to have spread a little bit more than her own bruise, which had a very defined edge of her seat belt.

"Harvey, I don't think it's your shoulder that's the problem."

"Well, my whole shoulder and arm hurt. They hurt enough to make doing anything difficult. Now, my shirt?"

"All right here." Donna picked up his shirt and put it on over his head. It took some wrestling, but eventually she managed to get his left arm through the correct shirt sleeve and then she left him to get his right arm through the other sleeve.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome," Donna said, returning to the sauce on the stove and stirring it a little bit more.

"Now, Donna, I'm curious. You've seen my seatbelt bruise yet I've never even seen yours. So, when are you going to share?" Harvey asked with a lecherous grin and Donna rolled her eyes.

"In your dreams, Harvey."

"Now, don't be like that. I need to check and see if you should go back to hospital or if you should even be going to work tomorrow."

It was so very tempting to knock him out with the pot she had in her hand, but she had to restrain herself since it was full of steaming spaghetti.

"Don't you dare make me murder you before the night is over. You realize the jury would never convict."

"But we're not in Chicago!"

"The headline will go like this 'Heroic Woman Knocks off Jackass Lawyer Harvey Specter.' And all the people will cheer!"

"Not unless I can get Mike to paint you as a scary bitch with a case of misandry. It wouldn't be that hard. All he needs to do is get Louis on board with a few associates and you're cooked."

"You would honestly want Louis' testimony to put me in jail?"

Harvey actually appeared to contemplate it for a moment and then he winced.. "You're right. For once."

"Every time."

"I would much prefer Louis go to jail first. Go free on my murder."

"Murder? But it was suicide! Now, dinner."

"Don't give me a lot."

"Fine, but you have to eat your vegetables."

"Yes, mom," Harvey replied.

The rest of the night, was spent with Harvey killing her at Monopoly until she got her revenge against him in Sorry! with the movie Die Hard: With a Vengeance playing in the background.

+~.Suits.~+

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Mr. Specter. And you, Donna. The way Mike talks about you, you're almost like mythology." Mike's grandmother was smiling at them, shaking their hands as they offered.

"Oh really? Now which archetype would I fill?" Harvey asked him with a shrewd look in his eyes as he glanced over at Mike.

The associate scowled at first, but then he smiled and said, "Crappy Anti-hero."

"Not Achilles, I hope."

"Maybe Odysseus."

"I'm all right with that. Odysseus was always known for being clever. He suits me."

"I think you're Paris," Donna interjected. She could not help but smile at the painful frown Harvey shot her.

"But Paris is such a pansy!"

"You and those suits. I always wondered."

"This is what they're always like, gram," Mike said as he rolled his eyes.

"I figured as much," gram replied with a twinkle in her eye.

"I'm sorry, here," Harvey said, turning around to grab the food he and Donna had picked up, but he stalled and winced as he pulled his left shoulder again. Donna reached for it instead.

"That's my job, remember? What are you paying me for?"

He opened his mouth to say something, but then decided against getting cheap shots now in case Donna removed his head later and simply closed his mouth and shook his head. She started taking out the food and spreading it around on the table – hamburgers, including a milkshake for everyone but Harvey.

It would sound ridiculous, but Harvey would not deny that he was a little more than a bit nervous meeting Mike's grandmother. Perhaps not nervous so much as off-base and completely out of his comfort zone. He was used to meeting clients and opposing council in his three-piece power suits all alone, with nothing but his mind and perhaps a tiny folder of evidence standing between him and either absolute victory or abject defeat. Now, however, he was dressed down in jeans and a pullover, meeting a little old lady that was, by Mike's accounts, sweeter than sugar if not a little wily. He had to be charming without being biting or overly cocky and if he botched this, Mike and Donna might very well plot his murder together.

"Mike told me about the car wreck on Friday. Are you all right?" Gram asked, after unwrapping her burger.

"I'm doing fine. A little sore," Harvey replied before taking a bite of his burger.

Gram looked at him as if she knew he was not being completely honest, but she only said, "Well, it's a wonder none of you were more hurt than you are. A wreck on the highway? Sounds terrible."

"Yes, it was very unpleasant," Donna said, "but it could have been worse." She shot a look at Mike who stared at her with the usual puppy innocence and she made a mental note to check on him later in the week. "How was your Thanksgiving, gram? Mike was painting a terrible picture of utter boredom while we were on the way to my parents."

"Michael," Gram said with a shake of her head and a click of her tongue, "you should not have worried about me. I had plenty of fun. James down the hall played three games of Chess with me and I beat him soundly. He claims he let me win."

"Sounds like he's begging for another chess game with you, Mrs. Ross," Harvey said.

"Mr. Specter, it's gram, please."

"Then call me Harvey."

"Oh, we have a game later this afternoon, and then I'm supposed to play checkers with Linda. Don't think I'm not having fun here, Michael," she said, patting his hand affectionately.

"I know, gram, I just worry about you."

"You're too young to worry! You're supposed to be enjoying yourself."

"Joy? What is this joy? If I recall correctly, I seem to be working all the time," Mike said, stopping to suck on his milkshake as he stared pointedly at Harvey.

"I was under the impression that you enjoyed lots of work. My mistake," Harvey shot at him.

"You both enjoy work too much. Gram, I think they're feeding each other's addiction," Donna said, giving the older woman a conspiratorial wink.

"You're probably right, Donna. It might be time for an intervention."

"Well, if you want to slow Mike's progression up the corporate ladder, be my guest."

"More like we'll lock you both in your apartments, so you won't even think about stopping by the office on the weekends," Donna said with an exaggerated sigh.

"We both know that won't work. Rich people don't stay out of trouble on the weekends either."

"Then we'll demote you to social security advocates. Everyone knows the government won't work on the weekends."

"Uggh, that sounds so boring when you put it like that," Harvey said and he made a sour face to emphasize his point.

"Yeah, I'll stick with business law too," Mike said as he looked at Harvey's face.

Gram chuckled at them all. "Now, Mike, I think you forgot to mention how much fun your friends can be. Now, how about a game of Uno?"

"How about Poker? That's my kind of game."

"No gambling allowed in the nursing home, Harvey, or I'd take you up on that," Grammy said with a twinkle in her eye.

"Shoot."

+~.Suits.~+

"Gee, Harvey, was your family that abusive?" Louis asked as he saw Harvey and Donna walk into the elevator.

"Do you even have a family or were you always the boy your parents hid away in shame?" Harvey sniped back at him, choosing to focus his glare on the elevator doors as they closed. Although he had insisted on putting on his usual three-piece suit, his appearance was not near as refined as it normally was. He had combed his hair, but there was no gel and sleep had completely evaded him the night before so dark rings circled his eyes. His left shoulder was paining him even more today, so he once again held it stiffly to his side. His shoulder had felt loose after his shower, so another one after work sounded like a fine idea.

"For your information, my Thanksgiving was close to perfect," Louis replied, bristling in indignation in a way that never failed to amuse Harvey.

"Good for you," the younger lawyer said and Donna glanced at him in concern. Normally he could not resist teasing Louis and rubbing his usually better fortune in the man's face, but Harvey was uncharacteristically silent in the elevator. Just as she was analyzing him, she noticed him flex his left arm uncomfortably and he sighed quietly in agitation. She made a note to consult Jessica into possibly drugging him and dragging him to the hospital after work.

Louis also seemed to be perturbed by the silent treatment and he could not resist openly staring at Harvey.

Finally the elevators opened to reveal none other than Jessica Pearson herself standing in wait with her hands on her hips as though she was ready to launch into a lecture. "Harvey," she addressed him immediately.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, Jessica?" Harvey asked stepping out onto the floor with Donna next to him, the same purposely neutral look on his face.

The older woman raised an eyebrow at this. Normally Harvey could not resist giving her a cocky smile while oozing an insufferable amount of confidence, but as much as he might try to hide it, she saw the exhaustion. "I want to see you and your associate in your office in five minutes."

He nodded, but then he asked, "Can we make that fifteen?"

Now that was a little bit more like the Harvey she was familiar with. Only he would actually try to negotiate with his boss. "Fifteen it is then," Jessica replied and walked away.

Once they were a safe enough distance from the elevator, Harvey reached into his pocket and handed his phone to Donna. "Text Mike. Tell him he needs to get here in five minutes or he's done."

She winced in sympathy and quickly texted to Mike, desperately hoping he was already on his bike right at that moment: You better be here. Jessica wants to speak with you.

Harvey was busy reading the e-mails he received over the short break when he saw Mike walking quickly towards his office and he glanced at his watch and scowled. It was one minute till Jessica was supposed to arrive – there she already was walking down the hall. Mike dropped his messenger bag behind Donna's desk and he opened the office door in time for Jessica to come in. He gave Harvey a sheepish smile, but it was returned with a look that said 'You're lucky you got here in time.' The older lawyer was surprised when Jessica beckoned Donna in and he figured that this meeting would retain to the car crash. Sure enough.

"You are all to go home at noon," Jessica said in a no nonsense voice. "In fact, I'm not even sure any of you should have come in today."

"Why?"

"Don't bullshit me, Harvey. You're in pain and it looks like you haven't been sleeping." He sighed. "And I am sure Mike and Donna are still feeling sore. You and Mike have done stellar work the last five months and I would say it's about time that work got rewarded with a temporarily lightened work schedule."

"We're fine," Harvey protested, but he immediately shut his mouth when Jessica's expression hardened.

"Harvey, you are going to do as I tell you, or I will assign all of your new cases to Louis."

"You wouldn't."

"You wanna try me?"

"Fine. For how long?"

"I don't want to see either of you here past noon the whole week."

"The whole week? What do you expect me to do when I leave?"

"I expect you to relax," Jessica said and then she glanced at Donna. "I also expect you not to drive Donna crazy. You still need her on your side, Harvey."

He sighed in resignation finally. "All right done."

"Wonderful. You all have a good day."

Once Jessica had left the sight line of his office he turned to Mike in his office chair. "This is why you need to be on time! You're lucky I got her to meet us at a quarter after rather than at five after."

Mike paled. "Uhh…I will be on time. It's just hard biking in the cold – "

"Then take a damn cab, Mike! I think we pay you enough. Just get here! Now go find as much information as you can on this engine prototype. That will be your work for the day," Harvey said, slapping a folder down in front of his desk.

Mike nodded submissively and snatched it up, stopping on his way back to his cubicle to duck down and get his messenger bag.

Donna said nothing, but patted his better shoulder in comfort before she returned to her desk. He stared at her a bit longer before he returned to his e-mail reading and decided to treat Donna sometime this week for being so patient with him as always.

It felt like Harvey had hardly done any work before he glanced at the clock and noticed the time on his computer which read 11:55. Right on time, Jessica walked by his office and gave him a pointed glare. He put the lid down on his laptop to show he was finishing up with work for the day; Donna was already powering down her computer and putting her things in her bag. He probably better stop by Mike's and make sure he didn't try to sneak any papers home.

It was of no surprise to him to find two stacks of folders on both sides of Mike's desk, almost like sentinels to make sure he was getting his work done.

"I hope you realize what time it is," Harvey said, coming up to his cubicle to tower over him.

"Yes, I know, but Louis wants me to do all these briefs by tomorrow," Mike said, with a grimace.

"He's not allowed to."

"I can't just say no."

"Sure you can. Tell him he needs to take up with Jessica. That will put him in his place," Harvey said with an exasperated tone, wondering why in the hell Mike couldn't stand up to the man for once.

"You think Jessica will back me up on this?" Harvey didn't say a word. "Right, stupid question. I'm packing up."

Harvey glanced around to see that Greg seemed to have little in the way of work to do and it only seemed fair that one of Louis' trolls got the work instead. He walked around the cubicle, judging the stack critically. It could not be more than a foot high and as long as he portioned the way to his right hand, his left arm should be able to take it. That's what he told himself.

The moment he picked up the folders he felt his something slip in his shoulder and then his vision went completely white. The next thing he knew, he was staring up at a very pale and fearful Mike with several associates on their feet and crowding around him. "Harvey! What did you do?"

"My shoulder," Harvey tried to say but it came out more of a whisper. His shoulder felt like it was on fire! Beads of sweat were collecting on his forehead and he shivered uncontrollably from the pain that was emanating from his neck, even as he tried to leverage himself up with his right arm, but Mike pushed him back down.

"Don't move! Rachel, go get Donna!"

It seemed like only seconds later the secretary was racing down the hall, with Jessica close behind her.

"What did you try to do!"

"Move some folders," Harvey mumbled a bit more strongly, but his eyes were glazed in pain. "Help?" He asked, reaching out to her with his right hand.

"Sure you don't want me to call an ambulance?"

"I can walk," he replied, but his voice had lost strong quality again. "Just help me up."

It took a little effort, but they did manage to get him onto his feet, but his shoulder flared and he had to lean heavily on Mike. "Ray's downstairs waiting, so let's go," Donna said with more anger that he had seen directed towards him in a long time. "Now, tell me how exactly you hurt yourself."

"I tried to pick up some folders and I felt like my shoulder slipped,"

"Slipped? That never sounds promising. What the hell were you doing picking anything up with that arm?"

"It was just some files!"

"It's always something, Harvey. I'm glad at least that I don't have to convince you to go see a doctor now."

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!