Hey everyone; I hope you are still reading this! I've had major writing block on this story so that's why it's taken me awhile to finish. Anyways, again, I hope you are still reading these! Thanks!
Chapter Info: For Anonymous Guest: I have a request, can you write a story about PH having a camping trip and then Mike was bitten by a deadly mosquito. Everything was OK when they got back to PH. After a few days, he experienced symptoms of dengue fever (nose bleeding, fever, vomiting) but ignored them until the time that he can no longer go to work. And then of course caring Harvey comes to the rescue, worried because mike's dengue fever stage was alarming. Thanks. Enjoy!
"Camping? Come on, Harvey, you can't be serious."
"Does this look like the face of a guy that's not serious? And you think I'm thrilled be doing this? It's Jessica's idea of a team- building trip and trust me, the wilderness is not my thing."
"Can I just pretend I'm sick or something?"
"No, you're suffering this with me."
Mike groaned. This was so stupid. The entire floor of Pearson Hardman was forced to go to Colt Creek State Park in Florida in order to "team-build" and "get along better." The whole thing with Hardman had left a lot of people pitted against each other and Jessica decided that once they were together in a secluded place, things would get better. Harvey had snorted loudly at the meeting earning a glare from the managing partner. He, on the other hand, hated camping; he already had bad experiences with it and he vowed to himself that he'd never set foot in the woods again…but this time there was no escaping it. They were to leave tomorrow and Mike was still thinking of a way to ditch. Maybe he could get hit by a car while riding his bike into traffic…that way, Harvey would also have to stay behind because he was the first emergency contact.
"Harvey, I'm begging you-"
"Hence the reason I still consider you a puppy," the older man cut in.
"I'm serious!"
"And I am too; now go home and pack, because knowing you, you'll wait until the last minute to do so."
Mike's shoulders sagged, rubbing a hand over his face. He was done for. "Fine."
"Good, I'm glad we have an agreement."
The associate rolled his eyes before stalking out of the office. He dreaded this trip and he had a feeling at the pit of his gut that something bad was going to happen. Little did he know how right he was.
Friday Morning
Between getting to the airport to being on the plane to driving to the campsite, everyone was ready to punch everyone. Harvey and Louis were bickering like usual, Mike was being bothered by Kyle and Greg- also like usual- and only the girls were being the civil ones. When the bus stopped, the group quickly filed out for fresh air and personal space.
"I'm about ready to kill Louis," Harvey growled as they grabbed their bags from underneath the bus.
"Why's that?" Mike smirked.
"Do you have to ask?" The older man said.
"Guess not."
"Alright, we have a mile and a half walk to our spot, so I hope you're ready!" Jessica said as she turned to follow their guide. Everyone groaned, hoisting the heavy packs on their backs and doing the same. Mike sighed heavily and groaned and he took off behind Harvey, Donna and Rachel. After 1.5 miles of sweat, swears, and grumbling, they finally made it to their spot and got set up.
"Dinner's in an hour so feel free to explore if you want; make yourself comfortable. We're gonna be here for a while."
So for the next half hour, people went their own ways. Harvey and Donna went to walk near the lake, Rachel and Mike walked through the woods and Jessica was making day plans with the guide. After a while, Mike realized drinking all that soda on the plane was a bad idea.
"I need to go to the bathroom real quick," he said to Rachel, red creeping on his face. "Then I think we should head back before we get lost in this darkness."
Rachel agreed and waited in one spot while Mike walked behind some trees and went to the bathroom. He never even noticed that he was bit on the arm by a bug as they began to walk back to the tents. The next morning when he woke up, his arm was extremely itchy and almost burning. Sitting up in confusion, Mike looked to see that it was angry and swollen. When did this happen?
"What the hell?" He quickly whipped his other hand around and began scratching at it vigorously. "Son of a bitch." He wouldn't be surprised if he ended up ripping his skin; it itched like hell!
"Mike!"
Mike's tent shook and his heart leapt. Forgetting about the excruciating bug bite, he untangled himself from the sleeping bag and crawled to the entrance. He zipped it down and was met with the burning sunlight…and Harvey.
"What's going on?"
"We have a stupid exercise, that's what's going on. Come on, get dressed and lets go."
Mike groaned in annoyance, but disappeared back in the tent for a few minutes before emerging out and following the group. This was gonna be a long day…never mind that…it was gonna be a long week.
A Week Later
Mike yawned; today had been a really long day. Thank god they were leaving tomorrow. He couldn't stand being near those two Harvard douches much longer. He thought this was supposed to be a team building trip where people get along. Boy, he was sadly mistaken; those two assholes were never gonna change. It was nearly completely dark out and he probably should've brought his flashlight, but without coffee, his brain didn't work well at night. He walked farther into the woods to where the designated pee spot was…little did he know that he was being followed.
As he was reliving himself, Mike tuned out, not even hearing the footsteps behind him. Before he knew what was going on, there was a bag over his head his hands were being restrained behind him.
"Hey!" His voice was muffled; therefore, it'd be really hard for the others to hear him. He shouldn't have walked so far. Smart move, Mike. Suddenly, his legs were picked up off the ground and he was being carried; he tried to struggle, but both people had a tight grip on him. Mike heard snickering and he yelled out. "Who the hell are you?! Let me go!" His kidnappers only laughed louder…and then he heard the water.
"Oh no. Let me go, please! I won't tell anyone." The water got closer and he started to panic. "Get your fucking hands off of me! I'm warning you."
"Ooh, he's warning us; maybe you need to cool down a little…Golden Boy."
Mike's eyes widened in the darkness of the bag. Greg and Kyle; those fucking assholes!"
"Let me go!"
"If you say so."
And then one moment he was in the air, the next, he plunged into ice cold water, the bag floating off of his head. Unable to breathe, he weakly swam to the surface just in time to hear Kyle and Greg laughing hysterically as they ran off.
"Bastards," he growled while wading to the shore. When he got out, he was soaked to the bone, his clothes weighing him down. And it was then that it dawned on him; he had no idea where he was. It was near midnight, there was no moon and he was lost in the middle of nowhere.
"N-No…oh, no," he shivered, hugging himself and scanning the area. He was already feeling like crap, now this? Where the hell did they take me? He decided to start walking and praying that it wherever he went would bring him back to the camp or at least to civilization. Wrapping his arms tighter around his violently shaking body, Mike trudged into the woods.
Meanwhile, the groups were getting ready for bed. Greg and Kyle came back from dumping Mike, laughing and joking, but no one seemed to care. Donna was the first one who noticed Mike being gone for more than five minutes. She bit her lips nervously, looking around for the familiar blond hair…but there was nothing.
"Harvey," she turned to the man, who had just emerged from the tent, clad in a college sweatshirt and sweatpants. "Where's Mike?"
"How should I know? He probably went to the bathroom; you know the pup."
"The bathroom for fifteen minutes?"
"Head count in twenty!" Jessica yelled and Harvey rolled his eyes. He felt like he was in a nine year old summer camp. But going back to Mike…Donna was right, Mike had been gone awhile. That kid was always getting lost. He sighed heavily and grabbed a flashlight, Donna doing the same.
"Let's go find the so called genius." With that, they walked down the path, searching for Mike. After ten minutes of walking and calling Mike's name, they came up with nothing and Harvey was actually starting to get worried…though he wouldn't admit it.
"What if he's hurt or something?" Donna questioned in concern, tightening her jacket around her body. "Especially if it's this cold."
"I'm sure he's fine, Donna," though he didn't believe his own words. "He's supposed to have his GPS on him anyways; for all we know he could be back at the camp."
"You really think that?"
Harvey hesitated before speaking. "No." Come on kid, where are you?
~+SUITS+~
He was starting to get tired and dizzy; he couldn't feel his fingers or his feet, basically his entire body was numb, but where he was bitten on his arm, it was burning. He couldn't think straight and he was pretty sure that he was going around in circles. Coughing violently, he closed his eyes briefly and kept on walking in an uneven line. He turned the corner and suddenly bumped into a tall figure. Please tell me that's not Bigfoot.
"Mike! Finally!"
Wait, Bigfoot couldn't talk. Looking up he saw two blurry figures that he made out as Donna and Harvey.
"Mike, where the hell have you been?" Harvey said, shining the flashlight on the kid. Mike was soaked and shivering noticeably. His face was pale, his lips were blue and he looked ready to pass out. What has he been doing?
"D-Don't know…been l-lost. Went t-to g-go to the b-bathroom…K-Kyle and G-Greg kidnapped m-me and th-threw me in t-the lake. C-Couldn't see wh-where I was g-going."
Harvey ground his teeth in anger. He was gonna kill those guys. He rolled his eyes and pulled his sweatshirt off. "Here, take this before you catch a cold."
"Harvey-"
"Take it, kid, before I change my mind," he spoke again, but there was no heat behind the words.
Mike nodded jerkily before taking it and pulling it on. "M-Might be too l-late for m-me not to catch a c-cold, Ha-Harvey."
"Whatever, let's just get back before we get reamed by Jessica."
Mike chuckled and the three started back towards the camp, Donna's arm wrapped around the shivering associate and Harvey's hand on his upper back. Truthfully, he had been scared Mike had really gotten hurt, but now that they found the kid, he knew everything was gonna be okay…hopefully. By the time they got back to the camp, Mike was coughing, sneezing and swaying a lot more than earlier.
"You gotta stay awake, kid," Harvey said, nudging Mike to walk a little faster.
"M'trying Harv, jus' s-so…t-tired."
"We're almost there, sweetie." Donna ran her fingers through Mike's damp hair and he seemed to lean into her touch. Once they finally got back, Donna led Mike to his tent and Harvey went to go tell Jessica what happened; and she was pissed that something like that would happen on this trip and promised Kyle and Greg were gonna be punished. But he was gonna get those guys when they least expected it on his own; no one hurt his pup and got away with it. When he returned to the kid's tent, Mike was already passed out in new clothes…except for his Harvard sweater. He guessed he wouldn't be a jackass and he'd let the pup have it for tonight.
"I'm so glad we found him," Donna said as they walked back to their tents. "I just keep thinking that if we hadn't…"
"Donna, he's gonna be fine. All he needs is warmth and rest and he'll be better in the morning."
The red- head was skeptical, but nodded. "I hope so. Good night, Harvey."
"Night Donna."
With that, the two got into their tents and followed the rest of the group into dreamland.
The Next Morning
Everyone was awake…except for Mike. Harvey crawled out of the tent and stretched. Thank god they were going back home this afternoon. He didn't think he could last another day with more bugs…and he wasn't just talking about the crawling ones. Some of the people he worked with made him sick, especially the ones who messed with his associate. Speaking of, he saw everyone but the kid getting out, which meant only one of two things…he was lost again or he was still sleeping. He went over to the man's tent and shouted, barely noticing Donna standing beside him with a worried look.
"Mike, wake up!" He shouted, shaking the tent violently. But there was no response. Rolling his eyes, the older lawyer brought down the zipper and poked his head inside. And it was like a sauna in there. The lump under the blankets wasn't moving besides the weak rise and fall of his chest. Harvey gave Donna a confused look. "Mike?" He pulled down the covers and was met with a pale, sweaty face, scrunched up in pain. How did the kid already get fucking sick? God, he never did things halfway.
"Mike." He placed a hand on the kid's feverish forehead. Damn. "Mike, wake up."
The young associate groaned hoarsely, his head rolling on the pillow. He was still shivering somewhat and Harvey knew that wasn't good. "Mike, come on or I'll feed you to Louis."
Finally, the kid's eyes flickered open and he looked around briefly before the blue orbs landed on Harvey. "H-Harvey?" He coughed. 'What are you doing in my tent?"
"Waking you up…unless you'd rather be left behind."
Mike laughed humorlessly as he sat up and wiped his face.
"What's the matter with you? You look like shit."
"Thanks, I appreciate the compliment…I think I'm just getting the hit of being soaked and lost in the middle of nowhere for fifteen minutes."
"Yeah, that's probably it. Come on, we're leaving in half an hour and if you get stuck here we're not coming back." With that, Harvey exited the tent leaving Mike to get dressed. In five minutes, the young associate was wearing a jacket and jeans. He was ecstatic that they were going back home; he'd never thought he'd miss the greasy hotdogs, the rats, or the fact that no one cared about anyone else's business. He picked up Harvey's sweatshirt and went over to the man who was taking down his tent. Mike cleared his throat and Harvey turned around.
"Um…thanks. For letting me have this."
Harvey took it from him with a smirk and went back to cleaning his area. Nodding awkwardly, Mike went back and started packing.
Mike was surprisingly quiet on the ride back to the airport, but Harvey figured it was just because the cold was making him feel that way. Although, he couldn't help but notice that the kid kept unconsciously itching his arm in the spot where he whined about a bug bite. Sighing heavily, he realized that he was actually concerned. He leaned to the side over the aisle and grabbed Mike's wrist, hoping that no one saw him. This would be classified as caring.
"Mike, stop, you're gonna draw blood."
"Huh?" The younger man snapped out of his trance and looked down at his arm which was now red and more swollen. "Oh."
"You feeling okay?"
"Why? Do you care?" Mike joked.
"No, I just don't want you to die, because-"
"You care about me," Mike smirked.
"-there's way too much paperwork that'd I'd have to do to explain it and replace you," Harvey finished.
Rolling his eyes, Mike rested his head back on the window, earning a confused look from the older lawyer. "Are you sure, Mike?"
"Yeah, Harvey, I'm good. You can go back to not caring now." The younger man closed his eyes and Harvey pursed his lips before going back to his seat.
"I hate it when he lies," Donna grumbled.
"You and me both."
It was around seven o' clock at night when they got back and everyone was tired. Mike still remained silent and Harvey and Donna still remained worried. The pup hadn't talked at all besides for ordering a ginger-ale on the plane. Even then, he was quiet as hell. Usually Mike was a chatterbox, but something was out of the ordinary and Harvey didn't know why. He was about to confront the man and offer a ride home once everyone started to get into their cars at the firm, but Mike had immediately gotten onto his bike and took off towards his apartment. He and Donna just hoped the kid got home in one piece given his condition.
"Harvey, you need to check on him; make sure he got home."
"Donna, I'm sure he's fine; just feeling a little under the weather and tired."
But Donna gave him a look and he let out an exasperated sigh while rolling his eyes. "Fine, I'll go over in an hour…happy?"
"No." With that, Donna got into a taxi and she sped away. Harvey shook his head in disbelief before looking at his watch. He told Ray to come an hour later, because he had some paperwork he wanted to get a head-start on…then he'd go check on the kid. An hour went by and Harvey found himself standing in front of Mike's door, wondering if he should go through with this or not. Maybe he should, because he knew Donna would find out if he didn't. He slapped the door a couple times and listened for any sounds in the crappy apartment, but there was none…pretty reasonable, considering that the guy might be sleeping. However, his gut was telling him otherwise; he wasn't sure why, but he had a strange feeling that whatever sickness the kid had, it sure as hell wasn't a cold. "Mike, open up!"
Silence. Harvey looked around the empty hallway, biting the inside of his cheek. He rubbed his chin in thought before knocking loudly on the door once again. "Mike!" After a couple seconds, he couldn't wait any longer. Harvey took out his keys, finding the one he had for Mike's in case of another emergency- that was a story for later- and unlocked the door. Stepping in slowly, he looked around, finding that Mike's stupid contraction was indeed there…throw haphazardly on the floor he might add, but the kid wasn't in the bedroom. "Mike?" It was unusually quiet and it was getting on Harvey's nerves. He circled around couch and coffee table and that's when he saw him. Mike was in the bathroom, lying face up on the floor and unmoving. His upper half was bare and the shirt had been discarded on the door knob.
"Crap." Stumbling over, Harvey got to his knees and placed his hand on Mike's strangely warm chest and shook him. "Mike. Mike, wake up."
Almost instantly, Mike jerked awake and sat up, looking around in confusion, his headache making things a lot worse. "H-Harvey? What are you…what are you doing in my bathroom?"
"Donna made me come and check on you and I found you on the floor. What's the matter with you?"
"N-Nothing, I'm fine."
"You could've fooled me. What were you doing on the floor?"
"Uh…I don't…I don't know. I came home and I was gonna take a shower, but I think I lost my balance and fell…"
Harvey frowned, lifting up Mike's eyelids to look into his eyes for any sign of a concussion. Mike swatted the guy's hands away in annoyance. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, so apparently the kid hadn't hit his head on the way down…but he did sound kind of dazed while talking.
"…then I remember the floor feeling really nice against my back, because it was kinda itchy and burning. The next thing I know, I'm waking up with you here; must've fallen asleep."
Harvey tried not to show too much concern and rolled his eyes. "You're an idiot, you know that?"
"I should, because you've called me that approximately 147 times since we met."
Harvey's eyebrow rose and pursed his lips. "Whatever; you look like shit, you need to rest."
Clearing his throat and nodding, Mike let Harvey help him off the floor and to the bedroom. He collapsed on the mattress and sighed. "Aren't you gonna tuck me in?" Mike smirked.
Harvey just glared and pinched the bridge of is nose. "Sometimes you are just too much to handle…wonder if I should give you to Louis."
"You'd miss me too much."
Harvey scoffed. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that. Listen, I don't want you coming in until three tomorrow."
Mike frowned. "What? Come on, Harvey."
"You look like shit and I need you on your a-game."
Mike sank into the pillows, eyes drooping. "Fine."
For a second, Harvey was taken aback on how quick Mike gave in. Usually the kid would keep arguing for at least another three minutes. He was about to speak again when he heard the slight snores coming from the bed. Mike had passed out fairly briefly and Harvey was glad for that. Rubbing a hand over his face, he turned to leave, though hesitant about doing so. He wouldn't admit to it, but he was a bit concerned about the way Mike had been acting lately. He's just got a little cold, Harvey, it's nothing to get all panicky about. His conscience was right; Mike would be back to normal in a couple days.
"Night kid." And with that, he left the apartment and returned back to his own bed that he hadn't been in for nearly a week. Thank god they were home.
~+SUITS+~
He was slightly pissed and slightly grateful that Harvey let him sleep in. He wanted to work, but then again, he had only woken up around two. The guy would've killed him if it had been any other day. He still didn't feel good, actually he felt a little bit worse. Whatever he caught during the trip wasn't gonna go away in twenty-four hours. Trudging out of the elevator, Mike got to his desk and collapsed into his chair; he suddenly felt a presence and knew that Donna had seen him.
"Mike…what are you doing here?"
"Harvey told me to come into work."
"Figures."
"Hey, he let me sleep in an extra eight and a half hours, so that's a plus."
"Still, you look like crap."
"Thanks for the compliment." Mike took out his highlighter and got started on the briefs Louis already dumped on him.
"Seriously Mike, are you sure you're okay?"
"Never better." He was getting irritated about how many people had asked him that lately.
Donna pursed her lips sadly. "Well, if you need anything, you know where I'll be."
The pup muttered thanks and when Donna left, he let out a sigh of relief. He had been trying to hold in the grimace and moans of pain from his stomach stabbing his insides multiple times. He didn't know what was going on…but he did know one thing: it didn't look like he was getting better any time soon. Thank god, Harvey was at a meeting or he might send him straight back home and he couldn't afford that. There was too much work to be done and he didn't feel like falling behind. He'd rather be worked to his deathbed at a job he loved than go insane at home…and that was the truth.
5:38pm
Mike was exhausted and a couple times, he had actually nodded off. Louis' papers were done; he just had to find the energy to get up. Donna had also come by multiple times to "go to the break room." She had dropped of some files that Harvey wanted done and those had been easy…he actually felt more compelled to walk to Harvey's office than Louis'. Grunting in pain, Mike pushed himself out of the chair and grabbed the stack, first heading to Louis' office and then to Harvey's. With each step, his joints and his muscles were killing him. He hadn't felt this sore since he started riding a bike. As he approached the office, he noticed that Donna wasn't there; and he knew he shouldn't just go in, but the couch past those two glass doors were calling out to him. Looking to see if the coast was clear, he tucked the files underneath his arm and stepped inside. He plopped onto the really, really comfy couch and sunk into the back pillows. This was more comfy than his bed! Sighing heavily, he opened the folder and started to read so he wouldn't fall asleep…Harvey would fucking kill him! Unfortunately, he was still feeling extremely worn-out and he could help it when his eyes closed and they were too heavy to open them again. In a few seconds, Mike had dropped off into unconsciousness, not knowing that Donna had been watching him the whole time.
Twenty minutes later, Harvey came strolling out of the conference room, a smirk on his face. He had killed that meeting and the guy didn't even know what hit him. Now it was time to find Mike and see if he had gotten those papers done. Surely the extra hours he gave them helped and that his a-game was restored. The minute he reached Donna's desk, he knew something was off. The lights in his office were dimmed and Donna didn't even bother to look up at him. And the reason being was because Mike was in his office…on his couch…sleeping.
"What the hell is he doing?" Obviously the half-day off didn't help a bit.
"Sleeping; Harvey he's not looking too hot. His fever is almost 101° and he didn't even wake up when I took his temperature. He's really sick; like not cold sick, but something else. You need to let him go home."
"Donna-"
"Unless you want him infecting us all," she added with a smirk.
Harvey thought about it. That was true; he really didn't have the time and energy to get sick right now. "Fine. I'll give him a day off."
Donna glared at him, eyebrows rose.
Harvey huffed like an annoyed teenage girl which made Donna smile. "Okay, a couple days."
"Good boy, now go."
"You do know that I'm not the pup, right?" He said as he walked into his office. He tossed his things onto the chair before getting a good look at his associate. Mike looked worse than before. His eyes were red-rimmed and his face was pale, yet his cheeks were flushed with the high fever. His breathing sounded…off and Harvey couldn't help but wonder what the kid wasn't telling him. Harvey ran his fingers through his hair before going over to the man and placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Mike? Mike!"
It didn't take long before the associate's eyes snapped open and Harvey could see the green look on his face.
"G-Gonna be sick, Harv."
"Shit." The older man quickly grabbed the wastebasket and shoved it under Mike's chin just in time for the kid to start puking violently into it. Harvey scrunched up his nose in disgust, giving Donna a nervous glance. This went on for nearly seven minutes and Harvey had sat down next to Mike, placing a hand on the kid's trembling back.
"Jesus kid, you're gonna end up puking up your stomach lining."
Mike chuckled breathlessly. "S-Surprised…I already…h-hav- blegh!"
A couple more minutes went by and Mike finally finished and he was drained of every and all energy. He leaned into Harvey before realizing what he was doing and sitting back up. "S-Sorry."
"Alright, that's it." Harvey took the trashcan from Mike's hands and set it aside. "You're going back home. I can't have you infecting the whole office with your plague."
Mike groaned and whined. "Harvey I need to work."
"No, you need to get better. Get up; I'm taking you back to your place."
Once again, Mike didn't put up much of a fight. He let Donna help him out to the black town car and as soon as they started driving, the blonde dozed off against the red-head's shoulder.
"What are we gonna do with him, Harvey?" She whispered, running her fingers through the kid's hair.
"I don't know yet; first we have to figure out what the hell has gotten him so sick."
And still no one thought about the bug bite on Mike's arm that was slowly spreading the disease throughout the young associate's body…slowly killing him. Once they got to Mike's apartment, Donna stayed in the car while Harvey brought his associate inside. Mike had stumbled and tripped, nearly falling on his face multiple times, but Harvey kept him steady. And when they got to the bed, Mike dropped from Harvey's grip, instantly got under the covers and fell asleep. Harvey shook his head and decided Mike needed a babysitter for a couple hours, because he knew the moment Mike woke up and "felt better," that he'd try to come back to work. Calling Donna and letting her know the plan, she made fun of his caring and then let Ray drive her home. After hanging up, Harvey realized just how exhausted he really was. Clearing his throat and making sure his associate was comfortable, he fell onto the crappy couch, taking his suit jacket off and relaxing in the pillows. Within minutes, his eyes closed and he slipped into a light sleep. It only felt like five minutes, yet it was an hour, when Harvey's eyes opened, feeling a presence near him.
"Yes Mike."
"What are you doing here?"
Harvey turned around and found Mike leaning against the entrance to his room, hair tussled and wiping his face tiredly. He had dark shadows underneath his glassy blue eyes and his shirt stuck to his skin with sweat. His pale face was also slicked with sweat along with his normally spiked up hair which was plastered to his head. He definitely looked worse. "Making sure you don't die. Now sit down before you keel over."
Mike shook his head, which was a really bad idea and he tipped to the side, squeezing his eyes shut. "Need to take a shower; I feel disgusting."
"You look disgusting, too."
Mike gave Harvey a weak glare before heading towards the bathroom. Harvey got up from the couch, hands in his pockets and secretly making sure the kid wouldn't pass out.
"Uh, I won't be here when you finish, but I don't want you back at work."
Mike whipped around, making him stumble sideways. Harvey reached out and steadied the man. "Wh-why?" He sounded extremely panicked.
"Relax, kid; you need a couple days off. Take a break, stop pushing yourself…but believe me," he added so he didn't sound too concerned. "If Donna hadn't made me, I'd have you come back bright and early." Lie.
Mike rolled his eyes but went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Harvey sighed and stood in the living room, waiting for the water to start running; he had to make sure the kid did clumsily fall and hurt himself even more. After twenty minutes of listening to the pattering water, Harvey wiped his mouth and left, praying that Mike would actually listen to him for once and not come back to work later.
Two Days Later
Harvey had told him to take some days off and, reluctantly, he did. He hoped that it would make him feel better, that his sickness would somewhat go away, but no…it didn't. In fact, he felt ten times worse; his head felt like falling off, his suddenly appearing rash was itchy as hell, he was still sore, his throat and stomach hurt from the constant vomiting and just yesterday, his nose started bleeding…for nearly two hours off and on. Once he finally had gotten it under control, he passed out on the bed after an extreme head rush. Resisting the urge to puke again, Mike walked to his desk and sat down shakily. He didn't know how much longer he could deal with this; he hated that he felt this sick.
"Mike, are you feeling okay?"
He blinked a couple times to focus his vision and looked up to a hot brunette. Rachel. He smiled weakly, but it showed the complete opposite of how he was actually feeling.
"Hey Rachel…what did you say?"
She frowned. "I asked if you were alright…clearly you're not."
Mike disagreed. "I'm fine, just a headache."
"Just a headache? Mike, you look like you've seen a ghost and you have shadows under your eyes. That doesn't look like just a headache."
"Fine, it's a migraine."
"You're lying."
"I'm not."
"Yes you are."
"Rachel, I really don't have the energy to argue with you right now…and I have a shit ton of work to do for Louis, so…" he gave her a look and she rolled her eyes with a snort.
"Whatever." Rachel finally left him alone and when she did, Mike let out a shaky exhale and put his head in his hands. He really did have a bad headache- possibly a migraine- but there was a lot more to it than just that. His eyes closed again in exhaustion and he was just about to nod off when his insides stabbed him again.
"Son of a bitch." He shivered and wrapped his hands around his stomach. Why, why, why?
About a couple hours later of staring at the computer screen and doing nothing, Mike's eyes widened in complete fear. Something was strangely wrong; he felt dizzy and nauseous…maybe even cold and wasn't even doing anything. Mike gripped the ends of his desk and swallowed thickly, blinking rapidly. All of a sudden, he started to feel extremely hot; what the hell was going on with him? He looked around the room and it was spinning around him, and doubling. Sounds were distorted and he could feel the bile bubbling in his stomach. If he didn't get to the bathroom, now, he was screwed…and he'd be the laughing stock of the office for the rest of his living days. As he stood up onto shaky legs, he pushed himself to walk normally towards the men's bathroom without looking like a total klutz. By the time he reached the bathroom, Mike stumbled in and collapsed against the sink. He was breathing heavily and his chest suddenly started to feel tight. Arms shaking, he looked up into the mirror and gasped at what he saw; he looked relatively worse than he had this morning and that had only been three hours ago. He was sweaty and pale, his eyes had dark red rims around them from sickness and four days of no sleep, and it looked like he lost a few pounds. Mike coughed violently, wiping his nose when it started to drip…drip blood.
"Oh g-god." He stared down at his trembling hand in horror and then back up at the mirror. The red liquid was pouring out of his nose and once he recovered from his shock, Mike hastily ripped out paper towels and pressed it against his nose. It seemed to work for a little, but the towels immediately got soaked, dripping onto his hands and sleeves. His head was pounding and he felt extremely close to passing out. He tilted his head back, grabbing more paper towels and trying to staunch the bleeding…but to no avail, it kept spilling out. He closed his eyes as blood spilled into his mouth; he felt like throwing up as the warm liquid slid down his throat. But before he could turn to the stalls, his legs went weak and he crumpled to the floor, his head barely missing the edge of the sink. Mike sobbed in pain, his stomach churning as he crawled to the nearest toilet. His vision went in and out focus and before he could push himself up to the toilet, his body temperature dropped and then spiked dramatically; Mike's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he passed out…while bleeding out. Just hopefully someone would find him before it was too late.
At the same time, Harold walked towards the bathroom, scolding himself for drinking to many red bulls. He was trying to be like Mike, because Mike was the smartest guy he knew and the best at everything. If he could copy the lawyer, maybe he'd be better, too. His put his hand to his groaning stomach while pushing open the door. But all thoughts of peeing was wiped from his mind when he was met with a putrid smell…and sight. Blood was all over the sink and the floor; his mouth fell open and he looked around for the source, accidentally touching the blood on the sink. And then his eyes caught feet sticking out from one of the stalls. He slowly approached it and once he saw who is was Harold jumped back.
"Mike? Oh shit." He ran his fingers through his hair. What if he was dead? He could barely hear the guy breathing. Too petrified to even touch the lawyer, he stumbled back and out of the room, running straight for Harvey's office.
The moment she saw Harold running towards her, Donna knew something was wrong. The terrified look on his pale face and the blood on his hands was something to definitely worry about. She looked into the office where Harvey was reading files intently before standing up.
"D-Donna!"
"Harold, what wrong? Where did that blood come from?"
He was out of breath and he was so fucking scared. He might've just seen his first dead body. "T-The bathroom…there's blood…he's….I don't think he's breathing."
"Harold, calm down," Donna said loudly, trying to get to the kid's head. He was really starting to scare her. The only reason Harold would come here if someone was hurt was because…they knew them. "Who?"
"M-Mike."
Her heart stopped. She knew something was wrong with the kid; he had come into work today looking like death warmed over…actually for the past few days he looked like that and no matter how much she insisted for him to go rest, he refused, needing to work…not wanting to disappoint Harvey. That kid. He was something.
"You said he was in the bathroom?"
"Yeah…there's a lot of b-blood. It's all o-over his face."
Donna's eyes widened. She picked up her phone and handed it to Harold. "Call 911."
The man nodded nervously and pressed the buttons while Donna burst into the office, earning an annoyed glare from Harvey.
"What is it Donna? I'm busy; and where's Mike, I need him on this."
But when Donna didn't answer, he looked up with a frown; her face was deathly pale and when his eye caught the clown kid talking frantically on Donna's phone, he knew something was up. "Donna what-"
"It's Mike; he's in trouble."
His eyes widened and he followed the secretary to the men's bathroom. What they saw was both heartbreaking and stopping.
"Shit; Mike!" Harvey shouted, running over to his associate. "Did you call 911?"
"Yes, Harold did; he said they were on the way."
There was barely enough room in the stall, but Harvey made it work, squatting down next to Mike and wincing. He quickly pressed his fingers against the kid's cold neck and sighed in relief when there was a weak, but present pulse. "Mike, wake up!" God he looked like shit. Blood coated his mouth and chin all the way down his neck to his collar. His hands were covered in it as well and Harvey wondered how much blood the kid lost…and if it would be fatal.
"Come on kid," he slapped Mike's fevered cheek. "Mike!" It really started to scare him that the kid wasn't moving nor was he responding. How could he have gotten this sick in the past few days. Sure Mike might've had a cold, because of those two Harvard douches throwing him in the water at night, but this? The blood? He was really confused. Pursing his lips sadly, he took Mike's face in his hands, lifting it up slightly.
"Jesus, kid, what the hell happened to you?"
Suddenly, a small groan passed through Mike's pale blue lips.
Harvey's eyes widened. "Mike? Can you hear me?"
Finally, the young associate's eyelids flickered open, revealing unfocused, glassy blue eyes. It seemed that he didn't even know what was going on.
"Mike, look at me," Harvey demanded.
The kid blinked up at him, but there was no recognition…like he wasn't even sitting there.
"What's wrong with him?" Donna sniffed. Mike was really scaring her, especially the blood all over him.
"I don't know. Where are the paramedics?!"
"I-I…I'll go see if they're here yet."
Harvey nodded and when he turned back to the young lawyer, his heart sped up. Mike's eyes were closing. He roughly shook the man's shoulder. "Mike, stay awake, you hear me? Keep those eyes open."
Mike seemed to be looking at him, possibly hearing him, but after a few moments, his eyes fluttered close and his body went limp once more.
"Mike! Mike, wake the hell up." But nothing changed. "Fuck." Just as he was about to get more paper towels to staunch the bleeding, something peculiar caught the older man's eyes. He loosened Mike's tie and pulled the collar down to see dark bruises and red spots littering his lower neck. And he knew that if he looked further down, there would be a hell of a lot more. Shaking his head, he pushed himself to the sink, grabbed more towels and went back to Mike, pressing them against his nose.
"Just hang on, kid, hang on. I'm gonna get you help." God, what the hell happened? Because this was definitely not a cold.
~+SUITS+~
The ambulance ride seemed excruciatingly long. Harvey had been able to follow the gurney, that carried Mike, out to the vehicle and he was surprised that the medics didn't' stop him from boarding. And between the time it took to bring Mike down the elevator, it seemed like his condition was worsening. His breathing was scratchy yet barely existent; and even though he was unconscious, his body didn't give him a break and Mike ended up puking again, almost choking.
"Twenty-six year old male, unresponsive, regurgitating, fever over 104 and having difficulties breathing."
"What's wrong with him?" Harvey said, genuinely worried…and scared. Something bad was going on with this kid and he didn't even notice until today.
"Well," said the paramedic, placing an oxygen mask on Mike's face. "He has all the symptoms of dengue fever, but we won't be completely positive until we get to Presbyterian."
Harvey nodded with a heavy sigh, running a hand over his face. "God, Mike." Who the hell got dengue fever? Mike did, that's who. Once the medics moved out of the way, he got a good look at his sickly associate. "My god, Mike." The kid's face was extremely pale…gray even with blood lost. His eyes appeared sunken and his lips under the mask were tinted a darker shade of blue. His shirt had been ripped open and Harvey could really see the extent of the rash and bruises littered all over his chest…which was bouncing up in down as Mike tried desperately to get oxygen. Then he saw it, the red, almost swollen, arm. The kid had been complaining about a bad bug bite during the trip and Harvey had just told him to stop being a pussy about it and suck it up. Idiot! The older man swallowed thickly and placed a hand on top of Mike's sweaty forehead.
"It'll be okay, kid," he whispered, thanking god that no one else was around to see his caring.
And whatever he did seemed to help, because Mike was beginning to calm down…or so Harvey thought. All of a sudden, the machines went haywire. Harvey jumped back and looked at the paramedics in fear.
"He's crashing! Get the paddles!"
"Dammit, Mike," Harvey muttered. "Don't fucking do this, kid."
The associate's body shuddered for a few moments before going limp and Harvey had to watch helplessly as the medics placed the paddles on the kid's bare chest and shocked life into his heart. After seven failed attempts, they had to resort to CPR and Harvey's heart was pretty close to stopping itself. Mike was dead…Mike wasn't coming back, he wasn't even fucking fighting. And then Harvey realized how much he'd actually miss the kid…his little brother. He wouldn't admit it, but he loved the guy in a brotherly way; he reminded him of his own little brother so much. He couldn't lose this guy; he wouldn't.
"Come on, Mike, don't die on me. Please…I need you."
For some reason that seemed to do the trick and a faint beep returned to the monitor. All three people in the car breathed out a sigh of relief.
"He's stable for now, but I don't know how much longer he's gonna hold."
For the rest of the ride, everything seemed fine until they pulled in front of the emergency doors. "He's not breathing!"
And before Harvey could say or do anything, Mike was wheeled out of the vehicle and rushed into the emergency room where Harvey could only go so far.
"Sir, he's in good hands now; I'm gonna need you to sit down and fill out some forms for me," the nurse said.
Harvey hesitated before reluctantly agreeing, taking the clipboard and papers from the woman and went to go sit down. But he couldn't concentrate; all he could think about was Mike dying and never seeing the kid's annoying blue puppy dog eyes again. He couldn't help but think that this was his fault; he read people for a living, but he failed to read that Mike was in bad shape and now he had to pay the price. They both did…he might lose his little brother and Mike might lose a life.
"Shit, Mike…Shit."
Fifteen minutes later, Donna burst into the waiting room and found the older man staring into space. He looked like he'd aged five years and she knew that whatever happened the ambulance was nothing short of a disaster.
"Harvey."
He looked up and gave the redhead a grim smile and her heart sank. "Harvey, what happened?"
"It's not good, Donna, he stopped breathing the moment we got here." He wasn't gonna tell her about the kid crashing, because that would just freak her out more. "He's gotten worse."
"Son of a bitch." She sat down and looked at the clipboard in the man's grasp. The papers were blank. Sighing sadly, she took it from Harvey and began to fill it out. She knew more about Mike than the guy did anyways.
"He's gonna be okay, right?" She asked, not looking at her boss.
"I don't know, Donna. I really don't…" …think he's gonna make it.
~+SUITS+~
Five hours. They sat, they paced, the worried, and they cursed for five hours. Waiting was neither one of their strong points and they just wanted to know if Mike was okay.
"No news is good news, right?"
"That better be the case; we've been waiting too damn long." Harvey got up, running his fingers through his hair for the hundredth time. Harvey grumbled in frustration. He was just about to start punching people when a deep voice spoke up.
"Ross? Family of Michael?"
Harvey looked up and eagerly walked over to the doctor. "That's me. I'm Harvey Specter, his boss."
"Ah, yes, you're the next of kin."
"How's Mike? Is he okay?" Donna spoke up as she appeared next to Harvey.
"Why don't we have a seat."
"Why?" The lawyer's heart beat painfully against his chest and in his gut, he knew that something bad was coming.
"Please." The doctor nodded to the chairs and Harvey begrudging obliged, letting Donna lead him over and sit.
"My name is Dr. Banks and I tended to Mr. Ross' condition. Firstly, I need to ask; has he been anywhere tropical in the past six months?"
"Yes, we went on a team building trip last week in Florida," Donna answered.
"Well, that confirms that the mosquito that bit him was infected with the disease. Now, as you may already know, he came in unresponsive and a possibility of dengue fever. The medics predictions were, unfortunately, correct and upon arrival, he went into respiratory arrest. We got him back, but his condition isn't getting any better; even though unconscious, he occasionally threw up, making breathing even more difficult. He's also lost a lot of blood just from his nose, some of which he swallowed. We managed to finally stop the blood flow, but like I said, a lot of blood was lost and we had to transfuse him a couple pints. His fever, in the ambulance, was said to be around 104°, but since then, it climbed a few and to prevent his brain from overheating, we put him in an ice bath. His temperature has been gradually decreasing."
"Is he gonna be okay? I mean, is he gonna make it."
"Well, unfortunately, Mr. Specter, I have some more bad news."
"What could be worse?" The lawyer muttered.
"Mike has gone into a coma due to the seizure he had in the ice bath."
"Coma?" Donna cried. "W-When is he gonna wake up?"
"No one can be sure; it's up to Mike when he wants to wake up. The physical toll on his system was too much and his brain decided to shut off. For how long, I don't know."
Harvey bowed his head, scrubbing his face. "Shit…when can we see him?"
"At the moment, he's getting settled into his room, but I'll come out when he's ready. You must believe me when I say this, Mr. Specter, Mike's actually one of the lucky ones. The dengue fever had progressed to a very fatal stage and it's a miracle that he's made it this far."
Harvey pursed his lips. He's a stubborn fighter. "Okay…thanks."
"If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
Donna nodded for the both of them before placing a hand on Harvey's back. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Harvey-"
"I need some air." He got up and headed for the exits, aware and ignoring that Donna was staring after him. This had all been too much to take in at once. Mike had died- too many times to count- he was sick and he was in a coma. What could be worse than that? He was losing his kid and he hated that he couldn't do anything about it. Stepping outside, he wished that he had a blunt to smoke, but he was done with that; he sat down on the bench and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. You have to be okay, kid. You're not allowed to leave me like this.
Twenty Minutes Later
Harvey and Donna were being led down the hallway by Dr. Banks, and to tell the truth, they were worried at what they might be subjected to. If Mike had looked like shit earlier, then he was gonna look even shittier now. They turned into the ICU and headed to a large, dimly lit room. And what they saw broke their hearts…even Harvey's. They were right, Mike did look worse.
"If you need anything at all," Dr. Banks said sympathetically, "just press the call button and a nurse will be with you right away. He's stable for now and hopefully nothing will happen to endanger his recovery."
"Thank you," Donna whispered. She and Harvey shared a worried glance before stepping into the room and standing at the end of Mike's bed. There were only two good things that they saw; one was the fact that Mike was alive and two, was that he was, thankfully, breathing on his own. Donna could stay standing any longer and she rushed over to Mike's side and sat down, grasping his hand.
"It's so cold…but I can feel the heat radiating off him like a furnace…how could we not know that he was this sick? I mean dengue fever? How does that even happen?"
"It's Mike; anything that's nearly impossible to happen to someone else, always happens to him."
Donna gave the man an annoyed glare, before turning back to Mike, rubbing his cheek with the back of her hand. Harvey sighed and closed his eyes. "He tried to tell me."
"What?"
"He told me about the bite while we were still at Colt Creek. I brushed it off and told him to stop being a baby." Harvey put his hand on his forehead. "Fuck." He was an idiot. He knew that in the tropical areas, a lot of bugs gave diseases. He went to go sit down on the other side of his associate, placing his hand on Mike's cold skin.
"Dammit, kid." I'm sorry. This shouldn't be happening to you. He watched as Mike's bare chest rose and fell unevenly. He could now see the full extent of the illness; bruises were everywhere and his some of his skin was no longer pale, but red with spots…and the look on his face showed that even in a coma, he was still in some sort of pain.
"Do you want some time alone?"
The lack of response told Donna he did and as she got up, Donna kissed Mike on the forehead before giving Harvey a sad smile and leaving. Once the red-head left, Harvey moved his hand from Mike's arm and slid it down to the kid's hand, entwining it with his. He remained silent, not sure what he should be saying. Sorry? This is my fault? It should be me? It should've been him. Mike didn't deserve this at all.
"Mike, you gotta pull through for me," he said after a few minutes of silence. "I'm sorry I let this happen to you." And then it occurred to him; he was feeling guilt. And emotion that he rarely if never felt. The only time he felt guilty was when Marcus, his real little brother, got hurt on his watch…and that's just what this was. Mike, his surrogate little brother, had gotten sick on his watch. Sighing heavily, Harvey rested his other hand on Mike's forehead and kept it there for a while before sitting back in the chair and closing his eyes…yet not removing his hand from Mike's. It might be a little awkward when Mike woke up and saw that…and yes, he was going to wake up. He wasn't gonna let anything else bad happen to his little brother. It was going to be a long night…or worse, days.
~+SUITS+~
2 Weeks Later
It's been two weeks. 14 days, 336 hours, 20,160 minutes and 1,209,600 seconds and Mike still hadn't moved a muscle. It was destroying everybody, especially Harvey; and he didn't have to say it for anyone to know. He was unshaven, his hair was messy, his clothes were wrinkled and he'd deny it like there was no tomorrow, but his eyes were red-rimmed like he was crying. When Donna came in frequently, he would sit up straight, clear his throat and wipe his face of any and all evidence of tears. But she knew; she knew how much he cared for the kid in the bed and there was no hiding it.
"He's gonna be alright," she had said multiple times, but he would just nod weakly and return his gaze to motionless Mike. Mike wasn't looking to hot either; even though his temperature had gone down and his bruises were fading, there was no sign of activity in his brain. He was skinny…too skinny and his liver had been having some problems, so now instead of pale skin, he had a pale yellow tint to it. From time to time, Donna would manage to get Harvey to eat something, but he would never leave and she would have to bring the food to him.
"Mike, can you hear me? Because I need you to hear me; you have to wake up, kid. Not just because I need you to do all my legwork…but because I need my little brother back. My sidekick, my Robin, the Newman to my Redford, the Danny Glover to my Mel Gibson, the Dan Aykroyd to my John Belushi…the Barbie to my Ken," he ended with a chuckle. "You're Barbie by the way."
Still no response.
"Point is kid…I can't be me without you. I realized that a while back when you didn't come to work after your grandmother died. You, Donna…and I guess Jessica…you are all my family. You're all I have since I rarely ever see Marcus. It's just really weird not having you around and it's not right to see you laying here, wasting away." Silence…and this made Harvey frustrated. "Come on, idiot, wake the fuck up already; the games are over, you've made me admit that I care, okay? So open your fucking eyes." He squeezed Mike's hand tighter until he remembered that the kid was so fragile that he might end up breaking bones. He clenched his teeth and placed his trembling hand on Mike's cheek, turning his head towards him. There was no reaction on the man's face…just pale and blank. And seeing that made Harvey lose the anger and break down. "Come on, kid, please don't do this. I need you to wake up, please. You're my little brother and…" he really didn't want to say it, but part of him felt that if he did, it might help. He quickly looked around before staring back at Mike. "…and I love you like one."
Harvey choked and bowed his head, listening to the faint heart beats. All of a sudden, there was a new sound…a triple beep. He lifted his head up and to the brain monitor and saw that there were waves…did Mike hear him?
"Mike? Mike! Come on kid, do something." The older man searched his associates face for any reaction. For a moment, there was nothing- which was no surprise- but suddenly Mike's eyelids twitched and Harvey's heart leapt into his throat. He could see the kid's eyes rolling under the lids and his brow furrowing. The kid was finally waking up. Smiling for the first time in a long time, Harvey pressed the call button and then went out into the hallway, meeting with the nurse.
"Mr. Specter, what is it?"
"He's waking up."
The brunette smiled and turned to go get the doctor. Harvey pulled out his cellphone and called Donna, knowing that she'd be happy about this recent news. Ten minutes later found Harvey and Donna standing outside while Dr. Banks assessed Mike. By the time he came out, Harvey was ready to go back in.
"How is he?"
"A bit confused, as to be expected, his blood pressure is still pretty low, so we need to keep an eye on that. The rash and bruises are going away nicely as well; he's going to make a full recovery."
"Thank god," Donna whispered.
"Now he will be extremely tired for the next couple of days, not to mention he may have headaches from time to time; so don't stress him out. He needs to take it easy."
Both Harvey and Donna nodded in confirmation before Dr. Banks allowed them to go back into the room. Donna went to Mike's side without hesitation, running her fingers through his blonde hair.
"Mike, honey? Can you hear me?"
A small moan slipped passed his lips as his head rolled to her voice. And then the moment they all had been waiting for, for 14 days. Mike's eyelids slid open, revealing glazed over blue puppy dog eyes. Donna smiled in relief, glancing up at Harvey who hadn't moved an inch from the doorway.
"Hey, pup; how are you feeling?"
Mike searched the woman's face tiredly, his eyes drooping frequently. He was barely able to stay conscious right now. He swallowed thickly, his throat dry as hell; he was extremely confused, not to mention, really tired. His head felt cotton-stuff and voices were muffled. He exhaled through his nose and let out a faint hum before closing his eyes again. He heard Donna say something, but he couldn't quite make it out as he sank deeper and deeper into unconsciousness.
Donna smiled sadly; the kid was really drained. "Just get some sleep, sweetie. We'll be here when you wake up." When Mike's breathing deepened, Donna stood up straight and looked to Harvey.
"I'm gonna head back home; I think you got it covered, right?" She said with a smirk.
"What was that face for?"
"Mr. I don't care; ha, you could've fooled me."
Harvey rolled his eyes. "What are you talking about?" They traded spots, Donna going by the door and Harvey by the bed.
"A person who doesn't care wouldn't be staying by the pup's side for this long."
Harvey cocked his head. "I'm his next of kin, I have to be here."
"No…you don't. You're staying, because you care about him in a brotherly manner."
"Goodbye Donna."
The redhead smirked and disappeared from the room. When he was sure she was gone, Harvey sighed heavily and walked over to Mike's side, sitting in the chair he'd been in for too long. He scanned Mike's body again tiredly. He still seemed a little pale, but his cheeks were starting to get a little color back. When he touched the kid's hand, he felt that it was finally warm again. His chest was rising and falling regularly and his breathing was less scratchy. Smiling inwardly, he leaned back in his chair, never removing his hand from Mike's. It was gonna be a while until Mike woke up again, and it was time for a well-earned rest.
~+SUITS+~
Everything was sore…more so, his head was pounding. Sounds were muffled and he felt a warm weight on his hand. Opening his eyes, he was met with darkness…his heart raced for a split second, thinking that he was blind. However, when he looked to the side, he saw a dim lamp on the nightstand. Mike rolled his eyes up and saw monitors surrounding his head and he soon realized where he was now. The hospital. He didn't know what happened, though; the last thing he actually remembered was being in Colt Creek Park for that stupid team building…so something really bad must've happened for him to land here. Sighing heavily, he rolled his head to the side and saw a dark figure asleep in the chair. Squeezing his eyes shut a couple times and squinting, Mike smirked at the sight he saw. And he said he didn't care. He looked down at his hand and saw Harvey's on top of it. Yeah right; he's gonna have a hard time proving that. He stretched a little and cleared his throat before staring over at his boss. The guy looked like shit…which only made him wonder what he looked like.
"H-Harvey?"
Harvey jerked from his uncomfortable position, looking dazed and confused. After a couple seconds, Harvey remembered where he was and moved his gaze to Mike. When he saw the kid staring back at him with clearer eyes than earlier, he smirked. He also quickly snatched his hand back, red creeping on the tip of his ears.
"'Bout time kid; I was beginning to think I'd need to hire a new pup."
Mike smirked weakly and yawned, shifting on the bed. "What time is it?"
"Late."
"How long have you been here?"
"Too long, kid."
"What does that mean?"
"Mike, there's really no easy way of saying this but…you were in a coma…for two weeks."
The associate's eyebrows rose in a second. "T-Two weeks?" He coughed violently, his heart racing.
"Hey, take it easy kid. Doc said not to stress yourself out." He reached for the pitcher of water, pouring it in a paper cup and passing it to Mike.
"Thanks." He took a long sip and then gave it back to Harvey. "Really?"
"Yeah; it was pretty bad. Scared Donna to near death." Scared me to death.
Mike stared at Harvey for a moment before taking a deep breath. "What…what happened?"
"It's a long story, Mike…you ready to hear it?"
"Now's a better time than any, I guess." He leaned back in the pillows, getting comfy. "Let's hear it."
Harvey nodded with a slight smile. "Alright…"
Six minutes passed and Mike was looking at Harvey incredulously. He couldn't believe all that happened. He almost died, he passed out in the bathroom, and he got a weird disease. Why do these things always happen to him? He unconsciously rubbed his hand over the bite spot remembering that he thought it was just poison ivy.
"You're gonna be okay though, Mike. We just have to keep you away from tropical areas from now on…so no trips to Hawaii if there's ever a business meeting…well for you anyway."
Mike rolled his eyes. "Thanks Harvey…for everything."
"No problem, kid. Just don't do it again…and this doesn't mean that I care by the way."
Mike laughed out loud, earning him a look from the older man. "Then why were you holding my hand?" He smirked.
Shit. "I wasn't holding your hand. I just rested it near your hand."
"No, I saw it."
"You're delusional; those drugs are messing with your head."
"My head is perfectly clear; you can deny all you want, but when I tell Donna-"
"Which will never happen; whatever we talked about in this room stays in this room."
"Why?"
"Because I said so."
"That's not a legitimate answer." Mike yawned, feeling the drugs start to pull him under again.
"It's my answer and the only answer you're gonna get. Now go to sleep before I smack you."
"You wouldn't hurt me; you love me too much."
"You wanna try me?"
Mike's eyes began closing slowly. "I'll fight you any day, any time."
"Goodnight, Mike."
However he didn't receive a response, because Mike had already fallen into a peaceful sleep. Harvey smirked and shook his head in disbelief. Mike was one of a kind…but he was his one of a kind…his little brother that he swore to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. Ever.
Fin!
Hope you liked it! And I hope Harvey wasn't too OOC…
Next story is for: Nikkie
A/N: So, it's that time; the prompt window is closing. Get them in! Here's the list of people who gave prompts and if you want to be on that list, you know what to do!
Nikkie
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