Before tomorrow's new episode (which I can't say I'm looking forward to), I thought I'd update my first story. Thanks for all the lovely comments about it. They always make me smile.
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Chapter Ten
"Good to see you looking so much better Red."
Donna had been engrossed in her book that afternoon, when a familiar voice brought her back to her hospital room. She smiled at her latest visitor. "Hello Stu. Those for me?" She nodded to the bouquet of flowers that he was cradling in the crook of his arm. He laid them on the tray table across her bed and moved to the side to sit in the chair closest to her. "Who else would they be for?! How are you Donna?"
"I'm doing okay, although I'm starting to get rather restless in here. At this point, I just want to go home."
He nodded. "I can understand that. I'd have gone crazy by now! Well, unless the nurses were cute I suppose!" He gave her a wink and she laughed. She'd always liked Stu. "Any idea when they'll let you out?"
She sighed. "Well, I'm not in the ICU anymore, but I think they want to keep an eye on me for a few more days. I admit, it may be peaceful, but it's more lonely being in a room on my own."
He smiled. "I hear you have a stream of visitors though, so hopefully you're never lonely for long."
They talked easily for the next hour, as he filled her in on some new projects he was thinking about, as well as the hilarious disaster that was his last date. As he finished the story, she couldn't stop laughing, which only made him join in too. It feels so good to laugh again, she thought.
They were so caught up in their laughter, that neither of them noticed the door opening as Harvey arrived. The presence of Stu at Donna's side took him by surprise and he felt a little awkward interrupting their private joke.
"Hey. What's funny?"
Donna looked up and smiled at him, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes. "Hey. Oh nothing much. Just Stu's love life."
"It wasn't that bad!" he responded defensively, before nodding a hello to Harvey, who took a seat on the other side of the bed and held out the coffee he'd brought. "I thought you might need the decent stuff."
She beamed gratefully and took the cup from him, as Harvey eyed the flowers on the table. "Thanks."
Stu glanced at his watch and stood up. "I better get back to work. I'll come back and check up on you later Donna." He gave her another wink.
She chuckled and he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. Harvey observed them in silence and felt the sting of jealousy rise in him. "Good to see you Harvey."
He nodded in Stu's direction. "You too Stu."
After Stu had left, Harvey saw Donna giving him a quizzical look. "What?!" She raised her eyebrows, a puzzled look on her face. "Nothing. How's work?"
"Fine. It's good having Mike back. Takes the pressure off, but don't tell him I said that!"
"Your secret's safe with me! I hope you've sorted out a secretary by now Harvey. You know you need one."
He frowned and gave a distinctly unimpressed look. "I have a temp okay? Stop worrying."
A nurse appeared to check Donna's blood pressure and to give her some more medication. She beamed at the flowers. "Oh, these are lovely! I'll go and find a vase and put them in some water." She smiled at the two of them, clearly assuming Harvey to be the gift giver.
As the nurse left, Donna tried not to laugh at Harvey's obvious embarrassment. He gave her a sheepish look. "Hey, I brought the coffee didn't I?"
Her eyes sparkled with amusement and he couldn't help but smile. She is so beautiful. He swallowed, running his hand through his hair, trying to find the right words to say. Why the hell am I such a coward?!
"You okay Harvey?"
He nodded and was about to speak, when the door opened and Louis bustled in, a box of chocolates in his hand. God, what is it with all the gifts? Harvey grumbled to himself. As Louis nattered away to Donna, Harvey sighed and sat back in his chair; yet another moment missed.
…..
It had been two weeks since she'd woken up in the ICU, but finally Donna was being allowed to go home, albeit with a strict set of rules to follow and a schedule of regular outpatient appointments to check on her recovery.
She was sitting on the edge of her bed, dressed in a loose-fitting jumper and comfortable trousers. As she reached down for her shoes, she winced at the ache in her side, a continual reminder of what she'd been through.
Harvey appeared in the doorway, a holdall in his hand. He saw her struggle to bend for her shoes and walked over and crouched down to put them on for her. She smiled at the gesture.
He stood up and put the bag on the chair. "Is there much to pack?" Donna shook her head. "My parents already took most of my things home, so it's just whatever's left in the cabinet." He nodded and busied himself at clearing the bedside cabinet and packing the contents in to the holdall. Once he'd finished, he sat down next to her on the bed.
She turned her head to the side to look at him. She suddenly felt nervous about going home, facing the real world again and all of the anxiety she'd been feeling recently. Harvey could sense her unease and put his hand on hers as it rested on her knee. "You ready to go home?" His voice was low and gentle. She looked away and bit her bottom lip.
"It's alright Donna. We're all here to help you."
Her eyes met his and she smiled warmly. God, this man, she thought to herself. She leaned in to his side, enjoying the calming support she immediately felt. They sat there, side-by-side, for a few minutes, before Harvey broke the silence.
"So, it isn't just me who's here. Louis insisted on coming too and I didn't have the heart to say no."
Donna laughed. Louis was like a brother to her and she didn't mind at all. It then occurred to her that he wasn't there. "Where is he?"
As if on cue, the door opened and Louis poked his head around the door. "We ready to go?" He was giddy with the prospect of helping take Donna home.
"I think so," she murmured. With that, Louis opened the door fully and pushed a wheelchair through the doorway. Donna frowned and looked to Harvey. "I don't need that." Harvey shrugged his shoulders, making clear this was nothing to do with him.
"Louis, I really don't think that's necessary. I can just walk."
"Absolutely not Donna. You need to take things slowly and I am more than happy to be your chauffeur!"
Sensing there was no point in bursting Louis's bubble, she sighed and slid off the bed and sat down in the wheelchair. She saw Harvey's smirk and she gave him a look, which told him she was not amused.
Her nurse appeared at that point, carrying a paper bag containing her medications. "Are you clear on everything Donna? I think the doctors talked you through your meds and all the things you need to be conscious of over the next few weeks?"
"Yes, it's all clear. My first check-up is in a week, right?"
The nurse nodded and explained there was a list of her forthcoming appointments in the bag. "Thank you," Donna replied. She'd grown very fond of the incredible doctors and nurses in the hospital. "You're welcome Donna and just take things slowly. Don't overdo anything."
With that, Louis practically leapt to take the handles of the wheelchair. "Let's get this show on the road!"
Harvey let Louis take the lead and followed behind with the bag, trying to keep a straight face.
…..
Donna's apartment had never been as full as it was that evening, as her closest friends and her parents had dinner together, some around the dining table, with the rest eating around the coffee table. As they all talked and laughed with each other Donna observed them, all the people she cared about most, in one place. She felt incredibly thankful.
Sensing someone's eyes on her, she looked up and caught Harvey's gaze from across the room, where he was sitting on the couch. The fluttering in her stomach kicked up a gear in that moment and she found herself asking for the thousandth time just what was happening between them. Things were different somehow and yet nothing had dramatically changed. Maybe we will never work it out, she thought sadly.
Mike and Rachel were the last to leave, after Rachel had helped Donna clear up. "It's going to be fine Donna. If you need anything, just call us, okay?" Harvey showed them out, reminding Mike they needed to discuss the work he'd been doing for Trent Devon while Harvey had been focussed on Donna.
Having switched on the dishwasher and put the leftovers in the fridge, she returned to the living room, to find Harvey unfolding a couple of blankets on the couch, the pillows already settled at one end, creating a makeshift bed. "Harvey, you don't need….." She didn't finish the sentence, as he cut her off. "I'm staying Donna. No discussion."
She knew that tone and so didn't argue. There was also the fact that she was actually relieved she wouldn't be on her own in the apartment. She knew her attacker hadn't targeted her specifically and that he was safely locked up, but she still felt a little jumpy at the thought of an empty home.
"I'm going to make some tea," was her only response to Harvey, who nodded and finished laying the blankets out on the couch.
They drank their tea next to each other on the couch, in a comfortable silence, before Harvey noticed her eyes start to droop. "You're tired. You should sleep. It's been a long day."
Donna stood up and made her way to the hallway, which led to her room. She looked back at him as she switched off the main lights, leaving him bathed in just the low light of the table lamp. "Goodnight Harvey."
"Sleep well Donna."
He heard her bedroom door close and wandered to the bathroom to change in to the sweatpants and t-shirt he'd brought with him. Once settled on the couch, which was thankfully quite comfortable, he closed his eyes. Having Donna home was the next step on getting their lives back and he allowed himself to relax and fall asleep.
…..
He woke with such a jolt, that it took him a moment to get his bearings and remember he was at Donna's. What woke me up?!
He had his answer a few seconds later, as he heard the strangled cries from within the flat and throwing the covers aside, he hurried to her bedroom door. He knew no one could be in the apartment, which meant he'd been proved right about one of his worries. He hadn't told Donna, but the nurses had warned him that this could happen.
He opened the door and crossed the room, switching on the lamp as he settled on the side of her bed. Her screams broke his heart, as the nightmare she was having continued, causing her to pull at the covers in her sleep. He shook her gently, repeating her name, louder each time.
"Donna. Donna, wake up. It's alright."
It took him a couple of attempts, but on the third she sat up in bed, gasping for air. He moved to sit beside her and put his arms around her, pulling her close to him, one arm around her shoulders, the other cradling her head against his chest. "It's alright Donna. It was just a nightmare. I'm here. Everything's okay."
He felt her arms wrap around his waist as the quiet sobs filled the silence of the early morning. He rested his head atop hers and closed his eyes. "It's alright. You're safe now. I promise," he murmured, as he kissed the top of her head softly.
After a few minutes, her tears subsided and she moved one of arms from his waist to wipe her eyes. He loosened his hold on her a little, but continued to keep her in his arms. Her head against Harvey's chest, she squeezed her eyes shut, as if trying to somehow rid herself of the images in her mind. "It felt so real…..I was back there, in the office…."
"Sssshh. You're okay now." She could feel his hand gently stroking her back and her body started to relax. When she raised her head to stare at him, he ached to see her looking so distressed. He brought a hand to her face and wiped her tears away with his thumb, giving her his softest smile; the one he knew he kept just for her. "Let me get you some water."
He disappeared for a few minutes, but returning with a glass of water and a cool washcloth. She wiped her face with the cloth, letting the coolness of it relax her, before taking a few sips of water.
"You should try and sleep. You need to rest." She nodded.
Harvey hesitated next to her, but before he could move, she reached for his hand. "Will you stay? I know it's silly, but I don't want to be alone."
He'd have walked through fire if she'd asked him to, so this was an easy request to agree to. He nodded and slipped off the bed so he could pull the covers back on the empty side. Without a word, he turned off the lamp and climbed in to bed next to her, as she moved closer, his arms once again enveloping her.
"Thank you," she whispered.
He smiled and closed his eyes as she snuggled closer to him, one arm around his waist, the other hand resting on his chest by her head.
He knew when she was asleep, her breathing even and her body relaxed against his. It was the most content he'd felt in years and he soon followed her in to a peaceful sleep.
…..
Donna is finally out of hospital! It took me a while, but there were so many hospital moments I wanted to cover first! I'm making the most of having more time at the moment, so hopefully I'll be able to update this again soon. Thanks for reading!