CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses." -Ann Landers
DONNA
Sunshine slowly peeked through the curtains of Donna's bedroom sometime close to almost seven o'clock the next morning. Donna knew the exact time because she'd found it hard to sleep almost at all that night with everything that had transpired. She'd tossed and turned, replaying the kiss she and Harvey had shared, the words they had exchanged, and, ultimately, the seismic shift that had easily changed the course of their relationship. What were they now? Were they in a relationship? Donna finally could admit that she did want to try… but did he? They hadn't discussed the specifics, only agreeing to take everything slow. How slow… well that they would need to figure out. If they thought about, it had taken them twelve years to get to this point. That counted as slow, right?
Sighing, she pushed herself from the bed and stretch her arms above her head, groaning at the bite of the cold air that seeped into her bones. Donna rose from the bed, deciding that if they were to get on the road back home, they should probably do that soon. She retreated into the hallway and was instantly hit with the smell of bacon. Smiling, she padded her way quietly towards the kitchen.
Approaching the entryway, Donna's smile grew even larger. Harvey, his back turned to her, was humming a tune she couldn't make out while he poked at a skillet atop the stove. There was a steaming cup of coffee resting on the counter beside him and one, which she assumed was for her, sitting on the kitchen table. She leaned against the door frame, crossing her arms over her chest and just admired the scene. This was easily something that she could get used to.
"You know that I know you're there, right?" Harvey asked, a hint of a smile on his voice. He glanced over his shoulder towards Donna and she raised an eyebrow in question. "What? You're not the only one with telepathic super powers. Besides, I'd recognize your perfume from a mile away."
Donna smirked and pushed off the door frame to fully enter the room. Her steps were small and uncertain as she approached the table and sunk into a chair. She didn't know how to act around him anymore, and that frightened her. Relaxing into her seat, she decided that she'd act normal, almost as if nothing had happened. She'd let him be the one to broach the subject for once. Reaching for the coffee mug, she was surprised when she didn't have to wait long.
"So… I've got this- thing… this upcoming Saturday," Harvey started, flipping off the stove and turning towards her with the pan in his hand. He approached where she sat and pushed a few eggs and pieces of bacon onto the plate in front of her.
"A… thing…" Donna echoed, confusion lacing her voice.
Harvey nodded and turned to shovel the rest of the food onto his plate before dropping the pan into the sink behind him and joining her at the table. "Yeah- like a fundraiser type of thing," he continued, flicking his eyes towards her to catch her gaze. A lazy grin stretched across his face and he reached for his coffee to take a sip before continuing. "I was thinking maybe you'd join me?"
Donna, for not the first time on this trip, found herself speechless. Shaking her head, she attempted to regain her ground. She had, of course, known about the event, she'd been the one to schedule it for him. Never in her wildest dreams, however, did she imagine joining him.
"Is Harvey Specter asking me out on a date?" Donna joked, a sparkle dancing in her eyes.
Harvey just shrugged, suddenly embarrassed. "I mean, I don't usually do the whole dating thing, you know that. But… yes. I'd like to take you as my date. So…?"
Donna pretended to think about her answer. After a moment or two, though, she decided to take mercy on him and reached across the table to rest her hand atop his. "I'd love to go, Harvey. What time are you picking me up?"
Harvey instantly lit up at her answer, flipping his hand over to fully grasp hers and give it a gentle squeeze. "Sometime around five?"
Donna nodded her acceptance before giving his hand one last squeeze and turning back towards her plate of food. Taking the first timid bite, her eyes widened in surprise at the taste. "Wow, this is actually quite good!"
Harvey rolled his eyes. "I can cook, Donna. I'm not completely inept."
Donna giggled and forked another helping into her mouth. She knew that Harvey could cook, but she also enjoyed poking fun at him now and again. He didn't seem to mind.
They sat in amicable silence for a few minutes, enjoying their breakfasts and each other's company. The morning was easy, almost as if they'd shared these moments quite often. Donna secretly hoped that there would be many more to come. She watched as Harvey inhaled his food, steps ahead of her and glanced towards his wrist watch.
"It's almost eight," he said. "I think we should get on the road soon if we plan on getting back to New York today."
"What about the snow?" Donna asked, remembering his comments the night.
Harvey rose from his place, setting his dishes in the sink before turning back towards her. "It's let up. I think we could make it if we leave soon." He shot her a smirk and headed towards the door. "We may have to shovel a bit, though... And frankly my dear, I don't give a damn about your manicure."
It only took them maybe an hour or so to shower and pack what few things they'd brought along for the trip. They agreed that most of Gordon's things could stay at the cabin for now as there wasn't much room in the car anyway. Donna mentally penciled in a few weekends to return and properly go through the boxes with Harvey, knowing he'd want to come back sooner rather than later.
By the time they'd loaded the car and had (much to her dismay) shoveled a few feet around the vehicle, it was pushing just before nine o'clock. Donna shot a worried glance towards Harvey as he approached the car from returning the shovels to the garage.
"Harvey, maybe I should drive? You should take it easy with your leg," Donna offered.
Harvey just rolled his eyes and proceeded to open her door, ushering her inside the warm car. "I'll be fine, Donna. I promise to switch with you, though, if it starts bothering me."
Donna hesitated for a moment before nodding her consent and dropping down into the passenger seat. She'd keep an eye on him and force him to pull over and let her drive if it came down to it. Sighing, she plucked her snow cap from her head and blasted the heat in the car. She watched as Harvey climbed in and adjusted his seat before turning the car towards the exit.
'Here we go,' Donna thought. 'Back to reality.'
Harvey had been right about the snow not being too heavy… for a while. They drove through nothing but sparse flakes and mild drifts for a while and Donna let herself relax. She'd glance once or twice towards him to track his level of comfort but never found anything that indicated he was unfit to drive so she didn't bring up his injury again.
They were about halfway home when the snow decided that it wasn't finished. Within the span of an hour, the road had once again cleared of travelers and the blanket of frost and ice coating the landscape became treacherous. Donna felt her palms grow clammy as the flurries picked up almost to the point of not being able to see out the front windshield. Clearing her throat nervously, she turned towards Harvey.
"How are you doing?" She asked.
He shrugged tightly, never removing his eyes from the road. "I'm fine. Weather's turning shitty again but… I think I can manage."
Donna sat nervously, not responding. Harvey finally glanced towards her and seeing the anxiety radiating from her posture, he offered a tight smile. "Why don't you put some soft music on? Take your mind off the snow?"
Donna nodded and turned to flick on the radio. She was surprised that they'd made it almost the whole trip not using the thing. That probably had a lot to do with the comfort she felt just sharing a silent moment with Harvey. Flipping through the channels, she stopped at a station that was playing what sounded like music from the 60's. A soft Frank Sinatra ballad filled the car and Donna felt herself relax slightly in her seat.
"Rat pack?" Harvey asked after a minute. He smirked and drummed his fingers against the wheel as he drove. "I thought for sure you'd find some Pat Benatar or Jody Mitchell."
"I have a wide array of music preferences," Donna responded smartly, offering her own smirk. "You don't know everything about me, Harvey."
Harvey was silent, taking in her words, and Donna felt the air between them shift from light and jovial to suddenly serious and contemplative.
"You're right," Harvey finally responded softly. "I don't. But I'd like to learn a lot more."
He reached over, then, and gently took her hand. Donna felt a shiver run down her spine at his statement. They really needed to have that conversation about where they stood… soon.
Releasing her hand, Harvey turned back towards the road and let the soft waves of music fill the space between them. Donna leaned back against the headrest and closed her eyes, not intending to fall asleep but to relax a bit and get her mind off of their travel conditions. She hadn't had her eyes closed for more than a few moments when Harvey suddenly let out a sharp curse. Donna's eyes flew open. They had hit a patch of black ice and the car, once headed due south, was suddenly pointing east as the wheels spun uncontrollably beneath them.
"God dammit!" Harvey spat, his hands struggling to get control of the vehicle.
Donna's heart leapt into her throat and she felt herself death grip the armrests as she watched the scene play out in front of them.
Harvey slammed down his foot on the brake, something Donna knew was an absolute 'no-no' when spinning out but she also knew it was an involuntary reaction. The sudden braking caused the car to accelerate in its drift, spinning them around in a circle. The road, which had once been packed full of white snow in front of them, disappeared as the car's tires threw up drifts, blocking their view. Donna felt the car suddenly shift in angle and then they pounded harshly into a hard surface, finally coming to a stop.
Harvey's breaths were matching her's: erratic and quick. He gripped the wheel tightly for a moment before finally releasing his hold and turning towards her.
"Are you ok?" He asked, concern lacing his features. He reached for her, lightly touching her face and running his eyes over every part of her that he could see.
Donna nodded, still shaken. "I'm- I'm fine. Are you- how's your leg?"
"I'm alright," Harvey quickly answered, cutting her off. He let out a shaky breath and collapsed back against his seat.
Donna turned to stare out the window in front of them but could see nothing through the thick snow that had landed on the glass.
"I think we're in a ditch," Harvey said, answering her unspoken question. He ran a hand through his hair and turned to pluck his hat from the back seat. "I think we'll probably have to call a tow company but let me see the damage."
He didn't give her time to respond before climbing from the car. A gust of cold air pulled in behind him and Donna shivered, reaching for her own hat and gloves. She decided that she couldn't just sit here, besides, the angle of the car was too much for her weak stomach right now. She climbed out right after him.
"God dammit!" Harvey spat, kicking one of the car's tires. Donna turned to take in the entire situation.
The car appeared to be nose first in a storm drain of some kind. The drain was long enough and deep enough that she instantly knew there'd be no pushing the vehicle out. They'd have to call for help. Glancing around, she also noticed that they were, once again, in the middle of nowhere. They'd detoured off the highway hours ago when signs had warned of closures along multiple portions of the freeway. Donna plucked her phone from her pants.
"I'll call for help, Harvey," Donna said, her fingers already hitting the correct buttons. He nodded, lost in thought, and proceeded to circle the car, assessing the damage.
Donna drew her attention back to her phone when she finally connected with someone and explained their situation. Listening quietly for a few moments, she drew tense, something that didn't go unnoticed by Harvey. He quickly rounded the car to stand beside her, trying to hear what was going on.
"Alright, I understand. You know the location?" Donna responded into the phone. "Ok, thank you."
Harvey looked at her expectantly but it was Donna's turn now to angrily kick at the car.
"Well? What'd they say?" He finally asked, allowing her enough time to vent her anger.
Donna turned to him and ran a hand tiredly across her face before responding. "They said, and I quote, 'All emergency vehicles are dispatched at the moment. We'll try to get to you as soon as we can but it could be a couple of hours if not a day or so.' Un-freakin-believable."
Harvey suddenly shifted and Donna watched as the lawyer part of him, the one used to taking charge and being in control of every situation, came forward. He nodded once and turned to head towards the trunk.
"Come on," he said. "Looks like we're walking."
"Harvey, there's a foot of snow, probably more, how are we- no, where are we going to walk to?" Donna argued, following behind him.
"I saw a motel a few miles back," he answered. He popped open the trunk and pulled out their bags, handing hers over. He gave her a look that told her there was no arguing, he'd made up his mind. "We can't stay here all night waiting, Donna. We'd freeze to death."
She sighed but nodded reluctantly. She worried about his leg, about the weather and if he'd be able to make the journey. She ultimately decided, however, not to bring it up again, knowing that would further agitate him.
"I don't think the car is too horribly damaged," he continued, locking the vehicle from the fob. "They've got our number. Once they have it pulled out, they can tow it down the road to the motel and we'll continue on our way."
Donna kept silent. His plan sounded solid but that didn't make her any less nervous about the situation. Shifting her bag onto her shoulder, she hesitated a moment. Harvey, noticing that she wasn't following, turned back and walked over to her.
"Hey, it'll be alright," he said softly, trying to ebb her nerves. "We're ok. The car's ok. We'll just be a little later getting home then we thought."
Donna nodded a small smile coming onto her face. Deciding to follow his directions, she surprised them both by reaching for his hand before she started walking. She didn't miss the mirroring grin that grew on Harvey's face at her touch. They'd be ok, she was sure of it. They'd just have to wait the storm out.
Thoughts? I know I dragged their trip out even more but come on, who didn't see this coming? Anyway, they'll be back in New York soon enough and there will be plenty of drama to be had. Much love for reading and as always, please review!