After hastily arranging a private jet to take him to Miami, Harvey insisted on waiting with Donna right up until Rachel and Sheila came down from New York. He refused to leave her, if only for a few hours, until their flight came in.
'The last time I spoke to him, he and Louis were holed up in a hotel room,' Rachel explained, sipping her tea, now feeling more calm as she sat beside her best friend.
She hadn't known Shelia for as long and had also a slightly complicated past due to her refusal to accept her into Harvard Law, but since she had been in Louis' life, her and Rachel had started to become better acquainted, but not yet on the unmeasurable level of friendship that she had with Donna. She always said if she was a guy, Donna would be her man. However, this was when they were both pretty wasted, while out pretending they were Harriet Specter and Michelle Ross one evening after far too many cocktails.
'I just feel like there's something he's not telling me,' Rachel continued, 'The times at the firm in Seattle whenever he met up with Nick, I never saw him, it was always outside the office. I was just so busy with my own cases I never thought anything of it.'
'Mike's a big boy, he can handle anything and I'm sure there's a reason behind everything he does. There always is.' Donna comforted her friend with a gentle squeeze of her hand.
The three women were sat out on the decking around the pool, considering it was December, the warm Caribbean evening air was a complete contrast to where Rachel and Sheila had just travelled from.
'This is beautiful. I can't believe Jessica ever actually comes here!' Shelia commented as she took in the expanse of Jessica's beachside estate.
'I know, it's amazing, I don't want to go home!' Donna smiled, as she peered towards Rachel whose mind seemed to
be elsewhere.
'Hey Rach, they've already dismissed the charges before against Mike, it's not going to stand at all.' Donna reassured her. 'I know, but it's not that I'm worried about. It's Nick. You don't know him Donna, at first he was great, he let us get on with the clients by ourselves and he didn't interfere, until this one client, a prisoner was up for parole and Nick wanted Mike to take the case. Every time they had a meeting about that particular one no one else was involved. Just Mike. Since coming back to New York, Mike hasn't spoken about this one case at all, and when I've asked him about it, he's closed me down quicker than I began to ask. So I left it.' Rachel swirled the last drop of tea around on the marble table in front of her. 'I really think this trip to Miami is to do with that old case and what he's told me about the money, isn't the whole story.'
'Hey honey,' Donna placed her arm around her, 'Harvey and Louis are with him. It'll get sorted, whatever it is. They'll be back before we know it.'
'How about more wine?' Shelia smiled as she got up and made her way back in the kitchen with the empty bottle of Merlot. 'I'll be back soon, I'll just check on Alexander as well.' She felt the two friends needed time by themselves, she fully appreciated their relationship and knew she was there by default because Louis was with Mike, but she couldn't help think it would also be nice to get to know them both better.
Donna pulled her glass towards her as she shuffled backwards into the large outdoor corner sofa which stretched around the side of the decking. She lifted the baby monitor to check the screen and smiled at a sleeping Rosie.
'How are you now since everything?' Rachel asked for the first time since arriving earlier that evening.
'Better. This has really been a good distraction,' Donna absentmindedly waved her glass around, indicating to the setting around them. 'I just hope everything feels like this when we get back to the city. I'm loving every minute of our bubble at the moment. Just seeing Harvey spend all of his time with Rosie, it melts my heart. He's so good with her Rach, I never knew how good he would be as a father until he shows me every day. I swear to God that man is just naturally amazing at everything!' She laughed knowing that the wine had gone to her head.
Rachel smirked, enjoying the distraction from her own thoughts, 'Everything?'
'Oh yes!' Donna's eyes lit up, causing Rachel to let out a snort, which made them both laugh.
'Would you like to have another?' Rachel asked folding her leg up beneath her and turning more towards her friend.
'Holiday?'
'No,' Rachel replied placing her mug back on the table, 'I meant another baby?'
Donna looked down at Rosie fast asleep on the monitor screen in front of her and creased a corner smile. 'We love Rosie so much it's hard to even consider how you could love another. I was watching Harvey with her yesterday, playing on the beach, and it was the first time I looked at the two of them and imagined what he would be like with two. But I'm nearly forty next year, I suppose we'd better speed up!' She laughed.
Rachel saw how her friend had changed so much since becoming a mother. Before, Donna's main passion in life was the firm. Well, the firm and Harvey. But now, she seemed different, contented, full and most of all, so in love with her family. Rachel sighed and looked up to Donna, even though her head was pulling her back to thinking about what Mike was doing, she needed her friend right now.
'I'm going to tell you something Donna, I promised Mike that we'd do it together but right now, I could really do with sharing something good with you. Exactly like you did with me over a year ago now...' she smirked up at her friend. By the look on Donna's face she knew her best friend had already guessed, but went for it anyway. 'I'm pregnant, Mike and I are having a baby!'
Donna smiled, 'Well, that only took,' she looked at her watch, 'two hours of me waiting for how you were going to tell me.'
Rachel gave her an incredulous look, 'I shouldn't underestimate you, should I?'
'Well, since when has Michelle Ross sat around an open bottle of red, without any of it passing her lips?' Donna smiled and leaned in to hug her friend. 'I'm so happy for you guys. You're going to be amazing parents. It really is the best thing in the world. How far along are you?'
'Three months, we had our first scan last week, but then all this broke out and our minds have been elsewhere since,' Rachel's demeanour changed and she realised the bitter sweetness of their moment.
Their silence was interrupted by Shelia, returning with another bottle. Donna and Rachel exchanged small, knowing smiles as they welcomed Shelia back to the sofa.
'Everything ok with Alexander?' Donna asked taking the wine bottle from Shelia's hand.
'Sleeping like an angel.. for now,' she laughed.
'I know exactly what you mean!' Donna smiled knowingly clinking her glass with Louis' fiancé's. 'I'm actually slightly jealous that Harvey has a hotel room all to himself without a crying baby at 3am...' She swigged her wine, 'In fact I could totally book myself into the Plaza just to get a full night's sleep alone!' She suddenly realised, and turned to Rachel, 'Oh God, it's not that bad, I hope we haven't put you off Rach.'
'Bit late now...' she mumbled nervously, and nearly inaudibly, into her mug of tea. Shelia had missed what she had said as she was busily plumping the cushions around her to settle in with her wine.
Harvey was sat patiently in the lobby of Miami's Four Seasons, cradling a glass of scotch in his one hand and mindlessly flicking through his cell with the other. Occasionally glancing up towards the doors, waiting for Louis and Mike, who had not long before called him to say they were on their way.
The Miami sun had set and the crowds for the evening were now starting to billow out towards the downtown lights; Christmas parties, family gatherings and groups of friends. Harvey glanced around, feeling slightly uncomfortable being surrounded by so many people after five days in near enough peaceful solitude with his wife and seven month old.
After nearly five days with Donna and Rosie, pretty much twenty four seven, he was certainly missing them already. He swiped through his photos on his cell of them playing on the beach and Rosie with Donna in the pool, he smiled. Since when did life get this good? He thought, then smiled to himself, casting his eyes over a selfie of the three of them sat on a lounger by the pool and taking the time to switch it to his phone's wallpaper.
The events of the past few weeks had been hopefully forgotten about. He just needed now, to get everything cleared up with Mike and to find out what the hell was going on, get back to Donna and Rosie and have an amazing Christmas.
He noticed Louis was cryptic on the phone call, even somewhat hesitant to say anything until he saw him face to face.
He clicked his phone screen off and as he looked up from placing it in his back pocket of his pants, he noticed the familiar faces heading towards him, both dressed in immaculate black tie. Harvey raised an eyebrow, curious as to their suave choice of dress.
'So, the drama over the past few weeks wasn't enough for you?' Harvey smirked, gauging the atmosphere and situation, 'You're like a trouble magnet, I can't leave you for five minutes.'
'Hello to you too Harvey, nice to know you're taking this seriously,' Mike picked up Harvey's scotch from the table and downed the remaining liquor in the glass.
'Help yourself why don't you?' Harvey stood back and let him take his drink.
'Right, how about you go order us some more drinks and you can fill me in on what's really going on and you can also explain why you're both dressed like you've just left the set of Ocean's Eleven,' Harvey began as he pointed Mike towards the bar.
'Well, you see the thing is Harvey, we've got somewhere to go first,' Louis cut him off, and then looked up and down at Harvey's clothes, his face scrunching up in distaste slightly.
'I take it you brought a suit with you?' Louis asked, taking in his friend's holiday wardrobe of choice.
Harvey looked at him, tilted his head to the side and smirked in response.
'You really think I'd come to Miami without the proper attire? I take it we're off to a casino?' he asked knowingly, eyeing up his counterparts' suits. 'I thought we were here to get the pup out of his mess again, not spend the evening watching Louis pretend he knows how to play poker...' Harvey grinned. 'It's just embarrassing.'
'It's Lazby's casino.' Mike gave him the answer he needed.
'Well, what are we waiting for?' Harvey picked his key card up off the table and headed back up to his suite to get changed. 'And, you two are going to fill me in on everything on the ride over and I mean Goddamn everything! And Mike, George Clooney called, he wants his suit back...'
'Just couldn't help yourself could you?' Mike called after him as Harvey headed towards the elevator.
'Nope!' He popped the 'p' with a grin and hit the call button.
'I'd take that as a compliment, George Clooney is hot!' Louis laughed then realised how loud he was and even Harvey walked on to the elevator laughing.
'I just hope this evening ends with us all laughing...' Mike said, bringing himself back to the task and reality in hand.