Burning
Prompt for: DauntlessShadowHunterZ: Can you maybe write about Mike being stuck in a burning building and he was sent there to meet Louis' client but the client never showed…Neither Harvey nor Donna knew about the meeting and didn't know Mike let to meet a client in the first place…And maybe later investigations show that the guy who lit the fire was a crazed ex-client of Harvey's and wanted revenge?
Enjoy!
Set after 1x06 'Tricks of the Trade'
Hope people are still reading!
"Mike Ross."
Mike groaned when he heard the nasally voice of Louis Litt. He hated the guy- more than usual- ever since he basically tried to get him fired and showed him a false drug test. Running his fingers through his blonde spikes, he looked up to see the man coming to his desk.
"What do you want, Louis?"
"I need you to visit a client."
"No, I'm not doing that again. You nearly got me fired."
Louis scoffed. "Whatever. I'll be going with you this time, anyways."
"I have other things to do for Harvey, plus your pile of briefs I need to proof."
"Just give them to someone else, this is important."
"Louis-"
"Come with me or you're fired."
"You can't do that."
"Can't I? If I faked those drug tests, think of what else I could do."
Mike was speechless and Louis took this as a win. He smirked. "Meet me out front in ten minutes."
Mike watched as Louis walked away, hearing snickers coming from some of the other associates. Glaring at them, he gathered his things, slinging his messenger bag on his shoulder and made his way towards the exit. But not before dumping the rest of Louis' paperwork on Kyle's desk. "Louis told me to give you these." He grinned at the face Kyle made and kept walking. He went by Harvey's office to let him know where he was going, but neither he nor Donna were there.
"Huh." He didn't have time to leave a note, so he just placed his finished work for Harvey on Donna's desk and left for the elevators. Once Mike got outside, he scanned the area for Louis, but he wasn't there. He glanced at his watch and cursed. Where the hell is that bastard? His phone suddenly buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket to see he was getting a call from Louis. Speak of the devil.
"Louis-" he began to answer.
"You're gonna have to go alone, I'll send you the address."
"What? Louis, what the hell!?"
"Jessica needs me in a meeting, stop whining, it's pathetic. Besides, you're the one who decided to get high, I didn't make you. You can take care of yourself. Don't miss the meeting or else and don't fuck up."
Louis hung up before Mike had a chance to respond. The associate swore loudly, pissed that he fell for another one of Louis' schemes. He should've known the man would ditch him at the last moment. He considered not going to the meeting, but he didn't want to get Harvey or the firm in trouble. Huffing, he waved down a taxi and told the driver the address Louis' had texted him. He would get that asshole back later. When he got to the address, Mike paid the driver and opened the door…however he was confused.
"Is this the right place?" He questioned.
"Yeah, 499 White Street."
"Okay, thanks." Mike shut the door and looked up at the building. It was huge and looked expensive, but seemed old and abandoned, there were barely any cars around and the neighborhood was vacant. Maybe Louis got the address wrong or maybe this another one of his jokes. As much as he wanted to leave, Mike didn't want to risk it. The client could actually be in there. Taking a deep breath, he bounded up the steps and knocked on the door.
"Mr. Garrett! My name is Mike Ross, I'm here on behalf of Louis Litt. He had a meeting with you?"
When no one came to the door, Mike looked up and down the street before knocking again. "Mr. Garrett!?" He grabbed the doorknob, finding it unlocked, and let himself in. "What the hell?" The place was furnished, but everything was covered with white sheets. It was musty and cold like the heat hadn't been on for years. In fact, there was a faint smell gas in the air. This was too weird. He was about to head for the door, when he heard a noise coming from upstairs. Maybe Mr. Garrett had an office upstairs and just didn't hear him. He made his way up the large staircase until he reached the second floor. "Mr. Garrett? Are you up here?" He walked down the hall and peeked into all the rooms. He went into the room that looked like a study and sighed. This obviously was some prank Louis felt like pulling on him.
"Unbelievable." Just as he was about to leave, he heard a nearby door slam. "Mr. Garrett?" He briskly walked back towards the exit. "Is that y-" something suddenly wacked him in the head, sending him backwards. He lost his balance and fell to the ground. His brain pounded angrily in his skull and his vision doubled. Mike groaned, trying to stay conscious, but the pain took over and he succumbed to the darkness.
When Mike came to ten minutes later, he instantly began coughing. The scent of something burning assaulted his nose and when he opened his eyes they began to burn. All he could see was smoke filling the air. Completely alert, Mike scrambled to his feet and rushed to the door…it was locked. "Hey! Is anyone out there!?" He shouted until he burst out in a coughing fit. The room was getting unbearably hot and it was getting difficult to breathe. "Help!" There was no doubt about it: the place was on fire. The blonde fell to his knees and crawled back over to the windows. But those were nailed shut; he choked a sob, weakly banging on the glass. "Help." He sagged against the wall, covering his mouth with his sleeve and watching the scene before him. He didn't even want to know what it looked like downstairs. Tears slipped down his cheeks as he tried frantically to breathe…tried to figure out what to do next. How the hell did this even happen? Then an idea came to mind; Mike pulled out his cellphone, however his hope was shot down when the phone remained dark. It was dead. Of course he forgot to charge it last night. He bowed his head and coughed violently; he wondered if he would be dead soon, too. Harvey was gonna kill him…not before he killed Louis though.
~+SUITS+~
12:38pm
Harvey hung up his phone for the fifth time with an annoyed grumble. The kid had dropped off some files for their case, but he had some questions and his associate wasn't answering his damn phone. It was even going straight to voicemail.
"What is that kid doing?" He muttered. "Donna! Where the hell is Mike?"
"Forgot to put a leash on him?" The redhead smirked, striding into the office.
"I'm serious. I can't make out some of this chicken scratch he put on here."
Donna snorted and sat down across from him. "Have you called him?"
"Don't you think I've tried that? I called both his desk and his cellphone, he isn't answering either of them."
"Maybe he went home."
Harvey scoffed. "If he did that, I'll kick his ass. He knows we have a lot of work to do."
"I don't know what to tell you Harvey."
The man groaned and then looked up when he saw Louis walk by. The man glanced at him and then his eyes widened before he sped out of view…And Harvey knew. "That son of a bitch," he growled. "I should've known; this has Louis' grimy hands all over it."
~+S+~
It was getting hotter and hotter with each passing second. Mike had no idea how long he had been trapped in the house, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he burned alive…and if not that, he would suffocate. Pieces of the ceiling were falling all around him, making him flinch and curl in on himself. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, the blonde coughed again and gasped for air, tears dripping down his soot covered face. He watched everything unfold before him; he was surprised he wasn't dead yet. The room was engulfed in flames and unbearable smoke and the only reason he was still breathing was because he was holding his arm over his face. The building creaked as floorboards burned away and the beams from the ceiling began to fall. He had to find a way out of here; he had to at least try to live. Maybe the lock melted away and the door would open…granted he had no idea what it looked like downstairs, most likely ten times worse. Shedding his suit jacket, he covered his face before he stood up on shaky legs and focused all his energy to get himself across the room. But he only took two steps when he suddenly heard another groan from the building. Mike barely had time to glance up at the wood post coming down on him before it slammed him down to the ground. The floor suddenly gave in and he fell through the ceiling to the next floor. White flashed through his vision and when it cleared, Mike found himself lying on his back, pinned by the beam. Mike wheezed frantically, the pressure on his chest restricting his lungs from expanding. Grunting, he weakly attempted to push it off, but pain shot up through his ribs all the way up to his sternum. He was gonna die and no one was gonna know where he was. No one would come looking for him until it was too late.
"H-Harvey." Why didn't he just stay at the firm? Louis couldn't fire him, he should've gone to Harvey instead of coming here. He couldn't breathe, he felt like he was burning alive…and maybe he was. Fire crackled and smoke swirled over him, creating a cloud over his head. The blonde coughed, losing more oxygen and unable to take in more. Eyes slowly fluttering close, Mike let himself pass out, wondering if he was imagining those sirens in the distance.
Meanwhile, Louis was in the breakroom making coffee when something caught his eye on the TV. Frowning, he grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.
"Police and firefighters are currently at the scene of horrible fire and still no telling if this was intentional or an accident. Witnesses said it started around twelve-thirty and has been getting worse ever since. We still don't know if anyone is inside, but if there is, it'd be a miracle if they were still alive."
The camera panned out and showed the entire building up in flames and at the bottom, was the address. Almost instantly, Louis recognized it; it was where he and Mike were supposed to go…where Mike went.
"Oh shit."
"Louis, where the hell is my associate?" Harvey barked as he stormed into the breakroom. "You better not have sent him off to do your dirty work like you did a few weeks ago or I swear to god-" he stopped midsentence when the other lawyer turned around, his face pale and looking terrified.
"Harvey, I'm sorry."
"Louis, what did you do?"
"We were supposed to go meet a client, but then Jessica forced me into a meeting and I made him go alone." He glanced up at the T.V and Harvey followed his gaze. He watched as the building being captured on the news was burning and crumbling to the ground. His blood ran cold.
"Is he in there?" He said, trying to stay calm.
Louis swallowed, remaining silent and Harvey lost it.
"Is he in there?!"
The balding man pressed his lips together, feeling sick to his stomach. "I don't know, Harvey…p-probably."
"Dammit Louis!" Harvey growled as he rushed out of the room, ignoring the pathetic 'sorry' that came from the other lawyer's mouth. He pulled out his phone, trying to call his associate and praying that he would pick up. Praying that he would answer and say that he was okay. Maybe he had stopped somewhere and didn't get to the building yet. Maybe he said 'screw Louis' and went home. But somehow he knew that wasn't the case. God, kid what the hell did you get yourself into?
~+SUITS+~
12:55pm
Mike was surprised when he woke up again to a coughing fit. It felt like his skin was melting; his chest hurt from the beam's weight and only now did he realize it was on fire. It wouldn't be long before the flames reached him. Gasping weakly, he sluggishly looked around at the blurry red, orange, yellow and gray consuming the house. All of a sudden he saw someone standing by him and he tried to croak for them to help, but he had no oxygen to do so. Blinking furiously, the person came into view and he was shocked. It was his mom.
"Mikey, sweetheart, you have to get up."
"I can't," he thought. "I'm so tired."
"You can't die like this, son. You have to fight," another voice said, a little deeper. Mike blinked again and saw his dad. What the hell was going on? The heat was really getting to him. He closed his eyes, wanting to give up…wanting to sleep. He could feel the flames start to lick his arms, burning through his clothes and searing his skin.
"Your parent's are right, kid."
Mike's eyes flew open; his parents were gone, but standing in the fire was Harvey. The blonde wheezed, wishing he could speak…wishing he could get this damn pole off of him.
"Mike, stop laying around and get help."
"C-Can't breathe."
"You gotta try. The firefighters don't know you're in here; I probably don't know you're in here, because Louis most likely didn't tell me yet."
Mike smirked faintly, coughing violently again. His eyes were burning from the smoke and he didn't even want to know how much of it was in his lungs.
"Come on, kid. Prove to me you're not weak and get out of here. Shout for help, do something instead of lying here waiting to die. I know you're better than this."
Mike swallowed even though his mouth was extremely dry. Harvey was right even if he probably wasn't real. He couldn't wait for death; if he was gonna go out, he was gonna go out trying. He tried to push the wood off of him, ignoring the pain, but he yelped when his hands boiled, the fire on the pole getting closer. He stopped and cleared his throat, hoping his voice wouldn't fail him right now.
"H-Help," he rasped.
"No one is gonna hear that, kid. Louder!"
"Help!" His voice still hoarse, but was getting a bit stronger. "Somebody…help!"
"Is somebody in there? Hello?" This was a different person and it sounded like it was coming from outside. Mike could've cried in relief if he wasn't so dehydrated.
"I'm in…here! H-Help…me…please." His lungs burned from the energy he barely had. His body ached and he wanted to stop, but Harvey would kick his ass if he did. "Help!" More of the floor started falling around him, nearly missing his head.
"We hear you! We're on our way, hang on!"
Mike coughed again, gasping desperately in the extremely hot air. His hands and arms stung and the flames on the beam began climbing up his neck. He heard a door slam open in the distance and footsteps coming closer. He hoped he wasn't imagining it, because he didn't know how much longer he could last. Just as he caught a glimpse of a firefighter, another piece of wood dropped on his head and knocking him out cold. His last thought was of Harvey and how he let the man down once again. He was gonna die a failure.
~+S+~
Harvey hopped out of the car and briskly walked towards the barricade. The air smelt like burnt wood and smoke and the firefighters were finally getting the flames under control. Running his fingers through his hair, Harvey went around the bar, but was immediately stopped by an officer.
"Sir, you need to step back. The building is at risk for collapsing."
"I don't care," Harvey replied, trying to keep walking.
"Too bad, get behind the barricade."
"My associate might be in there!"
"He's not, sir."
"How do you know, you didn't even let me look," Harvey snapped.
"They already got him out."
Harvey froze. "What?"
"Yeah, they brought him to the hospital fifteen minutes ago. We didn't know who to call because all of his belongings were burned in the fire."
Harvey swallowed thickly. "Is he okay?"
"What I heard was that he had some pretty bad burns and he wasn't breathing when they found him."
Oh god. Harvey shuddered, trying to take a deep breath. "Which hospital?"
"Mercy, sir."
The lawyer muttered a thanks before trotting back to the car and telling Ray where to go. The whole way there, he couldn't stop thinking about what the officer had said. How bad were 'bad burns?' How long was he not breathing? He was gonna murder Louis for this. When he got to the hospital, Harvey composed himself, fixing his suit and walked over to the information desk.
"Uh, I'm here for Mike Ross, he was brought in from a fire not long ago."
The nurse typed into the computer and then looked up at him. "He's still in surgery Mr.?"
"Harvey Specter. I'm his boss."
"I'll let the doctor know you're here, but in the meantime you can have a seat in the waiting room over there."
Harvey wiped his mouth and let his muscles relax. "Thanks." He stepped into the room and sat down in a chair, rubbing his hands on his pants. That house looked really bad and he hoped Mike wasn't in there too long. What if his face was burned? His hair? His whole body? He didn't think he could deal with that especially since he only knew the kid for a little over a month. He wasn't used to caring for anyone except for Donna…Mike was beginning to grow on him like a little brother and it was his job to protect him from assholes…especially Louis. You'd been doing a bang up job there, Specter. Harvey sighed, starting to feel a little guilty and he was left alone with that guilt for nearly an hour before a doctor entered the room.
"Are you Mr. Specter?"
"Yes, how's Mike?"
"I'm Dr. Roger Shea, Mike's attending, but unfortunately, you're not on his emergency contact list, so-"
"He has no one else," Harvey interrupted. He knew the kid had mentioned a grandmother but she was in a nursing home, so she had no way to come over here. "Please."
The man sighed through his nose. "Alright. Let's have a seat."
They did and Harvey waited for the doctor to speak. "Is he okay?"
"He's holding his own; thankfully he's breathing without the help of a ventilator now. We have him in the burn ward to recover. Michael obtained second degree burns on his hands, arms, and chest which got infected and gave him a slightly high fever. The burn on his neck was less severe, but the other ones were deep second degree in which we had to do skin grafts. We also found that he had three broken ribs and a fractured sternum. Thankfully it wasn't too bad of a break so it'll take about six to eight weeks to heal. He has a moderate concussion as well, but the thing that we're most worried about is his lungs. They've been damaged from severe smoke inhalation and it's a miracle he's still alive. We'll have him on antibiotics for the time he's here- which will be for about a week to make sure there are no respiratory problems- and then we'll prescribe him an inhaler. He'll have trouble breathing for a while, especially suffer from shortness of breath; it may sound noisy and he'll have a persistent cough for a while. His eyes are irritated, but luckily we found no sign of burns in the cornea. He's going to have a headache because of breathing in all that carbon monoxide along with nausea, vomiting and confusion. Like I said before, we'll keep him here for a week to make sure his airways and lungs don't get worse. He's lucky, though, he had stopped breathing for about three minutes. Mike has a long recovery ahead of him."
Harvey nodded, Mike's injuries swirling in his head and trying to make sense of it all. He guessed it could've been worse, but the kid was still gonna be in a lot of pain. "Is he awake?"
"No, we have him sedated on heavy pain medications because of his extensive burns. But he'll wake up on his own. When he does, there's a button next to his bed to activate the morphine drip. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to him."
Bobbing his head, he shook hands with the doctor before they walked over to the elevator and rode it to the third floor. They walked down the hallway for a minute until they reached the burn ward.
"Last bed on the right. And if you need anything, the nurse's station is right out there."
"Thank you." When the doctor left, Harvey pulled back the curtain and sighed sadly at the condition his associate was in. Thick white bandages were wrapped around both his arms from his elbows all the way down to his fingertips. Another set was swathed from beneath his ribs up to the middle of his neck. Some of his blonde hair looked to be a little burnt off as well; an oxygen mask covered most of his face and Harvey winced at the noisy wheezes coming from the kid's mouth. He walked to the side of the bed, dragging a chair over and sitting down. "Dammit kid. What did I tell you about working cases with Louis?" He placed his hand on Mike's arm to let the man know he wasn't alone and then texted Donna. She replied quickly, saying she would be there soon and that she would tell Louis what he caused.
Harvey was staring out the window for ten minutes when he heard a small whimper from the bed. Uncrossing his legs, he sat forward, watching Mike's forehead crumple and his glazed over blue eyes flicker open tiredly. Harvey stood up so he could get in the blonde's vision.
"Mike?" He definitely wasn't lucid, he wouldn't be surprised if the kid did recognize him. Harvey glanced up at the monitor, seeing that Mike's temperature was up to 102°. "Mike."
The blonde blinked up at him, trying to make out his face. Was that Harvey? Where the hell was he? He was feeling hot, but he could breathe and the temperature wasn't unbearable like before.
"R-Real?" He spoke in a muffled whisper.
For a second, Harvey was confused, but then he got what Mike was trying to say. "Yeah, kid, I'm real. As real as it gets."
Mike stared at him tiredly, listlessly processing Harvey's words. The older lawyer pressed his lips together and sighed. Poor kid. "Hey," he said when the blonde's eyes began to close. "Mike, do you know who did this to you? Who set the building on fire?"
Mike just continued to stare which frustrated Harvey. He knew it wasn't the kid's fault, but he needed answers; he needed to kick someone's ass in addition to Louis'. "Mike, you with me?" He cupped the man's cheek and the blonde leaned into his touch, most likely relishing the coolness of his palm.
Mike swallowed. "D-Don't…know…didn't see…them."
Harvey hated the sound of Mike's voice; so strained and weak. He knew he needed to make this quick. "Was the client there with you?"
"N-Never…showed…up." Mike eyes slipped shut soon after and he fell back asleep. Harvey exhaled through his nose, crumpling back into his chair and rubbing his forehead. Something was really strange about this whole thing. Was this a joke gone wrong by Louis or a real threat? Sitting back in the chair, he watched his associate sleep, occasionally glancing at his watch. Around one, Donna arrived and told Harvey the police had called wanting a statement from Mike.
"Well, you can call them back saying he's unconscious. Even if he wasn't, he's in no condition to talk."
Donna nodded. "They also said it was arson. Someone set that fire on purpose."
Harvey clenched his jaw. Someone intentionally set the fire when Mike was in there. Someone tried to kill him. "Jesus Christ." He scratched his chin and glanced up when something caught his eye. Louis was standing in the window.
"I'll be right back," Harvey said. "Keep an eye on him."
Donna nodded and moved her chair closer to Mike's bed, running her fingers through Mike's blonde curls while Harvey pushed himself up and went into the hallway to meet the other lawyer.
"How is he?" Louis asked, shifting nervously.
"Not good. He has a lot of burns, but he's lucky. It's his lungs they're worried about. I think they're just relieved he's breathing on his own now." I know I am.
Louis paled. "H-He stopped breathing?"
"For three minutes. Louis, who the hell were you meeting? Mike said the client never showed."
Louis rubbed his mouth, shaking his head. "He was a new guy, came to me after one of my trials and asked me asked me who the best lawyer at Pearson Hardman was and of course I said me. He said to prove it to him and asked me to meet at his house. He had a lot of money and I thought if I could land him, Jessica would promote me to senior partner."
"And why did you need to drag Mike into this mess?"
"Because…I thought he would impress the client and make the job easier."
Harvey scoffed. "Make it easier for you, right? So you don't have to do the paperwork or the facetime with the client? Dammit Louis, he's not your associate! You nearly got him killed!"
"Harvey-"
"Stay the hell away from him or else. You're on your last strike."
"Harvey wait."
"What Louis, what?" Harvey snapped.
"After the whole fake drug test, I backed off a little. But the client, he…he asked for Mike specifically. I asked him if he was sure, because trust me I would've rather worked with someone else, but he wanted Mike. I mean I don't blame him, the kid's a genius."
"What was this guy's name?"
"Roland Garrett."
It didn't ring a bell. Harvey shook his head. "I want you to dig up everything about this guy, Louis, you owe Mike that much."
The lawyer nodded. "Harvey, I really am sorry."
The senior partner began walking back into the room, but turned around. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." He left before Louis had a chance to say anything more.
Eleven Hours Later
Harvey was dozing in the hospital chair while Donna had left an hour earlier to grab him some more comfortable clothes from his condo. Technically, he would rather be at his condo, but he didn't want to leave the kid alone. He didn't know why he felt like this; it wasn't him, but the brotherly feeling over Mike had grown ten times bigger since he found out what Louis did. He was about to completely fall asleep when an anguished groan jerked him awake. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he turned on the lamp. Mike's eyes were wide open, flicking around agitatedly. It seemed that his temperature had went up another degree as well.
"Mike? Do you know where you are?" Harvey said.
"B-Burning…in house…f-fire."
"No, kid. They got you out."
"C-Can't breathe…too much…smoke…melting."
"Mike." The man was totally out of it. He pressed the call button, hoping to get a nurse in here to fix things. This was beyond his expertise.
The blonde moaned again until he started to cough. His breathing intensified and Harvey froze. What the hell was going on? Before he knew it, a nurse came in, left and then returned to with two other nurses.
"You're gonna have to leave, sir. His infection is getting worse and we're gonna have to clean and redress his burns."
Speechless because he had never seen Mike- or anyone for that matter- so vulnerable, he quietly left and waited out in the hallway. Ten minutes later, they emerged from the room, the last one out stopping to talk to Harvey.
"Is he okay, now?"
"He should be," the head nurse replied. "His fever got a bit high due to the infections on the burns, but unless it goes over 104° there's no cause for worry. We've increased his morphine and some stronger antibiotics to bring down the temperature. We've also added a few cooling blankets as well as a wet towel for his forehead that'll need to be changed every half hour. We've sedated him again so hopefully he can sleep peacefully."
Harvey flashed his charming smile and thanked her. He reentered the room and reclaimed his chair by Mike's bed. He shook his head, chuckling softly.
"I really got myself into some deep shit with you, huh kid. First hiring a fake lawyer, you getting high on the job and now this? I swear you're gonna be the death of me. I'm already turning soft, because of you. I'm starting not to know who I am anymore." He grabbed the towel from Mike and dipped it in the basin of water. After he wrung it out, he placed it back over the kid's forehead and then sat back in the chair. Now who the hell was Roland Garrett?
~+SUITS+~
Two days later, Mike's fever finally broke and now they were all just waiting for him to wake up. His breathing had gotten better so they replaced the oxygen mask with a nasal cannula.
Mike forcibly peeled his eyes open, feeling like they were filled with sand. They still burned, but it wasn't as bad as it was before. He was met with a bright white room instead of a smoky, fire filled one. Where the hell was he? Blinking furiously, Mike inhaled unevenly while rolling his head on the pillow. Who he saw besides him was shocking. Harvey Specter, reading a newspaper and wearing normal clothes. He rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was dreaming…but he wasn't. Weird…he didn't think had anything other than three piece suits.
"Ha-Harvey?" His eyes widened and he coughed, surprised by the sound of his own voice.
"Shit. It sounds like you've been smoking cigarettes since you were born," Harvey smirked. He put down the paper and turned to his associate. "Hey kid."
Still a little startled, Mike glanced up at his boss, holding his pounding head. "W-Where am I?"
"The hospital," Harvey replied, pressing the bed's button to raise it to an angle and sit Mike up. The blonde shifted until he got comfortable; he squeezed his eyes shut, remembering the fire, the burning, unable to breathe, everything.
Harvey frowned when his associate began to hyperventilate. "Mike, are you alright?"
The blonde opened his eyes and glanced at the older lawyer then gazing at his arms. "I had tried to get out, but someone locked all the doors. I thought for sure I was going to die. I was lying there, trapped under a beam. I c-couldn't breathe and almost gave up, but then I saw my mom and my dad…then you were there. You told me to stop laying around and get help…to prove to you that I wasn't weak instead of waiting to die."
"Mike, you were hallucinating, you know that right?" But this showed Harvey it must've been really bad…he must've been pretty close to death especially if he was seeing his parents.
"I know."
Harvey inhaled softly. "But I probably would've said those things had I been there."
Mike grinned, but it fell not long after. Harvey studied the kid's face, knowing what he was thinking.
"Do you have any idea who Roland Garrett is?"
Mike shook his head. "Besides being Louis' client? No."
"Right, and he never showed to the meeting. I still have yet to hear from Louis about the guy. Police and the fire marshal did an investigation; there were traces of gas and fire accelerant all over the house, not to mention the place was a fire hazard to begin with. It was definitely arson."
"I only saw a glimpse of someone before I was smashed in the head."
Harvey clenched his fists at the thought of someone hurting the man he'd furtively come to care so much for.
"Harvey, I'm sorry for going there without letting you know…or-or for doing something for L-Louis in first place. I should know by now getting involved with him only brings trouble."
"You got that right," Harvey chuckled. "But it's not your fault."
Mike smiled before looking down at his hands again. "So…what's the damage?"
Harvey grabbed a mirror from the nightstand and held it in front of the blonde since the bandages prevented the man from holding it on his own. Mike inspected the bruises and the bandages on his neck and chest. "Great. How long am I gonna have to looked like a partially wrapped mummy?"
"The doctor said some of the burns were deep second degree so it'll take about fourteen to thirty-five days for them to full heal, especially since they had to do skin grafts for those. The one on your neck wasn't as bad so it'll take a couple weeks. All in all, you're in for a long recovery."
Mike yawned, letting his eyes slip close. "Awesome."
Harvey smirked. "Go to sleep, Mike." He rested his hand on Mike's unbandaged upper arm after he relaxed before going to find Donna.
By 9pm on Friday, Mike was able to go home as long as he remembered to change his wrappings and take his medications. However, Roland was still at large and Harvey had a feeling Mike was the target. He didn't want to show Mike he was nervous, but he also wished the kid would stay at his place until they caught the guy.
"You sure you'll be okay on your own?" Harvey said as he and Mike stepped into the blonde's apartment. Mike was breathless from the walk and he watched as the kid took a few puffs from the inhaler. "This place is reeking of diseases."
Mike rolled his eyes, shuffling further into the room. "It is not. You're just jealous."
"You've seen my condo, so no, I'm far from jealous."
Mike smirked, coughing a little. "I'll be fine, Harvey. It sounds a lot like you care."
The man scoffed. "No, I just don't want you killing yourself when you end up doing something stupid. I don't have the patience to do more associate interviews."
"Whatever." Mike hobbled over to the cupboard and tried to pick up a glass, but his hands were still heavily bandaged that it made it difficult. Harvey watched in sympathy before he couldn't stand there any longer. He walked over and grabbed the cup, telling Mike to go sit down before filling it with water. He rummaged through the drawers until he found a straw and then brought it over to Mike.
"Jesus, you're more of a baby than a puppy."
Mike just glared at him and sipped the water.
"Are you gonna be all set? It's late and I need my beauty sleep."
"Yeah, you look like shit."
"I wouldn't be talking, junior."
"I'm an exception. I nearly died."
The smile fell from Harvey's face. And he wouldn't forget that. "Alright. Call me if you need anything. And not to help you wipe your ass." He pulled out Mike's medication from the pharmacy bag and placed it on the table. "Don't forget to use your inhaler and take the pills or Donna will have your ass." He grabbed his things and made his way towards the door.
"Thanks Harvey," Mike smiled.
Harvey bobbed his head and left for his own home. Mike would be okay; he was a grown man, he could take care of himself. By the time he reached his place, Harvey was exhausted and he quickly shed to his boxers before landing in his bed, face first into the pillow. It didn't even feel like he had been sleeping for fifteen minutes when he heard his phone ring.
"Dammit Mike," he said, his voice muffled by the pillow. He rolled his head to the nightstand and clumsily grabbed his cellphone, answering it tiredly. "What could you have possibly done in the half hour that I was gone?"
"Wrong person, Harvey."
The lawyer's eyes flew wide open and he sat up. "Who is this?"
"I think you know, Harvey. I gotta say, I'm surprised Mike survived the first fire. I underestimated him. But he definitely won't survive the second time."
Harvey jumped from his bed and pulled on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a jacket. "What the hell are you talking about? Roland what the fuck did you do?"
"You'll see. But by the time you get to the kid's apartment you'll be too late."
"Why are you doing this?"
"You really don't know who I am do you?"
"Am I supposed to?"
"I guess since you'll never catch me, I can tell you. My real name is Roland Worthington. Remember me now?"
Harvey's heart nearly stopped. Now that name rang a bell.
"I thought so. This is revenge, Specter. And you're gonna know what it's like to lose someone you care about."
Before Harvey could say anything, Roland hung up. Harvey's chest heaved and he quickly ran to his car, speeding all the way back to Mike's apartment. He never should've left the kid alone. He shouldn't have taken no for an answer and made Mike stay with him. He screeched to a stop in the road, just in time to see the building explode into smoke and thick angry flames.
"No!" Harvey ran inside, dodging the people that were trying to run out. He took the stairs two at a time until he got to the second floor. "Mike!" He rushed down the hall until he got to the end. "Shit." Mike's door was blown off its hinges. When he looked inside, the lawyer's blood ran cold. The apartment was practically destroyed with everything on fire. Smoke and dust coated the air, making it hard to see or breathe.
"Mike!" He shouted, ducking down and covering his mouth with his arm. He began to fear the worse; where did the explosion come from and where was Mike when it happened? Harvey blinked his stinging eyes and searched the room. He glanced in the bedroom and there was nothing but a burning bed.
"M-Mike?! Answer me!" He went turned back to go look in the bathroom. "Oh god." The blonde was there laying on his stomach and unmoving. The back of his t-shirt looked singed and Harvey swore; the kid didn't need more burns dammit. Striding forward, Harvey got to his knees and gently shook him.
"Mike? Come on, kid wake up." Blood ran down Mike's temple and the older lawyer realized he must've hit his head. He pressed his fingers to the man's neck and sighed in relief. He was still alive. Hovering his hand near Mike's nose, he felt the weak puff of air. And he was still breathing. Thank god.
"You're really gonna make me do this, aren't you." Harvey shed his jacket before grabbing Mike underneath the armpits to lift him up and sling him over his shoulder. He draped the jacket over Mike's head to prevent any more smoke inhalation. "Just hang on, buddy. Hang on." Keeping his head low, Harvey ran back out of the building and as soon as he stepped foot outside, the building exploded again. It probably would've killed them had they still been inside. Ambulances, firetrucks and police officers crowded the streets, talking or taking care of the other tenants.
"Hey!" An EMT said, running up to them. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, but he's unconscious. He was in a fire last week, too and inhaled a lot of smoke," Harvey choked, smoke still clogging up lungs. The paramedic waved someone over and soon another medic wheeled over a gurney.
"Get him oxygen immediately, he's suffered severe smoke inhalation already and anymore damage to his lungs can be fatal." And oxygen mask was placed onto Mike's face as he was wheeled over to an awaiting ambulance.
Harvey coughed into his sleeve as he followed them. Before he got into the vehicle, Harvey glanced up at the burning building and shuddered. Mike almost died again; thank god he got there in time.
11:09pm
Harvey stood at the end of Mike's bed, watching him sleep. Here they were in the hospital once again, the blonde suffering from another concussion, a few cuts and more burns. Thankfully, they were only first degree burns on his back, but they had the kid laying on his side to be comfortable. Harvey had called Donna after he got checked up himself and now the woman was sitting by the bed, stroking Mike's face. He would be sitting by the man's bed, too, but he was waiting for information on Roland. Now that the police knew who they were looking for, it was going to be easier. And once they did find him, he was gonna kick his ass to hell. But standing here wasn't going to do much.
"Donna," he said, stepping into the room. He glanced at his associate; even in sleep, he looked like he was in pain. "I'm going down to the police station to speed this search up. You gonna be all set?"
"If that bastard comes in, I'll kick him in the balls."
Harvey smirked and left the room. When he got to the station, he gave his friend, Officer Tim Burke, his phone to see if he could trace the call from Roland. It only gave them a phone number.
"Hey, Burke!" Another officer shouted. "Garrett just bought a one-way ticket to Canada. His cellphone puts him at JFK." They sped off towards the airport and ran to the gate.
"There he is!" Officer Burke hollered.
Roland was waiting in line to get in the plane; he turned around when he heard the shouting, but didn't have time to react, because Harvey threw him to the ground. He punched the man's face left and right, wanting to cause as much pain to him as he did to Mike.
"Easy Harvey, easy!" Tim said, pulling the lawyer back. "You don't want to be charged for assault, do you? I said you could punch him twice."
Chest heaving, Harvey got to his feet. "Sorry. Couldn't help myself."
Tim smirked. "Your boy is safe now. I'll have another officer bring you back to your car."
"Thanks." Harvey massaged his aching knuckles and walked away satisfied.
The next night, Mike had been discharged and was going to stay at Harvey's until he found a new place. Harvey unlocked the door and let the blonde limp in first. The doctor had given Mike some medication before he left, a new inhaler and new pain pills. Before they had got to the condo, Harvey stopped by a drugstore to buy ten rolls of gauze and bandages for when Mike had to change the dressings.
"Wow…I was right about this being a sweet place," Mike said, taking in the interior of the condo.
"And then you called me dude," Harvey replied.
"I was drunk."
"Mmhmm, even if you were sober, I bet you still would've said it."
Mike snorted as he sat himself on the couch, sinking into the comfortable pillows.
"What do you want to eat before bed?"
"I'm not hungry," Mike yawned.
"Just have something small so you're stomach isn't empty when you take the pills."
"Who made you the boss of me outside of work?" Mike replied, getting up trudging over to the counter.
"The doctor."
Mike rolled his eyes and the older lawyer gave him a plate of saltines, water and two of his pills. When he was finished, Mike went back over to the couch to lay down. Harvey sat across from him in a separate chair.
"How are you feeling?"
Mike fidgeted. "These bandages are a pain in the ass, but other than that I'm okay. I barely even remember what happened. One second I was getting up to go to the bathroom, the next thing I know it was hot and my back burned. I think I blacked out and then I wake up in the hospital with you telling me an ex-client of yours had been trying to kill me and destroyed my apartment building."
"Well they caught him; you're safe now."
Mike nodded and sighed. "How'd I get out?"
"Roland called me, telling me he was gonna kill you. I got there just as it went up in flames. I found you unconscious in the bathroom."
Mike looked stunned. "You got me out?"
"I couldn't just leave you there. Like I said before, I don't have the patience to find another associate." The smile fell from his face when Mike didn't say anything. "Mike, I'm gonna tell you this one time and one time only and I forbid you to take it out of this apartment, but…I care about you."
Mike's eyebrows rose.
Harvey continued. "It's weird, I know I can't believe that those words are passing my lips, but for some reason you've grown on me. It might be because you remind me of my brother, I don't know."
The corner of Mike's mouth flicked upwards. "Thank you Harvey…for everything."
The older lawyer smirked as he stood up and pat Mike on the shoulder. "You're welcome, kid. I'm gonna go take a shower, you should get some rest, you still look like shit."
"Gee thanks," the blonde retorted. "That makes me feel so confident."
2:13am
Harvey's eyes snapped open, being met with the darkness of his room. He didn't know what woke him up at this ungodly hour, but now that he did, he could sense something was wrong. Rubbing his eyes, he threw the sheets off of him and padded out to the living room to check on Mike. If Mike was awake and asked what he was doing, he'd just say he was getting water…though he already ruined his 'I don't give a shit about you' ruse so there was really no point. However, when he looked towards the couch, he found it empty. Harvey frowned and flicked on the lights, searching everything.
"Mike?" The bathroom and the office was empty as well. "Mike!" And then he realized both Mike's coat and inhaler was gone. Harvey grabbed his phone and was about to call the man when he remembered Mike's phone had been ruined in the first fire. He needed to get that kid a new phone. Where the hell could he have gone? Scratching his head, Harvey tried to think; and then a bulb lit up in his mind. "Jesus, kid," he muttered, before pulling on sweats and grabbing his keys. When he reached Mike's apartment, he looked up at the charred building and sighed. It was blocked off with police tape, but he knew that wouldn't have stopped his associate. Sighing in disbelief, he ducked under the tape and entered the building. He carefully walked up the crumbling, burnt stairs, the only sound being his breathing and the creaks of the building's foundation. The walls were blackened with soot and it still felt warm and smelled of smoke. When he got to what was left of Mike's apartment he pressed his lips together in sadness at what he saw.
Mike kicked pieces of wood around, staring at what used to be his mediocre apartment…his home. Bending down stiffly, he picked up the painting of a panda that his grandmother had given him and brushed off the ashes. It was a little scorched around the edges, but otherwise salvageable. He smiled sadly and placed it on the table. This fucking sucked. Nearly everything was gone; where was he gonna live? What was he going to do about money and food and clothes? What would Harvey do? He sniffed, becoming overwhelmed by all of this. Maybe coming here was a bad idea. He hoped Harvey didn't wake up before he got back or else the man would kill him.
"You know, you could've asked me to come back here." A familiar voice said.
Mike gasped and spun around, nearly losing his balance. "H-Harvey."
"Though 2am wouldn't have been my preference."
Mike chuckled weakly. "Sorry, I couldn't sleep…and it hit me that I lost everything." The reality of it came down on him like a ton of bricks. He scanned the room, trying to hold all his emotions in. "I've lost everything, Harvey," he added with a broken whisper.
Harvey studied Mike; he could tell the kid was close to crying. He walked forward through the rubble and placed a hand on his associate's shoulder. "Don't worry, kid. We'll get you back on your feet. And you didn't lose everything; you still have your grandmother, you have Donna…and you have me."
Mike gazed at Harvey with tearful eyes for a moment, sensing honesty, yet not sure if he was ready to trust another person. But he had no one else, so maybe it was time to. He smiled and exhaled heavily, glancing over the room once more and wiping his eyes. "Thank you, Harvey," he sniffed. He had almost been killed twice and lost his home in the duration of a week and a half. Why did these things always happen to him?
Harvey bobbed his head. "You need some time in here?"
Mike nodded.
"Alone?"
The blonde nodded again, trying to hold in his tears.
"Okay," Harvey replied. "I'll be outside when you're ready."
Mike remained silent this time. Harvey made his way back towards the door when something suddenly caught his eye by the door, half buried in ashes. He bent over and brushed away the soot to find a slightly burnt photo of who he presumed to be Mike as a child and his parents. Smiling sadly, he turned back to the blonde and handed it to him.
"I was right about you not losing everything. Someone's been looking out for you kid and not just me." He pat Mike on the shoulder and as soon as he left the room, he heard Mike sobbing. It broke his heart, but he was gonna let the man have his privacy. Five minutes later, Mike emerged from the building and slipped into the car. Harvey glanced over at the blonde, noticing that his eyes were red and puffy…but he wasn't gonna say anything about it.
"Ready?"
"Yeah," Mike breathed, giving him a tight smile.
"Good," Harvey replied, starting the car. "I got a bottle of scotch calling our names."
Mike gave him a look. "Alcohol at two-thirty in the morning?"
"Didn't you ever go to college? Oh wait, you didn't."
Mike snorted. "Ha, ha, you're hilarious."
Harvey drove off into the night and Mike rested his head against the seat, starting to feel a little better. He finally knew what it felt like to have a big brother watching his back…and he liked it.
FIN
Next prompt for: Feelingsplosion
Guest (10)
Erika
Far Away in Wonderland
KuramaNaruGirl
Andi
Leggomygreggo2
Mary
Kellie
Allison
Happylucky
Guest (11)
Samantha Light
Leahelisabeth
Mary
Michelle
Guest (12)
IHeartMike
Piible
Sunnycloud
Happylucky
Andi
Alison
Mvanp
Abby
Joshua
Callisto-HK
Mary
Guest (13)
Magenta
Bekah
leggomygreggo
Sunnycloud
Guest (14)
Andi
Mary
RainManiac
Michelle
Magenta
Guest (15)
Anonymous
Guest (16)
Guest (17)
Lor4eto
Bekah
Guest (18)
Guest (19)
NJKJo
Magenta
Andi
Jessy
Meanxruki
Dani
Magenta
Guest (20)
SPN4eva556
Rosa13bella
Mary
Kayla
Guest (21)
Sophie
Dragonplayer18
Irais
Nikki184
Magenta
WritingBRB
What's'SupWitChu
Nerdy
Guest (22)
MarvellousMarvey
Magenta
Guest (23)
Bekah
Sabrina
Mary
Stay tuned for more!
Reviews are love!