Poisoned
Harvey sends Mike to meet a client, but the client, who actually works for another rival law firm, poisons Mike that isn't supposed to be fatal or anything, just to lower work performance, but Mike is actually allergic to said poison, and when he comes back to the firm Harvey thinks he was drinking or something with the client and yells at him, but then Mike collapses and Harvey saves him?
Enjoy!
"Um, where the hell do you think you're going?"
Mike stopped, groaning inwardly and turning around to see Harvey coming out of his office. He knew he should've gone the other way. "I'm going home. I've been here since eight in the morning…yesterday. I think I should be allowed to sleep every now and then."
Harvey sighed. Mike had been working his ass off ever since his grandmother died, he started spiraling and got beat up by the husband of a woman he was seeing. It had been a rough year for the kid and he knew that the only reason he was working so hard was so that he could forget about it all. But he couldn't, especially when there was still giant bruise on Mike's eye. He knew Mike said he deserved it, but he still wanted to kick the guy's ass for laying a hand on his associate. Though one more case wouldn't hurt, right?
"It's only two in the afternoon, one more client and then you can have a couple days off."
Mike huffed. He was so exhausted, but he wanted to be on Harvey's good side for a change. "Alright."
Harvey smirked. "Good boy." He gave Mike a folder and the blonde sifted through it.
"Drew Davidson," Mike read off.
"Filthy rich," Harvey replied. "CEO of Marco Motors."
"What's the problem?"
"His wife. They actually own the company together, but since they're divorcing, she's trying take over it and have him fired."
Mike yawned. "Okay, so are we going to meet him?"
"You're going to meet him. I'm gonna start on the paperwork; there's a lot, so when you come back we need to work on it together if you want to go home before the end of the week."
Mike rolled his eyes. "I'm guessing you want me to go now?"
The corner of Harvey's mouth flicked upwards and he waved Mike away. "See you in a couple hours."
The blonde hitched his messenger bag higher on his shoulder and grumbled as he made his way towards the elevator. He just wanted to sleep, was that too much to ask? Maybe he should just throw himself down the stairs and go into a coma. That seemed like the only way at this point. Rubbing his eyes, Mike pressed the button for the ground floor. It was gonna be a long day.
The meeting went pretty well, surprisingly since he had a hard time keeping his eyes open. However, he had also been hungry and the client was nice enough to have fruits, crackers and cheese out. After twenty minutes in, he ate a bunch until he was parched and asked for something to drink. Davidson whipped out a glass of soda and he downed it quickly. It tasted funny, but he didn't care. They finished ten minutes later and shook hands.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ross," Drew smirked.
"Likewise, Mr. Davidson," Mike replied.
"I'm glad you and Harvey are my lawyers. My wife won't know what hit her."
Mike chuckled. "You won't be disappointed, sir. Harvey will contact you soon." They said goodbye and Mike got outside and flagged down a taxi. The whole ride back to the firm, he began to feel strange…dizzy and nauseous. Blinking furiously, he chalked it up to sleep deprivation. Once he got to Pearson Hardman, he knew something else was wrong…this couldn't be sleep deprivation. With each stumbling step, Mike started feeling worse; his heart was beating wildly against his chest and the only sound he could hear was the blood rushing to his head. After what seemed like hours, he reached the fiftieth floor, getting worried or annoyed looks from the other associates, and tripped into the bathroom and glared at himself in the mirror. Past the blurriness of his vision, he could see that his eyes were red and his face was covered in sweat. Wheezing in a panic, he shakily loosened his tie from his neck as the room began to spin. Can't breathe, can't breathe, can't breathe. Mike leaned forward and splashed water on his burning skin. What the hell was wrong with him?
"Mike!"
The blonde stood up and swayed dangerously. Shit. Harvey sounded pissed and he was gonna get angrier when he saw the condition he was in.
Harvey stormed into the bathroom when Donna told him she saw the kid come in. Mike knew they had a shit ton of work to get done and his associate was hiding from him. Maybe he shouldn't be so angry, but Jessica pissed him off earlier and he couldn't hold it back. When he got there, he shouted Mike's name and the kid shot up from his hunched position and swayed on his feet.
"Where the hell have you been? We have work to do!"
Mike hiccupped and Harvey frowned, moving in closer. He scrutinized the blonde, noticing the glazed over blue eyes, the blinking and being off balance…and then realization hit him like truck.
"You're drunk."
"W-What? Har-"
"I don't want to hear it! I don't care if he was the client, you don't drink or do drugs on the job! Might I remind you what happened last year with Louis?! Maybe I made a mistake about giving you a second chance."
"No…Har-Harvey…wait." He turned back to the sink, trying to hold back the vomit that creeped up his throat. What was going on? Why did he feel so shitty?
"You're unbelievable, Mike. I really thought I could trust you; you know we had a lot of work and you go and screw it up…just like you." Mike continued to stay hunched and Harvey could see the kid wasn't paying attention…which angered him more. Balling his fists and shook his head. "I gave you time to get your shit together and that time is up. You're gonna get your ass fired, Mike! And I won't hesitate!"
Mike gasped, but the only thing that he heard coming out of Harvey's mouth was 'you're fired.' His stomach churned and sweat continued to pour down his face. He couldn't get fired, this job was all he had. He had no grandmother, no girlfriend, he couldn't have no job and no family either. Harvey was like a brother to him…he wouldn't be able to handle it if he lost that too. Mike glanced up just as Harvey turned around to leave. He had to stop him…he had to beg to keep his job.
"H-Harvey." His chest tensed and his mouth and throat felt tingly. Mike took a step to follow Harvey, but his legs were too weak and he collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. Everything hurt, everything itched, his whole body felt restricted and hot. He could be dying; he was dying.
Harvey stopped and turned to see the most heart-stopping sight he's ever seen. Mike was writhing on the floor, eyes wide, back arched and his fingers scratching at his neck. His face was beet red and his breaths were coming out in harsh, short gasps. Harvey ran over and fell to his knees next to his associate.
"Mike! Jesus Christ…Mike, what's wrong? Can you talk?"
The blonde choked, his eyes sliding over to look at Harvey, but his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. He couldn't speak, he couldn't breathe and Harvey had no idea what the fuck was happening. His hands shook as he tore open Mike's shirt to help him breathe a little better…though it didn't seem to work and there was a big red rash spreading across his chest. Tears slipped from the corner of Mike's eyes and his red face was turning blue and swelling up for some reason. When he clutched his chest, Harvey knew that the pain Mike was experiencing was becoming deadly.
"Oh god. Oh god." Harvey ran his fingers nervously through his hair, unsure of what to do. His associate was suffocating right in front of him. He needed help; chest heaving, he searched his pockets for his phone, but remembered he left it in his office. "Fuck!" He was gonna have to leave for a few seconds. "I'll be right back, kid." He began to get up, but Mike's hands flew to his wrist, gripping it tightly, his eyes saying 'please don't go.'
"Mike, I need to get help, I promise I'll be right back." Harvey reluctantly pried the kid's hand from his arm and got to his feet. He left the room and rushed out into the hallway, shouting at the top of his lungs for someone to call 911. Without waiting for an answer, he went back into the bathroom and froze. Mike was no longer gasping for air or clawing at his neck, but instead convulsing violently, foam coming out of his mouth and eyes rolled to the back of his head.
"Shit. Mike…Mike!" He got to his knees and leaned over, holding down Mike's flailing arms. "Jesus, kid. Don't do this, you're scaring me." He could sense other people coming into the bathroom and he hoped to god that someone had half a brain to call an ambulance.
"Harvey! Oh my god."
The lawyer looked up and saw Donna standing over him. "Donna," he breathed. "Help me."
The redhead nodded and kneeled down. "What do you need me to do?"
"I need to roll him over; he's choking."
Nodding silently, Donna slid her hands underneath Mike's back and pushed him up towards Harvey. The blonde continued to jerk, vomit dribbling out of his mouth and all they could do was just watch and wait in silence. This was terrifying; Harvey had never seen anyone have a seizure and watching someone he cared about go through it made his chest ache…and it was going on forever. Mike convulsed for nearly five minutes before his whole body went completely still. Harvey frowned, sharing a nervous look with Donna.
"Mike?" He pressed his fingers against his associate's neck and his stomach churned fearfully. There was no pulse. "Mike!" He rolled the kid back over, harshly slapping his face.
"Harvey, he's not breathing," Donna said in a low voice. "He's not breathing."
Harvey swallowed dryly, wanting to throw-up. Mike was dead. Mike was fucking dead!
"Where the hell is the ambulance!?" He screamed.
"It's on the way," someone replied. "They said ten minutes five minutes ago."
Harvey swore. Mike didn't have five minutes. "Donna, I'm gonna do compressions, you…"
"Got it."
Harvey positioned himself and began pressing against Mike's chest and counting to thirty. Breathe Mike! Please! After two minutes of compressions and rescue breaths, nothing changed; he just got paler and colder. Harvey could feel wetness on his face and he couldn't remember when he started crying.
"Harvey," Donna whispered sadly.
"No! I'm not stopping!"
"No, the medics are here."
Harvey glanced up to see two EMT's standing by. Letting out a shuddering exhale, the lawyer moved back and watched numbly as one medic shoved a tube down Mike's throat while the other tore opened the rest of his shirt and placed electrodes on his chest that were connected to an AED. They shocked his heart twice before it started up again. Moments later, they had him strapped onto a gurney and wheeled him out of the bathroom.
"I want to go with him," Harvey said, about to follow.
"I'm sorry sir, there's no room. We're taking him to Mercy." With that, they disappeared down the hallway. Harvey watched, frozen to the spot and speechless. Mike had literally died right in front of his eyes and he had no idea what caused it. Donna glared at the people still in the room, forcing them to file out to leave them alone.
"Are you okay?" She asked, placing a hand on Harvey's shoulder.
"I don't understand…I thought he was drunk. He was acting like it and I threatened to fire him. The next thing I know…" He picked up Mike's tie from the ground and sighed. "He was dead, Donna. Dead. And I couldn't do anything about it." He quietly left the room. Donna pursed her lips sadly as she watched the older man walk away. Harvey had been slightly more protective than usual of Mike especially since he was beat up a few days ago. She prayed Mike was okay because neither one of them would be able to handle losing him…Harvey especially. Shaking her head, Donna exited the bathroom too.
~+SUITS+~
Harvey wiped his mouth as he and Donna stepped into Dr. Simmons' office and sat down. They had waited nearly an hour before a nurse came out and brought them to Mike's attending. It was safe to say he was nervous; why couldn't the doctor come out into the waiting room? Well, he knew why. The only reason a family got brought into the doctor's personal office was because they had bad news and didn't want them causing a scene in public. Harvey closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath.
"Mike…he's not okay, is he." Why would he be? He had a fricken seizure, foamed at the mouth and died for nearly five minutes. Who would be okay from that?
The doctor pursed his lips, confirming that Harvey was correct. "Mike was poisoned."
Harvey's forehead creased, anger boiling at the pit of his stomach. "What? What the hell do you mean? Poisoned with what?"
"Xanax. Do either of you know if he's been taking any? I've looked at his files and it doesn't say he's ever been prescribed it."
Harvey shifted in his seat. "What…What is that for?"
"Anxiety and panic disorders; it's basically a sedative."
Harvey shook his head. It's been two years, he would've noticed if Mike was taking pills, and if not him, definitely Donna would've. "No, not that I know of."
"Well, the dose wasn't deadly, it was only 2 milligrams or a whole bar which shouldn't be taken in one sitting. Normally, it wouldn't have had much of a dangerous effect on someone who has tolerance for this medication, Michael obviously didn't, not to mention he had a severe allergic reaction to it. That's why he had a seizure and it got so bad."
"Shit," Harvey muttered. "Well, is he okay now?"
"We've pumped his stomach and he's stable, but his throat is still swollen. He's on a ventilator until he's strong enough to breath on his own. Luckily, he's not in a coma, but he hadn't regained consciousness up until the time we sedated him. However, I don't blame him, the seizure most likely left him extremely exhausted. It is possible there could be some brain damage due to the lack of oxygen for five minutes, but we won't be able to know that until he wakes up."
Harvey rubbed his forehead, trying to process all this information. "Can we see him?"
"Not yet. I'd like to let him recuperate under high watch for at least twenty-four hours, but after that, you're welcome to sit with him." Dr. Simmons folded his hands together and sighed heavily. "I have to ask…is it possible this was a suicide attempt?"
Harvey sat straight up in his chair. "What!? You just said the dose wasn't fatal!"
"But is it possible Michael could've known he was allergic and intentionally poisoned himself?"
Donna shook her head frantically. "No, definitely not. That's not Mike, he would never do that."
"Are you-"
"Yes!" Harvey snapped angrily. "I'm sure. He'd know I'd kick his ass if he pulled a stunt like that. He was terrified…when he couldn't breathe and I had to leave to get someone, he didn't want me to. He grabbed my wrist to stop me. It was the middle of the day and he was completely fine before that, tired, but fine. I had sent him to see a client and then he came back acting weird. I just thought he was drunk…until he collapsed." Harvey paused to run the words through his mind. He was fine before seeing the client, so between that and coming back to the firm, something happened. "I'm telling you, Mike wouldn't have tried to kill himself. He was definitely poisoned by someone." And he was going to find out who.
Since they couldn't see Mike yet, both Donna and Harvey went their separate ways. Donna went to the firm to clear things up and cancel any meetings for the rest of the week before going home to freshen up. Harvey went straight to investigate how Mike got poisoned, because it had to have happened at the meeting. He walked into the building and went up to the reception desk.
"Can I help you sir?" The woman asked.
"I'm looking for my client, Drew Davidson. I'm his lawyer Harvey Specter."
"Sorry sir, that's not possible."
The lawyer clenched his jaw. "And why the hell not?"
"Because there's no one here by that name."
Harvey was taken aback. "What? You're telling me that the owner of this company doesn't work here?"
The woman shook her head. "He works here, but that's not his name." She pointed to a huge painting on the far wall and Harvey frowned. That definitely wasn't the guy he had gotten drinks with and Ralph Richardson wasn't his name either…this had to be some kind of joke.
"What about the wife, Lisa Davidson?"
The receptionist shook her head again.
"Are you sure?"
"We're not that big a company, Mr. Specter, and I know every single person that comes in those doors. The people you're talking about don't exist. Are you sure you have the right place?"
Harvey lips tightened against his teeth. He was so confused right now. Feeling more pissed and having more questions than answers, he thanked the woman and left the building. When he got outside, he froze when he saw the supposed client standing by his car with a smirk on his face. Grinding his teeth, he stormed over and gripped the man's collar in his fists.
"Who are you?" He seethed.
"Name's Rick Nelson; I work for Sylvester and Son's down in lower Manhattan. Heard of it?" He didn't see the harm in lying, everything was going according to plan and they would have no evidence. The drugs would be out of that blonde's system by the time they figured something was off, if they did.
Harvey didn't respond, the anger rising, and Rick continued.
"So how's your associate? Fucking up his paperwork, maybe a little forgetful?"
Harvey growled and slammed Rick against the vehicle, eliciting a small yelp from the man. "What the hell!"
"You know how he's doing?! He's in the hospital fighting for his life; you tried to kill him and now, I'm gonna kill you!"
Rick raised his hands in surrender. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, kill him? What are you talking about? I just gave him a Xanax, what's the big deal?"
"The big deal is that he had an allergic reaction! He had a seizure, he stopped breathing, his heart stopped! What was your angle, huh? To literally murder the competition?"
"N-No! I didn't mean it… I've heard of you and I've heard of your new genius associate a-and I just wanted to knock him off his game, you know? I wasn't trying to kill him, I swear! I just crushed it up and put it in his drink during out meeting."
Hearing enough and wishing he could strangle the guy right here, Harvey clocked Rick in the nose, probably breaking it, and blood began flowing out. With that, he threw the man to the ground and got into his car. He would deal with him later, right now, Mike needed him…well, when they could see him, that is. Harvey went home, ate, slept, showered and changed before heading over to Mike's to grab the kid a few things for his hospital stay. Before he knew it, twenty-four hours was up and he picked up Donna to head for Mercy.
"Did you find out who did this?" Donna asked as they were being led down the hall to Mike's room.
"Yeah, Rick Nelson from a firm down in lower Manhattan. He pretended to be someone else so I would take him in as a client. He put Xanax in Mike's drink during their meeting. I called the cops before I got here, they should be arresting the bastard by now. I never should've sent him alone."
"Harvey, Mike's no longer a puppy, he can do things on his own. This isn't your fault."
Harvey sighed through his nose, but didn't reply as they reached Mike's room.
"We've lightened the dosage of sedatives we have him on," the nurse said. "But he's still out cold."
"When will he wake up?" Harvey asked.
"It's all up to him. He's very lucky; it could've been a lot worse."
Harvey rolled his eyes inwardly. He didn't need reminding.
"If you need anything, we're right across the hall."
"Thanks," Harvey replied and walked into the room. He hated that Mike was still unable to breathe on his own; it just showed how bad the reaction had been and how close they were- or still might be- to losing him. Harvey and Donna shared a look before they both went to go sit down on either side of his bed. Donna clutched Mike's hand in her, leaning forward and brushing back some of his blonde strands.
"He's gonna be okay, right?" She whispered. When Harvey didn't answer, she glanced up and saw Harvey staring at Mike's emotionless face. "Harvey…you alright?"
"I yelled at him, Donna. I called him a screw-up and threatened to fire him when it was clear something was wrong. I thought he was drunk. I should've asked, maybe I could've gotten him to the hospital in time."
"Don't do that, Harvey. Don't blame yourself, you didn't know and by the time Mike got back to the firm, the drug was already taking effect."
The lawyer rubbed his mouth and didn't say anything. Donna sighed and continued to silently comfort Mike even if he didn't know they were there. Hours passed, Donna dozed and Harvey kept watch. The first sign of Mike waking up happened at five of midnight. It was pitch black outside and Harvey was trying his best not to fall asleep. He needed to be there when the kid opened his eyes. He noticed the blonde's finger twitch subtly and Harvey sat up quickly, hoping this was the moment.
"Mike?" He glanced at the door, wondering if he should get a nurse in here, because he was positive Mike was going to freak out when he felt the tube down his throat. "Mike. Can you hear me?"
Mike's fingers twitched again and his eyes fluttered open sluggishly…and that's when he started to panic. Mike's eyes flew open completely and he began choking on the tube. He couldn't breathe…again, he couldn't breathe. What the hell was down his throat? And why did it feel like he had been hit by a bus? His whole body hurt. Tears dripped down his face as he started to reach up and pull whatever was choking him to death.
"Mike, Mike! Calm down, kid." Harvey leaned forward and held Mike's arms down before he hurt himself even more. "Leave that in, it's been helping you breathe."
Mike glanced over and saw Harvey. Wasn't the guy mad at him? But he looked worried which was extremely rare. Why was he just standing there though? Why wasn't he helping him?
"Take it easy, Mike. The doctor is gonna come take out the tube any minute now."
The blonde breathed heavily, trying to relax, but the more he thought about being gagged the more he panicked. He heard Harvey shout something, but he was starting to lose consciousness and couldn't tell if it was at someone else or at him.
"Mike, stay with me. Mike!"
That was the last thing he heard before everything went black once again.
5:21am
Harvey sat up straight when he heard Mike's throat make a noise. Ever since Mike passed out nearly five hours ago, he had been anxious. The kid had been petrified, but why wouldn't he be? He was suffocating again. He had been close to calming him down, but then Mike started panicking all over again, hyperventilating until he went limp. The doctor had finally come in and removed the tube, switching it with a nasal cannula.
"Mike." He rested his hand on Mike's arm, stroking it with his thumb. "Mike?"
Blue eyes made an appearance as they blinked furiously to get rid of the blurriness. He scanned the room until landing on Harvey. Where the hell was he? And it all came floating back to him. The meeting, the weird feeling in his throat, Harvey yelling at him, firing him. Oh god. He couldn't be fired.
"H-Harvey," he rasped, a little shocked by his voice. But right now, he had to beg for his job back. Would Harvey give him a third chance? "I'm…I'm so-sorry. P-Please don't…please don't fire me. I s-swear-"
"Mike, stop it. You're gonna make yourself pass out again."
"B-But…I wasn't drunk…I swear I didn't d-drink with the client."
Harvey pushed Mike against the pillows, trying to make him relax. "I know, kid, and I shouldn't have assumed that you had."
Mike frowned. "You know? How long have I been out?"
"Couple days. Do you remember anything?"
Mike rubbed his eyes and then his chest. "Kind of. I…I went to see the client and everything was fine until I got to the firm. On the taxi ride back I felt a little hot, but that was it."
"Well, it turns out our client wasn't real…the name, anyways. He was another lawyer from a rival law firm; he admitted to crushing up a Xanax and putting it in your soda, not knowing you were allergic to it. He just wanted to mess with your job performance."
"I knew that soda tasted funny," Mike sighed. "Where is he now?"
"Jail by now, I'm assuming, but I did break his nose," Harvey finished with a smirk.
Mike chuckled weakly before sobering up. "When I got back to the firm, I felt itchy and out of breath. The more I walked, the more I couldn't breathe. I went to the bathroom, but I just kept feeling worse. Then you came in and starting yelling at me…and I…I thought I heard you say I was fired; I panicked and after that, it's all blank."
Harvey pressed his lips together. "You collapsed and couldn't take in any oxygen. I had to leave to get help and when I came back you were…you were having a seizure…foaming at the mouth and everything. It was terrifying, Mike. And then your heart stopped." Just thinking about the events that had happened in the bathroom made him sick. "Donna and I did CPR for five minutes until the medics finally arrived and restarted your heart. The doctor said you were lucky; crushing up a Xanax, especially for someone who's never taken it, increases a risk for an overdose."
"Wow, I…I don't know what to say. Thank you, Harvey." Mike was silently freaking out, even though he seemed slightly calm on the outside. He had fucking died! "And I'm sorry."
Harvey's brows knitted together. "For what?"
"For screwing up. I should've known something was wrong. He barely knew about the company or much less cared about it."
"Mike, it wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I said some things that I shouldn't have…things that weren't true. I need to start trusting you more; I should know you never would've done something like get drunk with a client." He smiled and Mike smiled back.
"So…" the blonde said after a few moments of silence. "I was foaming at the mouth, huh?"
Harvey grinned. "Like a rabid dog."
Mike laughed. "That must've been a sight."
"You're telling me." But deep down, Harvey never wanted to see something like that again. It had been scary and hardly a laughing matter, but he wanted to get back to normal and this is how they handled it.
"Can I go home now?"
Harvey scoffed. "No."
"Why not," Mike whined.
"One, because it's five-thirty in the morning, two, because you look like shit and three, because the doctor still needs to make sure you're in the clear."
Mike rolled his eyes and yawned.
"Just go back to sleep, kid, and you'll be out of here in no time."
Humming in response and feeling strangely tired all of a sudden, Mike rolled onto his side to be more comfortable and let his eyes dip close once more.
~+SUITS+~
Harvey was surprised the doctor let Mike go home even when he was sporting a slight fever. But apparently it was normal, though it should be watched carefully, and they discharged him in the afternoon. Harvey drove Mike to his apartment and helped him upstairs, silently cursing that there was no working elevator. Mike really needed a new apartment.
"Seriously, how do you live in this dump?" He said as they stepped inside the room.
"This place isn't a dump," Mike retorted feebly. He was feeling achy and really hot.
"Could've fooled me," Harvey replied, placing Mike things by the door. "It looks like it should've been condemned years ago."
"Are you gonna make fun of my place every time you come here?"
"Most likely."
Mike rolled his eyes and shuffled over to his bed. He just wanted to sleep.
"Are you okay?" Harvey asked. He still thought the doctor let him go too early.
Mike only mumbled as he sank onto his mattress, pulled off his shoes and got under his covers. Harvey frowned and studied the blonde for a moment. He was pale and his face was already covered in a layer of sweat.
"Mike." Harvey pressed his hand against the man's forehead when Mike didn't respond. It wasn't alarmingly hot, but it was still warm nonetheless. Maybe he should stay here just in case. Biting the inside of his cheek, Harvey decided to go grab some things from the store and then go home to get some of his own clothes. Mike would be fine alone for a couple hours. After hesitating for a moment, Harvey grabbed his keys, wrote Mike a quick note in case he woke up and then left the building. When he got back two hours later, he half expected Mike to be up and when he rounded the corner, he noticed the bed was empty…but Mike was slumped on the floor. Dropping everything, Harvey ran forward and sat the lifeless blonde up, slapping his face.
"Mike. Mike! Jesus, come on, wake up. Fuck." He was really burning up. He leaned his associate against the nightstand before going through the grocery bags to find the thermometer he bought, because lord knows Mike probably didn't own one. He ripped it out of the package and then scrambled back over, placing the device in the blonde's mouth. 103.6
"Shit. Mike!"
Finally, his voice seemed to get through the fog in Mike's brain and his eyes sluggishly fluttered open. He stared at Harvey in confusion with glazed over blue eyes and frowned.
"W-What…Harvey, what are you d-doing here? M'I late for work?"
"What? No, do you remember what happened?"
"M'sorry. Tried to get up…t-tired…lotta all-nighters…floor felt good. S'cold."
"Great." The kid was really out of it…and if he didn't do something fast, the temperature was going to get higher. He contemplated calling an ambulance, but the fever wasn't dangerously high yet. "Alright kid, hang on. We're gonna get you cooled down."
"W-Why?"
"Because you have a fever, idiot."
"Oh…t-thought I left…heat on."
Harvey rolled his eyes and got up to head for the bathroom. He let cold water fill up the tub and then grabbed a couple ice trays from the freezer and dumped all the ice cubes in there as well. When the tub was nearly full, Harvey stopped the water and then went to grab Mike.
"Okay kid, time to participate in the polar plunge."
"What?"
"I'm putting you in the tub to cool you off," Harvey replied, pulling Mike to his feet and leading him towards the bathroom.
"Why?"
"I already told you why."
"N-No you didn't," Mike wheezed.
The fact that his associate was already forgetting things worried Harvey and he forced himself to walk faster, basically dragging the kid with him. Once they got to the tub, he told Mike to get in, but he wasn't cooperating.
"Do I have to knock you out and put you in?"
Mike didn't respond; his eyes were closed and he was leaning heavier into the older lawyer.
"Jesus, you really are a fucking handful." Carefully, he lowered the blonde into the water backwards and then put his legs in after. Harvey ran to grab a chair from the kitchen and brought it back so he could sit next to the tub and make sure Mike didn't end up drowning himself. A few times, he dunked the man completely under and each time he came up, he was beginning to seem more alert. Harvey hoped he didn't have to bring him back to the hospital. That just meant he wasn't getting better and he was sure Mike didn't want to be back there either. They sat there for almost half an hour until the blonde started shivering.
"H-Harvey," he chattered, blearily glancing around and realizing he was in the bathtub fully clothed. "What…what the hell's going on? What am I doing in here?"
"You had a high fever, I had to get it down."
"Oh…can I get out now?"
"Let's see what Mr. Thermometer has to say," he smirked, knowing Mike was probably already annoyed by him. He put the device in the kid's mouth and it beeped seconds later.
"You're lucky. You're at 99.8°. You can get out for now, but if it goes up again-"
"Yeah, yeah. Okay mom." Mike gripped the side of the tub and Harvey helped him out, wrapping a towel around his shoulders. Mike hobbled to his room and got changed in some new clothes. Harvey gave him a few Tylenol and some water before he went back to sleep; the older lawyer felt a little more at ease, but wouldn't feel completely better until Mike was completely better. He didn't know why he was acting like this; ever since Mike's grandmother died, he could tell that the kid was depressed…alone. So he had to fill that void as a big brother and let him know that he wasn't alone. And then when Mike was still declining and got beat up, he felt even more protective. Mike would always be his family and somewhere along the way, the kid forgot that. Harvey watched Mike breathe evenly before he went into the living room, grabbed a beer from the fridge and laid down on the couch.
The next morning, Mike's fever broke and he was looking much better, minus the fact that his clothes were plastered to his skin from sweat.
"Welcome back to the world of sanity," Harvey smirked when Mike came out of his room and leaned tiredly on the doorframe, running his fingers through his damp hair.
"Get off my back," Mike grumbled. "I had a fever; it's a legitimate excuse."
Harvey snorted and the blonde rolled his eyes. The older lawyer sobered up and looked his associate up and down. "Really though, how are you feeling? You were pretty out of it yesterday."
Mike shrugged. "Okay. Everything still kind of aches."
Harvey smiled in sympathy. "Go take a shower, you look disgusting and you can't go in public looking like that."
"Are you seriously going to make me work after I nearly died?" Mike groaned.
"Just go take a shower," Harvey said, burying his face back in the newspaper he'd been reading.
Mike mumbled something, but grabbed some clean clothes and went into the bathroom anyways. Ten minutes later, he stepped out, dressed in some jeans and a gray Henley and drying his hair with a towel.
"Ready?" Harvey asked, getting up from the couch.
"For what?" Mike frowned, throwing the towel back into the bathroom.
"Breakfast."
"You cooked?" Mike questioned, though it didn't look like anything had been made.
"Hell no, especially since all you have is cereal and probably week old milk. We're going grocery shopping after, by the way. Donna would kill me if she found out you're barely eating and I knew about it."
Mike smirked, pulling on his shoes. "So what, we going to McDonald's or something?"
"Please, I can afford that any day. We're going to The Carlyle."
Mike looked stunned. "Harvey, that place is crazy expensive."
"You actually think you're paying for yourself?" Harvey replied.
"W-Well-"
"Mike, don't worry about it; I got it covered."
The blonde eyed him suspiciously and Harvey shook his head. "After everything that happened, your grandmother dying…"
Mike stared at the ground and Harvey quickly moved on.
"You nearly dying, working your ass off every single day while trying to get your shit together, and me being an asshole, I realized that I never fully appreciate you like I should. I don't say this enough, kid, but I'm proud of you. You're a part of my family as much as you're my associate and I don't want you to forget about that."
Mike was speechless for a moment. "Um…wow. Thank you for saying that; it means a lot."
The older lawyer bobbed his head with a smile. "Alright, let's go eat."
Mike smirked. "Good, cause I'm starving."
Harvey slapped Mike on the shoulder and grinned. He wasn't going to say it, but Mike meant a lot to him and watching him die, watching him suffer or finding out someone hurt him pissed him off. He would protect the kid to no ends. He glanced over at the blonde, who was still slightly pale and still had that fading bruise on his eye. Yeah, having Mike by his side was worth risking everything.
FIN!
A/N: Hey all! Hope you liked the story! Can you believe we have to wait until July for season six!? Whyyyy? I can't wait another month :( Anyways, this summer updates may be a little slow due to getting a second job, but I promise I will spend all of my free time writing/brainstorming and will update with any chance I get! Love you all, thanks for reading!
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