Fractured
Prompt for:Irais: Do you think you can write a story about mike suffering from a flail chest? an accident happens, and Harvey tries hard to keep mike alive as he takes mike to the hospital.
Enjoy!
Also, kind of a alternate storyline where Mike was in the car when his parents were killed
Mike stared out the window at the setting sun, silent and lost in thought. Its been a week since his grandmother's death and a few days since the whole ordeal with Gillian Colson's son. That case hit close to home…real close and Harvey had just expected him to push through it like nothing? The two had gotten into a fight about it, but they seemed fine now. Tess was gone, Rachel was mad at him and all in all, he just felt like shit. Nothing was going right for him lately and he was feeling alone. He wondered if Harvey saw the change in his behavior, because the guy pretty much forced him to visit a client on a Saturday up in Saratoga Springs. A whole four hour drive from Manhattan. Mike didn't know why Harvey wanted him to go; the guy had gone on these trips multiple times without him. He'd rather be at home drinking his sorrows away.
Harvey glanced at his associate as they pulled onto the backroad to head towards the city. Yeah, normally he would do this by himself, but the kid was in a slump. He was having a rough couple of weeks and it showed, so naturally, a day away from Manhattan on a nice scenic car ride was the best medicine…he hoped. Apart from talking with the client, the blonde hardly spoke, even when Harvey had tried to strike up a conversation about Rachel. Most of the ride was quiet, besides the music the older lawyer put on and it was peaceful…until grim looking storm clouds covered the sky. Not long after it started to rain. At first, it was just a mist, then it was light before a downpour hit them out of nowhere. Harvey put the wipers and high beams on, but that barely seemed to help. He was just gonna have to take things slow; thankfully, this wasn't a highly travelled road, so he wasn't too worried about other drivers.
"Mike, see how much longer we have to go," he said, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. However, when he received no response, he briefly looked over to see Mike no longer gazing out the window, but his eyes shut tight and knuckles white from gripping the seat. Harvey frowned. "Hey, what's wrong?" The kid's breathing was frantic and heavy; the older lawyer was confused. "Mike, talk to me." And then he remembered…Mike's parents had died in a car accident and he witnessed it all. Granted, it was a drunk driver that killed them, but the kid also told him it was during a bad storm. Just like this one. "Shit."
"I'm f-fine," Mike managed to get out. He felt sick to his stomach; he was sent back to that night, the harsh wind and rain hitting the car, the headlights barely cutting through the dense fog and the sound of car horns, crunching metal and screaming before everything went dark.
"Mike!"
His eyes flew open and he realized that the car wasn't moving; Harvey had stopped on a small shoulder on a bend in the road. He blinked furiously, the rain being the only sound in the otherwise silent vehicle. He turned to his boss who was staring at him like he had two heads.
"Why'd you stop?"
"Because you were having a panic attack. You back with me?"
Mike swallowed and nodded. "Y-Yeah. Sorry…it's just…"
"I know, kid. Put some music on and I'll drive slow, alright?"
The blonde clenched his jaw, feeling embarrassed but relieved. He settled into the seat, trying to get comfortable as Harvey put the vehicle in drive again.
"Hey, I'll buy you a drink when-"
But Harvey's voice was cut off when bright lights appeared out of nowhere. Before they could react, something violently slammed into the passenger side, knocking them sideways, through the guardrail and over the embankment. They both shouted in fear and pain as the car rolled over a few times, throwing them around like rag dolls, knocking them back and forth. It was a sick joke the world was playing on Mike these days. First his grandmother, then a case that brought him back to his tragic childhood and now the very thing that killed his parents…the very thing Mike had narrowly escaped as a kid…it was happening again. When the car reached the bottom, it smashed into a tree and everything went dark.
~+SUITS+~
45 Minutes Later
Harvey groaned, his whole body aching, not to mention the pain in his head was explosive.
"Ugh." He bent forward, squeezing his eyes shut to get rid of the stars he was seeing. He felt warm liquid trickling down his forehead, and he put two fingers up to touch it. When he pulled them back, he saw they were dotted with red. Blood. "Dammit." There was no doubt he had a concussion. He could taste it in his mouth, too. When he tried to move, pain shot through his left shoulder and he had a feeling it was dislocated, if not broken. He was going to sue the shit off whoever hit them…wait…them. He hadn't been alone. He was with Mike. Mike.
"Mike…you okay?" He turned his head to see the answer to his question. The kid did not look okay…he appeared far from it, in fact. "Mike?" The blonde was bent forward against his seatbelt, pale, eyes shut, unmoving, and blood dripping from his partially open mouth. He looked relatively okay considering he got the brunt of the hit. "Mike, come on, kid. Wake up." He sat the man back, inspecting him more closely. His left arm was bent abnormally, probably broken, and a large gash went from his temple to the top of his cheekbone. What really freaked the older lawyer out, though, was the sound of his associate's breathing. Something was wrong…why did it sound so forced and raspy? And if he really listened over the sound of the rain, he could hear whistling. All his time with sports injuries in college made him realize that the man could have punctured, if not already collapsed, lung. That was bad…really bad. The blonde was going to need a hospital immediately.
Hands shaking, Harvey pulled his phone out from his pocket. However, upon waking up the screen, he saw there were no bars. Which meant he'd have to get back up to the road and pray that it'd help with the reception. Despite it pouring, he knew they needed help, Mike more than anyone. The sun was going down and pretty soon it would be pitch black. Then they'd really be in trouble. Just as he was about to prepare himself for the task, there was a loud and suddenly sharp inhale followed by frantic gasping and crying. Mike was conscious and he was in a shit ton of pain.
"Oh…m-my…g-god. F-Fuck…fu-fuck."
Alarmed, Harvey turned to his associate. "Hey, Mike…talk to me. What's wrong?"
"H-Hurts…oh g-god…it hurts…s-so bad, H-Harvey."
"What does? You gotta tell me where you're hurt."
Mike squeezed his eyes shut, continuing to sob, fingers digging into the seat. His chest was on fire and he knew something was seriously wrong. It shouldn't be feeling like his heart was jumping out of his chest. He couldn't breathe; why was it so hard to breathe? He squirmed against the seatbelt, becoming extremely agitated.
"Mike! Come on, focus. What hurts? I can't help you unless you tell me." He hated seeing the kid in so much pain and feeling completely helpless.
The younger man whimpered. "My…M-My…ch-cha-" He could barely breathe let alone talk and trying to get out each syllable felt like the oxygen was being sucked from his lungs.
"Ch-Chest," he stuttered before letting out a wheezing groan. "C-Ca-Can't…b-breathe."
Harvey muttered a dark curse, knowing what he was gonna have to do. "Okay…okay. I'm gonna take a look, alright? Just try and stay still."
Mike nodded, keeping his eyes shut. After turning on the overhead light, that surprisingly still worked, Harvey slowly and carefully began to unbutton the blonde's shirt, wincing when Mike would flinch or moan.
"Sorry, kid, sorry."
When he got most of the way down, he pushed back the fabric and his heart dropped at what he saw. Besides the immense amount of bruising on Mike's right side, it seemed as if his heart was literally popping out of his chest, but Harvey knew it had to be his lungs. The injured side of his torso was moving unevenly. When the man inhaled, that area expanded out and when he exhaled, it drew in…it wasn't normal, and Harvey knew exactly what it was from his baseball days. Mike had flail chest; it was life-threatening and if he didn't get to the hospital soon, he was going to die.
"Shit."
"W-What?" The blonde choked. He peeled his eyes open and looked down before Harvey could tell him not to. "Oh…Oh my…g-god. My…what's wr-wrong…with my…c-chest?" He started to become agitated. "H-Harv…ey. W-Why…s'it like t-that?"
"Hey, calm down."
"H-Ha-" Mike suddenly began coughing harshly, unable to take in a breath. His lips were turning blue and just when Harvey didn't think it could get worse, blood began spraying onto his lips.
"Mike! Breathe, kid, breathe." He didn't want to hit his associates back, the fear of hurting him more preventing him from doing so. So, Harvey just had to watch and wait, trying to coax him to relax. It took about five minutes until he was able to catch his breath, but it was sounding a lot worse. He didn't have a lot of time; the brunette was also worried about the car exploding due to the subtle gas scent that was wafting in.
"Alright, just sit tight. We're gonna get out of here." Unbuckling tenderly, Harvey rammed open the damaged door, thanking god the rear door had curled against the tree and not his. The rain immediately drenched him when he tumbled outside, the weather seemingly getting worse. Spitting the water out of his mouth and wiping it from his face, Harvey stumbled over to the passenger side. He was, however, met with a disheartening sight. The whole right side of the car was crushed; there was no way he was getting those doors open. Which meant he would be dealing with the difficult task of pulling Mike out the other way even though he was risking injuring him more. He swore underneath his breath before getting back into the car. The blonde looked worse, his face sheet white, lips blue and breathing choppy. His eyes were barely open, struggling to stay conscious with the little oxygen he was getting.
"Mike, hey, stay with me."
The man blinked, raising his head. "W-What…what h-happ…ned?"
"Door's not gonna budge. I'm gonna have to get you out through this door. It's gonna hurt."
Mike grit his teeth, shifting painfully. "Oh…kay…jus'…d-do…it."
Harvey silently commended Mike's bravery. Flail chests injuries were painful on their own; moving a person was just going to make it ten times worse. "Okay." He gently snaked his arms underneath Mike's, taking a deep breath. "On the count of three, I'm gonna pull and you'll push with your legs, got it?"
"Yep."
"Alright. One…two…three!"
The gut-wrenching scream Mike let out nearly broke Harvey's heart. For the young associate, the pain was unbearable. It felt like someone had stabbed a white hot knife into his chest and dragged it upwards. He wanted to vomit…he wanted Harvey to stop pulling him. It hurt so bad. The edges of his vision faded and before he knew it, the agony had forced him to black out once more.
Harvey had managed to get the blonde out, but at what cost? The two were in a heap on the ground, getting completely drenched.
"Mike?"
No answer. He was out cold. Harvey knew the freezing rain was not good for either one of them, especially for someone bordering severe shock. They had to find shelter until he could call for help. Squinting through the water in his eyes, the brunette was able to locate another large tree a few feet back that had a dry area underneath it's large branches. Ignoring his own aches, Harvey dragged his associate back and took shelter. He laid Mike down flat closer to the trunk, not liking how bad his wheezing was getting or the fact that his shivering was so violent.
"Mike." He slapped the boy's cheek a few times. "Mike, come on, kid, wake up." He sighed when he received no response and despite his jacket being wet, he removed it and draped it over the man's body, hoping that it would help retain some warmth. Now it was time to call for help. Hands trembling, he pulled out his phone and looked at the screen. To his delight, there was one bar, and he knew that the chances that it would last long were slim. He probably would get better reception up the hill, but he didn't have to energy to do so, nor did he want to leave Mike alone in case he woke up.
"911, what's your emergency?" A voice crackled to life on the other end of the line.
"I need an ambulance…we were in a car accident. Someone hit us and we're at the bottom of a hill. Please send someone; my friend has flail chest…he can barely breathe."
"Alright, do you know where you are?"
"I don't know…no. Maybe about an hour or two outside of Manhattan. Please hurry. I don't know what to do."
Mike's breath hitched, becoming short and choppy. Harvey was seconds away from panicking more than he already was. The blonde was dying, that much was clear.
"Okay, I'll tell you what you'll have to do. You're gonna have to stabilize the chest in order to prevent anymore damage. Is your friend lying down?"
"Y-Yes."
"Okay. Roll up a jacket or a blanket or t-shirt. Is he conscious?"
Harvey frowned. "No, why?"
"Because this part is going to hurt. If he was conscious, I would recommend he bite down on something. You'll need to put pressure down on the flail segment to keep it in place."
The lawyer swallowed thickly, scared about what was going to happen next. He almost prayed Mike wouldn't wake up. "H-How long?"
"It looks like where you are is about forty minutes from the nearest hospital. It's gonna take some time-"
"Time? Mike doesn't have time!" Forty minutes?! The kid would be dead by then!
"Just…tight…we'll…someone…there-" Before the operator could finish, the line went dead. Harvey checked the phone and saw that the single bar he had was now gone, replaced with two words. 'No service.' Things couldn't get any worse…but they had because the second he rolled up the jacket and put pressure on Mike's broken ribs, the kid's body jerked, his eyes flew open with a gasp and an anguished scream resonated from his throat. pained
"Hey, hey! Mike, stay still!" Harvey said, trying to get him to lay back. "Mike!"
"Ha-Harv…" Mike was frantic and in agony. When his eyes caught sight of what Harvey was doing, he raised his good arm, clutching the man's wrist and trying to pry it away from his chest. Why was he hurting him? What did he do wrong? "H-Har…vey," he sobbed brokenly, squirming underneath the man's weight. "P-Please…please st-stop…pl-please…m's-sorry. For what-whatever…I did…m'sorry…jus' please…it h-hurts."
Harvey felt his heart shatter at the kid's desperate cries, hating that he was causing a lot of the pain. "Mike, I'm sorry. I have to, your ribs…they're broken really bad. I need to keep pressure on it. I'm so sorry."
The younger man cried. Unable to hold back the bile in his throat, he turned his head and began retching. Harvey pressed his lips together sadly. He was doing this; granted, it was saving the kid from more injuries, but the cost was almost hardly worth it.
"I'm sorry, Mike, I'm sorry."
The blonde coughed, spitting blood onto the ground along with his vomit. When he was finished, he was left breathless, exhausted, and cold. He wanted to sleep.
"Hey, no, you're not sleeping," Harvey barked.
Had he said that out loud?
"Yes, you did. No sleeping, that's an order."
"N-Not…th'b'ss…f'me," Mike slurred.
"Am to." Harvey tried to keep his voice steady, but he was worried. Mike was slurring, his breathing was wet and forced and it was difficult to keep him awake. His own pain was starting to make itself known, not exactly being gentle with his dislocated shoulder. But he couldn't think about that now. Right now, he needed to get Mike to safety and waiting that long for an ambulance and then using more time to get to the hospital was not something they could afford. He was gonna have to take matters into his own.
"Mike…we're gonna have to move to the road."
The younger man groaned. "T'rd."
"I know, but…help isn't coming. We need to get up to where someone can see us." He just hoped the rain would let up a bit so the visibility, even at night, would get clearer. "I'm gonna help you sit up."
Getting Mike up was almost as worse as pulling him out of the car. It took a few minutes, after getting the blonde to his feet, for the two men to get their bearings, both in a lot of pain. Harvey gently draped Mike's right arm around his shoulder, knowing the tension was probably hell for the associate's broken ribs. The younger man whimpered, slumping against the brunette, and focusing on keeping his feet beneath him.
"Alright, kid, we'll take it slow. Let me know if you need to take a break."
"'Kay."
It was literally an uphill battle. The ground was wet and muddy. Mike kept slipping which caused further injury and pain to himself. They had passed the car that hit them, it upside down and totaled…and beer cans spilled on the ground. Anger surged in his chest; of course, it had to be a drunk driver. The person inside wasn't moving and Harvey wondered if they were dead. However, he didn't care. Mike was more important. By the time they finally reached the top, he was weak, lightheaded, breathless and in an immense amount of pain. Now the next task was walking the road, praying someone would drive by. But like Harvey had thought before: it wasn't a highly travelled road…now he was worried about the absence of other people. The trek was slow, but at least the rain was clearing and the moon was bright. They probably made it half a mile before Mike's legs collapsed and he slid out of Harvey's grasp.
"Mike! Mike, dammit." The older man turned to quickly catch the associate and carefully lower him to the ground. "Mike, come on, we have to keep going."
"C-Ca…n't." He tried to take in oxygen, but it was hardly enough, and it was making him sleepy. If Harvey would just let him rest for a few minutes, he'd be fine.
Harvey cradled Mike in his arms, letting the kid lay his head on his chest. They were both shivering, but Mike was worse off, his teeth even chattering. Each breath Harvey heard him take was slow and rattling. Time was running out.
"Okay…w-we'll take…a break. Then we need…to keep going."
"Hmm," Mike hummed, his eyes closed and making no other attempt to move.
"Mike," he shook the man gently. "Mike, please stay awake." He glanced at Mike's flail injury and noticed, in the moonlight, the bruising was getting darker…maybe- if his eyes weren't playing tricks on him- almost swollen. Shit. Internal bleeding was not something the kid needed right now.
"Jus'…few…min…"
Mike's body became limp in his hold. "No. Mike!" He received no answer, only the blonde's nearly non-existent breathing. Tears burned his eyes and he wondered if the man, who was like a brother to him…someone he should've been protecting, was going to die in his arms. "Mike, please." Just as he was beginning to lose hope, bright headlights nearly blinded him. He squinted, raising his arm to block the beam, but then he realized it was a car…and they saw them. Pulling over, the person stopped and got out, rushing over to their side.
"Oh my god!" It was a man in his late thirties with grayish brown hair and tanned skin. "What the hell happened to you guys?"
"Car crash…down the road," Harvey breathed and looked down at his associate. "He needs a hospital now. Please…"
"Of course, let me help you with him."
Relief washed over Harvey as their rescuer helped lift Mike up and carry him over to the vehicle. Once the blonde was slid into the back seat, lying him sideways so that his flail injury was stabilized again, Harvey jumped in and let the man rest his head in his lap. Moments later, they sped out of there towards the hospital. It would still take over half an hour to get there and Harvey prayed his kid could last just a little bit longer.
"Thank you…thank you." He was ready to pass out, but not yet.
"I'm glad I could help. My name's Dan, you?"
"Harvey and this is Mike. We're coworkers down in Manhattan."
"Pretty far from home, huh?"
"Business trip…we were on our way back and the rain was making it hard to see. Next thing I know, someone t-boned us." He felt immensely guilty for dragging Mike out on this trip; it was supposed to be the kid's day off and now he was fighting for his life. He glanced down at the man, resting his hand in the blonde hair. "He never should've been out here," he whispered.
Dan looked at him sadly in the rearview mirror before pressing a little harder on the gas.
Fifteen minutes later, Mike suddenly shifted and groaned. His eyes flickered open and he looked around. Where the hell was he? It appeared to be the inside of a car, but didn't they get hit? It seemed to be moving and he would've thought it had all been a dream, but he was still struggling to breathe…still in so much pain.
"Mike?"
A voice broke through the haze in his brain. It was familiar. "Ha-Ha-Harv…v-vee."
"Hey kid, you with me again?"
Mike rolled his eyes up and saw the older lawyer staring down at him with a warm smile. "Where…we?"
"We were rescued. We're almost to the hospital, so just hold on, alright?"
"S-So…t'r'd…c-cold."
"There's a blanket in the trunk if you reach back through the seat," Dan said and Harvey did just that, pulling the fabric through and covering Mike and tucking it around his shoulders. But that didn't ease his worry. Mike was still struggling to take in oxygen, and he knew it was only a matter of time before he stopped breathing all together. "How much longer?"
"Ten minutes give or take."
"You hear that, Mike. Almost there."
"M'sorry…c-can't."
"Yes, you can, Mike. You can. Stay awake, I mean it."
Mike just snorted, but as the time ticked by, his breathing became shallow and choked. It wasn't until they were four minutes away from the hospital that Harvey noticed that sound had stopped.
"Mike?" He frowned, putting his hand in front of the blonde's open mouth. "Mike?" No, please no. He checked for a pulse; it was still there, but with the kid not breathing, it wouldn't last long. "Dammit!" He rolled the man over onto his back and started rescue breaths, while shouting at Dan to go faster. Mike's lips were blue, and his skin was ice cold. It terrified him to see the kid so still…so corpse-like. Harvey's vision began to blur from the tears. He was losing his best friend. He was losing his little brother and he would never forgive himself for being the one to cause it.
By the time they screeched up the to the ER doors, Mike's pulse had slowly faded to nothing. Dan ran into the building to get help and before Harvey knew it, the nurses were taking Mike from his arms, putting him onto a gurney, and rushing him inside. Harvey was not far behind, following them into the emergency room. It was hectic, nurses and doctors running around to get wires and machines ready. He could only see glimpses of Mike if someone moved, watching as they pushed a tube down his throat, poked some more into his chest, and needles into his arms.
"Is he gonna be okay?" He asked, his voice dry and hoarse. When no one responded, he cleared his throat so that he could be a little louder. "Please, someone tell me if he's gonna be okay!"
A nurse turned to him just as they began unlocking the bed, the others shouting words out like blood loss, punctured lung, hypothermia, and severe respiratory distress.
"They're bringing him to surgery now, sir. Let's get you taken care of; you look like you're about to pass out."
Harvey shook his head, but the movement made him dizzy. "I'm f-fine." Brushing that and the sudden nausea off, he started to go after Mike's bed, not wanting to leave the kid alone.
"Sir, you can't go with him. He's in good hands, let us take care of you."
He was exhausted, the adrenaline he had most of the night wearing off and the full extent of his injuries starting to make itself known. Before he could take another step, his knees folded underneath him, and his world went black.
~+S+~
Harvey woke up in the recovery room three hours later. He was exhausted, sore and there was a dull ache resonating in his head. He found out, when a doctor appeared, that he had been worse off than he thought. Mild concussion, dislocated shoulder, slight internal bleeding, broken ribs and cuts and bruises. He figured the will to keep Mike alive was the only thing that had kept him going. And speaking of Mike, the kid was in rough shape. The doctor even said it was a miracle he was still alive. Several broken ribs that resulted in flail chest, collapsed lung, ruptured vessels that resulted in some pretty severe internal bleeding, broken arm, concussion, an infection, and pneumonia. He was currently on a ventilator along with a chest tube to inflate the lung, not to mention heavily sedated with some very strong pain medications. They had to put in metal fixation plates to stabilize the ribs, but he would, now, always have a visible deformity. The doctor didn't think he'd wake up in the next twenty-four hours, but if he did, he'd definitely be out of it. The doctor also talked about future problems Mike would have and that news made Harvey's heart sink. The fact that he may never fully recover…that though he could be up to 80% better in a couple months with therapy, he would continue to have persistent chest pain and shortness of breath after exertion, which earned him a prescription inhaler. The only good thing was that he would regain normal lung function in his two month recovery even with the deformity. Harvey felt incredibly guilty; he caused this to happen; it was Saturday-still?- and Mike should've been at home, not in a car with him.
After discharging himself, even though it was against medical advice, he called Donna to let her know what happened before going to see his kid. And the sight before him was almost as bad as when he first saw Mike's condition after the accident. The blonde was sitting up at a 110° angle so that the pneumonia wouldn't get worse, a thick tube was down his throat, a c-collar around his neck, and more tubes coming out from the top of his gown. His pale, gaunt face was littered with cuts and bruises, along with more on his arm that wasn't in a sling. Harvey stared down at Mike, shifting his own sling uncomfortably, and feeling tears well up in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Mike." He placed his hand on the kid's clammy forehead. "I'm so sorry."
4:16am
Harvey jolted awake out of his uncomfortable position in the plastic hospital chair when he heard a small groan come from the bed. Mike. He rubbed his eyes and sat forward, watching as his associate slowly began to regain consciousness…and then start to freak out.
As Mike slowly climbed out of the darkness, he was met with an array of sensations. Bright lights, weird smells, lots of noises, and pain…so much pain. And why couldn't he breathe? Something, or someone, was choking him. He started to hyperventilate, trying to raise his arms, but finding them too heavy. His whole body was weak. He sluggishly blinked, trying to get his vision to focus.
Harvey jumped to his feet, pressing the call button as Mike started panicking, attempting to raise his good arm, but it barely even twitching. He placed his hand on the blonde's shoulder and squeezed it.
"Mike, relax, you're okay. Hey, look at me."
The younger man's blue eyes stared at him listlessly a small crease appearing in his forehead. His breathing was still fast, but at least he stopped trying to move.
"It's me, Harvey, remember?" The lawyer watched as a few tears dripped out from the corner of Mike's eyes, whimpering slightly. "That's been helping you breathe, kid. A nurse will come take it out soon, okay?"
Mike shifted uncomfortably but calmed down a little. Once a few nurses came in, they ushered Harvey out into the hallway so they could remove the tube.
"We were able to extract the ventilator, Mr. Specter, but he's still pretty weak. He'll need to stay on oxygen for a few more days and then we'll see how he is after that. We'll also check on the chest tubes later in the day to see if we can take them out."
"Thanks." Harvey stepped back into the room, seeing that Mike was still awake, though barely. The nurses removed the neck brace, the ventilator, and some extra wires, the only new thing being an oxygen mask on his face. The man suddenly hummed, lifting his head tiredly.
Harvey walked forward, clutching the bedrail. "Mike?"
Mike blinked up at him, his eyes glassy and dull. It would only be a matter of time before he succumbed to his exhaustion.
"Kid, you with me?"
"D-Dad?" The younger man croaked before coughing harshly.
Yep, Mike was out of it; the fever definitely wasn't helping. "No, Mike. It's Harvey. Your boss."
"Dad…where's m-mom?"
"Mike-"
"W-We…cr'shed…she wasn't answering…me. S'okay? P-Please…tell me she's 'kay."
Harvey's chest twisted, feeling horrible Mike had to relive his childhood trauma once again. He didn't even know what to say; maybe he should lie. He reached over and cupped Mike's face…something he would never admit to doing in a million years but knew it would help the boy relax. "She's okay, buddy. Just go to sleep."
Mike didn't need much persuading, his eyes closing and his body relaxing. Harvey pressed his lips together in a tight line. This was going to suck. The following evening, the blonde woke up in agony and Harvey knew the drugs had worn off. He must've pressed the nurse's button a hundred times until one showed, hating to see his kid in so much pain. After the medication got into his system, he passed out. That's what it was like for the next three days; in and out of pain and having no idea where he was or who Harvey was. Donna came up to bring them both extra clothes and sat with them for a while. And as much as she tried to convince him, Harvey refused to leave until Mike was able to also. It wasn't until the weekend that the man's fever broke, and his pneumonia was starting to clear up.
"Ha-Harvey?"
"Welcome back, kid," the older lawyer smirked.
Mike frowned and smacked his dry lips before massaging his neck. It felt he had swallowed sandpaper and his lungs were tight. Something plastic was over his mouth and he lifted his hand to pull it off and found that it was an oxygen mask. What the hell? A cup filled with water suddenly appeared in front of his face.
"Here, take a few sips. And that pain is probably from the tube you had down your throat a few days ago."
"Tube?"
"Yeah, you were on a ventilator for couple days."
"D-Days? Harv-vey, what hap-happened?" He was so confused. What landed him here in the hospital?
"You don't remember?" Harvey bit the inside of his cheek. That was worrying.
Mike squeezed his eyes shut, trying to jog his memory. "We, uh…we were driving, right? To see a client?"
"Yeah, but we were actually headed back to Manhattan. Is that all you remember?"
"I think it was raining and you…you told me to turn on the radio. After that, its blank."
Harvey cleared his throat. "Well, we were driving, and a drunk driver hit us, causing us to flip down a small hill. You were in really bad shape; I didn't think you were gonna make it."
Mike seemed a little anxious. "But I'm okay, now right?"
Harvey sighed before telling Mike all his injuries and what the future was going to hold.
"You'll be alright eventually, but recovery will be long, and you'll need to be a bit more cautious."
Mike swallowed, lifting the top of his gown to see the damage. It felt weird to know that he had metal plates in his body and even from the weird angle, he noticed the slight dented shape of his torso. First he gets into a car accident with his parents and now with Harvey. His Grammy was gone, Trevor and Jenny hated him, Rachel gave him the cold shoulder because of Tess…why couldn't his luck ever change? He suddenly felt a hand on his arm, and he glanced up to see that it was Harvey.
"You're gonna be okay, kid. I sorry that this probably brought back unwanted memories, but if you need anything, I'm here for you."
Mike smiled weakly. "Thanks." He sunk into the pillows. "Where are we anyways?"
"Kingston, New York. We crashed up in Ancram and this was the closest place Dan could bring us to. Which reminds me, I should send him a message to let him know you're alive."
"Dan? Who's Dan?"
"A guy who found us on the road. I tried to call an ambulance, but it was going to take too long to get to where we were and here…and you were already close to death. We're lucky he found us when he did."
Mike clenched his jaw. From the sound of it, he had almost died, and Harvey had to go through it all alone. He knew he probably couldn't have helped much, but he felt a little guilty. Harvey had done so much for him in the past two years and what has he done for him?
"Well, thank you…for saving my life."
Harvey smiled. "No problem."
And then Mike mentally slapped himself. "Wait, are you okay? I'm sorry, it didn't really occur to me. You were in the car, too." The guy looked tired and his smile was forced.
The brunette chuckled. "I'm fine, just a few bumps, bruises and a dislocated shoulder." There was no reason to tell the blonde that it had a been a little worse than that. He had enough on his mind.
Mike stayed in the hospital for another four days before being discharged with strict orders to be on bed rest and to not exert himself. The cast he had on his arm would, luckily, only be there a month or two; Mike was just glad to get rid of the sling. The doctor also recommended Mike stay with someone, but thankfully Harvey wasn't in the room to hear that. The blonde figured he'd be fine on his own as long as he didn't do anything. The last thing he wanted to be was a burden for Harvey when he already did so much, not to mention the man had to heal himself.
The drive home was quiet and peaceful. Donna had Ray drive up to get them while she was busy arranging things at work for their time off. Mike knew he would've had high anxiety and uncomfortable pain being in the car for another couple of hours, but thankfully the doctors gave him some strong medication to knock him out until he got home.
Every now and then, Harvey would glance over to watch Mike doze, trying to work up the courage to ask if the kid wanted to stay with him for a while. He was surprised the doctor didn't say anything about Mike needing to be looked after, especially if his lungs were as weak as they were right now. He still even needed respiratory therapy. Was being alone safe? But every time he opened his mouth, his fear of showing emotions and embarrassed to be open, with another guy, no less, stopped him.
He helped Mike up to his apartment, albeit slowly, and got him settled. Donna had cleaned up a bit and did some groceries, but it still didn't ease Harvey's worries. Mike's apartment was crap. Barely working heat, no elevator, possible bugs, mold, asbestos and who knew what else. But the kid was adamant on staying here, god knows why. Mike collapsed on the couch, trying to get his breathing under control.
"You need your inhaler?" Harvey asked.
The blonde shook his head, keeping his eyes closed. "No…m'fine…j-just…need a minute."
Harvey sighed, filling a glass with water, and waiting until Mike was done to give it to him. "You good?"
"Yeah. Just tired."
"Well, you are on bedrest for the next week. You sure you're all set? I'm not coming back if you forget something." Of course, that was a lie.
Mike rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine."
Harvey wiped his hands on his pants before standing up. "Alright, I'm gonna head out, but Donna and I will check on you periodically. So, take your pills and get some rest."
The blonde nodded. "What about work?"
He knew that would come up. "Mike, seriously, you almost died, you need to take it easy. Work can wait." He paused. "But once you get better, maybe I'll consider bringing some stuff over."
Mike smiled a little. "Okay. Thanks."
Harvey pat the man's shoulder. "See you later, kid."
The next three days went by without any issues. Donna would come in the morning, bringing coffee, breakfast, and office gossip while Harvey came in the evening, occasionally bringing dinner, watch tv, or go over some paperwork. Mike still looked like crap, pale with cuts and discolored bruises on his face. His energy was low, especially at night, most of the time dozing off in the middle of the movie or conversation.
Despite all of that, Mike was bored out of his skull. He wished he could go back to work, even if it was just part-time. He let out a heavy sigh, looking up at the ceiling before down at his watch. Harvey was coming over in about twenty minutes, but the day had dragged on. Donna only stopped by for a few minutes this morning, because she had a lot of work to get done, so he was pretty much alone all day. Rubbing his eyes, Mike got up from the couch, clutching his ribs with a grimace before walking into the bathroom. He stared at his haggard appearance in the mirror; maybe going out in public wasn't the best thing right now. He'd probably freak a few people out. The blonde stood back and lifted his shirt, staring at his torso. Bruises littered nearly every inch of his skin. Black, blue, yellow, green, brown. It was disgusting, not to mention the slight dent in his chest that was noticeable and the long surgery scar. He would never be the same. Mike shook his head, dropping the shirt before going into the kitchen to get something to drink. He pushed a chair over to the counter to reach up and get a glass.
He didn't know what happened; he accidently knocked over another glass and it began to fall off the shelf. He made the stupid decision to try and catch it and the next thing he knew, the blonde was on the ground next to broken glass and fighting to breathe. This is what the doctor meant by exertion, Mike. It felt like the wind had been knocked out of his lungs, but it hurt ten times worse. He couldn't get any oxygen and he knew that was a bad thing. Where was his inhaler? Mike strained himself to look around, but then recalled leaving it in his bedroom…and it seemed miles away. He choked, tears blurring his already doubling vision; he was in danger, he could feel his body weakening by the second. Harvey was on his way, but not for another ten minutes at most. He needed to call and get him here faster. At least his phone was in reach. Shaking and wheezing, the blonde slowly crawled over to the coffee table and grasped for the device in his fingers. His vision was tunneling, his heart pounding loudly in his ears. Just dial the number, Mike. Dial it and you'll be okay. With trembling hands, he punched in the numbers and prayed he did it right as the line rung.
"Hey, Mike, I'm almost-"
"H-Ha-Help." That was all he managed to gasp out before his vision went dark.
Harvey was two blocks away when he got the call from Mike. He figured the kid was asking him to pick something up, but the second he heard a strangled voice on the other end, his heart stopped.
"Mike? Mike, talk to me, what's wrong?!" He pressed harder on the gas. "Mike?" Why wasn't he answering? All he could hear was harsh wheezing and that was enough to make him frantic. "Mike, I'm almost there, just hang on." Harvey pocketed his phone without hanging up and drove faster, rounding the corner until he screeched to a stop in front of Mike's building. He didn't even bother to lock his car, more focused on getting up the stairs to his associate. He burst into the apartment, breathing heavily while scanning the area.
"Mike!" The blonde was face down on the floor by the coffee table, phone by his head and broken glass by his feet. "Jesus Christ, kid." He rushed over, gently turning the man on his back. "Shit." Mike's skin was colorless, his eyes were closed, and his lips were blue. It was the night of the accident all over again.
"Hey!" Harvey slapped the boy's cheek. "Mike, come on, snap out of it. Where's your inhaler."
The man's eyelids fluttered, but his eyes were starting to roll into the back of his head. Mike sounded like a fish out of water and if Harvey didn't act soon, things were going turn ugly. Getting to his feet, he went to search for the inhaler; thankfully, his first guess proved right, finding it sitting on the nightstand. Harvey grabbed it and ran back to the blonde's side, lifting the man's upper body in his arms. Supporting Mike's head to keep it from rolling, he maneuvered the plastic device between the man's lips and teeth before pressing down on the canister. "Come on, come on." Please work. He waited a few seconds and when nothing changed, he anxiously pushed down again. "Breathe, Mike." This time the medicated oxygen did its job, the blonde inhaling hungrily, shooting forward and coughing roughly.
"Easy," Harvey said, rubbing his back. It had been too close. "In and out."
After five minutes, Mike got his breathing back to normal. Though he was extremely exhausted, the pain in his side was a lot to handle.
"What the hell happened?"
"F-Fell…off chair…trying to…catch the cup."
Ah, that explained the broken glass. "You're an idiot. You're supposed to be taking it easy, not doing shit like that. What if I hadn't been on my way here?"
"M'sorry."
Harvey shook his head while carefully helping Mike to his feet and settling him down on the couch. "Alright, I should've done this four days ago; you're staying with me. I'm sure that doctor said something along the lines of doing so in the first place and you neglected to tell me that information." He went to the freezer and grabbed an ice pack.
"Harvey-" Mike took the pack and tenderly placed it on his side.
"Puppies shouldn't be alone. You can rest for a bit and ice your side, but after that, you're packing your shit and coming with me."
Mike shook his head. "I can't…I-"
"What?"
"I don't…I don't want to be a burden. You've already done so much for me…I can't make you do that."
"Mike, it's fine, you're not a burden. In fact, I'd probably feel more at ease if I could keep an eye on you seeing as you can't even go a week without nearly killing yourself." When the younger man didn't respond, Harvey turned to him and sighed. "Mike, I promise that you're not a burden. I know these past few months have been difficult and once in a while things get pretty heated between us, but we're brothers. So, no matter what happens, kid, I'll always be there for you."
Mike swallowed the knot of emotion that was in his throat. And even though he was still in pain, physically and emotionally, he refused to let the tears fall, especially in front of his boss.
"So, will you come with me? Please."
Mike smiled softly and then nodded. "Okay…since you said the magic word."
Harvey smirked. "Shut up. Take your meds and relax while I clean up and get your things."
The blonde nodded and popped a few pills before sagging into the couch cushion and closing his eyes. While he dozed, Harvey swept up the glass, did the dishes, picked up the room and then packed Mike's clothes into a duffle bag. Getting the younger man up and out to the car was a bit more difficult now that the drugs had him drowsy and uncoordinated. By the time they reached Harvey's condo, Mike barely could keep his eyes open and second he got into the guest room and collapsed on the bed, he passed out. Harvey snorted, removing the kid's shoes before bringing the covers over his body. He smiled, watching his associate sleep. The man was a piece of work sometimes, but he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
FIN
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Next prompt for: Nikki184: During an ice fishing trip with a client, Mike falls through thin ice into the icy waters below. Can Harvey get to him before he dies? And w/out a hospital for miles, will he have to take measures into his own hands in order to save his associate's life?
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