Thank you again for your beautiful comments and feedback, as always, they are treasured. This is very much a Donna-centric chapter, something I love to write. She wears her vulnerability a little more openly that she does in the show which makes it even more interesting. Anyway….. Let me know what you think.
As the afternoon yoga class spills out onto the street, Donna glances into the boxing gym opposite and is caught by surprise at the sight of Harvey, clearly at the end of a workout, his sweaty tee clinging to his muscular frame. He hadn't noticed her yet, something she was incredibly grateful for when she gasped aloud as Harvey lifted the bottom of his t-shirt to wipe his brow giving her a clear display of his perfectly toned abs.
Stupid raging hormones. Deciding to get on the front foot, lest she get caught out ogling Donna calls out, "Harvey?! I thought you were still in Boston?".
Turning his head immediately in the direction of the voice that was as familiar as his own, he couldn't help but smile at the face he hadn't seen in almost three days. "Hey! This isn't your usual place is it?" Harvey says gesturing to the yoga studio behind her, though he couldn't train his eyes away from her bright eyes and rosy cheeks.
"My normal studio doesn't do yoga classes for pregnant women. So for now, this is my go to place" Donna says turning around, looking at the entrance.
With a nod of acknowledgement the space between them grows quiet as they try not to look too hard at the other. Eventually Harvey speaks, "So do you… ummm have any plans for the rest of the day?"
"No really no." Donna says, with a slight shake of her head. "I was just going to walk home. Make the most of the nice weather".
"I could walk too," he offers. "I mean if you feel like company". Such an idiot, Harvey curses to himself.
Donna couldn't smile but smile at his uncharacteristically awkward words, "Sure".
"Just give me 10 minutes. I'm sure you wouldn't want to get too close to me like this" he says, stepping back toward the change rooms, completely unaware that Donna didn't have a problem with it at all.
In record time Harvey reappears changed and showered. As they turn toward the street Harvey stops abruptly. It wasn't until that moment that Harvey truly got to see Donna's baby bump, her tight fitting yoga ware showing off her rapidly changing body.
"Oh My Go- Donna! Look at you! You're all… out there.." Harvey gasps, unconsciously grasping her waist as he looks over her very obvious baby bump.
"I'm what?" She asked, bemused as Harvey continued looking her over before quickly placing his hands back at his side.
"I'm sure the bump wasn't this big on Friday. It's only been 3 days. And I look at you all the time!" Harvey says with astonishment.
"All the time?" Donna asks playfully, hoping her recent exercise is enough to hide her blush.
"Well….what I meant was"
"You okay? You look a little flushed? Is it the boxing or something else?
"Donna"
"Okay, okay. Well thanks" she says, affectionately resting her hand atop her belly, "Anyway. What are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming back until tonight?"
Setting off down the street in the direction of Donna's apartment, Harvey casually shrugs his shoulders, answering "Dad's playing this week with some old friends, their rehearsal was this afternoon so I caught an earlier train with him"
"And how was it? Boston?" she enquires gently
"It was good. Kinda weird to see everyone all together.
"So you saw your mom?
"Mmmhm. Bobby too.
"Really"
"Yep…
Immediately concerned "What do you mean by' 'Yep". What happened?"
"Nothing. It was just. I knew he'd be there but… It was all so normal for them and I was just there watching it all from the sides. I got to talk to Mom a little more though" he says, glancing toward her.
"That's good Harvey! I'm proud of you". The smile she gives him makes the whole weekend worthwhile.
"Yeah?" her comment carrying more meaning than he was willing to admit.
"Of course! In fact, you inspired me" Donna says purposefully.
"Really? How exactly did I inspire you?"
"Well with all your talk of family I decided to finally tell mine that another Paulsen will be joining them in about four and a half months".
"You told both of them?
"Uh huh"
"And… How did it go? What did they say?" Harvey asks eagerly
Donna chuckled mirthlessly while rolling her eyes.
"Let's see… when I called my mom, Alice for the first time in almost 10 years happened to be there at the same time"
"Your sister? Why was she visiting?
"Showing off her new engagement ring" she says, looking at Harvey with a raised brow.
"No" Harvey mouths silently while Donna confirms it by biting her bottom lip.
"So while I guess she was excited, definitely surprised, she was a little distracted.
"And your Dad?" he asks cautiously
"Same thing again I guess. Although his first question was "Am I the first to know or did you tell your mother first?"
"Things are still bad between them?
"It's been a while since they spoke. But I guess that's what happens when you divorce" Donna says sadly. "I'm not really sure what sort of reaction I was expecting. What are you meant to say when your daughter who lives alone in a city hours away tells you that she's about to become a single parent with no input from the father whatsoever"
"Well if you put it like that…" he interrupts, internally questioning just how alone Donna felt.
"How would you put it Harvey?" Donna rebuts, "All I'm saying is that I get why they weren't over the moon".
"But it's you… I mean, I know I wasn't any better but when I found out…" he admits, "but you've made this monumental decision and they should be excited to meet this tiny person you've decided to grow"
"Are you excited?" Donna asks flippantly as they cross the street.
"Of course I am". The answer shocks Donna, as she concentrates on the sidewalk ahead of her.
"You don't think I wanna meet the offspring of Donna Paulsen? Doesn't matter that you don't have the father involved. Even having 1% of you is gonna make this kid amazing. I can't wait" he says as if it wasn't the most obvious thing in the world.
"Harvey", the way she says his name is enough to get him to stop, "That's… you're gonna make me cry".
The way he turns his head to the side at her words makes her breath halt. "That wasn't really the aim of my comment but I am happy for you Donna. And I want to make sure that you're happy for you. Regardless of what your family says".
They carry on down the street in comfortable silence, weaving through Manhattan foot traffic until Havrey notices Donna's pace slows, her attention pulled to a shop front. Walking to the door, Harvey pulls it open leaving room for Donna to enter
"C'mon" he says
"Harvey we don't have to, I'm sure it's the last thing you want to do"
"Yeah but I can tell that you do. So…" he says gesturing to the open door. Donna shot Harvey a questioning look.
"Not the first time I've been shopping with you Paulsen. I can tell something's caught your eye, now get in".
"But it is the first time you've followed me into a store full of baby stuff"
"You saying I can't handle it?" he challenges.
Resigned to the fact that Harvey wasn't going to budge, Donna stepped toward him. "Alright". Playfully poking a finger into his chest" But don't say I didn't warn you. Prepare to be overwhelmed Specter…"
Looking around at the various baby items, having no idea of the purpose of most of them, Harvey kept close to Donna, who seemed to know what she was after.
"Have you bought anything yet?"
Browsing through a row of onesies that to Harvey, seemed too small to ever fit a baby. Surely they weren't that small, he thinks.
"Not yet. I figured I'd-"
"Wait til next week?"
"Yeah"
"It's gonna be a big week then.."
"How do you figure that?" she says curiously, leaning against a crib
Standing opposite her, Harvey gives her a knowing look, "While I've loved seeing you high waisted pattern dresses, I don't think you're going to be able to hide baby Paulsen for much longer". They both glance down at the bump, Donna's hand gliding over it. Harvey can tell she's apprehensive, even before she speaks.
"You know they'll talk Harvey. I mean they already do, but now… ". It remains unsaid, as always but from the time they started at Pearson Hardman, the rumour mill had always ran at a constant trickle.
"So let them talk", he shrugs while watching Donna's protective hand return to the now very obvious bump and he's immediately struck by how much he wants to do the same.
"Harvey"
His gaze returns to her face. The look screams determination but his eyes are warm and welcoming, "I'm serious Donna. Let 'em talk. Listen… I know it's always been worse for you", Harvey admits. "But you are the strongest person I know and you've been kickin ass and taking names from the day we walked through the door", grasping her hand, Harvey makes sure he has her full attention, "You have nothing to hide Donna".
Harvey watches as Donna's glassy eyes clear, her face morphing from anxious to resolute.
"No, I don't, do I".
That's my girl", he thinks
XXX
As the elevator cleared out the next morning Donna slid her Marni tote to the side, putting her bump on full display. Beautifully wrapped in a tight white dress, she glides down the corridor of Pearson Hardman catching the eyes of most anyone that she passes, their eyes immediately drawn to her midsection that had seemingly expanded overnight.
It was Louis that she ran into first, quite literally as he rounded the corner, head buried in an expansive document.
"Whoa Louis! Careful" Donna says with a smile as she watches him gather several errant pieces of paper that had fallen at her feet.
"Sorry Donna I…" Louis' words stall as his gaze zeros in on her belly.
Rising to his feet, Louis can't hide his state of bewilderment, "Uhhhhhhhhhhhh" is all he can manage as he points downward.
It's cute, she thinks and beyond amusing, a sentiment that Harvey clearly shares when she catches him observing the interaction from his office, "Something I can help you with Louis?" Donna asks sweetly.
"I need a day," he declares, bustling down the hallway.
Dropping her bag at her desk, Donna enters Harvey's office to find him now relaxing back into his chair. "I think I owe you one for that. That was fun", he smiles, the devilish grin lighting up his face.
"Wait a minute. Are you telling me you set him up on some wild goose chase so he's run into me here?"
The look on his face says it all, but she can't bring herself to be mad at him. It was kinda funny.
The morning was going as well as expected but Donna was yet to see the only other person she truly wanted to talk to. A little before lunch, she heard the voice that indicated that was about to change.
"And here I was.."
"Rachel…"
"For all these weeks…".
"I know…"
"Thinking you had found someone else to go to Margarita Mondays with"
"I'm sorry", Donna pleads with her friend, rising from her chair to make her way around her cubicle. Knowing there is no real malice behind their words, Rachel is the first to reach out with arms wide open to embrace her friend.
Whispering congratulations into her ear, Donna immediately feels herself tearing up.
"You know just because alcohol won't be a feature for a while doesn't mean we are not discussing…this…" Rachel states with a smile "at your earliest convenience"
"Loud and clear Zane" Donna confirms as sits back down, eager to complete a client memo when she spies Harvey walking back from his quarterly review.
XXXXX
"Okay gentlemen. I think that'll be all. Harvey, if you wouldn't mind", Jessica says with a calm, authoritative air. While Louis quietly excuses himself, clearly still in a state of shock after being one of the first to find out the "news of the day". Harvey remains seated as the door closes and Jessica rejoins him on the sofa.
"So I see you're going to be in the market for a temp shortly"
The unimpressed expression on Harvey's face is enough to stay quiet, for the moment.
"She's barely 20 weeks. We have plenty of time before we have to think about that"
Nodding, Jessica can't help but be startled that Harvey has clearly known of Donna's pregnancy for an extended period of time. The fact that he described himself and Donna as a "we", well, that was definitely old news.
"You know I've never questioned things when it came to the two of you so I'll only ask this once", Jessica's tone is gentle, far from the commanding powerhouse he knows her to be. Still, Harvey can't meet her eyes. Understanding exactly what she's asking.
"I'm not" Harvey answers softly. And a large part of Jessica can't help but be disappointed.
"Well, I'll be sure to pass on my congratulations. I'm sure they're both ecstatic" she says, rising from her place.
"Just her," Harvey replies. Confused Jessica stops and turns to Harvey before he clarifies.
"There's no "both", it's just her"
"Oh".
Harvey confirms the truth with a slight nod, still struggling himself all these weeks later to understand what sort of a person could ever walk away from someone like her. Not waiting to be dismissed, Harvey rises from the sofa quietly making his way back to his office.
XXXX
"It was that interesting huh?"Donna says, catching him by surprise as he enters his office, clearly in a world of his own.
"Huh?" he says, turning to find her tidying his records, the slight of her in that skintight dress immediately taking his mind to places it shouldn't.
"Your meeting. With Jessica. Geez is your blood sugar low? You want me to get you some lunch?" she queries, wondering what had gotten into him.
"I'm fine. Have you had lunch?" Harvey asks
"About to go now" Donna confirms before asking, "Hey do you mind if I make tonight an earlier one? Rachel's coming over. Girls night".
Harvey can't help but grin at the sight of her, happily chatting about plans with her friends after such a long time hiding. Still, he can't help but tease, "Quite a change from Margarita Mondays".
Her smile grows before realising she had been caught out, "How did you?... You know what, never mind. All you need to know is that I'll be leaving at 5 today".
Neither of their smiles leave their face as they go back to their day.
XXXXX
"I don't expect you to be sober in solidarity you know", Donna shouts from the kitchen as Rachel makes herself comfortable.
"I really don't mind. Besides, I've got a feeling I'm going to need my wits about me for this story", Rachel says with a giggle.
Plonking herself down on the sofa next to Rachel, she begins to explain, "There really isn't all that much to tell…"
Listening to Donna describe the events of the last few months has Rachel's head spinning.
"You seem extraordinarily calm about all of this." Rachel comments.
"Trust me, I wasn't always. It's part of the reason I hid this for as long as I did" Donna says, affectionately rubbing her belly.
"Well you certainly hid it well. What made you decide today was the day?"
Rachel can't help but notice how Donna's face brightens before she speaks. "Harvey. I saw him on the weekend. I guess he reminded me that I had nothing to hide. That and I wasn't going to get away with wearing a size up forever".
They were always interesting, the two of them. But not knowing the lawyer well meant that Rachel could never really get a handle on what Donna and Harvey were to each other. The fact that they spoke regularly about her pregnancy made her think that maybe Harvey was a little more involved than Donna let on. And her thoughts clearly showed.
"No", Donna states emphatically.
"Really?" Rachel presses with a sly grin.
"No", Donna repeats as her chest tightens
"I just wondered if he could be. You two are… close" Rachel states kindly, pausing to find the right words.
"Harvey would never leave like that. Even if he wasn't in a relationship, Harvey would never have done that" she thinks, eager to push the thoughts of he never would have left me, out of her head.
XXXX
He's not expecting a call as he approaches the restaurant that Thursday evening. He'd barely given himself enough time to get home, shower and change before heading out to meet his date at the time they'd arranged. But he answers without skipping a beat
"You don't need to remind me about the OreTech meeting tomorrow morning. I've already set my alarm" Harvey says presumptuously all while wearing a smile.
"It's not that" Donna hesitates with a nervous laugh breaking through, "Are… Are you busy? I need your help with something. I know it's late but -".
"I'm on my way", he says without hesitation, immediately turning away from the restaurant and hailing a cab.