A/N Well guys, this is it! the final chapter, and I gotta say it's not easy to say goodbye to these two, but we still have the epilogue to go, so we're not actually saying goodbye just yet. I really hope this ending gives this story the justice it deserves, I had some much fun wirting it and I want to thank you all once again for reading this, I couldn't have done this without your support through your wonderful reviews.
I'll shut up now so you can enjoy your reading!
...
They make it to New York Presbyterian in record time, a nurse quickly helps Donna into a wheelchair and Harvey follows them, never letting go of his wife's hand. Donna had her doubts at first about having the baby here, since it's where they lost their other baby, but Harvey insisted this was the best hospital in New York, and he's right, she had no way to argue with that.
"Sir, you can go to the front desk now so they can admit her" The nurse tells him and Donna thinks that if looks could kill, Harvey would be taken into custody right now.
"I'm not letting her out of my sight" He says with a determined tone.
"Harvey" Donna calls and he kneels in front of her "It's okay, go"
"No" He says as he shakes his head "I'm not gonna leave you"
"Donna, Harvey" He looks over Donna's shoulder and sees Dr. Robbins walking towards them.
"Claire, thank god, they want me to leave her so I can get her admitted" Harvey tells the doctor who takes into her patient's look of evident pain and Harvey's panicked look.
"It's okay, it won't take more than five minutes, I'll stay with her the whole time and prepare her for a scan while we wait for you to come back" Claire tells Harvey in a calm tone and he looks at Donna who only nods at him.
He lets out a long breath and decides that continuing arguing against it won't help and he trusts Doctor Robbins. "I'll be right back" He tells Donna and she manages to give him a smile.
He is indeed back in the room five minutes later and positions himself next to Donna as Doctor Robbins makes a scan to check the baby's vitals are good and they are, heartbeat can be immediately heard and both Harvey and Donna let out matching sighs of relief.
They can see doctor Robbins talking to a nurse and giving her some instructions. Harvey tries to listen but it's useless.
"Ok Donna, Harvey, this is the situation" she starts and looks at both of them. "Your water broke and normally I would put you on bedrest but the baby is in distress, so we'll need to perform an emergency c-section. We're a few weeks early, but 37 weeks is not abnormal so it's no sign to worry, okay?, the baby is fine and we shouldn't have any complications. I'll have an OR ready and come get you Donna" They both agree with her and she leaves. Harvey's features visibly relax and he smiles down at her before placing a soft kiss on her forehead.
"You're doing amazing, I love you so much Donna" He says and she pulls him into another kiss.
"I love you too" She whispers against his lips and they smile at each other.
Harvey calls Mike and asks him to let everyone know the baby is coming, including his mother in-law, who he loves dearly but is in no state to have this conversation with right now, she'll freak out on him over the phone and he just can't deal with it while he's waiting for his wife to be taken into an OR. Mike tells him not to worry about anything but Donna, and that he'll have Scottie call the Paulsens.
A few minutes later a nurse gives Harvey some scrubs to change into while they change Donna into a gown and before they know it they are moving Donna to the OR, Harvey holds her hand all the time while she squeezes tightly.
"I'm not leaving her and I'm not waiting outside" He warns the doctor who chuckles and nods.
"Didn't expect you to Harvey, you can sit next to her while we bring this baby into the world, okay?" Doctor Robbins tells him and he nods, he's never been more excited and scared in his life, well scared yes, he's been equally scared once before, but now is not the time to think about that.
He kisses Donna's forehead and smiles down at her, he decides not to sit, he's too nervous for that, so he just stands beside her, holding her hand.
"Harvey, I'm scared" She whispers only for him to hear and he leans down.
"You're the strongest woman I know Donna, and this baby is the perfect combination of you and me which means it's twice stronger, it'll be fine honey" He reassures her and he sees her features relax a bit at his words.
A few minutes after working on Donna, though it feels like hours to them, Doctor Robbins turns to him.
"Harvey, we're almost done, wanna find out the sex and cut the cord?" She asks him and he eagerly nods, placing one last kiss on his wife's head.
He can clearly see the baby now as the doctor takes him out "I was right!" He exclaims triumphantly. "We have a boy" He says as he looks at Donna who smiles tiredly at him.
He puts the gloves they hand him on and grabs the scissors that the nurse gives him to cut his son's cord and then silence… the longest silence he's ever endured, he looks at his wife, who's staring right back at him and they hold their gazes. Harvey wants to turn to look at his baby but he just can't, too afraid to look and suddenly… clear as daylight he hears a loud cry and he and Donna simultaneously let out matching relief sighs.
The midwife takes the baby and places him on Donna's arms, she repeatedly kisses her son's cheek and whispers how much she loves him as Harvey joins them. He kisses Donna's forehead first and then he rests a soft kiss on his son's forehead too.
"Does he have a name?" Doctor Robbins asks as Harvey and Donna look at each other and Harvey gives her a small nod.
"Henry Gordon" Donna whispers "His name is Henry Gordon" She repeats, testing the way it sounds.
"That's a beautiful name" her doctor says with a smile "Harvey, we need to close Donna now" She tells him as the midwife takes Henry back from Donna.
"Stay with him" His wife tells him with a reassuring half smile and he nods at her, letting her know that he's not letting their son out of his sight.
"Harvey, right?" She asks him and he nods, lost for words. "I'm Lizzie, follow me, we'll get this little one clean and take some measures okay? Once we're done we'll take him back to his mommy"
He follows Lizzie, who cleans the baby carefully and he can't stop staring at him, he's transfixed by the sight, he's speechless, he cannot think, he cannot move, all he can do is look at the most perfect thing he's ever laid eyes on, besides his wife of course.
A few minutes later, Henry's all cleared and the nurse turns to him "Here, he's all yours" She says with a smile and Harvey smiles back, taking his son in his arms for the first time.
"Hey little guy, I'm your daddy and I love you so much" His voice is filled with emotion as his eyes fill with tears. He waited so long to have this, many times thinking it'd never happen, and now here he is, holding his and Donna's son and it's so much better than what he could have hoped for. He stares at the baby in awe, looking at his 10 fingers and 10 toes, blonde hair, and perfect chubby lips.
He knows what love is, he loves his family and he's loved Donna more than anything since he met her, but this is a different kind of love, similar to the one he has for Donna but not quite, and he knows right then and there that just like for Donna, he would also die for that baby.
"Do you want to put him in the bassinet so we can take him back to your wife? She must be on the way to her room now" He looks up at the nurse hesitantly.
"Can I carry him there?" Lizzie smiles at him and nods.
"Of course you can" He follows the nurse and enters behind her into Donna's room, she smiles at them as soon as she sees them. "I'll leave you alone, there's a button next to the bed if you need anything" The nurse explains.
"Thank you" Harvey says and she leaves after that, leaving the family of three on their own "Hey beautiful" He tells his wife as he leans down to kiss her lips. "How are you feeling?"
"Sore, but I'm okay, let me have him" She says and he helps their son into her arms, and the look she gives him, is the most amazing sight in the world to him.
"Hi Henry, I love you so much baby" she tells him as a few tears slide down her cheeks. "He's so perfect" she comments and they smile at each other like two fools.
"Well he is a mix of you and me, so of course he's perfect" Henry starts crying and Donna instinctively opens her gown to feed him.
"Do you want me to get a nurse to help you?" Harvey asks her but she shakes her head no and clutches Henry to her right breast like a pro, of course she excels at this too, she's Donna.
"I've been watching tutorials for months, I've got this" She says confidently and he falls in love with her all over again.
"I love you" He tells her and kisses her forehead, there's room enough on the bed so he can lay down next to them. "I can't believe we made it Donna, we have a son" His voice is full of amazement and she smiles up at him, meeting him halfway for a soft kiss.
"I love you so much Harvey" She whispers against his lips and turns her focus back to her son while Harvey just stays there, fascinated with the sight of his son being fed by the most amazing woman he's ever met.
He hears a soft knock on the door a while later and carefully lifts from the bed so as to not wake Donna who's currently asleep while he holds an also sleeping Henry.
"Come in" He says in a low voice and is met with the grinning faces of his son's Godparents.
"Hey" Scottie whispers, realizing her best friend is fast asleep. "Sorry, we just wanted to know how they are doing" She says with an apologetic look and Harvey smiles at her, nodding his head.
"It's okay" He whispers as Mike envelops Harvey in a one arm hug as to not bother the baby.
"Rachel is with Liam, she's waiting for Laura to come stay with him, and she'll be here later" Mike explains and Harvey nods
"That's okay, in the meantime, meet your godson, Henry Gordon Paulsen-Specter" Both godparents look at the baby and tears burst behind Scottie's eyes at the sight "Wash your hands and I'll let you hold him" He says with a wink to Scottie, who looks desperate to hold the baby.
While she's in the bathroom Mike hands Harvey a bag. "This is for Henry" He says and Harvey smiles.
"I'm holding a baby, asshole, open it for me" Harvey says and Mike chuckles.
"I'd like to hear you say asshole in front of the baby when your wife's awake" Mike teases and they both laugh softly.
Mike takes a square box from the bag and when he opens it and takes the elegant paper wrap aside, Harvey sees a white dress shirt, he looks at Mike about to thank him when his friend stops him. "Wait" He says and grabs the left cuff of the shirt for Harvey to see there is a light blue monogrammed H.S. in it, just like the one all his shirts have. He's aware his son and him share the same initials, but seeing it so clear in that small shirt is definitely something else.
"How?" Harvey asks, trying to keep his emotions in check.
"Donna" Mike replies softly "She told me you were convinced it was a boy and that Henry was the leading name on the list so far, so I took my chances. If it was a girl, well, she said you'd name her Harriette so it would fit anyway"
Harvey laughs softly "We weren't going to name her Harriette" He says with a roll of his eyes. "Mike, thank you" He says in a more serious tone as he hugs Mike with one arm, this gift means so much more to him than he can say.
"Figured it's never too early to start the tradition" He shrugs and Harvey smiles.
"It means a lot Mike, really"
"Please don't cry Specter, fatherhood made you soft" He teases but Harvey can see he's emotional too. It was Donna who gave him his first monogrammed shirt. She said that if he was going to be a hotshot lawyer he had to wear hotshot lawyers' clothes and they weren't as rich at first, but she would always save money to buy him a monogrammed shirt whenever she could. He told the story to Mike when he won his first case and gave him one of his own, stating that all hotshot lawyers should wear them, the M.R. now present in all his shirts.
When Donna left Harvey didn't want to wear those shirts anymore because he felt he couldn't be that great lawyer without her guidance in his life, he felt that he couldn't be him without her, but Mike talked him out of it, said that Donna had already helped him become the man he was and that he should keep wearing them, as a reminder of that, so the moment is more than special because Mike was always there, and even if he was never nowhere near close a replacement for what Donna meant in his life, Harvey doesn't think he would have made it here without Mike's friendship and support either.
Once Scottie comes out of the bathroom, she breaks the moment and Harvey composes himself as he hands the baby to her.
"Hey, this is your godmother, but you can call me aunt Scottie, we'll have so much fun together, oh yes, I'll spoil you rotten" She coos at him and smiles up at Harvey.
"I'll spoil you rotten too, we'll play tennis every week" Mike adds earning himself a glare from Harvey.
"He's so beautiful, looks just like Donna thank god" Scottie teases and Harvey gives her an annoyed look.
"To be fair he has my hair and I'm dashingly handsome" She scoffs at him but when their eyes meet they both smile.
"How's Donna?" Mike asks and Harvey glances at his sleeping wife.
"She's sore but she's okay, already breastfeeding like a pro"
"Had no doubt she would" Scottie ads, never taking her eyes from her nephew.
"Did you talk to Elena?" Harvey asks her and she nods and gives him a look that says she wishes she hadn't.
"Started calling me every five freaking minutes, I told her to calm the fuck down and that I'd tell her as soon as I knew something. I called her again the second you told me they were both fine. They're on their way" One of the perks of practically being raised by the Paulsens is that she can speak to her like that, and Harvey couldn't be more grateful for it.
"Thanks for that, I honestly couldn't deal with her"
"Not even Jim wanted to, trust me" They look at each other and softly chuckle. Elena is a wonderful woman but she can be smothering, especially with Donna, she's her perfect baby girl. No wonder Addison gets along better with her father.
Scottie and Mike stay a few more minutes, Mike even gets his turn at holding the baby too, before leaving he returns Henry back to Harvey, both promising to come back later to check on them and see Donna.
….
"... So I first saw her when she came to our classroom to meet your godmother, and there she was, the most beautiful redhead I'd ever seen, I knew I was going to marry her right there and then, took a lot of courage to ask her out though, she had a reputation of being fierce, but she fell for me alright" He explains to his son who's now awake while Donna still sleeps.
"The first time I took her out for coffee she put vanilla in it, can you believe that? I thought she was insane, so she dared me to try it. We Specters never back down from a dare so I did, and after that I never took my coffee without vanilla again…. You wanna know something else? When we graduated, I was fifth in my class but your mom and your aunt Scottie were first, and they loved to brag about it to uncle Travis and I. You see, I'm a lawyer, but mommy is not, no… mommy is a business expert, and she totally kicks ass at it"
"Don't say bad words in front of our son" He hears his wife say and he gets up from the single couch he'd been sitting on and makes his way to her.
"There's our beautiful girl" He tells Henry who starts crying "Someone's hungry" He says as he passes him to Donna.
"Were you telling him about how we met?" She asks and he grins at her.
"Yeah, but only the PG parts" she chuckles softly and winces a bit.
"The doctor said you shouldn't talk too much, it's not good for your belly to fill with air" She nods at him and they stay like that for a long while, just the three of them, the Paulsen-Specters, and nothing ever felt better.
"Mike and Scottie were here, they held him for a bit, she was thrilled" Donna smiles at the mention of her best friend and at how excited she must have been.
"Oh, really?" Donna asks with a lifted eyebrow and he nods.
"Yeah really, you should have seen her with Henry, she loves him, we'll be in trouble every time she takes him for sleepovers, he'll come back insufferably spoiled"
"That, I have no doubt of" Donna agrees and they chuckle.
A while later there's another knock, and Harvey opens the door to a flash of red hair and his mother in-law's smothering hug.
"Donna, sweetheart!" Elena calls as she lets go of Harvey and he sighs, looking at his wife apologetically while Jim gives him a hug and congratulates him.
"Mom easy, I ache everywhere" Donna tells her as her mother puts her arms around her.
"Sorry baby" She says sitting beside her on the bed "Oh look at that, a mini Harvey" She says while taking her grandson into her arms, Jim kisses Donna's forehead and tells her how proud he is and how much he loves her.
"Scottie says he looks more like Donna" Harvey comments and Elena scoffs.
"After thirteen years you should know she loves to mess with you, this kid looks nothing like Donna, sorry honey" She says and Donna glares at her, but honestly she's right, it's the first thing Donna thought when she saw her son, he's a carbon copy of his dad.
"I have to agree sweetheart, he's pretty much all Specter, except for the hazel eyes, that's all Paulsen" Jim adds.
"All Duncan you mean" Elena jumps in, since really Donna gets the color of her eyes from her mom.
"Of course honey" Jim confirms with a roll of his eyes.
…
They are cleared to go home two days after Henry is born and Harvey would like to say they easily fell into a routine, but he'd be lying.
In all true Henry is a saint, he sleeps almost three hours in a row and only cries when he's hungry or needs a change of his diaper, so he shouldn't complain, but he can't remember the last time he got more than an hour of sleep.
Rachel and Mike advised them to try to sleep when the baby's sleeping, but Harvey finds that he can't, because every few minutes he can swear he can't hear Henry's breathing, so he carefully gets up and walks to Donna's side of the bed to check that he's fine. And he is, every single time, doesn't stop Harvey from checking anyway.
"He's alive Harvey, come back to bed" Donna mumbles against her pillow one night and Harvey climbs back behind her.
"You do the same every few hours" He accuses and she chuckles lightly.
"Yeah, I do" She admits as she takes his hand and places it on her chest after checking the time on her cell phone. "He'll be up in around forty minutes, so try and get some sleep" She murmurs with sleep dripping from her tone.
"Donna" He calls a few seconds later, checking she's still awake.
"What?" She groans and he debates whether he should or shouldn't just tell her what's on his mind.
"Will you marry me?" He asks in a whisper and she turns her head to look at him with a very confused look. "Again, I mean" He clarifies.
She turns in his arms and rests her palm on his cheek "Sleep deprivation is hitting you hard honey" She whispers in a mocking tone.
"Donna" He whines softly "I mean it"
"You mean like a vow renewal?" She asks in a more serious way.
"Yeah, I mean, why not? It feels like our first marriage ended when you left and after you came back… well of course we are still married, but-"
"Now that we have Henry, you want us to start our family by renewing the bond we've had since we said 'I do' the first time" She finishes for him and he grins widely, no one gets him like Donna does.
"That's exactly it" He confirms. "So, what do you say?"
"I say, I'd marry you a hundred times Harvey"
"Well Donna, I know we're rich but that'd be too expensive, one more time will do" He jokes and she giggles, warmth and affection spreading through her for the man she loves more than life itself. "Go on, say it" He encourages and she chuckles.
"You're an idiot" She confirms and he presses his mouth to hers.
"So, that was a yes, wasn't it?" He asks just to confirm it.
"Yes, Harvey" She repeats as she places another soft kiss on his lips.
"Big white second wedding it is then" He whispers in the dark room.
"Well not really… I didn't want a big wedding the first time, I don't want one now either, I want a small, intimate ceremony with the people that are always there for us" She explains and he tightens his hold on her.
"Alright, but you're the one telling Lena once more that we're not having half of Manhattan's socialités in our wedding" Donna laughs and shakes her head.
"Oh I'll tell her, don't worry. I still can't believe you tried to convince me to have a huge wedding the first time just to please my mother" She comments with a roll of her eyes.
"Hey, the woman gave birth to the love of my life Donna, I felt like I owed her somehow"
She smiles and bites her lower lip as she softly shakes her head at his cheesiness "God, I'm re-marrying a big softie"
"Want to call Thomas? I'm sure he'd gladly take my place" He jokes with a roll of his eyes.
"No, I don't, you're the only man I'll ever want to be married to"
"Good… I really wish we could have sex right now" He mumbles out of the blue and she chuckles.
"Just a few more weeks and we'll be fitting some spaces between our son's routine to have sex, don't worry"
"Babies are the end of romance, aren't they?"
"Hey, you're the one who wanted to have him in the first place" She jokes while pointing behind her towards the bedside crib where their son is sleeping and he gives her a playful glare "Oh, what? too soon?" She teases and he grabs her waist, putting her flat against the mattress and burying his face in her neck, causing her to giggle.
He lifts his head and presses their foreheads together "You know… We can't have sex but we can do other things" He suggest with a boyish grin and she doesn't waste a second as she pulls his head forward and meets him in a slow and tender kiss, and just when he's about to deepen the kiss a loud cry erupts in the previously quiet bedroom.
Harvey sighs as Donna's mother instinct kicks in and she literally shoves him away so she can reach for their son.
She adjusts the baby in her arms as she pushes her camisole to the side so she can latch Henry to her breast. Far from feeling displaced, Harvey takes in the sight in front of him, he puts his arm around Donna so she can lean into him and offers his pinky finger to his son, who gladly takes it.
"I love you both so much" He whispers as he watches how his son eagerly sucks on his mom's breast.
"As much as we love you" Donna whispers back as she turns her head to softly kiss her husband's lips.
There was a time when he didn't think he'd ever have this, when he didn't think he'd ever deserve it, and for a moment he wishes he could time travel to the day after Donna left and tell his old self that the unbearable pain he's feeling will go away, that he's not delusional in his conviction that she will come back, it'll take some time but she will, and it will be okay, he wants to tell that helpless and shattered Harvey that he'll find happiness again, and it will be with the only woman he's ever loved, and a few years from then, he'll finally have the family he always dreamed on building with that beautiful redhead that smiled at him in that classroom fourteen years ago.
He'll never be able to do that, but it doesn't matter, cause he's never going to live in the past again, she's here, he's here, their son is here and they finally made it.