Chapter 72.
"Harvey?"
Mike asked a couple of days after they had been to the graveyard. The last few days had been uneventful, where Harvey had forced Mike to sleep and then eat. Mike only complained a little about the food. He said he wanted pizza, but Harvey was pretty sure he was joking.
Mike spent his days circulating between his bed, the couch and the balcony and seemed content with that. Donna visited, Adam was there, and Rachel also came over for a couple of hours.
"Yeah, what is it?" Harvey now answered him.
Mike was sitting up on the couch with his eyes glued to his phone.
"I wanted to ask you if you think it's possible that I come with you to work some day?"
Harvey stared at him from where he was sitting opposite of Mike.
"Are you kidding?"
"I didn't mean that I should work, just visit. I could stay with Rachel if you need to…"
"Mike, the answer is no. I don't think that's a good idea."
"Come on, Harvey. I've been feeling a lot better lately, you know that."
"And that's why I don't think we should do something to jeopardize that." Harvey said.
Mike looked at him for a while, and Harvey was surprised when he didn't argue back. Instead he sighed and looked back down on the screen in his hand.
"Fine." He said. "It was just an idea."
They didn't talk about it anymore that day, but when Adam came over that evening Harvey brought it up with the nurse when Mike couldn't hear them.
Adam had just shrugged. "It might be a good idea. Give him some change of scenery. Something to strive for. I can come with you if you are worried that something might happen."
"You don't think he could get worse from it then?"
"As long as you don't make him walk all the stairs, I think it should be fine." Adam said. "You can bring the wheelchair as a precaution."
"So, you think it might be fine to go."
"Let me check him over first and talk to his doctor, and if we get cleared from her. I don't think it would be a problem though. If you don't make him work again."
Harvey laughed a little. There was no way he would let Mike do any sort of work yet, even if the kid begged for it. But maybe he would let Mike come with him for a few hours after all. Something to strive for, Adam had said. That somehow stuck with Harvey. Harvey wasn't sure that Mike strived that much for going back to work, the kid hadn't been that interested lately. That could be explained by the illness though. He also remembered Mike saying that being a lawyer had always been his dream. Maybe it would do him good. He decided to give the doctor a call.
Harvey got positive news and if Mike felt okay and were careful, they could go to the office. Mike just stared at him when he told him.
"What do you mean?" He asked. "You said no."
"Yes, I know I said no, but now I'm saying yes."
Mike frowned. "Is this some kind of joke? Or what are you doing?"
Harvey rolled his eyes. "Do you want to go or not?"
"Yes, I want to go." Mike still looked suspicious, like he still didn't believe what Harvey was saying. "You okay?" He asked and Harvey wanted to punch him a little.
"Don't be stupid. We'll go tomorrow then."
"Sweet!" Mike said.
"I have a few conditions though, kid."
"Of course, you have."
"I'm going to need you to be completely honest with me. If you feel off in any way, you tell me. If I say that we are going back home, you are going to do so without complaints. You are also going to take it easy…"
"Harvey."
"Did it sound like I was done?"
It was Mike's turn to roll his eyes now. "No."
"That's right."
"Go on then."
Harvey opened his mouth. "I guess I was done. Just do as I tell you."
He walked away when he saw Mike sitting there smiling with his whole face.
They made a lot of preparation. Harvey didn't want anything to happen this time, so he was going to take precautions. He had called Adam and asked him to come with them, which Mike was somewhat excited about.
"You know, he has said that he wants to see the office!" Mike said.
Harvey also brought a bag packed with different medications, water bottles and something warmer for Mike to wear. He had called Donna as well and told her to make sure everything was okay at the office. She assured him that it was.
They met Adam outside the condo and Mike did a fist bump with the nurse. They left after that. Mike talked to Adam the whole journey to the office. Harvey listened from the front seat. It was weird that it felt so special to just go to the office. He had asked if Mike wanted to wear a suit, but the kid had declined. He was dressed in jeans and a knitted sweater Donna had gotten him.
To Harvey's surprise Louis was wanting for them in the lobby.
"Hey Louis!" Mike exclaimed when he saw him. To everyone's surprise Mike went up and hugged him.
"It's so nice to see you, Mike." Louis said, hugged Mike back and then greeted Adam.
They went to Harvey's office, where Donna was waiting for them. Mike hugged her too. They all talked for a little while. Louis asked Mike about his treatment, Donna showed Adam the defibrillator and the small fridge in Harvey's office.
After a little while Donna and Louis went back to work, and Harvey sat down at his desk as well.
"Harvey, can I show Adam around?" Mike asked, to Harvey's surprise. But he approved and couldn't help but smiled as he watched the two men walk out the door, and saw that Mike pointed at something down the hall.
Mike and Adam had been gone for about an hour. Harvey had tried to get some work done, without thinking too much about what they were doing. But since Adam was with Mike, he knew that he didn't need to worry. He still did though and picked up his phone.
"Where are you?" He asked the second Mike answered.
"Eh what? With Benjamin right now."
"Who? It doesn't matter. Get your ass back here soon."
"Are you worried? Bored?"
Harvey hung up. Mike was apparently having a good time.
The men walked into his room without knocking a few minutes later and Mike sat down on the couch.
"That was a long tour." Harvey remarked.
"Yep. We went to see Rachel and Louis, the library, file room and IT." Mike told him. "I met Jessica as well. She was nice."
"Yes, she is a nice person." Harvey said. Harvey studied the kid. Mike looked tired now, but Harvey didn't say anything. He wanted to see if Mike would do it himself.
Adam walked over to his record collection and Harvey joined him.
"This is impressive." The nurse said. Mike was still on the couch. Harvey started telling the nurse about the collection.
"Harvey." Mike interrupted him a few minutes later. "I think I'm ready to head home now. I'm pretty tired."
Harvey felt pleased when he turned towards the kid. He had actually communicated what he needed.
"Let's go then, man." Adam said before Harvey opened his mouth. Mike yawned and nodded.
"I'll see you at home, Harvey."
"Okay." Harvey just said as Mike and Adam walked out of his office, Mike hugged Donna and then they disappeared down the hallway.
-SUITS-
When they got home from the office Mike decided to lay down on his bed for a bit. He pulled out his pillow with a built-in speaker and connected it to his phone to listen to some music. Adam had said that he would be in the living room.
It had been good to go to the office. He had been so damn nervous though, and he had no idea why. He knew all these people. He had spent hours and hours there, often more times than at home. But he still had been nervous. He was sure that he had managed to hide it from Harvey. Otherwise the older man wouldn't have let him go.
At first, he had thought that it would be embarrassing to have Adam there, his personal nurse. But it turned out that the nurse's company had felt comforting. At the awkward meetings with some of his co-workers Adam had been there as a buffer and had swiftly taken over the conversations from Mike when he had needed it. It was just like the man knew exactly when Mike wanted him to jump in, without them saying a word to each other about that. That had been great, and no one had seemed weirded out about meeting the nurse. Maybe they thought he was Mike's friend. But probably not.
He had just felt awkward and weak at the office. He knew that he looked different than he used to. He had looked himself in the mirror in the morning, something that he usually avoided. If he thought back on how he had looked before the cancer, he looked like a different person now. Like a ghost of his former self.
He had noticed that a few of the other associates stared at him and was pretty sure some guy didn't even recognize him. He had noticed their efforts as well to keep a conversation with him going. They didn't seem to know what to say to him. He had tried to not let it bother him, but it had. That was when Adam was so good.
It had been nice to be back there but at the same time it had made him feel out of place and uncomfortable. He wouldn't say it to Harvey though, and he wouldn't be asking about coming with the older man to the office again any time soon. The only thing nice had been to see Rachel, Donna and Louis.
He needed to pretend that he was excited though, for Harvey. He couldn't tell Harvey that he had regretted ever coming already when they stepped into the elevator. That he just felt weird being there. Like he was some kid visiting his father's workplace. It also felt a little like Harvey was treating him that way, unknowingly. That wasn't how it was supposed to be. Now he felt unreasonably disappointed. It was almost like he didn't belong there anymore.
Maybe he shouldn't worry though. He still had a long way to go before he would be able to go back to work, he knew that. If he ever would. The cancer might still kill him. But he didn't think so anymore. He couldn't think like that. He had another round of chemo coming up and after that they would do a bunch of tests to see how the treatment was going. He would know then.
He didn't know what he felt about it, maybe a mixture between excitement and dread. Because what if it yet again would be bad news. What would he do then? How much more chemo and treatment would his body be able to take? How long until his next heart failure then?
Alright, now he was getting himself freaked out. He needed to stop; this wasn't going to do him any good. Besides, he couldn't do anything about it. All he could do was to go to the treatment, eat healthy and rest. He was going to rest now.
When he woke up again Harvey had arrived home again. Mike could hear his and Adam's voices from where he was laying. He considered getting up to go and join them, but then decided against it. Harvey would probably ask him about what he thought about being back at the office, and right now he didn't have it in him to fake it, or to lie. If he could avoid a conversation like that, he would. A couple of minutes later he got to try it because Harvey came into his room.
"Hey. You are awake. I've been in here like three times already, and you were out like a light every time." Harvey smirked at him and sat down on the edge of his bed so that it jolted a bit. Mike glared at him.
"Why did you check on me three times?"
"I thought five times was a bit excessive."
Mike laughed a little and sat up. "Adam's still here?"
"No, he just left. How are you doing?"
"I'm fine. Tired."
"Yeah? How was it today?"
"It was fine."
"Fine? Is that all you have to say? You practically begged me to let you come."
"I didn't beg, I asked like once and you said no and then you changed your mind."
They argued a bit back and forth just for the fun of it. Mike found himself smiling. They watched a couple of episodes of a TV show on the couch after that.
The next day was another day where Adam came over. Mike woke up early in time to have breakfast together with Harvey.
"Maybe you could come with me some time again before your next chemo treatment." Harvey suggested. Mike knew that he was trying to be nice, but all he wanted was for Harvey to let it go.
"I don't know. It's not that long until I start again. And I don't know, maybe it's good if I do not expose myself too much to places with a lot of people. You know infection risks and all."
Harvey raised an eyebrow towards him and looked like he was about to say something. Mike looked down. He knew what he was doing, and he knew that Harvey knew it too. Harvey didn't say anything else though he just nodded and squeezed Mike's shoulder.
Mike looked after the older man as he prepared to leave. He watched when Harvey put his tie on and straightened out his suit jacket. He wondered how long it had been since he last wore a tie himself. A minute later he had counted the days. It was way longer than he had thought. Not that he missed them that much. Actually, he had always secretly thought them pretty ridiculous.
He had about a week left now before he would start another round of treatment. The last time he had spoken to his doctors they had said that it would be aggressive. That didn't sound comforting and he did not look forward to it. What he did look forward to, was what would come after that round. They would do extensive testing and he would find out if it had been working, if there would be any change. He felt a sense of excitement when thinking about that.
Harvey had ordered a bunch of books for him and they had arrived yesterday. It was certainly an improvement from his part that he now was able to actually read from a book longer than ten minutes without feeling exhausted. He reached for one of them now, and barely heard it when Harvey said goodbye to him for the day. Adam came over and bothered him a while later and wanted to check his blood pressure. It was a slow day.
His last week of freedom from hospital visits went to fast. He tried to make the most of it since he knew that he would be feeling like crap soon. Not that he did much. He mostly stayed at home, in bed or on the couch. He watched movies or TV shows, read a bit, slept a lot more than a normal person, and spent time with Harvey, Donna and Rachel. Rachel came over a few nights in a row and they watched two seasons of a German TV show together. Harvey refused to join them and claimed that he was too tired from work to have to read the subtitles. Mike couldn't help but mock him for it, even if he suspected that Harvey let him have some time with Rachel. Or his boss enjoyed the time he got for himself. Harvey went out jogging or whatever he did at those times. Once he even went out for a drink with Donna. Mike was happy for him.
Then suddenly it was the evening before he was due back to the hospital. Harvey came over to his room after he had gone to bed, to talk about it.
"So, how do you want to do it tomorrow? You want me to come with you?"
"No, you don't have to, if you have anything better to do." Mike smiled a little. Harvey didn't.
"Actually, I had Donna clear my schedule for tomorrow."
"Yeah?"
"Yes, Mike. I don't mind coming with you. If you want me there."
Mike shrugged a little. "It's always nice when you are there with me." He said honestly.
"It's settled then. It's at ten, right?"
Mike nodded. "Thanks." He said.
Harvey nodded too. Then he stayed in the room until Mike fell asleep. Sometimes he couldn't believe how lucky he was to have Harvey by his side.
Mike woke up early the next morning. He felt pretty okay and decided to get up and take a shower. He was hungry and had breakfast alone while Harvey still slept. The older man came though while he was sitting at the kitchen island eating. Harvey grunted a good morning and went to get something to eat for himself.
"Are you ready to go?" Harvey asked a while later and Mike nodded, but Harvey didn't stand up.
"Are you ready to do this then?"
"Yes, Harvey."
"Yeah? How do you feel about it?"
Mike raised his eyebrows. He shrugged. "Oh. You know, it's probably going to suck, but I'll get through it. It's nothing new." He smiled a little.
"Yeah, that's the right attitude. Let's go then."
And they went. They were greeted by two nurses that Mike had dealt with before. They were happy to see him again and they talked a lot as they got him ready to start the treatment. It felt familiar and for a moment he reflected on the thought that this place felt more familiar now than the office. That was sad to realize.
The treatment was boring as usual, but Harvey being there was making it okay. They discussed the movie they had seen the other night, briefly went over one of Harvey's cases and Harvey had a monologue about what they would eat for dinner. Mike ignored him then because he had no intention of eating that evening. They also saw his doctor while at the hospital and talked about the current treatment plan. Mike only listen with one ear, that would all work out anyway, and Harvey always listened to everything.
Mike managed to fall asleep too and was woken by a nurse telling him that he was done with the chemo. That was one part of the treatment, but the most boring one. There was also the trial drug he received and the radiation. They had told him that everything wouldn't be on the same day every time but divided on days throughout the weeks. Today it was everything at once though.
They got to leave an hour or so later. Mike felt tired and uneasy. He just wanted to get home quick and lay down. He let Harvey lead him down the corridors, with a hand on his back.
The car ride home was not nice at all. He spent all of it with his head leaned against the window and his eyes closed. He only spoke a couple of words to answer Harvey's questions. He didn't want to be rude. He tried to act normal on the way up to the condo, but he thought that Harvey probably knew that he was feeling like bad.
He went straight to his bedroom when they got inside and quickly changed to something more comfortable. The rest of the day was going to suck, he just knew it. He laid down under a blanket and hoped that he could just fall asleep.
"How are you doing?" Harvey suddenly asked. Mike hadn't even noticed when he stepped into the room.
"Wonderful." Mike groaned.
"Huh. I can see that." Harvey said.
"It's not that bad yet. I thought I'll try to sleep it off."
"Yeah, you do that. Call if you need me." Harvey said and probably left. Mike didn't bother to look. He heard how Harvey returned though and put something down on the floor. Probably a bucket for when he would be sick.
He fell asleep but woke up what felt like a short time later. He felt about ten times worse than before. Great. He was sweaty, felt all shaky and like he was about to throw up at any moment. He quickly rolled around and leaned his head out over the edge of the bed. And he had been right before, Harvey had placed a bucket there. He opened his mouth and threw up everything he had had for breakfast. His throat burned and it felt like he got vomit in his nose. It was all very gross. He was also afraid that he would fall off the bed.
"Harvey?" He called out. He sounded pathetic. Harvey was in the doorway the next minute.
"Shit. You threw up?" He said.
Mike only groaned. He heard Harvey stepping closer.
"Oh good. You didn't miss." Harvey said.
If Mike had felt better at this moment, he would have sworn at him. Now, he just hung there, with his head over the edge of the bed. He threw up again and coughed harshly as he was done. Harvey grabbed his shoulder then and kept him on the bed.
"Okay, okay. You are okay." He mumbled. Mike didn't think so. He felt grateful as Harvey placed his other hand along his forehead to hold up his head.
"You are pretty warm." Harvey said. "I hope this isn't a fever."
Mike didn't answer him. He didn't dare to move right now, in fear of disturbing his stomach. He hung in Harvey's grip and coughed a little and then spit down in the bucket to get rid of the foul taste in his mouth. It didn't help.
A couple of minutes they stayed like that before Mike agreed to let Harvey help him to lay down again. It still felt like he was going to throw up at any minute. Harvey pulled the blanket back over him and offered him something to drink.
"No thanks." Mike whispered. He had his eyes closed in the hopes that the room would stop spinning. He focused on his breathing. He didn't want to throw up again. He hated it so much. Soon he managed to fall asleep again.
-SUITS-
Mike was sleeping. He was laying sprawled out on his back, almost diagonally on the bed with his feet towards the wall. Harvey picked up the bucket and walked out of the room as quietly as he could. He hurried though, with emptying the thing, cleaning it, and getting back to the kid's room. He was prepared for another long night up with Mike. Luckily, he had managed to get a good night's sleep the day before so it wouldn't be a problem. He had had an early dinner by himself while Mike had been sleeping. It wasn't even six a clock yet, and Harvey had brought his laptop to Mike's room and figured that he would try to get some work done while the kid slept.
They were yet again in this situation. They had been in it so many times now that it almost felt normal. But Harvey thought that he had seen a change in Mike lately. He had been doing better. He wasn't as tired, talked more, laughed, and joked around. And nothing serious had happened in a while now. Mike's heart was behaving.
Now when he looked at Mike it was hard to believe that he was doing better. He looked pretty sick. Hopefully, he wouldn't get a fever. Hopefully, it was just mild side effects this time.
Mike woke up and was sick again. He asked Harvey for help to sit up, and Harvey left a hand on his back as the kid threw up, leaning over the bucket in his lap. He helped Mike to drink a little after he was done. He gave him paper to wipe his face and he helped him to lay back down again.
They repeated the same process three more times. The last time Mike had tears in his eyes and Harvey's stomach clenched. Damn it.
"Harvey…" Mike whispered, and Harvey wanted to trade places with him.
He shushed Mike and wiped his face with a wet clothe. The tears were erased. He then sat down on the edge of Mike's bed and took his hand in his. It was a while ago since Mike had needed that too. Now he let the kid hold on to him as they waited for the worst to pass.
Mike was tired the next day. Harvey tried to get him out of bed once, but then let him stay where he was and brought Mike breakfast in bed. Not that he ate it. He just took his meds and went back to sleep. Harvey checked on him every half an hour.
They fell into the routine of treatments pretty quickly. The first few times Mike had to go to the hospital Harvey accompanied him as much as he could. Donna went with him too. And Adam. Harvey made sure that he was home at night to be the support Mike needed during the aftermath. Mike didn't ask for his help often, but sometimes he did, and Harvey wanted to be there then.
Two weeks passed and then three. The treatment had taken a toll on Mike and was showing on his physical appearance as well. What worried Mike a lot was that he was starting to develop blisters on his skin like he had once before. They had been very painful then and Mike dreaded the same thing again. He was also a lot more fatigued and had days where he couldn't get out of bed. At least he refused to do it.
Mike's mood was also affected, and he had some mood swings that Harvey didn't always was prepared for. He got angry and yelled and swore, just to apologize profusely the next minute. Harvey did his best at following along in them and to not show much emotion himself. He wanted to be supportive, even if it was hard sometimes when Mike accused him of breathing too loud or not bringing him water quickly enough. He should get an award for keeping his cool then.
Harvey still went to work regularly. He had had a meeting with Jessica where they had discussed his work situation and she was still fine with him coming in whenever he could. He was still reluctant to leave Mike alone for longer periods of time, even if Mike insisted that he was fine with it. He wasn't sure if Mike honestly believed that, or if it was just something he said.
"It's fine Harvey. I can go by myself." Mike claimed one day when Harvey had a meeting at the same time Mike's treatment started.
Harvey protested a little just for the sake of it, but then he let Mike do what he wanted.
"Maybe if you get home when I do?" Mike had asked though and Harvey had promised him that he would.
"I'll probably be here before you, and if I'm not I won't be longer than an hour." He said.
"Yeah, that's fine." Mike assured him.
They both knew that it wasn't such a good idea for Mike to be left alone when he was sick after chemo. Sure, the kid could handle it by himself, but you never knew what could happen. Harvey wanted to be there if there was some kind of emergency.
When he got home that evening Mike was already there. He had sent Harvey a couple of text during his hospital trip, the last one from the cab he took on his way home. Harvey had texted him after that, but Mike hadn't replied. It had caused Harvey to end a client meeting earlier than he had intended. They would have needed another half an hour, but Harvey couldn't concentrate on what the woman was saying anyway.
"Mike?" He called out as soon as he stepped his foot inside of the condo. His worry doubled when Mike didn't answer. "Mike? You here? Answer me!" He walked straight over to Mike's bedroom, but he wasn't there. He looked around the room, but there were no signs that Mike had been there after they had left together earlier that day.
He thought he heard something though and hurried out of the room. The bathroom, that was where he must be!
The door was closed, and Harvey opened it without knocking. Mike was there. He was sitting on the floor next to the toilet, looking terrible. He was leaning his head against the toilet seat, and Harvey had time to think about how unhygienic that was. His eyes where half opened and something wet was covering a large part of his chest and the t-shirt he was wearing. His hoodie was thrown on the floor. Mike was panting and made no attempt of acknowledging that Harvey was there.
"Hey kid." Harvey breathed and stepped over to him and sank down on his knees. He carefully touched Mike's shoulder to rouse him. Maybe he was sleeping. Mike jerked a little and moaned. It was especially bad today apparently. Harvey cursed himself for not ending the meeting even earlier. As it was now, Mike must have been alone for almost an hour.
"Hi…" Mike said now.
"It's bad today, huh?" Harvey said. "Are you finished throwing up?"
"Yeah… think so."
"Okay. Let's get you cleaned up." Harvey stood up and went to find a towel. He soaked it with warm water and went back to Mike. He pulled his hat of his head and ignored Mike's protest. He then wiped the kid's face.
"Let's get this off you." He started to pull at Mike's shirt.
"No… come on." Mike said.
"You have thrown up on it."
"Oh."
"Yeah." Harvey pulled the shirt off him, careful of touching the wet area. He then coaxed Mike up to standing, before leading him over to his bedroom. He had Mike to sit down on the bed and then found him a new shirt that he put on the kid. Mike was looking up at him when he was done. Harvey smiled at him and then snatched on of Mike's hats and put it on his head.
"All good." He then said. Mike was still looking at him. He looked sad if Harvey had to decide. On impulse he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Mike. He felt how Mike leaned against him but didn't hug him back. He then helped Mike to lay down by lifting his legs up on the bed.
Mike looked at him as Harvey pulled at the covers and then put it over him.
"How are you feeling? Can I get you something?"
"I'm tired. Maybe some water? The taste in my mouth is awful."
"Sure." Harvey said and went to get it. He rolled his eyes when he got back and saw that Mike had fallen asleep.
"Okay then." He muttered and put the glass down. He then went to quickly clean up in the bathroom. He poured himself a drink after that. He just felt like having one. He then decided to not feel guilty about the fact that Mike had been alone earlier. He had handled it himself and even though it had been bad Mike didn't seem too be upset about it.
Overall, Mike was handling the situation good. He went to every appointment without any complaints. That was a good thing. That the treatment left him exhausted wasn't strange. Harvey hoped that nothing else would happen to the younger man.
Another week went by. Harvey made sure that he either was with Mike to the appointments or someone else. If he couldn't go he made sure to be there and greet Mike when he got home again. One of those times he got really worried because Mike didn't show up at the agreed time, and when he called the hospital they told him that Mike had been admitted. Harvey had to stop himself from swearing and left for the hospital at once.
He found Mike on a hospital bed, arguing with one of his nurses.
"Harvey!" He exclaimed when Harvey stepped inside. "Good. You are here. You can tell them that I'm fine."
"How am I supposed to know that. I just got here."
Mike frowned. "You are no help. They want to keep me here for no reason."
"There's probably a good reason." Harvey said and looked at the nurse who explained that Mike's values had risen to such a degree that they didn't feel comfortable letting him go home.
"See, there was a reason." Harvey said as he sat down next to Mike's bed after promising the nurse to keep Mike in place.
"Whatever." Mike muttered. "I feel fine."
It turned out that he wasn't fine, and they kept him at the hospital for two nights much to Mike's dismay. Harvey left to go home both nights after Mike had said he was fine with it. Harvey called him as soon as he got home just to make sure.
"I can come back, you know." He said.
"No, I'm fine, Harvey."
"Yeah, you keep saying that."
"I'm just going to sleep anyway."
Harvey went to see him early the next morning though and Mike seemed to be fine and said that he had slept the whole night. That was great news. In a way it meant that Mike was healing in more ways than one. That he slept okay without nightmares and that he made it without Harvey being there was good and made him feel relieved. He wouldn't have to feel guilty about leaving Mike alone then.
Back home again Mike suddenly showed signs of wanting to help out more with the household stuff. He would offer to clean up after dinner or set the table before it. It was just small stuff but Harvey noticed it. Mike hadn't done that before. In a way it might just be that Mike's mindset had changed. He wasn't fighting for his life as much as he had been, and that gave him room to focus on other things. Right now, those things were to help out at home. Harvey watched him and allowed him to do it, if he thought Mike could handle it. At times he said no and forced the kid to go to bed instead. The first time he did so Mike went without another word so Harvey knew that he had been tired. When he went to check on him a few minutes after Mike was asleep on top of the covers to his bed. Harvey shook his head at him and went back to the kitchen.
Sometimes Mike got incredibly tired too. Harvey had to wake him up not once or twice but three or four times on those days. He had to stay next to Mike when he took his meds just to make sure that he took all of them. He had learned that the hard way of course. Once he had put the pills in Mike's hand and then left to get dressed, and when he got back Mike was asleep and almost all of the pills were scattered across his lap. It took Harvey a couple of minutes to find them all after he had woken Mike up.
"Sorry. I'm tired." Mike had said as he lazily watched how Harvey shook the blankets to find the last pill.
"Yeah, I can see that."
Mike was asleep again by the time Harvey had found them all, so yet again he shook the kid's shoulder. So, from that time he had stayed in the room until Mike had taken the whole dose.
On days like that Mike had a hard time with pretty much everything, from getting out of bed to eat or go to the bathroom. Often Harvey felt forced to walk beside him just to make sure he wouldn't fall over, sometimes he steadied him. If Mike had to go to the hospital on a day like that Harvey would try to reschedule his own day so that he could go with him. He felt like he owed it to Mike to be there on days like that, days when he needed the support, even if the kid didn't say anything about it.
It was on one of those days Harvey was sitting on a bench next to Mike, waiting for the go ahead to leave the hospital after a treatment session. Mike was leaning his head against the wall behind him with his eyes closed. Harvey didn't know if he was sleeping or not but didn't speak in case he was. A nurse soon came by and cleared them and spoke a bit to Harvey. Mike totally ignored them.
"It's time to go." Harvey said when they were done talking and nudged at Mike's leg. Mike slowly opened his eyes glared at him.
"Finally." He muttered and made no attempt to get up.
"Okay. Let's go." Harvey said.
"Give me a minute." Mike said, still without moving.
Harvey gave him two minutes and then tried again. Mike opened his eyes a little then.
"I don't…" He said and swallowed. "I don't feel so good."
"That's why we are going home, so you can lay down there."
Mike looked at him for a while and then closed his eyes again. Harvey stood there and looked down on him and waited. "Mike, come on. I'll help you."
Mike shook his head a little and Harvey couldn't help but feeling frustrated.
"You know that you are not going to feel better just sitting here." He said.
Mike groaned then and leaned forward. For a moment Harvey thought that he was going to throw up right then and there, but he just sat there for a while before he started to stand up. Harvey went to help him, and they slowly made their way down the corridor. They were almost at the exit when Mike suddenly stopped and to Harvey's horror, he did throw up this time. Right there on the floor next to a waiting area. Harvey swore and held on to Mike, as he leaned forward, in case he would pass out or something.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Harvey heard Mike mumble.
"It's okay. You're okay." Harvey mumbled back.
Mike coughed a little and swayed, so Harvey quickly got him to a bench. A family sitting there moved away for them and Harvey nodded towards them as a thank you. A woman offered him a tissue that Harvey gratefully accepted. He sat down next to Mike and gave him the tissue for Mike to wipe his face.
"Sorry." He whispered and swayed again. Harvey steadied his shoulder.
"You think you can make it home?" Harvey wanted to know. "Or maybe we should get you a room here for the night."
"No, I can make it."
Mike looked like crap, so Harvey had a hard time believing him. He wasn't sure on what to do right now. Mike was no help, he just sat there, saying something about being embarrassed.
It took Harvey almost forty minutes to get Mike out the door. A cleaner had come and took care of the area where Mike had gotten sick. Mike yet again mumbled that he was sorry when he saw that.
Mike luckily slept in the car on their way home but got tears in his eyes on their way up in the elevator. Harvey understood that it was because of the effort of standing up straight, and he saw how Mike swallowed convulsively.
"We're almost there." Harvey tried to calm him.
They didn't make it. Or Mike didn't make it. He threw up in Harvey's hallway. He sank down on all fours as he vomited. Harvey sighed as he closed and locked the door behind them. It hurt in him now when he watched how Mike shook. When he was done Mike leaned exhausted against the wall.
"I'm sorry." He whispered and looked up at Harvey.
"It's fine. You couldn't help it."
Mike looked scared and miserable now and Harvey repeated that everything was fine as they slowly made their way to Mike's bedroom. He helped Mike to lay down and saw tears in Mike's eyes.
"Are you angry?" The younger man wanted to know.
Harvey shook his head. "I'm not angry, Mike. I know you're trying your best."
Mike was breathing heavily and didn't say anything else.
"I'm just going to go and clean up."
Mike didn't answer him, he just laid there looking towards him. Harvey pushed his feelings away and want to clean up in his hallway. He was nearly done when he heard how Mike faintly called out for him. Harvey almost ran but he was still too late, and he got to watch how Mike threw up in his bed this time. He cursed himself for not getting Mike the bucket. He wasn't so sure that would have helped in this case, Mike had only managed to prop himself up on his elbow.
"Oh no…" He heard how Mike whimpered. "No, no, no. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He cried heartbreakingly as he fell back down on the pillows. He didn't look at Harvey, maybe he didn't dare to.
"Hey, it's okay." Harvey said routinely as he started to think about what the easiest way would be to change the sheet without moving Mike too much. The first thing he did this time was to get the bucket. Mike still cried. Harvey knew that he was trying not to do it, but he seemed to be too exhausted or felt too shitty to be able to control it.
Harvey was pretty proud of himself for managing to change the bedsheet without having to move Mike off the bed. The younger man laid there with his eyes screwed closed, but he had calmed down a little at least. He mumbled now and then that he was sorry, until Harvey told him to stop.
"I know that you are sorry. And I also know that you didn't mean to throw up like that. You don't have to tell me Mike."
"I just feel really bad." Mike quietly told him.
"I know that too. It'll pass."
Harvey went to the bathroom with the laundry and then changed clothes and went back to Mike. He carefully climbed onto the bed next to the younger man and pulled a blanket over him. Mike briefly opened his eyes and looked at him but closed them soon again. He was breathing deeply.
"I'll be here." Harvey said and pulled out his phone just to have something to do. Mike spent the next couple of hours like that. He threw up twice more, but Harvey managed to get him to sit up and do it in the bucket. He thought that he managed to make things a little better for Mike as he sat there, holding him up as he held the bucket. He had an arm around Mike's chest to keep him upright and he could feel how the kid was breathing. In a way it saddened him, them being in that situation, but this was also a part of Mike's fight. And lately it felt like Mike was going to win. Although maybe not at this moment when he felt how Mike exhaustedly leaned his head against him. The younger man fell asleep like that and Harvey just stayed like they were.
The next morning Mike wasn't feeling much better and Harvey was tired. He managed to get Mike to sit up and take his meds but after that Mike laid down again and went back to sleep. Harvey had a morning meeting and Adam was coming over.
When the nurse came Harvey told him about last night and Adam promised to take care of Mike, as always. Harvey felt reluctant to leave him and went to wake him up to tell him that he was leaving. In case Mike was in a bad state of mind he wanted the kid to know that he would be gone. And also, if Mike wanted to him to stay, he would.
Mike felt warm when Harvey shook him awake. "What?" he mumbled and looked up at him. Harvey could see the fever in his eyes. Damn it.
"I'm going to work, Mike. Adam is here."
"Okay. See you later." Mike said, closed his eyes and turned back towards his pillows. Harvey saw that he was hugging his chest. As he stood there, he watched how Mike fell back asleep.
Before he left, he told Adam to keep an extra eye on Mike and call him if Mike got even slightly worse. The nurse smiled and promised to do so.
-SUITS-
Mike felt warm and confused when he woke up. For a second or so he didn't know where he was. He blinked a few times and turned his head to the side and saw that Adam was sitting on the chair next to his bed. He was reading a book with a red cover. Mike couldn't make out the title of it.
"How are you feeling?" Adam asked him.
"Okay. I guess." Mike answered. "Warm."
"Yeah, you can remove the blanket then. Looks like you have a fever. You up for eating something?"
That was a lot of information and Mike wasn't sure that he followed. What was he supposed to answer?
"Yeah?" He said. That worked because Adam rose his bed then and placed a bowl in his hands. Mike ate. What else should he do?
Harvey wasn't there. Mike asked Adam where he was and was told that Harvey was at the office. Mike should have guessed that. Or had Harvey told him that earlier? He wasn't sure. It didn't matter that much anyway. Harvey would come back. He always did. He was almost always there. Mike could trust him. Harvey said before that they were family, you could always trust your family.
Adam wanted to measure his temperature, and Mike let him.
"You have a fever of 102.5 Mike." Adam told him. Okay. What should he do with that piece of information? It wasn't like he could use willpower to lower his fever. It would be cool though if he could, like some sort of superpower.
Last night he had felt really bad. He remembered it all, even if some parts of the night were a bit hazy. Harvey had slept in his bed during the night. Harvey had also helped him when he had felt bad. He had thrown up a bunch of times, once on the floor and once on the bed. It had been so embarrassing to do so. Humiliating. It hadn't been much he could have done then either.
Sometimes it was like he was traveling on a river, just floating along unable to escape the current. Harvey sometimes were a rock that Mike could rest on, but mostly he just floated along. Like now, he stretched out an arm for Adam so that he could measure his blood pressure.
He slept a bit more. Adam wanted him to take some medication which he did. Suddenly Adam held up a phone to his ear and then Harvey was speaking to him. Harvey wanted to know if he was alright, and Mike didn't know what to answer. He didn't want to lie, but he didn't want to worry Harvey either. He just said that he was tired, that was a truth.
Harvey showed up a bit later, or maybe it had been a few hours, Mike wasn't sure. He felt like he didn't care that much either. Harvey was a little bit annoying. He wanted Mike to sit up, drink stuff, take some pills and talk to him. He wasn't really interested in doing any of those things.
He wanted to sleep and wake up again when he felt better, but Harvey wouldn't let him. He suggested that Mike would join him on the couch and ignored it when Mike complained about having to walk there. Harvey just told him to be quiet.
Mike was fairly sure that he was supposed to go to the hospital the next day for another treatment session, but they never left. He was a little out of it, tired and confused so he didn't think that much of it. Adam was there again and kept him company from early morning. He was even there when Mike woke up. He spent most of the day in bed, sleeping on and off. He felt a bit odd. A weird pressure was above his chest and it worried him. He told Adam about it, and the nurse started to keep a closer eye on him after that and bother him a lot more when he wanted to sleep. Adam checked his temperature, blood pressure and other things that Mike didn't bother with knowing.
Mike thought that it was evening now. He had heard that Harvey had come home, him and Adam was talking quietly in the kitchen. Mike looked towards the door and waited for Harvey to appear in the doorway. He coughed a little and swallowed. His throat was bothering him. It had started to hurt a bit.
"How are you doing then?" Harvey was suddenly standing in front of him.
Mike shrugged a little but smiled as well.
Harvey walked over to him and sat down on the bed next to him. He then stretched out his hand and placed it over Mike's forehead.
"Damn it, Mike. You really need to stop having fevers." He said.
Mike rolled his eyes at the older man and moved away from his hand. "Shut up." He mumbled.
"Since you obviously can't behave like a normal person, I'm staying home with you tomorrow." Harvey continued.
Mike ignored him and pretended that he was sleeping. He felt how Harvey squeezed his shoulder told him to call if he needed anything and then he left the room. Mike accidentally fell asleep when he had his eyes closed like that.
He woke himself up an hour or so later by coughing. His throat hurt from it. Weirdly his stomach hurt a bit too much for it to be nothing as well. What was going on now? He curled up a bit more and pressed an arm against his stomach. He pulled the cover tighter to him to get warmer. He tried to fall back asleep, but it didn't work. He wished that Harvey would come back. Mike wanted to tell him that he wasn't feeling good. Why wasn't he there?
"Harvey." He said.
To his surprise Harvey turned up in the room the next moment.
"What's up?" He asked and smiled at Mike.
Mike shrugged. He just wanted to Harvey to be around. At the moment he didn't want to sit that though. He coughed a little. Harvey at once looked more concerned.
"That sounds bad, Mike. Are you okay?"
"Just a cold." Mike muttered.
"Right" Harvey said. "You want me to get you something to drink?" Then he did that while Mike waited.
Mike noticed that Harvey was studying him as he sat down next to the bed. He didn't say anything though. He suggested that they should have dinner.
"No. My stomach hurts." Mike mumbled and tried to bore his head further down into the pillow.
As always Harvey didn't care about what Mike was saying because he left and shortly came back with a plate with some green-looking stuff on, that Mike didn't really care for. Harvey just sat there and waited for him to eat it, so eventually he did. At least a little and to his surprise Harvey was satisfied with that.
That night he slept pretty bad. He kept waking up for some reason. Sometimes he thought that it was because he had coughed. He hated coughing. Harvey was there most of the time. Mike felt confused. His stomach kept hurting too and he didn't like that. He was so damn warm too sometimes, but somehow the blanket he threw off himself always ended up back on him.
-SUITS-
There were too many symptoms now. Harvey just had a feeling that this wasn't just a cold like Mike tried to say. Mike seemed to be generally uncomfortable where he was laying in bed. He kept squirming around, turning on his side, just to turn back to lay on his back a minute later. He hadn't slept much during the night either. It seemed like the coughing he did once in a while woke him. Also, he kept saying that he had a stomachache. It all was worrisome, and Harvey didn't like it. He had started to even consider calling an ambulance at this point, because he wasn't sure that Mike would be able to make it to the car. It was early in the morning too so he didn't know if he could get a cab quick enough for them.
It was just something about this that worried him a lot. It was a feeling he had. Mike looked pretty bad now too. He was a little confused too, it took some time to get him to answer the questions Harvey tried to ask. His fever must be pretty high still. About two hours ago he had gotten Mike to take two pills, but they hadn't seemed to help.
He decided to check the kid's temperature again. Mike reluctantly let him do it. Harvey felt how his stomach clenched as he saw the number on the little screen. 103, 6. That's was way too high.
Mike moaned and swatted at his hand and Harvey swallowed hard. No, he had decided. They were going. He told Mike the plans for their nearest future and started to pack a bag. He wasn't sure that Mike had heard him. As he pulled out some t-shirts and a hoodie, he dialed the emergency number. He explained Mike's symptoms and was promised help shortly.
He glanced at Mike that was staring up into the ceiling with a dazed looked, then he quickly went to grab some stuff for himself as well.
Mike had yet again thrown the blanket off him when Harvey returned. The next thing was to get Mike ready to go. Harvey wasn't sure if he would be able to walk by himself, so he decided to just wait for the paramedics here. He thought that Mike's breathing was a bit labored. He carefully shook Mike's shoulder and watched how he opened his eyes and looked towards Harvey.
"HI there. Mike, I want you to listen to me now. We are going to the hospital. Okay?"
"No." Mike said and closed his eyes again. Harvey rolled his eyes and shook him again.
"Yes, Mike. We are going. Do you need to change clothes before the paramedics get here?"
Mike ignored his questions and rolled away from him.
"Mike, come on. You have a fever of 103,6. That's way too high for my liking, this is for the best kid."
"No, I don't want to go. I don't want to!" Mike whined and Harvey sighed in frustration.
"I know that you don't want to go, Mike. But right now, you are not doing well. So, it's not up to you. I've already called an ambulance."
"But no, call it off. I don't want to!" Mike yelled this time.
Harvey stared at him. It wasn't often that Mike raised his voice towards him, and this time it didn't seem justified at all. He considered his next move. Try to understand why Mike was acting the way he was and maybe let him stay at home, or just go on the route he had already started and stand by that this was happening. Mike solved it for him when he yelled again but had to stop because he started coughing.
"Like I said. I've already called. They are on there way." He then went to unlock the door for the paramedic's arrival. Mike had a fever and wasn't able to think clearly right now.
When he got back to the Mike's bedroom the younger man was trying to sit up. He managed and Harvey watched how he swayed a bit before remaining steady.
"What are you doing?" Harvey asked.
"I'm not going. I'm not." Mike insisted.
"And why is that? You are not feeling well, you know that something is wrong, I know you do." Harvey tried and felt like he was talking to a child.
Mike stared at him. His mouth opened and closed, and it looked like he was trying to come up with a comeback but struggled. He was panting.
"I…I want to stay here, Harvey." Mike eventually said. "Please, just let me stay."
"I'm sorry, Mike. No."
"Screw you!" Mike said and feel back at the bed and pulled the cover over his head. Harvey shook his head, but then heard the doorbell, so he went to open the door.
Mike resisted the two paramedics attempts of getting him to roll over so that they could assess him. He yelled at them to leave him alone, he tried to hid below his cover, but Harvey stepped forward and pulled it away from him.
"Mike! Let them look at you." He said. He was surprised that Mike was able to fight them as much as he was considering his fever was so high.
The paramedics did their best and tried to talk calmly to Mike, tried to reason with him, but the man would have nothing to do with that. Harvey actually felt embarrassed about it when Mike screamed at them.
"Do you think he can stay at home?" Harvey felt forced to ask.
"No, this might be something serious. You said that he is undergoing chemo for heart cancer? His breathing doesn't sound good either. We are going to take him." The paramedic that wasn't currently trying to hold Mike still said.
"Mike, you need to calm down." He tried to get Mike to listen to him, but Mike just seemed to be getting further away from reasoning.
Harvey felt bad when he helped hold on to the younger man as the paramedics worked.
After some struggle they managed to get Mike onto a gurney. Mike was panting, his eyes red and he was blinking rapidly. Luckily, Mike calmed down a bit and seemed to have accepted his faith. He refused to talk though, and Harvey eventually got annoyed at the kid, where he was sitting on a bench in the ambulance. Mike had been given sedatives or something, and had a mask over his face that helped him breath, but Harvey knew that he was capable of answering questions, he was choosing not to.
When they got to the hospital Mike was taken straight to a room at the emergency to be seen to. Harvey got to tag along this time and Mike was placed on a bed in a hall full of other beds with sick or injured people. It was loud and hectic, and Mike seemed as miserable as Harvey was starting to feel.
A doctor soon arrived and started to check on Mike. Harvey watched and listened intently on what was going on. He heard how they talked about the high fever, Mike's breathing, and blood pressure. Mike had thrown an arm over his face and refused to move it or answer the questions he was asked. Or maybe he was too ill to do so.
"When was the last time he had chemo?" The doctor suddenly asked, and Harvey noticed that the question was directed at him. She grabbed on to his arm when he didn't answer and asked the question again. "We need to know!"
Harvey jerked his arm away and tried to think. When was it? He didn't know. "Why don't you know? This is where he gets the treatment."
He knew right as he said it that it had been a stupid thing to say.
"This is the ICU, and I'm not his oncologist." The doctor in front of him said. The she looked down at Mike and asked him instead.
"Mike, can you look at me. Do you know when your last chemo session was?"
She carefully removed Mike's arm from his face and Harvey could tell that Mike was trying to make eye contact. He nodded. Harvey thought he could sense the doctor's frustration, but you couldn't tell when she spoke again.
"That's good Mike. Do you think you can tell me when?"
"Three days ago." Mike said.
"Okay, that's good work. Thank you." She turned her attention to the medical staff around them and started giving orders, Harvey heard the word antibiotics.
"What's wrong with him?" He asked no one in particular. The doctor turned towards him as two nurses set to work on Mike.
"We believe that Mike has what's called a neutropenic fever. It happens when a specific type of white blood cells gets very low. Basically, it means that he has an infection that his immune system is incapable of dealing with it on its own. It may be fatal, so we are going to put him on a broad spectrum of antibiotics right now. That should do it. If you excuse me."
Harvey looked at her back as she turned towards Mike. He was almost covered from view with people. It may be fatal. No. Not again. He couldn't deal with that again. He rubbed a hand over his mouth and then he just waited.
Things were happening around them as Harvey tried to stay as close to Mike as he could. The younger man was subdued but awake. Harvey wasn't sure though if he was aware of what was going on around him.
Mike was moved over to the cancer ward and his own room, and Harvey felt relieved when he recognized that staff that greeted them. A lot of hospital staff came and went. Someone explained that they now were giving Mike a strong set of antibiotics that they believed would deal with this fever with a name Harvey already had forgotten. Harvey watched how Mike's eyes fell close and he fell asleep. He guessed that it was a good thing. Mike needed to rest.
It may be fatal.
He couldn't get that sentence out of his head. He should call Donna, or Jessica maybe. Someone should get to know that they were yet again at the hospital. And yet again Mike was apparently fighting for his life. Thank God Harvey had decided to get them here, against Mike's wishes. Clearly the kid had no idea about anything. Harvey would think both once or twice before he thrusted words coming out of Mike's mouth after this.
He did call Donna, but told her not to come over, he would update her later.
He didn't know how Mike was doing. He looked bad, but there wasn't that much activity around him and that was a good sign.
"You awake?" Harvey whispered.
Mike slowly blinked his eyes open. He swallowed and looked around before he turned his eyes towards Harvey's.
"Where are we?" Mike then asked. "Where…Harvey…"
His hands failed as if he tried to grab on to Harvey's arm, so Harvey carefully took a hold of his hand and pushed it down onto the bed but kept his grasp. Mike's hand was warm. He tried to calm Mike down.
The day passed slowly. Harvey remained at Mike's side. Doctors and nurses came and went. Mike slept at times, and when he was awake he looked like he wasn't really there. He was confused and slurred on his speech. Harvey was told that his fever was high, but the breathing was better. It was still hard for Harvey to relax and believe that Mike was better, the kid not even knowing where he was didn't help.
A few hours later had Mike awake, but his eyes were only opened to slits. It didn't look like he was aware of his surroundings now either. He had a nasal cannula, IV: s and wires going down below his gown. He was breathing deeply with his mouth open. Harvey didn't say anything but pulled his chair up closer to the bed so that Mike would be able to see him without moving his head too much.
"Hi Mike." He whispered then. He got no reaction, so he leaned a bit closer.
"You have to stop doing things like this, kid. You are giving me gray hair."
When Mike still didn't react, he brought up a hand and carefully placed it along Mike's clammy face. Mike did react then and slowly turned his head a little towards Harvey.
"There you are."
Harvey repeated the movement of his hand and guessed that Mike turning his head towards him was the only reaction he was going to get at this moment.
Mike opened his mouth a bit as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't. He licked his lips.
"Are you thirsty? Do you want something to drink?" Harvey asked.
"Mm." Mike said.
"Alright, just one moment." Harvey quickly got a paper cup and filled it with water from the tap. He determined that he needed to help Mike, and carefully slipped a hand below his head and lifted it. Mike moaned in discomfort and Harvey shushed him.
He brought the cup to Mike's lips and carefully tipped it to let him drink. A little water missed and ran down Mike's neck. Harvey quickly wiped him dry before letting him take a few more sips.
Mike moaned again. Harvey didn't know why, and Mike didn't answer him when he asked. Harvey sighed and placed a hand on Mike's shoulder.
"I'm here kid." He said. "Try to sleep."
Mike looked at him for a moment with empty eyes before they slipped close. Harvey pursed his lips and sighed. Poor kid. He saw that Mike's hand was laying limp next to him, so he carefully took a hold of it. Mike didn't react at all, but Harvey hoped that he still was aware of that Harvey was there with him. That Mike knew that Harvey was there for him, like he always was and that he wasn't alone.
He sighed where he sat still holding on to Mike's hand. He closed his eyes and just wished that they didn't have to be here yet again, in this situation.
He didn't know for how long he sat there when he heard how someone stepped into the room. Probably a nurse again. He didn't bother to move but at least glanced at Mike's face, but there was no change in him.
"How are you doing Harvey?" A voice then asked, and Harvey looked to the side and saw that it was Dr. Lundin standing there with Mike's chart in his hands. The doctor was smiling kindly towards him.
Harvey sighed again. "He is doing worse again." He said.
"I know how Mike is doing, I was asking how you are doing."
Harvey pursed his lips. "I'm tired of this. I'm tired of him having to be in this situation again and again. When is he going to get a break? When is it going to turn around? I hate seeing him like this. I'm tired of seeing him suffer!" He swallowed and had to stop talking because he could feel his eyes starting to burn.
The doctor was standing there next to him in silence for a while.
"You know Harvey, I don't think you have noticed something significant with Mike's visits here with us. The reason for him coming here lately isn't for heart related issues anymore. Now it's more complications that he has been having with his treatment. I would say that is a form of progress."
Harvey blinked a few times as he considered the other man's words. That was actually true. It was a long time ago since Mike had been having heart problems. It had been other things. And now it was some type of fever that it was common for cancer patients to have.
"So, you are saying this is a good thing?" He mentioned towards Mike.
"No, I'm not. But a neutropenic fever we know how to treat. In fact, we are treating him right now. His values are a lot better than they were when you came in with him this morning. He isn't feeling all that great now, but he will be soon. The antibiotics are going to work and I'm sure that you will be out of here in a few days."
"Yeah, you think so?" Harvey had to ask.
"I do. Especially when he has you by his side, Harvey."
Harvey looked at Mike and sighed. The other man's words were encouraging.
"Thank you." He said after a moment. The doctor squeezed his shoulder, checked Mike's machines for minute and then left the room. Harvey allowed himself to lean back a little then.
When the next nurse arrived, he took the opportunity to go and get something to eat. Mike was going to beat this. He was going to be fine. Harvey wasn't as encouraged when he returned to the room and found Mike awake, but not even reacting when Harvey stepped into his line of sight. He looked like he was just as out of it as before. Harvey pursed his lips and sat down again.
"Hi Mike." He said quietly and watched how Mike jerked and looked over at him, like he first now saw him.
"Ha-Har-Harvey." Mike said.
"Yes, that's me. How are you feeling, huh?
Mike mumbled something that Harvey couldn't make out and squirmed around on his bed.
Harvey tried to calm him down but wasn't getting through to him. It was pretty exhausting. Eventually Mike fell asleep after a nurse came and increased his medication. That night was long as well.
The next morning Harvey was told that Mike's fever was lower. However, he thought that it wasn't that much different from the day before, since Mike was still not making any sense, and seemed confused. It was hard to watch. The kid refused to have breakfast and almost managed to push the breakfast tray down onto the floor. At that time Harvey felt how his patience started to wear thin and he longed for a break. One of the nurses seemed to notice this and told him that she would stay with Mike if Harvey wanted to go and get some fresh air as she put it. Harvey gratefully accepted and left without saying anything to Mike, even though he was awake at the time. He probably didn't notice that he was left alone with the nurse though.
Harvey did go outside for a bit. He went over to a coffee shop across the street and sat down there. He placed a call to Donna and updated her about Mike's current situation. She offered to come over and stay with Mike, and he told her that he would think about it.
When he got back to Mike's room, the younger man was asleep. When he woke up again, he seemed to be a bit more coherent at first, but then Mike started talking about wanting to leave.
"No, I don't think that's a good idea at the moment, Mike." Harvey said.
Mike totally ignored him though.
"We… we need to… we need to leave." He stuttered.
"No, Mike. We don't have to leave. Everything is fine."
"No…" Mike moaned.
"Yeah, alright. You are not entirely fine, but we are going to stay here until you are." Harvey told him.
Mike opened and closed his mouth and looked at Harvey as if he had two heads or as if what he had said was absolutely ridiculous. Harvey patted his arm.
"It's okay." He reassured.
"Are we at the hospital?" Mike then asked.
"Yes, we are."
"Oh." Mike said.
"Yeah, are you surprised?" Harvey couldn't help but asking and smirked a bit. He probably shouldn't joke around with the kid in this condition, but it wasn't hurting anyone. Mike was too confused anyway since he proceeded to ask about some swimming pool.
"There is no pool Mike."
"But-but I was looking for it." Mike insisted.
"I don't think it's a good idea for you to go swimming right now. I think you would drown, kid."
"You can come with me." Mike suggested.
"Sure. We'll go tomorrow." Harvey promised and Mike smiled widely against him, closed his eyes, and fell asleep. He was doing better the next day and had forgotten all about their swimming.
"I think I'm feeling a bit better." Mike said when he was asked by one of the doctors.
"Yes, it seems like the antibiotics you were given has been doing what they were supposed to." The doctor said and studied Mike's chart. Harvey felt something ease a bit from his chest. It hadn't been fatal this time either. He felt himself sitting there on the chair smiling. All he wanted to do now was to go home and get some sleep.
Something had changed in Mike's eyes. The feverish, lost look had disappeared and now he just looked tired and a bit flushed.
"Hi." He said when it was just the two of them in the room again.
"Mike." Harvey said.
"Harvey."
Harvey just smiled at him.
"How long have we been here?"
"Two days."
"You too?"
"Yes, of course."
"I think I was a bit out of it."
"I think so too."
"I'm sorry."
Harvey shook his head. "Don't apologize. I'm only glad you are doing better. You had me worried again."
"Yeah?"
Harvey nodded and reached forward and took Mike's hand in his and squeezed. "You are going to be okay now, do you hear me."
Mike squeezed back and smiled a little. "Okay." He said and closed his eyes.
-SUITS-