XL VII
It was a Wednesday, 5 days after Rachel had given her the news that she could finally visit Harvey in jail. So she was there, in front of the gates to the prison.
Donna had previously let everybody on the firm know she was going to be absent for half of the day and why. Needless to say that everyone there gave her a free pass to visit him and, if it was necessary, she could take all day to do so.
The secretary passed through the main gate, getting glances from the police officer and from others that were there to see an inmate. Those people seemed to stare at her as if she didn't fit into that place, as if someone should actually belong to a hostile place like that‒a place she never ever imagined visiting. But now, it was a place that would be part of her new reality.
Since Harvey's sentence wasn't related to a federal crime, they didn't need to see each other through a phone booth, even though she was not his lawyer. Gladly, they would see each other face to face in the visiting room, where they would be supervised the entire time and would share the place with other inmates and their visitors. Undoubtedly, the scenario was not an ideal and nothing close to what they were used to and from what she wanted to, but considering the situation it was the only scenario they could get.
After going through the mandatory process to finally see Harvey, she was there, sitting on the chair that the guard showed her to. Underneath the desk, her foot bounced. Up and down. An unstoppable sign of anxiousness.
Her fingers tapped on the table, making a low noise as her nails hit the frigid metal that divided her stool from the stool that would be Harvey's. Donna's eyes darted all over the place, trying to not stare at anyone to cause any sort of discomfort.
To every person who crossed through the door where the convicts came from, her heart stopped a second or two. She waited for what felt like an eternity, but was fewer than five minutes when the gate hinged at its holding place to finally reveal his shape in front of her eyes. Her Harvey. The person she was yearning to see for almost three months.
A mix of feelings overflowed her body, which she let show gleefully in a discreet grin, receiving back the Cheshire cat smile she missed greatly. As he was led towards her, she let out a breath she didn't notice she was holding. After years of working together without touching, she had to also repress the itch to run into him and hug him tight.
The lawyer‒yes, he would always be the best lawyer she had ever met‒sat on the stool in front of her. The guard took off the cuffs from Harvey's wrists and gave some instructions. They could touch just once. The police officer informed them that they had the right to hug at that moment and not at any other moment during the visit.
But both of them followed the silent agreement they had of not touching so they proceeded with their regular behavior. The guard took some steps away, letting them have their time "alone".
Even though they had the time to talk, they remained silent for a few seconds, just taking each other in. Absorbing one another, seeking to recognize and notice the changes in the time when they were distant. Immersed in capturing the details, as if they were taking a photograph, forming a mental map for them to keep when they were no longer together.
To Specter, Donna hadn't changed a bit: she was still splendid, full and emanating light. He could also notice a bit of tiredness around her eyes, even with makeup, he could see some dark circles and glimpses of unshed tears. Obviously, he wouldn't comment on that. If he would bet on something, he would guess she probably wasn't sleeping well. The sight brought heavy guilt to his shoulders.
To Paulsen, Harvey seemed drowsy. His hair was longer, his beard unshelved, unlike the Harvey she grew accustomed to. Although she had never seen him like that, she had enjoyed his new looks. Apart, perhaps, from the hair, his bearded version suited him. If she had a say in something, she would probably not object to it in case he decided to keep it. For sure, it bothered her the reason why he wasn't cut and beard up, either way, he remained as stunning as she remembered.
The two of them got lost in the details, in a bubble that belonged to them and them only. Both seemed to have forgotten how good it was to be in each other's presence. In fact, they didn't forget, they had only adjusted their lives to the absence of another. And now, together, all the feelings of home, comfort and easiness were being set into place.
It was Harvey who broke the silence "Hey," he said, in the soft tone of voice he reserved only for her.
"Hey," she answered him with a big grin on her lips. She appreciated very much listening to his voice.
"I,-" He sighed, making a pause.
"Same, Harvey." She nodded. It was not necessary for him to say he missed her, she knew it.
Despite the breath of fresh air that being in each other's presence brought, the weight of their last encounter was still palpable. It had been almost three months since they had kissed and, for obvious reasons, nothing had been said about it. They both knew that, at some point, the subject would come up, but this would not be the time.
"Tell me, how are things around here?" The moment the worlds came up out of her mouth, she knew it was a stupid question and making stupid questions was nothing like her.
Happily, Harvey didn't get offended, instead he gave her all the details of his routine in prison, how he was adapting, about his cellmate and anything else she wanted to know about.
In return, Donna told him how things were going at the firm. How they were struggling to keep the clients to maintain the firm's future and the fact that Mike was not working at the firm, since he was not allowed to practice the law. She assured Harvey that he didn't need to feel guilty about any of this. All of them were well aware of the hard times they were going to go through and they were doing their best.
They engaged so deeply in the conversation that they didn't notice the passage of time. The bell rang, indicating the time was over and the visiting hours had to be finished.
"Donna." He said again in that soft tone.
"Yes." She was already on her foot, in front of the table.
"Can I ask you something?" He inquired and she noticed he was a bit uncomfortable.
"Sure. Anything for you, Harvey," she answered straightly.
"If you're coming to visit me next time, can we keep the conversation this way?"
"I'm not going anywhere, Harvey," she reassured him, trying to wash off the implication in his question that maybe she wouldn't come back. "If you had a computer, you would have your visiting schedule by now. See you in a week." She winked at him who was already smiling in response.
The secretary smiled back and was guided by the guard to the exit.
XL VI
As Donna promised Harvey, she went to visit him the week after her first visit and the next three weeks that followed. Which meant that a month had already passed with her going weekly to see him on visiting hours. However, the secretary was not the only person who wished to visit him.
As much as she would love to monopolize his every visit, there was also his brother to see him. Besides the firm's situation, she had plenty of things to do and take care of with little time to do so.
"Donna," He said as soon as they sat down.
"What can I do for you, Harvey?" she acknowledged, smirking.
"Why do you think I have something to ask for?" He sure knew the answer, but he missed joking with her, so she couldn't help doing so.
"Because I know everything and I know you," she pointed out.
"You're right. Do you remember Alex Williams?"
She was trying to recall the name that didn't seem strange to her.
"Sure, the guy that offered you a job when you decided to abandon Jessica and I?"
"Hey, I wouldn't abandon Jessica and you. And I remember you mentioning you'd follow me." He recalled her own words.
"I did, but what's the point if I can't point out your shortcomings?" Apparently, he was not the only one who missed making jokes.
"Oh, of course," he paused, grinning. "Okay, I think he could be a great addition to the team."
"Harvey," she interrupted him, "I don't know if the time is appropriate and neither if we would have the money for that."
The secretary knew he was informed of the firm's state, yet he was seeking to add more zeros on the paid check than the firm could provide.
"I know, but I have something in mind and I can talk with Jessica about it later."
"So what do you want from me?" Donna trusted Harvey with her soul to not follow him.
"I need you to come to Alex, explain to him the situation, and ask him to come to visit me. This will give me time to talk to Jessica. And also to ask her to visit me, as my lawyer."
"Let me see if I get it right. Even if you are in jail, I'm still your secretary?"
"It was like I never left." He smiled and winked.
With that said, both of them talked about old times at the DA's office, laughing and sharing things, like they used to do at late nights in the firm. It was, as he said, like he had never left.
XL V
"So, that was your plan from the beginning?" Donna asked after Harvey explained to her he wanted Alex to be the new name on Pearson Litt's wall.
"Uhum,"
"Why didn't you tell me?" She inquired.
"I like to keep the mystery." He gave her a playful smile.
"Something else you're planning that I need to know?"
"Well, that was just the first move. Get Alex into the firm and then slowly we can convince Jessica and Louis to make him their name partner." The way he was saying it looked like everything would be done easily .
"Harvey, although I said I'm not going anywhere and I would do anything for you, I just don't want to be blindsided by your plan. I want to know exactly what you're planning."
She knew his planning wasn't anything bad or shady, but this behavior was not like them. Usually she was a few steps ahead of him and recognized what was happening. Considering what was going on, she wasn't about to figure his plans out easily. This jail situation where she couldn't hear his calls over the intercom was not good. It was all too soon for them to not be in sync.
"Where's the fun in that?"
"There's no reason for you to keep things from me. You're not my boss anymore." She regretted it the second the words were out. Donna didn't mean to be harsh.
It was tough for him to listen to those words. He knew all too well he was not her boss. Although he was acting as if he was still working at the firm, giving her orders and playing around, he was not part of that anymore. And that hurt.
"I'm sorry," she said, taking him off his trance.
"No, you're right. I'm not your boss anymore and I should stop acting like it. I think old habits die hard." He smiled at her, showing he was good.
"I think so. I managed to still be your secretary fixing your visiting schedule," he shrugged.
Once again, they engaged in a smooth conversation until she needed to leave and they had to wait for another month.
XL IV
It was the end of the month and the next day would be the day Donna would visit Harvey in prison. She was excited about it and working hard to anticipate how much work she could do to not let anyone down during her absence.
After five months with Mike being away from the firm, trying to work on other things and failing on it, either because of his fraud accusation or because the way he acted as if he was still a lawyer, he decided to try to become a lawyer again.
During Rachel's process to get into the bar, Louis found out a way to help Mike get into the bar, which would make him able to practice again.
"Donna?" Louis said in a tone showing this was not the first time he called her.
"Argh, Louis. You scared me!" she exclaimed, putting her right hand over her chest.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, just anticipating work for tomorrow." She motioned at the stack of paper in front of her.
"About this, I have to tell you something." He said.
Donna's eyes widened, and she put the folder she was holding on the desk.
"What happened to Harvey, Louis?" The wobble in her voice indicated she was picturing the worst scenarios happening to Harvey. Did he get into a fight? Did they extend his sentence?
"Nothing, Donna." Louis guaranteed her.
"Say it. Whatever it is, I can handle it." She knew something bad happened and Louis' 'nothing' wasn't enough to calm her anxiety. If something had happened, she needed to know and the man in front of her needed to be straightforward and not beat around the bush. "Just rip the band aid off."
"No, no, Donna. Don't worry. I'm here because of Mike." Louis said and he could see the redhead's furrow smooth out, worriness fading and confusion replacing her emotions.
"What about Mike?"
"We may have found a way to get Mike into the bar. We talked last night and the first thing I did this morning was to go to Harvey and talk to him about it. Maybe he could help us with the strategy or something."
"And how was the visit?"
"As well as it was expected, we may have a way to let Mike in. I need to talk to Mike first, but Harvey asked me to give you this." Litt took a small piece of paper from inside his suit jacket and handed it to her, which she received with curiosity.
Louis told me everything I wanted to know. Please, try everything to help him. I can wait until next month.
His not-so-good handwriting made her smile. It has been so long since she hadn't received anything written by him, which made her a bit nostalgic and sorrowful for the old times that seemed so long ago, but in fact it was only five months.
"Thank you, Louis." She lifted her head, smiling at Louis.
"You okay?"
She nodded, and the name partner smiled back, taking his way through the hallway.
XL III
A month had passed and they still didn't find a way for Mike to get into the bar. The clock was running and they were working non-stop, which meant Donna didn't go to visit Harvey.
XL II
Jessica, Mike, Rachel, Alex, Donna and Louis were all in Harvey's old office that was now known as Alex's office. Mike's hearing was in the afternoon and Jessica used a story from Anitta's past as an attempt to persuade her to vote for Mike. The vote had to be unanimous.
Jessica's phone rang and the silence was palpable while she was murmuring to the person on the other side of the line. Once she ended the call, she turned to them with a big smile on her face and said the words all of them were hoping for.
"You're in, Mike." And with that, they cheered, shared hugs and Donna offered to break out the champagne bottle from the kitchen.
As she walked away from the group, she couldn't help but let some tears fall. Mike would finally come back to the firm. The first person who came to her mind was him, Harvey. How happy he would have been to see Mike back to the family, and to be working close to him again. He shouldn't have to miss this.
But Harvey wasn't there. And she wouldn't be the one to tell him good news. Her day to visit him was yesterday, so she should wait for another month.
XL I
Three months later, she was finally there, sitting in the visiting area, waiting for Harvey. She was nervous, as if it was her first time there. Her eyes scanned the room where she could see some familiar faces and new ones.
Fortunately, it didn't take longer for Harvey to cross the door and be in front of her.
"Hey," they said in unison, sharing a knowing smile.
"Do I know you? Are you Debbie or something?" He leaned on the desk, trying to be as close to her as possible without drawing attention to them.
"Oh, you happen to forget me after three months? How fast." She laughed at his joke.
"You know I could never. The day we met was the luckiest day of my life." He winked at her.
Donna smiled at the memory of when they first met and couldn't avoid the tears blurring her vision.
"Are you crying?" Harvey asked when he noticed the glow in her eyes.
"I am an actress, Harvey. You know I can fake a cry and be incredibly convincing," she pointed out, proud of her acting skills that allowed her to brush off his question as if her tears weren't actually genuine.
"Yeah, I can remember that time when you fake cried saying that your parents didn't have a place to stay and no money to rent a room so I let them stay at my condo," he could recall the memories perfectly.
"It was the best excuse I had to finally know the place you lived."
"You know that if you wanted to know my place you should've just asked," a hinting smile appeared on his face.
"Harvey…" She pointed a finger in his direction.
"Since the other time, I always keep strawberries and whipped cream in my refrigerator." A mischievous smirk curling up on his lips.
"Not that that matters."
"Thank you, Mr. Specter, for letting us stay at your home," Clara said when they were crossing the hall of his building.
"Oh, it was nothing, Clara. Anything for Donna." He was carrying one of Clara's suitcase.
They crossed the front gate of his condo, and Ray had already parked in front. The driver got off the car and helped them with all the luggages they had.
"And thank you for letting us have your driver. I already told Donna that if she knew how to drive, she could've rented a car and taken us to the airport." Clara smirked at Donna, seeing her daughter roll her eyes.
"Mom, I told you, there is no need to rent a car nor drive your own car in New York. There are a lot of cabs you can take." The redhead said, trying to prevent her mom from going any further on the subject.
"But what if you move from New York? Or just choose to live in the suburbs?" Clara tried one more time.
"Not happening and no point in thinking about 'ifs', mom. Thank you for being here. Next time, I promise I will be the one to fly back home."
Clara hugged her little, not so little anymore, girl and waved Harvey and Donna a goodbye before she entered Ray's car. Jim was already in the car. He was a bit grumpy for some reason Donna couldn't tell but she sensed it had something to do with Harvey. The car started moving, and it was her time to call for a cab.
"So, you can't drive." Harvey stated more as a question at the moment Ray drove the car away.
"Yes," she said matter-of-factly.
"But why?"
Donna started to regret asking him to let her parents stay at his condo. He had enough time to get ammunition to mock her for a long time.
"Are you and my mom plotting against me?"
"Oh, if there's someone plotting against you, it is you. You should learn how to drive." He was indeed incredulous she couldn't drive.
"There's no point."
"For someone who's always saying 'I'm Donna and I know everything'. You damn sure don't know everything." He mocked her.
"Oh, okay Harvey, here's your answer: when I was a kid we had no money and no car, so why should I have a driver's license once I had no car to drive? It took us some time to have enough money to buy a car, but at that point I was already living in New York and you know, New York City has a great public transportation system. I can go anywhere by subway or bus. And then I started to work for you, and you have Ray, so if I have an emergency I can always call him or take a cab with your credit card," she winked.
"Still…" Harvey tilted his head a little to his right.
"Still what?" She was genuinely not understanding where he wanted to go with that conversation.
"What if I someday needed help to go to the hospital?"
"There's Uber, cab, 911 and Ray," she counted with her fingers.
"What if you become a mother and you need to take your kids to school?"
She rolled her eyes.
"That's enough, Harvey. Like I said to my Mom, there's no point in thinking about 'ifs'," she waved her hand for a cab and it didn't take long for one to stop at the curb.
"Oh, and I almost forgot, the keys to your place. My mom gave it to me to return it to you." Donna handed him the keys.
"You can keep it." He put his hands on the way, stopping her hand mid-air.
She smiled and got into the cab trying to not over analyze the gesture.
They were laughing after going through the memory lane, recalling how annoyed Jim was with Harvey around. The guy didn't like Harvey even when he was doing him a favor.
A new inmate crossed the door, getting Donna's attention, and quickly the mood changed to her.
"Is that, Gallo?" Donna whispered to Harvey, with eyes on the guy who was smiling at her.
"Yes." Harvey looked in the direction she was staring at and nodded. "He was transferred here last week." He explained.
"And you didn't think of telling me this?" Donna whisper-shouted at him.
"Well, I prefer to have a very pleasant conversation with you than spending our time on something that isn't worth the waste." He didn't want to worry her, but it helped little, considering she caught him there. For sure she would find out eventually, but he definitely didn't want to bring up the subject in their first meeting after three months apart.
Once more, the ringing bell interrupted them, saying their time had ended, and they had to say goodbye.
XL
"I already told you, Ms. Paulsen. He's in solitary and he can't receive any visits at the moment."
With that, there was no other option than to take the route home and be back next month. She left the place convicted to talk with Mike and Louis about his situation and if she could do something to revert his situation or at least to understand what happened as well to make sure Harvey was safe.
Donna knew only one thing: next month would be a turmoil and sequel of bad nights sleep.
XXX IX
Donna was sick to her stomach, sitting on the bench, waiting for the guard to bring Harvey with him so she could finally understand what on earth he did to be put in solitary which made them not see each other the previous month.
It didn't take long for her to see Harvey and notice some bruises on his face. He had a fight. Her first instinct was to get up and check if he was okay, but that was not possible under the circumstances. So, she just fidgeted on the bench once again, waiting for him to sit. After ten months they learnt how to obey the rules even if it was hard.
The way between the door to their table only lasted a few seconds, but that time seemed to last an eternity.
"Gallo?" She questioned in a low but serious tone as soon as they were alone and allowed to talk.
"Yes," he answered in the same low tone.
Donna took a deep breath, shifting her head a bit to her right side. "Harvey." She was back to stare at him and the bruises on his face. "We have to talk to Mike about it. You can't stay in the same place as the person you helped to put here." Donna feared for Harvey's life. Gallo was dangerous and she knew Harvey all too well to know he couldn't stay out of his way.
"It's not necessary, Donna. I'm already handling it. Please, don't worry." He tried to ease her worry.
"Really?" She gave an ironic laugh. He couldn't be serious. How could he ask her that? She had always carried for him, even before he was here, and this just increased once he was in jail. "I can see how well you're handling it," she pointed to the bruises on his face.
"Donna," he opened his mouth to argue with her, but she interrupted him.
"Don't Donna me, Harvey. We have to do something. If we don't do anything you're going to become this guy's punching bag." She was already mentally making her plan to convince everyone involved to do something.
"I know how to defend myself, you know?" Donna knew he was a boxer so he knew the basics to defend himself.
"I know you. But one thing is you in a ring, under the rules in a gym, Harvey. A hell of a lot different is you in here, in jail, against a guy you helped put away. He is probably seeking revenge and, as far as I know, he has some power around here." It didn't go unnoticed his discomfort when she questioned his self-defense skill, but she couldn't care less about his wounded ego.
"I already said: you don't need to worry. Gallo didn't punch me because of revenge or something like that. It was me who attacked him," he confessed.
"You what? Are you insane, Harvey?" She widened her eyes, processing what she just heard. He was acting as irresponsible and reckless as possible.
"I am not gonna say why," he said firmly.
"If you don't tell me why, the first thing I'm gonna do once I'm out here is make Mike's life a living hell until he fixes it," Donna challenged him.
The man shrugged. "You're going to make his life a living hell, not mine?" He laughed, making her even more pissed than she already was.
"I'm serious here, Harvey,"
"Donna-" he sighed in defeat. "You," he stopped mid-sentence as a confession.
"What about me?" She said in a high pitched tone, frowning her eyebrows.
"You are the reason why I punched Gallo." He was searching on her face for a sign of understanding.
Once it hit her, she stayed in silence which Harvey respected. Donna was trying to figure out what he said. Why on earth would she be the reason they were fighting?
"There are rumors, Donna." Harvey's voice was calm and careful. The tone of voice he usually used when he needed to talk to her about something that might offend or worry her.
"What kind of rumors, Harvey?" She caught his tone and it worried her.
"Since the beginning, there have been rumors about you and me. You know how bullies are. And, you know me." He shrugged. "So, since you first came to visit me, the rumors started. I always hear something while having breakfast, lunch or any other opportunity they have" He sighed. "And the rumors spread," he said. "So it didn't take much time for Gallo to hear that. So, since he saw you here on your last visit, he intensified the frequency and dirtiness of their comments." He finished.
"And what do they say, Harvey?" She wanted to know.
"Donna, I'm not gonna repeat it. It isn't respectful or something I'd like you to hear," he was almost begging her.
"Just say it," she pushed him.
After some time, with a frown he gave in. "They are implying that you and I," he pointed his index finger to her and back to him. "You know."
"What else?" There had to be something more, she knew better.
"When they found out you were my secretary the comments were always about what it was like to sleep with my secretary. How they would like to have a very faithful secretary who still comes to visit me. How I must pay you a high salary for your thorough job. And that, when it's time for conjugal visits, you will be the one who will wait for me," he finished, looking at the handcuffs, unable to look at her.
Donna sighed once he finished and reached for his hand on the desk, getting closer to him, close enough for none of them to receive an advert over the proximity. She saw his jawline getting tense and the way he was spitting his words as if he could beat Gallo once again because of what he said. "Harvey," her tone was low but emphatic, demanding him to look at her.
Harvey responded to her command. He lifted his head to her, a sorrow in his eyes mixing with shame and guilt for putting her in this situation.
"Do you think I've never heard those comments before?" She questioned.
Harvey's first reaction was to widen his eyes and then frown. What the hell was she talking about? Maybe his face made his confusion clear for before he could speak, Donna proceeded.
"Since we started working at the DA's office these comments are all over the place. Don't you remember when Bertha caught us drinking Cameron's whiskey? Even Malik suggested this more than once." She shifted on the chair, returning to her previous posture. "Well, I always heard things like that. It might have begun at the DA's office and it continued when we moved to Pearson Hardman, but I can assure you that even today there are some new associates wondering if 'the redhead secretary has an affair with the name partner'" She explained, a bittersweet accusation in her voice. "Let them talk, Harvey," Donna shrugged. "We know better than to indulge in petty gossip."
"I'm sorry, Donna. I didn't know that," he admitted. He was feeling even more guilty for never having noticed . He had his suspicions, he knew people close to him‒like Mike, Jessica and Louis‒always had this sense that something happened between them. But he didn't think that people around them really said things like that about her, especially because everyone knew how great of a secretary she was and for him, nothing in the world would top her skills. But apparently he was living in his own bubble and did not notice it.
"Of course you didn't know, Harvey. Might is always right. You're the lawyer, the name partner, the rich one, the man. And this rarely gets to guys like you and maybe they will never affect your career. But for the women…" Donna was patiently explaining the sexism she and so many other women lived daily in the corporate world. And he, as a man, in his position of privilege would hardly be able to observe. And to be honest, Harvey had never been someone who could see things that aren't clearly in front of him. Perhaps, once he became aware of how the world saw their relationship and witnessed it up close, things could change.
"I am sorry for not noticing it." he pleaded.
"It's ok, Harvey. And you're not the one spreading rumors, it's them." For sure those comments outside these walls bothered her. She was tired of having her hard work diminished because of rumors. She sure was there because of Harvey, but not because she slept her way to it but because she was awesome. Of course, everytime someone questioned it or implied otherwise, she was pissed as hell. She would tell people off and would gladly welcome him in fighting for her, but not in this situation.
"I want you to promise me that from now on you're going to ignore those comments, Harvey. This is a fight I don't want you to engage in here, not when your life's on the line. Can you promise me that?" She pleaded.
"I can," he agreed.
"Good. I can't handle not seeing you for two full months," she admitted.
The bell rang, the time was over and Harvey whispered "Me neither" but Donna was far enough that she was already out of ears-shot.
XXX VIII
"Thank you, Benjamin. See you tomorrow morning for our meeting with the investors."
Donna's phone rang soon after the IT guy stepped away from her desk. She was in front of her cubicle, which made her bent over to take the call.
"Person Litt, Donna Paulsen speaking,"
"You have a call from Danbury Federal Prison. Do you accept the charges?"
"Yes, of course." She answered the operator, and the line clicked.
"What happened, Harvey?" It was the first time the man was calling her, so the first thing that came to her mind was that something had happened.
"Nothing." I just wanted to hear your voice.
The silence that followed his answers was enough for Donna to understand he just wanted to talk.
"How much time do we have?" She stepped into the cubicle and sat in her chair, making herself comfortable to talk to him.
"Not enough," he sighed.
"Did you remember Benjamin from IT? Actually, I know you don't, but whatever. He comes every month in person to update my computer while to everyone else he does it remotely. But I found out that he just wanted to record me."
"The guy was stalking you?" His jawline straightened.
"Shush, Specter. We don't have much time, lemme finished."
He could feel the excitement in her voice, and that made him smile.
"No, the guy was not stalking , not in a bad way" she cared to explain. "He was developing a sort of digital called it 'The Donna' and we are trying to sell it and tomorrow morning is our first meeting with a potential investor." She finished saying.
"That's great Donna. Be sure to eat the investors up and if you need any-"
"I'm handling it, Harvey. Thank you!" She interrupted him.
Before he could say something more, the phone bipped to indicate he should finish the call.
"See you next week, Donna. Good luck!"
Harvey was eager to see Donna and talk more about her new project. After the call with her, he called Mike and asked him to call some clients for them to listen to her and accept her meetings. He wanted to be there for her as much as possible, even if he couldn't be there in person.
So when the guard came to call him for his visiting hours, he gladly extended his wrists to put the cuffs on and walked to the visit room. But what he saw when he got there was a rather sad Donna.
After almost a year in jail, he had never seen her this sad. She always seemed happy to see him.
"Donna, what happened?" He swallowed hard.
"You know about my product with Benjamin." She knew he did because she was the one who told him. "Well, it turns out we have a 32.5% overlap on our software with another company's. They refused to budge, and Louis said he pulled out every trick in the book to get us something." She said without a breath, resuming to him what they did in the next week since they called each other.
"How much?" he asked her.
"Enough for me and Benjamin to pay for our shares as manager partners at the firm if we could." She gave him a lead to express the deal offered.
Harvey stayed in silence, looking at the desk, and she waited, staring at him with expectant eyes.
"Can you get it under 30%?" His eyes were on her once again.
"No," she nodded, repeating what Louis explained to her.
He made a mental note to punch Louis next time he came to visit him.
"Then take the money." Harvey frowned his eyebrows, sorrowful for being the one to say that to her. "Donna, I'm sorry," he said when he saw her hazel eyes were full of tears. His hands, in an involuntary move, went for hers laying on the desk.
"No touching allowed, prisoner." The guard yelled in the corner and they both startled at his voice, getting distance.
"I don't want the money, Harvey." Her voice was almost crackling. "I've never thought I'd say it that loud, but I want more and I can't pretend that's not true anymore."
Since Harvey's absence, there was not a free position for her in the firm. After his first night at prison, she went to the firm, coaxed to talk with Jessica to give her days notice so she could find another job, but the firm situation prevented her from doing so and they never talked about whom she would work for as a secretary.
So, day by day, Donna became sort of a jack of all trades, micro-managing the office's crises, helping everyone around with whatever they needed. She became an Office Operation Assistant, but was still being paid and treated as a secretary.
"What do you mean by more?" He asked, staring at her.
"I don't know, Harvey. I think it's time for me to figure things out." A single tear fell on her face only to have her wiping it off.
"Do you want help?" He slightly tilted his head to the left.
"No, you helped me already." She gave him a smile from the corner of her lips. "But enough about this subject. Did Jessica tell you she's helping Rachel with the Innocent Project and they're trying to get a man off death row?"
"No, she didn't. How is it?" This time, it was she who wanted the conversation to be as casual as possible, and he followed her lead. Their talk followed a comfortable rhythm for as long as they could.
"See you in a month," he said, more a question than an affirmation when the bell rang.
"Sure." She smiled before the guard put his cuffs back on and they both walked away.
XXX VII
"I've decided to step down, Louis. And now it's not my firm anymore, it's yours."
"What?" The lawyer froze in front of the woman.
"Listen, somewhere along the way I forgot why I became a lawyer in the first place. And it wasn't just to fight for money and power. It was to fight for something more."
"Bullshit, you're not fighting for something more, you're running away."
"Louis," Donna walked in, stopping Louis from saying something he might regret.
"No," he answered.
"It's her choice and we have to accept it." She cut him off again.
Louis held his next words considering Donna's say.
"But before I sign my resignation letter I want to do one last thing as managing partner." Jessica affirmed, running her eyes from Louis to Donna. "Donna, I have an offer for you." She walked to her desk and took a piece of paper, walking back and giving it to Donna. "Here."
Louis was looking confused and hesitant to ask some questions but curiosity was beating him up and he couldn't take any longer.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Jessica is offering me a COO position." Donna said. By the way the paper was moving, she was shaking.
"Is it real?" Donna asked as she handed Louis the letter so he could take a look.
"OMG, it's amazing," he exclaimed, prolonging the 'a' in an over dramatic way, after reading its contents.
"I didn't have the time to discuss it with my partner Litt, but I think that both Pearson and Litt agree that what Paulsen has been doing to this firm is outstanding work and this offer is nothing less than she deserves." She stated, facing Donna with a big smile on her face. "So what do you say, Donna? Do you give us the honor to have you as our COO?"
Before the former secretary said anything she looked at Louis' eyes to see if he was also in agreement.
"I do!" Donna's tone was an octave higher.
Louis went to pour them a dose of whiskey. It had been a while since none of them shared some alcohol together.
"I'd say welcome to the family, but you are already family since you and Harvey came here."
Harvey's mention made Donna even more emotional than she already was. Another great thing happened and he was not there to witness it.
"A little bird told me tomorrow is your visit day. I feel that you have some good news to share with him."
"I sure do!"
"I have something to tell you," She informed him while the guard was stepping away from them.
"If you're talking about Jessica leaving, save yourself, she already told me." His words came as hard as he could.
"Are you okay?" She said softly.
"She was my mentor, Donna. But yeah, I'm gonna be okay." He was clearly holding some tears.
Before she left for good, as her last act as Harvey's lawyer, Jessica probably went to visit him to inform him of her decision. Surely he didn't take it well or was happy with it, but he was, at least, acting better than Donna thought he would be.
"I'd offer you a hug if I could, but…" Donna knew her good news could not beat Jessica's leaving, but she couldn't wait to tell him. He would be the first person she would tell if it were not for the current situation they were in. "... instead I can tell you that you're now talking with the new COO of Pearson Litt." Jessica was leaving the firm and giving up on her position of namepartner as well, but they agreed to let her name on the wall until they found a new name partner.
"You'll be a hell of a COO." He managed to say with an enormous grin on her lips.
If there was one thing capable of getting him off the sorrow of Jessica's absence would be something related to Donna. He couldn't be more proud of her.
The next day when Donna stepped into the firm she went straight to his desk out of habit but a name in the front door caught her by surprise.
In the place used to be "Harvey Specter, Name partner" and after that "Alex Williams, senior partner" but it was now written "Donna Paulsen, COO". She put her right hand over her chest, touched by the gesture.
"Did you like it?" Louis said, stopping by her side.
Instead of answering him, she gave Louis a tight hug. Words couldn't express how happy she was.
"I'm gonna give you some space," Louis squeezed her hand once they were free from the hug. "Oh, there's a note on your desk. The old boss ordered something." He winked, walking away, letting Donna feel all the feels.
The former secretary took a second to breathe and walked into the office. His office. Their office. Her office.
On the desk was a bouquet of lilies with a note.
Can 'break leg' be used on this occasion? If yes, break a leg. If not, I don't know what to say.
Take care of my old office, hope you treat it better than the former owner.
-H
"We just made COO," she whispered, her eyes closed, picturing him in front of her.
I hope you like it. As usual, please, review are always welcomed.
Love, Jana.