Merry (late) Christmas!
When Harvey enters Donna's room the next day, he finds her anxiously eyeing a nurse. He drops the bag with clothes he brought on a chair and looks at the nurse as well, the nervous energy in the room tensing him up too. "So?" Donna is still fully focused on the nurse, she hasn't even acknowledged Harvey coming in. "Your temperature is still down," the nurse smiles lightly, "I'll inform doctor Nix, he will get you the discharge papers." Donna nods, "thank you." She smiles.
The nurse leaves and Donna closes her eyes, letting out a long sigh. "Hey," Harvey slowly approaches her, "are you okay?" She looks deflated, which confuses him. He reaches for her hand and waits until she opens her eyes again. When she finally does, tears drop down her cheeks, but to Harveys surprise she is smiling wide too. He doesn't know what to do and just looks at her with a frown on his forehead. She doesn't seem bothered by his lack of response, instead she wraps her fingers around his tie and pulls him in, her lips eagerly meeting his.
Harvey can taste Donna's salty tears on his lips and he feels her mouth still curved into a smile. He is confused about the duality, both sadness and happiness seeming real. He runs his fingers through her hair, savoring the way her lips feel against his before he pulls away, "are you okay?" He tentatively asks again. She nods this time, her eyes meeting his, "I get to come home," she breathes, more tears falling but the smile only widening. Suddenly it dawns on him. He starts to understand the weird mix of emotions because he feels something similar inside himself; relief. He is so happy they can start putting the past week behind them, but that lift in his chest also provides room for all the fear and worry that have been pushed down and he truly understands Donna's need to cry.
"You get to come home," Harvey softly repeats, wrapping his arms around Donna and pulling her into a tight hug. He holds her until doctor Nix walks in. The man has a clipboard with papers in his hand, and with a smile he gives them to her, also handing her a pen to sign her name. She already has the pen hovering above the dotted line when Harvey pulls the clipboard away. He thumbs through the papers, his eyes scanning over the words. Donna smirks at the focused look that settled in his features, "Harvey," she gets him to look up, "it's just a discharge agreement. There's not going to be anything buried in the fine print," she laughs.
Reluctantly, Harvey hands the clipboard back to Donna. She signs faster than he can blink his eyes, and after a goodbye to doctor Nix – almost as quick as signing the papers – she expectantly looks at him, "let's go." He grins at her eagerness, handing her the bag he brought her, "maybe you should change out of that gown first," he suggest with a smile.
"You even brought choices," Donna raises her eyebrows at Harvey. He shrugs, "I didn't know what you wanted. So I grabbed a few different things." She laughs, shaking her head at the same time, "you're such a girl sometimes." She teases, pulling a white sweater and a pair of yoga pants out of the bag. She hands the bag over to Harvey, who sets it down and looks at her when she pushes back the blankets and swings her legs over the edge of the bed, "are you going to watch me change?" She asks him, her head cocked slightly to the left.
The attempt at a joke almost distracts Harvey, but he saw her wince when she moved too fast and he is suddenly reminded that leaving the hospital doesn't equal being back to her old self. "Let me help you," he softly urges, stepping closer and resting his hands on her shoulders. He leans in for a quick kiss, "and besides," he smirks as he pulls away, "it's not like I've never seen you change before." His eyes twinkle, recalling numerous instances where he got her to abandon clothes altogether.
Donna's eyes twinkle too. She missed this light and easy banter, all their conversations in the past week having been clouded by concern. She's smiling at him when she curls her fingers around the edges of her gown, starting to pull it up to get it over her head. That's when the smile disappears, a pained grimace replacing it as she reaches her arms too far up. She's glad when Harvey doesn't say anything as his fingers replace hers, and he pulls the gown over her head.
After changing, Donna slowly lets herself slide off the edge of the bed. Her legs feel wobbly after not standing for a week and she feels Harveys arm wrapping around her waist. She leans into his embrace and relaxes as he presses a kiss into her hair. While keeping Donna steady with one arm, Harvey uses the other to reach for the wheelchair next to the bed. She straightens a little and pulls away, looking at him. "No way," she flat out refuses. He rolls his eyes, biting back a comment about her stubbornness. "Fine." He agrees, pulling back the arm he had around her waist, "let's go." He knows she won't last five steps. And while it might not be the nicest plan, considering her strong-willed nature it will be the most effective plan.
Harvey motions for Donna to go ahead, staying close by her side. She takes three steps before her knees buckle. Harvey's arm is around her waist before she hits the ground and she clings to him as he sets her down in the wheelchair. "You okay?" He asks, kneeling in front of her. She nods, although she is frustrated by her own weakness. "Ready to go?" Harvey then asks, seeing her face clouding. She smiles lightly at him, realizing that it doesn't matter how she is leaving the hospital, the only thing that matters is that she is leaving.
It's not even an hour later when Harvey and Donna enter the elevator of their building, but Donna is so exhausted she's pretty sure it has to be more than that. She is glad Harvey still has his arm tightly around her waist and she leans a little closer to him, allowing him to carry more of her weight. He presses a kiss into her hair, "we're almost there."
From the elevator to their front door, it's just a few steps. But Harvey hears Donna breathing heavily and he is quite sure he is almost carrying her fully by now. When he glances at her, her pale face is scrunched up with effort. The past week took more from her than either of them expected – or even realized before now. Harvey fumbles with the key in the lock, glad when the door swings open.
Donna swallows drily when she realizes making it to the front door wasn't enough. She still has to make it inside, through the hallway that is about three times longer than the distance from the elevator to the front door. Before she can panic about it, even before she can say something to Harvey, he slips his free arm under her legs and he scoops her up. "Harvey!" She softly laughs. "I can handle you," he tells her confidently, walking into their open living room.
Donna's eyes widen when Harvey carries her in. A fully decorated Christmas tree is set up in the living room and fairy lights and small ornaments cover the apartment. She looks at Harvey, "did you do this?" It's not like him, so his answer doesn't really surprise her, "no… Rachel did." She smiles anyway, "she didn't need to do that." He smiles down at her, walking over to the couch and carefully lowering her on the soft cushions. Her eyes trail through the room, the decoration is very Rachel; making a gesture while still sophisticated and tasteful.
Harvey unzips Donna's booties and pulls them from her feet. Then he lifts her legs and sits down, lowering them back on his lap, "there's more in the bedroom," he winks at her. She props herself up a little, glaring at him, "is this a sexual innuendo, Harvey?" She asks, "because I don't see that happening any time soon." He bursts out laughing at her bluntness, "no," he shakes his head, "there's literally more decorations in the bedroom."
Donna grins, "why on earth would Rachel think that's a good idea?" She wonders, leaning back in the pillows. Harvey rubs her legs, "Mike did," he entrusts her, "he thought you it would be nice to have something cheerful in there, considering you're still not really going to be up and about much." Donna smiles softly, "he's sweet." She muses, "you're all sweet," she adds, eyes locking with Harvey. She appreciates everything Rachel and Mike have done for her, but Harvey has gone above and beyond to be with her, to take care of her as well as he could, some days just to see her.
"I love you," Donna pushes herself up and leans forward, placing her hand on Harveys forearm, "thank you, Harvey." He rests his hand over hers and turns a little to look at her. "I'm just glad you're okay…" He looks at her, recalling the slight pained flicker in her eyes when she leaned over, "or… will be okay," he amends. She softly squeezes his arm, cocking her head a little to the left. He feels her eyes going over his face – and probably noticing all the exhaustion and vulnerability he has been trying to keep buried. Before she can say anything about it, he slips out from under her legs and stands from the couch, "Rachel also left chocolate chip cookies and Chunky Monkey ice cream. Do you want any of that?" He wanders over to the kitchen, "or a cup of tea?" He calls out.
"Harvey!" Donna sits up. She saw something on his face right before he stood up. He has been downplaying his emotions all week, she had figured that much, but just now she saw them bubbling close to the surface. He keeps babbling about food and drinks and she sighs, pushing up from the couch. She sucks in a sharp breath, but the pain that shot through her quickly subsides and thankfully she feels a little steadier on her legs. Slowly she makes her way to the kitchen, leaning against the marble countertop until Harvey finally turns around to face her.
"You should be taking it easy," Harvey accuses, rushing to Donna's side and easing her onto one of the chairs at a kitchen table. She glares at him, "I'm okay, Harvey. You don't have to take care of me." He takes the chair next to her, huffing softly at her words, "I just carried you in, Donna. You spent over a week in the hospital. You had major surgery, twice. You almost died!" The last words come out strained, with a raised voice. Tears suddenly burn behind his eyes and he diverts his gaze.
"Hey…" Donna scoots closer to Harvey. She grabs a hold of his hand and squeezes softly while her other hand rubs over his shoulder and upper back, "these weeks were… terrifying," she admits, "but the worst is over. I'll be okay." He nods, his gaze still trained on the floor. Donna squeezes his hand again, "I know it has been a lot for you… that you were scared. But you don't have to protect me from that. Just let me in," she squeezes again, "we're in this together, you know that, right?"
Finally, Harvey lifts his gaze, "I know," he murmurs, "but I don't want to burden you." He meets her eyes and lets out a long breath. Talking to her lifts a weight from his shoulders, it always does and he realizes he has missed that last week. The corners of her mouth twitch up in a soft smile, "you're not burdening me, Harvey. You won't ever burden me by talking about your feelings." She insists. He nods, releasing another breath and letting his tense shoulders finally relax.
"Do you want to talk?" Donna carefully presses. Harvey looks at her and slowly shakes his head, "honestly… I just want to sleep." He admits, the full weight of exhaustion suddenly crushing him. Donna runs her hand from his shoulder down his back, "then why don't we?" She asks. Truthfully, she could do with a little sleep herself. Before she knows it Harvey has swept her up again and is walking her over to the bedroom, carefully lying her down. They've spent quite some time cuddled together in her hospital bed, but nothing compares to this. He nuzzles his face into the crook between her neck and shoulder, pressing a kiss against her soft skin, "I missed this." He whispers, sounding tired but content.
"Me too," Donna agrees, her fingers lazily brushing through the short hairs at the nape of Harvey's neck. He is relaxing into her and she can already feel his breathing evening out. "Harvey?" She softly asks for his attention. He hums lightly and she smiles, knowing it's a sign he's listening, "promise me you'll talk to me. Don't bottle it all up, okay?" He nods against her skin, "will you promise me that you'll ask for help if you need it?" He mutters. She turns her head a little, her lips skimming his forehead, "I will," she tells him, "but for now I'm okay," she closes her eyes, remembering all the times he held her over the past week, "when I'm in your arms I feel safe." She breathes, barely even audible. But he hears it, tightening his grip on her waist a little. She smiles. Not long after that, they both drift off into a – much needed and much deserved – peaceful sleep.
THE END
OMG, that was it... My first Darvey fanfic finished. There's about a million more ideas in my head, some of which I started writing already, so keep an eye out for new stories :)
And for now, thank you for all the reviews and like (do you call it likes on here, I don't know, but you get what I mean), I loved writing this and finding out what you guys thought!