Suits
9x14
"Us"
A Season 9 Story
Written by darveyscactus and CatsBalletHarveySpecter
Dressed in a pair of grey sweatpants and an old Havard t-shirt, he watches as Donna paces about the bedroom. With her hair tossed back in a ponytail, sporting a matching oversized Havard shirt, she weaves from the bedroom to the closet and back again. He's supposed to be watching whatever show she'd put on that he promised he would give a chance, but watching her work entices him. It was systemic, she would grab two items from the closet, bring them to the open suitcase laying on the bed before placing one item inside and returning the other. With his focus half on the screen at the foot of the bed, and half on his wife, he almost doesn't hear her when she asks how he's enjoying the episode.
After claiming that he was enjoying it, which he hated to admit that he was, he settles back against the pillows and focuses on the blonde strutting across the screen.
She packs up a few things from the cabinet above the sink and watches him in the mirror as he lounges in their bed. Though she may have fallen for a Harvey that wore a dress shirt and a tie, since moving to Seattle she'd learned that she found her husband sexiest in sweatpants; who knew?! She was leaving for the airport first thing the next morning and had yet to finish packing, but after a long day at the office she managed to convince Harvey that they should order a pizza and spend the evening watching television in bed. Which is exactly what they came home and spent hours doing. After a mild compromise - no yellow tomatoes on the pizza if she got to choose what they watched - their evening seemed to fly by. The new pizza place they'd discovered just up the street was 'decent' according to Harvey, though she found herself still slightly nauseous after her second slice, a result of whatever bug she caught earlier this week, and Harvey seemed to enjoy her choice of show.
Tightening her ponytail, she tucks the last of her personal items into her travel bag and peers at her reflection when Harvey's voice echoes through the bathroom.
"You know, if I had to pick one of these characters to be me, I'd definitely be Carrie."
"Please, you are absolutely a Samantha," she calls out from the bathroom, before returning with a bag of toiletries that she places in her open suitcase.
"I beg to differ, if I had to be one I would be Carrie, I can tell she's the type to wait around for the right guy. I like that," he protests from where he's laying on top of the comforter, eyeing Donna as she continues to pack items into her suitcase.
"Please, you wish you were a Carrie," she laughs, folding a pair of lounge pants before tucking them into the nearly filled bag.
"Well, yours is easy, you're definitely a Carrie," he smirks, sitting up further against the headboard.
"Harvey, you've seen two episodes and you think you know who I am? We're literally watching episode two..."
"Who says this is my first time watching?" he says and is met with a swift questioning raise of her eyebrow.
"The movie doesn't count," she points out as he mutters "damnit" beneath his breath.
"Fine, but by time you get back, I'm going to be a well versed pro."
"How long do you think I'm going to be gone?" she chuckles, sealing her suitcase and placing it down next to the bed before climbing in next to him.
"Too long, if you ask me," he pouts, dramatically dropping his head into her lap.
"It's three days Harvey… And you can always come with me."
"Someone has to stay and get work done around here. What, with you three all deciding to head back to Manhattan on the same weekend," he says, lifting his head and raising an arm so she can settle into his side.
"You're just avoiding my dad," she points out as she cuddles further into his side, her leg settling over his.
"I just think it might be nice for you to spend some quality time with him…"
"Mhhmm," she playfully rolls her eyes.
"But I will miss you while you're gone, even if it is only three days," he whispers before leaning in to steal a kiss.
"You're ridiculous," she laughs, hand settling on his chest as he hovers over her.
"And you're not even paying attention!" she shrugs to the screen behind him but his gaze is too focused on her lips to follow.
"And it's a shame because that guy is handsome. Maybe I do want to be a Carrie," she smirks, purposefully trying to push his jealous button.
"I think we're going to have to pause it for now…" he practically purrs before launching himself onto her side of the bed in a dramatic way that causes her to giggle. Hovering over her body, he places a kiss to her forehead and her nose before allowing his lips to crash into hers while his hands begin to greedily paw at the bottom of her shirt. She may only be leaving town for a few days, but he could already tell that the few days without her were going to be the longest days he'd had since she'd become his wife.
See the money wanna stay
For your meal
Get another piece of pie
For your wife
Everybody wanna know
How it feel
Everybody wanna see
What it's like
I'll even eat a bean pie
I don't mind
Me and Missy is so early busy busy makin' money
Alright
All step back, I'm 'bout to dance
The greenback boogie
[with special guest appearances by: Marcus Specter, Sheila Sazs, Robert Zane, Gretchen Bodinski & Thomas Kessler]
"It's a good thing Harvey didn't listen to you and never rented this place out, huh," Donna says to Mike as he opens the door to his and Rachel's old New York apartment and lets her in.
"You know, you could have stayed with us," Mike says, taking the tray of coffees and bag of pastries out of her hands and leading her into the kitchen, "we have an air mattress."
"Please," Donna replies with a laugh, "you think I'm going to pass up an opportunity to sleep in a king sized without my husband, the starfish," laughing harder as she sees her words making Mike slightly uncomfortable.
"Besides, this," she pauses, gesturing to her meticulously done hair, "doesn't do air mattresses."
"I thought you said Harvey was a cuddler," Rachel says from her place at the kitchen table, passing Donna a plate and one of the pastries she brought as she sits down beside her.
"He's that too," Donna explains, "he needs to be the little spoon to fall asleep, but once he is it's like, bam, starfish time," she says, which makes Rachel laugh and Mike roll his eyes.
"Can we please talk about something else now?" Mike asks dramatically as Rachel playfully swats at him.
"What, doesn't it make you feel better to know that both you and your best friend are little spoons?" she teases.
"So Donna," Mike says loudly, changing the subject and casting a sideways glance at Rachel, "what are your plans for today?"
"My dad's procedure is at noon, so I'm going to head to the hospital and wait with my mom," she explains, "but I should be back in time for dinner with everyone."
"What's he getting done?" Rachel asks.
"My mom explained it over the phone but I didn't quite understand it - some small procedure on his liver, she said," she says, wringing her hands together in her lap as she speaks and Rachel can tell that she's more nervous about it than she's letting on.
"If you wanted to skip dinner and stay with him, everyone would understand," Rachel assures her.
"No, it'd be a good distraction," Donna replies, "besides, I'll be with him most of the day tomorrow."
"Anyways, enough about me," she continues, forcing a smile on her face, "are you seeing your dad today, Rach?"
"Yeah, I'm heading over soon," she says, "I owe him a game of golf because we didn't come back for Thanksgiving last year, so he's cashing in on that today."
"Can I come?' Mike asks, "I would pay money to see you play golf," he teases.
"Don't you have that very important client meeting that couldn't possibly have been done over the phone so we had to fly five hours across the country for a ninety minute meeting today?" she sases.
"It's only ninety minutes," he replies smartly, "I could still make tee time."
"Have a nice day, sweetie," she says, her voice dripping with sarcasm as he collects his things, gives her a quick kiss, and heads out the door.
"Donna," Rachel says once she hears the door click, "are you sure you don't want to cancel our plans for tonight? Katrina and Samantha really would understand."
"No Rach," Donna confirms, "I appreciate it though," she says, pausing to take a breath, "I guess I just didn't realize how nervous I was about everything until I got here. He's never really had health issues before, so I'm just figuring out how to process it all."
"I understand," Rachel says, offering her friend a sincere smile, "and please, if you need anything - and I mean anything - today, just call me. You know I hate golf," she says, which makes Donna let out a breathy laugh.
It's late morning and Harvey finds himself strolling through the hallways of the firm, stopping here and there to make small talk with the associates and partners he passes. It isn't until he passes his office for the third time that he realizes he's wandering with no clear destination in mind.
It's his second day at the office without Mike and Rachel and he was surprised by how much he missed their presence. He knew he'd miss Donna, both here and at home, but he was feeling Mike and Rachel's absence in a way he hadn't since the days immediately after they left New York.
He enters his office and takes a seat at his desk to work through some paperwork Mike had left him. Before he left, they'd worked on a merger for two breweries in the area and Mike had tasked him with finalizing the details while he was away. He digs into the paperwork and smiles as he recalls Mike's instructions to "make himself useful," and "not fuck it up."
He's halfway through the stack of paperwork when his mind begins to wander again. He looks out into the hallway and notices for the first time that from sitting at his desk, he can see into both Mike and Rachel's offices with different turns of his head. He can't see into Donna's office because she's right next door but he loves the fact that most days, she's right on the other side of the wall. As he sits staring into the hallway and swiveling back and forth slightly in his chair it dawns on him - that, as much as he loves what he does, his work doesn't mean half as much to him if he can't do it with the people he cares most about.
Deep down, he's known this to some degree for a while, whether or not he's realised. From almost the beginning he knew he couldn't be the type of lawyer he wanted to be without Donna's presence and guiding light. He'd felt it when Jessica left, and then Mike and Rachel, and most recently when Louis told him he'd contemplated leaving the firm and taking a judgeship.
Picking up his phone, he turns it over in his hands a few times before dialing the familiar number, hoping the person on the other end answers and provides some distraction from the very boring financial paperwork Mike had stuck him with.
"Hey loser," the voice on the other end says.
"Who are you calling a loser?" Harvey shoots back.
"What's up, Harvey?" Marcus asks.
"Nothing much," he admits with a breath, "just calling to check in, really."
"It's the middle of the work day, bro," Marcus deadpans, "since when do you call just to check in?"
"It's a slow day here," Harvey attempts to explain, "and Donna and Mike are in New York -"
"And you're bored," Marcus says, cutting him off.
"'I'm not -," he takes a breath and attempts to argue, "alright, you're right," he relents, "I'm bored."
"What's Donna in New York for?"
"Her dad is having some procedure," Harvey explains, "he said it wasn't serious, but I think Donna wanted to see that for herself."
"You know you can't hide from her dad forever," Marcus teases as Harvey lets out an exasperated sigh.
"For the last time," Harvey emphasizes, "I am not avoiding him. We made things right the last time we saw each other," he explains almost defensively.
"Alright, alright, I'm just teasing," Marcus relents, and Harvey scoffs.
"You know," Marcus says after a second, "if you really are as bored as you say you are you could come here for the weekend," he offers. "I know it's a long trip for you now, but Jason has a game this weekend and I know he and Haley would both like to see you."
"You sure?"
"You're always welcome here, you know that."
"Alright, but you better pick me up at the airport," Harvey says, throwing in "loser" for good measure before hanging up and heading home to pack.
Adjusting her visor, Rachel leans back in her chair and takes a sip of her drink as she looks out over the golf course from their table at the country club. She wasn't one for golf, but the country club lifestyle was one she would never tire of, she'd been joining her father at the club on weekends since she was a girl.
"You look like you belong in that chair," Robert smiles as he rejoins her.
"Almost like you never left," he adds, readjusting his chair so he has a better view of the green.
"Dad," she sighs.
"What, I didn't say anything."
"You know that we miss you guys, but we're happy in Seattle."
"I know, I know. It's just, you have that glow back in your cheeks. The kind that you can only find in good ol Manhattan," he grins.
"Besides, your mother is the one that misses you. I understand that it was the best business decision."
"Right," she smirks, knowing her father was too proud to tell her outright that he missed her (and Mike, he wasn't kidding anyone).
"Mike was talking about us visiting more, what do you think?"
"I think I always liked that man," Robert chuckles, lips settling into a wide smile.
"Maybe you can take him golfing next time?"
"Over my dead body."
They're three glasses of wine deep when Samantha leans over the table and whispers loud enough so all three women can hear.
"Alright, enough business talk, we want to know what it's like being married to Harvey," she smirks as Katrina eggs her on with a supportive "ooouuu."
"Honestly, nothing has changed," Donna smiles, taking a long sip of her drink.
"Please, marriage changes things. For starters, say goodbye to the honeymoon phase," Katrina chimes in.
"If anything, they've fallen further into the honeymoon phase," Rachel replies on Donna's behalf, "I swear they're like a couple of teenagers sometimes."
"Guess that's what happens when you pine after each other for years," Katrina laughs and it suddenly dawns on Donna that she'd been at the firm long enough to witness the eternal push and pull that was once her non-existent relationship.
"Plus, the sex is better once your married," Samantha brings the conversation back around, "at least that's what I've heard."
All three women turn to glance at Donna, waiting not-so-patiently for her to respond to Samantha's remark.
"She won't tell you, I've tried," Rachel snickers, the alcohol allowing her to step out of her comfort zone.
"Maybe that's because Harvey isn't as good in the bedroom as he is in the courtroom," Samantha teases.
"He's better," Donna replies softly, causing all three heads to swivel in her direction once again.
"Ohhhhh," Katrina squeaks, "Spill Donna!"
"I'm not going into detail but there was this one time, in the conference room…"
Katrina and Samantha had gone home shortly after Mike had joined them at the bar after he finished dinner with a client a few blocks away. Donna, Mike, and Rachel find themselves at a corner table nursing a nightcap Rachel and Donna could probably do without when the vibrating of Donna's phone on the table pulls her attention.
"HARVEYYY!" she says enthusiastically, answering his incoming Facetime call.
"Are you drunk?" he asks, taking in her surroundings and slightly flushed complexion.
"Yes she is," Mike says matter of factly, chiming in from his place across the table.
"Not," Donna interjects, narrowing her eyes and focusing on Harvey's face through her phone as if to prove her point, "I am not drunk," she protests.
"Whatever you say, dear," he replies, voice thick with sarcasm as Donna playfully sticks out her tongue at him.
"Where are you?" she asks, suddenly noticing that the bed he's sitting on was not the one in their apartment.
"Oh, I'm at Marcus'," he says, as if a spur of the moment flight across the country was the most casual thing in the world.
"You know, if you're missing your wife, I'm not sure your brother is the best option," Mike teases, which earns him a swat to the chest from Rachel, "they have things for that, you know."
"Feel free to leave him behind when you come back," Harvey deadpans.
"What are you doing at Marcus', though?" Donna presses, drawing his attention back to her.
"Jason has a baseball game tomorrow, so Marcus asked if I wanted to come," he explains, "I know it's last minute -"
"That's sweet, Harvey," she says, cutting him off, her words running together slightly so that 'that's sweet' sounded more like 'thassweed'.
"You are drunk,' Harvey repeats, amused by what he was seeing.
"Maybe a little bit," she whispers, bringing her phone closer to her face and flashing him a huge grin before dipping the camera down ever so slightly to give him the smallest tease down the front of her dress.
"I miss you," he says sincerely after a moment.
"I miss you too," she replies, "two more days."
"Two more days," he repeats, "I'll call you in the morning, okay?"
"I love you," she says, catching his gaze through the phone and staring at him intently.
"I love you too," he says in that voice reserved just for her that, even with all the alcohol currently flowing through her veins, still makes her stomach flutter and her face flush.
"Love you too!," Mike calls towards the phone just as Donna hangs up.
Picking up his pace, Louis whistles to himself as he strolls down the block towards the restaurant Donna chose to meet at for lunch. He was having the perfect day; the sun was shining, Sheila and Lucy were on their way to meet him and Donna, and his former protege, Katrina, signed her first major client as a name partner.
Things were looking up at Litt Wheeler Williams Bennett. The new associate pool had plenty of potential even if some of them could be pains in the ass, the senior partners were all stepping up their game, and he and his fellow name partners had never been closer.
He was worried when Donna and Harvey decided to leave the firm, essentially shattering the only family he'd ever cared for, but things were different now. After Lucy was born, he soon realized that the love a family had for each other didn't know any bounds, and distance meant nothing.
Though it was hard to say goodbye, their move to Seattle brought him and Harvey closer than they'd ever been (though he suspects that may have to do with Harvey's reduced fear of being dragged to the mud club). He and Donna chatted on the phone every few weeks where he filled her in on how Sheila and Lucy were doing, and how work was going.
Though he was happy to see Harvey and Donna settle into their new roles with Mike and Rachel so quickly, he missed having them around, hence his excitement for lunch. He begins going over all the things he wants to tell Donna, a new show that was coming to town, that one associate that stole his last bran bar, how well Gretchen was handling him after he'd been up all night with Lucy, when he walks into a man standing at the crosswalk.
"I'm so sorry," he mumbles as he steps back and brushes off the man's jacket.
"Holy shit, Thomas how are you?!" Louis bursts into a grin when he realizes who he stumbled upon.
"Louis, good to see you," Thomas smiles.
"What brings you to this part of town?" He adds.
"Donna's in town, I was just off to meet her for lunch actually," he replies without thinking before pausing and regretting his choice to bring up Donna.
"Sorry I didn't mean-"
"It's alright Louis. Really," Thomas reassures him.
"I heard something about her moving…"
"Ya well after her and Harvey tied the knot I guess they figured a fresh start might be nice," Louis rambles on.
"They got married?"
"You didn't know?" He says, blushing after putting his foot in his mouth for the second time in under a minute.
"I didn't."
"Look Thomas. I know things didn't… we didn't exactly leave things on good terms and I'm sorry. I always really enjoyed working for you and your company."
"Thanks Louis, I appreciate that. I'm sorry it didn't work out better…but you and I, we're still good."
With a smile creeping across his face, Louis playfully nudges Thomas arm before speaking, "does this mean you'll consider coming back?"
"Not a chance."
"But we're still bros?" Louis asks with a hopeful smile.
"We're still good Louis. I'll let you get going, I wouldn't want you to be late for lunch. It was good to see you," he says before offering Louis a small nod and smile and crossing the street in the opposite direction.
"See ya later, bro!" Louis calls after him before continuing on his way to the restaurant.
After meeting Sheila and Lucy outside the restaurant, the Litts head inside to get settled in their favourite corner booth of Le Bernardin. Donna joins them a few minutes after they're settled and it's all hugs (and tears on Louis' part) before baby Lucy steals her attention away and she finds herself gently rocking Lucy as they order their meals. Louis fills her in on how everything is going at the firm, though she already knows most of the details from their lengthy Sunday night phone calls, but her smile still widens when he tells her how well Katrina was doing as a name partner.
"Donna, you're a natural. Have you two thought about trying?" Louis smiles over at where Donna is beaming down at Lucy, who's cradled in her arms.
"Honestly, we haven't really talked about it."
"Well, no pressure but Harvey's swimmers aren't going to be little Phelp's forever."
"Louis!" Shelia scolds from across the table.
"What?!" He looks between them, wondering what he said wrong.
"I'm just saying, if you guys need any pointers, I can send Harvey the list of things that really worked for us. It all boils down to him being at your beck and call. The minute that you're ovulating—"
"Louis!" Both women cry together.
"Alright fine fine I'll stop. But I'm serious if you guys need any tips I'm happy to help. Harvey helped me once."
"He did?" Donna asks, pretending she was oblivious to the tomato situation.
"Oh it was nothing big, he just gave me some great advice."
"Advice about what?"
"Alright I'll tell you but this stays between us," Louis whispers, leaning towards Donna.
"He told me if I needed any performance help, I should focus on tomatoes."
Doing her best to stifle a laugh, she flashes Louis a smile and leans in to whisper back, "you know Louis, I think he's more of a strawberry man."
"He's a—" Louis begins to question but luckily his question is interrupted by the arrival of their meals.
Jason's team wins their game easily and afterwards Marcus takes them all to his new restaurant for a late lunch. He'd opened it a few months ago and it had a more casual, family friendly vibe than his first one.
Harvey was enjoying the day and was pleasantly surprised by Jason's team. He knew they were good based on what Marcus had said, but he was impressed by his skills. He's a freshman in high school this year and is getting decent playing time, which Harvey can tell he's excited about. Harvey hated that he didn't have as close a relationship with his niece and nephew as he'd like because of so many years of distance, but he's happy to be spending time with them now.
Sitting at the table waiting for lunch, Jason talks excitedly about the rest of the team's season. They have two games left before playoffs begin, and Jason is saying that the team really wants to make it all the way this year, having lost the state championships in extra innings the season before.
"Do you think you'll get more playing time," Havrey asks just as their food arrives.
"I hope so," Jason says, "I think I did well today. And I really want to pitch on Wednesday's game against East High, so I hope Coach puts me in."
"Yeah, because your girlfriend will be at that game," Haley teases, which earns her a swift kick in the shins under the table from Jason.
"Your what now?" Marcus asks, surprised, Haley's comment turning his attention from his conversation with Bobby.
"She's not my girlfriend," Jason mumbles into his plate, clearly embarrassed that Haley brought it up.
"Not yet," Haley says, as Marcus shoots her a warning look. Harvey can tell that whatever is going on with this girl has Jason upset, so he makes a mental note to talk with him about it later, knowing first hand how much of a toll it can take to let feelings fester.
"So Haley," Harvey says, changing the subject, "are you playing softball this year?"
"No, I decided to try lacrosse instead," she says, "but I don't love it. I think I'm just going to stick to tennis."
"Donna loves tennis," he replies, "she's always trying to get me to play with her, but it bothers my shoulder, so I can't."
"Don't go blaming your lack of natural ability on that bum shoulder," Marcus teases.
"Anyways," Harvey continues, ignoring Marcus' comment, "I'm sure she'd love to play with you when you come visit."
"As long as she's okay with losing", she quibs and Harvey smiles, thinking that she and Donna would get along just fine.
It's late in the afternoon and Harvey wanders out to where Marcus is working in the garage. He takes a seat on one of the stools at the workbench and passes his brother a beer.
"I'm glad I came this weekend," Harvey says after a few minutes of comfortable silence.
"Me too," Marcus replies, "it's good to see you without -," he pauses, and Harvey knows exactly what he's trying to say.
"I almost forgot, you know - until I saw Bobby at the game without her," Harvey admits, his gaze drifting down to his feet.
"I know what you mean," Marcus says, "it's been a weird few months."
"And Haley and Jason?" Harvey asks, "how are they doing?"
"They're adjusting. I think spending time with Katie and her sister has been good for them - as a distraction," he explains.
"We still have a lot of her things to go through, you know," Marcus says after a moment, "Bobby has been doing a lot, but there's a lot of stuff from when we were kids that he's leaving for us."
"Let's wait a bit," Harvey says after a moment's thought, "I'll bring Donna with me and we can do it together. I think she'd really like seeing all that stuff."
"She really would have loved her, Harvey, you know that right?"
"I do," he says, a sad smile stretching across his face.
They have a few hours to kill before their flight, so Donna, Rachel, and Mike decide to head to the firm for some last minute goodbyes and a stroll down memory lane. Donna and Rachel are walking down the hallway towards what was once Harvey's office, having promised him a photo, when Donna notices a new occupant in her old office. She tells Rachel she'll meet up with her in a few minutes and knocks on the glass outside the familiar space.
"How long did you wait to move yourself in here," Donna teases as she strolls into the office, taking a seat in one of the chairs across the desk, currently occupied by Katrina.
"Oh well, Louis thought it'd be a good idea for me to be on the same floor as the rest of the name partners," Katrina rambles, "and I needed some good vibes."
"What do you mean?" Donna asks, intrigued.
"Just," Katrina pauses, letting out a sigh and sinking a bit lower in her chair, "this name partner thing - it's hard," she admits, which makes Donna laugh.
"Katrina, I don't think you have anything to worry about," Donna assures, "Louis has told me how well you've been doing - signing new clients, closing mergers," she lists.
"I know that, but some of the new associates don't seem to think so," she explains.
"Oh, you mean Aaron?"
"How -," Katrina starts, genuinely curious as to how Donna knew about him.
"I'm dealing with his evil twin in Seattle," she explains, which makes Katrina laugh.
"Trust me," Donna says sincerely, you are more than capable of doing this job - and everything that comes with it. Louis wouldn't have put your name on the wall if you weren't," she assures her.
"Thanks Donna."
"And next time that little shit gives you a problem just think, what would Donna do?" she says, which makes both women laugh.
Louis spots Mike in his office, picture frame in hand before he enters and he can't help but smile as he struts towards his desk and sees that Mike is holding a picture of baby Lucy.
"She's beautiful isn't she," he beams, a proud father.
"She really is Louis, I can't believe she's all yours."
"Honestly, sometimes I can hardly believe it myself. But then I go home to my girls and I realize that I'm not dreaming, I'm living the dream."
"And you find it manageable? Working here and having a family, I mean," Mike asks, placing the frame back on Louis' desk.
"I do. Something changes when you become a father Mike. It's like, the things that happen here, they don't matter anymore. I go home and I belong to that little girl, and somehow it's manageable and I get to do both. Sheila is a great help, of course. We may both have big careers but we'd cross oceans for that little girl."
"That's good to hear Louis," Mike smiles, shifting in his place.
"Are you guys-?" Louis questions but allows his question to trail off, not wanting to overstep.
"We are," Mike smiles proudly.
"Well I'll be damned, congratulations," he flashes a toothy grin as he pats Mike on the shoulder.
"No congratulations are in order yet," Mike replies.
"But you're trying, and that's a big step. I'm so happy for you guys!" Louis continues to gush.
"Thanks Louis, that means a lot."
"I wish I had something to give you, you know like you gave me way back? Then again, I did already give you my best friend, that'll have to do for now."
"I'm sorry, you gave me what?"
"Harvey, he moved out to Seattle to be with you."
"Let me get this straight, I gave you a onesie because I knew you'd make a great father, and you gave me Harvey?!"
"I know, it's hardly fair, but I'll settle for the onesie, even if it's inferior to the gift I gave you. But if you think just because he moved out there I'm giving up the best friend status, you're out of your mind. You're going to be a great father but not that great."
"I'm sorry, how exactly did you give me Harvey?"
"Please, we both know if I'd asked he would have stayed. But I didn't, for you," Louis smiles.
"Riiiight. Well, thanks for the chat Louis, I should go find Rachel," Mike says, excusing himself from Louis' office.
"Mike," Louis calls after him.
"Ya?"
"I meant what I said, you two are going to make wonderful parents."
"Thanks Louis," Mike nods before stepping out of the office.
As she's leaving Katrina's office she's hit with a wave of nausea that has her running to the bathroom and before she knows it, her head is in the toilet bowl and she's vomiting up her lunch. After taking a moment to collect herself, she heads to the sink to wash her hands and rinse her mouth out. She's staring at her reflection in the mirror willing the redness in her cheeks to go away when a noise behind her catches her by surprise.
"What are you doing in here, Red?"Gretchen asks, her reflection becoming visible in the mirror behind Donna.
"Oh just freshening up before the flight," Donna says casually.
"That sounded like a lot more than freshening up," Gretchen says, gesturing to the bathroom stall and letting Donna know that she heard everything.
"Oh I must have eaten something weird today," she replies dismissively.
"Mmhhhm," Gretchen says with a smirk, and Donna knew that she didn't believe a word of what she was saying.
"Those girls look bigger than the last time I saw you, you know," Gretchen continues, gesturing to Donna's chest.
"What -," Donna attempts, but she's cut off.
"You're pregnant, Red," she says matter-of-factly.
"What? No!" Donna starts to say, but pauses, the words dying in her throat as she realizes that Gretchen may be right.
"Oh my god."
"Donna what is it?!" Rachel says, entering the bathroom. It's half an hour later and, after Gretchen's bombshell Donna had run across the street and bought three pregnancy tests and a large bottle of water to speed the process along. She'd taken all three and they all told her the same thing; that she was, in fact, pregnant.
"What -," Rachel starts to ask again but stops when she sees the items on the counter.
"Are these yours?" she asks, and Donna nods as she continues to pace the length of the bathroom floor.
"And we're happy about this?" she asks tentatively.
"We are," Donna confirms with a breath as she stops in front of Rachel. "I wasn't sure how I was feeling when I took the test, but when I saw the results I was relieved, so yeah - I'm happy," she says, a smile spreading across her face as she speaks.
"Then congratulations," Rachel says sincerely, pulling her friend in for a hug.
"But oh my god, Rach!' Donna exclaims, bouncing back from her embrace, "all that alcohol I drank last night!"
"I'm sure it'll be fine," she assures her, "but maybe let's give Harriet Specter the next few months off?"
"Honeeeeyy, I'm home," she calls into the apartment as she tosses her keys into the bowl on the hall table and steps out of her heels.
"In here," she hears him call from the bedroom and her insides immediately begin to flutter.
She and Harvey had spent nights apart since getting married, but this was the first time she was returning home with news that would change their lives. This was the moment she got to tell him he was going to be a father, and she wanted it to be perfect. She'd nervously picked at her fingernails nearly the entire flight back, practicing what she would say over and over in her head.
Each time she went over the well-rehearsed line, her excitement grew. Just thinking about telling Harvey he was going to be a father, that they were going to be parents. She knows they haven't exactly discussed having a family, but from what little conversation they had had, she knew it was something they both wanted in the future, so this was a pleasant surprise.
At the airport, she was tempted to pick up one of those little onesies so she could surprise Harvey, but in the end she decided against it. Telling him their exciting news would be more than enough and she was certain he would be over the moon.
"I missed you," he sighs as he gets up from his place in bed and wraps his arms around her, his chin resting on her head.
"I missed you too," she replies before leaning up on her toes and stealing a kiss.
"Want a hand with your bag?" he asks, gesturing to the suitcase sitting just inside the bedroom door.
"I'll unpack it tomorrow, I've got everything I need for tonight in here," she gestures towards the purse she'd placed at the foot of the bed; the purse that contained a small piece of plastic she was waiting to reveal.
"Perfect, because I've got everything I need, right here," he smirks before wrapping his arms around the waist and twirling them around so that he lands on the bed above her.
Hovering over her, he leans down and steals a kiss, followed by another before he begins to kiss down her exposed neckline.
"Harv-" she begins to say before his palm skirting at the edge of her blouse causes her to forget what she was saying mid sentence.
"I have something to tell you," she whispers.
"I have something to tell you too, I've missed you more than you know," he replies playfully.
"How was everything at the firm?" he asks as he begins to paw at the button on her pants.
"Everyone's doing really well. How was Boston?" she asks.
Pausing what he's doing, he hovers above her face on his elbows and smiles down at her with the Cheshire cat grin that she adored.
"It was good. But those kids were such a handful. Honestly, I loved seeing Marcus but I'm so happy to be back home, just the two of us. No screaming, no bickering, just me and you."
"Right, me and you," she whispers as his lips resume kissing their way down her collarbone.
"There was something you wanted to tell me?" he asks, pausing once again.
"It can wait, right now I just want to make love to my husband."
"Yes ma'am," he nods.
She knows she should just tell him; that his comment about Marcus' kids didn't mean anything, but something inside her prevents her from doing it. What if he didn't want this after all? They'd never really discussed it, not seriously. A sudden panic floods her mind, but it's quickly alleviated as Harvey's hand comes up and caresses her cheek.
"Donna, you okay?"
"Yeah, sorry just a little tired from the flight," she lies.
"Why don't we get some sleep?" he asks as he pulls back the covers and slips beneath them.
She tosses her clothes on the floor next to the bed and crawls beneath the covers, slipping one leg between Harvey's as she presses her back to him and his arms wrap around her slender frame.
"Goodnight Donna, I love you," he whispers as he places a kiss to her shoulder.
"I love you too," she says as she lay there with her eyes wide open.
She would tell him tomorrow. Tomorrow when they woke up, she would tell him he was going to be a father.
Stay tuned for...
9x15
Missing the city, Mike contemplates moving the practice. Donna prepares to tell Harvey her news. Samantha and Katrina find themselves at a black tie event desperate to impress a new client.