Harvey Specter was angry.
After watching his sister's slimey landlord receive little to no punishment for installing a camera in her bathroom, he was also told off by Gregory Wright.
"We'll file an appeal but you and I both know without any other evidence it's a shot in the dark. So, if you could get your hand out of my face and let me get on with my day, Mr. Specter. You're lucky I even let you be in the courtroom today." Greg left without saying anything else.
Harvey slammed a chair into the front table, grabbing his side as he winced in pain. He closed his eyes and let out a breath. He turned around and scanned the room.
"Where's Emilie?"
"She ran to the washroom," Mike answered him, standing a few feet away with his arms crossed.
"Can you go find her, please." Harvey took a seat on one of the benches. Mike nodded and headed to the hallway.
The room was basically empty now, save for Harvey and Finn.
"Are you okay?" Finn asked Harvey. "You look like you're in pain."
Harvey waved his hand, "I'm fine."
"So, what next? Something about this whole thing still feels off to me. How can I help?"
Harvey looked up at Finn. He had known him for a while and over the last year especially he had seen him really grow into his role as detective. He was young to secure the job but time and time again he proved his worth. He always took Harvey's calls and helped out with favours when he was able.
And in that moment, it was clear that Finn might actually genuinely care for Emilie.
"Well, hopefully Greg files a dispute. But we need to keep digging."
Finn nodded his head and opened his mouth to reply. Mike hurried back in the room, slightly out of breath.
"Emilie left." He motioned to the hallway. "I tried to follow her but she disappeared in a crowd heading towards the subway stop up the block."
Harvey stood up, running a hand through his hair. He didn't even take a moment to ask if she was okay before he yelled at her lawyer. He didn't even look at her. His mind started to race. He let his lawyer side take over entirely in the heat of the moment when he should have comforted his sister.
"I'll call her," Finn took his phone out of his pocket.
Harvey reached for the left side of his chest as he felt it vibrating. "Don't bother. I took her phone." He let out a breath. "Fuck!"
Mike and Harvey headed back to the office while Finn said he'd go out to see if he could track down Emilie. None of them had any specific place in mind where she might have ventured to, but they brainstormed a few things and Finn went on his way. They figured she just needed some time to herself and she would eventually go home. Without being able to contact her, that was the best they could do.
Mike matched Harvey's quick pace as they headed into the building. "So, I've been thinking. I can't figure out why someone like Emilie's landlord would hire someone like Boone. Especially from a financial perspective. The dude is a professional landlord, it's not that lucrative."
"Which means someone else is fronting the bill." Harvey replied to him, doing his best to stand very still in the elevator.
The pain in Harvey's side was increasing. He was starting to worry this was beyond a pulled muscle. No, he wasn't an idiot. It was definitely more than a pulled muscle. He was just hoping it would eventually go away.
"Exactly."
"Well, if the DA's office won't follow that trail, we'll do it for them. It's a great lead if you can dig anything up."
"I'm on it, boss." Mike paused when they stepped out of the elevator. "Harvey. She's gonna be okay, you know. She just needs some space."
Harvey just nodded, patting Mike on the shoulder as he walked away. Harvey winced as he made his way towards his desk.
All he could think about was his sister. Was she holed up somewhere crying? Was she taking care of herself? Was she going to eat something? He should have been there for her. Today and last February. This whole thing could have been avoided if he had just helped her. Why couldn't he just help her?
Strong hearted Emilie.
Fragile little Emmy.
"I take it from your face it didn't go well," Donna stood up from her chair. "Harvey, what's wrong?"
He clutched his side as he leaned on the top of her desk. "Just a pulled muscle."
"Harvey!" Donna hurried around the desk and did her best to help hold him up. "How long have you been in this much pain?"
"It keeps getting worse. I just need an Advil."
Donna reached across her desk and grabbed her phone, muttering to herself about what a child he was and how he needed to go to urgent care.
"Just call Ray to take me. No need to make a scene." Harvey did his best to stand up. "And Donna, we need to find Emilie."
Emilie knew running away from the courtroom was juvenile. But she didn't want to face Harvey. Or Finn. Or Mike, even.
She didn't want sympathetic eyes and pity. She didn't want excuses or an explanation. She didn't want a speech about the justice system and how sometimes things didn't work out.
She wanted none of it.
She had ignored Mike's call as she left the building, sneaking into a crowd of people down the block.
It wasn't until she got off the subway downtown did she realize she didn't have her phone. She swore under her breath as she planned her next move.
She decided to head to the NYU gym, where she knew she had a spare set of clothes in her locker. After ditching her dress and blazer, she ran on the track. She wasn't sure how many loops she did but her brain was on autopilot.
Part of her wanted to call Ethan's roommate for weed. Part of her wanted to go buy a box of wine and cry in the shower.
More than anything, she wanted to call Finn. And have him wrap her in a hug and gently kiss her on top of the head and tell her how it was going to be okay.
Emilie was angry. And confused. After all she had been through - displaced from her home, anxious with worry about the cameras, put through the paces for this whole trial - and her landlord got a manageable fine and probation. What was the point of the entire case and trial if he got away with everything? Wasn't the point of the justice system to do just that - serve justice?
She ran and ran and ran. Eventually, as her chest heaved and her face flushed, she made herself slow down. She didn't have to go this alone. Hiding out wasn't going to do anything for her but prolong the conversations.
She left NYU and headed in the direction of home. Hopefully at least Harvey would be there now that the work day was over and she could have her phone again. Then lock herself in her room for the night.
She didn't want to deal with what comes next. And clearly Harvey didn't either. Considering he couldn't even bare to look at her once the verdict was read. He didn't even bother asking how she was or offering an ounce of comfort. She knew it wasn't Harvey's style but the least he could do was show a bit of sympathy. They had been doing so well lately. They had come so far since the beginning of September. But now? Maybe nothing had changed.
Emilie just sighed as she walked through the busy streets.
She stopped at Stomping Grounds on her way home.
"Hey sweetie," Jackie welcomed Emilie with a warm smile as she approached the till.
"Hey Jackie. Could I just get two caramel lattes to go?" The least she could do is bring one home for her brother.
The woman nodded, waving her hand away as Emilie tried to pay with cash. "Oh. A handsome police officer came here looking for you today. He was concerned about you. I could see it in his eyes."
Emilie couldn't help but blush at Jackie's comment. Finn.
She thanked her boss and headed to Harvey's.
When she walked in the door, she was confused to find Mike sitting at the kitchen island.
"Hey, where have you been?" Mike stood up from his seat.
Emilie gave him a confused look. "I just needed to clear my head. What are you doing here? Where's Harvey?"
Mike sighed. He pulled her phone out of his pocket and handed it to her. "He's at the hospital."
Emilie nearly dropped the tray of drinks. "What? Is he okay?" She walked over to the island and set the tray down, nervously scrolling through the missed messages on her phone. "Don't tell me he's there alone."
"Donna is there right now. She said he was just getting out of surgery."
"Surgery?!"
"It's just his appendix. But it was severely inflamed so they needed to take it out."
Emilie sighed then started to rush around the apartment. "I need to shower. And change. And maybe cry. Then I need to go see him. Where is he?"
"Emilie," Mike turned to watch her rush into her room, "We'll go together. Just take a deep breath. He's going to be fine."
She stuck her head out of her door and gave Mike a small smile. "Thanks, Mike."
"Cassie, you do realize that you've left me on the hook for an apartment I can't fucking afford."
"Well, you should have thought of that before you hit on my boyfriend then started spreading lies about him."
"For the last time, I didn't sleep with Jordan! What don't you understand? He's lying to you. I didn't do anything. He made a pass AT ME. He literally put his hand under my skirt at the New Years party. How could you side with him?"
"I don't care, Em. Good luck with everything."
"Cassie, please. Just listen to me. We've been friends for years. I'm telling you the truth here. You deserve better than him."
"No, Emilie. I deserve better friends and you deserve to be alone." Emilie watched her best friend slam the door behind her as she left.
Emilie sunk down onto the floor as she looked around her half empty apartment. What was she supposed to do now?
She had just signed off on a new lease. She didn't realize it was only her name on the paperwork. She had no clue how to fix this.
She grabbed a bottle of wine from the sad, empty fridge and flipped onto the couch. She scrolled through her phone and stopped on her brother's name.
She took a swig of her wine then hit the call button.
For some reason, February was not going smoothly for Harvey. His last misgiving was losing a big client for an asinine reason - although, when it came down to it, he knew it was his own fault. Sometimes his mouth gets him in trouble and this time he couldn't talk his way out of it.
To top it off, Donna was off sick and Mike was being a pain in the ass.
More than anything else, he wanted to go home early, put on an old blues record and shut off his phone.
Just as he was packing up his laptop for the day, he saw his phone ringing. The name on the call display was a surprise to him: Emilie Bryant.
He hadn't talked to his sister since Christmas. He had only zipped home for a few days but they had all enjoyed an amicable dinner and indulged in some family traditions. He and Emilie were civil, mainly for the sake of their mother.
But she never called him. For a moment, his heart fluttered with worry. That passed, though, as usually Emilie only reached out if she had gotten herself into a mess.
He sighed as he answered the call.
"Hey kid," he leaned back in his chair. He heard her sigh.
"Hey Harvey," she started. She paused to take another drink. There was an empty silence.
"What's up? As riveting as it is to hear you breathe, I'm a busy guy."
Emilie rolled her eyes. "I need you to help me with something."
"What a strange way to phrase a question. What makes you think I have time to help you with anything?"
"Why are you making this so difficult? Can you just hear me out for once in your life?"
"You called me, Em. I'll give you three minutes."
"I need help getting out of a rental agreement."
"Why?"
"It's a long story."
Harvey stood up from his chair as he continued to pack away his things. "It's always a long story."
"Is it necessary for you to talk down to me all the time?"
"Emilie, let me sum this up for you: to get out of a rental agreement, you need to find a sublet. Or ask your landlord to let you out of it for free. Or you may have to pay some sort of fee, it would have been listed in your agreement."
"Yeah well, I know all that. I can use Google."
Harvey let out a breath, followed by an irritated groan. "So why are you calling me?"
"Because I was hoping there would be another way. Clearly this phone call and even having a sister is a huge interruption to your life and -
"Why do you always do that? Why is it always a guilt trip and a 'poor Emilie' situation? Whatever mess you're in is not my goddamn fault."
"Jesus Christ, Harvey. Could you act like a human being instead of some piece of shit lawyer?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Harvey could hear his voice growing louder. He could just hang up. He didn't need to talk to her. In fact, he didn't owe his sister any of his time.
"I'm asking for help here and you're just shutting me down."
"You are demanding my help. I offered my advice. The problem here is there's no one handholding you through it or just doing it for you. You're a grown up now, Emilie, things aren't going to come to you on a silver platter anymore."
"God, you're an asshole."
"What do you want me to do? Give you money? Find you a new place to live?"
"Why do you think it's always about money? That's your one crutch, isn't it? Oh sure, I can be mad forever and hold that against my own family members because I'm rich. It's a classic Harvey alpha move and it's old news." She was yelling now.
"You called me, Emilie!" He was yelling back.
"Yeah, well, clearly that was a bad idea. Forget I said anything. I'll just figure it out on my own."
"Well, kid, I'm sure your daddy will help you out."
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Harvey?" She groaned angrily into the phone. "Why can't you just let that go?"
She wanted to hang up. But she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of winning their argument.
"I don't have to do shit, Emilie. Do you realize how easy your life was. You always got your way. And now, when someone tells you no, you just try to fight until it works out in your favour."
"Can you stop unloading your leftover trauma on me! I don't know what it's like up there on your high horse, Harvey, but I thought maybe you could just help me. Why is that so hard to understand?"
"Oh, I understand. And I told you everything you need to know. You're a big girl. Figure it out." His words were sharp and pointed.
Emilie took a deep breath. "I'm your sister, Harvey. Please."
Harvey could have hung up the phone already. But the last thing he was going to do is let her have the last word.
"Yeah, I don't need a reminder. I don't give a shit that you're my sister. Good luck."
Emilie screamed into her phone as he hung up.
She spent the next few minutes crafting scathing messages to her brother. Then she blocked and deleted him out of her phone.
She didn't need Harvey's help. She could do this on her own. Or at least that's what she told herself.
As Harvey stirred awake in his hospital bed, he was confused. Where was he? How did he end up in a hospital?
The events of the day washed over him as he reached up to rub his eyes. The trial. The verdict. Emilie running off. Collapsing in pain at the office. High fever. Inflamed appendix. Emergency surgery.
He pieced it all together quickly enough and was relieved to feel less pain in his side. Although, that may have been the painkillers. He scanned his eyes around the room. To his right, a window with a view and to his left, his sister sitting talking on the phone.
"Emilie."
"Oh mom, he's awake. I'll message you in a bit. Love you." Emilie put her phone down on the table and turned to her brother.
"How are you feeling, old man?" She smiled at him.
"One appendix lighter, apparently," he moved his hand down to his side.
"I'm going to get the nurse," she stood up and ducked out of the room quickly. Harvey glanced over to the window. It was dark. He wondered how long she had been waiting there.
Emilie returned with a nurse a few moments later who checked up on him. They were keeping him overnight just to monitor his vitals.
"Visiting hours are over in about 45 minutes," the nurse said to Emilie as she sat back down in her chair. She smiled as she walked away.
"Hey, are you okay?" Harvey turned his head towards Emilie.
"Harvey, you just had surgery. Please don't worry about me. I'm fine."
"You're not fine. I should have checked on you earlier instead of blowing up."
"You also should be regularly going to the doctor. Did you know that? Donna said you haven't been in years."
"That's not true. I went to the dentist last year."
"Yeah because you, a grown man in his forties, had a cavity. That doesn't count."
"A doctor would not have been able to predict my appendix bursting."
"Either way," Emilie shuffled her chair closer to his bed, "You're not going to live forever, Superman. You should capitalize on your health care if you can afford it."
He put his hands up in defeat. "Fine. You can skip the rest of this lecture."
They sat in silence for a moment.
"I'm sorry for running off earlier."
"You don't have to apologize." Harvey frowned. "if I had the energy I would have been fighting with Greg Wright all afternoon. That verdict was absolute bullshit. We're trying another angle."
Emilie had a hard time watching her brother talk. There he sat, draped in a drab hospital gown and wrapped in rough cotton blankets, worrying about the trial. Fixating on another solution. She knew this entire time he was having trouble relinquishing control. She didn't want him to worry anymore. Maybe they had to let it go.
"You don't have to. It's already been a waste of time."
"Emilie. We're going to. I don't care about the time spent."
"Well, let's just leave it alone for now. You need to actually rest, you know. Your body needs to heal."
Harvey couldn't help but smile at her kindness. He hated feeling helpless, and he didn't even want to think about all the actual work and client communication he was missing because of this medical emergency. But his sister was okay. At least for the time being, that was all he could ask for.
"You don't have to stay," Harvey continued, laying back on the bed.
"Oh, I know. Finn's shift ends in like half an hour so he's going to drive me home."
Harvey sighed, closing his eyes, "And he is only dropping you off."
"Come on, I've had a long day. Plus, the trial is over. So I think he's earned the opportunity to at least watch a movie with me tonight."
"Okay, he can go up stairs but he is not staying over."
"It's cute how you think you can do anything about that from this hospital room."
By the time Emilie left his room, Harvey had fallen asleep. She met Finn outside the hospital where he was waiting with not only a bundle of flowers, but also a pint of ice cream. To say it warmed Emilie's heart was an understatement.
He did come all the way back to Harvey's apartment with her. They split the pint of ice cream on the couch, then retired to Emilie's bed. They just laid there fully clothed, still. She rested her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.
"I know you don't want to talk about it," he said quietly, slowly running his fingers along the exposed skin on her lower back as her shirt rode up.
"You're right," she replied. It was strange to have someone care about her. It made her feel uneasy. It was something new for her to balance - how far does she let someone in. How long until it was too much and maybe they didn't want to deal with it?
"But I'm going to ask anyway. Are you okay? I know it's been a messy day."
Finn's concern seemed genuine.
She sighed. "No. I'm not. I mainly don't understand why we had to go through all the motions just to reach the weakest conclusion." She squeezed her eyes shut. "All this time, something felt wrong. And with that verdict, nothing feels better. That gross feeling in the pit of my stomach remains."
"It sucks, Em. I see this kind of stuff all the time in this line of work. A poor system causes dirtbags to get away with their actions."
"How do you do it? Doesn't it drive you crazy?"
Finn hesitated. "It does. I do my very best to separate my personal life and my work life. It's the only way to make it through."
"Well, I definitely caused those two things to overlap."
"Yeah. A happy consequence of this trial." He leaned down to brush his lips against hers.
"Wait. Finn." She pulled away from him, propping herself up off his chest. "Who's taking care of Pippin?"
He couldn't help but laugh at her concern. "My brother took him for a walk tonight and will feed him in the morning. He's okay."
"Good. Because you're staying over."
"Oh, am I now?" He pulled her back down towards him, his lips colliding with hers again.
She shifted her position to straddle on top of him, leaning down to continue attacking his lips. "Yes, please. Because if I'm going to lose sleep tonight, it may as well be for a good reason."
Harvey came home from the hospital Saturday afternoon. He slept for most of the day.
When he finally woke up Saturday evening, his senses were overwhelmed. He could hear his sister singing in the kitchen and something smelled incredible. He had barely gotten to eat at the hospital and when he did, despite paying for a private room at a top research hospital, the food was terrible.
He climbed out of bed and shuffled his way into the kitchen area. There stood his sister, standing over the stove stirring something. His kitchen was a complete mess but he couldn't bring himself to care.
"Okay, I don't want to get my hopes up, but are you making chicken and dumplings?"
Emilie turned around when she heard her brother's voice. "Scent memory. Does this also take you back to a specific childhood flashback?"
Harvey just nodded. "Do you need help?"
"No, I just need you to go sit down and rest. That's literally your only job for the next few days. Taking it easy and letting your body heal itself." Emilie pointed towards the couch. Harvey just shook his head and took a seat at the kitchen island instead. "Also, do you know how hard it was to cook this in your kitchen? You barely even have a spice rack. The guy at the corner store knows me by name now. Mom only ever made chicken and dumplings on the rare Sunday and I can see why. This was way more work than I thought it would be. So, if it's not good you better lie to me." Emilie placed a dish down in front of her brother. "Do you want some tea?"
"Wow. Can you let me get a word in here?" Harvey raised his eyebrows at his sister. "This is great, Em. But you know mom used to use Bisquick and not make these from scratch."
Emilie looked at her brother, eyes wide, "What? You're kidding. How did I never realize that?"
Harvey just laughed as he took a bite and tilted his head. "This is still good."
Emilie slid into the stool beside him with her own bowl and took a few bites. "I also grabbed mint chocolate chip ice cream for you."
"Thanks. For doing this."
They ate in silence for a few minutes.
"Listen, Em, I know it's been a crazy 48 hours and you don't want to talk about yesterday -
No, no, no, no. Not now. Not ever.
"So we're not going to." She cut him off. "You are supposed to be resting which means no work or legal garbage for at least another day."
Harvey rolled his eyes. "Fine."
"Oh, also, Louis sent you a gift basket." Emilie motioned to the table in the corner. "The card said 'Congratulations on the laparoscopy. Can't wait to hear all about it! Love Louis.'" She pointed to to the of the kitchen.
Harvey couldn't help but laugh. "Well, that should go on the fridge."
Emilie went to work Sunday morning with a smile on her face. After dinner, she and Harvey watched Back to the Future and argued at length about time travel theories. It was just nice. They both shut the world off for one night and enjoyed each other's company.
It was probably the first time they had ever done that.
Harvey tried to talk to her about the trial again but she shut him down.
She didn't want to talk about it. So she was going to delay it as long as possible.
She couldn't fathom saying the words out loud: that she was still scared. That she was disappointed. That she wasn't surprised it didn't go in her favour.
Over and over again in her brain she thought about her landlord. Running into him in the hallway after the trial. His disgusting smile. The way he said her name. She wanted to shake the whole thing but the minute she was alone with her thoughts, no person or recipe or school project to distract her, she felt like crumbling.
And that day at work didn't make things any better.
Emilie was still on duty running the cash register at the cafe. She was slated to finally get her cast off that week and she was looking forward to doing other tasks. She went through the motions as she took orders and wrote on cups. She nearly dropped a tray of muffins when she saw the next person in line at her till.
Her landlord.
"What are you doing here?" She said quietly as he approached.
"I'm getting a coffee, what else would I be doing in a coffee shop, Emilie?"
She hated how he said her name.
"And before you say anything else, there is nothing your lawyer brother can do. You've made my life a hassle for the last two months so maybe it's time for you to feel just as bothered."
Emilie swallowed hard, glancing around to see if any of her coworkers were nearby. She leaned forward to respond to him.
"And your police officer boyfriend can't help either."
She pulled back. How did he know she had any sort of relationship with Finn? Why was it everything he said sounded like some sort of threat?
"So, I'll have a hot cappuccino. And a cinnamon bun. On a plate, so I can sit right over there."
Emilie spent the rest of her shift trying to calm her nerves. She was angry, more than anything else, that he would come into her space and even talk to her. But within that anger, there were cracks of concern.
She knew she should tell Harvey. She just didn't want to bother him with any more trial stuff until he bounced back from the surgery. He had done so much for her and she knew he was angry. But he also had a life - he had his own job and cases and a dating life and soon enough, they would broach the topic of Emilie moving out.
She knew she should tell Finn, too. Their nights together had been so nice and so comforting. But the last thing Emilie wanted to do was sour things, especially by jeopardizing his job. He was also on night shifts all week. Finn had told her his biggest problem he ran into with dating anyone was dealing with his work schedule. They may go weeks without seeing each other if he had to work a lot of overtime. And Emilie knew his job was stressful enough without worrying about her, too.
Emilie spent a long time being the centre of attention in her family - when she wanted it and when she definitely didn't. So now, it was easier to control herself. Maybe she could just adjust her work schedule. Maybe she could just work in the back, instead. Maybe she should just not work at the cafe anymore. Maybe Jason Moore would just give up on his uncomfortable revenge and leave her alone.
She took the long way home after her shift. She stopped at a nearby bodega a few blocks away and did something she hadn't done in years - she bought a pack of cigarettes. It was a gentle form of destruction. She didn't even smoke one, she just tucked them into her purse and continued on.
There was something satisfying about controlling her own self destruction.
She was surprised to run into Donna in the lobby of Harvey's building. She was heading upstairs with a bag of thai food.
"Hey Donna," Emilie started, applying a smile on her face.
"I usually don't give in to your whining brother but I figured this way we know he's actually eating."
Emilie just laughed and pressed the button in the elevator, "Uhm, did he not tell you I made dinner from scratch last night?"
Donna furrowed her brow then smirked, "He didn't mention it. Just that he was starving."
"Well, a return in appetite is a good sign but I hope you didn't go out of your way for him. That big baby." Emilie just sighed. "But you should stay and eat with us, at least. Since you came all the way here."
"I never like to miss an opportunity to see your brother in his pajamas." They walked out of the elevator and headed towards Harvey's door. "That sounded weird. I just mean, it's a friendly reminder that he's human."
Emilie laughed at her response. They headed into the apartment where they found Harvey laying on the couch, catching up on Survivor.
"Harvey, I hope you give Donna a generous Christmas bonus because she's too good to you," Emilie announced to her brother. He shifted to sit up on the couch and rolled his eyes.
He ignored her quip. "How was work?"
Emilie hesitated for a moment. She glanced from her brother to Donna, who was unpacking food on the counter. It was a nice moment.
She didn't want to ruin it.
My old landlord showed up to intimidate me. It was frightening and I'm not sure what to do.
Help me, please.
She smiled at her brother and shrugged. "Work was fine. Nothing special."
A/N: two things! I misnamed her landlord in the last chapter. It's Jason Moore. Not super important but for my own continuity haha also I decided on a faceclaim for Finn, if anyone cares. Brant Daughtery. Something like that tall drink of water. I wanted to paint Harvey and Emilie's last big fight, before she lost her old apartment, as pointed. Not just screaming siblings, but an entitled bratty sister and her hard headstrong brother. They;ve come so far, and I hate for them to screw it up now. But can Emilie deal with this or bottle it in until she explodes? And will harvey balance taking care of himself, his work life, and his sister? I sense a storm brewing.
Thank you to my last reviewers: cicia724, Rose4Darvey, Andelin and Guest. I appreciate your words and support. And to each and every one of you readers! You power me along and I am grateful.
Ya'll, I finally finished season eight. Season nine isn't on netflix yet in Canada and I am dying to watch it. DYING. I've already been significantly spoiled but I just waaaaant it all.