In Sickness and in Health
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
Harvey leans back against the kitchen island, palms pressing the white marble as his gaze drags tiredly across to where Donna is sleeping. She's dwarfed by a thick woolen blanket, her features paler than usual against the dark leather and worry twitches in his jaw as Mike steps up beside him.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
The kids voice is low so not to disturb her and Harvey let's go of the breath he's been holding. "She... wanted to wait." It's a lame excuse and they both know it but to Mike's credit he doesn't push, letting silence fall amicably between them until Harvey lands at the apology he owes his friend. "I should have called."
He should have but again Mike doesn't press it, his gaze crossing from the sleeping woman back to the man at his side.
Harvey feels the shift, the attention wrapping around the tightness in his chest. Truth is it wasn't just Donna's insistence that kept him quiet. He was scared that admitting she's sick out-loud would make it real and the faint hold he had on his composure is already starting to slip. He doesn't know if he can do this, and that terrifies him even more. "The doctor said-"
"Harvey." Mike stops him, a steady note holding up his resolve. They've been through a lot together over the years and in the face of everything, all the adversity, the one thing they've never been deterred by are impossible odds. They fight with everything they have and this isn't any different. "She's going to get through this, you both are."
He nods, his hand staggering as it breaks from the bench to flick the tip of his nose. He's been holding it together for weeks, the urge to let go beating down relentlessly but this isn't about him. He can be angry, scream, shout until there's no air left and his lungs are burning but on his own time, not hers.
She stirs on the couch, almost as if sensing his turmoil, and he blinks the moisture from his gaze forcing a smile. "Hey, you."
"Hey..." Her voice is groggy, filled with sleep and her lips curve softly as she takes him in. She's learning to appreciate the small things, those few fleeting seconds where she wakes up to him and nothing else until reality slowly starts to seep in. "What are you doing over there?" She asks lightly, concern touching her features.
He gives a loose shrug, words he can't say swimming in his head and he settles on a half-truth. "Just thinking about Mike."
There's no pressure, the statement deliberately casual but he doesn't need to say what he's thinking for her to hear it. She asked for some time and he gave it to her without question. Now it's her turn to help him handle the news. "We should call them tomorrow."
He's surprised but shouldn't be. She always knows what he needs, usually before he does, and she rarely puts her own first- which is why he promised himself whatever sacrifices he has to make, he will.
"Donna-"
"It's okay, I want to." She forces a smile pushing her mouth to comply. It's going to hard but no part of this has been easy and they can only rely on each other so much. They need their friends and she beckons him over, sitting up to make room for him.
He reaches the couch in two strides and lowers himself with a sigh, reaching for her hand beneath the blanket. "You sure?"
"No..." her voice is soft, the amusement genuine this time, "but if Rach figures it out first, she's going to be pissed and that girl can be mean when she's angry."
A light chuckle teases his lips, the sound lost as he adjusts on the leather seat reaching out to brush the hair back from her face. She's been nothing but a pillar of strength, her fight giving him hope but it's only just keeping his worry at bay. She might be stubborn but she's also human and he can't chance letting any signs go unnoticed. "You're tired."
His concern is evident, begging an honest answer and she nods leaning into her palm but doesn't want to turn in yet. All she's been doing recently is sleeping and she flutters her eyelids, gazing up at him from beneath her lashes. "A little longer?"
He's ready with a warning but it stalls, his heart resting in his throat at the pleading look on her face. Here or the bedroom hardly makes that much difference anyway and he opens his arms motioning for her to slide forward.
She does, leaning against his chest and feeling more at ease as his hands slip around her waist. She doesn't know what to say to reassure either of them. If she starts making promises she can't keep it'll just make things worse in the long run but right now she needs to be a little selfish and steals a breath, releasing it slowly. "It's going to okay."
He swallows hard, fighting the emotion catching in his throat as he squeezes her tightly. "I know." He doesn't, but pushes the thought to a place he can't reach focusing on what he can control; which is being present and in the moment with the women he loves.
It's all he has and right now that has to be enough.