HI Folks! Remember this one? I hope you are still interested and I found my story has taken a turn for the better, so it should be wrapping up soon. I thought you all might get a little kick out of some domestic Darvey so this chapter starts out with that but you will see what happens by the end. Please R&R if you wish to. I look forward to any and all compliments even if they are constructive complaints. Thank you - Carebearmaxi.
Mr. and Mrs. Specter: New Ventures
Chapter 19
"Daddy!" Amanda cried as her kicks kept hitting her father's desk with a constant bang.
"Just a minute, Mandy, you're sister needs to be changed!" Harvey yelled in a loud voice from across his office.
"But daddy, Gordon has one of your albums!"
"Gordon, no! Not daddy's albums!" Harvey admonished as he gathered an as-yet-to-be rediapered Kenzie in one arm and snatched away the album from Gordon's cookie filled fingertips before he caused irreparable damage with his other arm.
"Daddy!" Gordon whined loudly.
"You have cookie all over your hands and face," Harvey said and grabbed Gordy's hand in his other hand after Gordon quickly surrendered the album to the back of the couch where it then subsequently fell to the ground.
He then walked Gordon over to his desk and retrieved the diaper wipes which he had placed over near the diaper bag. Harvey then had to comfort a crying Kenzie who started to cry because her little behind was getting cold.
"Amanda, get off my desk, get the wipes and give them to your brother," Harvey said blowing an exhausted breath out vertically which did nothing to his stiff updo.
"Okay..." Amanda trailed grabbing the wipes on the way down and handing them to her brother who was about to refuse them and be stubborn until he caught the cautious look from his father.
"Gordon don't you dare. Take them from Mandy and wipe those hands!"
Harvey then rolled his eyes. "Fatherhood what the hell was I thinking when Donna told me she was pregant!"
"You were pretty damned happy if I recall," came a voice answering Harvey's said aloud thought.
"Mommy!" Amanda ran to her mother's arms. Donna had just come from a late interview for a new Chief Corporate Accountant. Harvey would need to interview him later if Donna deemed him worthy for the position. Due to some unforeseen extenuating circumstances, it had become Harvey's responsibility to retrieve his children from their school and daycare. Donna's mom had a Women In Construction Meeting. Roberta Paulsen was the Chairperson on two committees so she was heavily involved at the monthly meetings. So Harvey had had the children for the last three hours trying to keep them occupied which at their ages was for about twenty minutes after their homework was finished. Kenzie had taken a nap on the way back in the car, but she woke up with a blood curdling screech that sent her father's teeth on edge and panic as to what would hurt his little daughter so badly that she would screech. Instinct had told him she was either cutting another tooth or suffering from a really bad gas pain.
As it turned out it was the latter as everyone's olfactory senses became assaulted. Harvey had immediately shot up out of his chair to see why his youngest was crying at the top of her lungs. He felt her all over and there it was, so he was in the midst of changing Mackenzie when all hell broke loose in his office.
The scene that Donna ventured into looked like a scene from "Mr. Mom". Amanda screaming at Gordon who tried to get her father's attention as her brother was almost ruining one of Harvey's beloved albums with his messy hands, Gordon not paying any attention to his sister and hoping his father did not see him, and Harvey standing over his diaper pad covered couch trying to change his youngest's diaper without his office imploding or the firm from coming down around his ears. As managing partner, no one would dare say anything about how loud and annoying his children were.
"Sweetie," Donna said hugging Amanda who held her legs. Gordon than ran to his mom with wet hands which Donna dodged by grabbing his wrists and kissing him on top of his blonde head.
"Donna," Harvey said dumping a now freshly diapered Mackenzie into her arms.
"How's my baby girl?" Donna asked the baby who smiled and hid her face in her mother's neck.
"You know this puts a whole new view on "Take your child to work" day," Donna quipped taking all three children over to Harvey's couch and gathering the children's things and placing Kenzie's coat on her little body preparing them to leave the office.
"Yes, it does. I think we should be the only firm that doesn't indulge with that particular new tradition," Harvey said looking at the ease with which his wife handled their brood.
"Harvey," Donna said disgruntedly. "What would Jessica do if she knew she wouldn't be able to bring little Jeremiah to her work?"
"Knowing Jessica, she'd probably thank me!" Harvey quibbled back.
Donna knew something was amiss. Harvey loved his children and he rarely became upset with their childish behavior. Usually he was the one who could diffuse it and turn it to playtime. It was a skill he had learned when helping to raise his brother after their mother left. Harvey had been 16 and Marcus only 10 when their mother decided to leave their home with her extramarital lover.
Donna rose with Mackenzie in her arms and placed her back in her stroller belting her in. The entire time Donna carried a concerned look on her face. She listened to her older children prattle while they prepared to leave.
"Mommy?" Gordon whispered and signaled to his mom that he wanted to tell her something in confidence.
Donna bent down and said, "Yes, my baby, what is it?" She put her ear close to Gordon's hand that he placed near his mouth so only his mom could hear.
"Daddy's not feeling so good. He was really mean today." Gordon whispered.
"I'm sure you're right, honey. Daddy loves you, you know. He just needed to make sure you knew right from wrong and to respect other people's things. He wasn't trying to be mean. I'll check on daddy. Thanks, big guy." Donna gave Gordon an extra hug and kiss on his cheek and looked into those big brown eyes so like his father's. She playfully phantom punched his chin as she rose from her crouch.
"So, if you can maintain the peace for five minutes, I will get my coat from my office and meet you back here in two minutes. Ok?" Donna asked seeing how Harvey's jaw had become so hardened that she thought he was going to burst.
"Yep. Two minutes. Got it." Harvey answered her shortly.
That morning Harvey had driven the family to their various daily places and he and Donna to the firm. So they all traipsed down 50 floors to below earth to find their SUV parked in the parking garage underneath the building. They perfunctorily buckled each child into their individual childseat. Donna watched Harvey the whole time. She knew something was really, really bothering him.
"Harvey, that's too tight!" Donna admonished when Mandy practically screamed after Harvey played with the seatbelts.
"This is Gordon's seat not mine!"
"You'll be fine Amanda!" Harvey said sternly as he buckled her into her brother's seat and accidentally tightened the belts too tight.
"Then Donna you come over here and do this one, too!" Harvey yelled and then hauled himself into the driver's seat and slammed the door.
Donna blew out a breath and walked over to the other side and readjusted Mandy's seatbelts and kissed her on the forehead. "It's okay," she said to Mandy who looked like she was going to cry. They were such a tightknit bunch that if one's emotions were off everyone in the whole family felt it.
Donna then opened the driver's side door and asked in a quiet voice, "Do you want me to drive or are you sure you can control this vehicle so you don't kill us all in the process?"
Harvey sat defeated and pinched the bridge of his nose and taking the keys from the ignition surrendered them to his wife.
"You're right. You drive. I don't trust myself if an asshole on the road pisses me off."
Donna smiled. "Good boy. Get on the other side."
They decided since it was so late and it was Friday that they would dine out in lieu of someone cooking. Donna's mom normally left a lasagne or some other reheatable dinner in the freezer at the West Chester house for occasions like this but this week Roberta had been too preoccupied with her business committees.
They went to a kid friendly place and both parents were too busy to really have a conversation about what was really bothering Harvey. Donna knew that before Harvey had to pick up the children he was on his way to visit Allison Holt who had continually postponed their meeting from last week to this week. Finally making it for earlier today where Harvey was prepared to mandate that Allison drop the civil suit against Mike and Donna as the judge in the criminal suit was considering the new found evidence in the D.A.'s possession; namely, the burner phone without Mike's fingerprints.
Benjamin was having a difficult time proving the footage had been edited. He knew for sure that it had been because his good friend Mike was not an arsonist. Liar, maybe, but not an arsonist. Harvey had paid a visit to Benjamin earlier that day in the hope that he had some progress to take to Allison and the D.A, but, alas, no. Harvey had found Benjamin in his office reversing the CD and pushing it forward to get some type of glimpse of the guy whose back was to the camera while he set the bomb in the kitchen area of the building.
"Benjamin, anything yet?" Harvey asked coming through the door of the IT guy's office.
"No, not yet. I'm sorry, Harvey. I have been going over this CD for a week now. Not a turn of the head or a glimpse of the coveralls to see any differences between the ones that Mike wore that day and the one that our bomber wore."
"I would appreciate it if you would keep trying. I still haven't convinced the D.A. yet to drop the criminal charges against Mike, but I was hoping that I could get the civil suit dropped with something substantial"
"I know, Harvey. I'll keep going. I know Mike didn't do this, so I know what is needed here."
"Thank you, Benjamin." Harvey left his office and proceeded to Allison Holt's office.
"So tell daddy what you're doing for the school theatrical next week, Mandy," Donna said trying to get Harvey's focus back to his children. He had already ignored Gordon inadvertently while he told him what his baseball coach had said about needing new T-ball coaches. Gordon had asked Harvey to help which Donna knew Harvey would love to do, but somehow he had totally ignored his son's question. Gordon stopped asking and resumed eating his food feeling ignored.
"Daddy?" Mandy said getting off her seat and walking over to where Harvey sat and climbed onto his lap and pushed his face near her little lips and kissed him on the cheek to get his attention. Harvey smiled and gathered her closer in his arms and kissed her head in return. Donna smiled as she watched. Leave it to Mandy to know what to do to help.
"I'm sorry, Gordon, Mandy, and my little Kenzie," Harvey said and took Donna's hand in his while holding Mandy on his lap with the other. "I have had a lot on my mind today."
While he held Mandy on his lap, Gordon left his chair and Harvey pulled him onto his other knee. "What was it you were saying about T-ball, Gordy?"
"We need a new coach and I said my daddy would do it."
"I would love to do it. I'll call Coach Stanley and let him know."
"Thanks, daddy," Gordon smiled his own Cheshire Cat smile and kissed his daddy's other cheek.
"Let's finish our dinner and get home. I think we all need to get some sleep," Harvey said releasing the children from his knees and watched them as they returned to their chairs to finish their dinner. Mackenzie just smiled at them and put another diced carrot into her mouth.
Donna took Harvey's hand and smiled. "I think you love being a father, don't you?"
Harvey smiled and squeezed his wife's hand. "Well, it has its moments. Thank you for giving them to me." Donna teared up at the sudden emotional statement from her husband and reached over and kissed him.
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Later on that night immediately after all three were upstairs in their beds and asleep, Donna joined her husband in a late night glass of Scotch in front of their West Chester's home's living room fireplace where the fire crackled and warmed the house thoroughly.
"So do you want to talk about it?"
"What, Donna? I'm tired. I'm ok."
"No, you're not ok. Obviously something went wrong with your visit to Allison Holt," Donna stated.
"She's not dropping any civil suit. She doesn't seem to care what we can prove with that security footage. She will get the judge to deem it inadmissible."
"That seems kind of silly considering that it incriminates Mike than it hurts her case," Donna reasoned.
"She's banking on a witness in her pocket named Jalena Karenza."
"Who?" Donna asked.
"Jalena Karenza," Harvey repeated and looked at his wife's face of recognition.
"Harvey, I know who she is," Donna said. "She is the wife of Adrian Lazo. She was also one of my Yoga instructors for expectant moms. She taught the class after me, but I remember learning from Rachel that Lazo had married a Jalena Karenzo."
"How did Rachel know her?" Harvey asked.
"She was in her class one morning when I had a doctor's appointment and had a sub teach my class."
"Did Rachel speak with this Jalena?"
"Yes, she wanted to congratulate her on having a great class and to thank her for subbing for me. Rachel introduced herself as Rachel Zane Ross."
"Was she teaching a class the day the bomb went off?" Harvey asked.
"Probably. She was a regular certified instructor that I had hired prior to opening," Donna volunteered.
"When did you interview her?" Harvey asked his mind now whirring with arguments and closing arguments.
"Before we opened, probably a couple of weeks before all the delays had started. What are you thinking, Harvey?"
"That Jalena was the one who let the bomber into the door of your building and then she could be used to identify Mike point blank although she had probably never seen him before. This Jalena is perjuring herself for the mere continue extortious profit of her husband and his cohorts," Harvey reasoned.
"Does Amelia still have Jalena working there?" Harvey then asked Donna. "Where was Amelia that day?'
"I'm not sure if Jalena is still on the staff. As for the day of the bombing, all I know is that Amelia told me someone was there to do another county inspection or town fire inspection, so she let him in through to the kitchen."
"I don't know why but the police never went back and questioned Amelia, did they?"
Donna put a hand on Harvey's arm and said," Amelia told me she couldn't remember any details when they asked her. Do you think now that some time has passed she may?"
"It's a good shot to see if she can remember what the guy looked like. She knows Mike so it would make sense if she could be our ace-in-the-hole." Harvey smiled wide for the first time that day since he received Allison's stubborn decision.
"We've got to call Amelia in the morning. Right now, though, I want to go to bed."
Donna just smiled. Harvey looked at his wife and took her face and cupped her cheek with his free hand and kissed her long and deeply for the first time that day.
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"Hello, Amelia, it's Harvey Specter," Harvey said on the phone the next morning sitting at his desk in his home office in West Chester.
"Hey Harvey, how's Donna and your brood. Long time no talk," Amelia said.
"Well, you know, we have run into a couple of kinks in the suits against Mike and Donna. So Donna and I talked last night and we wanted to revisit a couple of items with you if you don't mind. Would you mind becoming a witness for the defense? I think your testimony might really help us put the cases away."
"Harvey...I told the police what I could way back when it happened. I'm not sure if I'm going to be much help now since it's been a while."
"Listen I know that. I'm just hoping that your memory of that day if on command may remember a little more detail. I know it may be a long shot, but it's a shot I need to take."
"Sure. I would do anything to help. What do you want me to do?"
"Can you come over to our West Chester house tomorrow night? You can, of course, bring your husband. I'll even cook."
"That's a real treat. Donna has told me what an excellent cook you are. I would really love to see the kids again. I haven't seen Mackenzie for a few months now. She must be huge by now."
"She's babbling and she's almost walking believe it or not. Donna says she's early with the walking. She told me our other two were lazy at that age."
He could hear Amelia giggle over the phone at that quip, and so it became settled that Amelia and her husband Rodney would join them for dinner and conversation the next night at the Specter's house in West Chester.
Sunday night arrived with the arrival of Amelia and Rodney Wadsworth. It had been several months now since Amelia had bought the business from Donna after the renovations. The studio seemed to be thriving and there had been no inklings of any additional criminal movement against the establishment. Rodney Wadsworth was also a lawyer but he normally worked for environmental establishments bringing suits to those companies whom Harvey normally represented. Luckily the two lawyers were not there to talk turkey, but to see if Amelia could remember anything that would exonerate Mike and keep the building owner from continuing their suit against Donna as an accomplice.
Rodney and Harvey talked while Donna put the children to bed with Amelia's help. Amelia had been trying to get pregnant now for months but to no avail, so she was more than happy to help with the baby or to read to Gordon or Mandy.
Rodney Wadsworth was a tall man like Harvey with a broad build. He possessed dark eyes like Harvey but there the similiarities ended as Rodney had a dark mustache and wavy dark hair. His mother was born in Armenia and his father was an American military man. He met Amelia at a Veteran's party for their parents as Amelia's parent were both Air Force Veterans during the Vietnam era. Both were born late in their parents' lives and were happy to have found each other.
"So, you think, Amelia can help you with this case against the owners of the building?" Rodney asked. He was very aware of Harvey's reputation has the greatest closer Manhattan had ever seen and he knew that Harvey, many times, used intimidation tactics to get what he wanted. Although he nor Amelia had ever personally experienced any of Harvey's reputed tactics Rodney wanted to protect his wife at all costs.
Harvey sat back and took a swig of his Scotch. "Yes, I am hoping that Amelia may have remembered something now about the day of the bombing since she may have been suffering from shock when the police had questioned her."
"Harvey, Amelia and I are trying to get pregnant. She is finally relaxed after all these months, so we are hoping that's all that has been preventing it from happening. I don't need you intimidating her into remembering something that isn't there."
Harvey leaned forward from his seat on the couch opposite to where Rodney sat.
"I don't know what you think you know about me, but I can't force a testimony out of her if she doesn't really remember. I just want to warn you I may have to push her to see if she does remember something but I cannot coerce what doesn't exist. I'm not a mean spirited man. I'm just a lawyer who knows how to do my job to protect my clients."
"Well, one of those "clients" is your wife and the other is your best friend from what I understand. So, to me, it looks like you would be willing to sacrifice my wife's sanity for the exoneration of your friend and wife."
Harvey looked away for a minute and then down into his glass.
"Wouldn't you do the same if you were in my position?"
Rodney scowled so hard his mustache curled up his lip in doing so. He held out his tumbler of ginger ale to Harvey's scotch filled one and clinked his glass.
"Touche."
Both men sat back and sipped their drinks while they listened to the return of silence as the children drifted off to sleep.
Donna and Amelia eventually descended the stairs chatting softly as they saw their two men drowsily sitting before the fire. Donna smirked and pointed to the both of them. Each went to their respective husband and roused them.
"Harvey? Did you want to ask Amelia now or did you eat and drink too much?" Donna asked. "It seems that Rodney and Amelia are trying to get pregnant and Amelia says she's ovulating so they need to get home as soon as possible unless you want to lend them our bed?"
At that Harvey jumped up and asked his wife, "Are you out of your goddamn mind?"
Donna could not help but start to laugh loudly as did Amelia at Harvey's discomfiture. Amelia had told Rodney that Donna and Harvey wanted to have a foursome and that did the trick for Rodney. He also jumped up and asked Harvey and Donna: "What the hell is this?"
While both the women were laughing hysterically, the guys looked at one another and then settled.
"I guess we deserved that," Rodney smiled at his wife.
"Yes, you both did," Donna said looking at Harvey.
Donna kissed Harvey on the cheek and Rodney kissed Amelia on the lips.
"Let's take this into my office just around the corner from the dining room. Those chairs couldn't induce sleep if they tried."
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"Ok, Amelia, no pressure. If you can remember what happened on the day of the bombing that would be great."
"Sure, Harvey. Go ahead."
"Amelia, what happened prior to the bomb going off?" Harvey asked. Donna was poised with her hands on the keyboard of her iPad. It felt odd to do things the old fashioned way. She had not had to record a testimony since they were at the D.A's office only back then she used a pencil, pad, and her shorthand skills.
Amelia closed her eyes to concentrate on remembering every detail on the day of the bombing. She was not sure but she thought she had had a breakthrough the night before when Harvey had asked her on the phone.
"I was going about my morning routine which was greeting the students and checking the daily schedule for classes and instructors. I went into the kitchen the first time to get a cup of coffee and I could hear the instructors in some of the rooms from there. The offices were quiet especially Donna's which was the first one you came to after the kitchen. I knew from the schedule she was teaching that day."
"Did you see Jalena Karenza at all that day?"
"I'm not sure."
"Oh, yes, now I remember she and I crossed paths in the kitchen. She was making her protein drink which she always drank on a daily basis."
"How do you know that?" Harvey asked.
"Because we always crossed paths in the kitchen at the same time. Jalena's class is always late morning around 11 am," Amelia explained.
"Did she seem unusually keyed up in anyway or did she give you any reason for thinking something was out of the ordinary that day?"
It was very quiet in Harvey's home office decorated totally different than the chic glass office in the city. Here his office looked very much like a lawyer's office. Heavy dark wood desk with matching darkwood bookshelves. The bookshelves were near empty has Harvey's law library was distributed between the Specters' condo and this house. The tap-tap of Donna's nails on the keypad of the mini computer was the only constant noise between questions and answers.
"Yes, when I came back to my desk, Jalena was hovering over the front door and then flitted to the schedule on the wall and then back to the front door. It was almost like she was waiting for something or someone."
"Did you know that Jalena is Adrian Lazo's wife?" Harvey asked.
"No, I never interviewed her or talked with her prior to us working together."
"Did anything odd happen that day meaning people around the reception area who normally are not or anything that you thought may be strange or put you on guard?"
"Yes, I do remember Jalena hovering around the reception area and being gregarious. Normally we see each other in the kitchen and the chit-chat there and she goes to her room for her next class. I now remember. She kept looking out the window and jumping around.
"Waiting for someone, Jalena?" Amelia asked.
"No, just happy the sun is shining. I do have a package coming. It's for here, so I thought I should have it delivered here instead of my house and then have to drag it in here."
"What is it? Do you know what delivery company? UPS, USPS, FED EX? I can tell you what time they normally make deliveries so you don't have to hover and be late for your next class?" Amelia offered.
Jalena turned around from the blinded window. "No, that's ok, Amelia. It's being delivered by special messenger and I am pretty sure they told me it would be here by this time today."
"Then the door opened and Jalena looked like she was talking to the man in coveralls. He was not fat nor thin, but he was pretty tall if I remember. The coveralls did not have any patch on them stating where he was from and then he showed me an I.D. that said he was from the NY Fire Department and he had to make another fire code inspection. He wanted to know where are kitchen and HVAC controls were...Oh, I remember now!" Amelia became excited and opened her eyes to see Harvey, Rodney, and especially Donna waiting to type her next words.
"I'll show him where to go, Amelia. No problem."
"So, I thought that strange at the time since she was hovering for a good 45 minutes waiting for this supposed package. Then all of a sudden she was all calm and offering to escort the "prospective" inspector to the kitchen and HVAC controls."
"When was the next time you saw her?" Harvey asked looking over at Donna who had been typing as fast as her brain could comprehend.
"Not until after the bomb went off and she was just standing near the ambulances as they came. I spotted her and told her what had happened to Donna. Jalena said she was sorry and then I haven't seen her since. She didn't even come back to be an instructor when I called her and told her that I now owned the business."
"Did she say why?"
"Well, I never really spoke to her. I left a message. I never knew she was Lazo's wife, though. He's quite a bit older, isn't he?"
Donna mentioned "Yes he is about thirty years older than she. She's only in her early twenties, if I remember from her application."
"That makes sense. Older husband dupes younger wife to take the fall for perjury while he look like he's innocent of any wrong doing. Some men..." Harvey said not finishing his sentence.
Harvey looked at Amelia again. "Is there anything else you can remember from that day that was unusual before or after the bomb exploded?"
"No, just the smell of gas and the guy in the coveralls leaving swiftly. He didn't have me sign anything or give me a report. He told me that the report would be online and then he gave me a bogus address. The reason I know it's bogus is because I tried to access it after the fire and the screen kept telling me wrong address."
"Ok, Amelia. This is great! I think we can conclusively say that Mike was not the one who set the bomb. Or at least make it look like it enough and let the jury figure it out."
Harvey then rose and every one also rose.
Donna saved Amelia's testimony on her official legal iPad and marked it accordingly and would add Harvey's signature to it when it was processed. She closed the distance between her and Amelia and gave her a big hug.
"Thank you, thank you. You will testify when the time comes, right?"
"Absolutely, Donna, Harvey. I have no qualms of putting anyone away who was involved with this."
Harvey gave her a hug as well and shook Rodney's hand.
All four people left Harvey's office and placed their coats on and said their good byes and drove into the night leaving Donna and Harvey more secure in their case than when the day started.