Mike had reluctantly agreed to enter the police department and file a report. The police asked him question after question, and Mike thought it might never end. He gave them all the information he could think of, whether he thought it was useful or not, and did his best not to walk right back out the door. Donna, Rachel, and Harvey waited for him to finish, giving him looks of encouragement whenever he happened to glance their way. After what felt like an eternity, the questions finally ceased. He was told that they were going to open an investigation into his kidnapping, and that they'd let him know more later on. Mike was exhausted, and as he hopped into the car, he was glad to actually be headed home this time. Harvey dropped Rachel and Mike off at their house, promising to call later on.
The first thing Mike did when he got home was take a long, long shower. He spent over an hour in the bathroom, but somehow, he still felt dirty. Dirty, and helpless, and a big part of him feared that those feelings would never go away.
Although everyone else objected, Mike insisted on going to work the next day. He just wanted things to go back to normal, so that maybe he could find a way to gain back the sense of security he'd lost.
"Are you sure about this?" Rachel asked for the third time that morning.
Mike adjusted his tie in the mirror, and turned around to smile at her. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her in close.
"I'm sure," he assured Rachel, leaning in to kiss her softly, "I'm going to be fine."
Rachel wasn't quite convinced, but she gave in anyway.
"Okay, but if you start feeling like it's too much, I'm sure Harvey will be fine with you going home early."
Mike nodded, he was sure too, considering how much everyone had opposed the idea in the first place. He was determined though, and it was way better than sitting at home doing nothing.
As Mike walked into the office, he encountered something he hadn't expected. People were staring at him. Intensely, openly, and unapologetically staring at him. Some people stared with pity in their eyes, while others stared in disbelief, although most of the time it was a mixture of the two. It was like he was a ghost, and no one could quite believe they were really seeing him.
At one point, when he walked into the associates pool, many of the associates actually started clapping. Mike was perturbed, and did his best to silence their applause with a look of confusion and disapproval. What on earth was going on? When Harvey called him into his office later that day, he walked in quickly, and he did so happily, glad to escape all the stares, even if only for a moment.
"You rang?" Mike asked, glancing towards the door to make sure no one was still staring at him. No one was within view, much to his relief.
"Yes, I 'rang'. I just wanted to see how you were doing is all," Harvey responded nonchalantly.
"You, the great Harvey Specter, care about how I, a lowly junior partner is doing?? Are you meaning to say, you care?" Mike joked, feigning shock.
Harvey rolled his eyes and hid a smirk, although his amusement couldn't be hidden completely, as it shone clearly through his eyes.
"I see you've still got a sense of humor," Harvey noted, "but be careful what you say about me, it just might come back to haunt you."
"You're telling me," Mike said knowingly, "did you notice everyone staring at me? It's really creeping me out."
"Maybe they're in awe of how you survived the wrath of the great Harvey Specter," Harvey mused.
"Yeah, I'm sure that's it," Mike countered sarcastically.
Mike and Harvey bantered back and forth like that for a little while longer, before Louis came into the room. Mike excused himself, but Louis stopped him in the doorway before he left.
"Mike, I'm sorry about the other night," he said in a low voice.
Mike nodded and left somewhat quickly, but not before he heard the very beginning of Harvey chewing Louis out. Mike bit back a smile. Harvey did have his back, and he made a note to apologize to him for saying otherwise later on.
Over the next two days Mike got used to all the staring, which he thought would have died down by now. It no longer bothered him, and instead whenever he caught someone staring at him, he would just stare right back until they got uncomfortable. He thought this was funny, unaware that others were starting to view him as intimidating. People still looked at him though, just more discretely. At the two week mark, they still hadn't stopped staring, which was mind boggling to Mike, as the semblance of normal he had wished for seemed to be fading. There had been no word from the police, so it wasn't like there was news fueling the stares, but still they continued.
All of this staring, however, would explain why Mike didn't notice the van that followed him to work everyday. Not even when it almost ran into him. He was used to being stared at, so much so that he didn't notice that the same person stood just outside his firm every day, always with a coffee mug in his hand, and always watching for Mike. No, being stared at was his new normal, he thought nothing of it, and he even began to welcome it. He thought this was a good thing, not noticing otherwise.