You Know I Love You

Chapter 13 - Deals

Harvey lay next to Donna who slept. In the dim candlelight of Donna's bedroom, he could see through the darkness the red digital numbers of her alarm clock. Three am glowed and through the haze of Harvey's stinging eyes he looked at Donna who soundly slept next to him. He lifted his hand and gently brushed her hair away from her face. He kissed her softly on the forehead and then slipped out of her bed.

Donna awoke at the sound of the alarm. Six a.m. already? With eyes closed she smacked it off, and with her other hand she reached out to the other side of the bed only to find it cold and empty.

"Harvey? Harvey..." Donna called. I knew it! Of course he left in the middle of the night. I thought for sure last night when he came back to me that he would be here in the morning. He was always ready in the morning for little canoodling before we venture to the office.

Suddenly, instinct told her that he leaving this time was not because he had returned to his old ways.

Oh my! I know why he left. He's went home to get dressed to cut himself a deal with Anita Gibbs before the jury comes back with a verdict! Despite what I told him and what I urged him not to do! I've got to get to him before he gets to Anita Gibbs!

Donna hurriedly rose, took a shower, and dressed. In the midst of dressing her phone rang.

"Hello," Donna said dreading who might be on the other end of the line.

"Don..It's Rachel," Rachel said "We got notified late last night that the jury came to a verdict. We have until 9:30 before they reassemble in the courtroom."

"I'll be right there, Rache," Donna said.

Before she hung up, she asked, "How's Mike?'

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. I haven't seen him since he left for the almost two hours ago. It's just about 7:00 now."

"I'll be there in a few minutes." Donna stated to Rachel in no uncertain terms and left her apartment and hailed the first cab which came her way.

Harvey, in the meantime, was dressed in his best black suit and had received an early morning call from Mike stating that the jury came to a verdict. He thanked him and told him to be calm and that he would meet him there by the time the jury came back to the courtroom.

Well, I'm going to preempt that verdict if I can. I'm sorry, Donna. I can't let Mike do this to he and Rachel's future. I love you and it is hurting me to know this will hurt you. However I must do this. Despite your brave words and the love you've always shown me and especially last night. I wanted so much to be there when you awoke and lay there and just hold you in my arms. But I can't be happy knowing that Mike may not have the time to be with the woman he loves.

Harvey's decision crystallised to his current conclusion the minute he walked back into Donna's apartment. The minute he kissed her and carried her to bed Harvey felt so selfish knowing that Mike may not be able to enjoy his life with Rachel due to him. Harvey knew that Donna may come to hate him because of this decision, but Harvey had made his peace with it and he knew, in time, Donna would forgive Harvey for forfeiting their life for Mike and Rachel's.

Prior to Mike's phone call, Harvey contacted Anita Gibbs at an ungodly hour and asked to see her in her office at 8:00 am. The jury had come to a verdict at 8:30 pm the previous night, but the jury would not assemble in the court until 9:30 am. Harvey knew from experience that the judge hearing Mike's case had her own difficult time with serving nine to five work hours set in history. Harvey liked to know all about the judges who may hear a case he is trying. In this case, this judge had a handicapped husband at home and had to wait until the day nurse arrived to care for him.

As Harvey examined himself in the mirror, he smile briefly at the one beautiful memory he would carry to prison while he served out the deal he was going to make with Anita Gibbs. She would likely throw the book at him since he was not only a practicing attorney well aware of the legal consequences of breaking the law, but also that he was a grownup who should have known better than to hire a fraud and hurt not only himself but his firm and all his clients that Harvey did actually care for. Especially to Donna as his actions would almost surely feel like the ultimate betrayal and complete desertion. Although Harvey felt they had truly reconciled last night, she would definitely be hurt the most since they had said and promised so many things whether aloud or not.

I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Donna, just like I told you last night. However, my life will be too short for that now. When I come out of prison, we'll both be too old to have what we may have had had I not wasted so much precious time. I won't ask you to wait for me. I know I was stupid not to notice the only woman for me...my soulmate as they say so many years ago. I don't regret having the fun I had but when I realized that I could have been building a life with you instead of sleeping with a different woman every night and using Scottie to satisfy my appetite for the real thing , I think how stupid I was to waste what we have together. Also I was stupid to sleep with Louis' sister. However, Esther was beautiful and completely available, but through that experience I realized how much I missed you. Not just as my secretary but my girlfriend.

Goddamn it, Donna. I hope you can understand that it's my goddman fault and it is up to me to get us all out of it. Please understand.

Harvey had written most of his feelings in a letter addressed to Donna with the ring he had purchased with the intention of asking her to be his wife when she was ready to take him back. However since he felt that Mike's verdict was heading south Harvey's proposal of marriage to his own love would have to wait. If the deal was going to put Harvey in prison for a long time, he would say farewell to Donna and make her forget him. Harvey had paid a fortune for travel and living arrangements for Donna to go to Los Angeles immediately after they said their final goodbye. Donna was not to return to Pearson Specter Litt to wait interminably for him to finish his prison term. Harvey had wanted her to test her acting chops in that scene where he knew with Donna's beauty, brains, and talent she would go far. Although she was older than most of the ingenues who went to Hollywood looking to become an actress there would always be a place for a savvy, smart, beautiful redhead.

Harvey adjusted his tie and smiled at how Donna was always fixing his tie to completely ensure that he looked suave and sophisticated many more times than he felt. When they were preparing to go to another boring client's cocktail party, Donna grinned at him after straightening his tie and patting his hair down apeing Billy Crystal's Fernando: "It's more important to look mahbelous than to feel mahbelous." Harvey smiled at that memory and proceeded to walk out of his apartment for the last time and get into his big black Lexus with Ray behind the wheel...one more time.

Meanwhile Donna's cab stopped at the courthouse. As she was alighting from the cab, Rachel stood there near to tears.

"Rachel, what's going on?" Donna asked noting how sad her friend was. "Did the jury come back this soon?"

"No. It's Mike," Rachel said trying to halt the flood of tears that came so easily nowadays. "Mike left very early this morning without real reason. I think he's on his way to Anita Gibb's office to cut a deal. I told him to have faith in the jury. He was pretty magnificent in there I thought. I don't know what to do."

Donna reached out and held Rachel by her two upper arms and said, "What a coincidence. Harvey came to me last night wanting to do the same thing. I thought I had talked him out of it, but he left in the middle of the night and I can't reach him on his cell. However I told myself if he did cut a deal that I would forgive him and stick with him... because I love him." Donna swiped impatiently at an escaping tear.

"Well, you're a better woman than I am, Donna. Because if Mike is doing what I think he's doing, I'm not sure I can forgive him."

Donna looked momentarily at the sky and then said, "Let's say we find Anita Gibbs and I guarantee you we'll find the men," Donna said as they turned around and ventured into the thickening crowd bursting through the courthouse doors.

"Mr. Specter," Anita Gibbs said in a smug manner. "I can't imagine why you want to have this meeting. You do know the jury came to a verdict."

"Well, Ms. Gibbs, let's put it this way. I don't care what the verdict is. Mike Ross is not serving prison time."

"Are you so certain that the jury will come back with a guilty verdict?" Ms. Gibbs took a seat behind her desk while she examined the hotshot lawyer sitting across from her. She had read all about Harvey Specter and his reputation for negotiating and closing deals. She had read all about his prowess as an ADA and his conviction record and then suddenly how he had returned to the firm that birthed him climbing the corporate ladder to become one of the most powerful and wealthy corporate lawyers.

To Anita Gibbs, a lawyer as young as Harvey to have advanced that quickly from mailroom boy to name partner must have wound the law illegally or at least bent the hell out of it. So when she got wind that Mike Ross was a fraud and that he worked for Harvey Specter, Anita Gibbs' dream of sending a crooked lawyer who barely stayed inbounds with the law to prison for actually breaking the law was an opportunity to good for her to let pass by.

"So what do you want?"

"I want to take the hit. I'll confess to hiring a fraud and you let Mike go free and cause no impediment for him to return to his practicing law. You've talked to him. That kid became a lawyer because he genuinely cares for people. I can't say I was ever that much of a bleeding heart. Mike is genuinely good and doesn't deserve to be put into any prison even a minimum security one."

"Well, ok, that sounds more like it. I'll give you ten years for your confession."

"Ten years? Really, Ms. Gibbs, isn't that a little excessive."

Suddenly the door burst open, Mike stood in the doorway.

"Harvey! Whatever you're doing, don't! It's not fair!" Mike exclaimed closing the door firmly as he walked to the two steps to where his best friend and mentor sat.

"Mike. It's fair for me to do this. It's me she really wants."

"Why? Because you gave somebody a break? Ms. Gibbs, I know what you think about Harvey. This man is not what his reputation proclaims him to be..."

"Oh, really." Anita Gibbs sat intrigued by Harvey's little minion's defense.

"No. He is a good man and he has a heart. He doesn't deserve whatever you want to throw at him. He made a mistake just like I made a mistake."

"Is this your confession, Mr. Ross?" Anita said rising as there was some crazy knocking on her door.

"I'm not confessing to anything and neither is he.."

"Mike!" Harvey exclaimed

As she walked to the door, she noticed Mike Ross's fiancee and Harvey Specter's secretary standing there looking like their worlds had just fallen down on their heads.

"Well, this is becoming old home week. Ms. Paulsen, Ms. Zane won't you come in and join the party?" She shut the door as the two women walked in and came to stand behind their respective men.

Donna stood behind Harvey's chair and placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head and looked up at her and answered her smile with his own relieved and grateful smile. I thought I wouldn't want her here. I am so glad she is.

Rachel came and stood next to where Mike stood. He put his arm around her. They both had noticed how Donna's hand slipped so comfortably to Harvey's shoulder and how lovingly they smiled at each other. They definitely did not miss Harvey's grateful and loving expression as he acknowledged Donna's presence by patting her hand which had come to lie on his shoulder. Mike and Rachel smiled at one another. They knew that they must have reconciled completely. They both thought good for them .

Just as Anita Gibbs was taking her seat behind her desk the bailiff from the court knocked at her office door and opened it.

"Ms. Gibbs, the jury is back. We don't have much time. You know how the judge gets when people are late to her court."

"Yes, Pillman, thank you. I know. Well, I'd say we've run out of time for our little tete-a-tete; so let's just see what the jury says," Anita Gibbs said a little smugly because she was sure that the jury was coming back with a verdict in her favor.