A/N: Just wanted to clarify that italics are someone's thoughts. Ok, R&R, please. Thank you so much all the readers and reviewers - Carebearmaxi

Donna Meets Lily –

Chapter 20

Back to the Living

Harvey started to wake. He remembered the pressure of the doctor pressing into his skull and the good news that they would not have to cut his head open. The drilling alleviated the bleeding. He groggily reached for his head and found a bandage there instead of his bald head or his hair. He looked at the nurse sitting at a desk and heard machines and felt the presence of other patients the more he became aware. I must be in recovery. I made it! Harvey thought.

"Oh, Mr. Specter! You're awake! You are doing so well. I will call the doctor and I'll see if your wife can come in here, so you don't have to wait to talk to her."

"I'm not married," Harvey tried to set the record straight.

"Of course you are. There's a very beautiful redhead who's been waiting on pins and needles for you to wake up. I don't think you could get that mad that you could deny your own wife," Matilde said.

"Donna is not my wife, Matilde," Harvey said noting her name on the tag which happened to be in his line of vision.

Then Harvey remembered what was happening before he went into surgery regarding his marital status.

Donna. At the sound of her name, memories flooded Harvey's mind. Some from many years ago and some very recent like how she looked so sexy and beautiful in the slinky blue dress at his mother's party; the wild ride in his brother's Mustang to his childhood home; every aspect of the time they spent in that house including the first night they made love; and, especially, a couple of nights later when he proposed to her. Donna played coy and had not given him an answer, and he was not exactly sure why although he had his suspicions. Now that he thought of it those suspicions manifested themselves after Scottie showed up at the door a few days ago and Donna left him for California.

"Hey," a soft familiar voice whispered to him.

Harvey wanted to turn his head toward the voice. He turned as best he could.

"Hey," Harvey answered weakly. He could just see her red hair from the corner of his eye and felt her breath on his skin.

"I guess you're my surprise?" Harvey asked closing his eyes in relief that she had returned to him.

"Yep. Do you like it?" Donna asked.

"I love it. I love you," Harvey said softly as a tear escaped from one eye and fell against the side of his face. Donna bent and kissed his cheek which had a considerable amount of beard on it. The nurses shaved his head but on instruction from the doctors they were not to disturb his face. The doctor was afraid any unnecessary motion would trigger increased bleeding.

"Why did you leave and not tell me?" Harvey asked.

"Shh.." Donna said and bent to kiss him on his lips to quiet him. "No more questions. I love you, Harvey. I'm here. We'll talk when you get better."

"Ok," Harvey quietly acquiesced. He was tired and he was no longer in pain or scared to fall asleep.

Donna left the recovery room and returned to the waiting room to inform them of Harvey's condition.

After returning to the room and conferring with the surgeon that the procedure went as expected without any complications, Donna smiled a relieved smile as did everyone in the room. Mike punched the air and said "Yes!" Lily broke into tears as did Scottie. Rachel hugged Donna.

"Now you can be together!" Rachel exclaimed hugging Donna again.

"Yes," Donna agreed. "Let me call Ray. I know he wanted to know the minute any news came down. Let me tell him he still has Harvey to drive at his beck and call."

Donna joked but she contacted Ray who was standing by the phone and was happy that Donna had called with good news.

Soon after the initial good news was spread to everyone, Donna went to a corner chair and dialed her friend, Brenda, her new agent, and the director of the Shakespeare In the Park Theater Group. She told them all that she would not be back this week, but to be sure to keep looking for roles for her and that she would return for the Taming of The Shrew production for sure.

"Harvey and I need to talk when he gets better." Donna said aloud to no one but herself.

"You're what?" Brenda exclaimed and asked on the other end of the phone. "Hollywood waits for no woman, my dear, even one as beautiful and talented as you."

After a beat of silence where Donna just shook her head, Brenda asked, "I thought the man didn't want you after all?"

"It's complicated, Brenda," Donna explained. "There really is no way you can understand the special but complicated relationship Harvey and I have always had."

"After 13 years it sounds more like procrastination of both parties," Brenda responded bitterly. "You are a beautiful, vivacious woman, Donna. You have a chance for something big here. Don't let him take that away from you."

"I won't, but I love him, Brenda. I think about a life without him and it's like I can't breathe. So, if I have to make a hard decision, I will," Donna explained to her friend as best she could.

"I only hope you make that decision without regret," warned Brenda.

At least Donna's other phone calls went more smoothly than the one with her friend. Donna reasoned it was probably because neither person really cared if she came back or not. Brenda cared too much. Brenda did not have a husband or children or she never wanted to or just never found the right guy.

Donna's realization that she truly wanted a husband and children and that Harvey was the facilitator of those realizations were solid. She thought she had put it out of her mind a long time ago that it was a possibility. The timing never seemed quite right. Rachel and Mike always knew or assumed the relationship was more than just boss/secretary and best friend. Donna realized those two were far from oblivious. They rooted for her and Harvey and since they knew of Harvey's lack of emotional availability and Donna's protection and care of Harvey and their stubbornness to admit they were in love they both allowed Donna and Harvey to come to that realization on their own. Sometimes Donna thought maybe Rachel and Mike had set too good an example wheb two people loved each other.

Donna looked up from her phone as Lily approached.

"The doctor said we could see him now. He's back in his room. I know you went to see him in recovery. Was he happy to see you?"

Donna nodded. "I believe he was."

Lily stroked Donna's arm up and down.

"Of course, he was."

Harvey was released a couple of days later. Donna did her best to dissuade Harvey from returning too quickly to working twelve hours a day. She even teased him about his lack of hair and having another hole in his head which led to him teasing her back about why she left and how she could not resist him.

They fell on the bed then and Harvey felt relieved and happy for the first time in days. He fell on top of her. Dressed only in his boxers and an undershirt as they were retiring to bed, Donna was scantily clad as well. She was wearing his favorite negligee-his Harvard mock football jersey.

Donna reached up and looked at the man who had held her captive. She suddenly softened and stroked his cheek. Harvey responded and kissed her deeply

"I have wanted to do that ever since I heard you at my bedside," Harvey growled deeply in his voice. "I want you now."

"I'm here," Donna said removing his white t-shirt. He rolled up the jersey until her beautiful breasts were in his view. They both slipped the barriers from their bodies. Harvey stood up and Donna removed his boxers and he took one hand removed Donna's panties while slipping himself between Donna's legs. He stopped once because his head started to pain him.

"Are you sure you should be doing this so soon after your operation? You're not going to burst a blood vessel, are you?"

"Look, I'm going to make love to you if it is the last thing I do...and you're going to love it!" Harvey growled in his throat.

Donna held him close and let him continue until the rush came for both of them. Donna knew that if she and Harvey broke up permanently now she would never find another lover so satisfying. She fell hard that one time and she never recovered. She did hope it was the same for Harvey. She did not want to hurt him, but hopefully he would understand that she needed the chance that she had been given...

Donna temporarily returned to her position as his secretary until a new full time replacement could be found. She wanted to remind Harvey of the new "norm" but restrained herself as he was still not back to himself yet. She dare not broach the subject of California either since she knew this would probably result in a setback in their relationship; or, worse, Harvey's head begin to bleed again. Donna just wanted to cherish the time she was currently enjoying with Harvey in the hopes that he would understand when the time came that they would need to temporarily separate.

Donna and Harvey stepped off the elevator to the 50th floor. Harvey took a deep breath and squeezed Donna's hand as they walked to his office. He temporarily forgot that his office was directly forward from the elevators instead of having to make a turn to the left.

"It's over here, remember?" Donna said out of the side of her mouth so no one would notice that Harvey was still a little shaky and had a temporary lapse in memory. His hair had started to grow back. The small head of hair that Harvey was now fashionably wearing did not deter from his handsomeness.

"Just testing you," Harvey mouthed back out of the side of his mouth. He just wanted to ensure Donna that he was not that enfeebled since his surgery.

"Hey, Harvey, glad you're back..."

"It's nice to see you, Mr. Specter..."

"Harvey when you have a minute..."

"Oh, Donna, I'm glad you're back!"

That last person that greeted Donna was, of course, Louis. She shooed him away and promised she would talk to him later. Louis did shake Harvey's hand and was happy to see him. Louis was also eager to give Harvey a complete review of the cases they were now handling as a firm.

There were so many that had appeared in Harvey's path on his way to his office. Harvey had never noticed before how many people they were actually employing again at the firm. Most of them were associates and some were on loan from the clinic but PSL looked almost back to the same condition before Mike's fraud made the firm notorious and the partners and support staff desert.

As soon as he sat down, Donna sat on his desk.

"So, are you ready for your calendar?"

"I'm more ready than you."

"Never, mister," Donna smirked at him and kissed him. "Here's your calendar. I had to rework it since I was gone for a few days. I don't know what system Amy and Gretchen worked out but I can't make heads nor tails of it."

"I didn't try. I just did as they said."

"Good boy. They can train you as well," Donna said with a smile.

Harvey eyed her in his old sarcastic way when he knew he was the butt of her joke.

"You finished now?"

"Yes," Donna said as she started to walk away.

"Good because I would like to get some work done today."

As Donna was walking away, Harvey grabbed her hand. He stood up and being careful that no one was watching took Donna's face in his hands and kissed her deeply.

"Thank you for last night and for coming back. I missed you."

Harvey, of course, referred to the previous night. He felt victorious and a return to his old self and he was so touched so deeply and felt truly honored to be with Donna that he almost burst into tears. He saw that Donna had.

"Why, the tears?" Harvey asked thumbing away one as he looked down at her in his arms. He still lay on top of her so close and warm inside her that he did not want to leave her.

"I'm so happy you're here and that you want me," Donna said and kissed him as she noted the water in his eyes.

"No other will I ever love as I love you, Remember that. OK?" Harvey said and then rolled over and took her with him. They slept with her head comfortably pressed to his chest and his head pleasantly on top of hers smelling her scent of vanilla and lavendar.

"I missed you, too, Harvey." Donna's eyes were lowered so all Harvey could see was her eyelids and her long eyelashes brushing her cheeks.

Suddenly, Donna looked up and smiled.

"How about I call in your first appointment?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way. As long as it isn't Louis, I'm ready for him yet," responded Harvey giving her that old charming Specter smile.