Chapter 16 - Two Weeks After

Harvey stood in the bathroom at Pearson Specter Litt and pulled down the collar of his white starched cotton shirt. He looked at the large strawberry colored bruise just under his left ear. As he contrived to see the harshness of the mark, Harvey caught sight of his platinum diamond encrusted wedding band. He momentarily stopped looking at his neck and focused on his wedding ring. He knew what that ring represented. That ring represented the commitment that he faithfully and wantonly made with Donna three years ago. The same commitment that Rachel and Mike would be making in a couple of weeks.

When Harvey had returned from his visit with his mother, he avoided Donna like the plague. He knew she had seen his bruised neck. He knew because she said she had purposely laid out a low neck shirt to embarrass him. That was so unlike Donna. She did everything in the world to protect him. She was really pissed at him, but then again he was really pissed with her. It had now been two weeks since Donna's "betrayal" and Harvey's almost recompense. They put on a good show for Amanda who at almost two was as perceptive as her mother. Harvey never wanted to have a situation like the one he had lived with for so many years. He knew Donna wanted to talk about their situation but ever since Marcus and his family had returned to Boston she had been carrying a grudge of her own. They tried to talk once which only resulted in a screaming match ending with Harvey sleeping in the guest room or on the end of his daughter's bed when she woke one night after a bad dream and went looking for him.

"Jessica, is this not the men's bathroom?"

"It's my goddamn firm, I can go wherever the hell I want including the men's bathroom," Jessica said sternly staring at Harvey and he knew instinctively she had seen the mark on his neck and the strained behavior between husband and wife.

"I suppose you're here because you have noticed a problem between my secretary and me," Harvey ventured calling his wife by her professional title rather than the personal one.

"Yes, I have noticed a problem between you and your wife. You missed a deposition yesterday without even a call to say where you were or have "your secretary" cover your ass for you. I think that must be the first time in 12 years where Donna had no clue where you were."

"Jessica..."

"Come to my office. Both of you," Jessica said. She did not like to see discord in her "house" but when it was there she needed it resolved one way or another. These two she loved like her family. Harvey had grown into a fine partner and when he finally came to the realization that his professional and personal life revolved around Donna Jessica was sincerely happy. However, she had warned them of the consequences of working with the same person with whom you slept.

A few moments later, Harvey and Donna paraded through her glass office door.

"You wanted to see us?" Donna asked.

"Yes, I did. Come sit on the couch. I want a word with you two," Jessica said.

"Now, I am not normally nosy but when I see my name partner and his secretary fall out of sync and said name partner doesn't make a deposition that she supposedly scheduled, I get a little agitated and worried about how the rest of my day will pass. Now, the whole Pearson Specter Litt family on every goddamn floor of this firm knows how much you love one another and how much you two are meant to be together. In a couple of weeks I am going to have another married couple under my roof. At least for them they seem to be setting a better example than you two are doing."

"Jessica, it's between Donna and me..." Harvey started to say.

"Cut the bullshit, Specter," Jessica said standing as Harvey had just done. "Do not be airing your dirty laundry in any way, shape, or form in my house. Now I have warned you about the dangers of working and living together and somewhere in the by-laws I do remember a line about prohibiting office romances or married people working close together. Now I am not against you two being together, in fact, one of your strengths was that you work like a well-oiled machine. However, you miss another deposition or stop acting like a name partner in this firm and one or both of you will be gone. Got it?"

Donna turned her head away for a moment to blot a watery eye. "Got it. Is that all Jessica?"

"Yes, that's all Donna. Thank you."

Harvey lingered a little longer. Jessica had always been like Harvey's big sister. Mentoring him from his first days in the mailroom to his stint as an Assistant District Attorney for Cameron Dennis, Jessica had always been a nonjudgmental vent for his feelings. Later their conversations were about his success in the firm or how they were going to handle a hostile takeover or how to keep a limit on Louis' emotional shenanigans now and again. Never had it been this personal until now. When he and Donna were married, Jessica had given her" don't let your marriage problems become your working together problems" speech. Then they both thought how ridiculous it sounded. Apparently, though, as time had passed, Jessica had known of what she spoke.

"Harvey? Was there something else you wanted to discuss?" Jessica said moving back to her desk to return to her brief.

"I just wanted to apologize for our behavior. We've been going through a thing that happened during Thanksgiving break."

"I saw you Black Friday and you were ok. What happened?"

Harvey looked at her for a moment and decided not to say anything.

"It's between Donna and me. I'd rather not discuss it."

"Suit yourself, but you better not make Mike cover another deposition for you. He was not prepared. However, he did a great job considering he knew nothing about the client. He's a fifth year now. You can't expect him to be at your beck and call anymore. You taught him well, Harvey."

"Thank...you?" Harvey smiled. "I'll make sure I have everything ok in our house before we bring it into yours this time."

"Yes, it is so much better working with you when you and Donna are not at odds. Now get the hell out of my office," Jessica said amusedly dismissing him.

Harvey walked out Jessica's door and then on the way to his office he became distracted again by a visit from his mother's doctor.

"Mr. Specter," Dr. Jeff Tulane had addressed him.

"Dr. Tulane? What is it? Is my mother ok?" Harvey asked hurriedly as he walked toward his office from the elevator bank.

"My office is just down this way," Harvey said as he walked with Dr. Tulane swiftly down the hall.

When he saw Donna he said, "Let the phones go to voicemail and come in here."

"Already done, Harvey."

Donna was the last into the office and shut the thick glass door behind her. She took a seat next to Harvey on the couch while Dr. Tulane sat in far end chair away from the door which afforded a little more privacy in that it was harder to hear. Donna had turned off the intercom, so no one walking by her desk could hear their private conversations. The intercom would be turned back on the minute Donna resumed her seat outside of Harvey's office.

"It must be nice working with your wife, Mr. Specter. Mine is nurse, but the hospital regulations doesn't allow us to work on the same floor. I'm glad you're here, Mrs. Specter, so I can tell the both of you at the same time," Dr. Tulane began.

"What is the problem, doctor? Has Lillian become worse?" Donna wanted to know.

"Yes, she has. She has started to become delirious or in and out of present time. She also has lost the use of her legs. It is not unusual in her case for a patient to lose faculties so suddenly. It just means that the tumor has moved or grown to the point where it is pressing on vital areas," Dr. Tulane said carefully.

"Should I call my brother and his family to be here?" Harvey asked very concerned. Dr. Jeff Tulane was a man around Harvey's age with a serious turn to his chin and compassionate worry lines under his eyes.

"I don't think she's quite at the end yet, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared. However, the reason I came here is that she is asking for the both of you. There was something she especially wanted you both to hear at the same time."

Harvey and Donna looked at one another and at once they were both embarrassed at the events that were tearing them apart.

"I already cancelled your last three appointments for today," Donna said looking at her husband. She saw tears well up in his eyes and knew that Harvey was feeling bad about how his last visit had gone with his mother. He blamed her for the predicament Harvey and she found themselves.

"You always know," Harvey said softly to her as she rose to accompany Harvey and Dr. Tulane to the elevators.

Donna's smile was brittle at Harvey's loving comment.

"We'll arrange for a sitter and be there in a few minutes," Harvey said shaking Dr. Tulane's hand.

He turned to Donna then and said, "Call Marcus and tell him to get here fast. No, let me do that. I have an idea. Contact your mother to see if she can stay with the kids. Tell her she may have to stay overnight."

"Already done. My mother wanted to stay anyway because she knew I had that I was to accompany Rachel for her final fitting tomorrow."

Harvey looked surprised. "Oh, ok," was the only thing that Harvey said, however, the look he gave his wife said so much more.

When they had arrived at the hospice they were taken to a normal hospital room in another section of the hospice. Lillian lay sleeping with a respirator mask on her face. Harvey looked at Donna with a look as if he was going to punch someone in the face.

"Let's try to talk to her, Harvey. The doctor said that would be good for her. Keep her in the present and aware," Donna advised Harvey.

"She didn't look like this a couple of weeks ago when Marcus and me were here. She was talking. We even sat in the lounge before I decided to wait in the car for Marcus to say his goodbyes. She looked frail but not like this." Harvey was horrified. His father's death happened in a vacuum. He had been made a junior partner and he had been missing Zoe Lawford. She had moved out of the corporate floor and gone onto the financial end of the business. Donna had come into his office and had told him in tears that his father had had a heart attack and he was gone.

This was so much different. His mother whom he had hated all his life except for the last couple of months was quickly deteriorating before his eyes. Dr. Tulane thought it was not the end for her, but he could not be sure. Marcus and his family were already in a plane bound for New York. Harvey didn't care. He would pay anything so his mother could have both her sons here if it was her time. Harvey did not want to think it was the end, but Donna knew and that was all Harvey had ever needed to focus his thoughts. Donna knew things instinctively, intuitively, and every other way, so he knew his thoughts that this was not the end had been wishful thinking.

"Harvey? Donna?"

"Hey, mom, we heard we should come see you. Heard you missed us." Harvey said softly. He felt the stinging of tears beckon in his eyes. In a million years, he never thought he would weep for his mother.

"Come here both of you," Lillian said beckoning with her hand. She had removed the oxygen mask and held it up.

"Don't let this thing fool you," Lillian said. "I just need a little more oxygen sometimes. It's nothing."

"Sure it's not, Lillian...mom Specter," Donna corrected herself knowing that if she were having her last days that's the attitude she would have. Donna came to sit on the end of the bed and Harvey took a chair and sat it next to his mother's bed.

"We called Marcus and Kate. They will be here in a few hours," Harvey said.

"Why? I'm not planning to go anywhere just yet," Lillian said looking as if someone just took her puppy away.

"You're irresistible, what can I say? I know you're not planning to go anywhere yet," Harvey said.

"I wanted to see the both of you because I need to say something. I've been lying here for a few hours not able to get up or even change the channel on the stupid TV, so I have been able to do nothing but think. Now I want to say to you something that should be said because I think you two have fallen into a misunderstanding and it seems that when you extrapolate it someone blames me."

"We're fine, Mom Specter, really," Donna said as she reached for Harvey's hand. He took it and put his other over it and gave Donna a smile. Not a Specter spectacular but one that said "I love you and we need to get through this."

Lillian asked about Amanda and Gordon and both Donna and Harvey had some great little videos on their iPhones that they proudly showed Lillian. She remarked how Gordon was looking more like Donna now but had Harvey's dark brown eyes and that Amanda's beautiful red hair was getting very wavy. Donna's phone had a little video of Amanda holding Gordon giving a message to their Grandma Lillian.

"Marcus always had the curliest hair, but Harvey had beautiful ash blonde hair as well. I remember when I had him. All the nurses thought he was too cute and too pretty to be a boy."

Donna grimaced at Harvey almost telepathically telling him that she wondered what he looked like when he was a baby.

Marcus arrived with Kate and their kids, so Donna and Harvey decided to take a breather outside. It was not long before Harvey pounced on Donna.

"Do you know something I don't know about my mother's condition? That little video of Amanda talking to my mother seems a little too fortuitous."

"Harvey, calm down. I don't know what you're thinking about anything lately. No, I don't know any more than you do about Lillian's condition. I just thought it would be cute next time we visited that Amanda had a special message for a grandmother she probably won't remember when she's older."

"I just think that maybe Black Friday when you saw my mother that you and she exchanged notes on how to keep extramarital affairs secret."

"There's the real crux of the matter, Specter, isn't it? We never talked about what happened Black Friday and you've imagined this whole affair that I've been having because I told one white lie about where I had been."

"Donna, now is not the place nor the time to have it out here. We'll talk and then you're going to come clean because I know you lied to me and you know you lied to me."

"You know what, Specter, that little strawberry bruise on your neck didn't come from me sucking the life out of you but some other woman whom it seems you don't remember. You talk about coming clean. You lied to me by appropriately placed omission!'

"You've been working for me way too long. You're starting to sound just like a lawyer. Look, I don't remember what happened that night. I really don't. Can you understand that?"

Donna's eyes brimmed with tears and Harvey immediately regretted his tone and the argument that ensued. The last thing he could ever tolerate were Donna's tears. Through the years, He had witnessed enough assholes make her cry not realizing that he was probably one of the first ones after that night twelve years ago. He thought he had rectified that by finally admitting his love and marrying her.

Harvey knew he was not above blame for his own behavior. He was lying to her now saying he did not remember that Sunday night at the strip joint. He had an epiphany about that night earlier that day during some quiet time between appointments. That was why he had forgotten about the deposition. Actually he had told Donna to postpone the deposition in plenty of time. Maybe she did not postpone it on purpose, but Harvey knew he had been an asshole to her the last couple of weeks by holding a grudge when he was no better himself for taking his anger out with him to a dingy nightclub and let an over made up whore sit on his lap and suck the life out of his neck. He could remember Marcus and Mike pulling the woman off Harvey's lap and then Harvey retaliating by pushing her into Mike's lap to see what would happen.

"She's eager. Careful, tiger, he's getting married in a couple of weeks," Harvey had warned.

When Mike pushed her away with a couple of bucks in her thong, Harvey said, "Hey, if you don't want her, I'll take her."

Marcus then pushed his brother back into the booth and said, "Remember, Donna? Your wife? She would leave you in a minute if you did what you think you want to do."

Fortunately when the next memory hit him, Donna had been away from her desk because Harvey had bowed his head and run into the men's room when he remembered what he had said next to his brother and friend, "She's cheating on me, boys! I know she is."

Mike had then laughed it off and said, "You know what, Harvey, you get delusional when you're drunk. Donna would no more cheat on you than I would on Rachel. So my advice, and I can't believe I'm giving the Great Harvey Specter advice, is get your head out of your ass, go home, and talk to that beautiful woman whom you love and get this shit straightened out. You are tearing your own marriage apart and can't even see it!"

Harvey then had taken one more swig of hard liquor he could no longer taste and allowed himself to be thrown in the back of his own Audi and let Marcus drive them back to the house after dropping Mike off at his apartment.

The thought of how, he a happily married man, was acting with a bimbo who happened to see a man who was hurting and took advantage for a little extra cash sobered Harvey's mood for the rest of the day, so when he and Donna had received a lecture from Jessica, Harvey was almost ready to make Donna go home for the rest of the day because he had not wanted to look at her until he could be calm and be prepared to hear what she had to say and to confess his own sin to her in return.

Marcus and Kate did not return with Harvey and Donna as they were not staying at their West Chester House but at the Manhattan condo. It had not taken too long for Kate to observe that the other Specter husband and wife were still at odds with one another.

Kate had excused herself from the Lillian's hospital room leaving Marcus and their children in the room.

"Where's Harvey?" Kate asked as he had not returned to Lillian's room.

"I'm not sure. Probably went to get coffee," Donna said sitting on a chair directly outside of Lillian's room.

"Did you guys ever discuss what happened over the Thanksgiving weekend?"

"No. Every time he looks like he wants to discuss things he suddenly puts that wall up again. We tried again after we got here and all we did was wind up screaming at each other again."

"Well, of course, you don't want to have the talk here, silly goose," Kate said as she put her arm around Donna's shoulder. It was so strange for Donna to have someone to comfort her and give her advice usually it was the other way around. However, lately, it seemed Donna had been receiving in return what she had freely donated through the years.

"I know," Donna responded as she spotted her husband carrying two paper cups of coffee.

When he arrived in front of them, "I'm sorry, Kate. I didn't know you would be out of mom's room already."

"Don't worry about it, Harvey," Kate responded as she rose from the chair next to Donna's. "Marcus and I are going to take the kids to eat somewhere close and then I will probably take them to the hotel across town which you so generously provided us."

"Thank Donna. She's does all my dirty work for me," Harvey said smiling.

"Then 'thank you' Donna," Kate said and kissed Donna on the cheek and returned to Lillian's room.

As Harvey and his wife sat there drinking their coffee in silence, Harvey noticed the alternate doctor on his mother's case - Dr. Shipley.

When Dr. Shipley approached Harvey and Donna, they both rose out of their chairs.

"Dr. Shipley," Harvey said shaking the man's hand and then Dr. Shipley did the same to Donna.

Dr. Shipley was younger than Harvey and had just begun his residency at St. Vincent's Hospital. He did part time work as Dr. Tulane had been an older friend showing him the ropes of the medical world. Dr. Tulane thought since Dr. Shipley specialty was geriatric medicine that he would be invaluable in this case.

"I'm glad to see you here, Mr. and Mrs. Specter," Dr. Shipley said. "I just wanted to let you know that it looks like your mother's condition may have stabilized for a little bit. Her last test showed that the tumor had actually moved and that is why her legs are not working properly and her memory keeps wavering between past and present. However, anything could happen suddenly, so I would appreciate it if you could keep close."

"That's no problem, doctor. We do have a home here and can remain close," Harvey said. "I presume you would want to reiterate this information to my brother and his wife. They are both in there."

"Yes, I will gladly inform them myself. If you'll excuse me," Dr. Shipley said and proceeded to knock on Lillian's door.

"Well, I guess I can phone mom and tell her we'll be home soon," Donna said as she reached into her purse for her phone.

"Donna. Call Ray and have him take you home to the condo and also have him take Kate and the kids to the hotel you booked. I'm staying here and I am sure my brother will do the same."

"Harvey, I understand you want to stay, but you heard Dr. Shipley."

"Yes, he said things could change quickly."

"They could also remain the same. She's stabilized," Donna argued back.

"Look, Donna, if this was your mother and you wanted me to leave I would leave," Harvey reasoned.

"Yes, you probably would. This isn't about your mother perhaps dying. This goes back to your father's death. You have always felt bad that you weren't there when the end came."

"Donna. Let's not say anything else to each other that we can't take back. This has nothing to do with my father's death. I'm not trying to play the martyr now because my mother may pass at any moment. I try to see dad's grave every year you know that."

"I have to check on my mom and the kids anyway, but just tell me one thing," Donna asked holding her phone in her hand ready to dial Ray.

"Are you avoiding me?"

"No, I'm not avoiding you. I don't hedge situations where I know it might be difficult."

"You used to. Then you didn't and now, yeah, you are. However, if you think you're not, then make me a promise...two actually."

"What are they?" Harvey asked.

"That it's ok for me to return as I get all your affairs settled both professionally and personally..."

"Agreed, Donna, of course..."

"...and that if your mother's condition hasn't changed in a few hours that we will find somewhere private in this place and talk about what happened Thanksgiving weekend? "

Harvey hesitated again. He knew they needed to talk but again that old emotional release was not coming voluntarily like it had been coming so recently.

Harvey lowered his head and then looking at his wife he said, "Of course. We're going to need a lot of coffee."

Donna just smiled and dialed her phone