Chapter 2

The sun was setting. Visiting hours would be over soon.

"No, his physical injuries aren't life threatening," Harvey said into his phone. "Doc says it's mostly cuts and bruises."

"Mostly only covers so much," Donna's voice answered from her desk in the office. "What aren't you telling me, Harvey?"

Harvey ran a hand over his gelled back hair. "Nothing," he said in an easy tone. "He's just got a broken finger and a bad bump to the head. He'll heal."

The air outside the hospital was warm, unusually humid, but he didn't want to go back inside. For one, he wasn't supposed to use his cell phone in the building. For another, he'd just spent several hours inside with a drowsy Mike, who kept nodding off, and he needed a break.

"Fine. How is he?" Donna asked, voice dropping from accusing to concerned.

"I just told you-"

"I don't mean physically, Harvey. I meant how is he taking it? Was it Trevor?" She sounded like she was ready to beat someone up if Harvey said the word. "Say the word, and I'll find his new place and I'll take him down." Harvey allowed himself a small smile for his victory.

"He doesn't know who it was," Harvey said and couldn't help but sigh. Donna started to contest the point, but he interrupted her. "He doesn't know anything... Donna."

She took a moment to think, and he could image her shaking her head. "I'm not understanding."

"The kid's got amnesia." It still made him sick to think about it, and he had to say it louder than normal just to get the words out of his throat. "Doesn't remember anything from the last four years."

Donna's gasp was heartbreaking, and so was her tone. "Wait, so he doesn't remember you? Me? The firm?" She gasped again. "What did he say? Was he confused? How did he take the news?"

"Of course he was confused, Donna! He's got amnesia!... What news?" Harvey asked, slipping his free hand back in his pocket.

"About his grandmother," Donna answered as though it was obvious. "He must have wondered why you were there and she wasn't."

"No... He didn't ask." It was a good point. Why hadn't Mike questioned his emergency contact more? He hadn't said anything about his grandmother or about Trevor. He didn't ask anything, really. He was nervous and confused, but...

"Are you going to tell him?" Donna asked.

"Only if he asks about her," Harvey said, turning to look back through the glass doors. "I don't want to stress him out too much. You'd understand if you had seen his reaction to the date."

The way Mike held his head and shook, gasping in pain and confusion, it was far too fresh in Harvey's mind, and Mike wasn't getting better fast enough to ease any of Harvey's tension. Harvey had tried to explain Mike's situation to him twice since the genius had woken up, but both times left Mike complaining about pain in his head and so tired that he soon fell back to sleep. Harvey didn't like putting Mike through that. He stopped trying to explain things to Mike about his job or their con. He didn't want to push Mike so hard that the younger man refused to see him anymore. Harvey had seen that romance movie, what was it called, The Vow, and he didn't want Mike pushing him away for trying to force memories on him.

"Poor kid," Donna sighed over the receiver. "You staying there tonight?"

"Doctor said I could, given the circumstances, but he warned me to let Mike rest. He told me it isn't my job to make Mike remember, and I can't force it on him." Harvey clenched his fist to keep the anger off his face as a family exited the hospital.

"Well 'force' may be a bit much, but you are going to try to help him, aren't you?" Donna asked.

"Who do you think you're talkin to?" Harvey asked, a smile of pride crossing his features. "Mike's gonna remember everything before his next cup of coffee with my help... including who did this to him. Then the two of us, and whoever else I can pull into it, are gonna show them that you don't mess with our firm... or anyone who works for it."

"But mainly with Mike," Donna amended. Harvey refrained from responding. "Or you know, me. Or you. Or Jessica. Or Louis."

"Okay, calm down before you hurt yourself, Donna." The closer rolled his eyes at no one and looked up where the sun was just a glow behind the skyline of buildings.

The conversation lulled.

"It'll be alright, Harvey," Donna said to break the silence. "He'll remember you."

"I know," Harvey said, but he didn't know at all. He didn't know when, he didn't know how much, he just didn't know. All he could see was Mike's terrified eyes snapping open to stare at the stranger checking his head wound.

"I'll try to keep Jessica off your back until you fill her in yourself. Take your time."

"Thanks, Donna."

"And if she gets too picky, I'll tell her you and Mike are on a date."

"Thanks, Donna," Harvey repeated, stressing the words so they really meant 'shut up.' Donna just laughed quietly, said a concerned sounding 'see you later,' and hung up.

Harvey groaned. He had no one else to call with an update. He had no other reason to stay outside – Harvey Specter didn't do strolls around cheesy hospital gardens. Straightening his posture, he turned from the scenery and reentered the hospital. Most visitors were already gone, and several nurses and doctors were on their ways out. Harvey looked out of place in his suit, even without the jacket, but none of them gave him any lingering stares.

At Mike's room, he stopped in the doorway. His hand was on the doorframe, where he'd raised it to knock and then thought better of it. Mike was asleep again, his head rolled to his right and away from the main injury. The white gauze wrapped around Mike's head made Harvey's stomach churn in a way he hadn't experienced in years. Mike had stitches under that bandage, and his haircut was ruined. Even after Mike left here, that reminder would remain.

The young lawyer looked broken: his head covered in white, his chest bound tight, his finger held in place so it wouldn't heal crooked, and all of the bandages and wires. A nurse came up beside Harvey and smiled at him as she handed over an extra blanket and pillow. He even remembered to thank her and smile in return. Mike wasn't dead. Harvey shouldn't seem as though he was in mourning.

He set the stuff in the chair by the window and moved to stand by Mike. His face was visible more from this side.

"At least you look relaxed," Harvey said. "Sorry for making consciousness hard on you."

Mike groaned, his eyebrows knitting together. His head started to roll but then flopped back to where it was. "Harv..," he whined and then trailed off. Harvey couldn't even react properly before Mike's eyes cracked open and found him. "No jacket...," Mike commented, sleep still clinging to him. "No vest."

"They aren't comfortable to sleep in," Harvey explained. He didn't know how to explain the feeling he got when Mike mentioned the vest - Mike always questioned Harvey's vests - but he knew he couldn't get too hopeful over the comment. Mike could just be observing Harvey's clothes, or it could just mean that Mike had the same opinion of the vests without knowing Harvey personally.

"Sleep?" Mike asked, raising one hand toward his face before realizing it was limited by a finger brace and then opting for the other one to rub at his eyes with.

"Yeah. I'm sleeping here tonight. Don't worry about it. You should go back to bed." Harvey tentatively reached forward, toward Mike's head but then defaulted to Mike's shoulder instead. He gave it a squeeze before moving to his chair.

"Sorry," Mike mumbled. He was asleep before Harvey could ask who the apology was for.

Harvey's shoulders sagged and he moved slowly to the recliner chair. He got over the low-grade leather by-product of the upholstery and leaned back to raise his feet. He really tried to get comfortable and cover up in the blanket, listening to the silence of the settling night, but there was something not sitting right in him. The feeling of guilt that hit him was unexpectedly strong. Mike had nothing to apologize for, so why?

Harvey frowned deeply out the window, where he could see the ditch they found Mike in the night before.

A gentle hand woke Harvey up from where he'd dozed off in the waiting room. The nurse whom the hand belonged to smiled apologetically and brought his attention to the sun starting to peek in through the window. He nodded his thanks and waved her off. The whole exchange was silent and fit in with the early morning state of the hospital, not yet open to visitors, with the next shift of doctors and nurses all passing through in a hazy morning routine.

Harvey felt hazy. He felt as though he'd slept far too long, although the clock said he'd only dozed off about two hours ago. Sleep had evaded him all night and only became more elusive each time he noticed Mike on the bed. Sometimes his eyes just wandered over to Mike, almost expecting the younger man to be staring back at him with a bemused grin as though nothing had happened. Sometimes Mike drew his attention forcefully as he groaned or whined in his sleep. It was just after four in the morning when Harvey went for a walk to escape the most recent bout of pain filled noises, and it must have been about four thirty when he sat in the semi-comfortable chair and nodded off.

Checking his phone, Harvey saw it was not only morning, it was just after the official sunrise. He stood and stretched, debating how long he should take in returning to Mike's room. He was just thinking about intercepting a nurse with breakfast so he could take the food himself to Mike when the nurse who'd been Mike's last night came around the corner. She scanned the room and gave a happy jolt when she saw Harvey.

"Mr. Specter," she greeted with... was that relief? "You're still here. Would you follow me please?"

"What's up?" Harvey asked, already moving to the hallway she came down. He did not like uneasy nurses. That could only mean something bad.

"Don't worry. Mike's status hasn' changed since yesterday. He's just a bit uneasy this mornin," she said. What was her name? He glanced over to check her nametag. Becky?

"What do you mean 'uneasy'?" Harvey didn't hear any loud beeping or yelling from the rooms down the hall, so there must not be an emergency.

"His heart monitor was registering a bit fast earlier, so I went to check on him. I think he had a nightmare . I brought him some water, but he won't touch it. He came round easy enough an' recognized where he was, but he kept askin' for you. He's just bein' really nervous. I think seeing you will calm him down," Nurse Becky explained as they came up to Mike's room.

Harvey didn't even have to enter the room. Mike's bed was raised to a sitting position, and he was breathing hard and kept touching around his head bandage nervously. As soon as Harvey stopped in front of the room, Mike's head snapped up to see who was blocking the light. His face looked tense, stressful, but when he saw who was at the door he... calmed. Harvey didn't know any other way to explain it. Mike's forehead lost its creases. His fingers fell from his head. His breathing evened out.

Stepping fully into the room, he heard one breathy name. His.

"Mike?" he asked in greeting. Mike flinched a little, as though Harvey had spoken too loudly, and then let out a sigh. The relief from a moment ago retreated, but he was still relaxed.

"Mr. Specter," he answered in a tired voice. It was so different than the thankful, breathy call of his first name from only a few seconds before that Harvey didn't know what to think.

"You alright, kid? I heard you're having kind of a rough morning." Harvey walked over to his chair, where he'd been meant to sleep, and moved his unused blankets to the floor. Mike's eyes followed him constantly.

"She said I had a nightmare," Mike offered.

"You don't remember?" Harvey asked, dropping down and leaning against the back of the chair.

"No... I mean I do, but I don't remember what it was about." Mike paused and looked away from Harvey with an apparently great bit of force. "I just... I woke up, and I looked for you, and you weren't here."

"You think I left you?" Harvey asked. Is that why Mike panicked? But he didn't even know Harvey.

Mike stared straight ahead, lips set in a deep frown. "I don't know," he grunted, annoyance in his voice. He took a slow breath, his eyes narrowing at nothing, and sighed gruffly. His next words were like a distant afterthought. "I don't even know you."

Harvey leaned forward, his arms resting on his knees. He pressed his hands together in front of him and tried to think five steps ahead like he usually did, but this was far from a usual situation. He had no idea what was going on with Mike, what kind of mindset he'd been in four years ago, how he was feeling right now, nothing. Mike had echoed his own thoughts, but Harvey didn't want to tell him that. He wanted to tease him like they usually did or encourage him somehow or, hell, comfort him, but Harvey wasn't good at things like that. On a normal day, he'd send Mike home or load him up with more work or banter with him or whatever the situation called for, but that was how to deal with stress of an everyday sort, not full blown amnesia. How –

"But...," Mike's voice was soft. Harvey's attention returned to his associate, and he noticed the tilt to Mike's head, the slight crease in his brow, all the tiny signs that Mike was ashamed. About what? Harvey clenched his hands together and wanted to scream. He wanted to tell Mike that there was nothing to be ashamed about, that Mike was stupid for even considering such an emotion, that Harvey liked being needed by Mike. But none of that ever passed his lips, because Mike murmured out, "I feel... calmer around you."

Harvey's expression softened. He pushed up from the chair and moved over to the bed, drawing Mike's gaze. He found a spot by Mike's legs to sit and set a steady stare on Mike's confused eyes.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up," he said. His shoulders raised, and he even smiled a little. "I much prefer making you feel calm than making you stressed out."

For a moment it seemed Mike didn't know what to say. He just stared at Harvey with his cheek pinned between his teeth and his eyes searching Harvey's for some tiny spot of recognition – or that's how it looked to Harvey. He hoped Mike found some, but whether he did or not was something only Mike knew, because he didn't tell Harvey.

Instead he snorted and gave a smile. "Yeah, okay Jasper," Mike said, tension easing from his face again as he swiftly exited the subject.

"Jasper?" Harvey asked, eyebrows knitting together. Usually he knew all of Mike's references... or was this Mike having a memory issue?

"You know, Jasper Hale. One of the Cullen's," Mike explained, looking away from Harvey. Harvey shifted to face him more and gave him an incredulous look.

"Did you just make a Twilight reference?" he asked, his tone light. Okay, maybe there was something Mike was allowed to be ashamed about.

"Sure did."

"The first movie wasn't even out until the end of 2008," Harvey challenged. Mike laughed.

"Shows what you know. I've read all three books." His smile put Harvey more at ease than anything else.

"Why?" Harvey clasped his hands together and brought one leg up onto the bed so he could fully face Mike. Why would anyone as smart and so... Mike as Mike read Twilight?

"Chicks," Mike grumbled. "You know – cute girl really likes something, you look into it so she thinks you like it too." Now he looked really embarrassed.

Silence covered them as Harvey took that information in and Mike seemed to die of embarrassment. He considered pointing out that Mike could have just as easily read and memorized a wiki site or something, but then he couldn't remember when wiki sites started being widespread. Maybe there wasn't a Twilight wiki in 2008. Besides, reading a few books and memorizing them did seem more like something Mike would do. Then he considered asking Mike what team he was on, but in the end he just started grinning as he remembered something Mike had no chance of knowing.

"What?" Mike asked nervously.

"There are four books," Harvey said. "And four movies."

Mike's face looked pinched for a minute and he shook his head, slowly so as not to get dizzy. After a moment, he took a deep breath and shrugged. "Well at least it's over, right? Now they can all move onto a new phase."

Harvey smirked and shook his head too. "Nope. Last movie comes out this fall."

Mike's smile vanished and he groaned before going on a rant about something Twilight related, but somehow even that made Harvey feel good, and he didn't even need to listen to the words to feel the warmth spread throughout his chest. It was something he'd never felt before, and he made a mental note to never tell Donna about it.

No offense meant to anyone who likes Twilight.