A/N: Hope you're enjoying this so far :) Can't really decide at the moment what season this is set in but Mike and Rachel aren't together in it yet.
Disclaimer: I don't own suits or any of their characters.
Chapter Two:
Two busy weeks passed and Mike arrived as usual late into work that Monday morning.
"Nice of you to come in." exasperated Harvey taking the files Mike was holding out to him.
"I got stuck in traffic." Mike said a little out of breath, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand.
"Looks like to me that you ran all the way here." Harvey said looking at Mike, noting the large bags that had formed under Mike's eyes; his face was thin but flushed. He felt a slight tinge of guilt; he hoped he wasn't working him too hard.
"This is one stubborn hangover." said Mike laughing slightly as he took off his messenger bag and put it on the floor as he sat down on the couch in Harvey's office.
Harvey raised an eyebrow. "You've had a hangover for two weeks?"
"Well I've felt like crap ever since." He said running his hands through his hair, as he sat back, his body aching.
"You look like it too."
"You really know how to compliment me don't you?" smirked Mike shaking his head. A rush of nausea surged through him and he suddenly jumped up, he couldn't get sick in Harvey's office.
He eyed the small waste bin in the corner and raced over to it just in time, bringing up the small contents that were in his stomach. He'd more or less lost his appetite over the past week.
He grimaced as he straightened up, looking over at Harvey warily. "I'm sorry."
Harvey looked shocked and slightly disgusted but a small tinge of concern could also been seen on his face. "Maybe you should go home Mike, I can't have you vomiting on our clients today."
Mike nodded in appreciation as he wearily walked over to pick up his bag. He had never felt so embarrassed. He was sure his face was scarlet, his neck burning.
"Maybe go to a doctor or something, we need to have a team that's performing at 100%." Harvey added. He didn't know why he felt so concerned about Mike, he was only his associate and he tried to cover this by insisting it was from his professional perspective.
"I'm sure it's just tiredness catching up on me." Said Mike as he went to leave the room. "I'll be back on track tomorrow."
Mike woke up that night breathing heavily and drenched in his own sweat, his body was soaking but he shivered violently. A dull headache throbbed at the back of his head and his stomache ached slightly. He slowly heaved himself into a sitting position and looked at his clock it was 2:30 a.m., he reached for a glass of water on the table beside his bed. His throat hurt as he swallowed the cool refreshing water. He had fallen asleep at 7:00 pm, he was that exhausted but it didn't seem to help he didn't feel any better now. He winced as he lay back down and wrapped the blankets around him; he was so cold and so tired. His eyes were closing heavily. He decided to himself that maybe he should take Harvey's advice and book a doctor's appointment for the following morning.
Mike got ready for work that morning with tremendous effort, he booked a doctor's appointment for 8:00 am that morning, he'd be late for work but hopefully Harvey wouldn't mind too much.
He fiddled with his tie as he sat in the waiting room of the small doctor's surgery. His phone vibrated for the third time since he'd been there. Three missed calls from Donna which meant Harvey was looking for him. He didn't notice the nurse calling his name until she came closer repeating herself.
"Michael Ross?"
"Yeah that's me, sorry." he said shoving his phone back in his pocket.
"Dr. Kearns will see you now."
He followed her down the brightly lit hall paved with brown laminated flooring to the doctor's office; she opened the door and showed him inside.
A young brunette doctor smiled as she gestured for Mike to sit down in the seat across from her, thanking the nurse as she closed the door behind him.
Mike sat down and smiled back meekly. The sooner this was over the better.
"How are you feeling Michael?" she asked looking closely at him from across her desk.
"I've been a lot better." he sighed leaning back into the chair a little.
"You look extremely fatigued." she noted. "What are your symptoms?"
"Um, well tiredness for starters, even if I try and go to sleep early I still wake up exhausted and I keep waking up in the night sweating and with a headache. I thought it was just a hangover at first but surely that wouldn't last for two weeks." he explained.
She wrote down his symptoms on a piece of paper in front of her nodding and listening closely, and then she looked up. "How's your appetite?"
"It's a bit nonexistent at the moment."
"Alright, well it's hard to tell at the moment what it is but just to be on the safe side I'd like you to have a few tests done just to check you out fully. I'll book in for an appointment at the hospital straight away this morning; I'll meet you over there." she explained, looking intently at him.
He nodded as he nervously played with the end of his suit jacket. Why so urgent? A small lump had started to form in his throat as he mind raced to several of the worst case scenarios.
"It could be nothing but I don't like to take chances." she smiled warmly as if sensing his worry. Mike nodded and forced a smile as he stood up. She showed him out the door placing a friendly hand on his shoulder as he left for the hospital.
His phone rang again on the taxi drive to the hospital. It was Donna, again. He considered answering it and explaining everything but decided it was better not to worry people until he knew himself. What people don't know won't harm them. He was going to be so late to work today.
After a long few hours of blood tests, x-ray's, CT and MRI scans and other various tests Mike was finally finished at the hospital. They would ring him with his results sometime over the next two days.
It was 11:30 by the time he left and he had six missed calls from Donna at that stage. He was in some serious shit and after the morning he had he really wasn't in the mood.
Donna raised an eyebrow as Mike came towards her desk.
"Where the hell were you?" she glared. "I left you like six missed calls."
"I know, I was at the dentist, I forgot to mention I had an appointment." He lied. He didn't really want to discuss his morning, he was too tired and what was the point if he didn't even know what was wrong with him himself.
"Hmm." she said unconvinced. "Well I know for a fact that's bullshit but it really shouldn't be me that you need to convince, Harvey's pissed." she gestured towards his office behind her.
Harvey had his fingers pressed to his temples as he huddled over a pile of sheets on his desk concentrating intensely.
Mike took a deep breath before entering Harvey's office. He knocked lightly and entered the room. Harvey's dark eyes glared at him. If only looks could kill.
"What kind of time do you call this?" he said his voice firm and it was raised slightly.
"Sorry, I had some personal matters but I'm here now and I'll even stay on late tonight if that helps?" Mike said desperately.
"Damn right you will." shouted Harvey shaking his head. "I hired you for a reason and I expect to see you appreciate having this job and respect that in order to work here you need to actually turn up for it to happen."
"It won't happen again." promised Mike sincerely.
As darkness fell over New York, the office grew quieter as one by one each employee packed up to go home another busy day coming to a close. Mike rubbed his forehead as he took a gulp of his coffee, trying to stay alert and awake. He needed to work hard tonight and prove to Harvey that he appreciated this job.
"Mike, what are you doing here so late?" asked Rachel on her way out.
"I came in to work pretty late today so I'm making it up to Harvey by staying at the office late tonight." he explained, his voice hoarse.
"You look absolutely exhausted though, Harvey's gone home anyway maybe you should too, it s not like he would notice." she said looking at him with sympathy.
He sighed and looked up at her wearily. "I know but I'd know and I told Harvey I'd stay here late, I owe it to him."
"Alright, I respect that, but just don't overwork yourself Mike, you'll burn yourself out."
Mike nodded in agreement as she turned around and left him to work. It was obvious Rachel cared about Mike and he knew she was right, but he had to prove to Harvey that he cared enough about this job to stay here late and work as hard as he could. If only his exhausted body would agree with him enough to stay awake just a while longer.