She leaves right after they talked, her words are the exact same ones she said to their daughter — rest, food, medicine. He understands her worry, he feels it too. Avery is out of surgery and is currently doing fine but they can't take the risk of infection and end right back in the hospital. So, he mentally takes notes of all that she said, or at least he tried to.
Thankfully, his mother-in-law stayed with them that morning because he slept through his alarm. He said he'd just take a nap, maybe rest his eyes for an hour or two, then prepare food for his daughter. But as his eyes open, the sun is shining a little too bright for his liking, and the clock on the nightstand reads one in the afternoon. That's roughly six hours of sleep, which makes sense because as soon as his back hit the mattress, he was out like a light.
It's his bladder that wakes him up, telling him it's time to relieve himself. He tries to get up but is weighed down by something on his right side. He turns his head and sees a mop of red, her head is on his shoulder and her hand holds on to his arm. He's stunned to see his wife sleeping beside him. He takes a good look at her — eyelids shut, mouth hangs a little open, her breath tickling his nose.
If not for the urgent need to use the bathroom, he wouldn't have it in him to wake her up. "Donna," he whispers. Unfortunately, she didn't budge.
Looking down, he notices how she hasn't changed, still wearing the gray scrubs uniform. Married for more than a decade, he knows full well she doesn't like outside clothes on their bed. He figures she was too exhausted from her shift to even bother changing.
He brushes the back of his hand lightly on her cheek out of habit. He exhales a deep breath. It's been two long years. Two years of not waking up next to her. Of going home to a cold and empty apartment they once shared with their daughter. Two years of missing her. He couldn't fathom how he was able to fall asleep during those years. He thinks two years of separation is enough. He needs to do something about it. A plan to get her back for good.
For now, he indulges in the fact that they're in the same city again, under one roof, sharing the same bed. He slides up an arm on her waist carefully, trying not to wake her. Only to end up doing the exact opposite.
"Hey," he greets again, a smile on his face.
Her eyes blink slowly as they open and register the face in front of her. "Shit," she quietly exclaims, quickly shutting her eyes close again. The lack of sleep the previous night and the horrific meeting she just had in the hospital this morning sucked out all the energy from her body. And so she went home, completely knackered and mind still in a daze, falling straight on top of the bed. The thought of her husband being home and staying in her bed no longer crossed her mind.
She opens her eyes and finally faces the man. "Harvey, hey. Sorry, it slipped my mind that you are sleeping here."
"I'm not complaining," he tells her. His smile turns into a Cheshire cat-like grin. It took a lot of willpower to stop himself from pressing his lips on hers, just like what he used to do.
She raises a brow. Her eyes trail from his shoulder down to her waist where his arm is resting. "I can see that."
Taken aback by what she just said because her other arm is also on his waist.
He sees the mini shock on her face. "It's alright, it's not like we haven't done this before," he chuckles lightly, still amused at her expression.
"Harvey." She warns him. They shouldn't be doing this anymore. Yet she's unwilling to move, not even an inch, away from her teasing husband. She uses the exhaustion as an excuse, refusing to admit that she's enjoying his playfulness.
He ignores the warning, wanting to tease her more. "I mean we have done more than this," he replies, leaning his face closer.
They've done this flirting and teasing a thousand times before even when they weren't together yet. She's brought back to all those nights in the Harvard library, whispering sweet nothings to each other while 'studying'. She knows full well how to work him up too.
'Two can play a game, Specter.' she thinks. "You know…" she trails off, fingers grazing from his waist to his arms, and settling them on his neck. "Too bad, I'm exhausted," she continued in a husk tone, mimicking his action earlier. She leans in closer, lips almost touching his.
"Or else?" He asks with a hopeful note in his tone. He anticipates her next move, thinking it is what he has in mind.
"Or else…" She pauses, quickly propping an elbow up. She brushes her cheek on his and whispers directly in his ear, "I would've punched you in the face!" She pushes him lightly, and settles back down on her side of the bed.
A genuine laugh comes out deep from his throat causing him to tip his head back. He quirks a brow out of amusement and tells her, "Feisty, I like that."
"Idiot," she whispers as her eyes close again.
"But hey…" His voice is low and soft as he brushes away the hair from her face. "How are you really? What time did you get back?"
"Tired." She sighs. Like a force of nature, both their arms settle on each other's waist once again. "Got home half an hour ago, I think? The meeting dragged on too long and—"
Her story is cut short by someone clearing their throat and a different voice joining in the conversation. "Sorry to interrupt."
Their heads quickly turn to the other person in the room. Standing at the end of the bed is their daughter, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "But can you do that after we have lunch?" She scrunches her nose and acts like she's quite disgusted by her parents' actions, but the corners of her mouth tug upward as she finishes her question.
Donna's the first one to recover from the shock. "How long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough to make me feel like I'm getting a sibling sometime soon." She teases her parents, seeing as they still remain tangled with each other and there seems to be no plans of moving at all.
He chuckles and softly squeezes her waist before letting go. He finally gets out of bed to do what he really needed to do earlier. "Alright, you deal with that. I really have to go use the toilet now."
"Dad, can you cook lunch? I really miss your chicken parm." Their daughter voices out her request, wearing those puppy eyes she got from his father that neither of her parents can say no to.
"Got it, kid. I'll be quick." He shouts back as he closes the bathroom door.
Avery looks back at her mom, a smile on her face as she walks towards her side of the bed and sits next to her.
"I think I'd like a baby sister. Wait, maybe a brother. Or…," she pauses and shakes her head. "You know what, I don't mind. I just want a sibling." She jokes around.
"Avery…" Donna tips her head on one side, unsure how to explain to her daughter what she saw earlier. She scoots over to make room for her to lie down.
They settle under the sheets, turning her head towards her mom, she asks, "I thought you're opposed to sharing a bed?"
She turns on one side to face her daughter. "I was tired and just ended up in bed. Forgot your dad was here." She tells the truth with a weak smile, as she combs her hand through her daughter's hair.
A mischievous smile appears on Avery's face. "You forgot dad was here or you forgot that you guys are.." she pauses before coughing the words 'separated.' She earns a narrowing glare from her mom so she stops before she gets in trouble. But not before commenting, "You guys looked cozy though."
"Avery, stop." Her words are firm. "He's here just for you." The last sentence left her lips like a whisper. There's a little part in her hoping it's not the case.
"Why can't it be for the both of us?"
Luckily Harvey walks out of the bathroom, saving her from having to answer their daughter's question.
"Dad! So, are you gonna make chicken parm?" She asks again.
"Of course, you know I'd do anything for you." He replies to the youngest redhead under the sheets. His gaze shifts to his wife. 'For both of you,' he thought but didn't say it out loud. Instead, he excuses himself and heads out to the kitchen to prepare his daughter's favorite dish. A dish that happens to be his wife's favorite too. The one she craved a lot during the pregnancy and he happily obliged to make it for her – for them.
He finishes cooking and setting the table in less than an hour, surprised that everything is still in the same place where he left them. Which, come to think of it, shouldn't really be that surprising. No matter how amazing his wife is, working in the kitchen is not in her list of 'the great things the mighty Donna Paulsen can do'. So, out of the two of them, this has been more of his domain.
He chuckles at the memory of them in the kitchen, when he tried to teach her how to make his signature pancakes. Half of the batch ended up still uncooked inside while the other half was a burnt mess. He vividly remembers the sad pout on her lips when she looked at what she did, but he just kissed it away and made her a new delicious batch that brought back her smile. It was the same day they agreed that she'll leave all the cooking to him and she'll just be in charge of the drinks.
The smile on his face is still there when he softly knocks on the bedroom door, slowly opening it to see his two redheads snuggled under the sheets, both of their eyes closed. He leans against the door frame and takes the moment to just look at them, see how much they've changed and how much they're still the same. Avery was a lover of afternoon nap time all because she gets her mom all to herself during that time since he's working at the firm. He can see it's one of the things that stayed the same.
He pushes himself off the door and slowly approaches the two. His daughter's eyes open and he smiles at her. "Lunch is ready," he whispers as he reaches out a hand. The young redhead holds onto him and he helps her carefully sit down. She excuses herself to go use the bathroom before joining them for lunch. "Goodluck waking her up," she jokes, glancing at her sleeping mother before leaving his father with the task.
He quietly laughs as he shakes his head and sits on the edge of the bed. "Donna," he calls for the woman still passed out beside him. "Hey," he touches her, gently shaking her shoulder. "You might want to get up now or Avery will finish all the chicken parm before we get our share."
She chuckles as she turns and lies on her back. Her eyes open and it's his face that greets her again. That's twice in less than twenty four hours, it's surreal and it kinda freaks her out. But she brushes it off for now and decides to just enjoy his presence, and soon enough his cooking as well. "We wouldn't want that, right?" She replies as brushes her messy hair away from her face.
"No," he shakes his head and pats the blanket before standing up and moving towards the door, thinking she'd follow soon. He reaches for the knob and twists it open, he looks back and sees she's removed the covers but still remains lying down.
He walks back and reaches for her hands. "C'mon," he says as he pulls her up, sitting for a while before standing up. Still not fully awake, her knees buckle and she almost loses her balance. He catches her, letting one of her hands go so he could wrap an arm around her waist and hold her up.
She laughs at what happened, her head falling forward and landing on his shoulder. "Are you awake?" She hears him say. She shakes her head and pulls back, "Barely."
They let go of each other and finally make their way to the kitchen. They see their daughter happily munching on the dish her dad prepared.
"Thanks for waiting for us, kid." Harvey says sarcastically, messing with his daughter's hair as he passes by her.
Avery swallows quickly, sipping some water before answering her dad. "Mom takes forever to get out of bed." She shrugs, "I don't want the food to spoil."
Donna ignores the tease and just peeks at the table. "Is there still some left for us?"
"I'm not that cruel, mom." The teenager replies, pushing the plate to one side as her mother takes her seat.
Harvey pauses at the head of the table, looking at his company who seems to be already settled. He's a bit hesitant to join this two-person bubble, suddenly feeling out of place in what he used to call home.
Reading the expression on her father's face, Avery tilts her head. "That's still your seat, Dad. It didn't change," she tells him with a sweet smile. There's a silent agreement between her and her mom to reserve the seat at the head of the table for Harvey, even when he's not around. He looks at his wife to get a confirmation of what their daughter just said, earning him a curt nod which prompts him to sit down.
Once they're all settled, Donna reaches for the serving spoon but is beaten by Harvey's faster hand. "Let me," she hears him say. She pulls back her hand, settling down the lap and doesn't bother arguing with him over the spoon. She bites her lower lip as she watches him generously fill the plate with her favorite cooking of his, just like what he always did – a part of their routine before. He was almost if not always in-charge of cooking and also serving them the meal. Their daughter's job is to set up the table before meals. She, on the other hand, cleans up and wash the dishes afterwards.
Still zoned in at Harvey's actions, she glances at his face while he loads up Avery's plate with seconds. There's contentment in his eyes and smile, like this is just another normal day. As if they weren't apart for two years.
With almost everything feeling foreign, Harvey thought of slowly doing the things he used to do for them and bring back the familiarity. Trying to ease back to what it used to be among them.
Lunch has gone well for their small family, exchanging stories and catching up on what each of them had been up to since they last saw each other. It's mostly the father and daughter doing the talking, Donna was happy to just sit back and watch them interact. It actually has been a while since the two of them bonded because Harvey had to cancel his scheduled visit at the last minute due to a crisis at the firm he couldn't just let anyone else handle. So, she's letting them soak up all the time they have now with this unexpected visit.
An hour later, their daughter excuses herself to go to her room to take a rest just like what the doctors have ordered. Her parents are left in the kitchen, cleaning up and getting everything back in order. The two stand next to each other, Donna washing the dishes and Harvey drying them afterwards.
"What time do you have to go back to the hospital?" He asks as he takes the last plate from her and gently wipes it down.
She turns off the faucet and dries her hands before giving him an answer. "I have to be there by seven so I usually leave around six thirty."
"Oh, great. I still have time." He gets a curious look from her. "I'm gonna go out this afternoon." He replies and places the plate on the rack. "You know," he shrugs. "To buy clothes. And get a hotel."
"Yeah, about that." She turns around and leans against the edge of the counter, arms crossed in front of her chest. "I wanted to ask you something."
He mirrors her, leaning against the counter by her side but placing his hands in his pockets. "What is it?"
"Can you stay here again tonight?" She blurts out before she could think of a better way to put it. He whips his head towards her direction, a little startled by her straightforward question. She sees the shock written all over his face and so she offers an explanation. "It's just that I don't feel confident leaving Avery on her own just yet after the surgery."
He nods to show he understands her worry. If it were up to him, he wouldn't leave his daughter's side too. "I'll be at the hospital all night so you can still use the bed," he hears her add. It doesn't really matter if he gets to take the couch or the bed. He just wants to make sure this is what she really wants and she's wholeheartedly alright with him staying back in the house that used to be theirs.
She senses there's some slight apprehension on his end and she takes it to be something else. She uncrosses her arms and her hands start fiddling with the hem of her top. She keeps her eyes down and says, "Well, that's just if it's okay with you. But I'd understand if you want to…"
"Donna, hey, it's fine." He immediately reaches out to her, a hand landing on her arm before he slides it down to rest on top of her hands. He gives it a light squeeze and tries to ease her worries, "Of course I'll stay. I'd love to."