TW: Graphic/Detailed depiction of car accident.
There was a deep peace in Donna's heart that night. It was as if all the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders in those soft, warming hours with Harvey. The armchair they sat on together, the candles flickering gently in the dim light, the classical music playing softly... Everything was so perfect that a wave of warmth kept rising inside Donna. It was as if they were in a spell that slowed down time. Every moment she spent with Harvey brought her a pinch of happiness, a little bit of peace.
Harvey had told her he was getting a divorce. That he was getting rid of Paula. Those words had released a deep desire inside Donna, an inevitable feeling she had suppressed for years. She felt herself on the verge of a triumph. Yes, the moment she had been waiting for all this time was finally coming. Harvey had chosen her. After all this time, he was stepping out of Paula's shadow. Donna was almost unable to control the joy growing inside her.
Harvey signalled to Ray as he saw her off, wanting Donna to get to the set safely. As he headed for his own car, the calm, determined look on Harvey's face gave Donna a lot of confidence. Everything was now under their control. Together, they were stepping into the beginning of a new life.
Donna squinted her eyes slightly as she left her house, and as Ray drove up to her, a sweet euphoria was expressed with a smile spreading across her face. A slight evening chill touched her skin and the slight intoxication of a few glasses of wine made the visions dancing in her mind even brighter.
Ray gently opened the car door, and as Donna slowly got into the car, she felt like she was in a theatre scene in her mind. This was perhaps the biggest role of her life. She wasn't just going to a set; she was leaving a life behind. She thought that she would take Paula's place, that there was no greater victory than being by Harvey's side. This moment, which made her feel like a queen, was rewarding her for waiting patiently for all time.
When Ray took the wheel, Donna leaned back comfortably in the seat.
Now, it seemed like anything was possible. They were the protagonists of their own story. Paula was a page in Harvey's life, an old story that was about to close.
She chuckled to himself. Laughed, actually. Ray was watching her in the rear-view mirror, perhaps wondering what was causing Donna's happiness, but Donna didn't care what he thought.
She thought about how everything was going to be; her future, in a new house, in a new life with Harvey. Nothing was going to stop them now. The world revolved around them.
The night offered her its own darkness, and Donna passed through this darkness without hesitation and reached her own light.
Everything had passed so slowly, so saturated, that even now, sitting in the car, Donna could still feel Harvey's touch in her mind, the warmth of his hands, the echo of his words on her lips. They had both lived that night as if they had forgotten the passage of time, as if the world had stopped, as if everything else had ceased to matter. And now, Harvey's decision echoed in Donna's heart, laying the foundations of a new life in the depths of her soul.
She was free from the ghosts of the past; now she was in a flood of light that painted the future in completely different colours.
She was late for the set, but she didn't care. That night, it was just Harvey and herself; the rest of the world melted into their time. A few glasses of wine, Harvey's warm gaze and the determined words that fell from his lips... What did time or hours matter? The night embraced them and made them forget everything. Donna felt even the slight rush of being late as the sweet delay of a victory.
She thought once more of Harvey's face. There had always been a determination about him, but that night it seemed deeper, more definite. What Donna saw behind that hard, sharp gaze was the determination of a man who was ready to erase Paula from his life.
Nothing would ever go back, nothing would ever come between Harvey and Donna.
Her eyes drifted into the night. The lights of the city reminded him of the sets on a theatre stage. Everything was in its place, everyone was playing their part; but Donna was the star of this stage.
Accompanying her every step, this splendid darkness silently saluted her triumph. She was a little late for the set, but even in this delay there was a splendour. It was as if being late had become a way to prolong this night, to savour that happiness a little more.
Donna closed her eyes and relived those moments with Harvey. Every touch of his lips, every whisper, was like a seal engraved on her heart. Paula's shadow was now a distant, vague memory for them. Donna's inner joy had completely obliterated that shadow. There was only the future in her; a new life they would build with Harvey, every moment they would share, every mysterious touch... Everything was starting here and now.
The idea that Harvey would now be hers and hers alone sent Donna into a dizziness even deeper than drunkenness. Sure, she'd had a few glasses of wine; the sweet sourness still lingered on her palate. But the real intoxication began when Harvey's words echoed in her mind: "[...] I'm going to tell her I want a divorce." At that moment, Donna's life changed forever.
It was all coming to an end. Now, Harvey's whole life belonged to her. An echo of joy rose from the deepest corners of her heart as she whispered to herself: "Now he is only mine... only mine..."
This thought was the purest form of all the feelings that went through her. She knew how much she was waiting for him, how much she missed him.
Now that wait was over. Harvey was ready to give himself completely to her, to belong to her...
They would no longer bow to anyone, they would not answer to anyone.
They would experience the purest, fullest form of belonging to each other.
This thought lifted Donna's spirits like the wind. Her heart fluttered like a bird, almost spreading its wings in her chest.
They wouldn't have to hide anymore. Nothing would be hidden.
Harvey would belong to her completely; his hands would hold only her hands, his eyes would look only at her.
It was like a great freedom, a great victory.
Her mind was filled with dreams of the future she and Harvey had built together.
Her heart beat faster as she thought that she would be with him, that they would wake up together in the morning, that they would share every moment.
These dreams growing inside her filled her mind like a storm.
Nothing would be missing from their world anymore.
Not the crushing guilt of forbidden love, not the uneasiness of meeting in secret.
Donna knew that Harvey was now completely free, a freedom that belonged only to them.
She continued to wander in the dream world she and Harvey had built together. The image of the moments she would share with him passed through her mind like a film strip.
They would take walks arm in arm, laughing without being afraid of people's looks. Perhaps one morning, they would drink coffee together and browse the newspapers, and the echo of their laughter would reverberate on the walls of their home.
To be the sole owner of Harvey's heart, to exist in his life without the shadow of another person, was the greatest victory in the world for Donna.
She was a queen now; she was enthroned in Harvey's world, in his heart, leaving everyone else behind. Paula would now be but a memory.
Harvey and Donna's story was just beginning.
At this thought, her eyes filled once more. The joy she felt in her heart, combined with the sweet dizziness of a slight intoxication, softened everything like a dream.
This night belonged only to him. As Harvey's words continued to ring in her mind, that feeling of freedom took over everything. She laughed to herself, louder this time, more joyful. She couldn't contain herself.
A wave of excitement swelled in her chest as she thought of the time they would spend together, the moments when Harvey would be hers and hers alone.
A life without Paula.
Now Harvey would belong to her.
His smile would shine like a sun that shone only for Donna.
It was beyond her imagination that two people could be bound together by such a deep bond.
It was as if this love was engraved on the unforgettable pages of a novel. A world classic, the story of Donna and Harvey would be remembered beyond time.
Time had stopped and life had given her its best gift: Harvey's love, loyalty and his whole life.
Donna would be the only one in Harvey's life. Just her, just Donna.
Harvey was hers. And from now on, nothing could separate them.
The night, the city lights and this sweet drunk in the car... Everything was like a dream, but she knew that this dream would not end. This dream was becoming a reality. Harvey would be hers and hers alone. And nothing, nothing, nothing could change that fact.
Donna once again remembered Harvey's words. It was the turning point in their lives. Everything was starting anew, this time with a much brighter, much stronger beginning. The end of this story was now in the hands of Donna and Harvey alone. And this story would be the strongest thing they would ever have.
These thoughts made her heart blossom. When everything was so beautiful, when life was such a rosy dream, she believed that nothing could go wrong.
But just then, suddenly, time stopped.
Something happened. The air suddenly felt heavy, as if the world had held its breath for a moment. Before she had a chance to open her eyes, Donna felt the full force of a crash. Ray's sudden braking, the horrible sound of the wheels scraping against the floor, echoed in her head like an echo.
The car jerked, then spun, crashing into something else. The world suddenly shifted, turned upside down. Donna's body was thrown around like a puppet, and everything in the car was shattered. The sound of her head hitting the windscreen shattered her dreams.
She tried to scream, but not a single sound came out of her vocal cords. As her eyes closed into darkness, everything around her blurred. Objects inside the car, a world flying out of the windscreen, Ray's shout, all swirled around in her mind like a storm. When she turned her head to the right, she saw the steering wheel tipping over on Ray, his arms falling uncontrollably to the side, but she was too helpless to do anything to save him.
It all happened so fast.
She tried to reach out her hands, but it was as if her body didn't belong to her, her arms didn't take command.
At that moment, Donna's body took another hard blow. The car somersaulted. The weight of her body lifted off the seat, her head hit the windscreen once more. The world spun again, the sky was on the ground.
At that moment, she felt like she was falling into a void. Moments when the air, the breath is completely sucked out of her body, everything is thrown into a void.
Then another hard blow.
And another crash.
Her body was being tossed left and right, like a leaf in the wind, not a car. Her arms were flapping in the air, but she couldn't hold on to anything. The sound of breaking glass, the clash of metal against each other, the car skidded once more, this time upside down.
Her eyes were squinting, her consciousness was half on, half off. When her head hit the glass, a sharp pain spread through his brain.
Her eyes went black for a moment. The air was not reaching her, her lungs were burning. She felt a sharp pain in her legs, something wasn't right. The beating of her heart echoed in her ears, as if each beat signalled the end of time.
Every breath became a battle, her chest tightened, the pain in his body dulled all his senses.
The car collided one last time, this time on a hard ground... Maybe a tree, maybe a wall... But she could not understand what happened. The final impact threw her body violently.
She wanted to scream but there was no sound, the air was not filling her lungs, her heart was pressing harder against her chest with every beat.
The hot blood flowing from somewhere in her head trickled down her neck. Breathing became more and more difficult. The unbearable pain in her legs and chest immobilised her body. She felt the coldness of the metal on her skin, and the heaviness spreading towards her legs seemed to carry the whole world.
At that moment, Harvey appeared in front of her eyes. Her mind seemed to be playing a trick on him. She remembered Harvey's warm smile, the moments when she hugged him. Now she was so distant, so inaccessible. „Harvey..." she wanted to whisper, but her lips trembled and no sound came out. The darkness began to pull her, slowly, slowly floating into a deep void.
She was trapped under the wreckage of the car; a piece of the seat, a piece of metal, had crushed her leg. A sharp wave of pain spread through her whole body. Breathing was now almost impossible. Her mind seemed to betray her in that moment; everything was retreating into a darkness from which Donna could not escape, no matter what she did
. For a moment she thought of Harvey's face - of reaching him, of being with him. But now, in this darkness and silence, she felt so far away from him. A tear fell from her eye; this desperate struggle for survival was consuming her from the inside.
And then, silence... The last sounds of metal echoing inside the car, the faint sirens outside, everything slowly faded away. Donna's body grew weaker with the loss of blood, her consciousness slowly shutting down. The pain felt like it was leaving her body. She took one last breath, deep, heavy, but with that breath the world around her went completely dark. Before her eyes closed, she thought of Harvey one last time. That last night with him, that warmth and peace. And then, her consciousness completely shut down, her body surrendered to the pain.
𓃭
The footsteps echoing under the marble floors made him question the meaning of life for a moment. Power, authority, the highest office in America; what were they good for now? In that moment, as a man, he felt how desperate he was for the love of his life.
Half an hour ago she was with him, everything was good. There was a future, a hope... Now that hope had turned into a big shadow. Donna was the love of his life. The thought of life without her was dragging him into a deep emptiness. He tried to swallow, but the knot in his throat was getting bigger and bigger. The splendour inside the White House, the big world behind the glass, all the power America had bestowed on him... It was all insignificant at that moment. Neither the White House nor the fact that he held America's destiny in his hands was worth more than Donna's life.
Harvey's heart was pounding out of his chest, his breathing laboured. Panic coursed through his veins as his mind tried to find a way out. He couldn't lose Donna. It wasn't possible. Frozen with fear, he moved his stiff, stiff legs. For a moment the air seemed to be sucked out of the room.
He couldn't control his feet, his knees began to shake. But he was just a president, just a man.
He took a step, then another... He hurriedly headed towards the door.
He didn't care about anything: the advisors, the security guards, the political manoeuvres around him.
There was only one path for him: Donna. In that hospital room, who knows what kind of battle she was fighting. Just being the President was not enough for such a moment; the office of the President could not solve everything.
At that moment, he only felt the desperation of a man, the desperation of a man who was afraid of losing his loved one...
Whether Donna was alive or not was the only thought on his mind. His heart would not allow him to listen to his head.
He had prepared for years to lead a nation, but how could he now prepare for the fear of losing a woman, the love of his life?
This fear was growing as he ran towards his car. Security guards and bodyguards followed him, but he heard none of them.
Everyone was a shadow, everything was blurred. There was only one target in their eyes: Donna.
When he reached the car, he suddenly realised that another driver was behind the wheel. This created a momentary pause. As beads of sweat fell from his forehead into his eyes, he quickly asked.
"Has the new driver left?"
The driver looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"I don't know about the new driver, Mr President. I've always been here," he said. There was a hesitation on his face and an uncertain timbre in his voice.
But the turmoil in Harvey's mind didn't even allow him to focus on that detail. The buzzing in his head drowned out everything else; Donna was in the hospital, she'd had an accident. The more he thought about it, the more reality seemed to dissolve.
This detail was unimportant. The driver, the new driver... What did it matter who he was? He was getting further away from Donna every second. He threw her hands on the car, threw the door open and jumped in. The driver tried to say something, but Harvey didn't even hear him. His entire focus was on one thing: getting to the hospital, getting to Donna.
Inside the car, buried in the seat, Harvey was shaking. The outside world seemed like a blurry, silent, distant dream as everything rushed by. His heart pounded wildly in his chest, trying to escape. The pressure in his chest felt like a hand was slowly squeezing his internal organs. Every time he tried to breathe, the air didn't reach his lungs, he was suffocating. The car was travelling fast, but Harvey was in a whirlpool, sinking deeper and deeper as he struggled. Panic coursed through his veins like an icy river, cold and deadly.
Every second felt like a century. Donna's eternal smile echoed in his mind, but it receded from him like a ghost. Everything was dull, everything was grey. For a moment he thought that Donna had lost her life; this thought cut through him like a knife.
With the world darkening in his eyes, a lump sat in his throat. "What if I lose her? What if I can't be there on time?" These sentences were multiplying in his mind with a panic, getting heavier each time. The darkest fears in the corners of his mind now covered his entire being.
His heartbeat echoed in his ears; it was so fast that it seemed as if it would explode if it got any faster. He pressed his hands to his chest, tried to breathe deeply, but failed. The terrible pressure growing in the centre of his chest made him feel the cold breath of death. "I'm going to die here, in this car," he thought. "I won't be able to catch up with her." Panic took over his whole being, like a storm he couldn't control, blowing everything away.
Memories collided in his mind like a storm: The moments he spent with Donna, her warm smile, her soft hands, the peace in her voice... But now that peace was replaced by the cold touch of death. The pressure in his chest became more and more unbearable. Black spots appeared in front of his eyes, as if there was no air left to breathe. This darkness was slowly swallowing him.
The road in front of him in the car seemed to lengthen, opening into an endless void. Time had stopped, the world had stopped. An abyss opened up inside him. He was alone. As president, at the peak of power, but now he was a helpless man who could do nothing. No matter how much power he had, nothing could bring Donna back. If she died... the thought filled him with such deep sorrow that his heart felt as if it would burst with pain.
Donna was the meaning of his life. A world without her, a life without her, seemed to him the ultimate punishment.
"No," he said to himself, his voice hoarse and strained. "I can't lose her. I must be there on time." But this thought was not enough to calm the dark waves inside him. Harvey clenched his hands into tight fists and gripped the edges of the seat. His fingers were trembling, his nails almost digging into his skin, but even the pain no longer made sense.
"You won't make it, you won't reach her, you'll lose her..." was the echo in his mind. This terrible inner voice was more real than anything else. Every jolt, every turn in the car seemed to drag him deeper and deeper into despair. His eyes filled with tears and his heart was squeezing more and more every second.
The presidency, the displays of power in the corridors of the White House, the decisions that determined the fate of the country... Now none of it was too distant, too small, too meaningless to reach him. The only reality swirling in his mind was the possibility of losing Donna. His heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. He clenched his hands into tight fists again, his nails digging into his palms. "No!" he wanted to scream, but no sound came out. The silence merged with the echo inside him.
"We're approaching the hospital, Mr President," the driver said.
But Harvey didn't even hear. For him, this journey was an endless wait. Time had stopped, seconds seemed as long as years. The fear sitting like a heavy stone in his chest was dragging him to such a place that he couldn't even think anymore. With every jolt of the car, the anxiety inside him grew bigger and everything around him turned into a shadow.
Only one sentence was echoing in his head: "I can't lose her." This thought had taken over his whole being. He could give everything; the Presidency, his powers, even his life. But losing Donna would mean the end of his world.
In that moment, he realised the depth of his greatest fear.
He could give up everything, but losing the woman he loved felt like the greatest punishment in the world. The weight of being president, the responsibility of determining the fate of the country, everything... None of it mattered to him now.
When he got out of the car, he felt as if his feet were not touching the ground. Every step on the ground was like a step into the void. The doors of the hospital seemed to him like the mouth of an abyss; he did not know what was behind those doors. But he had no choice but to take a step. His heart was still beating uncontrollably, his sweaty hands were shaking. The pressure in his chest was making it difficult for him to breathe.
For a moment, white lights flashed in front of his eyes, each one illuminating again and again the fears in his mind that were about to disappear into the darkness. Flashes, cameras, the shouting of journalists... The whole world collapsed on him in an instant. The heart of America was beating right here in front of this hospital. A president rushing into a hospital in the middle of the night. But why? What was going on? And most importantly: What was Harvey Specter doing in a hospital where the famous actress Donna was?
The crowd of media was so dense that it was difficult for him to take a step. Microphones were being handed out one after the other, questions were pouring in.
"Mr President! Mr President! What is the condition of Donna Paulsen? Is there any new information about the accident?"
But Harvey's mind could not perceive any of these voices. The media storm that was obviously raging outside was but a whisper compared to the storm raging inside him. The only truth inside his was that Donna was lying in that hospital room.
The flashes blinded Harvey. Each one was revealing the pain inside him, revealing all the fears he had hidden. They captured every expression on his face, every worry, every desperation. And these flashbulbs going off, this wasn't just news. It was America's biggest question. The attention of the entire nation was focused on this moment. This moment, coming out of the White House and shouting Donna's name in front of a hospital... This was no ordinary presidential visit. This was a sign that something was wrong.
When even the smallest step of a president attracts attention, a sudden visit to a hospital in the middle of the night where a famous actress is...
This only fuelled the country's curiosity. Camera lenses were trying to catch him, each one seeing him as a window to the world. The flashes that exploded at every step were like arrows stabbing Harvey. Every eye, every gaze was watching him.
And Harvey, at that moment, was only trapped in the prison of his own inner world.
He stopped for a moment amidst the shouts of the journalists.
He froze. His heart was once again pounding in his chest. In the light of the flashbulbs, for a moment she felt completely naked. All this power, all this splendour, everything, had fallen to the ground. He was wearing the presidential uniform, but the fear in his heart was only the fear of a man. A lover on the verge of losing the woman he loved. And the world was watching this moment. The fall of a president, the despair of a man.
When the automatic doors of the hospital opened, the noise of the media was left behind. It was the darkest moment in a story that the whole world was eagerly watching. Flashes, cameras, microphones... They were all left outside. Inside, there were only cold walls, the silence of death and a terrible uncertainty. Harvey was just one man in the corridors of that hospital. And everything he could do to reach the woman he loved was now slipping away.
As soon as he stepped inside, everyone's gaze turned to him. A quiet humming and whispering began. The eyes of the people inside widened in surprise. What was the President of the United States doing in this hospital, in these cold corridors?
Everything suddenly turned into chaos. Nurses, doctors, patients... They were all gathered together, for a moment life stopped, the world stopped. The president's being here had turned everything upside down as it was. The whispers grew louder and louder.
"The President?"
"Is he here?"
"Is it really him?"
In the midst of this bewildered crowd around him, his hands and feet were tangled. He didn't know what to do, who to ask what to. In this gigantic building, he was looking for a way out to find the woman he loved, but he was sinking into despair with every step.
The crowd was getting bigger and bigger, people were gathering around him with curiosity. But Harvey seemed to be trying to escape all these eyes, all these gazes. After the flashes of the media outside, he was the target of the eyes here too. The world was watching, but he was only thinking about Donna.
That's when Harvey's personal bodyguards stepped in. They surrounded him and tried to open a corridor. It was like the president was surrounded by a firewall. In the centre of the corridor, everything was happening rapidly, and people stood aside in amazement. The guards surrounded Harvey like shadows, keeping the crowd at bay. But Harvey seemed lost even in this circle of security. He was drowning in his own panic attacks, increasingly disconnected from the world around him.
Under the astonished gaze of the people around him, the witnesses were stunned to see a president so lost and desperate for someone.
He approached an official and tried to ask in a trembling voice, "Donna Paulsen... where is she?"
But the words were choked in Harvey's throat. Her voice sounded muffled as it came out, disconnected from reality, everything blurred.
The official looked at Harvey, his eyes wide, realising who he was.
"Mr President... sir, Donna Paulsen?" the official asked hesitantly. Harvey's anxiety began to show on his face and his breathing became ragged as sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Yes... Donna! Where is she?" The tremor in his voice clearly showed both his panic and his fear. Now, despite all the guards and people around him, he had only one focus: To get to Donna. But offical took a step back, fear mixed with hesitation in his eyes. Harvey's deep concern was somehow infecting everyone.
"Mr President, I... She's in critical condition," Offical replied, looking puzzled at Harvey's urgent request. "She's in intensive care, the doctors are doing everything they can for her, but..." His words blew through Harvey like a cold wind; all his hopes vanished in that one sentence.
"What happened to her?" Harvey asked, his voice filled with deep concern. "Is it because of the accident? I need to know the details." His mind struggled to understand how events had unfolded.
"A car accident," Offical said, "The car flipped a lot. Doctors are in intensive care right now." Every word was like a knife in Harvey's heart. At that moment, the panic deepened. In his mind, the possibility of the end of everything was echoing.
The officer didn't understand Harvey's panic, but he continued, his behaviour suggesting that something big was going on.
"Besides..." he continued, Harvey's eyes widened. "The driver seemed to be in serious condition. He hasn't been identified yet. He was seriously injured in the crash. Details are still unclear."
At that moment, a thought came to Harvey's mind like a flash of light: Ray. He'd forgotten all about it. It was out of his mind. He felt like he was losing his breath.
"Ray... my driver," he whispered. The anxiety in his gut was growing, merging with the fear in his heart.
"There's no information on that yet," the officer said, shaking his head from side to side. "But a major accident has been reported. The details are not yet clear. We will inform you."
Everything had happened so fast that he seemed to be lost in his thoughts. "I know, that's Ray. He's my driver."
Harvey, his voice no longer trembling, full of determination. "Give me any information you can. I'm here, and I have to see Donna."
As Harvey travelled through the corridors of the hospital, his panic and anxiety grew exponentially. In his mind's eye, Donna's face, her smile, the sparkle in her eyes, kept returning. Every moment he burned with the desire to save her, but every time the cold, closed doors of the intensive care unit prevented him from reaching her.
"I want to see Donna," he said, his voice carrying a deep determination. "Let me. Please!"
Just then, a call on the attendant's phone caught his attention. The attendant was talking about an emergency, his expression changing, full of anxiety and caution. Without taking his eyes off the attendant, Harvey tried to hear the information that was coming in at that moment. As his heart raced, all sorts of scenarios began to play out in his mind. Was this good news for Donna?
After the attendant finished the call, he turned to Harvey. The look on his face foreshadowed negative news.
"Mr President," he said, his voice low and slow. "Donna's surgery is still ongoing. Her condition is critical." Each word stabbed through Harvey like a knife. His heart paused for a moment, as if time had split in two.
"What do you mean 'critical'?" Harvey asked, his voice becoming even more shaky.
"Why is Donna still in surgery?"
The attendant paused for a moment, then slowly continued to explain. "She arrived seriously injured. There is a risk of internal haemorrhage, and doctors are currently fighting to save his life."
At that moment, the world inside Harvey went completely black. The doors of intensive care closed like the doors of a prison. Donna's life was hanging in the balance.
"But I have to see her," he said. "I have to support her. Take me to him! I'm the fucking President here!"
But the attendant politely declined the request. "Mr President, that's impossible. Only certain people can be admitted to the intensive care unit and due to the seriousness of the situation..."
It felt like everything suddenly collapsed on Harvey. As president, sitting in the nation's highest office, but helpless for the most precious part of his own life.
He was the most powerful man in America, but that power could not fulfil his desire to be there for Donna. His inner frustration drove him deeper and deeper into darkness.
While the world outside was filled with media flashes, the emotions inside were gnawing at him. The hospital corridors, people whispering, doctors rushing around in a hurry only deepened Harvey's loneliness. The burden of a president, the expectations of a nation, the pressure of every moment, but besides all this, the life of the woman he loved was in danger... Each of these conflicted with each other and wore him down.
And in that moment, Harvey felt like a child lost in the past. In those moments when he thought time had stopped, Donna's loving smile had made him forget the whole world. But now, that smile was facing an uncertain future. He just wanted to see her, to hold her hand, but everything was slipping away from his fingertips.
"Mr President," the attendant said in a gentle tone, "your being there may worry him even more. Please, be patient. We will let you know."
But Harvey did not feel the weight of those words. His mind was lost in a labyrinth; he only remembered those moments when he heard Donna's name.
At that moment, he wanted to tear all the patience this wall offered him, to confront her. Harvey, unable to contain his anger, slammed his fist against the wall. The sound echoed like a scream, intoxicating the corridor with a metallic reverberation. When his fist hit the wall, it brought out the deep frustration in him as a reflection of the pain.
Everything suddenly seemed to freeze. People paused around him, confusion and fear in their eyes at witnessing their president's momentary rage. But for Harvey, this momentary outburst was an act of rebellion. It was an attempt to break out of a cage in which his emotions were trapped. The anger accumulated in the deepest corners of his heart, combined with the pain of the love of his life, had become an explosive force.
"Fuck!" he said angrily and started walking. He walked down the stairs, trying to find a space.
He just wanted to be with Donna, to hold her hand, to bring her back to life. But this desire was blocked by the cold walls of rules and protocols. And in that moment, the darkness within him deepened; perhaps this was more than just a loss. The fear of losing the love of his life stuck in his heart like an arrow.
Harvey pulled his fist away and took a deep breath to compose himself. The anger inside him gave way to a deeper determination. He didn't want to wait any longer; he wanted to see Donna, to support her. But how? Everything had turned into a complicated puzzle.
The moment he heard the voices of the security guards behind him, he decided to fight with his voice to leave them behind. "Don't come!" he shouted, his voice echoing with a hint of despair.
But in that moment, he was only after one thing: To get to Donna.
He found a doorway. The void seemed to be his own way of salvation. Quickly turning in that direction, he ran, holding his breath, towards the metal frame at the edge of the door. His mind was filled only with the thought that Donna was suffering. Why was she here? What was going on? Deep inside he knew something was wrong; there was a deeper truth underlying this event.
He quickly took out his mobile phone. The trembling of his hand was a reflection of his anxiety. As he skimmed the names on the screen, he could feel the rhythm of hid heart beating. Mike... He needed Mike's help. As a lawyer, Mike could unravel her confusion. As he tapped the screen, he knew he would have to face the uncertainty of his life.
When the phone rang, Mike's grumpy voice was heard.
"You know, Harvey, I have responsibilities other than being under your command, I have my own life in the middle of the night," he said in a mocking tone.
At that moment, a girl's voice rose in the background, "Harvey? Harvey the President?" lost in the laughter. Mike was busy with something, but Harvey didn't care about that detail; he had only one thought on his mind: Donna.
"Mike, I'm in an emergency," Harvey said, his voice trembling with heartbeat. "There's been an accident. Donna is in hospital. She's in serious condition."
Mike suddenly felt the seriousness in his voice. "Wait, what are you saying?" he asked, his sarcastic demeanour suddenly gone. "What happened? What accident? Are you all right?" His voice was filled with the curves of concern; it was as if everything had been wiped away in that moment.
"I wasn't there. There was an accident on the road. But there's something else behind it," Harvey said, feeling the weight of every word.
"Ray was there. The two of them together. The car... It flipped... More than once. This is no ordinary accident." Even his own voice sounded distant to him; the restlessness inside him was almost suffocating him.
Mike was silent for a moment, took a deep breath.
"Okay, calm down. Where are they now? Did you call an ambulance?"
"I'm at the hospital, but I can't see Donna," Harvey said, the anxiety growing layer by layer. "We've got to figure this out. Something's wrong. They said something about internal bleeding." The desperation in his voice echoed like a scream, the anxiety and despair growing within him.
Mike could be heard in the background, fiddling with something. "Are you in the hospital? Are you lost your mind? Everyone must have seen you! Listen to me, I'll be with you in a minute, but be careful, there might be something to this," he said seriously.
"You have to use your logic," he continued. "You're going with your heart right now and that's dangerous. Think, Harvey." Mike's voice sounded like guidance, but there was still a battle going on inside Harvey. The presence of his love motivated him even more, but the fear of losing her screamed in the depths of darkness.
"I'm losing my mind, Mike. I can't bear to lose her. She is the most precious person in my life," he said with anger and anxiety. Each word pushed him deeper into a pit; the thought of losing it was a wound in his heart.
Mike was silent again for a moment; he took a deep breath and got lost in his thoughts. "Okay, we'll do it together. But where will we meet?" These words made Harvey feel a sense of reassurance; maybe he wasn't alone, maybe together they could get through anything.
"I'll tell the officials to organise a place," Harvey said, his heart beating fast. "But be quick! I don't have time!" His anxiety made him realise how precious time was at every moment.
The phone was switched off and Harvey had started a war against the uncertainty inside him. Mike's voice faded in the background, but his absence only strengthened Harvey's resolve. "I'd do anything for Donna," he thought, the love inside him burning like a flame, still glowing in the dark corridors.
𓃭
Harvey walked away from the crowded corridors of the hospital and into an empty area manned by security guards. It was a space surrounded by an artificial silence, right next to the doors to the intensive care unit. The white paint on the walls gave a sense of cold discomfort, and the floors shone sharply with the reflections of the linoleum floors. Anxiety was in the air, surrounding him like an invisible wall; Harvey could not sit still, he was having panic attacks, struggling with the turmoil in his soul.
His heart beat like a melody of unease; in his mind, Donna's smile was replaced by his desperation for her salvation. The voices from outside whispered of an uproar, of excited curiosity as the public and the media mingled. At any moment, it was as if a storm was about to erupt.
Just then, Mike walked past the security guards. He was far away from the noise, filled with the seriousness he read in Harvey's eyes.
"What's going on here?" he asked, his voice low and determined. When he saw the look on Harvey's face, he immediately realised how serious everything was.
Outside, the media crowd was growing, each one whispering to the other inquisitively about the president's condition. But Mike remained oblivious to the voices echoing across America. In his own mind's eye, he wondered what he could do to help Harvey.
In the turmoil of his emotions, he approached Harvey and said, "Tell me what we need to do." "Tell me and I'll do it."
"I don't know... If I can't see Donna, I'll never get through this," Harvey said, taking a deep breath, feeling a combination of anxiety and desperation. His voice sounded lost in a spiral.
Mike recognised the emptiness in Harvey's eyes. He knew his friend was lost in the depths of his mind, that fear had taken over him.
"Harvey," he said, his voice calm but firm. "Listen to me. You have to pull yourself together. You can't lose your mind in this situation."
"Now let's think," he continued, quickening his pace in the empty space beside her.
"Was it an accident or a plan? Firstly, when and where did you see Donna? We need to understand the exact sequence of events." Mike's voice, like a coach's pep talk to his athletes, tried to light a glimmer of hope in Harvey.
"I went to her place. We had dinner. We had wine. It was all very peaceful. Then she had to go to the set. She was a little tipsy. I suggested she go with Ray, and then I went home. It all happened so fast," Harvey said, running his hands around his head.
"For a moment I thought, 'Nothing can happen to her', but now... Now everything is uncertain." His eyes focussed on Mike's.
"Can you just tell me one thing? Was this just an accident?"
Mike took a step back and started to think. "First we need to get the accident reports. And if this is a conspiracy, then it might have something to do with your position. You may have made an enemy." Mike tried to share Harvey's concern, feeling the weight of each word.
Mike paused for a moment; a realisation dawned in the depths of his thoughts. "Could this be... The Shadow's game?" he said, his voice suddenly trembling. "Things are so strange. I feel something is going on when everything seems so ordinary."
Shit. The Shadow.
The Mafia leader in Otis' inheritance case. Of course.
Harvey noticed the change of expression on Mike's face. "Damn! What do you mean?" he asked, a mixture of excitement and concern.
Mike shook his head and said, "Maybe they planned this accident. "Maybe they're trying to corner you, to undermine your power," Mike said, shaking his head. "If the Shadow targeted Donna, it's just a strategy to weaken you. It's a plan designed to demoralise you and make you afraid to take a step."
Harvey's eyes widened as he struggled to digest the thought. "So, this is a way to lure me into the darkness?" he said, anger exploding inside him. "They want to play games with me."
"That's exactly it," Mike said, frowning. "You know what a dangerous man Shadow is. If this is really his plan, we should be more careful. Maybe they're preparing another accident or a bigger threat."
"We've got to be cautious this time," Mike reminded Harvey, seeing the fire in his eyes. "We can't let him play his game. We need to play smarter."
"We've got to have a plan for this," Mike said, trying to formulate a new strategy in his head. "If we think The Shadow is planning to attack you over this accident, then-" Harvey stood up and cut Mike off.
"No more games, Mike. I'm gonna give him what he wants. I'm gonna continue the goddamn work Otis started. I'm not taking any more risks. I can't."
Mike's eyes went wide with disappointment and, frankly, concern.
"What? Don't be ridiculous! That's submission. You can't do that. You're better than that."
Harvey turned round quickly, his whole body trembling. He was angry with himself for not having thought of this doubt before. Anger filled him.
"My breath is dying in there right now! Why? Because of me! I won't let it happen again. If those idiots asked me to die to protect Donna, I would do it without a second thought. Stay away from things you don't understand, Ross. Just make sure it's him, and we'll end this."
Mike opened his mouth to speak but remained silent. Harvey's words had affected him. He knew it was wrong, but damn it all. He was the president. Mike was not going to put words in his mouth. Even Mike.
Mike grunted, closed his eyes and thought for a few seconds. This was the first time he'd ever managed – and would continue to manage – a case like this. He was good at crisis management.
"Then let's get ready. "Let's move. No time to waste," he said, his eyes shining with determination.
As Harvey and Mike walked through the dark corridors, Mike suddenly stopped and turned to Harvey, his face serious.
"You know," he said, his voice low and full of deep concern, "after this, all the arrows will be pointed at you. "The media will question it immediately."
Harvey was aware of the gravity of this fact, but the confusion and anger he was feeling did not distract him from his thoughts.
"I know, but I can tell you right now I don't give a damn," he said, his voice brimming with determination and excitement. "Donna is in critical condition. It's more important to me that she's alive than anything else."
Mike's anxiety was evident on his face as he grappled with his thoughts. "But what about Paula?" he demanded, his voice growing more serious. "Does she know about that?" "We have to think about her safety too. Anything that attracts The Shadow's attention is dangerous."
Harvey was determined to find out where Paula had last been. "The last time I saw her, she was at home on the sofa, fast asleep. "She didn't know anything," he stated firmly, feeling his guilt deepen at the mere words. "But now, I'm responsible for her safety too."
"This makes it even more complicated," Mike stated firmly, his expression serious. "We have to protect Paula if she's alone. She is in danger if no one is with her. "If something happens to her in the middle of this dark game, all this struggle will be for nothing."
Harvey absorbed the gravity of Mike's words. A complex brew of helplessness, anger and guilt churned within him. "Right," he said, his voice a command, "first I have to save Donna. Without her, this war is pointless. But Paula is already at the White House. She's safe there."
When Mike saw the flame in Harvey's eyes, he knew his fear was gone. In its place, another anxiety began to creep in. "In that case, we need to inform Paula. She needs to be prepared in case something happens. "The situation is already complicated," he stated firmly. "We have a responsibility to Paula that is amplified by our involvement."
Harvey stopped abruptly, halting his advance. The mention of the White House had triggered a sudden recollection.
"Wait a minute." Today, I was going out and there was a new driver, one I'd never seen before. He said there was something wrong with the car and that Ray would be back later. I drove that car to Donna's place and back. "But then, on the way here, there was another driver and he said he didn't know about the new driver."
Mike saw the realisation in Harvey's eyes. He was suddenly certain that this was a trap for him. "What the hell is this supposed to mean?" he demanded, his voice echoing in confusion. "You mean to tell me that this 'missing' driver was The Shadow's man?"
"Yeah. Damn it! It was him. It was his man. Ray wouldn't leave without telling me! But I was so pissed off at the time, I didn't care. Fuck! Oh, fuck!"
Harvey's guilt grew and grew. He couldn't take it. He felt dizzy, he felt like throwing up again.
"Okay, calm down. This is not your fault. We know Shadow has dark connections, and he probably did this because there were only hours between the car having trouble and the accident happening in the same car. The Shadow has a plan. I'll find out. All I ask is time."
Harvey closed his eyes.
"Time is the one thing I can't give you."
Harvey felt the weight of Mike's words; he realised that the fear inside him was growing and an inner restlessness was taking over.
"We need to find out who that driver was. He didn't tell me his name..."
Mike shook his head. This situation was fucked up. It was big. Too big.
Just when Harvey thought he didn't need to go after Mike, he found silence within himself. As Mike rushed out of the hospital, the sound of his footsteps echoing into the void behind him was like an echo of the confusion in Harvey's mind. He took a deep breath, even the sterile hospital air filling his lungs couldn't calm his uneasiness. His steps slowed down, as if the dimly lit, white-walled corridors of the hospital were sucking him in, his burden getting heavier with each step.
He moved towards the cold door of the intensive care unit, the feeling of emptiness growing deeper and deeper with each step. There was someone right in front of the door. A woman. A woman surrendered to tears, her body trembling with sobs. Harvey's eyes fell on the woman's dark hair, her shadow falling to the ground. He didn't know who she was. He went towards her.
But this woman... She startled when she heard Harvey's footsteps. Her eyes widened in surprise, as if she didn't believe him. Her eyes, red from crying, were filled with shock and fear. The president of the United States was here, right in front of her. So human, so vulnerable. As she looked at him, the sobs inside her stopped for a moment. The silence deepened the coldness of the hospital.
"Mr President," she said through her tears.
Harvey frowned, this woman didn't look old. She certainly wasn't part of Donna's family. Maybe she was a friend.
Realising from Harvey's look that he didn't recognise her, the woman spoke again, introducing herself.
"Rachel... Rachel Zane... I'm Donna's lawyer and friend..."
Rachel tried to wipe away her tears, but they were not an expression of weakness, but of her deep devotion to Donna. Harvey saw this vulnerability, felt the anxiety inside him become a heavy burden.
Rachel bowed her head, as if to dispel the confusion frozen in her eyes.
"Mike told me, he was with me. I mean, we work on the same case. I mean, we used to. We were discussing some of the details," Rachel slurred, every word a lie. Harvey realised it quickly. Mike and Rachel were fucking. He wasn't surprised.
Harvey didn't answer. He took a few steps away. He didn't want to explain why he was here. He didn't even have an excuse. He didn't care.
Rachel stared at the floor, biting her lip, trying to compose herself. "The doctors... they're doing everything they can. But it's very serious. I'm afraid of losing her."
These words only served to increase Harvey's despair. He felt as if his heart was squeezing, as if there wasn't enough air in this room. He was suffocating. The thought of losing Donna was like a knife in his soul. He tried to control himself, but it was hard. A world without her... just the thought of it was draining.
"We won't lose her. Donna will do so much more in this world. She's a strong woman... She'll get through this." his voice was sterner this time, full of determination.
Rachel looked surprised at Harvey's determination. But she saw the desperation in Harvey's eyes. He was experiencing the same pain, the same fear. The most important person in both of their lives was standing on that thin line between life and death in the intensive care unit. Rachel wanted to believe Harvey's words, but the fear inside her prevented her from doing so.
"I hope so," Rachel said, bowing her head slightly. "I hope you're right, Mr President." She didn't understand why Harvey was here, even though that wasn't her focus at the moment. A few things were going through her mind, but everything was secondary in this situation.
In the cold corridors of the hospital, time had descended like a heavy cloud, making it difficult to take a breath. The silence was like a weight on Harvey. Rachel stood a few feet away from him, her eyes far away, her head bowed in despair. Everything was so uncertain that every sound of footsteps coming from that door at the end of the corridor created a new wave of hope or fear in their hearts.
And at that moment... The nurse's footsteps echoed. She approached with slow, uneasy steps, her expression deepening the silence that filled the room. Harvey's heart began to beat like a hammer in his chest. Rachel suddenly jumped up, turning to the nurse in horror. Harvey moved more slowly, but the tension tightened his muscles, making him feel like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment. The deep sadness on the nurse's face whispered that she was going to give them bad news. His fears overtook his thoughts. They were sure that the first word out of the nurse's mouth would be about Donna.
Harvey was holding his breath, preparing for the nurse's sentence that would explode at any moment with a strangled breath escaping between his lips. Donna... Was she going to say that they couldn't save her life? Was there a miracle or a disaster behind that door?
But when the nurse's opened her lips to speak, the name they were waiting for did not come. The sentence they were waiting for, the news of her death, was not about Donna.
"Ray," the nurse said, her voice barely above a whisper but echoing in his ears. "I'm sorry. We couldn't save Ray."
For a moment, Harvey's world came to a complete halt. Ray? Ray... his Ray? The Ray who had been by his side for years, who always reassured him, who protected him in every danger? At that moment Harvey struggled to make sense of what the nurse was saying. She was saying that Ray was dead.
His eyes opened wide, he could not hear or understand the words echoing in his mind. The shock wave inside him swept through his whole body. He tried to clench his hands into fists, but his hands were shaking.
Rachel stood right next to Harvey, unable to understand anything about Ray, who she didn't know who he was. But this sudden change in Harvey's face, this sheer shock, told Rachel that something was very wrong. This was no ordinary news.
Harvey took a step back, as if the weight of this news had pulled the ground from under his feet. Ray... he had always been there for him. He had earned his trust over the years, had made the car ready early every day, had followed him like a shadow. Everyone has someone indispensable in their life and Ray was that person for Harvey. His loss exposed a void in Harvey's life. His heart was heavy as a rock in his chest.
"No..." Harvey said, his voice hoarse and low. The word came out of his mouth involuntarily. "No. This couldn't be happening. Ray, he shouldn't have died. Donna was in bad enough shape as it was. But now Ray... Ray's death... It felt like a burden Harvey couldn't bear. Something inside him was crumbling.
Harvey took another step back, his eyes slowly dropping to the floor. Why was everything happening one after the other? The wave of anger inside him was replaced by a deep sorrow. Whereas the day before, the world was still standing. Hours ago, Ray was still with her.
Donna... Ray... Everything was slipping away one by one. He remembered once again how easy it is to lose the ones you love in this world. No matter how great his power was, he could not protect the most important people in his life. He wanted to do something, but he had nothing to do.
The nurse's voice echoed down the hospital corridor, but Harvey no longer understood what she was saying. All he heard was the deep echo of his heart beating in his chest. Ray's voice echoed in his mind. He remembered his calm, reassuring voice. What he had said in the car one morning was now coming back to him like an echo. But now it was all just a dream. Ray was gone.
Rachel looked at Harvey's face and wanted to say something to him, but she couldn't find the words. How could she comfort him? The loss was too great for Harvey to put into words. Donna's situation was already a disaster, and now Ray's death... It had completely turned Harvey's world upside down.
The corridor fell silent. The nurse slowly withdrew, leaving a deep void behind her. Harvey and Rachel stood there, not looking at each other, but sharing the same pain. Time seemed to be trapped between the hospital walls.