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Morning jog, check.
Really long shower, check.
Tickets to the Aquarium, check.
Harvey’s more than ready to take Mike and boys out for the day. They’ve all been anticipating this day off in what feels like forever. The weathers been less than friendly these past few week and the toasty temperature-controlled indoor facilities of the Aquarium are better than the open-air zoo—for now. He’ll take them another time when things are less chilly.
He dresses for the day, as meticulous as ever, making sure everything from his clothes to his hair screams cool, calm, and confident without looking too hard. Nearly a year into the game, and he still feels like he’s courting Mike’s children for their approval. He knows how fickle a pair of nine-year-olds can be.
His phone rings, interrupting him from further thoughts. He swipes it open on the third ring. “Hello?”
The voice on the other side doesn’t sound like he expected. “Harvey?” Mike’s voice trembles as he talks. “I’m sorry I just… I... about today—”
Harvey feels his chest constrict but he tries to calm it. His associate didn’t frazzle easily, and never this panicked. He can sense the underlying terror in the tremble of Mike’s voice. “Hey, hey, Mike, relax, breathe, what’s wrong? Something happen?”
“It’s Jaime,” it comes as a sob, “he’s… we’re at Premier Pediatrics at 4th and Warren. I just… I didn’t know who else to call… and I…”
“I’ll be there,” Harvey assures his boyfriend, then adds, “Is there anything you need? Clothes? Supplies? Food? How’s Raphy? Is he alright?”
Mike takes a long time to answer, and Harvey uses that time to pack-up a go-back with everything he thinks Mike and the twins might need for a stay in the hospital. It could be nothing or it could be something, but the mere fact that Mike called him in a state of distress is worrying.
“Jackets,” Mike replies, “and something warm. It’s colder than I expected here. Raphy’s…” Harvey hears someone in the background, probably Raphy, whining something in coherent. He also hears Mike refuse the boy for a few seconds before giving in. “Raphy wants to talk to you. Sorry, he’s being a bra—persistent.”
There’s a weird inflection at the tone but Harvey’s heart flutters none the less. “Alright, sure.” He prays that his voice doesn’t sound chocked. As he waits, he goes into his storage to gather a few blankets from his cupboard.
The phone gets passed from Mike to Raphy with a few rustles. Then, Raphy’s voice fills the line. “Ha—Harvey?”
“Hey, little monster, how you holding up?”
“No good. Je—Jaime’s sick—k you comin’?”
The question surprises him, jerking him to a halt. There’s the flutter in his heart again. “Y—yeah, course I am, monster, I’ve just got to pack some stuff that your dad asked me to bring, alright? You gonna be fine waiting for a bit longer? Need me to bring you anything?”
A pause tells Harvey that Raphy’s thinking on the other line, and probably looking shyly at his father too in a wordless question of approval to voice out his concerns. He hears Mike say something inaudible in the background before Raphy speaks again. “Can you, uhm, please bring me a coloring book? I left mine at home and dad’s… daddy needs his phone…”
Harvey smiles a little to himself. They’ve gone a long way from the tentative friendship he’s formed with the twins when they first met. It feels a little bit like he’s growing to be a real part of their family—and not just dad’s boyfriend who comes by at Christmas. He likes it.
“Animals, right? With tall giraffes and big round elephants?”
“Yes.” It’s soft but the smile is nearly audible.
“Alright. I’ll see what I can do, little monster. Can you give back the phone to your dad now?”
Mike’s voice returns just as Harvey’s zipping-up the bag. “Sorry about him. You don’t have to get it if it’s out of your way. We were in a rush to get here.”
“No, it’s fine,” Harvey brushes it off, “It’s more than fine. I don’t mind. Text me the room details and I’ll be there as soon as I can. Okay?” He thinks for a moment that Mike’s going to put up another fight but it doesn’t come.
“Okay. Thank you, Harvey.”
‘You’re welcome’ is one the tip of his tongue but he says “See you in a few” instead. He tucks the phone into his pocket, checks his wallet and his keys, then leaves his condo in a mad rush, feeling for all the world that it’s his child in the hospital.
It takes Harvey forty minutes to reach Premier Pediatrics. He sees people sitting in the waiting bay through the glass walls, a small ER, and a reception desk right in front of the doors. The nurses are in white animal-print tops and lavender scrubs.
“Hey, uhm, Ross, Jamiel James?” He asks the blond girl sitting in front.
“Relationship, Mr...?”
“Specter, Harvey Specter.” Harvey runs a hand across the back of his head nervously. “I’m, uh, his dad’s boyfriend.”
The nurse gives him a rueful look, unconvinced. “May I see some identification, sir?”
Harvey hands her his driver’s license and shoots off a text to Mike, informing the latter that he’s being stalled in the lobby. The nurse—Emma, her nametag says—scans with her eyes.
Offense bubbles inside Harvey’s chest. He’s a hundred percent positive that this problem wouldn’t arise if he were visiting a woman. It makes him wonder why a man visiting another man would seem out of the ordinary. He doesn’t have to wait for long because someone shots his name.
“Harveeeeey!” Raphy’s voice echoes, startling a lot of the patrons. His footsteps thunder through the quiet room as he runs to the older man, and jumps. Harvey catches him just in time with a wobble. The duffel drops to the floor with a thud.
Behind them, Mike walks up sternly. “Raphael James Ross! What did I tell you about shouting and running in the hall?” Raphy, in response, tucks his head into Harvey’s neck and tightens his hold. Mike silently pleads to Harvey with his eyes.
“Hey, now, little monster, use me to hide from your dad. Come on, monster,” Harvey urges the child from his neck so that they can both look at Mike. Something in Mike’s eyes shift when their gazes meet. Harvey doesn’t have a word for it but it’s warm and tingly.
“Hi.” Mike gestures for the back on the floor, and picks it up. “We’re upstairs. Let’s go. I don’t leave Jaime alone for long.”
Harvey’s unsure of what do to, looking between Mike and the nurse. “Sure, I just need my ID back.” His eyes flicker to the reception.
Mike looks exhausted but his super-brain registers the words in seconds. “Oh for Christ’s sake.” He rolls his eyes and demands for the ID with his open palm, looking intently at the nurse. “Hi—uhm, Emma—yeah, but one of my sons is upstairs and I’d really like to go back there with my boyfriend in tow, alright? So maybe you can hand me back his ID so we can go? It’s been a long day.”
Emma says nothing when she hands Mike the ID.
“Come on,” Mike says, hauling the bag to his shoulder. “Let’s go. He’s gonna be whiny if we’re out for too long.”
Harvey cannot help but toss a smug look at the nurse’s way as they leave. Raphy rests contently in his arms while they make their way through the maze of hallways. He hasn’t felt the burn in his arms quite like this since high school baseball practice. Now, it burns for another reason—carrying the weight of a half-grown child, who’s already carved a small space in his heart.
“Harvey!” Jaime’s weak but enthusiastic voice comes from the bed. “You came!”
Lowering Raphy to the flood, Harvey makes his way to Jaime’s bedside and ruffles the boy’s hair. “Of course I came, you little monster. Had to find out what’s wrong with you, yeah?” He throws the question off to Mike, whose seated on the couch-bed by the window. There’s rolled up towels and a sheet making up a make-shift bed.
Jaime chews on his bottom lip.
“How you feeling?” Harvey asks, lowering his voice softly. Raphy sticks close to Harvey’s side like a magnet, and doesn’t let go of his other hand.
“No good,” Jaime answers with a shake of his head. “It’s itchy.” He says, pointing to the bandages covering his IV-line needle, “And it hurts. Can we take it out?”
Harvey frowns apologetically. “No can do, monster, I know it’s uncomfortable but that’s where they put your medicine through so that they don’t have to prick you with a needle so many times. The meds help you get better so you can get out of here faster, okay?”
Jaime’s face crumbles. “Okay,” he repeats quietly. “I’m sorry about the Aquarium. We’re supposed to go today.”
Harvey’s heart breaks a little at the kicked-puppy expression. “Naah, that’s okay. Tickets are just tickets. We can always go another time, alright? You just concentrate on getting better again, and then we can go visit the Aquarium.”
“But… but I wanted to see penguins.”
“I know, little monster, I know. We’ll go when you’re all better. I promise, okay?”
Jaime sniffles but manages to nod.
He turns to Mike, who has that look on his face again. He brushes it off for the time being and goes for the duffel back. A jacket comes out first, which he drapes over Mike’s shoulder, then blankets and finally a small paper bag.
Raphy’s eyes widens when he sees it. “You bought it!”
Harvey grins, feeling like he just won the lottery. “I know I promise you giraffe and elephants but I thought that maybe you and Jaime would like these instead, yeah?” He brings out an ocean-themed coloring book with an open-clam with a pearl on the cover. “Not the aquarium but it has penguins.” In the corner of his eye, he sees Jaime’s eyes widen.
Raphy squeals and tugs it to his chest. “Cool!” Then, he turns and makes a beeline for his brother, hopping on the bed. He animatedly looking through the pictures with his twin while Harvey and Mike watch in amusement.
“Guess they were really looking forward to it, huh?” Harvey asks, snickering at the box of crayons that Raphy left inside the paper bag.
“You kidding?” Mike raises his eyebrows. “They wouldn’t shut up about it for weeks since you told them about it. Thank you for that, by the way, you didn’t have to buy them a new one.”
Harvey brushes it off. “Mike, it’s a hospital. I’m not sure how often you guys stay overnight in one, or if this has ever happened before, but I remember being scared like he—ck when my brother got confined. I’ll give them anything to help with that. Plus,” he leans in to peck Mike on the lips, “they needed a distraction too.”
Mike grins into the kiss, looping his arms around Harvey’s neck. “How did I get so lucky to have you?”
“I’m lucky I have you—all three of you. Life’s never been this exciting.” Harvey settles himself beside Mike so that the shorter man can lean against him slightly, draping an arm over Mike’s shoulder. “So, what happened? Looks like you stayed the night. Nothing serious, right? Jaime’s looking lively for a kid in the hospital.”
“Yeah,” Mike whispers. “Sorry about the call. I was just… it’s his first time getting confined and he was out of his mind screaming when the nurse injected antibiotics into the drip this morning.”
“What happened?”
“Well, he skipped dinner yesterday ‘cause he had a tummy ache. I thought it was indigestion of something so I let him sleep it off. But I woke up in the middle of the night with Raphy shaking me awake. Jaime had puked all over the bathroom floor, crying. So I took them here. Forgot to pack anything at all. Just needed to get here as soon as I could.”
Harvey squeezes Mike reassuringly. “What did the doctors say?”
Mike slumps even lower. “Stomach bug. A bad one. Lucky it didn’t get them both at the same time.”
“And you? I hate to be the a-hole but you look like death, babe.”
Mike chuckles and punches Harvey on the thigh weakly. “I’m… I’m better now.” He says, angling his face to Harvey’s shoulder and takes a deep breath. “Thanks for coming. I know that I’m supposed to be stronger and stuff, but seeing my baby boy lying there pale as white just messed me up in the head—” he pauses, then bursts into small laughs, “—d’you know that Raphy was insisting you had magic healing abilities?”
That catches Harvey by surprise. “I, what?”
Mike takes their hands and entwines their fingers. “Yeah, he remembers the time I got sick in your condo and you promised I’ll be better in the morning, you remember that? He says if you say that Jaime’s gonna get better then Jaime’s gonna get better and that’s why he need you to be here.”
“Oh,” is all he says because he literally does not have words.
“You, mister, have charmed my kid into believing you more than me.” Mike says with a pout, but there’s no heat to it. “Wonder what you’ll convince them to do next, huh?” He plays with their fingers, making soft patterns on the knuckles.
“We can plot world domination if you want,” Harvey offers and Mike pinches him on the thigh. “Hey, oww! Say… you think he’ll be out by today?”
Mike bites his lip and shakes his head. “Yeah, it’s a 24-hour bug or something. They’ll want to keep him overnight for observation but he’s doing a whole lot better.”
Harvey nods. “You not going in tomorrow? I can give you the day off.”
“Nah, I’ll file for VL like a normal employee would. I don’t need them giving us shi—shizz for being together. Those losers in the pen already talk enough as it is. I’d rather not risk it. Thanks for offering though and, uh, sorry about the Aquarium trip. I can pay for the next one.”
Harvey squeezes their hands. “Mike, it’s money which I have—senior partner, remember? Name partner soon, hopefully. I promised to show you guys some fishes then I will show you guys some fishes, when Jaime gets better. I don’t care about the tickets. You, Raphy, and Jaime are more important, all right?”
Mike just nods instead of answering. “Man, I was looking forward to spending a whole day with you and the twins too.”
Harvey gets an idea. “Who says we can’t?”
Mike look at him incredulously.
Harvey motions to the TV mounted on the wall. “That thing had animal planet, right? We can watch some shows about fishes when they’re on, or tell help the boys names the different kinds of animals in their coloring book. I remember going that when I was a kid—well, minus animal planet. I don’t think it existed back them.
He watches Mike’s expression flitter from surprise to down-right-awe as his entire face lights up with a smile.
“You, Mr. Specter, are one handsomely smart man. I knew there was a reason why I keep you around my children.”
Harvey laughs, loud enough to garner the twin’s attention. “Come on.” He pulls on the ottoman to Jaime’s bedside and gestures for Mike to follow. They end up with Mike on the chair, Harvey on the armrest, and Raphy at the foot of the bed, curled around the while pages of the coloring book that Harvey brought.
The pages are soon filled with color and stories, and the twins are making-up their own little adventure tale before they finish the second page.
Harvey glances at Mike’s groggy state, and run a hand through the oily blond locks. “You can go to sleep,” he says, prodding Mike to move, “Go on the bed, I can take care of the boys for a little while.”
“I’m good.” Mike complains but it’s sleepy and slurred.
With a huff, Harvey bodily moves Mike from the chair to the bed and tucks his boyfriend in. “I’ll wake you up at lunch,” he promises with a kiss to Mike’s forehead, and Mike goes out like a light. Then, he turns back to reclaim his seat by Jaime’s bed to continue the epic journey of Picard the Penguin and his Sea Friends.
It’s not how he envisioned his day off, but his got family by his side and that’s all that matters.