Nothing Is Ever Simple

Disclaimer: I don't own Suits, No matter how much I wish I did.

Notes: I literally wrote this in a day, and I have no beta so all mistakes are mine. I'm not a medical expert. All the medical information I used is from the internet and my own personal experience. I do have a tendency to swear, so if this offends you then please don't read.

The ringing of his cell phone abruptly brings Mike out of his slumber. Mike groggily blinks open his eyes, fumbling for his cell phone. Where the hell is it? Come on! Mike shakes his in hopes of clearing some of the stuffiness in his head that he's been feeling for nearly a week. He hears it, but can't quite locate where the ringing is coming from. He stands up and literally trips over something, THERE it is!

Mike quickly picks up his phone and answers it. "Oh, so you're not dead. I thought for sure you were sense this is the fifth time I called you. And I specifically told you yesterday to get in early, and you're already later than you usually are."

Five times! Harvey called him five times! He didn't hear the phone ring once until now. Damn, that Nyquil really did him in."Hi, Harvey. Good morning to you too."

"Good morning, my ass. I let you leave early yesterday so you can go home, pop a couple of NyQuils, and get a good night's sleep with strict instructions to be here early."

"I'm on my way now." Mike hangs up his phone. He wishes he could say that going home early the day before worked wonders for the cold he's been battling for a week now. Sadly, he still feels like crap. If anything, he feels out it from the NyQuil he took last night. He could still feel some congestion in his head, but now there is a new pain. His right ear is bothering him, nothing too serious. But, the dull pain is pretty constant.

Mike stops his wallowing and hastily gets dressed. He goes to grab his bike when he staggers. Whoa head rush. I should have grabbed a granola bar. He shelves the idea of riding his bike to work. He's already late, and he feels like crap. He decides to take a cab instead.

.SUITS

"Oh, look who's finally here," Kyle quips.

"Don't start, Kyle. I'm not in the mood." In fact Mike isn't in the mood for anything right now, but sleeping. His ear is aching, and he is so freaken tired. His thoughts are interrupted again by his phone ringing.

"And you're still not in my office, because…" Harvey says.

"I'm on my way," Mike answers.

"You better be."

Mike rushes to Harvey's office, but stops when he hears Donna sings, "Somebody's in trouble."

"Tell me something I don't know. " Mike walks into Harvey's office and sees Harvey drops the newspaper he's been reading onto his desk. Mike nearly collapses into a chair and once again is rubbing his ear. The dull ache is now becoming a fiercer pain.

"Good you're…..I have so….for….to…" Harvey's voice is going in and out like a radio station's signal through a valley. Mike rubs his right ear hoping that the action will solve his problem of not fully hearing what Harvey is saying. "You're meeting Jake Lechinski at his….. 274...West 5th Ave at one o'clock. Got ..?"

Mike knows that he should have asked Harvey to repeat what he said, but he already knows that he's on Harvey's shit list for not picking up his phone earlier, and being so ridiculously late. He knows that if he asks what Harvey said he's just going to hear some more crap for not paying attention. So, instead Mike just shakes his head in agreement. He knows where Lechinski's office and knows Harvey said one o'clock. He's good.

Mike gets up to go to his cubicle; he knows that he has a huge pile of briefs to proof waiting for him there. He knows he's going to have to get them done before his one o'clock meeting with Lechinski if he's ever going to get on Harvey's good side today. He's so focused on getting to his cubicle to get to work, and to his supply of ibuprofen that he doesn't notice Donna's look of concern when he passes he desk.

Sure enough there's a pile of work waiting for him on his desk. He sits down to get to work. But, before he can even look at one piece of paper he knows that he needs to at least put a dent into the ever present pain in his ear. He opens his top drawer of his desk and shakes out four ibuprofens and dry swallows them. Time to get to work.

.SUITS

Mike looks up to see the time on his computer screen, 12:25. Time for him to go meet Lechinski. He knows that that he can't afford to be late, not after what happened this morning. He quickly stands up and grabs his messenger bag. He goes to move and he immediately stops. His head feels like there's a river rushing inside of it. He can actually hear the fluid whooshing back and forth in his head. He shakes his head to try and clear it, but that's a big mistake. The whooshing has gotten worse and Mike is now rushing to the bathroom to clear his queasy stomach. He's so concerned with making it to the bathroom in time that he nearly runs over Donna.

"Jeesh, Mike slow do-"

Before Donna can even finish Mike is already in the bathroom. Mike kneels down in front of the toilet, readying himself to puke. But nothing comes up. Instead his body is racked with dry heaves. Leaning back against the stall's door, Mike takes a reprieve from the fruitless puking. He's still not feeling better, and his damn ear feels even worse. It feels like a hot poker is being stabbed into his ear. He once again rubs his hand over his ear hoping that the pain will magically disappear. When he pulls his hand away, he sees a clear liquid on it. Great, nowwhat the hell is that?

Satisfied that he's not going to puke, Mike slowly stands up and makes his way to the sink. He splashes water on his face and looks at himself in the mirror. Mike is shocked by his appearance. His hair is sticking up, his eyes are glazed, and he's sweating. He looks, and feels like complete shit. He touches his forehead. Wonderful, add fever to can't take this much more. This cold's not getting any better. He decides that when he gets back from his meeting he's going to go to the walk-in clinic.

Mike leaves the bathroom and sees Donna waiting for him in the hallway. "Mi…yo..o." Donna questions or at least Mike thinks she's asking a question. He can't be sure because his damn hearing is doing that fading in and out thing again.

"I'll be fine. I have to get going. See you later." Mike quickly turns around and leaves. The quicker he gets to this meeting, the quicker it will be over, and the quicker he can get to the walk-in and get this taken care of.

.SUITS

"I think there's something going on with the puppy," Donna informs Harvey.

Harvey looks up from his desk to see Donna in his doorway. "There's always something going on with Mike. Why should today be any different?"

"Did you see him today? He seems out of it, like he's not really listening." Harvey gives her a look that says, is this new? Donna adds, "He's looking green and was sweating like a pig the last time I saw him."

"I'm not his baby-sitter. He's a big boy, if he doesn't feel well he can make himself a doctor's appointment. I already sent home early yesterday because of the damn cold he's been nursing now close to a week. What else am I suppose to do?"

Donna knows there's no talking to Harvey when he's like this, so she leaves the room in a huff.

.SUITS

"Harvey, Jake Lechinski is on the line for you." Donna tells him all businesslike. She's still clearly pissed at him for dismissing her suspicions about Mike. He knows that she's going to make him pay later for dismissing her like that. In the mean time, it's back to business.

"Thanks, Donna. Patch him though." Harvey answers the phone, "Hello, Jake. How can I help you?"

"I'll tell you how you can help me, Specter When you set up a meeting for me and your associate, you can make sure that he actually shows up!" Jake Lechinski yells into the phone.

"Wait a second, are you telling me that Mike never showed up?" Harvey questions.

"That's exactly what I'm telling you. I waited at Connie's Delicatessen for nearly an hour. He never showed."

"I'll get to the bottom of this, I'm sorry Jake." Jake hangs up without even saying goodbye. Harvey's gonna kill the kid the next time he sees him. Nothing's going to stop him, well maybe Donna. Maybe. Harvey buzzes Donna.

"Yes?"

"Where's Mike?"

"Meeting with Lechinski."

"He never showed. When he gets back here, tell him I want to see him in my office ASAP."

"Got it."

.SUITS

"W….he..ki." The taxi driver wakes Mike up. Mike shakes his head. Yap, the pain is still there. It feels like his ear drum is on fire. Mike hands over the cab fare and heads into Pearson Hardman. As he walks from the cab to the building he stops dead, a gust of wind literally cuts right into his ear. It feels like the pain went all the way into his brain, if that is even possible. On top of feeling like complete shit, Mike is aggravated. He was stood up by his client, Jake Lechinski. He waited at Lechinski's office for nearly an hour.

When he reaches his desk, he sees that Donna is there waiting for him. This can't be good. He looks at Donna and sees her mouth moving, but he can't hear anything she's saying. What the hell is going on? He perks his head to the right, so his left ear is facing her.

"Are you listening? Harvey's pissed. You need to make nice." Together they walk to Harvey's office. It's an awkward silence, but Mike makes sure he's standing on Donna's right side so his good ear is closer to Donna, in case she does say something. By this point he just wants to make to Harvey's office, so he can sit down. His ear is in complete agony. He can feel the sweat dripping down his face. His stomach is rolling with nausea. Oh, and he can't hear a damn thing out of his right ear. And now he's going to get his ass reamed by Harvey for some imaginary wrong doing. As he's waking his nausea is getting worse. He stops walking for a second hoping that by resting for a second, his nausea may pass. It doesn't. Instead Donna is looking at him, carefully.

By the time they reach Harvey's office, Donna looks at Mike. "Hey kid, you okay?" Mike can no longer hide his misery; he begins to shake his head no. But, then he hears Harvey's thunderous voice.

"Mike, get in here! Now!" Donna follows Mike into Harvey's office.

"Harvey, I think-" But, Donna is cut off by Harvey.

"I'm not shocked by you being late. That's a perpetual habit of yours. But, not showing up to a meeting with a client. That's a new one for you," Harvey's tirade stops when he looks at Mike, really looks at Mike. Mike gracelessly falls into a chair. Mike's head is tilted to the right, so that his left ear is facing Harvey. His face is flushed, and there's a line of sweat dotting Mike's forehead. Harvey can't help but stare at Mike's hand that is firmly pressed against his right ear. What the hell is going on with this kid?

"Kid, you okay?" The change in Harvey's tone is clearly evident.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you, Harvey. I knew that something's been off with him all day."

"Donna, stop. I'm asking Mike. Let him speak for himself." Harvey turns back to Mike and asks him again in a kinder voice, "What's wrong, Mike?"

"I think that I need to go home." Mike quietly answers Harvey's inquiry. In the mean time Donna bends down, and places her hand on Mike's scalding forehead. Mike leans into the Donna's cool hand, helping it will give some relief to the fire he feels is inside his body.

"Jesus, Mike! You're burning up." Mike doesn't respond in the least, because Donna is on his right side. Donna notices Mike's lack of response to her exclamation and nervously looks at Harvey in concern.

Harvey moves closer to Mike and is on his left side. "Mike, did you hear Donna." Mike slowly shakes his head no.

"Forget home, you're going to the doctor. Donna, call Dr. Benton and see if he can squeeze Mike in. If he gives you a hard time, politely remind him about that malpractice suit against him that I was able to have dismissed."

Donna quickly leaves Harvey's office to make the call, leaving Mike alone with Harvey. "Jesus, kid. Why didn't you tell me it was this bad?'

"I didn't want to disappoint you," Mike retorts. Harvey squeezes his shoulder, reassuring Mike he didn't.

.SUITS

"How's the kid?" Harvey asks Donna.

Donna's unpacking the groceries that she's picked up on her way over to Mike's place. Mike called her on the way home from the doctor with his status report. His exhaustion was clearly evident over the phone, his diagnosis and instructions from Dr. Benton were drawn out. Donna told him to go straight home and that she would pick up his prescriptions from the pharmacy.

"He's zonked out. Probably getting the only reprieve he can get from the middle ear infection and perforated eardrum that is ravaging his body," Donna answers.

"Perforated eardrum? The puppy can't do anything simple."

"Nope. Did you square everything away with Lechinski?"

"Yeah, I did. Apparently, when Lechinski returned to his office, his secretary told him that a Mike Ross was waiting for him."

"Disturbances in hearing are a sign of a perforated ear drum. Mike must have thought you said the meeting was at Lechinski's office, not the deli that's down the street from his office," Donna surmised.

"Exactly. Tell Mike I'll stop by later to check in on him. I have to finish some stuff up here first."

"Will do. Bye, Harvey."

"Bye, Donna.

.SUITS

Harvey knocks on Mike's door. He patiently waits for Mike to answer the door. Donna told him that the kid was still sleeping when she left earlier, so he may still be napping. Or he may not have heard if his ear was still clogged. Harvey raises his hand to knock again when the door to Mike's apartment opens. Mike's standing in the doorway in a t-shirt and his work pants. The kid must have passed out as soon as he got home, Harvey wonders.

"Hi, Harvey?" Mike questions. He's surprised to actually see Harvey on his doorstep. He read Donna's note when he woke up. The note said that Harvey may stop by. But, Mike didn't know if he would actually do so, especially sense Harvey Specter doesn't care, right?

"I don't know if you're hungry or not. But, Donna told me the prescriptions you're on and I know you should eat something with them." Mike looks down and sees Harvey holding a bag from a local Chinese food place.

"Ummmm, thanks." Mike moves to the side to let Harvey in and says, "Come in." Harvey walks in and Mike motions to Harvey to sit down on his couch. Mike pushes the blankets and pillows that are on the couch off to the side to make room. Mike takes out some food from the bag

"I didn't know what you like, so I hope I did ok," Harvey says.

"This is great. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I have to make sure you're able to take your meds. I need to well. There's already a growing pile of work on your desk."

"Riggggght. It's not like you care or anything."

Harvey smiles at Mike and takes some food out for himself. Mike already knows that there are no such piles of work on his desk. Earlier he got a text message from Rachel, wishing him well and telling him not to worry about work because Harvey was giving Kyle any work that he normally would have given Mike. Mike shelved this little intel to the side and took a spoonful of wonton soup. Whether it's the sleep, prescriptions, or the knowledge that Harvey does in fact care, Mike is already feeling better.

I hope you like. This is only my second piece of fan fiction. With no Suits on tv, I've been feeling a void. So, I decided to create my own Suits fix