TITLE : Just When I Needed You Most.

AUTHOR'S NOTES : My first Suits short story that isn't a crossover. Be kind...don't flame. Just my version of the introduction of Tess' character into the story...with a little Harvey at the end. Also, I have no professional knowledge of medical procedures, so don't fault me for inaccuracies.

DISCLAIMER : I don't own any of the recognizable characters. They belong to Aaron Korsh, Suits writers and USA Network.

SUMMARY : Mike Ross sees a friendly face just as he felt the world starting to crumble down at his feet. Who will be able to comfort him? AU...no spoilers, I think.

WARNING : There's a short surgery scene. Nothing graphic...still, not for the squeamish.

"Patient's name?" the female doctor asked, as she ran beside the gurney along with the nurses and paramedics.

"Edith Ross. She's a patient over at Goldwater Nursing Home. 83 years old...had a huge anterior wall MI this morning. Found collapsed in her room by her grandson while he was visiting her." one of the nurses answered.

"Edith? Mrs. Ross? My name's Dr. McCall. We're going to take good care of you, alright? Stay with us." Dr. McCall talked to the patient, getting very little response. "How long was she out, Delores?" she asked the nurse again.

"We estimate between 15 to 25 minutes. She's hypertensive, doctor. Paramedics on the scene resuscitated her, but her EKG's pretty ugly. Severely disoriented when she regained consciousness." Delores told the attending, as they wheeled the gurney inside Trauma 1.

There was a shrill beeping sound that followed, and all the medical personnel in the room snapped to attention.

"V-tach! Get me the paddles!" Dr. McCall ordered. The defibrillation device was wheeled close to her, and she grabbed the charged paddles. "Clear!" she shouted, as she delivered a jolt of electricity to the patient's chest. "Get her pressure. How's her breathing?" Dr. McCall asked.

"No pressure. No pulse or rhythm." the nurse shook her head.

The defribrillator was charged and the patient was shocked again. The doctor looked for vital signs. Still nothing.

"Asystole." one of the nurses stated.

"Start compressions. And kill that alarm!" Dr. McCall ordered.

The doctor, along with the aid of the ER nurses, continued to work on reviving Edith Ross, who was still showing no signs of life.

"Hold up. It's not working. We need to open her up." Dr. McCall said to her staff. "Nurse Webber, get me a thoracotomy tray." she ordered. "Give her lidocaine." she told Delores.

With a scalpel in her hand, Dr. McCall made an incision on the patient's chest and sliced it open. She used the rib spreader and was about to do an open chest massage, when she heard a loud crashing noise behind her. Inside the room was a young man in a disheveled state, struggling not to faint.

"Who the hell is that?" Dr. McCall shouted. "Nurse Webber! Tessa...get him out of here now!" she ordered the young nurse.

Tessa quickly went to the young man, and helped him to his feet. He resisted her at first, but she managed to lead him out of the room.

As the nurse dragged him outside the trauma room, Mike Ross struggled not to panic. He tried to get back inside, but the nurse's hand firmly held him in his place. He squeezed his eyes shut as he shook his head...trying to shake the vision of his grandmother at the operating table. There was so much blood. And she wasn't breathing.

"Are you feeling sick?" the nurse asked him, breaking into his thoughts.

Mike's face paled and he pressed his back against the wall for support. "No." he lied.

"Sit down on the floor and put your head between your knees." the young nurse ordered him, knowing he was lying. "I'll be right back." she assured him.

Mike did as he was told. He struggled to control his breathing and tried hard not to puke while he waited for the nurse to return. The nurse came back as promised, with a cup of water in her hand. Mike looked at her name tag. Tessa Webber, it said.

"Here you go. Small sips." she said.

There was something familiar about her voice. Mike looked at her eyes. He knew those eyes. She removed her surgical mask and revealed her face. He knew that beautiful face.

"Tess?" Mike called her. "Is it really you?" he asked.

"Tessa." she corrected him. "And yes, it's really me, Mikey." she replied.

"You call me Mikey...I'll call you Tess." he smiled weakly.

Tess smiled back. "You okay now?" she asked.

"Not really, all things considered." Mike answered, as he slowly got back to his feet. He went towards the door, and peeked through the small window, trying to get a view on what's happening to his grandmother.

Tess held his arm and pulled him back. "Come on, Mike. You don't need to see this. Trust me." she said to him.

Mike sat down on the floor again, Tess followed suit and sat next to him. They remained silent for a while, until Mike spoke.

"I was visiting her. I canceled on our dinner last night...too busy at work. Even brought her flowers this morning, to apologize to her." Mike stated. Tess just sat there and listened. "When I got to her room, she was lying face down on the floor. I don't know how long she had been there like that..." his voice trailed off, and he began to cry.

"Shhh." Tess comforted him, as he rested his head on her shoulder. "You found her in time, Mike. She's in good hands. Dr. McCall is a very good surgeon." she assured him.

She brought her hand to his face...just the way she used to do...and gave it a gentle caress. Mike held her hand in his, and kissed her palm. Tess slowly pulled her hand away, and once again, there was silence.

"So...Webber, huh? When did you get married?" Mike asked.

"About 13 months before I got divorced." Tess answered.

Mike stared at her, and all the memories came flooding back. He and Tess had been best friends when they were kids. Trevor used to tease the two of them a lot, jokingly referring to Tess as Mike's first girlfriend. Looking back, he might have been right.

Tess excelled where Trevor had failed. Unlike Mike's other friend, she had always been there for him, just when he needed her the most, never asking for anything in return. She was there for him to hold his hand and comfort him at his parents' funeral. And at the moment, she was right there, holding his hand, while he waited for some news about his grandmother.

"Do you need me to call anyone? I can call Trevor, if you want." Tess asked, breaking him from his reverie.

Mike shook his head. "Trevor's gone." he answered, not going into the details.

"You can't be alone at a time like this, Mikey." Tess pointed out.

"I'm not alone." Mike replied.

"I have to go back there soon." she told him, tilting her head towards the trauma room.

Mike nodded, and followed her with his eyes as she slowly stood up. "Tess..." he called her.

"Yes, Mikey?" she looked back.

"Help them save Grammy, please." Mike said, his eyes pleading.

"We'll do everything we can. We won't give up on her." Tess reassured him.

She put on some fresh gloves and pulled her mask back on, before she re-entered the frantic trauma room, leaving Mike outside still sitting on the floor.

Mike sat there for quite a while, not daring to stand up and peek through the windows again. He didn't wish to see his grandmother in that condition. He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer. He was in this state, when Harvey found him.

"Mike!" Harvey called his name, shaking him out of his thoughts.

Mike looked up and saw Harvey staring down at him. "How did you find me?" he asked.

"Donna told me." Harvey answered.

"How did Donna know?" Mike asked again.

"Donna knows everything." Harvey said. "Never mind that. How's your grandmother?" he asked.

"They're still working on her." Mike answered worriedly. "They've been in there a while..." he added, you can hear the fear in his voice.

Harvey knew what it was like to lose someone you care about. More than that, he knew that Edith Ross was the only family that Mike has left.

"Do you need anything?" Harvey asked him.

"I just need my Grammy to be fine." Mike answered.

Harvey nodded his head. Slowly he sat down on the floor, next to Mike. Together, they waited in silence, for any news about Edith Ross...with hopes that it will be good news coming from the trauma room soon.

~FINI~

FOOTNOTES :

*My first ever Suits story is lovingly dedicated to my fellow Suitors...Crimson, Paris, Avalon, Penny, Bex, and Mich.

*Thanks for taking time to read this fic. I hope it didn't disappoint.