Chapter 38 - Anastasia

"...I'm telling you, tough love works" Harvey insist, his voice coming through the speaker of my phone

"Maybe you think that it works because you bully Mike all day long. But it doesn't work for everyone else. And it certainly doesn't work for me. I'm not a drill surgeon" I argue, "Pun intended" I add with a wink.

We've been on facetime since the moment he left the hospital and I settled into Haley's room. We've been talking for 5 hours now. I watched while he bought me food, brought it to me, got a car to my place. He even sat and ate with me via phone, and he hasn't stopped talking to me for a second or complained that he's tired. He just yawns and then keeps the conversation going, making himself the center of my attention and pushing away all the ugly feelings and thoughts of the day -especially Daphne's passing.

The best thing between us is that our conversation always their own flows. We start on one thing and end up on a completely different topic without realizing. Like right now that he has me debating whether tough love works well as a teaching method.

"Every student needs a different approach and you just gotta find it" I claim

"And, sometimes, that approach is tough love" he smirks, like I proved his point

"No--"

"Mom..." I jump at Haley's weak cry.

She hasn't opened her eyes yet, but she is coming into consciousness. I put the phone down, and begin to check her vitals. I increase a tiny bit the dosage of her painkillers just to ease her into consciousness. And I begin to speak to her so I don't scare her off.

"Hi, Haley. My name is Anastasia. I'm a friend of your mom and dad" I take her hand and she squeezes it immediately

"Very good. I'm here to take care of you, Haley. Can you open your pretty eyes for me?" I ask

She opens her teary eyes slowly.

"Hello, honey. It's great to finally meet you. Can you tell me how you're feeling? Are you in pain?" I ask her softly

"No..." a tear rolls down her cheek

"Are you scared?" I assume, "It's ok if you are. Many people are scared of hospitals" I reassure her

She nods.

"We can call your mom. Is that going to make you feel better?" I suggest

"Yes" she answers weakly

"Let's do it" I smile softly.

I grab my phone again. I instantly forgot about Harvey on the other line when I snapped into work mode.

"Did you put me on mute?!" he complains

"Shut up and get Katie in the call" I tell him

"Yes ma'am".

A few seconds later, Marcus and Katie get patched in the call together like they've just woken up. I hold the phone in front of Haley and let them talk as long as they need.

•••

I stayed with Haley until the morning visiting hours started. She fell asleep after about an hour of talking to her family and we hung up after I reassured them that everything was looking well. I convinced Harvey to go to sleep too. But I stayed aware and awake, keeping myself busy with looking over a few photos I had with Daphne from last Halloween. I wanted to break down and cry, but managed to suck it up.

"Good morning" Katie is the first one in the room

"Good morning" I smile as I stand from my seat, "Wow, one minute into visiting hours"

"Yeah, we couldn't wait. Marcus is parking the car and will be on his way up too. How's Haley?"

"She's doing great. She is still asleep. She is a very tough girl and she will recover in no time" I reassure her

"That's amazing to hear. Thank you for everything, Dr. Morgan" she squeezes my hand

"No reason to thank me, it's my job. And, please, just Anastasia"

"Right" she smiles, "Well, thank you Anastasia. You are welcome to Marcus' restaurant for free meals for the rest of your life"

"I second that" Marcus adds as he enters the room too

"Wow, thank you. I might actually take you up on that offer" I chuckle

"Please, do" he replies. "And if you're comfortable with it, we could schedule a double date. I already suggested it to my brother, but he said he didn't want to scare you off. I bet we all wish we met under different circumstances" he says

"Yeah, of course. I'll talk to Harvey about it and see if we can find a time" I say, with every intention to stall because of anxiety. "Where is he, by the way?" I wonder

"He got a call earlier while we were grabbing breakfast and said he had to head back to New York for an emergency" Marcus reveals

"Work?" I assume

"I believe so"

"Did he mention why?"

"He said something about one Monica Eaton coming for them. Oh, and the Hardman's name afterwards" Katie mentions.

My stomach drops.

Monica Eaton and my father... My father and his mistress... It's only been 4 months since mom's funeral, which he claimed that destroyed him. But now he's back with her?! And he is coming after the firm holding her hand?!

"Why are you always ears dropping?" Marcus chuckles at his wife

"I'm not. It's called social awareness" she claims.

"Ok" I take a breath to calm my anger, "Well, I should get going since you are here. If you need absolutely anything, my number is on here" I say as I hand them my card

"Again, thank you for everything" Katie replies

"It was no problem. I'll see you later".

I grab my things and head out of the hospital. I go home and try to relax but I can't. I keep thinking back to what my father could be doing with his old mistress again. Is he using her? Or, worse, defending her?!

Pissed, I leave the house, grabbing nothing more than my phone and keys. I buy the first ticket to New York on my way to the airport. I don't call Harvey, since he left hours ago meaning he's already in New York by now.

I spend the flight imagining how it would feel to claw Daniel's eyes out and then rip out Monica's hair. Nothing less will make me feel better right now.

The cab to the firm felt like a century. But I headed in without getting checked in and push the button to the 50th floor.

Breathe, Anastasia. Breathe. They're not worth going to prison for.

I step out of the elevator determined.

"Ana?" Harvey's eyes widen

"Where is he?" I ask as I walk passed him

"Ana, stop--" he grabs my arm to stop me

"Let me go" I demand

"I can't. As much as I'd love to see him get what he deserves, it's not the time nor the place" he holds my arm tighter as he looks at the people around

"I don't fucking care. He is going to get what's coming for him. He can't just walk around one day saying he misses my mom, and the next day parade his mistress around" I insist as tears begin to blur my vision

"I know, but--"

"Let me fucking go!" I try to yank my arm back

"Absolutely not" he pulls me back and uses his body to stop me from going further. "You're grieving, you're exhausted, and you're angry"

"Shouldn't I be!?"

"You should. But before you act, you need take a step back and think about what you're going to do about it"

"I've thought about it, and I've decided I want to punch him. And right now, I want to punch you too for holding me back"

"Well... Maybe I can help with that" he smirks.