Brother from another mother

Hypnotherapy

"You've got to be kidding me."

Mike looked up from where he had been finishing some paperwork at Harvey's desk. The man had been checking his emails and he was looking at the screen now with a half-amused, half-indignant face.

"What?"

Harvey turned his laptop to face Mike and watched as the associate read it.

From: Jessica Pearson
To: [Group] Partners
Subject: Re: g

Louis brought to my attention that one of his clients, Mr. Stephen Ager - owner of a wealthy hypnotherapy clinic - is being sued for malpractice. Because this is a high profile case, Louis has requested that we handle this one in particular as a firm. To further research and gain a greater understanding of this particular branch of therapy, Mr. Ager is bringing in one of his top doctors to work with the associates - and any partners who wish to join - so they can further ascertain what they are working with.

I have emailed all associates and would like to stress that this is mandatory for all, and would like to advise partners that they should send their associates to Conference Room C at 11am.

(Harvey, this also goes for you. I'm sure you can live without him for an hour or two.)

Mike sniggered and glanced up after he'd read it. "See that, Harvey? You can live without me for an hour or two."

"I may not have an eidetic memory, but I'm pretty sure I read the email as well," Harvey rolled his eyes, pulling laptop back towards him. "Hypnotherapy," he muttered, shaking his head.

"You don't believe in it?" Mike asked interestedly.

"You do?" Harvey shot back.

"Uh, I asked first, and I'm open to it," Mike said, shuffling his papers, no longer very interested in them. "I mean - you see it all the time, don't you? Hypnotists at parties, the whole swinging watch thing..."

"If you're so interested then by all means go," Harvey told him. "And I know it's mandatory," he said as Mike opened his mouth to be a smart-ass. "I'm giving you my permission."

"I need your permission to do what the managing partner has said is mandatory?" Mike asked. "Wow. I think you need to see a hypnotherapist. I'll be sure to tell them about the God complex and delusions of grandeur."

"If we're done diagnosing me," Harvey said dryly, "I need to get back to doing actual work. Go," he said, looking at the time. "Have fun at Louis' party; don't accept any sweets from strangers and don't let them hypnotise you into thinking you're an actual puppy - I don't think they'd be able to deal with the similarities."

"You're hilarious," Mike told him, standing up to leave. "Are you not coming?"

"I'm not going to work on Louis' case," Harvey told him plainly. "Which means neither are you. Which means my glorious presence there will be wasted. Which means - "

"We really need to start working on your God complex?" Mike interrupted. Harvey gave him a look and Mike sighed. "Okay, I'm going. Wait till I get back before raining down brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah."

"Leave."

"Leaving."

Mike shuffled into the room and took a place next to Harold. He hoped to be ignored in the large crowd - all the associates, as well as half of the partners were there. As much as he was interested in hypnotism, he had no desire to actually be hypnotised. And if he was stood next to Harold he would either be ignore because - as Louis' go-to associate, Harold would more than likely be forced to join in some way - or; be able to stop Harold from raising his hand if Mr. Ager asked for a volunteer.