ARROW: Fifty Feet South Chapter Two... PG-13
Fandom: Arrow
Title: Fifty Feet South Part 2/3
Author: Zenamydog
Rating: PG:13+
Characters/Pairing: Olicity, Ray.
Warnings: Spoilers for anything aired in the US
Beta: jdsampson
Word Count: 4,412
Disclaimer: Not mine, yada yada… No profit made.
Summary:
Authors Note: My first fic in ages and my first fic in this fandom. Please be gentle. :)
“Oliver?” Diggle said, but he needed to say it again to really distract him from his thoughts. “Oliver!”
He was sitting at Felicity’s computer. The lights were so low he may as well have been sitting there in the dark.
He blinked and allowed his pupils to adjust when Diggle turned the lights up. “What are you doing, Man? How long has it been since you’ve slept?” Diggle sniffed. “Or showered for that matter?”
“Oh I don’t know, Diggle,” Oliver replied, pure sarcasm. “Guess that would be just over two days, or, you know... since the woman I love was put into a coma.”
“Oliv---,”
“Don’t!” Oliver held up a hand. “Unless you’ve got an update, other than she’s resting comfortably, I don’t want to hear it, okay.” It wasn’t a question.
Diggle crossed his arms. “Actually... I just wanted to let you know that Mrs. Smoak was finally able to get a flight. She’s already in the air, should be here in a few hours.”
Oliver nodded. Great... that was just great. It’s not that he didn’t like Donna, he did, but she would want every detail and he couldn’t blame her. He’d been entrusted with her daughter’s wellbeing and he had let her down. It was just... He’d spent the last two days trying not to replay those last few minutes with her, in his head. The violent pushing on her chest and the paddles shocking her back to life. The Ambulance ride and watching them have to shock her again. How had she even woken up from all those injuries?
Oliver sighed heavily. He was lost in a whirlwind of self doubt, self loathing and pain. “I kissed her, Diggle. She was all broken up inside and what was I doing? I was kissing her like I was James Bond or something.” He frowned deeply in an effort to stop the tears.
“Oliver, Felicity’s injuries are not your fault,” Diggle stated firmly. “It’s looking more and more, like the bomb was targeting the gas lines, which means whoever did this, was planning on taking out all of Starling City. They’re lucky they deactivated the second bomb.”
Bomb? Oliver couldn’t even remember if he’d been told that was confirmed. He certainly didn’t know they had disarmed another. Two days and he’d totally lost touch with the city he promised to protect. Oliver laughed softly.
“What’s so funny?” Diggle asked as he wheeled a chair over and sat in front of him.
“It’s true and I guess it took this for me to realize something.”
“What’s that?” Diggle asked. He looked worried.
Oliver grinned. It wasn’t a genuine smile, more of a cover-up. He was about to put it all out there. At least to Diggle.
“Apart from obviously wanting her to be okay,” he began. “Make a full recovery. I’ve been sitting here thinking about...” He sighed again, still not quite sure on how to formulate the words. “...about the last few weeks and how I’ve been off my game. About what it did to me to see Felicity kiss Palmer.”
Diggle’s eyes widened. “You saw that?”
Oliver nodded. “I walked up to her office door and she was kissing him.”
“Maybe he was kissing her?”
Oliver laughed, genuine, this time. “That’s what she said.” He let himself meet Diggle’s eyes, directly and the smile slipped. “Whether it’s because she’s with Palmer or because she’s...” He paused and thought of the right word. “...hurt. It makes no difference. I am useless at protecting this city without her and as soon as she’s well, I’m gonna make sure she knows that.”
Diggle sat up straighter in his chair and smiled. “That’s cool, man. It really is, because this city needs the Arrow and you need Felicity.”
“Do you think she’ll forgive me for pushing her away?” Oliver suddenly felt all kinds of insecure. “I mean, she really does like Palmer and---,”
“She’s in love with you, Oliver. Just as much as you are with her. You know that.”
“Thing is...” Oliver looked at his friend and couldn’t mask the concern. “I still don’t know what I can promise her.”
“Baby steps, man. Telling her is a good start.”
Oliver stood up.
Diggle frowned. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to take a shower and then I’m going back to the hospital. I need to be there when Donna arrives.”
Diggle called out to him as he walked up the stairs. “You know, Oliver. Some people say when you’re in a coma, you can hear things. Some even say that it’s been hearing their loved ones voices that have brought them back. I mean, I know it’s induced, but...”
Oliver thought about that for a second and paused. He didn’t look back at Diggle, he didn’t need to. “Thanks,” he said and his voice betrayed his emotion. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
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Oliver didn’t know why he was surprised to see Ray sitting beside her, when he arrived at the hospital. The man looked worn out and had thick stubble over his face. He’d obviously done what Oliver couldn’t. He’d kept a bedside vigil. Part of him wanted to yell, bust into the room and tell Ray to let go of her hand. The other part just wanted to hug the man for not leaving her alone.
He creaked open the door and was about to alert Ray to his presence, but he could hear Ray talking, so he froze.
“And they’ve got big sunsets, over the oceans. Oh my, Felicity, the oceans are like the 8th wonder of the universe. They’re so blue... and clear.” Ray coughed. “I’m gonna take you there one day. Promise.”
Ray sounded hoarse and Oliver wondered if he’d been sitting there talking to her like that this whole time. He opened the door further, making sure it creaked louder.
Ray looked up at him and immediately stood. “Oh, Oliver. Hi.”
Oliver moved further into the room and nodded to Ray as a way of greeting. He walked to the bed and looked down at Felicity. “I know she’s doing better, but is there any other news?”
Ray smiled. “Ahh, yes, actually. First is that Mrs. Smoak is on her way and second is really good news.”
Oliver turned to look at him. “And what’s that?”
“If things stay the same, they’re going to bring her out of the coma later today.”
“Really?” He couldn’t hide his enthusiasm.
Ray smiled again and nodded. “Yes. Exciting news.” He looked at Oliver and Oliver could tell there was something more on his mind. There was a question in his eyes, but he didn’t ask it.
“Anyhow, look...” Ray took in a deep breath. “If you’re going to be here for a while, I might go home and shower. Grab something to eat.”
Oliver nodded. Ray had been there this whole time. “Of course. I’m not going anywhere, anytime soon,” he added when Ray hesitated.
“Okay, I’ll be back. It’s scheduled for 5 PM.”
Oliver wanted to make some sort of remark about Arnold Schwarzenegger, but looked at his watch instead. 1:44PM. “Just over three hours,” he mumbled to himself and sighed. He was doing a lot of that lately. He tried to focus on her eyes and the curve of her cheek as he sat down beside her. He had to admit, she looked a lot better than when he’d last seen her. Most of the swelling had gone down. The tubes and the monitors had looked and sounded so invasive that first time. Now they only bleeped occasionally in the background. Today she looked... almost peaceful.
Oliver closed his eyes. He was suddenly so very tired. The adrenaline he’d been running on since waking up from the blast was starting to peter off. As he breathed in and out the bleeping of Felicity’s heart monitor became rhythmic and almost soothing. Before he knew it, over an hour had passed. Lost in his thoughts, he still hadn’t said a word out loud.
“You know, Felicity,” he said softly as he reached out and took her hand. “Diggle says that people in comas can sometimes hear.” He squeezed her hand a little. “Seems Ray’s been in here chewing your ear off, huh?” He let out a nervous laugh. “Sorry about that. Not being here, I mean.” He shifted his chair a little closer and lowered his chin to rest on their entwined hands. “You know, I nearly lost you before, but... but this just freaked me out.”
Oliver turned his cheek to rest against her hand. It felt nice, her soft skin against his face. “I mean... I’m going to say all of this again when you’re awake and can answer back and ahh... I’m sure you’ll have quite a bit to say about how I’ve handled all of this.” Oliver smiled sadly. “But... Felicity, you have to give me some time, okay? I don’t know how it’s going to work, but I do know I gotta try. I once told someone that guys like us don’t get the girl, but I have to change my mind on that. I can’t function without you and I certainly can’t stand the idea of---,”
“Oh my God,” Donna squealed as she burst through the hospital room door. “My little girl. Oh my little girl.” She ran over and put her head to Felicity’s chest.
Oliver moved out of the way to accommodate her and stood silently as she sobbed and fussed over her daughter.
“What exactly happened?” She looked across at Oliver, tears filling her eyes.
“They didn’t tell you?” Oliver was surprised. “There was a bomb and she was in the building at the time.”
“Yes, yes,” Donna said impatiently. “I know there was a bomb, it’s been all over the news, but the Arrow had to go in and rescue her from underground. I tell you, he’s got a thing for her, always showing up when she’s in trouble.”
Just out of reflex, Oliver grinned. “Maybe he does.”
“And that other one, her boss,” Donna continued. She clicked her fingers and looked vague.
“Ray Palmer?”
“Yeah, him. He flew the Helicopter that saved her. Isn’t that amazing?”
Oliver lifted an eyebrow.
“And apparently he kissed her.”
Oliver did a double take. “Ray?”
“No, the man in the green hood. Right there, hanging in mid-air.”
“How did---,”
“It hit the news about an hour ago. Someone filmed him and Felicity being lifted out of the rubble.” Donna turned back to Felicity. “She looked so scared.”
Oliver cringed inwardly and wondered how close the camera had actually zoomed. He was so going to live to regret that kiss. “They showed him kissing her on the news?”
“Not yet. They just teased it. It’s going to be on the Late Show. I’ve got Silvia, my next door neighbour recording it for me. I’ll give you a copy.”
“Great,” Oliver mumbled. “Umm... so just curious. Can we finally figure out who the Arrow is?”
Donna shook her head. “No such luck. All you see is his back, but you can see Felicity’s face.” A tear welled in her eye. “She looked scared.”
“I think,” he began and then stopped. He wanted to offer some sort of comfort, tell her Felicity wasn’t as terrified as she might think, but didn’t quite know how. He couldn’t exactly say he was the one holding her in his arms.
Donna looked at him to keep going. “You think what?”
“Umm... Doesn’t really matter.” Oliver tried for distraction. “Did you know they’re bringing her out of the coma later today?”
Donna wiped her eyes and nodded. “Yes. They got me to sign some papers as soon as I arrived.”
There was a brief knock at the door before it swung open. “Good afternoon,” the Nurse said with a huge smile. “I’m Nurse Kindle, but you can call me KK. That’s on account that my first name is Kelly. Yeah, Kelly Kindle. I know, what were my parents thinking, right?” She moved around the bed and checked Felicity’s pulse. She pulled out a pencil flashlight and pulled back the lid of Felicity’s eye. “I understand she’s waking up today,” KK said as she checked the other eye.
“Yes, we hope so,” Donna responded.
“Don’t worry. From all the tests, we can tell she’s healing really well. Her blood cell counts have even returned to normal.” KK moved to the end of the bed and picked up the clipboard. “I think we can safely say she is well and truly off the critical list.”
Oliver looked at KK as she wrote the case notes. Clearly not much older than mid-twenties, she had a kind of charm about her. She spoke fast and seemed a little ‘airy’. Also as clear, was her intellect. Oliver smiled softly. Kind of like someone else they all knew.
Donna nodded. “Thank God.”
KK’s smile widened. “Actually you should be thanking that hood guy and that billionaire Ray Palmer. I saw it on the news. They rescued your daughter.”
Oliver really had to resist doing a complete eye-roll, along with a frustrated sigh.
“Yes I know,” Donna said placing a hand on the Nurse’s forearm. “I saw it, too and believe me I will be letting them know how grateful I am.”
“The Arrow,” Oliver chimed in. “The hood... he’s not called that anymore. He’s called the Arrow, now.” Oliver scratched the back of his head. “Just saying.”
The woman nodded, but it seemed incidental information. They went back to discussing the upcoming footage of ‘the kiss’ on the late show.
Oh boy, Oliver thought to himself. He was pleased when the phone rang and it was Diggle. “Excuse me ladies. I just need to take this.” Truth be told, Oliver was glad of an excuse to get out of the room. He’d only been sitting there for an hour or two. How had Palmer coped for two full days?
“What’s up?” Oliver asked as descended the staircase.
“How is she, any change?”
“She’s doing well. They’re going to bring her out of the coma soon.”
“That’s great,” Diggle said and there was genuine relief in his voice. “Having said that, though... You should know that you and Felicity have been all over the morning news.”
“I’m aware,” Oliver said with a certain amount of distaste.
“Roy was able to break the footage down. Even if they enhance, there’s no shot of your face.”
“I heard that, too. Donna’s here.”
“Right.” Diggle took in a loud breath. “Then you also know they’re doing a feature on the tonight show.”
Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Yep. Apparently Donna’s next door neighbour is recording it for us.”
Diggle let out a half snort, half giggle. “Really?”
“This is serious, John.”
“It’s okay, you can only see Felicity.”
“Well that’s bad enough,” Oliver snapped. “You can be sure the press are gonna want to speak to her.”
“Well people are curious about you, Oliver.”
Oliver shook his head and distracted himself by looking at his watch. 4:49pm. “Crap. I didn’t realize it was this late. I’ve got to get back upstairs.”
“Okay, ahh... Oliver... Felicity is going to be okay. She’s pretty resilient. You give her our love when she wakes up, okay?”
“Will do,” Oliver said and then hit end on the keypad.
As he took the stairs to the fifth floor two by two, he wondered if Ray would have returned by now. He was answered the moment he stepped out of the stairwell. Ray was walking up the hallway towards Felicity’s room. He looked better than a few hours ago. It was amazing what a shower, shave and a change of clothes could do. He was holding a large bouquet of flowers and Oliver kicked himself for not thinking about something like that. He was never gonna get the girl if he didn’t.
“Oh, hi, Oliver,” Ray said as they both reached the door at the same time.
Oliver didn’t get to reply, before the door swung open and KK emerged.
“Hi, I’m sorry,” she said blocking their path. “but it’s only family at this point.” She smiled reassuringly at them both. “Dr. Grace is just prepping her now. You can go in when he’s done. Oh,” she said and looked at Ray. “I’m really sorry Mr. Palmer, but Felicity won’t be able to have flowers in her room, just yet. If you like I can give them to the nurses’ station and they can put them in water. Maybe a day or so.”
“Oh, right.” Ray looked a little embarrassed. “Silly me, I should have thought.” He handed her the flowers. “Umm, yes, thank you.”
KK took the flowers and headed down the corridor. They both watched her go and then there was silence. One beat, two beats. “So, ah...” Oliver was the first to speak. “Mrs. Smoak arrived a couple of hours back.”
“Yes, lovely woman. I didn’t know she was having problems booking a flight or I would have sent the jet for her.”
Surprise showed on Oliver’s face, briefly, before he remembered. “That’s right, I forgot. You met Donna when she was last here. You gave her that watch.” He suddenly felt a strong sense of gratefulness. If it weren’t for him, Felicity and Donna wouldn’t be here.
“That’s right,” Ray said. “We’re calling them Wearables. I gave her a prototype of the new range. Felicity said that her mom appreciated it more than I could understand. I couldn’t quite under---,”
“Excuse me gentleman,” KK said as she moved passed them to re-enter the room. “Shouldn’t be too much longer, I’ll come get you.” She closed the door, but it opened again a moment later. “Actually, we’re ready to go.”
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Felicity was hooked up to more machines than when he’d left the room and he hoped that it was all just a precaution. A heart monitor, a brain scanner and an oxygen mask. There was still a drip in her hand and they watched as the doctor syringed a yellow looking liquid into the bag. It travelled down the tube and seemed to take forever to reach the port.
“The drug should take effect almost immediately,” Dr. Grace explained. “We should see some spiking in brainwave activity, first.” As if on cue there was a bleep. “Ah, there we go,” the doctor continued, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You’re doing well, Felicity.”
Donna was sitting right beside her head as the doctor worked. Ray and Oliver stood unobtrusively at the end of the bed.
“Oh, look,” Donna half sobbed, half squealed. “Her eyes are fluttering.”
Oliver took in a deep breath. The rush of relief that ran over him made him feel almost euphoric. “Thank you,” he whispered out when her eyes opened fully.
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Felicity sat herself up straighter in the bed and flipped the channels on the TV. It had been two weeks and even though the hospital room was beautiful, it still felt like a bit of a prison. She was waiting for the results of her latest MRI. They’d promised her she could go home if it came back clear.
There were flowers, in every nook and cranny of the room and she wondered how many of them she could fit into her apartment. The nurses had run out of vases and she’d had to ask Ray to stop sending them. He was the biggest offender. He’d sent massive bunches every day she’d been there. Her mom, Barry, Oliver and a few others had contributed, but Ray was over the top. She wasn’t sure if she should feel flattered or suffocated.
As she laid there waiting, she couldn’t help it, her mind started searching again. Could there really be something seriously wrong with her, or was this normal for an ex-coma patient. “I should know,” she said out loud as she battled her doubt. “I really should.”
“You should know what?” Oliver asked as he walked through the door.
“Hi, Oliver,” she said rather meekly as she forced herself to look him in the eyes.
Oliver frowned and moved closer to the bed. “What is it, Felicity?”
“I should have told you before this, maybe, but... There’s gaps...” she started, but then stopped. This was worrying her and she needed to say something, but she didn’t want to jeopardize being released. She squinted a little without her glasses on and looked seriously at Oliver. “You know, Oliver if I don’t go home today, I’m signing myself out, AMA.”
“What? No you’re not,” Oliver said a little too dismissively for her liking. “What do you mean there’s gaps?”
“In my memory. I mean I remember all of the stuff after the explosion, but Captain Lance came to see me a couple of days ago. He asked me why I was in that building...” She felt like crying.
“What were you doing in that building, Felicity? Do you remember calling me?”
Felicity bought her hand to her chest in a protective mannerism. “I called you? What did I say?”
“That you needed me to meet you at the Krystal Building, straight away.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this?” Frustration dripped from every word.
Oliver’s eyes squinted. “I didn’t know I needed to.”
“This doesn’t make any sense.” Felicity looked up at him. She could feel the wet tears leak from her eyes and roll down her cheeks. “Why can’t I remember that?”
Oliver looked at her and there was clearly something going on in his head. She knew him well enough to know that he was making connections. Maybe the same type of connections that she was making.
“What are you thinking?” she asked as he handed her a tissue. “That this has something to do with the bombing?” She blew her nose and then realised how that must have looked. She knew it sounded like a foghorn, but when her eyes met Oliver’s he was grinning.
“I think all of this is best left for another time. Right now your health is more important.”
“I’m fine, Oliver, really.” She pulled the covers back to reveal her full leg brace. “My hip is mending and I can use crutches. There is no reason for me not to go home.”
“Except for the fact that you can’t remember things. What does the Doctor say about all this?”
Felicity closed one eye. “Well... I haven’t actually... you know... said anything, but It doesn’t matter. I just want---,”
There was a knock at the door and Dr Grace entered the room. Felicity was relieved when he smiled. “Yes, all clear and I am happy to say that the paperwork for your release is being finalized as we speak. We are still a little concerned about the dizzy spell you suffered the other day, but the MRI is completely clear, so...”
Oliver shot her a look and mouthed, ‘dizzy spell?’ “Ahh, I’m not sure,” Oliver began, but Felicity stepped in front of him and drew all of the doctor’s attention.
“I am so soooooo happy to hear that, Doctor.”
Dr. Grace looked over at Oliver and smiled. “Will you be taking her home, Mr. Queen?”
“Yes,” he said simply.
“Okay great. There are prescriptions to pick up at the Nurses Station and clearly she will need lots of bed rest. She can use her crutches, but only when necessary, bathroom, that sort of thing. She’ll need to arrange for someone to change her dressings. One of them is on her back so she won’t be able to do it herself. I will send it all over, so you can follow it up with her local GP. She’ll probably need some Physio as well.” The doctor looked back to her. “And clearly you won’t be able to drive until that splint comes off.”
Felicity’s brow furrowed slightly. She wasn’t certain if it was because of the no drive thing, or the fact that Dr. Grace basically just informed Oliver of her aftercare instead of her. “Great,” she said, biting her lip.
“Okay, then, Felicity, I will leave you to it. Take care and good luck.” Dr. Grace started to leave, but Oliver stopped him.
“Sorry, but... Is there anything I should look out for?”
“Predominantly dizzy spells, disorientation, vomiting, mood swings, that sort of thing. It’s all very unlikely, but you never know with head trauma. There is actually a copy of things to watch out for at the nurse’s station.”
Oliver nodded. “Okay, thanks, Doctor.”
The moment Dr. Grace left Oliver immediately turned cold eyes on her. “Felicity?” he said, equal weight concern and anger.
“I am going home. End of story, Oliver.” She matched his stare.
“Then I’m going home with you.”
Felicity shook her head. “Aren’t you supposed to be tracking down the bomber that did all this? I don’t need babysitting.”
Oliver’s face changed at the question and Felicity was sorry that she’d asked it, but she didn’t need to be wrapped up in cottonwool.
“Kind of hard to be stealthy with plaster on. Besides, Diggle’s got it covered,”
Felicity felt herself blush. Oliver was always in jeans and walking unaided. She’d all but forgotten about his broken ankle.
“You get dressed and I’ll see where they are with your release papers.”
“No Oliver, I---,”
Oliver turned back and looked at her, his face a mask of resolution. He didn’t say a word, but it was enough to get Felicity to stop mid sentence. He just stared at her and she knew, no amount of hawking was going to win her this argument. Oliver had a bee in his bonnet about this.
She gave him a small nod. “Okay,” she said with resignation in her tone. “But no hot and sweaty workouts in my living room, Okay?”
A half grin creped onto Oliver’s face. “Deal.”
It looked as though she was going to have Oliver Queen as a house guest for at least a couple of weeks.
To Be Continued...
Title: Fifty Feet South Part 2/3
Author: Zenamydog
Rating: PG:13+
Characters/Pairing: Olicity, Ray.
Warnings: Spoilers for anything aired in the US
Beta: jdsampson
Word Count: 4,412
Disclaimer: Not mine, yada yada… No profit made.
Summary:
Authors Note: My first fic in ages and my first fic in this fandom. Please be gentle. :)
“Oliver?” Diggle said, but he needed to say it again to really distract him from his thoughts. “Oliver!”
He was sitting at Felicity’s computer. The lights were so low he may as well have been sitting there in the dark.
He blinked and allowed his pupils to adjust when Diggle turned the lights up. “What are you doing, Man? How long has it been since you’ve slept?” Diggle sniffed. “Or showered for that matter?”
“Oh I don’t know, Diggle,” Oliver replied, pure sarcasm. “Guess that would be just over two days, or, you know... since the woman I love was put into a coma.”
“Oliv---,”
“Don’t!” Oliver held up a hand. “Unless you’ve got an update, other than she’s resting comfortably, I don’t want to hear it, okay.” It wasn’t a question.
Diggle crossed his arms. “Actually... I just wanted to let you know that Mrs. Smoak was finally able to get a flight. She’s already in the air, should be here in a few hours.”
Oliver nodded. Great... that was just great. It’s not that he didn’t like Donna, he did, but she would want every detail and he couldn’t blame her. He’d been entrusted with her daughter’s wellbeing and he had let her down. It was just... He’d spent the last two days trying not to replay those last few minutes with her, in his head. The violent pushing on her chest and the paddles shocking her back to life. The Ambulance ride and watching them have to shock her again. How had she even woken up from all those injuries?
Oliver sighed heavily. He was lost in a whirlwind of self doubt, self loathing and pain. “I kissed her, Diggle. She was all broken up inside and what was I doing? I was kissing her like I was James Bond or something.” He frowned deeply in an effort to stop the tears.
“Oliver, Felicity’s injuries are not your fault,” Diggle stated firmly. “It’s looking more and more, like the bomb was targeting the gas lines, which means whoever did this, was planning on taking out all of Starling City. They’re lucky they deactivated the second bomb.”
Bomb? Oliver couldn’t even remember if he’d been told that was confirmed. He certainly didn’t know they had disarmed another. Two days and he’d totally lost touch with the city he promised to protect. Oliver laughed softly.
“What’s so funny?” Diggle asked as he wheeled a chair over and sat in front of him.
“It’s true and I guess it took this for me to realize something.”
“What’s that?” Diggle asked. He looked worried.
Oliver grinned. It wasn’t a genuine smile, more of a cover-up. He was about to put it all out there. At least to Diggle.
“Apart from obviously wanting her to be okay,” he began. “Make a full recovery. I’ve been sitting here thinking about...” He sighed again, still not quite sure on how to formulate the words. “...about the last few weeks and how I’ve been off my game. About what it did to me to see Felicity kiss Palmer.”
Diggle’s eyes widened. “You saw that?”
Oliver nodded. “I walked up to her office door and she was kissing him.”
“Maybe he was kissing her?”
Oliver laughed, genuine, this time. “That’s what she said.” He let himself meet Diggle’s eyes, directly and the smile slipped. “Whether it’s because she’s with Palmer or because she’s...” He paused and thought of the right word. “...hurt. It makes no difference. I am useless at protecting this city without her and as soon as she’s well, I’m gonna make sure she knows that.”
Diggle sat up straighter in his chair and smiled. “That’s cool, man. It really is, because this city needs the Arrow and you need Felicity.”
“Do you think she’ll forgive me for pushing her away?” Oliver suddenly felt all kinds of insecure. “I mean, she really does like Palmer and---,”
“She’s in love with you, Oliver. Just as much as you are with her. You know that.”
“Thing is...” Oliver looked at his friend and couldn’t mask the concern. “I still don’t know what I can promise her.”
“Baby steps, man. Telling her is a good start.”
Oliver stood up.
Diggle frowned. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to take a shower and then I’m going back to the hospital. I need to be there when Donna arrives.”
Diggle called out to him as he walked up the stairs. “You know, Oliver. Some people say when you’re in a coma, you can hear things. Some even say that it’s been hearing their loved ones voices that have brought them back. I mean, I know it’s induced, but...”
Oliver thought about that for a second and paused. He didn’t look back at Diggle, he didn’t need to. “Thanks,” he said and his voice betrayed his emotion. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
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Oliver didn’t know why he was surprised to see Ray sitting beside her, when he arrived at the hospital. The man looked worn out and had thick stubble over his face. He’d obviously done what Oliver couldn’t. He’d kept a bedside vigil. Part of him wanted to yell, bust into the room and tell Ray to let go of her hand. The other part just wanted to hug the man for not leaving her alone.
He creaked open the door and was about to alert Ray to his presence, but he could hear Ray talking, so he froze.
“And they’ve got big sunsets, over the oceans. Oh my, Felicity, the oceans are like the 8th wonder of the universe. They’re so blue... and clear.” Ray coughed. “I’m gonna take you there one day. Promise.”
Ray sounded hoarse and Oliver wondered if he’d been sitting there talking to her like that this whole time. He opened the door further, making sure it creaked louder.
Ray looked up at him and immediately stood. “Oh, Oliver. Hi.”
Oliver moved further into the room and nodded to Ray as a way of greeting. He walked to the bed and looked down at Felicity. “I know she’s doing better, but is there any other news?”
Ray smiled. “Ahh, yes, actually. First is that Mrs. Smoak is on her way and second is really good news.”
Oliver turned to look at him. “And what’s that?”
“If things stay the same, they’re going to bring her out of the coma later today.”
“Really?” He couldn’t hide his enthusiasm.
Ray smiled again and nodded. “Yes. Exciting news.” He looked at Oliver and Oliver could tell there was something more on his mind. There was a question in his eyes, but he didn’t ask it.
“Anyhow, look...” Ray took in a deep breath. “If you’re going to be here for a while, I might go home and shower. Grab something to eat.”
Oliver nodded. Ray had been there this whole time. “Of course. I’m not going anywhere, anytime soon,” he added when Ray hesitated.
“Okay, I’ll be back. It’s scheduled for 5 PM.”
Oliver wanted to make some sort of remark about Arnold Schwarzenegger, but looked at his watch instead. 1:44PM. “Just over three hours,” he mumbled to himself and sighed. He was doing a lot of that lately. He tried to focus on her eyes and the curve of her cheek as he sat down beside her. He had to admit, she looked a lot better than when he’d last seen her. Most of the swelling had gone down. The tubes and the monitors had looked and sounded so invasive that first time. Now they only bleeped occasionally in the background. Today she looked... almost peaceful.
Oliver closed his eyes. He was suddenly so very tired. The adrenaline he’d been running on since waking up from the blast was starting to peter off. As he breathed in and out the bleeping of Felicity’s heart monitor became rhythmic and almost soothing. Before he knew it, over an hour had passed. Lost in his thoughts, he still hadn’t said a word out loud.
“You know, Felicity,” he said softly as he reached out and took her hand. “Diggle says that people in comas can sometimes hear.” He squeezed her hand a little. “Seems Ray’s been in here chewing your ear off, huh?” He let out a nervous laugh. “Sorry about that. Not being here, I mean.” He shifted his chair a little closer and lowered his chin to rest on their entwined hands. “You know, I nearly lost you before, but... but this just freaked me out.”
Oliver turned his cheek to rest against her hand. It felt nice, her soft skin against his face. “I mean... I’m going to say all of this again when you’re awake and can answer back and ahh... I’m sure you’ll have quite a bit to say about how I’ve handled all of this.” Oliver smiled sadly. “But... Felicity, you have to give me some time, okay? I don’t know how it’s going to work, but I do know I gotta try. I once told someone that guys like us don’t get the girl, but I have to change my mind on that. I can’t function without you and I certainly can’t stand the idea of---,”
“Oh my God,” Donna squealed as she burst through the hospital room door. “My little girl. Oh my little girl.” She ran over and put her head to Felicity’s chest.
Oliver moved out of the way to accommodate her and stood silently as she sobbed and fussed over her daughter.
“What exactly happened?” She looked across at Oliver, tears filling her eyes.
“They didn’t tell you?” Oliver was surprised. “There was a bomb and she was in the building at the time.”
“Yes, yes,” Donna said impatiently. “I know there was a bomb, it’s been all over the news, but the Arrow had to go in and rescue her from underground. I tell you, he’s got a thing for her, always showing up when she’s in trouble.”
Just out of reflex, Oliver grinned. “Maybe he does.”
“And that other one, her boss,” Donna continued. She clicked her fingers and looked vague.
“Ray Palmer?”
“Yeah, him. He flew the Helicopter that saved her. Isn’t that amazing?”
Oliver lifted an eyebrow.
“And apparently he kissed her.”
Oliver did a double take. “Ray?”
“No, the man in the green hood. Right there, hanging in mid-air.”
“How did---,”
“It hit the news about an hour ago. Someone filmed him and Felicity being lifted out of the rubble.” Donna turned back to Felicity. “She looked so scared.”
Oliver cringed inwardly and wondered how close the camera had actually zoomed. He was so going to live to regret that kiss. “They showed him kissing her on the news?”
“Not yet. They just teased it. It’s going to be on the Late Show. I’ve got Silvia, my next door neighbour recording it for me. I’ll give you a copy.”
“Great,” Oliver mumbled. “Umm... so just curious. Can we finally figure out who the Arrow is?”
Donna shook her head. “No such luck. All you see is his back, but you can see Felicity’s face.” A tear welled in her eye. “She looked scared.”
“I think,” he began and then stopped. He wanted to offer some sort of comfort, tell her Felicity wasn’t as terrified as she might think, but didn’t quite know how. He couldn’t exactly say he was the one holding her in his arms.
Donna looked at him to keep going. “You think what?”
“Umm... Doesn’t really matter.” Oliver tried for distraction. “Did you know they’re bringing her out of the coma later today?”
Donna wiped her eyes and nodded. “Yes. They got me to sign some papers as soon as I arrived.”
There was a brief knock at the door before it swung open. “Good afternoon,” the Nurse said with a huge smile. “I’m Nurse Kindle, but you can call me KK. That’s on account that my first name is Kelly. Yeah, Kelly Kindle. I know, what were my parents thinking, right?” She moved around the bed and checked Felicity’s pulse. She pulled out a pencil flashlight and pulled back the lid of Felicity’s eye. “I understand she’s waking up today,” KK said as she checked the other eye.
“Yes, we hope so,” Donna responded.
“Don’t worry. From all the tests, we can tell she’s healing really well. Her blood cell counts have even returned to normal.” KK moved to the end of the bed and picked up the clipboard. “I think we can safely say she is well and truly off the critical list.”
Oliver looked at KK as she wrote the case notes. Clearly not much older than mid-twenties, she had a kind of charm about her. She spoke fast and seemed a little ‘airy’. Also as clear, was her intellect. Oliver smiled softly. Kind of like someone else they all knew.
Donna nodded. “Thank God.”
KK’s smile widened. “Actually you should be thanking that hood guy and that billionaire Ray Palmer. I saw it on the news. They rescued your daughter.”
Oliver really had to resist doing a complete eye-roll, along with a frustrated sigh.
“Yes I know,” Donna said placing a hand on the Nurse’s forearm. “I saw it, too and believe me I will be letting them know how grateful I am.”
“The Arrow,” Oliver chimed in. “The hood... he’s not called that anymore. He’s called the Arrow, now.” Oliver scratched the back of his head. “Just saying.”
The woman nodded, but it seemed incidental information. They went back to discussing the upcoming footage of ‘the kiss’ on the late show.
Oh boy, Oliver thought to himself. He was pleased when the phone rang and it was Diggle. “Excuse me ladies. I just need to take this.” Truth be told, Oliver was glad of an excuse to get out of the room. He’d only been sitting there for an hour or two. How had Palmer coped for two full days?
“What’s up?” Oliver asked as descended the staircase.
“How is she, any change?”
“She’s doing well. They’re going to bring her out of the coma soon.”
“That’s great,” Diggle said and there was genuine relief in his voice. “Having said that, though... You should know that you and Felicity have been all over the morning news.”
“I’m aware,” Oliver said with a certain amount of distaste.
“Roy was able to break the footage down. Even if they enhance, there’s no shot of your face.”
“I heard that, too. Donna’s here.”
“Right.” Diggle took in a loud breath. “Then you also know they’re doing a feature on the tonight show.”
Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Yep. Apparently Donna’s next door neighbour is recording it for us.”
Diggle let out a half snort, half giggle. “Really?”
“This is serious, John.”
“It’s okay, you can only see Felicity.”
“Well that’s bad enough,” Oliver snapped. “You can be sure the press are gonna want to speak to her.”
“Well people are curious about you, Oliver.”
Oliver shook his head and distracted himself by looking at his watch. 4:49pm. “Crap. I didn’t realize it was this late. I’ve got to get back upstairs.”
“Okay, ahh... Oliver... Felicity is going to be okay. She’s pretty resilient. You give her our love when she wakes up, okay?”
“Will do,” Oliver said and then hit end on the keypad.
As he took the stairs to the fifth floor two by two, he wondered if Ray would have returned by now. He was answered the moment he stepped out of the stairwell. Ray was walking up the hallway towards Felicity’s room. He looked better than a few hours ago. It was amazing what a shower, shave and a change of clothes could do. He was holding a large bouquet of flowers and Oliver kicked himself for not thinking about something like that. He was never gonna get the girl if he didn’t.
“Oh, hi, Oliver,” Ray said as they both reached the door at the same time.
Oliver didn’t get to reply, before the door swung open and KK emerged.
“Hi, I’m sorry,” she said blocking their path. “but it’s only family at this point.” She smiled reassuringly at them both. “Dr. Grace is just prepping her now. You can go in when he’s done. Oh,” she said and looked at Ray. “I’m really sorry Mr. Palmer, but Felicity won’t be able to have flowers in her room, just yet. If you like I can give them to the nurses’ station and they can put them in water. Maybe a day or so.”
“Oh, right.” Ray looked a little embarrassed. “Silly me, I should have thought.” He handed her the flowers. “Umm, yes, thank you.”
KK took the flowers and headed down the corridor. They both watched her go and then there was silence. One beat, two beats. “So, ah...” Oliver was the first to speak. “Mrs. Smoak arrived a couple of hours back.”
“Yes, lovely woman. I didn’t know she was having problems booking a flight or I would have sent the jet for her.”
Surprise showed on Oliver’s face, briefly, before he remembered. “That’s right, I forgot. You met Donna when she was last here. You gave her that watch.” He suddenly felt a strong sense of gratefulness. If it weren’t for him, Felicity and Donna wouldn’t be here.
“That’s right,” Ray said. “We’re calling them Wearables. I gave her a prototype of the new range. Felicity said that her mom appreciated it more than I could understand. I couldn’t quite under---,”
“Excuse me gentleman,” KK said as she moved passed them to re-enter the room. “Shouldn’t be too much longer, I’ll come get you.” She closed the door, but it opened again a moment later. “Actually, we’re ready to go.”
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Felicity was hooked up to more machines than when he’d left the room and he hoped that it was all just a precaution. A heart monitor, a brain scanner and an oxygen mask. There was still a drip in her hand and they watched as the doctor syringed a yellow looking liquid into the bag. It travelled down the tube and seemed to take forever to reach the port.
“The drug should take effect almost immediately,” Dr. Grace explained. “We should see some spiking in brainwave activity, first.” As if on cue there was a bleep. “Ah, there we go,” the doctor continued, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You’re doing well, Felicity.”
Donna was sitting right beside her head as the doctor worked. Ray and Oliver stood unobtrusively at the end of the bed.
“Oh, look,” Donna half sobbed, half squealed. “Her eyes are fluttering.”
Oliver took in a deep breath. The rush of relief that ran over him made him feel almost euphoric. “Thank you,” he whispered out when her eyes opened fully.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Felicity sat herself up straighter in the bed and flipped the channels on the TV. It had been two weeks and even though the hospital room was beautiful, it still felt like a bit of a prison. She was waiting for the results of her latest MRI. They’d promised her she could go home if it came back clear.
There were flowers, in every nook and cranny of the room and she wondered how many of them she could fit into her apartment. The nurses had run out of vases and she’d had to ask Ray to stop sending them. He was the biggest offender. He’d sent massive bunches every day she’d been there. Her mom, Barry, Oliver and a few others had contributed, but Ray was over the top. She wasn’t sure if she should feel flattered or suffocated.
As she laid there waiting, she couldn’t help it, her mind started searching again. Could there really be something seriously wrong with her, or was this normal for an ex-coma patient. “I should know,” she said out loud as she battled her doubt. “I really should.”
“You should know what?” Oliver asked as he walked through the door.
“Hi, Oliver,” she said rather meekly as she forced herself to look him in the eyes.
Oliver frowned and moved closer to the bed. “What is it, Felicity?”
“I should have told you before this, maybe, but... There’s gaps...” she started, but then stopped. This was worrying her and she needed to say something, but she didn’t want to jeopardize being released. She squinted a little without her glasses on and looked seriously at Oliver. “You know, Oliver if I don’t go home today, I’m signing myself out, AMA.”
“What? No you’re not,” Oliver said a little too dismissively for her liking. “What do you mean there’s gaps?”
“In my memory. I mean I remember all of the stuff after the explosion, but Captain Lance came to see me a couple of days ago. He asked me why I was in that building...” She felt like crying.
“What were you doing in that building, Felicity? Do you remember calling me?”
Felicity bought her hand to her chest in a protective mannerism. “I called you? What did I say?”
“That you needed me to meet you at the Krystal Building, straight away.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this?” Frustration dripped from every word.
Oliver’s eyes squinted. “I didn’t know I needed to.”
“This doesn’t make any sense.” Felicity looked up at him. She could feel the wet tears leak from her eyes and roll down her cheeks. “Why can’t I remember that?”
Oliver looked at her and there was clearly something going on in his head. She knew him well enough to know that he was making connections. Maybe the same type of connections that she was making.
“What are you thinking?” she asked as he handed her a tissue. “That this has something to do with the bombing?” She blew her nose and then realised how that must have looked. She knew it sounded like a foghorn, but when her eyes met Oliver’s he was grinning.
“I think all of this is best left for another time. Right now your health is more important.”
“I’m fine, Oliver, really.” She pulled the covers back to reveal her full leg brace. “My hip is mending and I can use crutches. There is no reason for me not to go home.”
“Except for the fact that you can’t remember things. What does the Doctor say about all this?”
Felicity closed one eye. “Well... I haven’t actually... you know... said anything, but It doesn’t matter. I just want---,”
There was a knock at the door and Dr Grace entered the room. Felicity was relieved when he smiled. “Yes, all clear and I am happy to say that the paperwork for your release is being finalized as we speak. We are still a little concerned about the dizzy spell you suffered the other day, but the MRI is completely clear, so...”
Oliver shot her a look and mouthed, ‘dizzy spell?’ “Ahh, I’m not sure,” Oliver began, but Felicity stepped in front of him and drew all of the doctor’s attention.
“I am so soooooo happy to hear that, Doctor.”
Dr. Grace looked over at Oliver and smiled. “Will you be taking her home, Mr. Queen?”
“Yes,” he said simply.
“Okay great. There are prescriptions to pick up at the Nurses Station and clearly she will need lots of bed rest. She can use her crutches, but only when necessary, bathroom, that sort of thing. She’ll need to arrange for someone to change her dressings. One of them is on her back so she won’t be able to do it herself. I will send it all over, so you can follow it up with her local GP. She’ll probably need some Physio as well.” The doctor looked back to her. “And clearly you won’t be able to drive until that splint comes off.”
Felicity’s brow furrowed slightly. She wasn’t certain if it was because of the no drive thing, or the fact that Dr. Grace basically just informed Oliver of her aftercare instead of her. “Great,” she said, biting her lip.
“Okay, then, Felicity, I will leave you to it. Take care and good luck.” Dr. Grace started to leave, but Oliver stopped him.
“Sorry, but... Is there anything I should look out for?”
“Predominantly dizzy spells, disorientation, vomiting, mood swings, that sort of thing. It’s all very unlikely, but you never know with head trauma. There is actually a copy of things to watch out for at the nurse’s station.”
Oliver nodded. “Okay, thanks, Doctor.”
The moment Dr. Grace left Oliver immediately turned cold eyes on her. “Felicity?” he said, equal weight concern and anger.
“I am going home. End of story, Oliver.” She matched his stare.
“Then I’m going home with you.”
Felicity shook her head. “Aren’t you supposed to be tracking down the bomber that did all this? I don’t need babysitting.”
Oliver’s face changed at the question and Felicity was sorry that she’d asked it, but she didn’t need to be wrapped up in cottonwool.
“Kind of hard to be stealthy with plaster on. Besides, Diggle’s got it covered,”
Felicity felt herself blush. Oliver was always in jeans and walking unaided. She’d all but forgotten about his broken ankle.
“You get dressed and I’ll see where they are with your release papers.”
“No Oliver, I---,”
Oliver turned back and looked at her, his face a mask of resolution. He didn’t say a word, but it was enough to get Felicity to stop mid sentence. He just stared at her and she knew, no amount of hawking was going to win her this argument. Oliver had a bee in his bonnet about this.
She gave him a small nod. “Okay,” she said with resignation in her tone. “But no hot and sweaty workouts in my living room, Okay?”
A half grin creped onto Oliver’s face. “Deal.”
It looked as though she was going to have Oliver Queen as a house guest for at least a couple of weeks.
To Be Continued...