A/N: As if I needed another WIP to work on! But I honestly couldn't resist. I love Felicity's strength, and would honestly love to see her get herself out of danger. But I want her to get hurt, badly enough to shake Oliver just a bit. Just enough to stop and think about what his life would be like without her. Of course, this IS Oliver we are talking about so I'm not saying they are going to kiss, make up, and live happily ever after. But he is a complex character with a number of layers. I think an injured Felicity is going to reveal a layer we have yet to see on the show. PS..the title comes from the song "Aftermath" by Lifehouse. All of my fics have song titles for names but aren't directly songfics, just FYI. Let me know what you think! Feedback is gold

We have kept a light on through the trouble
Treaded water - in a sea of tears
Now I'm shooting arrows across your night sky
Trying to land in your atmosphere

If we can make it through the storm
And become who we were before
Promise me we'll never look back
The worst is far behind us now
We'll make it out of here somehow
Meet me in the aftermath
Oh, meet me in the aftermath

If the pounding of his heart hadn't killed him when he reached the doorway of her room, the dark look he received from his partner would have. Their eyes only met for a moment before his entire self was drawn to the bed where she lay.

His breath hitched in his throat as his eyes took in her too-pale skin and the black and blue bruises marring it. Gauze wrapped around her head shook him, as did the heavy elevated cast immobilizing her left leg. The oxygen mask resting on her marred cheeks did nothing to settle his racing heart.

Dig waited silently, letting Felicity's state speak louder than his words could. Oliver's hand hovered over hers, hesitant but anxious to hold it and to feel her pulse thrumming beneath his thumb. As his fingers closed over hers, Dig broke the silence.

"Severe concussion, 3 broken ribs, punctured lung, a crushed left leg. She just came out of surgery."

Oliver winced at the sharp, hard sound of Dig's voice. But his whole body shuddered hearing her injuries. The guilt he had felt when he received the phone call from Dig was magnified as he took in her bruised and broken form. Her pulse beating solidly under his grip brought a small level of comfort, but it wasn't enough to stop his chest from aching.

"What – what happened?"

A heavy sigh from behind him, and Dig was moving to her other side. Oliver watched him grab her other hand, encasing it firmly in both of his, before casting a concerned look at her.

"My guess would be, she went after the Clock King herself."

Oliver inhaled sharply, anger and fear creeping into the edges of his vision as he turned to his partner.

Dig continued, eyes still on the unconscious blonde, "She wasn't in the foundry when I got back and her system was dark. Something didn't sit right with me so I turned them on and saw that she had found a lead on his location."

The anger and fear hit him full force as he squeezed her hand a little tighter, "What was she thinking? Why didn't she call one of us? She knows better than this!"

Dig raised an eyebrow at his harsh tone and held his gaze for a moment before continuing, "She didn't answer her phone, and she had removed or lost her tracker. After the fourth try, I was about to call you when she called me."

The older man shifted in his chair, leaning forward to brush a thumb along her wrist. Oliver pretended to not notice the flare of possessiveness that sparked at the sight and attempted to keep his eyes neutral as Dig went on.

"She didn't say much. She was barely conscious. Just told me the address of where she was and to keep her boots." He glanced up to see Oliver's confusion displayed plainly on his face. "Roy and I went to pick her up. By the time we got there, she was unconscious, propped up behind the dumpster in an alley about 3 blocks from Verdant. I'm assuming she got herself out."

Oliver released a heavy exhale, dropping her hand and moving towards the window, unable to handle the feel of her cold hand in his anymore.

"I kept her boots like she said to and found a jump drive in one of them while she was taken off to surgery. Roy took it back to the club to see what she found."

Oliver nodded blankly, eyes fixed on the wall.

"Oliver?"

Fists clenched, he turned to face Dig, not bothering to school the mix of anger, fear, and concern from his features. "She's not supposed to be here."

What else could he say? This was Felicity. His partner. His Girl Wednesday. The one he had vowed they could protect. His eyes flitted to her pale form and felt sucker-punched, realizing how small and vulnerable she appeared in that bed. How deceptive that image was. She was the strongest person he had ever known. She proved that day in and day out, she was the brains AND the strength of their team. What Oliver and Dig, and now Roy and Sarah, had in muscle and agility, Felicity more than surpassed in heart and determination. But she was also smart.

Staring at her broken body, he couldn't understand why she would put herself in peril willingly, without backup, without anyone knowing, without telling him.

Anger he understood. Fear he expected. But the hurt he was feeling? That he didn't understand.

Dig wisely didn't say a word, placing a hand on his shoulder as he walked by. "I'm going to go check in with Roy and see what he came up with. I would suggest you be here when she wakes up."

Oliver didn't bother to look insulted at the thought of him leaving her. After all, he had been at dinner with his current girlfriend and his ex-girlfriend while Felicity was fighting for her life.

He couldn't leave if he tried.