A/N: There isn't a lot of fluff in this one, but I might do a follow-up, so we'll see. Enjoy!
Biting cold sent ripples of stinging pain down Oliver's body. He winced and tried to pull away from the bitter cold metal that cut his skin, but he was immediately met with resistance. "Huh…?" His eyes slowly slid open and frowned. "What-" Talking caused him to inhale the cold air and it hurt his lungs. He was in a freezer of some kind, surrounded by frost-covered metal walls in harsh, pale lighting. He tried to move his hands, but they were handcuffed behind him.
"Ollie?" a voice asked from behind him.
The sound made Oliver's stomach drop. 'Oh no.' He tried to twist around, but whatever metal object he was handcuffed to prevented him from being able to see. "Roy?"
"It's…cold…"
"I know, kid." A shiver went through Oliver. "C- Can you come over here?"
"I th-think so." As soon as Roy pushed himself up onto his knees, but as soon as he did, they heard the sound of a heavy door opening. Roy stayed still, unsure of what to do. He wasn't handcuffed to anything like Oliver, but since he wasn't in his Speedy costume, he didn't know if attacking was the right move. Footsteps walked closer over the metal floor. Roy moved closer to Oliver. The man in front of them was huge, three inches taller than Ollie at least, and he wore a heavy sweater and jeans, boots, and a knitted mask covering his face. The large wrench in his right hand made Roy move another inch closer to his guardian.
"What the f-fuck do you want-t?" Oliver stuttered. The man didn't answer. "I a-asked you a q-question."
The man still didn't answer, but instead grabbed Roy by his hair and pulled him away from Oliver.
"Ow!"
"G-Get your hands off him!" Oliver jerked forward, but the handcuffs prevented him from moving. "If you hurt him, I s-swear I'll-" He stopped when the man dropped Roy in front of him. He waited tensely as Roy rubbed his head. Before Oliver could say anything, the man grabbed one of Roy's wrists and brought the wrench down on his arm. Roy's screech of pain sent a bolt of worry through Oliver. He opened his mouth, but the wench hit his ward's arm again and he heard an audible snap! Anger burned through him. "You bastard! When I get out of here you'll be sorry! I swear-"
"Agh!" Roy tried to pull away as the man started pulling his light jacket off. It jarred his newly broken arm, sending waves of pain down his body. He practically collapsed on the ground as he finally came free of his jacket. Then the man grabbed the hem of his shirt and he kicked at him.
"Don't touch him!" Anger and helplessness filled Oliver the masked-man pulled Roy's shirt off. It made him cringe to think how much that had to hurt with a broken arm. Unfortunately, the man wasn't done, and he quickly pulled off Roy's shoes and socks as well. "L-Leave him al-lone!"
Roy wiggled away once his shoes and socks were off. He winced at the freezing metal under his bare skin. 'Hurts…'
Thankfully, the man seemed to be satisfied for the moment. Still, without saying a word, he grabbed the clothing items he'd confiscated from Roy and left the trapped archers. The sound of the heavy door closing was both a relief and ominous for them.
"R-Roy, are you ok?" Oliver asked.
"Mhm…" Roy mumbled, trying to sound brave. It felt significantly colder without his shirt and shoes. He fought through the pain and pushed himself up enough that he could use his good arm to help him move to Oliver. His guardian was still wearing the thick sweater he'd been wearing when they'd gone out earlier that night. (If it was the same night.) Roy carefully climbed into Oliver's lap, then pulled his broken arm closer to his body. He put his head on Oliver's chest. "H-Hurts…"
"I know, kiddo. I know. It's gonna be ok."
"C-Cold…"
"I know. The police are probably looking for us. We were on a busy street…" Oliver's words died out as he thought back to the last thing he remembered. He and Roy had gone to see a movie. Some PG-13 action flick that his ward had been dying to see. It had only been five blocks between the entrance to the theater and the car. On block three, someone had called for help from an alley. Oliver grimaced. 'And being the dumbass I am, I insisted we check it out.' He cursed. 'I'm a highly trained vigilante, I should've been able to protect us from anything.' Everything got fuzzy after that, so it was impossible to tell how they'd been brought here or how long it had been. 'We weren't on the street then, which means no one megohm know we're missing yet.' He didn't voice his concern to Roy, but it made him worry. 'That doesn't matter. The thing that matters is getting Roy out of here.' Oliver looked down at the boy and felt his heart twist at how Roy huddled against him. "Try to keep your feet off the floor, buddy. The less direct exposure your toes experience, the less likely they'll suffer frostbite."
"O-ok…" Roy's breath came out in white puffs as he pulled his feet up to rest on Oliver's legs. He curled his toes in an effort to warm them up. "O-Ollie it's c-cold…"
"I know." Except he really didn't know. Oliver was still wearing the thick sweater he'd been wearing when they'd gone out. He had long sleeves, as well as socks and shoes covering his feet. Roy's torso was bare, as were his sensitive feet and toes. It twisted Oliver's stomach in guilt. The fact that it wasn't his decision for him to be fully clothed and Roy half-naked while they were trapped in a sub-zero freezer didn't matter. He was still warmer than the shivering child in his lap. Oliver bent his head down to rest on Roy's hair. "Think warm thoughts."
"I'm t-trying…" Roy clenched his teeth as he adjusted his broken arm. 'Don't be a b-baby. Ollie's cold and he's n-not complaining.' He winced as the cold air bit at the inside of his windpipe. "I m-iss…sss the d-d-desert."
Oliver chuckled a bit. "I'm sure."
They lapsed into silence. Roy's shivering gradually got worse, which was painfully obvious to Oliver. Every few minutes, the man would pull at his handcuffs in a vain effort to wrap his arms around the cold child. For his part, Roy tried not to complain about his situation. Even when the shivering started to hurt his spine and muscles, even when his skin became so cold he could barely feel his fingers, he kept his mouth shut and tried to focus his attention on something else.
"H-hanging in there?" Oliver asked after a while.
"T-tryin…" Roy winced as the next inhale of cold air actually hurt to move through his lungs. He glanced down at his fingers and saw they were as red as his hair. A glance at his toes gave him the same result. "W-what doesss he w-w-want-t?"
"H-Hard to s-say." So far their kidnapper hadn't come back. It was worrying and a little confusing. 'Why would he go to the trouble of kidnapping both of us if he doesn't want anything? What does he gain?' Oliver tried to shift his position slightly without jostling Roy. 'This couldn't have anything to do with Green Arrow, could it? No. No, it can't. There's no way this random guy could know.' Logically, he knew it wasn't likely, but that did little to stem his worry. The fact that all he could do was sit and wait didn't help. "H-How are your f-fingers?"
Roy grimaced. "O-Ok…" He didn't want Ollie to think he was being childish. 'I'm not a baby…' An extra-violent shiver went through his body. He winced as he curled his fingers into his hands to try and keep them warm. It sent stinging pain down the small appendages when he moved them. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered his teacher telling his class that moving around warmed your body in the cold. Except the air was so cold Roy's every movement felt like it would snap him in half. 'Don't feel like movin' anyway…' Roy thought as he snuggled into Oliver's chest, seeking warmth.
The movement sent a fresh wave of guilt through Oliver. 'God, I wish I could get us out of here,' he thought. 'Maybe I can convince our captor to let Roy go. He's just a child.' The more time passed and the more Roy shivered, the more it weighed on Oliver's psyche. He felt himself slowly become aware of how small Roy was. How fragile his small, red toes were. 'How long does it take for frostbite to start taking effect? What does it look like?' He wracked his brain for information, but it wasn't coming up with anything. He glanced down at Roy's fingers. "Roy, try to keep your hands warm."
"I'm t-tryin'…" Roy yawned. " 's har…"
"No, no, no! No yawning! Stay awake, Roy."
'Awake is so cold though…' Roy thought as he yawned again. He wasn't sure if it was the cold or sitting still, but he was exhausted. Kind of like after a long night of patrol where he'd needed to chase down criminals. (Just without the satisfaction of being a hero.) He cringed as he tried to snuggle closer into Oliver's chest. His eyes stared off at the far end of the freezer without any purpose. It was empty except for the two archers and the metal shelf Oliver was handcuffed to. 'If I wasn't so dumb and weak…I-I would've been able to f-fight the j-jerk who l-locked us in here and gotten us out.' He pressed his lips straight and turned his head down from Oliver. 'If it weren't for me Ollie c-could probably get hims-self free.' He took a slow breath. Breathing was getting harder with how cold the air was. "O-Ollie…"
"Yeah, bud?"
"If- If you can get f-free… P-Promise, you'll c-come back-ck f-for me…?"
"What-" Oliver frowned and his mouth open for a moment, but nothing came out. "Why would I leave you?"
" 'Cause You c-could get f-free…" Roy had to stop and take a deep breath like that short statement had put him out of breath. "If-f I wasn' here an' s-sittin' on you…" Another deep breath. " 'm sorry…"
"Hey, stop t-talking like th-that. I'd d-die bef-fore I l-leave you here. Understand?"
"Hmmm…" Roy stopped talking after that. It felt like a lot of effort, and it wasn't like it was keeping him warm. Warmth was becoming a distant memory. He closed his eyes and tried to remember the desert. The sun shining down without discretion or mercy. The dry air that seemed to suck the energy from your body as soon as it hit you. Heat so intense that the air shimmered in it. A burning sensation started building in Roy's eyes and he squeezed them shut harder.
"Roy?" Oliver asked when the kid didn't say anything for a bit. "Roy?" He butted Roy with his head lightly. "You still with me, kid?" That got him a small head shake. Oliver let out a small breath of relief. "I know you don't want to be here, but-" The sound of the door opening made him stop. Oliver swallowed as the sounds of heavy boots approached them. His breath picked up a little as he became aware of how vulnerable Roy was, half-naked and frozen, and how there was nothing Oliver could do to protect him.
The masked man stopped in front of them. Like the last time, he didn't say anything.
Oliver glared. "What the fuck do you want?!" He guessed he'd be more intimidating if he wasn't shivering and trying to keep his teeth from chattering.
Instead of answering, the man grabbed Roy by his hair and dragged him off Oliver's lap.
"Gah!" Roy cried out. Much to his mortification, tears leaked past eyelids as pain radiated all over his whole body.
"Let go of him! Leave him alone!"
The man turned away and dragged Roy to the other side of the freezer.
"O-Ollie!" Roy cried out. He started coughing like that one word had choked him.
"Leave him the fuck alone! He's a child!" Oliver pulled against the handcuffs in vain.
The man dropped Roy on the other side of the freezer, ten feet away.
Roy whimpered as the man crouched down beside him. "O-Ollie-" He whimpered again as the man grabbed the side of his head and forced him onto the ground. The freezing metal touching his skin was painful and he tried to move, but the man holding his head in place wouldn't let him.
"Move…and I'll kill him…" the man whispered into Roy's ear. His voice was stretchy and rough. "Talk…and I'll kill him… Do you want me to kill him?" Roy shook his head. "Then don't move, don't even look at him, and don't talk. Understand?"
"Mhm…" A sigh of relief escaped Roy as the man moved his hand.
"Get away from him!" Oliver shouted. He rattled the chain of the handcuffs against the metal shelf. "Get the fuck away from him, you bastard! If you do anything, I swear-" He stopped when the man suddenly stood up and walked away without saying anything. Oliver watched him go and waited for the door to close before he turned to his ward. "Roy," he said. "Roy, are you ok?" No response. "Roy?" Oliver tried to shift to see Roy better, but the handcuffs wouldn't allow it. "Roy?! Roy are you ok?! Did he hurt you?!"
It sent a pang of guilt through Roy that Oliver sounded so worried. He wanted to respond and reassure his guardian that he was still alive, but then he remembered what the man had said. 'He's probably watching us…' Roy thought. 'I-I can't get Ollie k-killed. He's alread-dy gonna f-freeze 'cause of me…' He pulled his injured arm closer to his body.
"R-Roy?! Roy p-please answer me!" Oliver pulled against the handcuffs. "Did he d-do something?!"
'He didn't s-say I couldn' n-nod…' Roy thought. He shook his head as much as he could without moving from his position.
"Ok. Ok." Oliver sat back against the shelf, but his muscles remained tense. 'Why isn't he talking to me? What's wrong?' Oliver's shoulders dropped and he tried to swallow a lump in his throat. 'He's probably mad at me. I'm the reason he ended up in this situation in the first place. If I hadn't insisted we check on whoever was in the alley he'd be home, warm in his bed right now. He wouldn't have a broken arm.' Oliver took a breath. "I-It's gonna be ok, Roy. I'll g-get us out of h-here. I promise. I promise, buddy. Ok? You'll be ok. I promise." No response. Oliver sighed and hung his head. 'I'm such a f-fucking screw-up. I'm going to g-get my own d-damn kid k-killed.'
It was silent for a while in the freezer. Oliver made several more attempts to talk to Roy, but the boy never gave him a response. It was worrying for Oliver, who could only monitor Roy's condition from afar.
For Roy, things stopped getting colder. He struggled to keep his eyelids open at one point. In one moment he closed them, then when he opened them again it was slightly warmer. A confused frown crossed his face when he saw that his fingers had started to turn white. 'Why?' he wondered. 'Whas…going'….' The rest of the sentence eluded him. The side he was laying on didn't feel as cold in some places. Around his shoulder and hip, it actually felt warm. 'Good…' Roy's eyes fluttered closed. He breathed in slow shallow breaths. 'Don' like cold…'
Time wore on and Oliver's patience wore down with it. "Roy?" he asked after a while. "Roy?" No response. Not so much as a twitch. Oliver could feel his fingers and toes tingling with cold. 'I have to save him. I have to.' Oliver fought against the lethargy that the cold was forcing on his muscles. He looked around the space. It to be empty. Nothing he could use to break out. 'God, I'm so useless. Roy's just a fucking kid. Who could hate me so much that he'd let a child freeze to death?' Metal screeched as the door opened and Oliver grimaced. 'Speak of the devil and he shall appear.' When the man was within his range of vision, Oliver glared. "What the hell do you want, bastard?! What?!"
The man didn't say anything but instead knelt beside Roy. He ignored Oliver's string of curses and threats as he put his finger's on the boy's neck, then under his nose.
Oliver eyed his captor with suspicion as the man approached him after checking Roy. He glared as the man knelt beside him, but his anger was tinged with confusion as the man unlocked his handcuffs. As soon as his right wrist was free, Oliver swung his fist. He hit the man in the head by surprise. The man was knocked off balance and Oliver jumped on him. He fought against the lethargy of his muscles as he landed another punch on the masked man's face. He tried to grab at the mask, to pull it off so he could see the face of the bastard who'd put them in here, but the man grabbed his wrist. Oliver was strong, but the cold had weakened him and his opponent wasn't small or weak. He grabbed the other wrist as Oliver tried to punch him again. The man managed to use the wrists to throw Oliver off, then scrambled to his feet. Oliver saw him run off as he pushed himself up. "F-Fucking c-coward," he said. "You'd-d b-better run."
Now free, Oliver went straight for Roy. His legs barely had enough energy to carry him to the boy. He just about collapsed on his knees next to Roy. "Roy…" He gasped, wincing as the cold air seemed to cut his lungs. "Roy, wake up, kid. He's gone, we can get out." Roy didn't even move. "Roy?" Oliver didn't know if his hand was shaking from the cold or from dread as he reached out to shake Roy's arm. The boy's skin was ice cold to the touch. Oliver rolled Roy over so he was on his back. Worry shot through him when Roy's head lolled lifelessly. "Roy?!" He could barely keep his hand stable enough to feel Roy's neck. Unfortunately, both his and Roy's skin was too cold to really feel anything. "Warm… You need warmth…"
Trying to be as gentle as possible, Oliver slipped his arms under Roy's body and lifted him. His breath caught in his throat as Roy's head, legs, and not broken arm hung limply from his form. "Hang on, kid. I'll get you out." Despite his ward weighing less than 100 pounds, it was a struggle for Oliver to get to his feet and carry the kid to the door. His legs and arms shook with exhaustion with every step he took. It was only thirty feet to the door of the freezer door, but it felt like thirty miles to Oliver. "We're…almost there… Almost…" The door was still cracked open, so all Oliver had to do was throw his body against it to open it. He stumbled out into a small room with a dirty, tiled floor. It was at least fifteen degrees warmer here, which was heaven. Oliver fell on his knees and gently set Roy on the ground. Outside the harsh lighting of the freezer, he looked even worse.
Roy's skin was a waxy white. His fingers, nose, the tips of his ears, and his toes were all a darker white, almost grey color. The side he'd been laying on was the same darker white color, but the skin looked hard in some places. The most alarming thing though was the blue tint to his lips. Oliver's hand shook as he put it on Roy's face, feeling for any air moving through his mouth and nose. There was nothing. Panic consumed Oliver as he started giving Roy mouth to mouth. 'Come on kiddo,' he thought as he did. 'Come on, breathe.' It felt like forever before Roy took a gasping breathing. His back arched as he inhaled in sharp gasps. Each inhale had a high-pitched tone to it. "Good… Good…" Oliver looked around and saw something on the ground. It was a flimsy, paper card. His hand shook as he picked it up and put it in his sweater pocket. "Deep breaths… Deep…" Oliver's head swam and he was barely able to use his arm to catch himself as he fell over. He laid on the ground and reached out for Roy, whose eyes were still closed and his breathing had become more shallow and slow.
Weakly, Oliver reached out for Roy until he found the boy's hand. Once he found it, Oliver moved closer until he could pull Roy against his body. The boy was still unresponsive, but breathing, as Oliver pulled him closer. "T-Told you… We're out…" Distantly, Oliver heard a door opening. It could've been their captor. It could've been anyone dangerous, but he didn't have the energy to get up. So he did the only thing he could.
Oliver pulled Roy close to his body so the boy was safe in his arms when he passed out.
— —
Different pieces of awareness came back to Oliver slowly. The pain was first. A dull ache in his wrists, fingers, and toes. Nothing terrible or unmanageable, but still uncomfortable. Next were the sounds. Beeping. Talking. People. Strong antiseptics filled his nose with the next breath he took. 'Hospital…?' Oliver forced his eyelids open to see a hospital room. He laid in the bed, hooked up to a pulse monitor and an IV. Several thick blankets covered his body. "What-" Everything came back to him a flash.
The freezer. The cold. That bastard in the mask. Roy…
Oliver bolted up and looked around. "R-Roy…?" he asked. There were no signs of his ward, so he pulled off the pulse monitor and swung his legs over the side of the bed. The room was filled with a siren-like noise, which he ignored in favor of trying to stand.
A woman appeared in the doorway and gave him a strange look. "Mr. Queen," she said as she came over to him immediately. "You need to stay-"
"Where's Roy?!"
"I'm sorry, I don't-"
"Roy! Roy Harper! He's small and has red hair and he was with me and now he's not. Where is he?!"
"Mr. Queen, you need to calm down! Please! I'll explain everything to you."
Oliver hesitated, but a hospital security guard now stood in the doorway to his room, so he allowed the nurse to sit him back down and make him lie back. "Where is he?" he asked, voice a little desperate. "Please…just tell me if he's ok. Is he…?"
"He's alive," she said as she reattached his puled-monitor. "He's on the pediatric floor in the intensive care unit, so I can't give you details on his condition."
"Intensive care?" On the one hand, Roy was alive, which Oliver was immediately grateful for, but he was in intensive care.
"I'll go let Dr. Smith know you're awake. Please, stay in bed."
"I need to see Roy. I- I have to see him."
"You need to stay in bed. His doctors are taking good care of him, and you won't be helping him by compromising your own health." She finished covering him with the blankets again, then let the room. As she passed the security guard she said something to him briefly. Oliver couldn't discern what was being said, but the security guard leaned against the doorway and watched him as the nurse left.
'Roy's alive,' Oliver thought as he let his head fall back against the pillow. 'He's alive. He's in intensive care and they won't let me see him, but he's alive.'
The nurse returned, along with another woman who was wearing a white coat. "Nice to see you awake, Mr. Queen," Dr. Smith said as she grabbed his chart. "How do you feel?"
"Sore and stiff. A little chilled, but way better than I was before. Can I see Roy now?"
"Mr. Queen, you were brought to the ER with mild hypothermia. I know you're worried, but you need to rest and regain your energy."
"I need to see Roy! Let me see him!"
"Mr. Queen!" Dr. Smith gave him a look and Oliver closed his mouth. "Your son is receiving good care. Dr. Wilson in the pediatric ICU is an amazing doctor. Roy couldn't be in better hands."
"He'd better be…"
"The more you rest, the sooner I'll clear you to be up and walking around."
"How long was I asleep?"
"Twelve hours."
"Twelve?!" And Roy was still in the ICU? That didn't make Oliver feel better about his boy's condition. "Damn…"
"Can you look here please?"
In the interest of trying to get to Roy faster, Oliver complied with all the instructions the doctor gave him as she checked his eyes, ears, temperature, and reflexes. The whole time though, he thought about Roy. 'What if he's not doing good?' Oliver thought. 'I should be there with him. I'm the reason he was trapped in the damned freezer.' A frown crossed his face. "You said I was brought to the ER? How?"
"I don't know, but some officers from the Star City Police will want to talk to you. I'll let them know you're awake if you're up for answering their questions?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'll talk to them." Just this exam left him feeling tired, but he wanted answers.
"Alright. I'll be back in a few moments." Dr. Smith and the nurse left; as well as the hospital security officer.
Oliver noticed his sweater was draped over a chair nearby and gently eased back his blankets. He got to his feet, then slowly shuffled his way over to the chair. He was able to get there without disturbing his pulse monitor or IV and picked up the sweater. 'Did I imagine it-' He found the paper card in the pocket. 'Nope.' Oliver looked at the card. It was a business card for some kind of private security company and there was a name on it. 'Keith Prescott.' There was a chance it wasn't his captor, but that wasn't a chance Oliver was willing to take. He put the card back in his pocket, then made his way back to the bed. By the time Dr. Smith returned with two uniformed police officers, Oliver was laying in the bed and covered by the blankets.
"Hello, Mr. Queen," one of the officers said. "I'm Officer Taylor, this is Officer Miller."
"Hello," Oliver said in greeting. Dr. Smith left as the two cops moved forward to stand next to his bed. "How did I get to the hospital?"
"A couple of teens broke into the building where you and your ward were being held. They found you unconscious and decided to do the responsible thing and call 9-1-1."
"Oh. Good."
"Can you tell us what happened?"
"…I was walking to the car with Roy. We were passing an alley and I heard someone call for help. I wanted to see what was going on, so I went into the alley and Roy followed me." He frowned. "It gets a little blurry after that. I woke up in a freezer handcuffed to a shelf. There was a man… He was wearing a mask so I couldn't see his face. He stripped Roy so he was just in his pants and left us in there. Roy almost died."
"And how did you get out?"
Oliver swallowed. "He came in, it was the second time he did, and he…I don't know, checked Roy or something, then he came over and unlocked my handcuffs. When I was free I took a couple swings at him. He ran off and I got Roy out of the freezer."
"Mr. Queen, can you tell us anything about the who might've done this?"
Oliver hesitated, mind going to the business card in his sweater. He swallowed and clenched his fist under the blankets. "No. Nothing."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Ok. When your ward is capable, we'd like to ask him some questions as well." Officer Taylor handed him a business card. "If you can give us a call, we'd appreciate it."
"Of course. Thank you, officers."
"Rest easy, Mr. Queen. We'll find the person who did this."
"I'll do my best." Oliver watched them leave, then set the business card on the little table next to his bed and laid back. 'We're safe. Roy's… There are doctors there to help him. They'll help…him…' Oliver yawned and his eyes slipped closed. 'Good…'
— —
The next time Oliver was awake he felt better. He wasn't nearly as sore and he had full dexterity in his fingers. When Dr. Smith came in to check on him around early afternoon, he waited with bated breath as she went through her tests again.
"Can I see Roy now?" he asked when it was finished.
"Yes," Dr. Smith replied. "A nurse will take you up to him, but I don't want you wandering around."
"I won't be."
"Good. A nurse will be here in a few minutes."
Once Dr. Smith was gone, Oliver got out of bed and made his way swiftly to his sweater. He pulled the business card out and folded it so he could hide it in his hand. 'I can't take the chance something will happen,' he thought as he got back in bed. 'I need to protect this.' It seemed like forever before a nurse came in with a wheelchair. Oliver rolled his eyes (he was perfectly capable of walking) but he didn't disagree because he wanted to see Roy. It concerned him that the boy had been in the hospital for 36 hours and still required intensive care. 'Has he woken up?' Oliver wondered as the nurse wheeled him down the hall. 'Oh god, that poor kid. He passed out in a freezer and could've woken up in a hospital surrounded by strangers.' He suddenly remembered Roy's comment back in the freezer about Oliver abandoning him. It sent a bolt of fear through Oliver and made him want to get there faster. 'I need to be there. I have to be.'
Arriving at Roy's room in the ICU brought relief to Oliver to see his boy alive, but that relief was soon replaced by worry when he saw the state Roy was in. He was unconscious, hooked up to several monitors and had oxygen tubes in his nose. His right forearm was in a cast. Below that both his hadst were completely mummified in bandages. Gauze was taped over the end of his nose and the tops and edges of his ears.
Oliver settled in a chair by Roy's bedside. He reached out and ran a gentle hand through the boy's hair. "Hey kiddo…" he whispered. There was a movement from the corner of his eye and his head snapped toward it. There was a middle-aged doctor walking into the room. "You must be Dr. Wilson."
"I am," Dr. Wilson confirmed. "I'm overseeing Roy's care."
"Is he ok?"
"He's doing much better than the last 24 hours. It was a little scary because his oxygen levels and heart rate were low, but his vitals have been strong for the last seven hours so I think he's in the clear now. Roy had severe hypothermia, a fractured ulna and radius, second-degree frostbite on his hands, feet, ears, and nose; and ice burns on his left shoulder, hip. and the outside of his left thigh."
Oliver swallowed. 'Oh, Roy… I'm so sorry.' He shook his head. "He'll be ok though?"
"Yes. His core body temperature is normal again and we've treated the frostbite. Thankfully, it wasn't severe so I don't anticipate any mobility or dexterity issues. We've also treated the ice burns, but he'll need to spend some time on bed rest to recover. The broken bone has also been set."
"But he's still unconscious?"
"We've been keeping him sedated to help with the pain. However, I lowered the dose this morning, so he should be waking up soon."
"Thank you."
"Of course. I'll leave you two alone."
Oliver turned back to Roy as Dr. Wilson left. "You're one tough kid, you know that?" he asked quietly. "You practically stayed alive through sheer will. Probably picked that up from Hal." Oliver ran his hand through Roy's hair again. "He'd be proud." As if prompted by his guardian's words, Roy moaned and squirmed. "Roy? Can you hear me, kid?"
"Hmmm….." Roy didn't move for a few seconds, then he started fidgeting again and his eyes opened slowly; like his eyelids were the heaviest things know to man. He looked around with a frown. When he saw Oliver his brow furrowed. "Ollie…?"
"Hey, kiddo. How you feel?"
"Cold… Hurts…" Roy looked around again and the confusion deepened in his green eyes. "Wha' happened?"
"What do you remember?"
Roy shrugged. "Blurry…."
"Blurry, huh? Nothing you need to worry about right now. I'll fill you in later."
"Ok…" Roy titled his head toward Oliver as he struggled to keep his eyes open.
Oliver kept running his hand through the boy's hair. Roy hated this normally, so the man took full advantage of his ward's semi-drugged state. A ghost of a smile crossed Roy's lips and he leaned his head up toward Oliver's hand; leaning into the physical affection. "You'll be ok, Roy."
"Hmm…."
Oliver clenched his other hand tighter around the business card. 'Watch your back Keith Prescott,' he thought as his face morphed from serene to irate. 'You almost let my kid freeze to death in front of me. You were right to run. Because I'll be back to full strength soon and I will find you. You can run as far as you want, but it won't matter.' A dark look crossed his eyes as Roy fell back to sleep, peaceful and unaware of the storm raging inside Oliver. 'Because I'll be on the hunt.'