The limo pulled to an unexpected stop, which broke Oliver and Felicity out of their post-engagement bliss. Oliver turned forward, breaking his gaze from his fiancée's.
Fiancée.
He would never get tired of hearing that word. And he planned on using it at every opportunity. He still couldn't believe it was real. She had said yes. He was going to marry Felicity.
When Oliver had decided to return home, he had believed that he didn't deserve to be happy. After everything he had done, happiness was something he didn't deserve. But then he met Felicity. Felicity who had showed him that killing wasn't the only way to fix his father's mistakes. And as time when on, he fell more and more in love with her. Fell in love with her babbles, her bright lipstick, her short skirts, her light. And he began to dream of a live past being the vigilante. A life with Felicity. And now, finally, he was getting that. His happy ending.
Oliver leaned forwards, closer to the the front window and the driver. Had they stopped at a light? It light should have changed by now. A feeling of unease and nervousness settled in Oliver's stomach, slowly building as he waited for the car to move.
"Is something wrong?" Oliver questioned the driver.
But before the driver could respond, the sound of gunshots rang out into the quiet night. Oliver reacted without thinking, his body moved on pure instinct. He pushed Felicity down onto the seat. Laying her down, he pressed his body over her smaller one. He covered her, the familiar fierce need to protect her, coursed through his body. He raised his hand to cover her face as the gunshots continued to ring out.
Oliver could feel Felicity's body shaking with fear beneath him. He had to get her out of there. Get her to safety. He began to raise his body off of Felicity. He stopped when he felt her hand clench into a fist, grabbing his suit jacket. Holding him in place, pulling him closer.
"Oliver," she squeaked out, her voice filled with terror.
"It's okay," he tried to comfort her. "I'm going to get us out of here." He tried again to move.
"No!" Felicity all but screamed, her fist tightened on his jacket. "Don't leave me."
"I'm here," he promised. "But we're not safe here. I need to move the car. I think the driver.. I don't think he's —"
A sudden flair of pain burned along Oliver's side. He let out a pained gasp, unable to hold it in. His arms faltered in holding himself up, he slipped as they gave out and he fell on top of Felicity.
"Oliver!" she yelped. "Oliver."
Oliver gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes tightly shut. He tried to pushed himself up, his side burning with pain. He looked down at Felicity, who lay on the seat, her body quivering with fear as the shots continued to hit the car and its windows.
"Felicity," he ground out. "Felicity, we have to get out of here."
Felicity shook her head. "How?" Her eyes were filled with tears, but Oliver could see her swallow them back, the look of fierce determination, a look that Oliver loved, settled on her face, pushing the fear away.
"You need to climb over the seat, and drive us… anywhere. Anywhere but here," Oliver said, the arm that he was using to hold himself up shook as he fought through the pain.
Felicity looked at him, her bright blue eyes, wide, as she stared at his side. "Oliver," she whispered. "You're bleeding."
"I don't need to be told that," Oliver grunted, a small smile, which came off as more of a grimace, flashed over Oliver's face. His thoughts briefly flashed back to a few years before, when he had first revealed himself as the vigilante to Felicity.
A small gasp left Felicity's lips. A strong look filled her eyes as she fought back the fear that threatened to consume her mind and body. She nodded her head and carefully slid her body off the seat, onto the floor.
Oliver collapsed onto the seat, unable to hold himself up any longer. He tried to steady his breathing, he tried to take a deep breath through his nose. Tried to calm his racing heart, black spots appeared before his eyes. He closed them as he tried to ignore the pain. Darkness taking over.
Felicity pulled herself over the seat, into the front. She looked at the driver. He lay still, slumped against the seat. He was dead. A sob escaped Felicity's lips as she shoved his body away from the steering wheel. She tried to keep her body as low as possible as the bullets continued to be fired against the car. She slammed her foot on the gas pedal. The car surged forward. She drove off, unsure of where she was headed.
The sound of the gunfire grew faint as Felicity drove away. She turned the steering wheel sharply as she tried to avoid the obstacles that seemed to appear out of nowhere. The car jumped and flew into the air as she ran over the edge of a barricade. A small scream left her lips. She closed her eyes tightly, sending out a quick prayer, to whoever was listening, that she and Oliver would survive. They would make it through this nightmare.
The car jolted as all four of its tires hit back down the pavement. Felicity sighed in relief. She opened her eyes, her gaze flying around as she tried to recognize her surroundings. It took her frantic, panicked mind a moment to process where she had driven.
The pier.
Felicity could see the dark waters edge. She slammed her foot on the brake, bringing the bullet ridden car to a screeching halt.
She pushed the door open and jumped out, running to the back door.
"Oliver," she called out. "Oliver!"
Felicity pulled the door open, and gasped as Oliver's body slumped against it, falling out of the car. His larger body knocked her to the ground as she tried to stop his fall. Felicity struggled as she tried to pull his much larger body into a sitting position. She ran her hands over his body, checking for injuries. She could feel his chest moving as he took shallow breaths, in and out. But his eyes remained shut. A low buzzing sound seemed to fill Felicity's ears as she tried to shake Oliver awake.
"Oliver," she whimpered. "Oliver, please wake up."
Tears spilled down her cheeks. She awkwardly reached into her pocket, digging for her phone. She fingers found the small metal rectangle. She shifted her body, pulling it from the confines of her pocket, as she tried to slide Oliver's heavy body lower in her lap.
Holding her phone, she dialled the number of the only person she thought could help. She held the phone to her ear, praying to hear his voice on the other end.
"Hello?" the strong, recognizable voice of John Diggle answered.
A sob escaped Felicity's throat at the sound of her friend's voice.
"Felicity?" John's voice raised in alarm. "Are you there? Are you all right?"
"John," Felicity sobbed, fresh tears poured down her cheeks. "Help."
"Felicity. What happened?" John commanded.
"We were driving," she sobbed. "They came out of no where. And they shot at us. They just started shooting. And they wouldn't stop. And there were so many of them. And the driver. Oh, God, the driver. And Oliver, he tried to move and then, he got shot. Oliver's been shot. He's not moving."
"Felicity!" John yelled, cutting off Felicity's terrified ramblings. "Where are you?"
"At the docks," Felicity choked out, as she tried to stop her tears. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing mind.
"I'm on my way," John stated.
Felicity nodded and dropped her phone into her lap, not bothering to end the call.
She pulled herself closer to Oliver's still body. She raised her hand to his neck and tried to find his pulse. She held her breath, trying not to move as she waited to feel the familiar steady beats of his heart.
A sound between a laugh and sob escaped her lips as she felt his pulse beat beneath her fingers. It wasn't the steady, strong pace that had become the lullaby she had grown accustom to falling asleep listening to each night. It was weak.
But it was there. It was there, which meant that Oliver was still alive. He was still alive. He hadn't left her.
She kept her hand pressed against his neck, needing to feel the beats of his heart. Needing the reassurance that he was still alive.
The sound of sirens growing closer broke Felicity out of her trance. She heard the screech of tires as a vehicle pulled to a stop, followed by the sound of a door slamming.
"Felicity," John's voice rang out, clear but filled with panic.
Felicity could hear the sound of footsteps, hitting the pavement, running towards her. She looked up to see John running to her. Two paramedics followed behind him, they were pulling a stretcher between them.
The next few minutes passed in a blur as the paramedics moved Oliver's prone form from where he lay on the pavement to the stretcher. She felt John's secure, familiar arms pull her to her feet. He held her body up when she felt her knees give out from underneath her, unable to support her weight. She watched in silence, as the paramedics moved the stretcher, which carried Oliver, into the back of the ambulance.
Felicity moved in a daze as she allowed herself to be guided to a seat in John's car. She stared unfocused out the window, the lights blurred together as they followed behind the ambulance.
"Felicity, we're here," John's voice broke her out of the daze. She unbuckled her seat belt and climbed out of the car. She felt her knees buckle as she tried to walk through the doors of the hospital.
"Woah," John whispered. He wrapped his arm around Felicity's fragile body and helped her walk through the double doors of the hospital.
The loud noises of the ER, assaulted Felicity's ears, all blending together. The beeping machines and voices of the medical staff all blurred together in a loud hum as John and Felicity walked to the front desk.
"Excuse me?" John asked the woman who sat behind the desk. "We're looking for Oliver Queen. He was just brought in. Gunshot wound."
The woman looked up. "Are you family?" she questioned. "I can only give information to family."
"No," Felicity muttered. "We're not —"
"She's his fiancée," John spoke over her. "Felicity Smoak. She's his emergency contact."
The nurse nodded, she typed into her computer. "He's just about to be taken into surgery. You can take a seat in the waiting room. The doctor will come find you when he has more information."
Felicity nodded, tears welled in her eyes, threatening to spill over, as John guided her to the seats in the waiting room. He gently helped her lower her body onto one of the chairs. Her elbows fell to her knees and she buried her face in her hands. Loud sobs racked her body, her shoulders shaking as hot tears poured down her cheeks.
"Felicity?" a voice called to her. She looked up to find the source.
Thea stood at the entrance a few feet away, her eyes rimmed with red. Felicity shakily stood to her feet. She held her arms out as Thea charged forward. Throwing her small frame against Felicity's, causing Felicity to stumble back a few steps. She wrapped her arms tightly around the younger girl as Thea sobbed into her shoulder. Felicity brought her hand up, running her fingers through Thea's hair, trying to comfort her the best she could. However, she found it hard when the one person who had the ability to calm both of them, was the reason they were upset, and was being taken into surgery.
"I can't lose him," Thea sobbed, looking up from Felicity's shoulder. "He's the only family I have left. I can't lose him too."
"You're not going to lose him," Felicity stated. "We are not going to lose him. He's been through and survived much worse. He survived the island and Hong Kong. He beat our asshole of a father, no offence," Felicity added. "And Slade Wilson. He defeated Ra's al Ghul. He will survive this. We have to believe that he will survive this."
Felicity guided Thea to the chair next to hers, sitting down beside her, she kept her arm wrapped around Thea's shoulders. The pair sat in silence as they waited to be updated on Oliver's condition.
Felicity wasn't sure how much time has passed when she heard a familiar voice call her name. She looked up to see her mother, holding a duffle bag.
"Mom," Felicity called, she had never been so relieved to see her mother. Thea lifted her head from Felicity's shoulders as Felicity stood, running into her mother's open arms, the bag now on the floor.
"Oh, my beautiful girl," she muttered, her hand held Felicity's head against her shoulder.
Felicity pulled away after a few moments. Donna reached her hands up, holding Felicity's tear stained face between her palms, her thumbs brushed away the few tears that has slipped out.
"I brought you a change of clothes," Donna explained. "Why don't you go clean yourself up a little." She held the bag out to Felicity.
Felicity looked down at her jacket. Shocked to see it covered in dried blood. Oliver's blood. She hadn't even noticed. She reached out and took the bag from her mother's outstretched hand.
"I'll be right back," Felicity promised, looking back at Thea.
"We'll come get you if the doctor comes," Thea said.
Felicity nodded before turning to walk down the hallway. She pushed through the door of the washroom. She took a deep breath, letting the door close behind her. She leaned her back against it, her head falling back. She closed her eyes, as she fought back tears, wondering how it was possible to still have tears left in her. She moved to the sink, looking at her reflection in the mirror.
She had cried away most of the make up that she had carefully applied only hours before. Black streaks of mascara had dried on her cheeks. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. Her face was pale, completely lacking it's usual colour. She looked terrible, but found herself unable to care while she worried about the fate of Oliver.
Felicity looked down at her hands, still stained with Oliver's blood. She turned the water on, as hot as possible. She waited until she could see steam coming from it before she put her hands beneath the stream of water and she scrubbed her hands with soap, until they were red and raw. Until there was no blood remaining.
Felicity turned the tap off, she rested her hands on the edge of the sink. She took a shuddering breath, silently willing herself not to break down. She looked down, catching sight of her blood stained jacket. She tore it from her body, throwing it to the floor. She quickly rid herself of her remaining clothing, desperate to get it off her. To remove all physical evidence of the night's events. As she pulled on the clean pair of yoga pants and the sweater that her mother had brought her. Feeling slightly better in the comfortable and clean clothing. She put her blood stained clothing into the duffle bag, deciding that she would burn it when given the chance.
Turning the water on again, Felicity splashed some cold water on her face. Gently wiping away the remnants of her makeup. She looked at her reflection, wincing at what was left of her ponytail. Large sections of her hair had slipped from the elastic, it now hung limply around her face. She pulled the elastic out, allowing all her hair to fall to her shoulders. She brushed through it with her fingers, untangling the knots, before pulling it back into her trademark ponytail.
Felicity took one final deep, calming breath before leaving the washroom. She returned to her friends and family in the waiting room. She collapsed onto her seat next to Thea, who returned her head to its resting place on Felicity's shoulder.
"Any news?" Felicity questioned quietly.
Thea shook her head, sighing sadly. "Not yet," she answered. "I don't know whether to be worried or grateful. You know 'no news is good news' and all that."
"I'm sure we'll hear something soon," Donna reassured. "Why don't I go grab some coffee? I'm sure we could all use some. It's been a long night."
Felicity nodded, without speaking, but doubted that a cup of coffee would be able settle her nerves.
After her mother left, she took a minute to look around the waiting room. John sat a few chairs over, his hands over his face. His shoulders were tense as he waited for news on his best friend. Laurel was there; she must have joined the group while Felicity had been in washroom. She paced the length of the waiting room, unable to sit still. The usually stable team seemed to be falling apart as they waited to be updated on Oliver's condition.
Time seemed to move in slow motion as Felicity stared at the clock on the wall. The minutes dragged into hours as the team sat, waiting to hear any news on Oliver's status. Her mother had returned with coffee, but she held it limply between her hands. It had long since cooled off, but Felicity found herself unable to take a sip.
She felt Thea stiffen from her resting position on Felicity's shoulder and she sat up. Felicity looked to see what had caught the younger girl's attention. She froze, a doctor was standing in the entrance of the waiting room. Felicity's breath hitched as he walked towards them.
"Family of Oliver Queen?" he announced to the group.
Felicity tried to speak but found her voice caught in her throat, unable to make a sound. Luckily, John stepped in.
"Yes, this is his sister and his fiancée," John introduced. "Do you have news? How is he?"
"Can we speak privately?" the doctor asked.
"They're his family too," Thea responded. "Whatever you need to tell us, he'd want them to know too."
The doctor nodded. "Mr. Queen was admitted with multiple gunshot wounds. We took him into surgery to remove the bullets. While we were operating we found that one of the bullets had caused damage to his spinal cord."
"Damaged his spinal cord? His back?" Thea questioned. "What does that mean?"
"At the present time, we're unsure as to what the extent of the damage is," the doctor explained.
"You're a doctor?" Thea cried, her voice raising. "You're supposed to know this stuff. You're supposed to help people. To fix people."
"Thea," Felicity muttered, she raised her hand to squeeze Thea's shoulder, silencing her.
"We will have to run several more tests to know the extent of the damage. Many will have to wait until Mr. Queen wakes up and his body has had a chance to heal a bit," the doctor finished.
"He's out of surgery then?" Felicity asked quietly, finding her voice. "Can we see him?"
The doctor nodded his head. "He's in recovery, so only one or two at a time. The anesthesia is still wearing off. It may take another hour or so for him to wake up and be fully aware."
"I want to see him," Thea demanded.
Felicity understood Thea's urgency. The need to see with her own two eyes that Oliver was alive. That he had survived.
"You two go first," John stated. "We'll wait here."
The pair followed the doctor down the hall, coming to a stop outside a door.
"He's not awake yet," the doctor explained. "But you may go in and sit with him."
Felicity and Thea pushed their way through the door. Thea rushed up to the bed. She stopped short, a few feet away, her hand covering her month.
"Oliver," she choked, falling into a chair next to the bed. She carefully took his hand into her own, trying to avoid the wires that were attached to him.
Felicity stayed by the door, giving Thea a moment alone with her brother. She took slow, small steps towards the bed. Her eyes taking in every inch of Oliver as he lay in the hospital bed. She pulled a chair to the other side of his bed. Taking his other hand in hers. She laid her head on top of the intertwined hands. She felt as if she could finally breathe for the first time since they had first been shot at hours before. She allowed herself to relax, her eyes fluttered shut and she fell asleep.
A slight movement of Oliver's hand, woke Felicity up. She quickly sat up, her eyes moved to Oliver's face.
Oliver stared back at her, his eyes still partly closed, whether from sleep or the medication, Felicity wasn't sure.
She gasped. "You're awake," she whispered. She moved her chair as close to the bed as she possibly could.
Oliver smiled at her, raising his hand he cupped her cheek. His thumb brushed away a tear that had slipped out.
"I thought I lost you," she whispered.
"I'm here," Oliver reassured. "I'm here."
"I'm going to go let the others know that you're awake," Thea butt in, causing Oliver to look over at her. "I'm happy you're okay, Oliver. I can't lose anyone else. I need my big brother."
"I'm okay, Speedy," Oliver promised, he sent a smile in her direction as she left the room, giving the pair some privacy.
"So, what's the damage?" Oliver asked once the door had closed, a solemn expression settled on his face.
Felicity took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and tried to think of a way to tell Oliver the little information that the doctor had told her.
"Felicity?" Oliver questioned, he subconsciously was running his finger over the engagement ring that he had slid on her finger earlier. Though it had only been a few hours ago, it felt like a lifetime to Felicity.
"The bullets caused damage to your spine," she whispered, focusing on their hands instead. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to speak if she looked at his face.
"My spine," Oliver echoed. Felicity looked up at him, his gaze focused on his legs and feet. A look of concentration on his face.
"I can't move my feet," Oliver stated, an air of panic in his voice. "I can't even feel them."
Felicity quickly got up from her chair, she settled back down on the bed next to Oliver, laying as closely to him as she could. She gently laid her hand on his cheek.
"Hey," she whispered. He gaze flicked back to hers. "The doctor said that they still have to run a few tests. They aren't sure what the extent of your injuries are yet."
Oliver closed his eyes. "What if… What if I can't walk? How can I save the city from Darhk, if I can't move," he murmured, his eyes full of panic. "I won't be able to protect you. Protect Thea. Protect the city, if I can't walk."
"We'll figure it out," Felicity tried to reassure him. "Let's wait to hear what the doctor says. And then we will figure it out. Together. We're a team. For better or worse."
A small smile came over Oliver's face. "For better or worse," he repeated running his thumb over her ring.
Felicity leaned forward and pressed a small kiss to Oliver's lips. "Why don't you get some rest," Felicity suggested.
Oliver nodded, his eyes dropping closed. "Stay with me?" he muttered sleepily.
"Always," Felicity promised, as Oliver relaxed and fell asleep, his head resting on her chest. "Always."