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The gulf water warm, it felt good. They swam in the gulf on the private beach in front of the house, and Oliver wasn't surprised to find that Felicity swam well. She'd grown up in Vegas, in the pool which meant, of course, she swam well. They played in water a while then returned to the towels and blanket and laid in the sun.

Content and at ease for the first time in a long time, he lay beside her, and he sighed deeply, liking she wasn't pressuring him to talk as the sun warmed his skin.

"Comfy?" She turned over and he turned his head and smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Yeah."

"Good."

Shutting his eyes, he relished the moment.

Jerking awake, instantly he became aware of his surroundings. Rubbing his eyes, he sat straight up wondering what had woken him since he hadn't been dreaming. His senses switched on full alert as his hand reached for Felicity on the towel beside him and came up empty handed.

Calling her name, his eyes scanned the water, expecting to see her head bobbing above the waves but saw no one.

His chest tightened as his stomach plunged and his mouth went dry.

Where was she?

His head snapped around and noted her phone, glasses and bag were on the blanket. Felicity never got too far from her phone or her glasses.

When had he dropped off?

How long had he slept?

His heart sped up.

"Felicity!" He jumped to his feet, unsure which way to go but needing to find her NOW. Again his eyes scanned the water, looking for any sign of her while horror filled him that she might have drown while he'd slept.

No, he refused to think that since she swam well. Could he be dreaming? He scrubbed his hands over his face.

Wake up. He needed to wake up.

No, he didn't seem to be asleep. His chest constricted harder. Nausea engulfed him as his eyes scanned the empty beach again.

"Felicity." He screamed her name now, over and over, his eyes sweeping the beach, the water, his heart pounding in his ears. Alone on the beach, he called her again, anguish filling him.

"Oliver!"

He snapped his head around. Relief flooded him as he saw her walking toward him, no doubt coming from the house, as she crested the top of the sand dune, holding a water bottle and waving at him. His legs moved, and he ran toward her and sweeping her up in his arms, spinning her around, pure joy engulfing him.

She was fine and still right here with him, safe.

"Did you miss me or what?" She giggled. Her blonde ponytail bobbing in the air.

He kissed her hard, framing her face with his hands. "I love you." He told her softly as she pulled away from him.

"I love you too." She smiled that wonderful smile of hers and his stomach calmed and the pressure on his chest ceased.

"Hey, I'm getting hungry, but I think I'll take one more quick dip. Want to join me?" She reached out her hand for him but he shook his head.

"No, I think I'll watch and pack us up." He needed a second to get back under control, since he didn't want her to know he'd freaked out.

She ran into the surf, her ponytail bobbing in the sunshine, and he smiled as he watched her swim out. With precision, he folded the blanket and towels and then stood and watched her swim. A frown slipped over his face. She swam getting awful far out, maybe too far out. The water seemed too calm where she swam and the water looked muddy.

Crap, the ever moving rip tide sucked sand off the bottom, and she'd be in trouble soon and not even know it.

"FELICITY!" He waved his arms to get her attention but she got further away.

Did he have a dark cloud following him? Would he ever catch a break?

He stripped his shirt off as he ran into the surf, knowing she'd gotten into a rip tide that would pull her out to sea. She'd drown if she fought the tide and it looked like she'd started fighting the water.

People drowned in the tides every day.

Jesus, she could drown in mere minutes before he could reach her.

He swam harder than he ever had, trying to reach her before she exhausted herself and gave up and the water pulled her under.

Roll over and float, he thought. Please, Felicity, roll over and float.

Why hadn't he talked to her about the rip tide? About what to do if you got in one? Stupid, really stupid on his part.

Never fight the tide for it will win.

Swim parallel until the tide spits you out.

Float if you can't swim anymore.

All the things he knew to do, and he hadn't made sure she knew. Sure she knew about swimming pools but not the damn ocean.

How could he have not warned her? How could he be so stupid?

He shut the panic down, knowing if he didn't she would die. Breathing out, he became Cold Oliver and even when he reached where she should have been and found her gone, he didn't panic. Instead, he dove straight into the rip tide not caring about anything but her.

The strong tide pulled at him but he fought, searched for her.

Where are you, Felicity?

Come on, where are you? He surfaced and gulped air and dove again.

Please God, I know I don't talk to you but now would be the time to give me a little help. Please, just a little help here. Kicking hard, he swam deeper with the tide but she wasn't there.

His head broke the water again. Sucking air, he dove again, kicking harder this time. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her lifeless body floating.

Adrenaline aided him as he kicked hard through the water fighting the tide. Reaching out, he grabbed her arm and pulled her lifeless body to him and kicked hard to break the surface to grasp in a deep breath.

The rip tide still had them in its watery clutches and his arms and legs tired with every stoke and kick. Her body limp and unresponsive, he knew she wasn't breathing.

Rolling her over, he kept her head above water, as he noted her open glassy eyes. His mind screaming plans, he flipped over to float, knowing if he didn't rest for a few seconds they could both drown.

CPR his mind insisted. NOW!

The sooner he started CPR the better chance she had, but first he had to get her out of the water. Time no longer his friend, he only had a few minutes to get her breathing again and start chest compression's or she'd have brain damage. Cardiac arrest would happen next.

He screamed in frustration.

How could he have let this happen? Why hadn't he gotten in the water with her? She'd have been safe if he'd just gotten in the damn water with her.

Flipping back over, he swam diagonal to shore, dragging her behind him. Finally, he managed to get free of the tide, and he swam hard toward the shore, towing her with him.

As soon as his feet hit the sand, he lifted her out of the water. Carrying her lifeless body, he made it back to the blanket, and he laid her on the blanket in the sand. Flipping her on her side, he cleared water from her mouth.

Rolling her to her back, he checked for a pulse and found nothing.

"Come on, Felicity. Help me."

He started chest compressions, placing his large hands between her breasts and pressing while he counted to 30, then he tilted her head, pinched her nose and gave four short breathes and watched her chest rise. Good at least her airway was clear.

Grabbing her phone, he dialed 911 and put it on speaker phone and threw it in the sand beside him.

"911, what's your emergency?" A strong woman's voice came on the line.

"Drowning victim. I need an ambulance NOW."

He did thirty more compressions. Stopped and checked for a pulse and found nothing.

"Your address?"

Terror ripped through him. "I don't know the address. On the beach near our rental. Vacationing. I don't live here."

He pinched her nose and blew four more breathes.

"Can you start CPR?"

"I'M doing it now." He knew she could probably hear the almost panic in his voice but he didn't care.

"What's your name?"

"Oliver Queen."

"Okay, Oliver, what color's your rental? Which direction from town? I can't help you if I don't know where you are."

More compressions, more breathes, and he checked for a pulse. "West of your town, not far from the small town. Tiny place, white with blue shutters. Right on the water. Come on Felicity, breathe for me."

"Long driveway or short?"

"Short."

"Is the mailbox yellow?"

It seemed like a foolish question but he answered, "No, silver. Fight, Felicity! Don't you dare leave me."

More compressions, four more breathes and still no pulse. His heartbeat thundered in his ears. She couldn't die. He'd be alone, lost without her.

"Is it a one bedroom or two?"

"What?" He did compressions again.

"The rent house is it one or two bedroom?"

"One."

"In the air or on the ground?"

"The ground. Felicity, breathe, come on, you can breathe for me."

"Ambulance is in route. You're in the old Anderson place."

"Thank you. I hear them in the distance. Whoever you are, thank you."

"Mae, my name's Mae. Don't stop the CPR. I'll stay with you until they arrive."

Four breathes, and thirty chest compressions and no pulse.

"How long was she under? How many minutes?"

"Less than two. Not long enough to kill her if she'll just breathe. Fight, Felicity, damn it, come back to me." Four more breaths. She was running out of time but still he did CPR.

His chest contracted, and he tasted real fear. She wasn't coming back. No, she was going to die and leave him alone. He would die without her, and he'd insure it this time. "Fight, Felicity, breathe for me. You can do this."

"How many compressions are you doing?"

"Thirty."

"Up it to hundred, press harder, you have to get her heart started if she's going to have a chance."

"I'm going to bruise her if I press harder."

"She's dying. You have to her heart restarted. Now do it."

He changed up the compressions, knowing he bruised her now, possibly was breaking her ribs, and there was still nothing, no sign of life.

His body weakening, his arms trembling as his muscles failed, but he kept going. Her blue lips and pale her skin hadn't changed, nothing had changed.

"Ninety-nine, 100." He blew into her mouth, and she gagged and puked water.

"YES! Turn her on her side," The woman on the phone demanded. "Help her clear the water."

"That's it, Felicity, get it out."

Spiting and sputtering, she coughed up water. "Oliver?"

"Shh, I'm right here. You're okay. We're okay now. Just breathe. That's it, breathe."

"Aw. . . My chest hurts . . . bad. Like an elephant is sitting on it."

"I know. I've drowned. It hurts a lot."

"When did you drown?"

"Shh, I've tell you later. Focus on breathing right now. That's it. Stay with me. Breathe."

Help arrived and the two men forced him back and began working on her. His fingers trembled when he picked up the phone. "Thank you for helping me, for helping us. What did you say your name was again?"

"Mae, my name's Mae. And no problem, I hope your wife is fine. Good work. She would have died without you doing CPR. Make sure she goes to the hospital to be checked out."

The words washed over him. "She's not my wife but she should be. Thank you again, Mae." He hung up and reached and grabbed his t-shirt. He'd noticed the looks the EMT's were giving his chest and back.

"But, Oliver, I don't want to go to the hospital."

"Hospital. No arguing."

The EMT's loaded her in the ambulance.

"You never go to the hospital. I'm okay now. I promise."

"If I drown again, I'll go. I promise. Now, I'll be right behind you."

"Oliver, did you get my glasses?"

"I'll get them, now be a good patient, and I'll see you in a little while."

#####OQ#####

He gathered their stuff from the sand, not even stopping to change, and was following the ambulance back to town. Cradling her glasses in his large hand, he totally freaked out when he realized they'd flipped the sirens on and now raced away from him. His breath froze in his chest.

What the hell had happened?

She'd been fine mere minutes ago.

By the time he'd abandoned the car in front of the ER's doors and rushed into the building, Felicity was in cardiac arrest, and it took three nurses to force him out of her room, holding him back from reaching her.

"You can't be in here. You have to let us work."

Almost the same words the doctor had uttered when Thea had been bleeding to death. He shook with cold now as he stood with his back against the wall. Wrapping his arms around himself, he watched them charge the paddles and hit her with the charge. Her body jumped and his heart contracted.

He flashed back to Thea dying again, only this time it was Felicity dying on him. His very world dying right in front of his eyes. A nurse bagged her, while another injected her with something, and he could see the flat line on the screen through the door.

The rest of the world faded away and time slowed to a crawl. Everything he wanted was slipping away from him, like sand through his fingers.

No, no, NO, his brain screamed.

Fight, Felicity, fight.

Stay with me, please stay with me. His right hand covered his mouth to stop the scream of rage threatening to escape. The doctor barked orders, and a nurse brought another crash cart.

"Clear!" The doctor hit Felicity with the paddles again.

Nothing.

Still a flat line.

"One more and I'm calling time of death."

No, you will not, he thought. He'd put her on life support and take her to the pit just like Thea. Maybe it would save her and not change her. And he'd do whatever Merlyn wanted to see that she lived. He'd rejoin the league if needed and do whatever had to be done.

A small grey haired women swept past him and burst into the room.

"This the drowning?"

"Yeah, she was arresting when she came in."

The woman commanded them like a leader, shouting medical orders and people moved.

"She's, no doubt, sucked sea water into her lungs and osmosis is pulling water from the bloodstream into her lungs. It's the salt that's the problem." The nurse handed the woman a needle and she injected the drug into Felicity's heart. "Her blood's too thick and that's overworking her heart. Now hit her again. Clear."

The flat line beeped once, and he had an instant of hope.

"Again. Clear."

This time the line beeped, hesitated and beeped again as her heart restarted, and his relief so intense, he slid down the wall and sank to the floor. He still sat there when the gray haired woman found him as she swept back out the door.

"Oliver?"

He looked up. "Yes, how did you know?"

"I'm Doc. Mae but everyone calls me Mae. Doctor's too formal for me. I believe we talked on the phone." She extended her small hand, and he took it and pulled himself to his feet, and then, he engulfed her in his large arms, giving her a huge hug.

"Thank you. You saved her. I'd forgot about the salt thickening the blood. Of course, she went into cardiac arrest."

"More like, we saved her together, and wow, you're a big guy. You a doctor?"

Face reddening, he released her. "No. But I know certain things. Sorry, I'm . . ."

"Overwhelmed?"

"Yes, you wouldn't understand how much."

"Do you drink coffee?"

"Yes."

"Well, come on, I'll buy you a cup."

"No." He shook his head. "I need to stay here. Be close. I want her put on life support if she dies."

Mae patted his forearm. "She's okay for now, stable, and we have a little time before she probably goes south."

"Goes south?"

"Gets sick again."

"Why would she get sick?" The blood roared in his ears.

"Look I gave her a blood thinner, and she probably won't code again today. But we need to watch her closely for the next couple of days."

"Two days?" His mind refused to process.

"At least, we'll have to see how it goes but trust me, you need a break right now, and the nurses won't let you in yet until they get her moved to a room. And I hear you need to move your very fancy car before Jeff, our sheriff, has it towed."

He gave one last look through the door at Felicity and nodded. "Right, give me a couple of minutes. I'll move the car, and I need to make a quick call first."

Reaching the car, he moved it and parked it in the real parking lot and picked up Felicity's phone. Swiping her screen to unlock it, he thumbed his way down to John's number and giving a huge sigh, with a hand that shook, he completed the call.

"Hey, Felicity, what's up." John's strong voice spoke in his ear.

He shut his eyes to control the pain in his chest. "John, please, don't hang up on me."

"Why shouldn't I, Oliver? Give me one good reason." John's voice held darkness.

"Felicity's in the hospital. And I . . ." his voice cracked and he cleared his throat, "I don't know if she'll be all right or not."

"Oliver, what the hell happened?"

"I let her drown." His voice cracked again but he pushed on, "I let her die, and they just managed to restart her heart."

#####OQ######

Thoughts? Review? Love to hear them.

And thanks for the read.