TLC: Chapter 3

A/N: This chapter is probably not as funny as the previous two, but it's necessary to move the plot along. I hope you still like it. We're back to Felicity's POV.

Summary: Oliver and Felicity learn new things about each other. Something shifts, and they become friends.

"What were you thinking, Smoak?!" Felicity scolded herself as soon as she closed the bathroom door behind her. She turned the water on and started rinsing the toothbrush and tumbler – the ones that Mr. Queen, Oliver Queen, had just used. She tried to get her mind off her recent awkward dialogue with the most gorgeous man she had ever had the embarrassing pleasure of taking care of in her budding career as a nursing assistant.

But she couldn't shake it off.

Truth be told, she had been trying to distract herself from the overwhelming feelings of nervousness and self-consciousness ever since Oliver had asked her to help him with breakfast. Every spoonful, every bite – watching him chew while smiling at her was torture. Mind over matter, she had kept telling herself throughout the meal. It had gotten even harder to concentrate when she had to wipe his mouth and then his face after helping him brush his teeth. Only a washcloth kept the skin of her palm from making direct contact with the skin of his handsome face, and a couple of times, she had wondered how it would have felt if her hand had brushed against the stubble that grew on his perfectly chiseled jawline. She had tried to focus on getting her job done and just ignore the way he stared at her while she was at it, but when he hummed underneath the cloth about good it felt having her wipe his face clean, she just lost it.

"Good, huh? Well, it's nothing compared to a sponge bath. I can give amazing sponge baths," she had said without really thinking. She had really wished she could take back what she had just said before it led to a conversation she wasn't prepared to have.

So, she had started talking about her OJT and about her performance evaluation. She hadn't really meant to brag about being ranked among the top five trainees in her program, but she needed a digression to hopefully divert Oliver's attention and put her out of her misery.

Yet sooner than she expected, her brain-to-mouth filter had malfunctioned once again, and she found herself offering him a sponge bath, even guaranteeing that he will be in good hands – hers. Right then and there she had wished with all her might that she would be teleported to the farthest region of the galaxy, away from this beautiful man that was driving her nuts.

But it didn't happen, and Oliver's eyes had remained fixed on her face instead. She had tried to feign a smile on her face, hoping that she wouldn't be misinterpreted and the situation would not complicate any further. However, she wasn't sure if the grin decorating her fake façade had been able to conceal how she truly felt – utterly humiliated… but head-over-heels infatuated with none other than the long-lost son and heir of the Queen matriarch and business magnate, Moira Queen, whom she had just met earlier.

Felicity put away the rinsed toothbrush and tumbler. While washing the cloth she had used to clean Oliver's face, she lectured herself about the follies of talking without thinking and about the wisdom of keeping her mouth shut in front of her crush and speaking (concisely) only when spoken to. All she needed to do was assist the patient who had his arm in a sling and his leg and foot in a cast. She was, after all, a nursing assistant for crying out loud.

But then again, as soon as she stepped out of the bathroom and saw him flash a charming smile at her, she panicked. The first thing that escaped her big mouth was, "Mr. Queen, do you need help to pee or something? I could bring you a urinal." Because, of course, she was Felicity Smoak, master of the art of speaking without really thinking, especially when she was stressed or nervous. Or really embarrassed. Or totally attracted to a gorgeous guy.

Fortunately for her (and him), there was a knock on the door, and in came a burly, African American giant of a man dressed in a crisp suit, with arms the size of tree trunks.

"John! What brings you here?" Oliver greeted the man.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Queen. I'm sorry to have to be the messenger of bad tidings under the circumstances, but Mr. Steele asked me to bring you these. He says it's important that you have a look at them today. He knows you're probably resting, but he asked me to come here anyway just in case you could look over these."

The man whom Oliver called John came near his bed and handed him a file folder.

"Thank you, John," said Oliver. "Oh, and I'd like you to meet my nursing assistant, Felicity. She's been very helpful today."

Was it just her, or did she really hear Oliver Queen call her his nursing assistant? She didn't dare look at Oliver for confirmation. It might just make things worse. Instead, she turned her attention to the man he was introducing to her.

"Hi! Name's Felicity Smoak," she said, extended her arm for a handshake, which the big guy eagerly took.

"Nice to meet you, Felicity Smoak. My name is John Diggle, Mr. Queen's bodyguard and black driver." When the handshake was over, John added with a sincere smile, "Thank you for all your help with Mr. Queen."

"Oh, it's nothing. All in a day's work!" she replied. "Well, I'd better leave you two with whatever business it is you have to attend to. If you need anything, Mr. Queen-"

"Just press the call button, and you'll come for me," Oliver finished for her, smiling warmly. "I know the drill, Felicity. Like you said, you're my girl," he added, teasing and grinning at her.

Felicity darted across the room like an Olympic sprinter and made a clean break for the door, exiting the scene before Oliver noticed the blush creeping fast from her neck up to her hairline.

When Oliver called again and Felicity responded, she found him in a totally different mood. He was somber, broody actually. His forehead crinkled, and it was as if he was troubled or upset about something as he stared at the ceiling when she came in.

"Felicity, would you mind wheeling me around for a bit? I just need to get out of this room, get some things off my mind, actually," Oliver requested.

Felicity studied the expression on his face and his body language for a couple of seconds, and she saw nothing but sincerity. There seemed to be no hidden agenda, no naughty look, no attempt to tease or charm her again. He seemed sincere about his request.

"Sure, Mr. Queen," she replied. "Let me just go get a wheelchair for you, okay?"

She stepped out and came back a few minutes later with a wheelchair. She positioned the wheelchair near his bed, put the brakes on, and helped him up and out of the bed. My, he was heavy, she thought, and as solid as a brick wall, she might add. Pulling him up and putting him on the wheelchair felt like a gym workout. She already worried about how to put him back on the bed afterwards.

She wheeled him up and down the corridors of the orthopedic wing and then brought him to the OB and maternity wing where they passed by the nursery. She thought showing him heart-warming scenes of dads holding their babies and moms feeding their newborns would help lighten up his mood and take his mind off whatever it was that made him anxious or upset. She saw him smile once or twice, but the smiles quickly faded. She wondered why. Looking at those cute little bundles of joy always cheered her up; it had been like therapy to her whenever she missed her mom, felt homesick or lonely, or worried that time was passing her dreams by.

Out of nowhere, Oliver suddenly spoke up as she wheeled him away from the nursery's glass window.

"I remember when my little sister Thea was born. I saw her in that same room in a basinet. She was wrapped in a pink blanket. So tiny. But she was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. That day when the nurse brought her into my mom's room? I don't think there ever was a happier moment we shared as a family than that."

Wow. Felicity didn't think Oliver Queen was capable of being sentimental and sincere. But she felt both with every word he said. She wasn't sure if he was actually talking to her, or if he was expecting her to say something after. So, she waited.

"Do you have siblings, Felicity?" he asked.

"I'm an only child."

"You should meet my sister," he said, the tone of his voice changing slightly. "She's coming by later after school." There was a tinge of excitement and eagerness there now.

Felicity inferred that his sister meant a lot to him. "I'd be happy to meet your sister. She must really be nice. The way you talk about her says a lot," Felicity replied cheerfully.

"She is. I mean, she can be quite a handful sometimes. I think all of us go through that stubborn, impressionable, rebellious phase. I know, I did."

Felicity laughed as she pushed his chair back towards his room. "Funny you should say that. You should have seen me when I was in that stubborn, impressionable, rebellious phase. You wouldn't recognize me."

"Yeah?" Oliver asked in disbelief. "I'd recognize you anywhere, Felicity," he said, turning around to look up at her with admiration and fondness.

She, however, pretended like she didn't notice him looking at her like that and just kept looking ahead as she pushed his chair. She simply remarked, "Not with black hair and purple lips, you won't."

"What?!"

"Yes, I went through a goth phase." She paused to bite her lower lip, anticipating another episode of humiliation. But she felt that something had shifted between them in the last few minutes. They were actually talking like civilized people who were trying to get to know each other. So, she continued, "But before you badger me to say more, let me remind you that you are at my mercy right now. I could just leave you in this hallway and let you wheel yourself back to your room with one hand." She stopped pushing and came around to face him. She folded her arms in front of her chest and raised an eyebrow at him, holding back a smirk.

"I wouldn't dare," Oliver responded, chuckling.

"Good!" Felicity thought it was very gentlemanly of him to leave her be when she expressed that she set some boundaries to her privacy. She turned and went back to her place behind him and pushed.

They were quiet the rest of the way, until they arrived at his room. Felicity helped Oliver back to his bed. It took some maneuvering, but they did it. When he was settled, he told her, "Thanks for showing me around, Felicity. I had a good time."

"You are welcome," she replied. "You were good company, actually."

Oliver smiled. Unlike before, Felicity's heart fluttered, but she was not flustered and panicky with him smiling at her like he could give her the moon.

"Could we… maybe… do this again tomorrow?" he asked.

"No problem. Happy to help! Especially if showing a patient around helps him get his mind off whatever it is that's bothering him."

"Was it that obvious?"

"Pretty much."

There was a moment of silence. Felicity didn't know if that was her cue to leave or not. Oliver's eyes lost contact with hers as he looked out the window. She felt for him. Whatever it was that he was troubled about, it wasn't going to go away after a few minutes of sight-seeing. She sensed that even if Oliver was surrounded by too many people every day, he seemed… alone.

So, she dared ask, "Would you like to talk about it? Maybe I can help. Or just listen." She shrugged her shoulders.

Oliver was quiet, and Felicity was afraid that his answer was no. But then, he spoke. "My family's company hasn't been doing well since… since my father died and I was presumed dead. Since I came back, my mother has been expecting me to help her out… to keep another huge company from taking over or forcing us into a merger. We've had to work under the close scrutiny of the CEO of that company who bought stocks and earned a seat in our company's Board of Directors. She… That woman is a pain the…" He grit his teeth in sheer frustration.

"She?"

"Her name's Isabel Rochev. She makes my job a living hell every day."

"And what has she been up to that's been upsetting you all afternoon?"

"She's convincing the Board to take over my project."

"Which is?"

"Upgrading the cybersecurity system of Queen Consolidated."

Felicity's face lit up. Cybersecurity was her area of expertise. She was going to pursue the master's degree program at MIT and specialize in cybersecurity upon the recommendation of her professor.

Oliver continued, "Lately, QC has been experiencing inexplicable breaches in security. IT can't seem to find out what's wrong. I convinced the Board to invest in an overhaul and an upgrade, and last week they gave me the green light. Now Ms. Rochev thinks that my accident will unnecessarily delay the project. And I'm afraid she's right. I was supposed to meet with two different cybersecurity experts this week, but this happened. If she takes over… I don't trust the people she's going to bring in, because I don't trust her."

The cogs and wheels in Felicity's brilliant brain were turning. She hesitated to offer help because she feared she might be overstepping her boundaries as an employee of the hospital. But she really wanted to help him and his family's company. And maybe, she was also itching to go back and do what she did best.

She took a deep breath. And a leap of faith.

"What would you say if I told you that I can help you?" Felicity offered him frankly and confidently.

Oliver blinked, and then a smile softly grew on his face.

A/N: Your thoughts on this one?
The fun resumes next update. Hope you stick around!