AN: Yeah okay, I know I said that this story was 'complete' but apparently the Muse had other ideas :) Let me know what you think please. Reviews are the lifeblood of us writers hint hint lol :) Big thanks as always to my wonderful Beta Rennie75 - including for all the help with Americanisms hehe, all mistakes are still mine though!
Disclaimer: I still don't own it, wish I did, but I don't.
It had been a long few weeks since Tommy had agreed to help with the cover stories, something he'd managed better than anyone (himself included) had expected. He'd even risked life & limb by breaking the other cardinal rule (Never touch Felicity's babies) when he'd cleared the Arrowcave just in time to get out before Detective Lance turned up with a search warrant! Later Diggle and Oliver had made it clear (in their own way) how impressed they were by him taking such a risk with Felicity in order to protect Oliver's secret - clearly he'd earned some bonus points there!
Still though, he had been surprised when Oliver called him for help getting back to the 'cave after he'd been injured on Arrow business. He'd gone to get him straight away of course and brought him back safely. But once he saw that the 'slight injury' Oliver had mentioned was actually a bullet wound - well he couldn't help but ask why Oliver had called him instead of Diggle?! It wasn't as if he had any medical training after all!
"Oliver you've been shot! You need help let me call Diggle!" Tommy tried to keep the worry from his voice, but he had NO idea what he was supposed to do. Diggle had planned to give him some medical training but they'd yet to actually get that far - a fact he was seriously regretting right now.
"No it's only slight, I don't need help. Besides he's out with Carly, I don't want to interrupt them."
"Oliver, you've been shot! I know you think you're invincible but in what world does a bullet inside you count as 'slight'!" Tommy tried somewhat unsuccessfully to keep the rising hysteria out of his voice. "At least let me call Felicity!"
"It's nothing." Oliver insisted calmly "I've had far worse believe me and Felicity doesn't do too well with blood or needles. Besides, I'm much better at sewing now than I was the first time I had to dig a bullet out of myself."
Much as he was relieved to hear that he wasn't the only one who wasn't great on the medical side; Tommy still didn't know whether he was more annoyed, upset, or impressed with Oliver for being so calm about this. Oliver had continued to grab the bits he'd needed whilst talking, only stopping briefly to ask Tommy to pass the gauze and the long nose tweezers. He knew Oliver didn't like anaesthetic, but looking at the tweezers he hadn't been able to stop himself offering to get some.
"You know I don't use that." Oliver replied seemingly bemused that Tommy had even queried it.
"Oliver, you may be surprised by this but you are actually human - and digging a bullet out of your ankle is going to hurt!" Tommy retorted angrily, Oliver was going to drive him crazy at this rate. He didn't care what he said, how could he seriously be considering removing a bullet from himself without even a Tylenol?! Yet much to his amazement Oliver had sat down and proceeded to do just that!
Oliver must have noticed how pale Tommy was as he'd started talking whilst working on removing the bullet. "The first time I was shot was about a year after I'd got to the Island. We'd been attacked and I was captured by a man I later found out was called Professor Ivo. I was locked in a cell on this old freighter ship and then I was shot in my side and collapsed. When I came round a bit the man in the cell next to me told me they do that to all the prisoners to see who's strong. He told me 'Life is not for the weak' and explained that I was expected to dig it out myself. A pair of tweezers and a needle and thread had been left in a kidney dish just outside the bars." Oliver paused then to catch his breath before pulling the current bullet out of his ankle with a grimace of pain.
Tommy still couldn't quite believe what he was seeing, or hearing for that matter. Was Oliver actually sharing about his time on the island - and one of his scars - voluntarily?
Oliver started talking again once he'd threaded the needle and started sewing. "I wasn't sure that I could do it, but knew that to 'survive' was the most important thing, so if I wanted to survive I had no choice. I was bleeding too much to wait around for anything else and nobody was about to help me. So this really is nothing Tommy, I just didn't want to drive until I'd removed the bullet. See all done and much neater than this one!" Oliver said with a slight smile as he finished, pulling his jacket and top out the way so that Tommy could see the scar from that first bullet as well.
Much as he hated to admit it, Oliver clearly had become a lot better at sewing. That first scar was a mess whereas the one he'd just finished sewing was much neater. Tommy didn't want to think about just how much practice Oliver must have had at sewing up his own wounds to improve this much. It seemed like there was no limit to the amount of 'skills' Oliver had picked up on that island - or the ship too apparently!
Still, yet again, Tommy had ended up with answers instead of just more questions and this time he hadn't even gone looking for them. He still wasn't keen on the idea of Oliver digging bullets out of himself though and had a feeling it was going to take a lot more time before he was used to that! He couldn't help but feel pleased that Oliver had come to him and even opened up to him though. Maybe, just maybe, their friendship would get back to being as strong as it used to be.
