Starling General, outside ICU room
Moira stood in front of the closed door, one hand braced against it. She needed a moment to regroup before facing the reality behind it. She was alone, only one person being allowed in for a short time. Thea had been very rattled by the events, so she'd decided she'd go in first.
Taking a deep breath she pushed through the door. At first she was almost blinded by the brightness of the room. The only thing that registered were sounds: the constant beep of the heart monitor accompanied by the regulated whoosh of the ventilator. As her eyes adapted to the glaring light she could distinguish the silent form lying on the bed. Mesmerized her gaze locked on the automated rise and fall of his chest. Large and heavy gauze encircled his torso. A thin sheet was draped over his body leaving his chest exposed to accommodate the numerous leads monitoring him. But all she could see were the scars. There were so many… Her trembling hand extended and traced them afraid to make them real by her touch… Tears welled up in her eyes and a violent sob escaped her lips.
"Oh Oliver! What happened to you on that island?"
Memories of their first meeting in hospital after his return rose in her mind.
"I'd like you to prepare yourself… The Oliver you lost might not be the one they found…"
Well, apparently she hadn't … too happy to resume everyday life as he seemed to try his best to blend in again. It had been far more comfortable for everyone that way. He'd resumed his former reckless night and daytime activities with Tommy, much to her disappointment. And that she'd voiced to him often enough… She'd dismissed the warnings given to her, ignored the discrepancies, his excuses, the unexplained bruises… everything that didn't fit in with the image she'd of him, her beautiful boy. But he wasn't that boy any more, he'd grown up, been forced to do so in the most cruel of ways. And she was at least partially responsible for all the things he'd had to endure.
Her eyes closed as tears ran down her cheeks. She fisted her left hand to her mouth stifling the sobs, trying unsuccessfully to quench them. Her right hand had continued to trace his marred chest finally finding a resting place above his heart. The thrum reassured her that he was still there, still with them. She vowed to herself she'd try to mend their relationship if that was possible. They would have a lot to talk about…
Her eyes opened as the newfound resolution grew in strength. She looked up to his face. He was so uncharacteristically pale, making the bruises shine in an even starker contrast. But that wasn't the most frightening. The fact that he looked relaxed, at peace now, made her realize that she hadn't seen him like this since before his departure on the Gambit. From the day he'd returned, he'd worn a carefully chosen mask all the time. The thought hurt her deeply.
She'd managed to estrange both her children trying to protect them … or was it yourself? A voice snarled in her mind. Her fingers traced a faint scar on his left shoulder near the collarbone. When she realized where it came from she withdrew her hand from her son's chest as if she'd been burned and quickly moved out of the room.
Thea was standing just outside the door. Her anxious face made Moira hug her fiercely; willing some of her own strength to her. She needed it. No, she needed her brother. Now more than ever.
"He'll be okay, Thea! I'm sure of it! He's strong! Go to him!"
She released her daughter from her arms and took a step back to give her the space to walk past her. Once she heard the faint click of the door she sighed.
Thea was leaning against the door trying to make her feet move toward the bed in the centre of the room.
"Oh Ollie!" Her emotions getting into overdrive she launched herself at him. Careful not to jostle any of the equipment her arms encircled his chest tears leaking even when she thought she'd none left.
"Please, don't leave me again! I can't go through this again!" She rested her head on his chest and heard his reassuring heartbeat. Closing her eyes her mind wandered to another time when Oliver had been admitted to hospital. They had rushed to his bedside, not unlike today, but then at least he'd been awake and talking, even if in noticeable pain.
"Could you please stop to scare me like that? I swear my hair's going to turn grey before I'm twenty at this rate!" A small chuckle escaped her at the thought. "I have to go now, before the nurses throw me out. Stay safe will you?"
She sighed. At least he would be safe while he was here. She quickly left the room, before tearing up again.
Outside she found two bodyguards standing on each side of the door. A few feet away she could see her mother arguing with a very annoyed looking doctor, Diggle standing discreetly at her side. She decided she would wait outside. Fresh air was what she needed most. Seeing her brother like this had shaken her more than she wanted to admit to herself. It had been much easier to be angry at him while he was standing in front of her with their mother. Even if she had wanted to keep her resentment directed at him for keeping secrets from her, from his family, now she couldn't.
She walked out of the hospital and turned to the left. There was a small park there often used by patients and visitors. At this early hour it should be empty and give her the necessary space she craved so desperately. Her feet took her to the farthest part of it where a small pond had been created. The place exuded peace and serenity; something Thea cruelly lacked of lately. She would let her thoughts follow the coloured fish and hopefully the negative ones would drain out of her mind instead of hurling there in circles. She stopped short when she saw a lone figure wandering around, arms flailing wildly, apparently in deep deliberation with someone. But they were alone. She was near enough to catch snippets of what was said…
"Oliver we need to talk… No… Too direct… Hi, how are you? Now that's an intelligent one, he's in hospital gee! How's he supposed to be, silly? Why are you always so complicated mister? Argh! This is impossible. I should stick to my computers. At least their language is easily mastered. " She stopped short. "Not that I say that you aren't capable of talking, Oliver. You're just … concise, to the point. Pointy… Well that's kind of funny when you come to think of it. What with the arrows and all… Focus, Felicity!" She chided herself completely unaware of her surroundings.
Interesting, Thea thought. She'd recognized the IT girl immediately. Intrigued she stood rooted to the spot afraid to reveal her presence and to interrupt whatever Miss Smoak … Felicity, was it? Was trying to put into words.
A buzzing sound made Felicity rise her head and almost immediately her eyes found Thea's.
Oh my god! Has she heard my ramblings? Please, no! Heat rose to her cheeks as she tried to compose herself.
"I need to go now!"
With that she pressed past the youngest member of the Queen family. The buzzing resumed as Thea fished through her purse for her phone violently cursing the caller in her head. Hadn't she been interrupted in her observation she might have found out what was going on between the IT girl and her brother…
Starling General, outside ICU,
Felicity stood just across the corridor from the room occupied by Oliver. She was sure the guards standing on both sides of the door had noticed her presence even if they hadn't shown any reaction to it so far. They must be wondering why she was hovering, why she was even here. How long had she been standing there? She didn't know. Somewhere an elevator door dinged. She had taken the stairs earlier to get here. Taking on step after another, one flight after another, the effort needed to get her overactive brain under control again. After what Thea might have overheard, she was sure she couldn't face any female member of that family right now. What did they think about her? The last time she'd burst into a Queen family reunion at the hospital after Walter's return. She still felt embarrassed about it.
A hand clasping her shoulder made her almost jump out of her skin.
"Hey! It's only me! Don't get a heart attack!"
Despite the serious events of the past day Diggle chuckled seeing Felicity's intense reaction to his touch. She didn't meet his gaze. Couldn't. He always could read her like an open book…
"Are you going to stare at that door all night or do you plan on actually going into Oliver's room?"
"Dig…"
"You know … you two make quite the pair …"
Felicity's questioning stare found Diggle's amused expression.
"Oh don't look at me like that. You two will have to find the clue all by yourselves…"
He chuckled again and grabbed her lightly by the elbow leading her into the room. He left her standing there alone facing Oliver's still form. Oliver … The Arrow … The person she cared the most about, believed in… Unbidden tears rose in her eyes making her vision slightly blurry. In two strides she was by the bed grasping his hand. She needed the touch, needed to feel it was warm, that life was still circulating inside. She sat down in a chair next to him clasping his hand tightly. It felt cool to the touch but brushing her finger over the pulse point she could sense its thrumming. He was still with them, fighting, like always.
