Title: Lost in the Memory

Author: Some1FoundMe

Summary: Oliver Queen returns to his home in Star City after a five year tour overseas, much to the delight of his friends and family. There's just one small problem. The injury that effectively ended his military career also erased a part of his memory. As he struggles to put together the missing pieces of his past, his connection to his best friend's little sister becomes something he can't avoid. Who is Felicity Merlyn and why can't he seem to stay away from her? Olicity AU, no Arrow, no island.

A/N: Wow, so this is it. The final chapter – don't worry, there's an epilogue – I can't believe we're here already. I have to, of course, thank all of you who have taken the time to read this fic and who have left such kind comments. You've all been amazing since the very beginning and I greatly appreciate it! Also, to my incredible beta westernbeauty, you are the best support a girl could ask for. Thank you so much for everything!

Chapter Twenty-Five

She sat in a wheelchair at Oliver's bedside. They'd come for her less than an hour after Nyssa had told her about the baby, telling her that Oliver had been moved into his room and that she was welcome to sit with him until he woke up. They'd insisted on the wheelchair and even though she'd wanted to fight them on it, she didn't have it in her. All that had mattered was that someone was taking her to Oliver. She wouldn't have cared if she'd had to let John carrier her.

"Come on, baby," she whispered, lifting their joined hands to press her lips to his knuckles, "Please wake up. Everyone keeps telling me that you're going to be okay, that it's just going to take a little time, but I need to hear your voice. Come back to me, Oliver. Please."

He didn't stir. The wires protruding from the collar of his hospital gown led to a heart monitor that indicated that the muscle was still beating and she watched his chest rise and fall with each breath that he took. She'd met his surgeon, Dr. Carter Bowen, and the man had assured her, repeatedly, that Oliver was perfectly fine. He was simply heavily sedated, the anesthesia he'd been given would work its way through his system and he'd wake up in time.

The majority of Oliver's injuries were superficial, much like her own, but they'd discovered internal bleeding in his abdomen. Dr. Bowen had explained that, in the accident, the impact of the steering wheel into Oliver's stomach had caused a tear that resulted in the bleed. They'd been able to repair the damage and he would recover. For now, all she could do was wait.

"I've got something really important to tell you. It's really, really important so I need you to wake up, okay? You can't leave me, not now. They keep telling me that you're going to be fine but until you open your eyes, I … I just need you to wake up."

The door to his room opened and Nyssa smiled at her.

"I went to check on you and Emily mentioned she'd brought you down here. How are you feeling?"

Felicity shrugged, "I'll be better when he wakes up."

Nyssa nodded, picking up Oliver's chart and scanning it quickly.

"Everything looks perfectly acceptable. He's just sleeping off the anesthesia. It shouldn't be too much longer. You really should go back to your room, Felicity. You should be resting."

"Then move me in here because I'm not leaving him."

She sighed and replaced the chart. Stepping up behind Felicity's wheelchair, Nyssa set her hands on her shoulders.

"You do realize that I could simply wheel you back to your own room."

Felicity huffed, "You wouldn't dare."

Nyssa unlocked the brake that kept the wheelchair in place and began to back her away from Oliver's bed. She squeaked, making a frantic grab for the rail, and grunted at the dull stab of pain in her ribs. Nyssa stopped immediately, crouching at her side.

"Are you alright?" she asked, "I'm sorry, I didn't think that you would –"

She shook her head, "No, no, it's not your fault. I didn't think, I just reacted. But I'm fine, I'm okay."

Her ribs were screaming at her, a direct contradiction to what she'd told Nyssa, but she didn't want to leave Oliver. If she let on how much pain she was really in, she knew Nyssa would insist she go back to her bed.

His cousin, Felicity's friend, sighed and gave her a look that clearly said she wasn't buying into her bullshit.

"I will see what I can do about getting you moved into the room with him. Just try not to move around too much, alright? You really should be resting but I can understand why you're reluctant to let him out of your sight."

Felicity waited until Nyssa exited the room before wheeling herself carefully forward, inching closer to Oliver's bedside and reaching for his hand again. She wound her fingers with his and gasped in surprised when his calloused thumb brushed over the back of her hand. Her eyes flew to his face.

"Oliver?"

He hummed, rolling his head towards her, and struggled to open his eyes.

"F'licity?"

She bit back the relieved sob that wanted to break free, tightening her grip on his hand. It was obvious that he was still groggy, that he was fighting the remnants of the anesthesia, but he kept his eyes on her and his fingers locked with hers.

"Hi, love," she whispered, her voice hoarse with unshed tears, "Hey. I'm so happy you're awake. How – how do you feel?"

His chest worked as he took a slow breath, squeezing his eyes shut for just a moment before meeting her gaze again. It was clear that he was confused, that he was working through the muddied events in his mind and trying to figure out what exactly had happened to them.

"There was an – an explosion," he groaned, clearing his throat before continuing, "Palmer, Snart, Harper and … and Darkh. What happened to them?"

Her breath caught in her throat, "Is that the last thing that you remember, Oliver? The explosion in the village?"

One shoulder lifted in a shrug and he winced, a small noise of discomfort forcing its way past his lips. She clutched his hand fiercely.

"How lo – long have I been here? In the hospital? We're stateside?"

She swallowed hard, "We are. Oliver… honey, we're in Star City. We were in a car accident last night on our way home from the John and Lyla's. The explosion was six months ago."

The heart monitor beeped steadily, the rhythm getting faster by the minute, and she forced herself to stand, leaning over him. She pressed her hand to his cheek.

"Hey, shh, just breathe, baby. It's alright. You're okay. I'll tell you everything that you need to know but I need you to calm down," she insisted, "Nyssa's going to barge in here any minute and make me leave if you don't settle. Come on, you don't want me to leave, right?"

One corner of his mouth pulled up in a grimace that she was sure was supposed to be a smirk and he closed his eyes again, focusing on his breathing until the beeping slowed and his heart rate lowered.

"I couldn't remember you," he said after a long stretch of silence, "Harper, he – he lost his leg in the explosion. Palmer and Darkh, they didn't make it. We were buried in the rubble for hours before anyone found us. My injuries were serious enough that they sent me to our hospital in Germany… that's where I learned that I was married. They sent me home after that, back to the States but I – I couldn't remember you."

She nodded, chewing her lip as she waited for him to continue.

"What happened after I … after I got back to Star City is sort of disjointed."

Felicity shook her head, "It's not important. All that matters is that you're home and you – you remember."

His free hand touched her cheek, wiping away the tears she hadn't realized were falling.

"Are you alright?"

She smiled, "I'm so much better than alright, Oliver. I love you."

"I love you, too, Felicity."

The door opened again, startling them both, and Felicity turned to see Nyssa stepping back into the room.

"Felicity, I –"

She paused at the sight of Oliver, awake and smiling.

"Hey Nyssa."

"Oliver, it's so good to see you awake and alert. Felicity was very concerned and would not listen to her doctor's advice. She refused to leave your side."

Felicity rolled her eyes, "Oh please, I'm fine. Better than, actually. Nyssa, he remembers."

Nyssa looked between them, her dark eyes wide, before settling on Oliver.

"You remember what, exactly?" she asked.

He gave her the abridged version, never letting go of Felicity's hand as he recounted what he could of the months since the explosion. It wasn't much, she realized. The details of the time that they'd spent together since he'd returned home were hazy but there and she knew that, given time, he'd remember the rest.

"I think that maybe we should talk to Dr. Williams, she's our head of neurology. I'm sure she will have a lot to say about this… recovery."

Felicity frowned, "You're surprised? I mean, obviously, it's startling but… but all of the research that I've done in the last few weeks has said that a second injury could result in the reversal of the first. Are you – are you saying that you don't believe that this is … that it's permanent?"

Nyssa sighed, stepping closer and setting a comforting hand on Felicity's shoulder.

"I don't believe that I said any of that. I'm simply suggesting that we need to let a specialist evaluate Oliver's scans. They'll order an MRI and a CT. We just need to make sure that we cover all of our bases, alright? I will go get Dr. Williams and bring her up to speed. We'll be back shortly."

The door closed a moment later and she and Oliver were alone once again. Concern filled her, sending her pulse skittering and her mind on a tangent. Whatever the neurologist had to say, it didn't matter. She had her husband back. He remembered her. He loved her. Everything was going to be fine. But, she wondered, what if it wasn't? What if they only learned that this recovery was only temporary? What if – what if it all faded and he woke up one morning right back where they started? With no memory of her and the life that they'd built? What would happen if he woke up one morning with no idea who she was or that she was the mother of his child? She would be devastated.

"Felicity?"

She blinked at him through the haze of tears and tried to smile. The look of surprise on his face caused her expression to falter.

"I – I said that all out loud, huh?"

He nodded once and waited. She had to look away for a moment to gather her emotions before a genuine smile tugged at her lips.

"Oliver, sweetheart, I'm pregnant."

He stared at her and the silence that surrounded them was heavy. She'd expected him to be happy, excited, especially now that his memory had come back, so the hesitation she was facing stung.

"Oliver? Are you… can you say something? Please?"

"I just – I don't… Felicity, I don't remember everything. I mean, you're pregnant. Does that… is it mine?"

She reeled back in her chair, her fingers flexing around his, and her breath stuck in her throat.

"Of course it's yours. I would – I would never…"

Tears stung her eyes. She swallowed around the boulder that was suddenly lodged in her throat. Oliver's gaze burned where it was locked on her face and his palm was cold and damp against hers. Of all of the things that she'd expected him to ask, his question had caught her completely off guard. She felt as if she'd been punched in the gut.

"I know that this is a lot to take in," she muttered, "I - I know you must be confused and probably overwhelmed. I understand that, Oliver. But you have to know that I would never… you are the only man that I have ever loved, Oliver Queen, and when we said our vows seven years ago, I promised to stand by you in sickness and in health and I've never, never, broken that promise. I get that this all must be surreal for you. I know that you only remember bits and pieces of the last few weeks but when you first came home, when your mom told me about the amnesia, that you – you didn't know me… Jesus, Oliver! I thought that that was it. I thought that I'd lost you. But you – you were persistent. Once you found out that we were married you –"

"You told me. In the cemetery. The anniversary of Tommy's death."

His voice cut through her outburst.

"I did."

"I was so fucking angry. At my mom, at the doctors, at everyone who tried to keep me away from you. Everyone who thought that keeping us apart was … was doing me some kind of favor."

She choked on a gasp, nodding.

"They tried to keep it a secret, all of it, which was just stupid if you ask me. But I – I did tell you, Oliver. I told you because the idea of having you home in Star City and not at home with me was unthinkable."

He closed his eyes and sighed heavily. The hand he had wrapped around hers tugged her forward gently until she was close enough that she could rest her head on his shoulder. He turned and pressed his face to the top of her head.

"I'm sorry."

She nodded, kissing his shoulder.

"It's alright."

"It's not but thank you. We … we're really having a baby?"

Felicity raised her head, smiling at his somewhat bewildered expression. She brought her free hand to his face and smoothed her fingers across her brow.

"Yeah, we really are."

The air rushed from his lungs as he stared at her with wide eyes.

"Wow."

Felicity laughed, happy tears blurring her vision.

"I know, right?"

A quick rap on the door signaled yet another interruption. Felicity sighed and called for their visitor to enter. She wasn't surprised when Moira and Robert crossed the threshold.

"Oh Oliver!"

His mother rushed to his side – the one that Felicity wasn't currently occupying – and bent to press a kiss to his cheek. Robert stepped up behind her wheelchair, his hands finding her shoulders, and she sent a watery smile to her father-in-law.

"Mom, please, I'm okay," Oliver grumbled as his mother fussed over him.

"Are you sure?" Moira asked, "Nyssa wouldn't tell us much, just that you were awake. She said it in a way, though, I thought…"

Moira's eyes traveled between the two of them. Felicity knew that she could sense something was different, that she could probably see it on both of their faces, but she shook her head and looked to Oliver. It was his news to share.

"I remember, Mom."

His confession was followed by a round of concerned questioning. She let Oliver take the lead, simply holding onto his hand as he explained what little they knew to his parents. Her mind wandered to the other bit of news that they needed to share, to the child growing inside of her. There was no question that his parents would have been happy to welcome another grandchild into their lives. They'd treated Thea as family from the moment she was born, accepting her as if she belonged biologically. They had – not so subtly – hinted at Oliver and Felicity having children of their own over the years. She'd had no doubt that they would be thrilled. But that had been before. Before Oliver returned to Star City with amnesia, before they'd fought to keep them apart. His memories had come back, sure, but with a brain injury like his there were no certainties. Nyssa's neurologist could walk into that room and tell them that the memories he'd recovered were only temporary, that he could wake up one day, ten days down the road, and revert right back to where he'd been. Ten days, ten months, ten years. There were no certainties and while she was prepared to face whatever life decided to hand them in the future, she didn't think that Robert and Moira would feel the same way.

"Do you need anything?" Moira was asking, "We can bring you both a change of clothes and anything else that you need from home."

"That would be great, Mom, thank you. Clothes, toothbrushes, that kind of stuff."

Felicity nodded as he spoke, "And Thea. Please. I'd really like to see her. I – I want to make sure she's alright. Was she… did she panic?"

Robert sighed, giving her a short nod.

"There was a moment… but she's alright. Nyssa sat down and talked to her, assured her that you were both going to be fine, and hearing it from her favorite aunt, who happens to be a wonderful doctor, seemed to soothe her. Sara took her home a little while ago to get some sleep."

"Thank you both, again, for taking care of her."

Robert squeezed her shoulder gently.

"You never have to thank us, Felicity. She's our granddaughter and we will always be here for her. For all of you."

Her gaze flickered to Oliver. He looked back at her with a knowing smile. He didn't tell his parents about the baby, even though it was the perfect opportunity, and she was grateful. She was looking forward to telling everyone, to sharing their happy news, but they needed to have a conversation about everything first. A longer one, one that focused on their family and their future. She was happy to know that they seemed to be on the same page.

"Felicity, about Malcolm, we –" Moira began.

She shook her head, "Don't, please, I – I'm not ready to talk about it. Not yet. Right now I want to focus on getting both Oliver and myself healthy enough to go home."

"Of course, dear. Are you sure there isn't anything else that either of you need?"

She and Oliver shared a glance before he shook his head.

"No, Mom, but thank you. Why don't you guys head home and we'll see you in the morning with Thea? Felicity needs to sleep."

She snorted, "Yeah right. You're way worse off than I am. You're the one who needs to sleep."

Oliver chuckled, his eyes bright with mirth, and she grinned at him.

They said goodnight to his parents and watched as they left the room, the door falling shut behind them. As soon as they were out of sight, she stood on shaky legs and climbed into Oliver's bed. He wrapped an arm around her the moment she was settled.

"We'll tell them later," she murmured, suddenly overcome with exhaustion, "Soon. But later. For now I… I'd like to just enjoy it, you know? Just you and me. Well, and Nyssa because she's my doctor. But no one else."

"Is everything alright? You're okay?"

She nodded, "I'm fine, Oliver. I promise. Are we okay?"

He pressed a kiss into her hair.

"Of course. We're better than okay. You're right. We'll tell them later."

The End