######OQ######
"Ruby?" The social worker smiled and said, "Let's you and I have a word. In private? What do you think?"

The girl shrugged.

Oliver had just returned Josh's siblings to the room. As he watched Ruby found Josh's eyes and her brother said quietly, "Just tell the truth, Ruby. Please, I can't take much more."

The young girl swallowed hard, nodded and gently touched his fingers on his broken arm before she turned and followed the social worker out of the room.

Josh clearly struggled to stay awake and the teen's green eyes found his.

"Coach, I'm tired. I'm high enough I need to shut my eyes. Could you stay for a minute? Keep an eye on Will. I have to shut my eyes."

Crossing his massive arms in front of his chest, he understood the teen felt he needed protection. "Sure. You rest, Josh, I'm not going anywhere. Go to sleep. I'll stay."

"Thanks, Coach."

And Josh breathed a sigh of relief and closed his eyes, as Oliver pulled a chair up and sat beside the bed. Will, the tiny brother moved, his small body standing beside Josh, his tiny hand reaching and clasping his hand with the words, "I'm here too, Josh."

"Thanks, Will. I'm glad." Josh murmured as he closed his eyes.

#####OQ#####

Oliver noted that the social worker's face was grim as she returned Ruby and took the tiny boy, Will, out of the room. Ruby had been crying, it was clear, as she moved and got a chair and sat beside her brother.

Her face was streaked and red. Repeatedly, he watched as she dashed tears away, and he wondered how many times, Aunt Janie had hurt Josh over the last year?

And he wondered, if she'd hurt Ruby too?

"You doing okay?" He finally asked her as she carefully took her sleeping brother's hand, her thumb rubbing his hand, over and over.

"No."

She sighed and he waited for her to go on.

"My aunt's going to say he's lying. That we're all lying."

"But you're not."

"He fights all the time. He's angry. Somedays, I think someone will tell me he's dead."

"Don't think like that.

Her green eyes found his.

She and Josh had the same eyes and his heart ached for these children.

"Please, Coach Queen, don't let her get her hands on him again. None of us can go back to her house now. We can't go back behind that locked door ever again."

Again she smoothed her brother's hand.

"You won't have to, I promise."

And he meant it.

"Don't make promises you can't keep. We've learned that people can't always keep their promises, so it's best not to put much faith in them."

"When I promise something I mean it."

Ruby shook her head slightly then said, "I think we need to call the nurse."

"Why?"

"Josh is hot."

He reached and touched the teen's forehead and reached for the nurse's button.

"Yes?"

"Josh feels like he's running fever."

In mere moments, Josh's nurse Becky came in and checked Josh's vitals.

She looked at him and grinned, and he ducked his head.

They had history between them. She'd been there when Felicity had being sick and when his stupid blood pressure had given him problems.

Yes, Becky and he'd spent a lot of time together.

Smiling, Becky pumped up Josh's blood pressure cuff, while the boy slept on.

"Oliver, it's good to see you. And how's your blood pressure? Up or down?"

"Thanks for asking, Becky."

He grinned that smile that normally got him out of things he didn't want to talk about. "How's Josh doing? Are they going to down grade him soon?"

"He's hovering on the edge. Could go either way still. I've heard nothing about down grading I'll call his doctor about the fever, since that means infection. And, I noted you didn't answer the question. How's your blood pressure?"

She placed a hand on her hip and glared at him.

Finding a place on the wall above her head, he assured her, "I'm good, Becky. Mae's on top of it, so let's just concentrate on Josh right now."

She winked at him, before she said, "Okay, this time. You be sure to tell Felicity I said hi."

"Will do."

The woman headed out of the room and he rose and walked out the door with her. In a quiet voice, he said, "Becky, don't leave him alone with his aunt. He's too weak to protect himself."

Nodding, she said, "I've seen the bruises, and met the women from Child Protective Services was here. I'm sure something official won't be long in coming. Believe me, I look out for my patients. And I'll pass it on to the day shift. His aunt won't touch him again. We'll make sure."

Thanks. I know that." And he gave a nod before he said, "But I'm still staying for now. He needs someone to look out for him and her."

Ruby sat beside the bed, the fear in her face very real and even if Janie Hall wasn't in the room, he'd stayed with the boy and the girl. The least he could do was protect Josh and the sister.

Thoughts of Thea filled his mind as he thought about the boy being a member of his team, and he'd look out for him. And the other two needed him too, so he'd stay for a while.

#####OQ#####

A while later Felicity came in the glass door and held up her tablet.

Josh was still out cold. The social worker, after the interviews, had taken the other two children into protective services.

Yet, he still hung out, protecting Josh, just in case his aunt decided to return for a surprise visit.

Felicity arrived and said, "Come on, Oliver."

She reached and took his hand. Smiling she said, "Someone called the local T.V. stations and look they caught Aunt Janie on video."

A reporter stuck a mike in Janie Hall's face asking, "Is it true that you are possibility being charged with child abuse?"

"No comment?"

"Has the Department of Child Services removed the children from the home?"

"I said NO COMMENT."

The large woman pushed her way past the reporter, who said, "That was Janie Hall, Director of the Regional Library. She is allegedly going to be charged with child abuse. Her nephew and his two friends were trapped in an abandon building for over two days. And after being rescued there have been . . ."

Felicity stopped the feed with the words, "She's going make the front page and trust me this video's going viral."

"You're really bad or should I say really good?" But he grinned.

"Just call me bitch, with better since I fixed it, hospital Wi-Fi. I can't believe how bad the hospital Wi-Fi still is. I need to replace several more routers. But don't worry I'll fix it."

His hand reached and smoothed her cheek, and she leaned into his hand as he said, "Never do I worry about something you're going to fix. And I hope you gave her the deluxe treatment."

Pulling away, she grinned at him as she said, "Well if I was her, I wouldn't charge anything on my credit cards." She began to talk with her hands, ticking off her fingers, "or my cancelled debit card, and it will take a while to figure out exactly why there's an IRS block on her bank account."

He grinned at her and then reached and grabbed her hand, and pulled her close, giving her a hug, as he whispered in her ear, "I can't wait to get you home and reward you."

And the sound of her laughter warmed him, as he said, "I wish I could go home with you, but I need to check on Jordan."

"I'll stay with you." Reaching, she took his hand and together they headed to the waiting room.

#####OQ#####
Jordan's family was nervous and it showed, he thought. His mom would go out and come back smelling like smoke and it wouldn't be about ten minutes, and she would be handing a toddler off and be back out the door. And a lot of people went with her.

The older kids watched the younger ones, and he thought that it was kind of sad.

Finally, the doctor walked into the room, with his face ashen and tired, he said, "Franks' family."

Jordan's mother shot to her feet, her big belly, clearly getting there first as she said, "How's my boy? His legs. . . ? Tell me does he? Does he still has his legs? He's only fifteen."

"I know that and his legs are still there, but just barely." The man said quietly, before he added, "And I hope to keep them there, but it's touch and go right now. And this probably won't be the last surgery he'll have to have. I want you to know that it's going to be a hard future for him if he keeps his legs or not."

"He's strong."

"I hope so. He needs to be. But for now we have him stable and in a medical induced coma."

"Coma?" His mother asked, the worry lines clear on her face.

"It makes it easier on him to keep him down, to keep him asleep. He'd be in a lot of pain if we wake him up now, so it's easier on his body to keep him asleep for a while to give him a chance to heal."

"Can I see him?"

The doctor said, "Infection's our greatest enemy right now. So, I'm only going to allow you as his mother in to visit right now. And you," he pointed a finger at Jordan's mother before he said, "you will have to gown up. No one touches him or goes near him right now without a full suit, gloves and a mask. He's under quarantine. And THERE will be no one in or out without gowning up completely."

"Thank you, doctor," Jordan's mother reached and touched the doctor's arm and gave him a smile as she said, "For at least trying to save his legs."

The man looked down and said, "I'll do everything I can. Just don't touch him and he'll have a chance."

Felicity reached and took his hand and smiled up at him with the words, "Come on, Oliver, we've done every thing we can today. Let's go home."

"Okay. I'd like that."

"Didn't you say something about rewarding me? Well I'm ready to go home and collect my reward."

Now that truly made him smile as he said, "I'd love that. Yeah, let's go home."

######OQ####

As always. Thanks for the read. Happy Arrow day!