Roy had forced them out of the car shortly before arriving at the hospital. Artemis had put up a fight but, as Roy pointed out, she and Wally were still in uniform. If Oliver Queen showed up to a hospital with two heroes, there'd be a lot of unwanted attention.

Instead, Wally carried her to Roy's apartment. The door was still ajar from this morning's abduction. Wally led the way, knowing his way around Roy's place. He disappeared into the bedroom for a moment before returning in plain clothes. Roy was bigger than the speedster, there's no way he could borrow the older hero's clothes.

"I keep a change of clothes at Roy's and Rob's, just in case," he answered before she could ask. He tossed a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants at her. "These might fit if you roll the waistband. I should probably call Barry."

She took the bedroom as he moved to the kitchen to use Roy's phone. It felt good to peel off her uniform. The sweatpants were loose but they'd work for the moment. They clearly didn't belong to Roy, though. Wally must have more than one outfit here.

As she returned the main room of the apartment, Wally finished his call with his uncle. "Ready to go?" Artemis nodded but her stomach dropped. She desperately wanted to see Ollie right now but that required going into a hospital.

They met Roy in a waiting area and he told them what he knew, which wasn't a lot. He'd already called Dinah and Ollie's personal doctor. Now all they could do was wait.

Artemis hated hospitals. So many terrible memories were locked away in the clean white walls of the rooms. She'd give almost anything to be away from here but she had to stay for Ollie. Instead of running for the door she settled with curling up in a chair in the corner. Wally came over and sat next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders. A few months ago, Artemis would have had something snide to say to him. Things sure had changed.

Artemis sat in silence trying to block out all of her memories until she couldn't stand it anymore. She pressed her head into her hands in an attempt to fight back the tears but it didn't help much. Her legs began to shake so she pulled them up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and burying her head near her knees.

"Why do you hate hospitals so much?" Wally asked softly.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she took a deep breath and unfolded herself slightly. "I've had some… bad experiences at hospitals." When she opened her eyes, she kept them on the ground. She wished he'd just drop it, but then again, this was Wally.

"I gathered that much. I probably should have told you not to worry or something but I want to know what's bugging you so I can make it stop." His words caused her to look up at him. He gave her a small smile. "What's bugging you, beautiful?"

Artemis rubbed her arms in an attempt to make her goosebumps disappear. "It wasn't one big event that made me hate places like this, more like a lot of little events that just piled up into hatred. The last time I saw my mother before she went to jail was in a hospital. Not to mention all the times my father put me in a hospital because I was hurt too much in training. I can't count on both hands how many times that happened and I always had to lie to everyone there. Visits to the hospital would always be accompanied by talks about how much of a failure I was and how I could do better if I tried. The last time I was in a hospital, I just kind of snapped and ever since I can't stand going near places like this."

He was silent when she finished, almost completely lost in thought. It must have been a first, Kid Mouth without something to say. "Wally," she said, breaking the silence and possibly his train of thought. "I thought that vibrating trick was pretty cool. I didn't know you could do that."

"Honestly, I didn't know I could do that." His words sunk in quickly and her eyes went wide with shock. It was all she could do to keep her jaw from hitting the floor.

"Wally," she hissed. She shoved him harder than either of the expected. At first, she had trouble expressing her thoughts, the words were jumbling over each other, but when she finally found her tongue she made sure he knew exactly how she felt. "You could have gotten yourself killed! I thought you had a plan; you let me think you had a plan. You can't be so selfish or stupid, whichever you were at the time. What if your little trick didn't work? Where would I be then?"

"Sorry," he managed. "But it worked."

Artemis slowly massaged her temples, attempting to calm down. Wally had tried to make the situation easier and, in truth, he had done just that. Even if it was a risky trick. With a deep breath, she looked up at him again. "You could have been killed. Don't be such an idiot next time." Resting her head against his shoulder, she allowed herself to yawn. Her nice, warm bed back at Queen Manor sounded like heaven to her at the moment and it wasn't even noon. "It was still a pretty cool trick, even if it was stupid." That earned a tired laugh from him.

Roy stopped his pacing and sat next to them. With all of them sitting so close and looking as beat up as they did, they must have been a sight. Wally stifled a yawn. "You know what this scene is missing, Roy?"

Without missing a beat Roy chuckled and replied. "Rob."

"Just like the old days. Only we didn't usually come here because someone got shot. Except for that one time. And it was one of us in the hospital bed." They shared a smile as Wally pulled Artemis a little closer.

A nurse walked up to them and allowed them to go see Ollie. "He's drowsy and full of pain meds," she warned. "So he won't be the best company and try not to stress him out." She led them to Ollie's room and left them alone. They piled into his room and positioned themselves around the bed.

"Dinah's on her way," Roy informed Ollie. Just as the nurse had told them, Ollie was only partly awake but at least he was alive. Pain meds or no, he still had that Oliver Queen spirit to him.

"She's going to kill me for almost dying," he muttered. "Can I get another go with that gun? I have a better chance of getting out alive." He took a look around at all of them and quickly glanced at the door. "I can't wait to get out of here, though, even if it means leaving the hospital's protection and jumping right into Dinah's murderous arms. These people don't even want me breathing on my own. They're afraid I'll cause more bleeding if I so much as blink without their help."

Roy rolled his eyes with a laugh. They talked a bit more, Ollie joked and they all laughed. As she looked around Artemis realized that this is what a real family looked like and it was the family she had always wanted. If only her mother could have been here.

Dinah rushed into the room in the middle of one of Ollie's rants about the nurses. "Oliver," she called as she ran up to his bed. Her eyes shimmered with a threat of tears as she examined his face. "You scared me half to death. I thought- Roy told me you had been shot. Thank god, you're alright." She wiped away a tear that managed to escape her eye.

"This is the part where she kills me," Ollie laughed to everyone else in the room. Dinah let out an exasperated breath and smoothed back his hair. He flinched slightly. "Trust me; she's only pretending to care so much. She'll strike soon."

Artemis and Roy shared a look and nodded. "I think we should leave Dinah to kill you in private. Besides, Artemis needs some fresh air and something to drink. She looks like she's going to hurl." The three of them filled out of the room as Dinah sat in a chair next to Ollie's bed and took his hand. Wally closed the door behind them. Roy turned to them. "Do you need something to drink?" he asked. "You really do look ready to lose your last meal." Artemis shook her head.

"I'll be fine. I just need some fresh air or something."

"We can take a walk," Wally offered with a small grin.

Before they could leave, a woman stepped out of the elevator, catching Roy's attention. "You guys can head out. That's Oliver's doctor. I'm going to explain the situation and see what we can do about Ollie's care." He left the two of them and approached the doctor.

"Come on." Artemis and Wally retraced the steps that had led them here and eventually made it out of the hospital. They stepped into the bright sun. It was barely eleven 'o'clock and already so much had happened. A breeze from the ocean hit them, making Artemis shiver in her short sleeves. There was a threat of storm clouds from the west but otherwise, the sky was clear. Wally took her hand as they headed away from the hospital doors. Artemis could taste the salt water in the air.

"Well that was more excitement then I need," Wally yawned. "Life is plenty interesting without all the life or death situations."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. I wish he would have just gone after me." She avoided his gaze by staring intently at the ground, the sky, passing buildings, anything but his eyes. There really wasn't much else she hated more than being the cause of her friends' suffering.

Wally shrugged. "I'd rather be in danger because you care about me than be safe because you don't. Besides, we all got out alive and it was kind of fun." He swung their hands between them and winked at her. "It was almost like a road trip only not even remotely close." They both laughed. "And, about your dad and this whole hospital thing, I don't think you a failure. Actually, you're the most successful person I've met."

"Thanks, Wally," she murmured. What she did next surprised both of them. She reached up and planted a kiss on his cheek, deepening the color of his face and adding some color to hers. "Thanks for everything." He laughed nervously and became very interested in the sidewalk.

"Um, we should probably head back now, to find out when Ollie gets out." Wally's eyes met hers as they turned around. "Don't take this the wrong way but, you look like hell, beautiful."

Artemis playfully punched his arm. "Let's go, Baywatch." She bumped his shoulder with her head and they headed back.