Happy New Year! I'm hoping to finish with Save Me soon. I've been working on it for a year! Thank you for your favorites. Enjoy!
Oliver listened to the steady beep of the heart monitor as he sat next to Felicity's hospital bed. Each beep assured him she was still with him; that she hadn't bled out during the rush to the hospital. She was covered in bandages. The doctor explained to him and Digg she had over twenty cuts over her body. Several required stitches. She'd been stabbed in both legs; tortured.
He wanted nothing more than to rip apart Colin. For every cut along her beautiful skin, he wanted to inflict the same pain. It tore at him that she had been hurt. That she suffered because he let her in on his cursed life.
From the beginning he promised he would protect her; let no harm come to her. She still saw the good in life and in people. He wasn't sure what good she saw in him. Most days he felt unworthy of the admiration and support he saw in her eyes.
Today, he felt like a failure. He failed her. She was laying in this hospital bed because he decided to pursue Matheus. That boy was dead because of him. He did nothing but bring pain to everyone he came in contact with.
Looking back at Felicity, he brushed his finger down the side of her face. He'd do anything for her. Even give her the peaceful life she deserved without him.
Two days later, Felicity opened her eyes. A panicked gasp alerted Oliver that she was awake. He jumped up from the chair he'd been attempting to nap in and ran over to her bedside. There was a wild, panicked look in her eyes as she tried to pull the breathing tube from her nose.
"Felicity," he said, anxious to calm her, "You're safe. You're safe."
Her eyes cleared of their panic when she heard his voice. "Oliver," she cried. "I...I knew you would come."
Her words felt like a stab through his heart. Her faith in him, it did something to him. It broke him and healed him all at once. "I'm so sorry Felicity."
She tried to speak again, but a harsh cough came out instead. Her throat was still sore from her screams. "Don't," she managed to get out.
He knew what she was telling him with that one word. Don't blame yourself. My life, my choice. "I'm going to get the nurse," he told her, choosing not to argue with her about his own guilt.
A moment later, the nurse was in the room taking her vitals and asking her a few questions. Oliver stepped out of the room to give Digg a call to let him know she was awake. He also wanted to find out if there was any new leads on Matheus.
"Digg, please tell me we have something," he pleaded once he told him how Felicity was doing. He was pacing the hallway outside her room, tense and feeling completely useless.
"We may have something," Digg told him. "Lance had one of his tech people look at traffic cameras that night. There's an image of Matheus car heading towards the docks."
Oliver wanted to punch the wall. If they dumped the kids body, who knows where it was now. Just last night there was a strong storm that tore through Starling, knocking out power to most of the Glades. With a storm and the natural ocean currents, the kid could be anywhere.
"Is he sending anyone to look around?" He asked.
"Divers are going out tomorrow," Digg replied. "Lance is taking a chance going on your word that a kid was killed."
Oliver knew this, but he knew Matheus could not get away with the kids murder or Felicity's torture. Colin was locked up awaiting his first hearing. He wasn't saying anything to the police, especially after his lawyer arrived. According to Lyla and the Argus database, there were years worth of cases involving mutilated women associated with Matheus. Laurel, working on behalf of the prosecutor's office, was busy trying to link Colin to those cold cases.
Oliver noticed a doctor going into Felicity's hospital room and ended his call with Diggle. He wanted to make sure she was doing well and how soon she would be released. He walked into the room as the doctor was explaining to her the extent of her injuries. Tears were pooling in her eyes as he explained the severity of her condition when she was brought in.
"Frankly Ms. Smoak, if you had gotten here thirty minutes later, I'm afraid you would have expired from the blood loss alone," the doctor explained to her.
A broken cry escaped her lips as she processed what he told her. Oliver rushed to her side and took ahold of her shaking hand. He brushed his thumb along her fingers, trying to soothe her.
"How soon can she go home?" Oliver asked.
"As long as she continues to show improvement, I would say in about two days," he answered.
A couple of minutes later, the nurses and doctor left the room. Oliver got up and shut the door after them. He knew Felicity needed privacy to begin processing what happened to her.
In a low voice, she asked, "Is he dead?"
He didn't need her to elaborate to find out who she was asking about. Colin. "No. All I cared about was getting you out of there."
She looked up at him and a faint smile appeared on her face. "Is he in jail?"
He nodded his head. "Yes. He will never hurt you again."
She reached up and brushed her hand against his cheek. "Thank you."
He didn't feel he deserved her thanks; her admiration. He rubbed his cheek against her hand, finding comfort in her gentle touch.
"What about the boy?" She asked.
Oliver took her hand in his and kissed her palm. "Lance is having the water searched at the docks tomorrow. We'll find him."
She nodded her head, her eyes beginning to flutter as exhaustion overtook her. Oliver leaned forward and kissed her forehead as her eyes closed. He sat back in his chair, watching to steady rise and fall of her chest. She was alive. She was safe.
.