Ollie stretched his legs out in front of him and winced as his stiff back protested against the movement. The chairs in the hospital waiting room were not the most comfortable place to attempt to get some sleep.

Not that sleep was coming easily, at least not to him. Dinah had managed to drop into an exhausted sleep twenty minutes earlier, curled up on the chair next to him with her head resting on his lap. He continued to gently run his hand through her dark locks, finding the feel of the silky strands slipping through his fingers somehow therapeutic--easing the stress that he was feeling at least a little.

They'd been allowed back in to see Roy after the doctors had managed to gain control the violent seizures that had gripped the young man so suddenly. But they had been ushered out after an hour to allow an assortment of medical staff to conduct more tests...that was almost two hours earlier and Ollie had to admit his patience was beginning to grow thin.

Dinah had managed to talk Martin into going home with the reassurance they would call him if they needed him….

Soft footsteps approaching the room pulled Ollie from his thoughts. A slight shift in the tension of his body was enough to alert Dinah who jolted instantly awake and pushed herself into a sitting position just as the doctor entered the room.

Dinah found herself staring intensely at the doctors face, desperately trying to read his expression as he pulled a chair around to face them both--instantly noticing the doctor looked tired, drawn and he didn't meet her eyes with his. Something deep inside told her she didn't want to hear what he was about to tell them– a deep-seated sense of foreboding that gripped her as the doctor began to speak, his words echoing in her mind, as if she was hearing them from the bottom of some deep, dark tunnel.

"…results not positive…all tests come to the same conclusions…"

She found herself beginning to tremble inside, a heavy lump forming inside her chest, she heard Ollie gasp--felt his entire body stiffen as the doctor finished detailing the tests they had conducted.

"...indicate there is no brain activity…"

"No!" The softly spoken exclamation was involuntarily dragged from her as she stared helplessly at the doctor, then managed to turn slowly to look at Ollie.

The archer stared in speechless disbelief. His mind was reeling at the news he had just been given-- words mixed together into a confusing jumble that refused to make sense and, swallowing hard, he tried to form his words into a coherent question but the only thing he could verbalize was a soft, strangled sound that seemed to come from far away.

"But...but, he's..." Dinah's voice broke and, finally regaining enough composure to be able to speak, she pressed the palms of her hands against her eyes as if by doing so, she could force the tears that now streamed unbidden down her cheeks to stop. "You…you're sure? I mean, there's no way…"

"A second opinion! I want you to get someone else in here to give us a second opinion," Ollie demanded, his abrupt outburst cutting off Dinah's words.

There was a moment of silence as the doctor studied the archer sympathetically before speaking in a gentle voice. "We don't come to a decision of this sort lightly. The diagnosis is determined by several doctors working independently of each other--"

"I said, I want another opinion," Ollie reiterated firmly, shrugging off Dinah's hand as he leapt to his feet. The archer was only able to stare at the doctor for a moment before breaking the all too-painful eye contact and, turning away to face the door, the distraught man placed his hands on his hips, dropping his head for a moment before running a shaky hand through his hair. "I-I just need to be sure."

The doctor watched as Dinah rose and moved toward the archer, "That is your right Mr. Queen. " He said quietly. "Do you have a doctor in mind that you would like us to contact for that second opinion?"

"Ollie…" Dinah reached for him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her tear streaked face into the warm solidity of his chest, needing him as much as she knew he needed her at that moment.

The archer held the woman he loved close, feeling himself cling to her in a desperate attempt to draw on her strength as he spoke to the doctor. "I'll find somebody. I'll…I'll make some calls and let you know when I…" His voice wavered, breaking from a pain driven angry tone to drop to a desperate horrified whisper. "No brain activity... c-can that change? Can he…" It wasn't a question he needed an answer for. The full impact of what the doctor had explained was only just now sinking in. "Oh, God. It... it can't be, Dinah. It just can't be."

There was near silence in the room for a long moment before the doctor rose to his feet and spoke quietly "I'll leave you both to some privacy. If you need to talk, or you need further information I'll be in I.C.U."

"No..."

The despair-ridden cry halted the doctor as he began to leave and turned back to Dinah, waiting for her to continue.

"P..please. I want to see him. I…" she pulled away from Ollie just a little. Using all the strength she could find within her to reach a hand up to cup the archer's cheek, waiting until he opened his eyes and looked at her before she continued. "We need to see him to– to say…" she couldn't finish.

She didn't have to as Doctor Weldon nodded with compassionate understanding, "Take all the time you want. "