Thanks for the comments and reviews and interest in my fic. I read every one of them. I hope you love this chapter.
(Emergency Room, 10:00 p.m.)
As I ran frantically through the emergency room doors, I had this awful pit in my stomach. I had no idea what I was going to find when I got there. I didn't know the extent of the injuries or if they were life-threatening or, God forbid, I was too late. All I knew was I was scared to death and I wanted so badly and needed so desperately to see the one person who could make me feel better. As I scanned the lobby and the various and sundry people lingering about, my panic set it. I sprinted up to the nurse's station and hurdled myself against the desk.
"Excuse me; I need some information on a patient that was brought in a while ago."
"Are you an immediate family member of the patient, ma'am?
"Yes. I am her daughter."
"What's the last name, please?"
"Smoak, S-M-O-A-K."
"One moment, please. I have to take this phone call."
Seriously? Why is a phone call more important than this person standing in front of you? I hate that phrase, One moment, please. I've always wondered just how long a "moment" really is, because that's a word that has no true exact meaning. I've had a moment be a minute and I've had a moment last an hour. I think someone somewhere got tired of being held to an exact time and decided to just make up that ambiguous word.
(Five minutes later)
I've made my point.
"Sorry about that," the nurse finally ended her call and addressed me.
"Yes, Ms. Smoak was brought in about 45 minutes ago. They're prepping her for surgery. They're just waiting on the doctor. We'll need some forms signed and insurance information."
"Surgery? For what? Can I see her?"
"The doctor will come out to talk to you or another family member shortly."
"Felicity?"
The sound of my name and the comforting, sweet voice that verbalized it put me instantly at a state of ease.
I spun around and my eyes immediately searched for Oliver and they promptly found him. There he was, my heart and soul, ten feet from me, looking quite disheveled standing in the middle of the emergency room and he was looking right at me.
"Oliver!" I bolted across the room into his arms and held on for dear life.
"I'm so happy you're back. I was so worried."
"I'm happy to be back."
I squeezed him tightly as he winced in pain and let out a low groan.
"What was that?" I released him and looked up at him.
"It's nothing. I'm just a little battle-scarred."
I took a good look at him and gasped.
"Oh, my God. What happened to you?"
"It's a long story."
"Are you okay? Have you seen a doctor?"
"I don't need a doctor."
"Yes, you do. Have you looked at yourself? You're hurt, you're bleeding, and you can hardly stand up."
"Felicity, I'm fine. It's just dry blood and surface wounds."
"No, it's way more than that."
"We had to get out of there in a hurry. All we had time to do was escape, change out of our other clothes, and jump on the flight back."
Oliver's facial expressions were proving he was suffering more than he let on.
"Excuse me, Nurse, we need some help over here." I yelled over to the nurse's station.
"No, we don't, but thank you," he yelled right back to the lady behind the counter.
"YES, he does." I shot him my best look of disapproval.
Oliver waved the nurse away and latched onto my forearms.
"Are you gonna let this go? You've seen me hurt a dozen times. This isn't anything worse than what you've seen before."
"Okay, I'll drop it for now, but I think you should really get looked at."
"This from the girl who hates hospitals, huh?"
(Smiling) "Fair enough."
"Good."
"But something may actually be broken here. At least let Dig take a look at you then."
"Speaking of Dig, where is he?" Oliver scanned the room.
"He's parking the car. He dropped me off at the entrance. I wanted to get in here as soon as possible."
Oliver suddenly got really quiet and just looked at me.
"You sure are a sight for sore eyes, Felicity."
"You too. Even though you won't let me get you any help."
"I'm not worried about myself."
"Well, let me worry about you, okay? You're always worrying about me."
"I just wanted to be here to tell you what happened."
"Well, if you won't let a doctor see you, will you at least sit down over here?"
"Yes, I can do that."
I walked with him over to the waiting area to some empty seats and we both sat down.
"Is my mother going to be okay? What happened to her? The nurse said they're prepping for surgery."
"She should be fine. She was awake and in good spirits when they rolled her to the back. She was -"
"When can I see her?"
"I'm sure they'll let you know soon. I talked to the doctor a little while ago. I told them you were on your way."
Oliver moved in his seat to face me and he suddenly grabbed his left side. By the look on his face he was in more pain than he was letting on.
"Can I do anything for you?"
"You're doing it, by being here, Felicity."
The open cut under Oliver's eye was starting to slowly ooze blood and it was really distracting me from being able to ignore how bad he looked.
"Oliver, you can hardly sit up with how much obvious pain you're in. And now this cut" – I reached up and touched the skin under his cut – "is starting to bleed. I need to get you out of here so you can lie down."
"I can lie down later. Right now I need to tell you about what happened, okay?"
"God, you're so stubborn. Okay, fine, but don't move. I've got to get something to stop this bleeding, okay?"
I ran into the bathroom at the end of the hall and grabbed some tissue out of the bathroom dispenser and ran right back out to Oliver.
I pressed the tissue against his cut and held it there.
"I guess this will have to do for now," I said as I rolled my eyes at him.
"Have I ever told you you're cute when you're annoyed with me?"
"Well, if you don't get this taken care of, I'm about to get a lot cuter."
We were getting better at this banter thing.
"Felicity, I just wanted to be here to tell you what happened, that's all."
"I know you did. I just want to help you."
"I know you do," he said as he touched my cheek with the back of his hand.
"But I'm gonna shut up now and let you tell me what happened."
"First, promise you won't freak out."
"Now, Oliver, if you're gonna start a sentence asking me to not to freak out, I have to say that's a surefire way to make me freak out."
"Right, sorry."
"It's okay. Go on. I need to hear this."
"I was about to tell you this a minute ago, but your mother was shot, Felicity." He just came right out with it.
"Shot? Oh, my God, is it bad?"
"She was shot in her shoulder. She lost a lot of blood, but it was a through and through wound. Sara and I managed to stop the bleeding and keep her stable until we could get her out of there. The plane was waiting for us as we pre-arranged but the 12-hour flight home was long. But your mother was very strong, Felicity, just like you are, plus the pain meds on the plane did their job and she slept comfortably most of the way home."
"How can I ever thank you, Oliver?"
"Knowing you're safe and sound and here with me right now is all I need."
"Good, because I'm not leaving you."
We just looked at each other for a few seconds taking it all in and apparently picking up where we had left off with our moments of silent reflection and wondering what they meant.
"So how did you escape? Is my father in custody?"
"Felicity, is this too much for you right now with your mother about to be in surgery? If you want me to wait, I'll tell you everything later."
"No, you were right to want to tell me. I need to know. Just start at the beginning."
"Well, Sara acting as you worked like a charm. As we had hoped, she arrived, got into a car with a couple of shady-looking characters hired by your father and who probably only had glimpsed a picture of you. But needless to say, Sara fit the description and they didn't question her at all. They just proceeded to drive her to the location where your mother was being held. I followed behind until we got to an abandoned warehouse. I scoped out the outside while they took Sara inside.
"I was able to look inside the warehouse and see your mother and Sara and about five or six armed henchmen. I didn't see anyone who looked to fit your father's description. So I created a distraction outside to draw out the armed men. By the time I got inside, Sara had handled the one guy who had stayed behind and she and your mother were on the way out. But as we were exiting, another two cars pulled up outside. I saw your father get out with another six men and quickly pushed Sara and your mother back inside undetected. When they entered, Sara and I ambushed them, but your father was in the rear so he slipped by us, but not your mother. When your mother saw him, she confronted him. Your father knew he was cornered and took your mother hostage. He held a gun to her head."
"Oh, my God, she must have been terrified."
"I think at that point, your mother was in complete shock and she looked a bit dazed when she saw your father. She didn't care he had a gun pointed at her head. She started cursing at him and completely went off on him. He raised his hand to her as if to hit her with the butt of the gun and I shot him in his hand and he fell to his knees, the gun falling out of his hand. Your mother wasn't done with him. She picked up the gun and demanded answers and answers he began to give her, but not the kind of answers any mother wants to hear about her child. He told her she'd have to kill him because in one way or another he was going to get to you and she'd never see you again."
"And she was holding a gun when he said that?"
"Yes, she was."
Oliver paused to gauge my reaction to what he had told me so far, obviously to see if he should continue.
"Oliver, did my mother shoot my - him?"
"Not exactly."
"What does that mean?"
"I thought she was about to kill him and I tried to intervene for her sake, but she asked me – no, she demanded me to stay the hell out of it, so I did. But your father just wouldn't shut his mouth. Like I said before, he loves to hear himself talk. He kept daring her to shoot him. He told her she was worthless and a bad mother. He was going to turn you against her. Needless to say, she immediately snapped. Her eyes said it all. She shouted she would never let him near you again and said he deserved to die and then she pulled the trigger."
"Oh, my God, Oliver."
"But the gun backfired in her hand and she dropped it. Sara yelled at her to leave it and that we needed to get the hell out of there. We'd tie him up and leave him for the authorities that were on their way. Your mother wouldn't move, not even when Sara told him he'd go to prison for the rest of his life. It was only when Sara told her that her daughter needed her at home that she softened and seemed to understand the consequences. But then a gunshot rang out. Your father had picked up the gun and shot her."
"That son of a bitch!"
"Felicity, I had no choice."
"No choice? I don't understand."
"He wasn't going to stop firing. I tried to stop him by shooting him in his leg, but he just wouldn't stop going after her. He was about to fire again and I had to put an arrow in him before he was able to get off another shot."
Oliver grabbed my hand and held it and squeezed it tightly as if he was bracing me for something.
"I killed him, Felicity. I killed your father." Oliver put his head down not knowing how I was gonna react.
I immediately grabbed his face and held it firmly.
"Hey, hey, look at me. It's okay. I'm okay. You did what you had to do to save my mother. I thank you for that."
"I know, but he was your father."
"I lost my father a long time ago, Oliver. My mother is my family. You are my family."
"You're okay with this? "You're not upset with me?"
"Of course I'm not upset with you. He meant nothing to me. I'm the one who's sorry for putting you in that position in the first place."
I leaned over to him and embraced him trying not to hurt him more than he already was because I couldn't spend another second out of his arms.
"I missed you so much," he whispered in my ear as he held onto me tightly.
"I missed you more, believe me."
As Oliver leaned back in his chair, I leaned into him as he lifted up his arm so I could slip right in and snuggle up to him. I closed my eyes and just sat in silence with him as we waited to hear word on my mother's condition.
We dozed off for a 'moment.'
"Hey, you two." I woke up to a soft voice as I cracked my eyes open and saw Sara coming towards us.
"Sara," I said, my voice cracking from having nodded off.
"How's your mother, Felicity?"
"I haven't heard anything yet. Have you been here this whole time?"
"I went to get some coffee. The machine was down on this floor so I've been all over this hospital and, voila' finally found some. I got extra. It's cream with sugar. Would you like some? It may be a long night."
"No, thank you. I don't like coffee unless it's made a certain way. Otherwise, I can't stand it, but thanks anyway."
"I'll never be able to thank you for what you did, Sara," I whispered as I noticed Oliver was still sound asleep.
"You don't have to thank me, Felicity. Any friend of Oliver's is a friend of mine. I would do anything for him."
Is there any woman who wouldn't do anything for Oliver? Nope, I haven't met one yet.
"Well, Oliver told me what you said to my mother over there and I truly appreciate that."
"You're welcome."
"What you both did -"
"He values you as a friend, Felicity."
Judging by the way Sara said that and looked at me, it was obvious she felt what me and Oliver shared was strictly friendship. Well, technically she was right, I know, but emotionally I begged to differ with her apparent assessment of our relationship.
"Nevertheless, Sara, you risked your life to save someone you didn't know. I am forever grateful to you."
Sara smiled and sat down next to me.
"So how come Oliver's all beat up and there's not one scratch on you?"
"You know Oliver, he's always got to be the hero and try to fight everyone, even the people I'm capable of fighting. Sometimes he forgets I was in the League of Assassins and can take care of myself and probably him too. But most of his damage came from a grenade that was thrown near us as we were escaping. Oliver jumped to cover me and he got hit with some flying debris."
"Oh, my God, he didn't tell me about any grenade. He could have been killed," I said horrified.
"He'll be okay. He just needs a little stitching up, an x-ray or two, and a long hot shower."
"I told him we needed an X-ray machine at the lair, but he didn't believe me."
"There's no convincing Ollie of anything. He's stubborn that way."
"Don't I know it?"
"Felicity, I know you got to stay here for your mom, so why don't I take Oliver back to the lair and-"
"That's okay, Sara. Dig will be in here in a minute. Just let him sleep. I got it from here. He's exhausted and I'm sure you are too. You have been kicking ass and you must be jet lagged. You should go and get some rest. I'll take care of Oliver from here."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"Okay. Then I'm gonna go and maybe visit my father. Things like this make you realize how important a parent can be."
"Or how unimportant, as the case may be."
"I'm sorry about that, Felicity."
"No need to be. Thank you again, Sara. I'll tell Oliver you'll be by to see him later."
"Here, I'll leave these coffees with you. Oliver was the one who sent me on my wild goose chase earlier to track some down and I guess I didn't make it here in time before he fell asleep."
As Sara was leaving, I heard someone say my name.
"Ms. Smoak?"
"Dr. Echolls?" I said surprised by his presence.
"Fancy meeting you here again, Ms. Smoak. How are you feeling? I see the sling is gone."
"Yes, just removed it earlier today. I'm feeling great."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"Wait; are you my mother's doctor?"
"I am. It seems your family has had a round of bad luck lately."
If you only knew, Doctor.
"I know. Can you believe it?" I said shrugging my shoulders.
"And your friend there doesn't look too good either."
I just looked down at Oliver still sound asleep in the chair and then back at Dr. Echolls and didn't respond but to crack a slight smile. He was obviously curious by the way we spent our days.
"I just wanted to let you know I'll be performing the surgery. Your mom is stable and it should be pretty routine. I need to fix some of the damage the bullet did. I don't know if you were informed but the bullet entered through the right upper shoulder from the back and exited through the front. She's got some damage to her shoulder that I need to repair but I don't expect any complications. If you'd like to come see her before surgery, I can let you go back for a few minutes."
"I would love that."
"But the surgery will probably be four to five hours so I suggest you go home, get some rest, and we can have someone call you back when she's in recovery and moved to a room so you can come back to visit her."
"That would be great, Dr. Echolls. Thank you so much."
"The nurse will come get you to bring you back shortly."
Dr. Echolls walked off as Dig walked through the emergency room doors.
"Hey, Felicity, is everything okay?"
"Dig, where have you been? Did you get lost in the parking lot?"
"Cited is more like it. Let's just say the parking cops take theirs job very seriously around here."
"I'm about to go back to see my mom before they begin the surgery. I'll let Oliver fill you in on all the details."
"But she's gonna be all right?"
"That's what the doctor says."
"Hey, Felicity, can I have one of those coffees, please?" Oliver's sudden awoken state took me and Dig by surprise.
"Oliver, it's good to see you, man," Dig said as he approached him.
Oliver stood up very gingerly and raised his hand up to Diggle's sudden approach.
"Can we save the hugs for later? I don't think my body can handle a hug from you."
"Man, you look awful," Diggle said while observing Oliver's apparent state of injury.
"I already told him that, Dig. Maybe he'll listen to you. Can you take him out of here? He needs to be taken care of."
"I can take him to the lair."
"That would be great."
"Hello, I'm right here, you two, and I have a say in this and that is, I'm not leaving."
"Oliver, let Dig help you. You can come back later if that's what you want."
"I'm not leaving, Felicity. I'm staying here with you."
"Sorry, Dig, apparently Oliver isn't going to leave me."
"Excuse me, ma'am? I can take you back to see your mother now," the nurse said as she appeared behind me.
"Oh, thank you."
"Dig, will you keep Oliver company and still while I go visit my mom real quick?"
"Sure thing."
"As for you, Oliver 'I'm not hurt' Queen, I'm letting you stay, but as soon as I go see my mother and she goes into surgery, I'm taking you back to the lair and taking care of you myself."
"Yes, ma'am."
I turned my attention to Diggle and put my arms around him.
"Thank you so much for being there for me the last few days. It meant the world to me."
"Don't mention it. I've always got your back, Felicity. You know that."
"I know you do, more than ever. Between you and Oliver, a girl could never feel more protected."
I kissed him on the cheek and went to go see my mother.
(A while later)
"Hey, where's Dig?" I said to Oliver as I saw him sitting alone.
"I sent him home."
"Oliver, he was kind of our ride."
"I can call a car to come get us or there's about a half a dozen cabs on the curb."
"A cab will be fine."
"Are you ready to leave, Felicity?"
"Yeah, for a while. My mom will be in surgery for hours."
"How is she doing?"
"Despite everything, she's okay and she was relieved to see me."
"I bet she was."
"So let's get you out of here so I can give you some much needed TLC."
He looked over at me with the most peculiar smirk. "Well, that's the best offer I've had all day."
(The lair, 12:00 a.m.)
"I'm gonna grab some supplies. You just stay here. Don't do anything."
"Whatever you say, Felicity."
I collected what I needed and came back over to him.
"Well, I need to clean you up first. You've got so much dried blood on you that I can't tell how bad your injuries actually are."
"Thank you for doing this."
"Well, you didn't give me much choice, did you?"
"No, I guess I didn't," he grinned sweetly at me, "but thank you anyway."
"Don't thank me just yet. I might hurt you more than I help you."
"You can't hurt me, Felicity."
"We'll see about that. Now, can you take off your shirt and sit down on the table?"
As Oliver unbuttoned his shirt, I grabbed the bowl of warm soapy water I had made and the Arrow First Aid Delux Kit that had pretty much anything and everything in it you needed to take care of anything from a skinned knee to a bullet wound.
I soaked the sponge in the warm soapy water and turned toward Oliver as he laid his shirt next to him on the desk, his full chest now exposed.
"God, Oliver, you are bruised all over and these cuts look infected. You waited too long to get these looked at."
"They're getting looked at now."
"Well, I'm gonna do my best. My I.T. degree didn't exactly include medical training."
"You've done just fine before."
"Well, in all fairness, Dig did the heavy lifting in this department. I don't think you want me to try to stitch you up."
"You'll do fine. Just take your time."
Well, that part I can definitely do.
I took a deep breath and took the sponge and laid it against Oliver's bare chest. I knew I was there strictly to help him but seeing him shirtless never was something I got used to or took for granted. Every time I saw him without a shirt, which was more often than not around the lair, it was just like I was seeing him for the first time and reacting to it for the first time. It took everything in me to keep my composure. It wasn't the easiest thing to do, but I wasn't complaining about it either.
"Okay, now sit still for me. I'm gonna clean all this gunk off you so I can look at you."
"Gunk?"
"Blood, dirt, dust, debris, you name it."
"I think you've just named it all," he smirked down at me and I smirked back.
"No moving."
"I'm not moving."
I slowly began to take the sponge and wash him off. I realized I couldn't bear to look at him so I just concentrated on his chest and every glorious muscle protruding from it. I advanced slowly down his upper chest to his stomach, allowing the sponge to trace and move over every cut, bruise and scar as gently as I could. As I moved across his abs over to his left side, I pressed down apparently too hard and he suddenly flinched and groaned in pain.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"It's okay. I can take it."
"I won't push so hard. I'll be more careful, okay?"
I dipped the sponge back in the warm, soapy water again and then gently ran it down each of his arms cleaning all the dry blood off of them. I then ran it over his neck, moving from side to side and around the back of it. I had somehow found myself positioned between his legs as he sat on the table and I could hear the sound of my breathing get more distinct and audible and it didn't help that I could feel Oliver staring right at me the whole time, but I still not dare look at him while I was trapped, albeit willingly, in this rather compromising position. I conveniently cleared my throat to hide the fact that being this close to Oliver made me extremely nervous and a lot flustered.
"Do you need some water, Felicity?"
"No, I'm okay."
"Why won't you look at me?"
"What? I am." I nervously looked at Oliver then looked away again.
"You seem a bit flustered. Is there a reason for that?"
Is that a real question considering where I'm standing and your state of undress?
"I'm just trying to concentrate because I don't want to hurt you again. Can you stand up and turn around for me? I need to do your back."
"Sure, whatever you want."
She's so charming when she's nervous and her sweetness is so beautiful. Her lips are right here inches from mine so why am I still sitting here? How is that possible? Look at her. She's everything I want that I don't have. Why don't I just kiss her because that's all I want to do right now? Because if I don't do it soon, I will really start to question my sanity. I don't know how long I can stop myself from feeling what I want to feel with her. I just want it to be right. She deserves only right and no wrong. I just don't know how long I can keep this in to wait for the right moment. Isn't the right moment just an excuse? Isn't the right moment really about the right person anyway and not the right setting? She's the one. I've never wanted someone and needed them at the same time until she walked into my life. It's about time I tell her.
"Oliver, are you going to turn around?"
"Oh, yeah, sorry."
As he stood up and turned around, all I could do was hold my breath to try to mask my breathing. I cleared away the dirt and blood starting at the top of his right shoulder and moved to the left. I then followed the curve of his back down to the waist of his jeans and took my time.
"All right, you can turn back around for me now."
He did as I said and just stood there looking at me, waiting for my next instruction.
"I'm going to clean up that cut under your eye. It looks to be infected. I'll put some of this antiseptic on it and at least clean it, since I can't do stitches."
"Just use a little skin glue from the first aid kit and seal it shut. It will heal on its own that way."
"Oh, okay, I think I can do that."
"I'm ready when you are, Felicity."
I cleaned out his cut and he barely flinched even though I knew it had to sting. I used the glue and closed up his laceration and then threw the container back in the first aid kit. I bandaged the remaining cuts on him that warranted it and then threw the remaining supplies back into the kit.
"Is there anything else you need to do to me, Felicity?"
God, if you only knew.
"Uh, I think that about covers 99% of all my medical knowledge. You're almost as good as new. You probably should go home, rest and then tomorrow soak in a tub to sooth some of your sore muscles. But I don't like the look of this bruise on your side that's hurting you. You may have cracked a rib."
"It's a little sore, but nothing a few days won't fix."
"Well, I can at least wrap this up with some gauze tonight so, if you do have a cracked rib, it will hold it in place."
"Yes, Dr. Smoak."
"We sure are a pair, aren't we?" I shook my head as I laughed it off.
"What do you mean?"
"We get hurt but refuse real medical treatment from trained professionals."
"I'd rather take my chances with you, Felicity."
"I know what you mean," I smiled and then quickly yawned.
Oliver touched my cheek softly and said, "Looks like someone is ready for bed."
Yours or mine?
"Wow, I didn't realize how tired I was. Maybe I'll just go sleep for a couple of hours until they call me about my mother. Should we call a cab?"
"No, need. Our cab is still waiting outside."
"With the meter running?"
"Is there any other way?"
"Only you, Oliver."
"Shall we?" he said as he motioned with his hand.
"We shall."
(In the cab)
"1200 Imperial Street, please."
"Wait, Oliver, why don't you get him to take you home first. You're a lot closer."
"I'm going to see you home, if that's okay?"
"You sure?"
"I'm sure. I kind of enjoy every single minute I spend with you."
I felt a jolt of electricity go through me as those words hit me. He just swept me off my feet and I wasn't even standing up.
(I yawned again)
"You poor thing, you're so exhausted."
"Just a little. I think the stress of everything has added to my tiredness, but I think I'll finally be able to sleep tonight."
"You haven't slept?"
"How could I? I was too worried about my mom and –"
"And what, Felicity."
"And I couldn't rest until I knew you were okay."
Oliver just gazed over at me in the cab not saying a word.
As my eyes grew heavier, I suddenly began to feel a cold chill in the air.
"Excuse me, sir. Can you turn on your heater?" I hollered out to the cab driver.
"Sorry, ma'am. Heater is not working."
"Are you cold, Felicity?" Oliver jumped in the conversation.
"Freezing. I forgot how cold it was tonight and I ran out of the house so fast I didn't grab my jacket."
"Scoot over."
"Huh?"
"I said scoot over here," he motioned for me to slide closer to him. Let's just say I wasn't gonna argue. I slid over across the benched seat and right under his left arm. He wrapped it around me and I immediately felt the warmth of his body transfer straight into mine and any chill I felt was gone.
"Better?"
"Much," I whispered as I yawned again.
"Oliver, I'm not hurting you, am I?"
"No. In fact, you're making everything feel better."
"I know what you mean." I said back to him, not wanting to move a muscle.
"Felicity, I need to tell you something."
"Mm-hmm," I mumbled as Oliver gently ran his fingers through my hair in a massaging and soothing motion.
"Excuse me, driver?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do you mind taking the long route to that address? I'm in no rush."
"The long route?"
"Yes."
"Well, I'll have to get off the highway, sir."
"That's perfectly fine."
"Okay, sir."
"Here's an extra $100 for your troubles."
"Okay, sir, the scenic route it is."
"Felicity, I don't really know where to start so I'm just going to wing this. I just feel I can't go another day without letting you in on a few things. I don't even know how we got here, but here is where I want to be – home - with you. I've been trying to find the words to express what I have been feeling but I never could match the words with the overflowing deep thoughts and whirlwind of emotions I was having for you. At first when I wanted to, I thought better of it, because I thought better of you. If I couldn't do justice to the thoughts I was having to articulate them in a way that you could feel everything the way that I felt it, I had to wait until I knew I was capable of giving that to you. I felt selfish even thinking what I was thinking, for feeling what I was feeling, but I also felt alive in my thoughts of you. I just don't want to be alone in them anymore.
"My life is crazy, it's dangerous, and in the midst of all of that there's you, this light, this bright shimmering light that illuminates from within you and is always shining bright on the outside. And everything makes sense now. You've made me trust again. You challenged me at every turn and that pulled me out of this dark place I was headed and pointed me in an entirely different direction in my life. I was focused on one thing when I got off that island, revenge, but that's no longer the case. You helped me see how fighting for justice was more meaningful and fulfilling.
"You are my friend, my best friend, and now you're my partner who I trust with my life, but now there's one more thing I want from you, that I need desperately. I don't know if I have a right to even ask you this and complicate things or if you even want to hear it, but having almost lost you twice recently, I just need to ask you one thing."
(Inhaling and exhaling loudly)
"What would you say if I told you that I wanted to be more than friends…to be more than just partners? What would you say…if I told you I wanted so much more than that and I want it all with you?"
(Silence)
"Felicity?"
(No response.)
"Felicity, are you –"
Oliver laid his head back in the seat, realizing everything he just said hadn't been heard. He kissed the top of Felicity's head, held her close, and whispered softly to her:
"Sweet Dreams."
I felt a soft hand on my cheek as I came to.
"Hey, you're home, Felicity."
"Already?" I said as I leaned up in the backseat of the cab.
"Yeah, you slept most of the way."
"Oh, I'm sorry. You should have woke me up."
"I didn't want to disturb you. You looked too peaceful."
"Thanks for keeping me warm."
"Anytime. Are you awake enough to move or do I need to carry you up?"
"No, I'm good, just a little groggy."
Oliver jumped out of the car and held out his hand for me and helped me out of the car.
"Somehow you always end up taking care of me. Why is that?"
"Because I love taking care of you, Felicity."
I didn't want to move but I was struggling with my drowsiness.
"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, I guess?"
"Well, I was gonna at least walk you up to your apartment, Felicity, since I don't have to carry you."
"No, you don't need to do that. We're right here at the entrance. I just have to jump on the elevators and I'm there and straight to bed, I promise."
"I don't mind taking you."
"No, I'll be okay. I should be the one bringing you home and taking you to bed. Well, I mean, not "taking" you to bed but, uh, you know -"
"I know what you meant, Felicity, but you're adorable when you get yourself all tongue-tied."
"Please, promise me you'll get some rest too, Oliver."
"I promise. I guess I'll see you tomorrow at the hospital then," he said as he moved in to give me a hug goodbye and I moved right in to accept it.
His hug was strong and comforting and I felt every bit of it. I didn't want it to end, but someone had to end it, right?
"Thank you for saving my mom, Oliver. It meant everything to me."
"Anything for you, you know that," he said with a wink.
Oliver got in the cab and closed the door as I turned to walk into my apartment building, but something, some feeling, pulled me back towards the car.
I looked back at the cab still sitting on the curb with Oliver in it and I sighed loudly, feeling all those butterflies flying around inside me reminding me how my heart belonged to him and causing my mind to repeat one thing over and over…
I looked back at her standing there in the distance, her hair blowing in the wind, her skin glowing under the full moon that shined down upon her. Everything about her took my breath away and everything inside me shouted out the same thing…
..."I love you, Oliver."
..."I love you, Felicity."
to be continued...
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