Chapter 4
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Everything belongs to their rightful owners.
AN1: So as a New Year's Treat I decided to update again. PLEASE ENJOY. Thank you to everyone who is reading this story.
After speaking to Laurel Oliver headed back to the loft so that he could get a copy of Laurel's medical records to put on a flash drive and once he did that he called Barry and headed up to the roof to wait as Barry couldn't run into the loft as Donna is still at the loft.
"What's going on? Is something wrong with your actual place?" Barry asks as he arrives on the roof, not too long after Oliver called him.
"Felicity's mom's here, and she didn't know about any of this so we couldn't meet there." Oliver explains.
"Oh, what's going on? Not that I'm not glad for the call, but I'm guessing that you have a reason." Barry comments.
"I do; I need your help." Oliver tells him, honestly it is hard for him to admit that.
"Well you've got it, whatever you need." Barry tells him.
"Thank you." Oliver says gratefully, "It's Laurel, Felicity and I found out yesterday that four months ago she was diagnosed with cancer, Dig and Thea already knew." Oliver reveals.
"I…. I'm sorry." Barry says as he has been filled in on Laurel's and Oliver's history, so he knows how had this must be for him, "How bad is it?"
"Bad." Oliver says, "She only has months. She could have two years if she agreed to chemo and radiation, but she won't because of how bad her quality of life would be with those treatments and because she wouldn't…"
"Be able to be the Black Canary." Barry finishes, realising that.
"Yeah." Oliver says as even though Laurel didn't confirm that he knows her, which means he knows that, "Felicity got a copy of her medical records, I was hoping that Caitlin could have a look, see if there is anything else that can be done. Anything that can give her more time." Oliver asks, holding out the flash drive for Barry to take.
"Of course. We'll do everything we can." Barry promises.
"Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me, Laurel's one of us, and she's my friend. I'm going to do everything I can to help." Barry promises as he accepts the flash drive, "Is there anything else I can do?" he asks curious.
"Um…" Oliver says, trying to think then realising, "Do you think that Cisco could create something for Laurel's Black Canary outfit to monitor her vitals?" Oliver asks, "Because even though I'm going to try to get her to I don't see her taking some time out."
"Of course. He can do that; I'll get him started on it as soon as I get back to Central City and bring it back as soon as it's done" Barry assures and Oliver just nods, "I better get back, the sooner Caitlin gets a look at these records the better." He comments, "Call if you need anything, if Laurel does." Barry requests.
"Will do." Oliver says and after giving Oliver a nod Barry is once more running back to central city.
A few hours after she talked to Oliver Laurel isn't at all surprised when Diggle, and Thea arrive to take her to lunch and so the three of them headed to a nearby restaurant, that they have been to many times, to have amazing burgers, fries and milkshakes.
"Do you two really have to do that every time?" Diggle asks as both Thea and Laurel start to dip their fries in their milkshakes, looking rather disturbed as he doesn't understand why they always insist on doing that.
"Yes." Laurel and Thea say together.
"It tastes amazing." Laurel says, "And I can't believe you don't think so."
"You know; I think it was you got me to try this in the first place." Thea comments, looking at Laurel.
"It might have been." Laurel says, thinking back, knowing that it is hard to say.
"So, how did your talks with Lance and Oliver go?" Diggle asks curious, changing the subject before Thea and Laurel can travel down memory lane as in the past four months when they do it just makes them sad.
"Dad didn't take it too well, he told me to do the chemo and radiation, then walked out." Laurel explains, "But, honestly he reacted better than I was expecting." She admits.
"I'm sorry." Diggle says.
"Yeah." Laurel says, before taking a bite of her burger.
"How'd Ollie react?" Thea asks curious once Laurel has eaten the bite.
"He's not too happy about me not doing the chemo and radiation either, but he understood, and he said that he's going to do everything he can to find a way to heal me, and he's reaching out to Barry and the others to see if there is anything they can do." Laurel explains.
"That's good." Thea says, "They might be able to find something." She says, hoping that they can.
"Yeah, they might." Laurel says, causing Thea and Diggle to exchange looks as they realise that Laurel doesn't completely believe that, "I've still got to talk to Felicity, which is going to be hard."
"Yeah, it will be." Diggle says and the three of them drift into silence while they eat.
After lunch Laurel, Diggle and Thea go their separate ways, and a few hours later, once she finishes work for the day, which is actually her finishing to after Christmas unless something big comes up, Laurel heads to the Arrow Cave. When she arrives by the hidden entrance, not the one in Oliver's office, no one is around so she just walks around. After getting changed into her workout gear, taking everything in, thinking about everything that has happened, and what might happen in the future.
Once she walks around the lair Laurel heads to the cases and she opens hers and she just stands in front of it and stares at it knowing, no matter what anyone says, that she will continue to wear it, that she will continue to fight until she can't anymore.
"Laurel." A voice says after Laurel has been staring for a few minutes and she turns to see Felicity, as soon as she turns Felicity throws her arms around Laurel, hugging her tightly. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. You should have called. We would have come back for this." Felicity tells her, "I've looked into everything I can think too and Caitlin's looking at your medical records and seeing what she can do, and Oliver's reaching out to his stranger contacts. We'll find a way to fix it, we will." Felicity says very, very quickly.
"I know you'll try, but there is a chance that this can't be fixed, that I can't be fixed." Laurel says as they break apart.
"No. I don't accept that and neither should you." Felicity says, "Why won't you do the treatment?" she asks in a concerned, quiet voice.
"I'm starting to really hate that question." Laurel admits, "I don't have long left, I known that since after they performed the first surgery, and for the past for months I've been living with that and part of the reason I've been able to do that is because I still have a life that's more than pain and misery." Laurel explains, "I don't have many choices left, but one I do have is how I live the rest of my life, and I'm choosing to live it the way I want, doing what I want, around the people that are important to me, and not being in pain and misery." Laurel explains, "None of you have to like it, but it's my choice and it's what's going to happen." She says and once more she finds herself being hugged by Felicity.
"None of us want to lose you, Laurel." Felicity says.
"I know." Laurel responds as they once more break apart and the two of them drift into silence.
"So, I've learnt something else very disturbing that you'd be interested in." Felicity informs Laurel, thinking that a chance of subject might be best.
"Oh?"
"Yeah, the other night, at the party Darhk crashed, your Dad and my Mom were there, together as in on a date." Felicity explains, with a disturbed look on her face.
"You're kidding." Laurel says shocked.
"I wish I was. They were all over another." Felicity explains with a disturbed shudder.
"Okay, I think I would like to go back to talking about my upcoming death rather than this." Laurel comments, looking disturbed, but a part of her is glad that her Dad has someone.
"Don't joke about that." Felicity says.
"I don't know what else to do." Laurel admits, saying something that she hasn't even told Thea, "I want, I need, things to be normal until they can't be anymore." She admits.
"But things aren't normal." Felicity says, "Even for us. You know that, right?"
"Of course, but that doesn't stop me from wishing they were. I don't want things to be different, until they have to be." Laurel explains, and as she does Felicity suspects that Laurel hasn't exactly accepted her illness even if she has accepted that she is going to die, "I'm going to get some training in before something comes up." Laurel tells Felicity.
"Should you really be doing that?" Felicity asks as Laurel heads over to the training area.
"There is no reason why I can't, plus normal remember." Laurel says before she puts on some gloves and starts to hit the bag. While Laurel does that Felicity heads over to computers, keeping an eye on Laurel as she does.
For a half an hour Laurel continues to do training while Felicity does stuff on the computers as she watches Laurel at the same time, watching for any signs of something being wrong. When Oliver, Diggle and Thea start to arrive Laurel is doing the salmon ladder.
"Should she really be doing that?" Oliver asks, once he realises what Laurel is doing, looking at Diggle and Thea as he figures that they will know.
"It won't hurt." Thea says, "May actually help her lungs, though she'll likely sleep in tomorrow." Thea explains as she walks over to the salmon ladder.
"Has Laurel seemed like she's accepted what's going on to you guys?" Felicity asks curious, "Because when we talked she just kept saying that she wants things to be normal."
"I think that depends on your definition of accepted." Diggle says, "I think, or more like know, that Laurel has accepted that she is going to die, Thea hasn't, but Laurel has." He reveals, "But what Laurel hasn't accepted is that she is sick, that soon the day is going to come where she can't jump off buildings and beat up ghosts. She isn't ready to, and nothing Thea or I have said has changed that." Diggle reveals and before Oliver or Felicity can say anything an alert goes off on Felicity's computer. Hearing the alert Oliver, Diggle, Thea and Laurel rush over.
"What is it?" Oliver asks.
"Delivery of supplies to the hospital is under attack." Felicity informs everyone.
"Suit up." Oliver says and he, Thea, Diggle and Laurel head to the cases, "Laurel." He says, causing Laurel to turn around, as he figures that he doesn't have a chance of convincing Laurel to stay behind but he still wants to try, "Maybe you should sit this out." He calmly suggests.
"No." Laurel says, "I was diagnosed four months ago and every day since I have gone out and fought for this city and never once has it stopped me or affect what I do. There is so much that I can't control right now, but what I can control is what I do with my last few months, and I choose to spend those months fighting for this city, being The Black Canary and I'm not going to let any of you take that away from me." Laurel says before grabbing her suit and walking away so that she can get changed.
"Unless you want a version of that speech that is ten times as long then I wouldn't try to stop her." Thea explains, grabbing her own suit, "Trust me." Thea says, speaking from experience.
"I know it might not seem like it, but Laurel knows what she can handle." Diggle explains, "And her Doctor has said more than once that she will be fine until she's not and we've still got time before she reaches that point. She can do this." Diggle explains, "The only difference between today and yesterday, when she saved all of us, is that you now know about her diagnosis." Diggle reminds everyone, "She'll be fine out there." Diggle says, having complete faith in Laurel as for the past four months he has seen just how much Laurel can do, even with her illness.
Ten minutes later, Oliver, Laurel, Thea and Diggle are on their way to where the hospital supplies are being attacked by people who are clearly not ghosts. Diggle is in the van while Thea, Oliver and Laurel are on motorbikes, Laurel and Thea are sharing one.
As they drive, once they arrive at the location, Diggle blocks the path of the truck that is being attacked by eight people on motorbikes, from the front while Oliver, Laurel and Thea come from behind, Oliver and Thea firing arrows as the wheels of the bikes as Thea is driven and as Oliver drives.
"Now Black Canary." Oliver says and Laurel opens her mouth and screams, causing the people to fall to the ground and grab their ears just as Oliver, Thea and then Laurel all jump off their bikes and start to attack and Diggle gets out of the van joins the attack and within a few minutes the people who were attacking the truck have been defeated and the trunk is on its way again.
While, Oliver, Laurel, Thea and Diggle are out doing what they do Lance is in his office doing his paperwork, that usually takes him about an hour, but which he has been working on all day. The reason it's taking so long is because he keeps getting distracted by the photo on his desk, the photo of his two girls as every time he looks at it he is once more reminded of what Laurel told him and what it means.
He is reading the same sentence for the hundredth time when he hears a knock on his door.
"Dad." A voice says and Lance looks up to see Sara.
"Hi Sweetheart." Lance says, really glad to see her.
"So, what's going on? Why did I have to get here as soon as possible?" Sara asks curious and not being able to help the fact that she is also a little concerned which is why she drove so fast.
"Close the door." Lance request.
"Dad, what is it?" Sara asks, being able to tell that something is wrong, as she closes the door behind her and walks over to her father's desk.
"It's Laurel."
"What about her? Is she okay?" Sara asks worried as she only talked to Laurel a few days earlier and everything seemed fine.
"No, she's not." Lance says, "I only found out this morning and I called you right away, apparently before last night the only people who knew were Thea and Diggle." Lance explains.
"Dad, what is it? What's wrong with Laurel?" Sara asks worried.
"Four months ago she was diagnosed with cancer. It's advanced, and, it's bad." Lance tells his baby girl.
"No." Sara says, refusing to believe that.
"Sara…" Lance starts to say.
"No, she can't." Sara says, "No." Sara says before leaving the office planning on heading straight to the Arrow Cave to ask Laurel herself, to hear from her big sister's mouth that she is sick.
"SARA, SARA." Lance calls after his daughter but Sara just keeps running.
At The Arrow Cave Oliver, Laurel, Diggle and Thea are just getting back after their mission.
"And that's another night's work for Team Arrow." Felicity comments with a grin, causing Oliver to shake his head.
"It's still early, there could still be something else for us to handle." Laurel comments, hoping that there is as she likes staying busy.
"There most likely will be." Oliver comments, "You did good tonight." He tells Laurel.
"Wow, a compliment, I really am dying." Laurel comments, it being clear that she is joking.
"Guess I better do It more often then." Oliver responds, feeling that going along with Laurel's joke might be best even though the others around the room look less than happy with the joke.
"So, we've got a light starting ceremony to get to. Which means, unless you all want your secrets to get out you all might want to change out of the leather." Felicity tells the others, but before they can respond they all hear,
"LAUREL!" being yelled.
"Sara?" Laurel asks surprised, and she heads up to the platforms where the computers are where she finds her sister.
"Tell me that Dad's wrong, tell me that you're not sick." Sara says as soon as she sees her big sister.
"He told you." Laurel realises, thinking that she shouldn't really be surprised. "Sara…." Laurel starts to say as the others head to another part of the base so that the sisters can have some privacy.
"No, just tell me, Laurel. Just tell me he's wrong, please." Sara begs, looking upset.
"He's not. I was diagnosed four months ago with Paranasal Sinus and Nasal Cavity Cancer that has mastatised to the lungs and, as of six weeks ago, the surrounding bones in my face." Laurel tells her sister.
"No." Sara says, sounding horrified before throwing her arms around her sister, hugging her tightly, "How long?" she asks as he cries while she holds her sister, doing something that she once thought she wasn't capable of doing anymore.
"As of now, about eight months." Laurel says, forcing herself to hold it together as she holds her baby sister who is falling apart, something which hurts her more than anything, because she knows that if Sara saw her lose it then things would be so much worse.
"No, I don't accept that." Sara informs Laurel as she holds her tighter.
"You're not the only one." Laurel admits as he doesn't think a single person who knows the truth has accepted it, "I'm going to tell you something that you're not going to like, but I need you to understand my reasons." Laurel tells his sister, wanting to tell Sara herself before someone else tells her that she isn't having the treatment.
"I'll listen." Sara says as they break apart.
"I've had surgeries to remove as much as many of the tumours as they can, but one was too large." Laurel reveals, "Chemo and radiation is a valid treatment to treat the cancer. it would give me more time, a year and a half at the absolute most, but it would mean that I would spend most of the time I have left in hospital, barely living because of the side effects of those treatments, and would have to give up all this." Laurel explains, referring to the room.
"Laurel…" Sara starts to say, realising what her sister is saying.
"Let me finish." Laurel requests, "Without the chemo and radiation I would have very few minor symptoms, I would be okay, until I'm not. And that's what I want, I want to be able to spend the time I have left doing things on my terms, living the way I want to live, doing what I want to do." Laurel reveals, "I don't expect you to understand or like that, but it's what I've chosen to do and no one is going to change my mind." Laurel tells her sister.
"I do understand." Sara admits as she gets why her sister would make that choice, "I would choose the same thing." Sara reveals, "But, that doesn't mean that I'm not going to do everything I can think of to save you. I'm going to call in every favour I'm owed, look into every whisper of healers that I know about, everything I can think off." Sara tells her sister a she heard about a lot of things when she was in the league which means something has to be able to help her sister, "You saved me, and now I'm going to save you."
"Oliver said that he is going to do the same thing." Laurel reveals.
"Good, I would kick his ass if he's not." Sara says, causing Laurel to smile as she doesn't doubt it.
"But Sear-bear, there might not be a way to save me from this, you need to remember that." Laurel tells her sister as she doesn't want Sara to lose herself in trying to save her, she couldn't bare that.
"I don't accept that, and I'm never going to give up." Sara promises and Laurel just hugs her sister once more not sure what else to say.
"Um, guys, sorry to irrupt but we're all heading out to the lighting ceremony, are you joining?" Thea's voice asks, breaking the hug.
"Want to?" Laurel asks Sara curious.
"Yeah, I think I do." Sara says as she wants to spend as much time as possible with her sister, between investigating ways that may save her, while she can.
"Okay, I'll just quickly get changed." Laurel says before heading to the changing area.
"How's she doing, Thea, really?" Sara asks walking over as Laurel leaves.
"Considering everything, okay." Thea answers, "I think she's more worried about how all of us are handling everything than herself."
"Of course she is, that's Laurel." Sara says, not even surprised by that, "Why didn't she tell me before I left?" she asks, needing to know.
"Because she knew that you needed to get away and she knew that if you knew about her cancer that you would stay." Thea explains, "She wanted you to be happy, and protect you from this. When I asked she said that she's your big sister and that's her job." Thea says, not being able to help but remember the joke she made when Laurel said that because she was reminded of when Oliver said the same thing.
"Well as her little sister I'm going to do everything I can to save my big sister, whether she likes it or not." Sara informs Thea.
"And I'm going to help you." Thea says, "Because it might not be biological but she's my big sister too."
"I know." Sara says putting her arm around Thea's shoulder, "Tomorrow you, me and Oliver should talk and figure out all the possibilities that we have to chase down."
"That's a good idea."
"And we should do something for Laurel, something to show her that things can still be normal even with everything going on." Sara says as she knows her sister and knows, without her saying anything, that that's what she needs.
"How about the two of us, Laurel and Felicity have a slumber party with Laurel's favourite movies and junk food tomorrow night." Thea suggests, doing so because it's something that she's been thinking about for a while, "Could be a good distraction."
"I like it." Sara says as they walk over to Oliver, Felicity and Diggle, "Felicity have you got plans tomorrow night?"
"Um, no." Felicity answers, wondering why Sara is asking.
"Good, you do now. Surprise slumber party with us and Laurel." Thea informs Felicity, there being no room for argument in her voice, "Our place, says eight." Thea suggests.
"You boys can handle anything that comes up, right?" Sara asks, looking at Oliver and Diggle.
"Yeah, we should be able to." Oliver confirms, "How are you doing with everything?" he asks Sara, not being able to imagine how hard this is for her.
"I don't know, but I do know that I am not letting her die, I won't." Sara informs Oliver.
"Neither will I." Oliver responds, "We'll find a way, we have to." He says and Sara, Felicity, Thea and Diggle all nod in agreement, it being clear that none of them will plan on letting Laurel die without doing everything they can think of.
For the next couple of minutes everyone stands in silence until Laurel walks out from the changing area, wearing completely different clothes than she was earlier.
"I'll just put this back then we can get going." Laurel says taking her suit over to its case and within a minute it is back inside.
"Good, we really need to get going it would look really bad if Oliver was late to his own event after cancelling last night." Felicity says once Laurel is done.
"You didn't have to cancel because I collapsed." Laurel informs the others.
"You collapsed?" Sara asks, concerned.
"I exhausted myself." Laurel explains, "It was nothing to worry about." She adds.
"Of course we had to cancel." Felicity says.
"Felicity's right there was no way that we could have gone to the event not knowing what was wrong." Oliver explains as they head to the door, both Thea and Sara putting their arms around Laurel's shoulders and together Team Arrow leave the lair, Laurel feeling touched about the concern her friends, her family, are showing while the others are doing their best not to show just how worried about Laurel they really are.