Oliver exited the hospital elevator as he listened to Felicity.
"So report indicates that… OK wow, she seems to be pretty lucky. Ok, so she has multiple contusions, a concussion, she has trauma to one of her knees but it isn't broken, but she does have a few broken ribs. No internal injuries and they've got her on morphine for the pain".
As he listened he found himself face to face with Quentin.
"Oliver? What are you doing here"?
Oliver raised his eyebrows and inhaled uncomfortably before trying to smile. He had truly hoped that he hadn't run into him.
"I'm here to visit a friend".
Quentin squinted. "What friend"?
"Emmaline Grey"?
"Emmaline Grey huh. Now how the hell would you know she's here. We didn't disclose her information to the press".
Oliver quickly scanned his mind for an excuse.. Why was Detective Lance being so thorough on this?
"I'm her emergency contact".
"You"?
"Yes. Like I said we're friends".
Quentin pivoted towards the nurse's station. "Excuse me Miss. Detective Lance, SCPD. I would need you to pull up Emmaline Grey's file and tell me who her emergency contact person is".
The nurse nodded as she headed for her computer.
Very quietly Oliver spoke. "Felicity…"?
"I've been following every word you've said.. I'm on it".
She quickly typed away on her computer.
Quentin looked at Oliver who simply just kept smiling.
"There Oliver, you're in the clear, you are now officially Miss Grey's EC".
The nurse looked at Detective Lance.
"I have here as an emergency contact, Mr. Oliver Queen". She turned her attention to Oliver.
He grinned triumphantly at Quentin. "Yep, that would be me".
Quentin shook his head in disbelief. "Well I'll be damned. I never would have imagined you to be friends with Miss Grey".
"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Detective. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to go check up on my friend".
Quentin nodded and watched as Oliver headed down the corridor.
"Felicity, you are a life-saver".
"I know".
"Ok now what room"?
"Ah… 415".
"Great thanks, I'm signing off. I'll speak to you guys later".
As he opened the door a nurse bumped into him. He recognized her from when his mother and Thea had been there. She simply said his name and then walked away. The door was ajar and he peeked into it. He tensed up. In the light of the room, her state looked much worse than he remembered it to have been in the alley. Then again, the alley had been dark and of course the contusions had the time to get to the surface of the skin. Her eyes were closed. He hesitated but he really needed to make sure she was OK.
He walked in slowly and sat down in the chair next to her bed. Sensing someone's presence, Emma's eyes flickered open and she turned her head.
He gave her a weak yet reassuring smile. "How are you feeling"?
He knew it was a stupid question, but it was customary to ask.
She swallowed and in response to his, she smiled faintly. "Like I've had the crap beat out of me".
He simply nodded.
"If you wanted me to work that badly for you, you didn't have to go to that extent".
He laughed slightly. She was unbelievable. She had gone through what he considered to be a major ordeal and here she was making a joke.
"Well.. I was hesitating between that and sending flowers".
"I would have preferred the flowers, more subtle". She paused for a moment as she shifted position and winced. "Regardless of that, I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for saving my life".
"It's what I do".
"I know. But you saved MY life! I can't even bear to think of what would have happened if you hadn't shown up".
"Then don't".
She looked at him with the softest yet most determined eyes. "I'm going to need a couple of days".
"Of course. Like I said, take all the time you need to make your decision. I understand this is not on the top of your list right now".
She shook her head. "No. What I meant was, I'm going to need a couple of days to recuperate before I can report in to work".
His eyes grew wider as he searched her for a confirmation of what he thought he was hearing.
"So, your answer is yes? You'll work with me"?
She nodded.
"Look Emmaline, I don't want you to feel that because I saved your life, that you feel obliged to work with me".
"I don't. My mind was made up last night, even before I left your headquarters".
"I don't get it. You said you needed time to think things through. Why didn't you just say yes then"?
She smiled and cocked her head to the side.
"Because you are the kind of guy who always gets what he wants, when he wants, with the snap of a finger. I didn't want to give you that satisfaction. It would have been too easy".
He grinned. "Fair enough. There is nothing more interesting and exciting then trying to get something you can't have. You had me reeling. But if your answer had been no, I would have kept trying".
She looked tired and weak all of sudden. As if the little energy she had gathered, she had used it on their conversation. He stood.
"You need your rest. Can I come check up on you tomorrow"?
"They are releasing me tomorrow".
"Already"?
"Yeah, here or home, there isn't much else they can do for me… although I kind of appreciate the morphine".
"Is someone picking you up? A boyfriend, fiancé, husband?... I didn't even bother to ask if you had someone in your life".
"No. There's no one. No guy, no family. I'm on my own. I have been for years".
He thought for a moment. "Ok then I'll pick you up and you can stay with me while you recover".
"What? No! That won't be necessary. I can take care of myself".
"Yeah maybe without broken ribs but trust me, you're not going to be able to do much, without someone's help… unless you want to suffer".
She sighed as she looked at him. She knew it was useless. She could see it on his face, in his eyes.
"I see there is no point in arguing with you, your mind is made up and you won't take no for an answer and if I try, you'll pester me until I say yes and I have no energy for that. So, fine… but only for a couple of days".
He put his hand on the doorknob. "Deal. I'll see you tomorrow. If you need anything just call me".
"I don't have your number".
"Don't worry, the nurses do".
He walked out the door leaving Emma exhausted and desperate.
Oliver Queen… she who was independent, strong, loved being in control, how was she going to manage him. She knew that over time, he would test those limits and she knew that when it would come to it, she would lose utter control, she wasn't sure she was ready to!