Slade had gotten away again.

"Oliver, it was a smoke screen mixed with narcotics to knock us out." Sarah reminded him as the practically ran through the hospital to the waiting room outside of the ICU. "Slade is toying with us. Making us suffer to drive the team apart."

Oliver shook his head. Upon waking up ten minutes after remembering his promise to Slade, he had run to his Ducati. Racing through Starling to get to Verdant only to find it empty, and Diggle's car gone. He then picked up his phone and saw that Diggle had taken Felicity to the hospital, telling him that he would tell them the lie when they got there.

With Sarah and Roy right behind him, he changed and raced to the hospital in his car. Now they were searching for Dig in the mess of a waiting room.

"John!" Roy called. They moved to the man, sitting in a chair, a detective next to him.

"Mr. Harper, Ms. Lance, Mr. Queen." John greeted them, holding out his good hand to shake. His left arm was in a sling, and his eyes were slightly glazed over giving away that he had taken pain meds.

"Mr. Diggle, I just need you to answer a few more questions," the Detective stated.

Dig nodded, turning slowly to face the officer. "What more do you need to know?"

"Just if you know who took Miss Smoak." Oliver felt every muscle in his body tighten. "She managed to get away, but we don't have an idea on why she was taken."

"I don't know detective. It could have been they wanted her to gain access to some QC files. She does own several tech items related to QC work." John tried to shrug, but he hissed in pain.

Sarah stepped forward. "Please. It's been a difficult night, and with Felicity still in surgery you aren't going to find out anything else right now."

The detective nodded, closing his notebook, and looked back at the group. "We'll be in touch. I have to get back to the scene." The man turned and saw Quentin Lance coming through the hospital doors.

"Officer."

Lance nodded. "Detective." He moved to the group, shaking Dig's hand. "I'm sorry I couldn't get here faster." Lance kissed Sarah on top of her head. "Any news?"

Dig slowly sat down, shaking his head. "The have to remove the knife from her side, and then address the other compound injuries." He took a breath in and let it out.

"A dislocated elbow, fractured wrist, and three cracked ribs." Tears shined in his eyes. "I would give anything to trade with Felicity."

Sarah nodded, sitting down next to Dig. "We all wish that. But she's a fighter, she'll make it through."

Dig nodded, and looked up at Oliver his eyes sympathetic. "Now we wait."

Oliver stared out of the window, seeing the city still moving, sleepily, but still moving.

Nothing stopped because she had left. It just felt that way to him.

He sensed Dig stepping up behind him. Oliver had tried to send him home to Lyla, but instead she came here with coffee, tea, and some food. She now sat with Sarah and Lance, waiting for news. Roy leaned up against the wall, staring at the floor, his face a mask of seriousness.

"I did this to her, if I hadn't approached her." Oliver whispered, almost afraid to speak loudly. His mind filled with his memories and thoughts of Felicity. Her laughter, the way she stood up to him, everything she had done for the mission, her coming after him, her softness, her care.

Oliver groaned in agony. This can't be happening. Not to her.

Dig placed a hand on his back, offering him some form of comfort knowing words wouldn't reach Oliver in this state.

They stiffened hearing the soft, crinkly footsteps entering the room.

"Felicity Smoak?"

Oliver turned and walked over to the doctor, Dig following, nobody else daring to move.

"How is she?"

The doctor smiled faintly. "Miss Smoak is as good as she can be right now. The kidnapper drew a lot of blood from her, so we had to get a transfusion. His stab avoided major organs and arteries. She'll have difficulty for a little while using that side until it properly heals and she'll need therapy to get full range of motion in her arm again. She has a hairline fracture on her skull from where he ambushed her, it too should heal in a month or so."

Oliver nodded. Relief slowly washed through him knowing Felicity would be okay. He started thinking of physical therapy that would help her. Planning on the newest computers to replace the ones that littered the floor of the lair. A flash of her landing on them sent a shudder through him.

"Her spinal injury is causing the most concern." The doctor carried on, stilling at the silence of the people he was speaking to.

Dread, cold and heartless washed over him. Oliver felt his knees go weak, the coldness numbing him."

"Spinal Injury?" he whispered.

"Yes, when the man threw Miss Smoak against the dumpster it snapped vertebrae in her lower back. We were able to fuse most of it together. It looks promising if the inflammation goes down properly. With therapy she'll regain most if not full use of her legs again."

Oliver's heart nearly stopped at the word 'if'.

Sarah spoke up, her voice soft and full of sadness. "If the inflammation doesn't go down properly?"

The doctor nodded, looking sad. "With therapy it may help, but if not then Miss Smoak will possibly be paralyzed in her legs." Looking at the six faces staring at him. He nodded. "I'm sorry."

Oliver felt cold. Colder than when he killed, colder than the island. His heart felt frozen.

"You can see her if you want. Just for a few minutes."

Diggle and Sarah nodded, pushing Oliver forward as they walked.

They stopped in front of door 511. Oliver stared blankly at the ICU door. "I want Miss Smoak moved to a private room as soon as possible."

"Certainly Mr. Queen." the doctor replied.

Gripping the cold handle, Oliver turned it walking into the dimly lit room. It was cool, slightly dark, and the only sound was the steady beeping from the monitors. Oliver stepped into the room looking to the left and stopping in his tracks.

Felicity was pale, as white as the hospital sheets she was on. Her blonde hair framed her face, peaceful in her medically induced slumber. Gauze covered the knife wounds, bruises marred her porcelain skin. Oliver numbly started forward, stopping at her bedside, he fell into a chair and gently took Felicity's hand in his.

Running his tan, rough fingertips over her delicate knuckles. He carefully moved the IV and raised her hand to his lips. He inhaled and beneath the antiseptic he could faintly smell her perfume. His heart stuttered.

"Oliver."

He shook his head, lying his head next to her side on the bed. His self loathing filled his head, his hatred for doing this to her, for involving her in his crusade. No matter what light she brought to his life, what happiness she gave him with her humor, this was always his worst fear. And it had come true.

"Oliver." Diggle stepped next to him.

Oliver felt tears sting his eyes. The first time since Tommy died that he wanted to cry.

Diggle placed his good hand on Oliver's shoulder. "She told me something. Stressed that you needed to hear this before she passed out."

Oliver closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, listening to the steady heartbeat echo through the room.

"She said that she chose to help you. And that she would do it again."

Oliver let the tears fall, pressing her hand to his lips. Selfless Felicity. Always looking for the silver lining, never back down, puts up with my stupidity Girl-Friday. He had brought her in, and always she stood by him. In reality, he stood by her as she made him become a better person.

The loathing changed in his head. He had anticipated Slade's moves, but Slade hadn't died on the island. Slade had broken Oliver, in the one way that Oliver hadn't expected.

Oliver slowly looked up at Felicity. The light in his life, damaged by a man who lives in darkness and anger. Oliver no longer hated himself, not for this. This was all on Slade.

Oliver abruptly stood, and leaned over her, pressing his lips to hers. His whispered filled the room, "He will pay this time for what he's done. I swear to you, he will never see the light of day again."

Taking comfort in the slight stutter in her heartbeat, knowing she had heard him somehow, that she would forgive him no matter what he did. Faint gray of dawn began to filter through the window as Oliver turned to his comrades, tears still falling down his face, his heart freezing over knowing the hunt was on.

"We have work to do."