Chapter 18 Rescue

Felicity
As soon as they exited the room they sprinted towards the stairwell. 3 minutes was not a lot of time and they had 5 floors to descend before they got out of the building. Lyla was in front followed by Felicity and Diggle was keeping pace right behind. He gave them gentle encouragements because he knew this was going to be close.

No matter how hard she tried she couldn't stop thinking about Oliver. She was scared for him. She knew he would only be 10-15 seconds behind them but he was also carrying extra weight, which was going to make it harder. She knew he was strong but she didn't know if he was that strong. Especially considering the time constraints and how many floors he had to travel down.

If she listened hard enough she thought she could hear him about 2 floors above them, but she couldn't be sure. They had finally reached the bottom floor and were running towards the exit. She was breathing heavy and her legs were burning but she pushed her body to the limit. Once they were out of the building Felicity immediately turned around to look for Oliver. Diggle tried to pull her farther away from the exit but she wouldn't move. She knew he didn't have much time left and she prayed that he would appear in the hallway soon.

"Come on Oliver," she whispered to herself willing him to make it out in time.

Finally she saw him appear in the hallway and just as she was about to yell his name the bombs went off. The ground shook and as she looked up she saw debris falling down all around Oliver and before she could even react he disappeared behind a cloud of smoke.

"No!" She screamed as she lurched forward ready to run back into the building, but before she could even take a step a pair of large arms wrapped around her waist. John was pulling her back away from the building as debris started to fall from the higher up floors and smoke poured out of every window and exit. She struggled and struggled but it was no use John was way too strong. He finally put her down and she immediately turned around and started yelling at him.

"John what the hell? We need to go in there and get Oliver. I saw him. We need to go before the whole building collapses."

"I know Felicity but you're not going in I am. I know how much you care about him but you have to let me do this. Besides Oliver would kill me if I let you go back in there."

Before she could come up with a retort John had turned around and run back into the building leaving Felicity and Lyla outside. Lyla immediately came to comfort Felicity and they both stood there wondering if they were going to lose the men they loved.

Diggle
He knew if he kept standing there Felicity would argue her way into the building so he just turned around and sprinted straight for the door. He didn't hear anyone yell or scream for him to stop, which he hoped meant they didn't follow him. He needed Lyla and Felicity to be safe because even though he didn't want to think it, Oliver could be dead. They didn't need to risk all their lives and it would be easier to maneuver by himself.

As soon as he entered the building darkness and smoke enveloped him. Ducking as low as he could he slowly made his way further inside over the fallen debris. Lights were falling, chucks of ceiling were strewn all over the floor and the electricity was sending sparks falling down on his head. The building kept shaking and moving underneath him and at any moment he knew it could come crumbling down so he had to move fast.

"Oliver, Oliver. If you can hear me man make some noise."

He knew it was a long shot because Oliver was probably unconscious and it would be impossible to hear with all the noise surrounding them. But he had to try he couldn't just abandon Oliver because he would never abandon him. So he kept moving forward and prayed that he would find Oliver alive.

Oliver
His eyes slowly began to flutter open but as soon as he took a deep breath smoke and dust filled his lungs sending him into a coughing fit. His back felt like it was being crushed and he couldn't move either of his legs because they were pinned under debris. Blinking the dust and debris he tried to see if he could figure a way out but all he could see was mountains of cement and lights flickering on and off with no signs of the exit.

Grabbing onto the nearest piece of debris he tried to pull himself out but he was completely wedged under a giant piece of the ceiling. That's when he noticed Malcolm lying a few feet to the right of him with a long piece of pipe running through his chest. Looking over he could tell Malcolm was dead. The pipe had run right through his heart and he probably died instantly.

He tried to save him and he died anyway but he didn't regret the decision he made. He did the right thing in trying to save him, he at least gave him a chance to live but now he had to focus on getting out of there alive.

Finding a way out was going to be difficult especially because it was dark and it was hard for him to breathe. If he was correct the exit was in front of him maybe 30 feet away. He just hoped that Felicity and the others got out in time.

Trying again to pull himself out he felt a sharp pain run up his left leg. He groaned in pain as he tried to push through the pain. He only moved a few inches before he had to stop. It felt like something was ripping his leg in half and he was already feeling exhausted. Lying there a second to catch his breath he thought he heard a voice. He tried to quiet his breathing and really listen and finally he heard someone yelling his name.

"I'm over here!" He screamed as loud as he could.

"Oliver is that you!"

"Yeah I'm pinned and I can't get out."

"I'm coming man keep talking to me."

"Did Felicity and Lyla get out?"

"Yeah they're both ok man."

Diggle finally came into view as a he knelt down right in front of Oliver.

"How you doing man?

"Not great. Something is pinning my legs down and I can't budge them. And Malcolm's dead."

Diggle looked over and saw Malcolm's lifeless body. "I'm sorry Oliver you tried but we can't worry about that now we need to get you out of here. Let me go take a look at your legs."

Diggle stepped over Oliver to see what was preventing him from moving. As soon as he looked down a look of dread passed over Diggle's face. Oliver knew it was bad if it rattled even Diggle, who had seen more crazy shit then most.

"Just give it to me straight Dig we don't have time to sugar coat anything."

"There's a pipe in your left leg that is wedged between two pieces of cement and that is why you can't move."

It wasn't what he was expecting to hear because he wasn't in that much pain but it did make sense. He couldn't move because he was pinned and the pain was probably numbed by the fact that circulation to the leg was cut off due to the weight pinning his legs down.

"So what's the plan Dig? Whatever you think we should do I trust you but we have to do this fast we don't have much time."

Diggle took a second to think it through before he said, "we have to keep the pipe in your leg because we don't want you to bleed out. I'll lift the piece of debris on the left side out and then we will have to maneuver your leg out without hitting the pipe and catching it on something else."

"Sounds easy enough." He was trying to keep things light but he knew this was going to be a challenge. One wrong move and the pipe could shift and cause him to bleed out or get lodged again and he would never get out.

"Yeah easy isn't the word I would use. Now once I pull you out I'll tie a tourniquet around your leg in case something happens with the pipe I don't want you to bleed out. You ready?"

"As ready as I'm going to be. Let's do this."

"Alright here goes nothing."

Diggle stepped over and began to move the debris from on top of Oliver's left leg. As soon as the largest piece was removed Oliver could feel the pain start to course through his leg. Blood flow was returning and along with it the sensation of pain. He grimaced but did not say a word.

"Ok. Oliver try to pull yourself forward a little and I will try to guide the pipe through."

He slowly began to pull himself forward and this time he was able to use his right leg a little bit to push his body through. Inching his way forward his body was about half way out when Diggle yelled for him to stop.

"What's wrong?"

"The pipe isn't going to fit. There's a large piece of the ceiling that I can't move that is blocking the path through."

Oliver sighed before saying, "you're going to have to pull the pipe out."

"Oliver I can't I didn't get a tourniquet on and I can't reach the top of your leg to put one on right now."

"We have no choice. I'll pull myself out fast after you remove the pipe and then we can tie it off after. We are out of options and almost out of time."

As if on cue the building began to rumble and shake sending dust and small pieces of debris raining down on them. Plus the smoke and fire was increasing making it more difficult to breath and see.

"On three," Oliver said. "One, two, three."

Oliver felt pain rush up his leg as the pipe was removed and as soon as Diggle gave the all clear Oliver pulled himself the rest of the way out. Diggle came running to Oliver's side and quickly tied his belt around Oliver's thigh but even that short time had allowed a large amount of blood to spill out of Oliver's leg.

"Alright we got to get moving and get you to a hospital. That leg is not going to last long."

He put his arm over Diggle's shoulder and pushed up with his good leg. As soon as he stood up his vision went blurry and he felt like he was going to lose consciousness but he pushed that feeling away and started moving towards the exit.

Felicity
They were taking too long. It had been at least 5-7 minutes and the building looked like it could collapse at any second. Pieces of the building were falling from everywhere and fire was bursting out of every window and door. Smoke was blocking out the moon and she could hear the sirens in the distance getting closer and closer. She was about to run inside when she heard coughing coming from the exit. Diggle appeared in the doorway dragging Oliver behind him and he did not look good. It looked like he was fighting to stay conscious but was close to losing that battle.

Felicity immediately ran over as Diggle gently laid Oliver on the ground.

"Oliver, Oliver! Are you ok?" She kissed both cheeks and his forehead before taking a closer look.

He coughed and tried to take a deep breath but she could tell he was in a lot of pain and his left leg was covered in blood.

"My chest hurts…"

His chest looked fine so she lifted his shirt to get a better look and she gasped when she saw bruising that encompassed the left side of his chest and it didn't look like that side was moving when he was breathing.

"Diggle when the paramedics and fire trucks arrive send them right over here. GO!"

Diggle ran off immediately to hail over the approaching rescue workers.

"Stay with me Oliver just keep breathing."

"I love you Felicity I'm sorry….I…"

"Don't start talking like that Oliver your going to be fine just focus on my voice and don't give up."

His eyes started to flutter and he took another gasping breath and then his chest stopped rising and falling. She panicked and reached to check his pulse and she felt nothing. A sob escaped her throat as she was pulled away from him and the paramedics started to work on him.

"He has no pulse start compressions. Put that tourniquet on his leg tighter. It looks like he has a pneumothorax and probably internal bleeding we need to get him to the hospital ASAP."

They lifted him onto the stretcher and put him in the back of ambulance while continuing compressions and trying to get an IV line in him to give him medications. Felicity tried to get in but they said family only and the doors were closed. Everything went numb and as they sped away she realized they were driving away with Oliver dead in the back of their truck.