Chapter 20 The Long Road Back

Felicity
Seeing him lying on the bed hooked up to so many machines and looking so close to death almost brought her to her knees again. His skin was pale and he had scrapes and bruises all over his body. His eyes were closed and the tube down his throat scared her more than anything because that meant he wasn't breathing enough for himself.

She slowly made her way over to the chair next to the bed and sat down pushing through her fear. Hesitantly she took his hand in between hers and began to gently caress his hand with her thumb. He was warm and his skin was rough but still soft which gave her hope because that meant he was still him.

She watched as his chest slowly rose and then went back down. He didn't look like he was in pain which made her feel a little bit better but not much.

Slowly she stood up and leaned in to plant a kiss on his cheek. His beard tickled her lips as she made her way up to his ear and began to tell him things she should have said a long time ago.

Oliver
The Next Day
When he finally regained consciousness the first face he saw was Felicity's. She looked like she had been crying and that made him feel worse because he was most likely the cause of it. He realized immediately he had something down his throat and his first instinct was to pull it out but Felicity realized what he was doing fast and grabbed his hands and pulled them towards her chest. "Hey, hey it's ok. You're ok. I'm here."

He visibly relaxed but he still felt weird with this tube down his throat. "I'm so sorry for everything Oliver. This is all my fault. I love you and you are in here because of me."
He couldn't speak but he squeezed her hand and tried to look her in the eye to convey to her that he didn't blame her for any of this. He made the choice to try to save Malcolm and he would make it again.

"I'm going to go get the doctors and tell them you're awake."

It took them only a few minutes to come in and assess him. It seemed that the tube could come out but they had to run some blood work and few more tests. Felicity stayed by his side through it all and a couple of hours later they removed the tube from his throat. He felt pain immediately when he swallowed and he could barely speak. His whole body was in pain and he had some numbness and tingling in all his extremities. But he was able to move everything and he seemed neurologically intact according to the doctors, which was a miracle for someone who had technically been dead only 24 hours ago. He was able to answer all questions appropriately, his cranial nerves appeared to be intact and his motor functions were working as best as they could considering the circumstances.

He still had a chest tube in which was still draining a lot of blood but the doctors said that was normal. His left leg was in a cast and his right arm was in a sling because he had dislocated his shoulder along with everything else.

Through all the examinations and through all the explanations by the doctors Felicity was by his side. Listening closely and when needed asking questions. She gently held his hand and gave him reassuring smiles. He couldn't express how happy he was that she was the first face he saw when he woke up. Thea, Lyla and Diggle all came and saw him too but Felicity had stayed by his side through it all.

Diggle had also taken blood work from Lyla and Felicity and it appeared that whatever was in their system had passed. They would still keep an eye on both of them but for now it looked like they were back to normal. There was still a lot they had to talk about but for now Felicity said she wanted to focus on getting Oliver better. This didn't surprise Oliver at all Felicity was always putting other people's needs before her own. That was one of the things he loved most about her.

"So he will probably have to stay in the hospital for at least a week or two. We will probably transfer him out of the ICU after we get another MRI and CAT scan to make sure there is no more internal bleeding and more blood work so probably tomorrow or the day after that. He will have to go to intensive physical therapy after he leaves the hospital and will need to go to his PCP two weeks after discharge to make sure everything is ok. It will take him a while but he will most likely be able to get back to 100% within 5-6 months."

"I'm not really a hospital or doctor type person. I'm more of a stick a band-aide on it and fight through it type of person."

Felicity gave him a disapproving look but he couldn't help but smile back at her. She knew what they normally did when one of them got injured and she didn't want him hinting at it.

"Sorry. Ignore him he's just trying to act like a tough guy I will get him to the appointments whether he likes it or not."

"I bet you can. You seem like a really supportive wife." Oliver thought he might have heard wrong but the doctor definitely had said wife. He looked over at Felicity but she was still talking to the doctor. What the hell was going on?

"Well I have to go see another patient if either of you have any other questions please do not hesitate to ask. Oliver you are a lucky man not many people could have made it through what you did."

"Well I had a lot to live for." He looked right at Felicity as he said this and smiled.

The doctor turned to leave and both Oliver and Felicity thanked him for everything. When he was finally out the door and it closed behind him Oliver said, "wife?"

Felicity turned around blushing and said, "it was the only way they would have let me see you and I really didn't think it necessary to tell them the truth now."

He couldn't help but laugh and feel a rush of love flow through him. She smiled back and sat down in the chair next to him.

"So Mrs. Queen what's next?" He gave her a seductive smile which she gladly returned.

"Well Mr. Queen I would say we have a long road ahead of us but I know we will make it through in the end."

Oliver
6 months later
Oliver ran and ran and ran. He was going to be late. He couldn't be late. Everyone would kill him if he was late but his body was fighting back and not doing what he told it to.

It had been 6 months since the horrible incident with Malcolm but his left leg still hurt him from time to time and every so often his shoulder would pop out of place and when he really exerted himself his chest would hurt as it continued to heal. But because of the work he did he often had to push himself to the limit, which probably wasn't the best idea. Luckily he had no other lasting injuries. He never had any more internal bleeding and no spinal or severe brain injury. He stayed in the hospital for a week and then was discharged.

He had only went to physical therapy for a couple weeks and he only went to see his doctor once. This didn't make Felicity very happy but in the end she understood. She couldn't really judge him because she even didn't continue to go to her therapy sessions to talk about her brain washing and what had happened with Malcolm. She went to a couple but she felt more comfortable talking to Oliver or Lyla or Thea or Diggle. They were a family and this was just how they dealt with things, they understood each other and could share everything with each other, which she couldn't do with a doctor. They were better when they talked to each other and this was true in both Oliver and Felicity's cases.

While in the hospital the cops had come to ask him what had happened. They had only asked a few questions seeing that they didn't think he was really involved and Oliver just told them that he was running by when he saw the fire and tried to save the people inside. Satisfied with his answers they thanked him for his cooperation and called him a hero. They never knew that Felicity, Diggle and Lyla were there. They couldn't even identify any of the bodies, which was probably a good thing since Malcolm was already considered dead.

When he first told Thea about Malcolm she was in shock at first, not really talking to anyone. Eventually she was able to come to terms with it mostly with the help of Felicity. They really bonded during that time because she didn't want to be a burden to Oliver during his recovery.

Thinking about all they had been through he couldn't even believe how far they had come. He looked at his watch once again and saw he only had 15 minutes when Diggle's voice came over the comm. "Hey man where are you? We're all here. Please don't tell me you're going to be late."

"I'm on my way, I won't be late I promise. 5 minutes top. Do you have everything ready?"

"Of course I do. All we're waiting on is you."

With that he shot his grappling arrow and jumped off the building to swing down to the ground. He was only a block away now and he pushed his body to the limit. Everyone was counting on him to be there and he wouldn't let them down. Luckily since the Malcolm incident there hadn't been any big bad that they had to deal with but he knew that wouldn't last long. That was why this was the perfect time to do this.

He finally arrived and he bust through the back door where Diggle was waiting.

"It's about time man you really like to cut it close don't you."

"You know me to well."

He quickly changed and hid his gear in the closet. He straightened himself up with the help of Diggle.

"You ready?"

"I've never been more ready."