"Please tell me you're coming home."

"I am, Speedy, we all are," Oliver assured over the phone.

"How's Felicity?"

"Already planning a girls night with you-"

"Really."

"She really is," he said with a laugh. "But she's doing about as well as can be expected. She's being stronger than any of us-"

"Typical."

"She's stable, stable enough to transfer such a distance at least," Oliver told Thea. "But they're not sure about her spinal cord yet. The doctor said that they'd already talked to Lyla and once we touch down she's going to be transported to the hospital where a specialist will be waiting."

"I thought the damage was permanent no matter what? That Curtis' chip is the reason she could walk."

"It is," Oliver said. His voice broke with his next words, unable to hold it together. He was alone, so he didn't feel the need to hold up all his walls when it was just him and Thea on the other end of the phone. "They still don't know if the chip will work, if there's too much damage to vertebrae. There's still significant swelling. I-"

"Hey, she's going to be fine," Thea tried to assure. "She's Felicity...like you said, she's stronger than all of us."

"She really is…"

"Have you at least talked to her?" Thea asked. "Please tell me that you have instead of hiding in some room by yourself and taking on everything as your fault."

"We've talked...a lot actually," he said, calming a bit. He was thinking about everything that they'd talked about. That cheered him, even though he was still worried. "Things we probably should have talked about before."

"That's good. Really, good for both of you."

"How's Samantha and William doing? I'm sure that they must be wanting to figure out something," Oliver put out there, feeling the need to switch the subject.

"Sure, a little anxious. It's been nice getting to know William, though," Thea said. "And Samantha's sort of cool. We've been binge watching shows after William's been going to bed."

"Thank you for taking care of them, Speedy."

"You don't have to thank me."

"I know you wanted to stay here-"

"You were right, Ollie, and honestly...I'm glad I've gotten this time," Thea said. "I've got a lot of catching up to do to make sure that William knows that I'm his favorite aunt and all."

Laughing, he shook his head. "I'm sure you've already earned that title."

"Duh."

There was a knock and he looked over his shoulder. Diggle was standing there.

"It's time," Diggle said.

"Uh, Speedy...it's time for us to go. We're going to get on a plane. I'm not sure what time we touch down, but I'll call you as soon as we do, okay?"

"Okay."

"I love you, Thea."

"I love you, Ollie."

"You sure you're okay?" Oliver questioned nervously.

Felicity just smiled up at him. "Go sit down."

But his voice was serious and his chest was squeezing from the worry he felt for her. As glad as he was for them to be going home, he worried about her condition and what might happen in the future with it. There was so much uncertainty. "Felicity-"

"I'm fine," she whispered. "And I'll probably nap-"

"What about the pain?"

"Diggle has the pills."

Oliver looked over towards where Diggle and Curtis were already seated and strapped in. ARGUS meant that they were taking a military transport back to the ARGUS facility near Star City. Obviously Diggle had been listening because he held up a prescription bottle and shook it once. Oliver sighed and then looked back to her. "I-" And then the world fell away as Felicity pulled him to her, their lips meeting and never wanting to leave. In the back of his mind as her lips left his, their eyes still locked, all he could think about how he couldn't ever imagine his life without her. "I love you," he breathed. Suddenly, it was like weight had been lifted.

"I'll be fine, but you need to sit," Felicity told him. "And I love you."

He wanted so badly to be right there with her, holding her hand, being close enough to notice the slightest change in her. Oliver backed up and found a seat a few over from Diggle, but straight across from Felicity. It wasn't that he was worried that she wouldn't say something, it was more that he was just worried something else would happen...she was stable enough to be transported, but that wasn't the same as being released to go home. She'd be taken to another hospital to see a specialist.

Maybe it was because they didn't have answers.

Or an exact diagnosis.

He just wanted to know-

"You're make a face."

He looked over at her and blinked suddenly and then couldn't keep from smiling and letting out a laugh. Felicity was making a funny face right at him.

"We should probably all try to sleep," Diggle told them. "None of us have slept enough or right."

But Oliver didn't want to sleep.

He just wanted to watch Felicity.

Oliver was fairly sure that the only person who hadn't slept during the entire flight back towards Star City was Diggle. He'd been the one who had told them all that they needed to actually sleep...but he'd been awake the last Oliver had noticed before passing out and he'd still been awake when Oliver had woken back up. Curtis had been the first to fall asleep and he'd been babbling about Paul. Felicity had commented about how 'cute' he was talking about the man that he loved even if they weren't together. It hadn't been too long until Felicity had drifted off, Diggle had given her a pain pill not too long before, and all he could think was that he was so thankful for her to be able to sleep. And then...it must have been comforting enough for him so he must have fallen asleep right after.

"You needed it."

"So did she," Oliver said as he looked from Diggle to Felicity.

"Are you going to tell me what you two talked about before?"

"Why are you so curious?"

"I have a personal stake in your relationship."

Oliver smiled at that and looked back over at him. "Living vicariously through us?"

"More like trying to plan out whether or not I need to have another talk with you or not," Diggle told him. "Gives me time to plan out what I'm going to say."

"You make me sound so difficult and hopeless."

"You said it, not me."

Oliver laughed and shook his head at that.

"It's just the two of us-"

"Curtis is awake," Oliver said as he nodded towards Curtis' 'sleeping' form.

Silence.

"Seriously, you couldn't sleep for two more minutes?" Diggle complained as he looked towards Curtis' still form.

Curtis sighed and opened his eyes. "It's not my fault… I heard you guys talking-I mean, don't stop talking because of me. i'm completely trustworthy," Curtis started to ramble on. It was something that reminded him of Felicity and when the two of them were at it together, it was often adorable (because...Felicity) and annoying (mainly because he couldn't keep up with their technobabble). "I mean, something happened, right? You two talked and-"

Oliver just stared at Curtis.

"Okay, silent now. This is me. Quiet."

Now Diggle was staring at Curtis as well.

Silence.

Diggle looked back to Oliver now. "No chance now, right?"

Oliver actually wanted to tell someone what he and Felicity had talked about. Diggle was honestly the best person to talk to. He'd been there since before Felicity was even part of the team. He knew them both and he wanted them to both be happy. However, right that moment didn't seem like the right time...especially not with Curtis there and the possibility of Felicity waking up at any moment (though he didn't think Felicity would mind him confiding in Diggle, they both trusted and loved him). "Whatever Felicity and I talked about is something that can be discussed later...after we figure out what's going on with Felicity's spine…and then there's going to be a lot to do in Star City once we're actually there."

"Like mayoring?" Curtis put out there.

"That," Oliver said. "And then there's also figuring out things with Samantha so that I can hopefully see William more...if it's safe."

"You've missed so much, Man," Diggle said with a shake of his head. "My advice would be for you to do whatever you have to in order to make sure you and William both can be in each others' lives. You both deserve that."

"Also me," came a sleepy addition.

Oliver looked over and down at Felicity who was opening her eyes in that moment. She was also repositioning her glasses, which had moved. "Also you," Oliver told her.

"We also have to talk about everything we need to do with the Bunker once we get back," Felicity said.

"That can wait."

"Oliver-"

"It can wait."

They took her away and they couldn't follow, not right away at least.

"Johnny," Lyla had said in relief as she'd hugged her husband.

All Oliver could do was stare off in the direction that they'd taken Felicity. All he'd wanted to do was to be there right at her side the entire time. He wanted to be able to hold her hand, to tell her that he loved her, and that everything was going to be fine. He needed to know that no matter what they said...not matter if the chip worked or not...that he was always going to be there for her, that he'd always love her, and nothing was going to change between them.

"Let's get Curtis down to the lab while the doctors tend to Felicity, okay?"

He heard her words, but he couldn't bring himself to look right at Lyla. Worry was filling him and worst case scenario floated to the top of it all. Oliver felt like he was drowning, all the waiting and not knowing felt like it was going to kill him. How everyone else seemed to be calm about waiting around or doing something else boggled his mind. How was he even supposed to function?

"Oliver?" Diggle said.

Finally, he blinked as he felt his friend's hand on his shoulder and looked up at him. "I'm scared."

"I know," John responded quietly and yet matter of factly.

As Oliver stared through the hospital window, all he could think was that he'd been on the other side of that window far too many times as of late. He'd rather be the one in the hospital bed. Felicity was in there, though, looking just as she had at ARGUS but with far more lines and monitors hooked up to her.

"They're just waiting for our specialist to come back from going over the medical files and all the scans along with the exam he did already," Lyla said.

"Hopefully it won't be too much longer," Diggle added.

"You know, you can go in and see her."

"Where's Curtis?" Oliver asked them.

Lyla shook her head. "He's at ARGUS working on the implant for Felicity's spine. He's got access to every resource he might need. He's going to make it even better than before."

"As long as Felicity's spine will accept it."

"Did I miss something between you and Felicity?" Lyla asked.

"What?"

"You're acting even more guilt ridden, angsty, and overprotective than normal," Lyla pointed out. "Did you two decide to get back together or something?"

Suddenly Diggle and Lyla were staring at him. Oliver sighed and rubbed his face. "Something like that," he said.

"He won't tell me," Diggle told his wife.

"I'm starting to think it's something more serious, like they're engaged again," Lyla told Diggle.

"Oh, I was hope for that kind of news," John replied brightly. "They're both normally so much more cheery and less grumpy when they're actually embracing feelings and trusting one another."

"Learn from our mistakes, Oliver," Lyla said.

Oliver looked at them and gave them a little smile finally. "The engagement's back on."

"Yes!" Diggle cheered as quietly as possible and yet with probably too much excitement. "I ship it."

"What?"

"Something Curtis says."

"Go in and see your fiancee," Lyla practically pushed Oliver into the room.

Felicity was asleep though, which is why he hadn't felt so guilty standing outside of her room. Oliver moved to her bedside and took a seat in the chair he pulled up. "We're home...almost," Oliver told her. "Which I should call Thea and tell her...but I'll wait and do it in a few minutes." He leaned forward and took her hands into his. "She can wait. She'll have a million questions anyways."

"They're usually valid," Felicity mumbled as her eyes slowly opened and she slightly squeezed his hands.

She looked absolutely exhausted and out of it. Maybe it was just that every time he saw her in a hospital bed he thought back to the time that Felicity was first in the hospital about her spine and she tried to give him an 'out' in the engagement. "Maybe."

"Oh, always," Felicity countered with a weak smile.

"She's worried about you," Oliver explained. "I told her I'd give her updates-"

"And you haven't?"

"I told her that we were coming back to Star City."

"This is why I update Thea on things," Felicity teased lightly.

He smiled at that. "You know, you probably already know this, but you have always been the one person who makes me feel like I'm human. Here human, if that makes sense," he said as he squeezed her hands lightly. Oliver tried to think of how to make sense of his thoughts and feelings, he looked around and it came to him in that moment. "Before, I always felt like I was on the outside always looking in. Like I could see everything but I couldn't be apart of it, but with you...you changed that."

She smiled at that. "It's because of my charming personality."

Oliver could hear that she meant it jokingly, but the truth was she was right. "Even before I met you, I thought you were charming…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Felicity asked quietly.

This was something that he hadn't shared. It had been a moment. A moment between them that only he knew about. "In those five years I was gone, I came back to Starling City at one point," he explained quietly. "I was in Queen Consolidated after hours...and I saw you."

"Me?"

"You were talking to a picture of me," Oliver said. "And you made me smile...which didn't happen that often during that time. It was a bright moment."

Even though Felicity looked absolutely exhausted, she looked so happy in that moment. "I wish I could remember that exact moment…"

"You were wearing a white top with black polka dots."

"I like polka dots."

Oliver was about to reply, but the door opened behind him and instead he found himself turning to see who it was. He'd thought that perhaps it was going to be Diggle and Lyla, but it wasn't. It was the doctor, which made him feel ill and his head started to spin at all of the 'what ifs' and worst case scenarios that could fall out of the doctor's mouth.

"I'm sorry it took me so long, Ms. Smoak," the doctor started and then was immediately eyeing him. "This might be a conversation we should have in private?"

Felicity tightened her hold on Oliver though before speaking up. "Anything you have to say, you can say in front of Oliver."

"Okay." The doctor opened up a file folder and started to scan the page. "Now, I read your history. I understand that you sustained a permanent spinal injury at the end of 2015 that left you paralyzed from the waist down, but that you've been using experimental technology that has assisted you in walking on your own." He paused a moment and looked up at them. "Right now, I want to explain to you why I don't want you to reattempt the technology, at least not right now."

"Go on," Felicity said.

Oliver hadn't expected the chip to go right back in Felicity's spine. Curtis was still perfecting it and trying to improve it. Felicity also needed to heal.

"The injury that you recently sustained to your spinal cord was relieved by the surgery you had," the doctor went on. "That's all good, except that you're experiencing acute inflammation in your lower back. Inflammation is good in this case, even though it might not sound like it, it's our body's way of helping with the healing process. What I'm concerned about is watching the level of inflammation. It's fine if the acute inflammation lasts short term, but if it's around for any extended length of time then that's where we need to worry. Then we'd be dealing with chronic inflammation and that's pointing us into the direction of a whole lot of things that could be wrong and things that might not be able to be cured."

"So what do we do?" Oliver asked.

"We keep an eye on it. I'm going to give you a timeline," the doctor told Felicity. "And if you're still experiencing the same amount or more inflammation, I want you to contact me. It could be the sign of something more serious."

Now Felicity was the one asking questions. "What about physical therapy?"

"Not right now," he told her. "And I mean that. I really want you to limit your movement. Bedrest. Take the pain medication I'm going to send home with you and follow the home care instructions exactly." The doctor sounded extremely serious as he continued. "And I want you to call me if there's anything that seems wrong or off. Even if it's just a question. I'm on call twenty-four/seven."

One thing Oliver knew for sure was that Felicity wasn't going to be keen about bedrest order. To her, bedrest was a four letter word. She'd get bored, especially if she was supposed to be really resting. Sure, she could have her tablet, but she'd go stir crazy. He just hoped that the inflammation went down quickly and they could move forward.

"Are there any other questions?"

"When should I see you for a check up?" Felicity questioned.

"I'll have my office call and check up on you, we'll figure it out from your progress."

Felicity just nodded. "Thank you."

"Yes, thank you," Oliver spoke up then. Felicity still looked so ill, but he knew that she was likely screaming on the inside. He watched the doctor go and then looked back to her. She looked absolutely broken, though he knew that that wasn't possible. "Hey," he breathed and reached out to touch her face. Her eyes met his and he leaned in to press a quick kiss to her lips. "It's going to be okay."

"You're not the one on bedrest," she complained without any real energy into it.

"I'll be right there with you."

And then it was like she looked even sadder, which he hadn't thought was possible. "No," she whispered. She squeezed his hands and looked down at them for a moment before their eyes met once again, she had fire in hers. "No, Oliver...you need to do so many other things than being right there with me-"

"Felicity-"

"No, listen," Felicity told him firmly even though her voice broke. "You have Star City to take care of. They've been without a mayor. And then there's William." She paused and let out a sigh. "Figuring out how you can be a father is more important than entertaining me."

"But Felicity-"

"I'm serious, Oliver," she insisted. "You don't think I can command Curtis to keep me occupied? Thea will volunteer."

He felt guilty and his heart broke a bit.

"Do you remember when I first joined the team?"

"Yes," he whispered, a small smile forming. "It seems like a lifetime ago."

"It does," she confirmed. "I didn't understand then that you would always come for me. I remember the first time I realized that I wouldn't ever be left behind. It was a feeling that I wasn't used to. I was far too used to being someone who disappeared into the background, that was invisible, that no one would miss if I didn't show up the next day...but that changed when I met you and John. And I'll figure out the bedrest, but I know that you're going to be there...you're going to come home to me."

"Home?" he echoed, half surprised. After they'd broken off their engagement the last time he'd moved out and let Felicity have the loft. It hadn't really been his in the first place, it had been Thea's. The whole reason it had ever felt like home to him was because Thea had been there and then it had been just him and Felicity. Those two most important women in his life were the reasons that the loft had felt like home. That's why he hadn't wanted to stay there, why it had made sense to let Felicity keep the space. It wouldn't have been home to him all alone.

"Yeah," Felicity told him matter of factly. "If you're up for it. It's not going to be glamorous...it will likely require you to do things like...cooking...and pretty much every other single thing...because...bedrest."

He couldn't keep the bright smile off of his face in that moment. "I won't mind one bit."

"You have to be nice-"

"I'm always nice."

"I meant to like Curtis or whomever I enslave as my minion."

Oliver nodded. "Okay."

"Call Thea," Felicity told him. "Tell her that I'm coming home. Get an update on Samantha and William."

"Yes, Ma'am," he said, a smile not leaving his face as he leaned in for a quick kiss.

"Ma'am makes me sound so old," Felicity complained and then kissed him again.

"I could go with mistress," he teased before kissing her again.

"Yes, mistress just sounds like you're some creepy succubus who's my minion."

"I love you," he half laughed through another kiss before finally breaking away to leave her. It wasn't an easy thing to do, he'd much rather just stay there with her, but he knew she was right. Thea was likely going crazy waiting for him to call her. Calling Thea would also help him with Felicity because her sister could go to the loft and make sure that they had everything they needed. The wheelchair was at the bunker and even though the doctor wanted her on bedrest, it was something that they needed to have handy. There was also the whole part of making sure that there was food on hand.

As he left the room, he stared at her through the window for a moment.

His fiancee.

His beautiful Felicity.

Yet, he couldn't help the guilt he still felt.

And the fear.

TBC…