Notes:
Thank you so much for everyone's continued support, it means a lot.
You're human, solutions don't exist if you don't sketch designs You exercise to lessen all the stresses that affect your life
Sara
"Ok. I'm sorry. I've just been at this so long, I don't know which way is up. And Oliver's been gone for six days and…" She'd tried to tune the team out, more focused on her phone, and a sign of life from Anatoly. She knew the team still didn't think she'd been successful in doing what they had not been able to do themselves, finding Oliver. But she honestly didn't care. She'd also still left out the fact that she'd contacted the Bratva, and that Anatoly was in Star City. Sara didn't have the patience or mind space to deal with the shit storm that would surely come with that knowledge. She still wasn't happy about the fact that Thea had insisted to go with Roy and the fact that Arsenal had backed Speedy instead of her. Which she got, she really did, but still, it was a stupid move on Harper's part and not a rational one. She'd have to tell Ollie and have him beat that out of him, this wouldn't do for a leader; too dangerous if he let emotions cloud is judgment. Tactical choices made on emotion could get you killed. But she also didn't have the energy to argue not only with a Queen but Roy as well, so she'd let him take her, but she'd put her foot down with everyone else. And surprisingly enough won, it had been after Roy and Thea had left, that she figured out why the rest of the team hadn't argued too much. She'd been especially surprised about Laurel's lack of objection. It wasn't like her sister at all. But she hadn't been too mad about her uncharacteristic behavior, the last thing she'd felt like doing was arguing with her lawyer sister. She was too exhausted and unfocused for that. They'd still kept up their efforts looking for Oliver. They doubted the validity of the information she got and believed she'd sent Roy on a wild goose chase. She didn't mind, if it meant they did what she told them to and stayed back.
Several things happened almost exactly at the same time and Sara wouldn't be able to recall the exact frequence of events later on. Something she again blamed on her lack of sleep and frazzled nerves.
"And what?" Her mind was just registering the sound of the elevator doors opening and she was turning in that direction to see who would come here, until Felicity's questioning voice demanded her attention and had her stop in her tracks, which left her staying in a half-turned position for a moment letting all the commotion rush over her before she continued her original action and fully turned towards the elevator.
"Oliver? Oh, my god." Her focus was ripped from the elevator back to the platform Felicity worked from at the sudden movement of the woman jumping up from her chair and she watched her take several steps towards the end of the platform she was working on. Sara turned around the moment Felicity's words registered in her brain, and was halfway there by the time Ollie, Thea and Roy stepped out of the elevator.
"Ollie!" Ollie looked horrible and was in between his sister and friend, both of them helping him, it was obvious he was having trouble staying in an upwards position.
Sara was relieved and grateful to have him back and at the same time felt both like crying and throwing up looking at him, especially when she saw the look in his eyes. There was a bone deep exhaustion and defeat in it.
God, what had Prometheus done to him?
She slowed down and let them come a little closer to her before closing the distance between herself and Ollie, carefully lifting her hand to his cheek, softly stroking it, trying not to hurt him even more. Sara saw Laurel come closer out of the corner of her eyes but her sister stayed back, just like everyone else, giving her and Ollie space and she appreciated that.
"Sara." His voice was hoarse but somehow her name still sounded like a prayer, or maybe because of it. He shook both Roy and Thea off and stepped forward to close the distance between them, drawing her into a tight embrace that she returned in kind, biting her lip to keep from falling apart in his arms.
"Oliver?" She barely registered Dig's voice and the questions that were put into that one word, too focused on Ollie and the feeling of his arms around her, his hands at the back of her head and on her lower back, his warm breath against her neck, finally holding him in her arms again.
"Chase had me… And he said he would let me go, Roy and Thea showed up before I could find out if he was a man of his words." Sara could feel the pained groan and closed her eyes at his obvious agony. He slightly turned away from her in order to look at Dig while answering the unasked question of the former military man, taking several steps towards his team.
"Careful." Laurel almost spoke at the same time as Dig, she could hear the worried note in her sister's voice and easily picture the look she probably had on her face and the half-step she most likely took in their direction, yet, she wasn't willing to look away from Ollie to confirm her assumption.
"Go slow, man." She for once was in complete agreement with both of them and kept one of her arms around his waist, while carefully and softly putting her other hand on his chest, to keep him from moving too fast but also wanting to make sure she wouldn't hurt him, if his chest was wounded, which she suspected given the way he was holding himself.
"It's over." She closed her eyes in pain at the hollow sound of his voice, focusing on his chest and the faint beating of his heart underneath the leather and her hand. He was here. He was alive. He was here. He was home. He was safe. He was alive. She was repeating the mantra in her head, still processing his presence here. One of his hands found its way to her stomach, his thumb softly stroking it; Mila kicked in reply, and she was pretty sure their baby girl was doing somersaults in excitement at her father's presence. At least it felt like she was. Sara saw a soft smile and amused look flitter across Oliver's face for a moment, while his hand pressed against her stomach with a little more pressure as he was slowly moving it back and forth on it, letting her know he'd felt their daughter's excited movements as well, before it went back to the serious and pained one he'd been wearing since stepping out of the elevator.
"Oliver, we're gonna get this son of a bitch for whatever he did to you." Yes, yes, they would. And she wished she wasn't in the condition she was currently in and could actually be the one to avenge her husband. The demons under her skin were raging against their cage, screaming for Adrian's blood, thirsting for his pain. But she couldn't take part in it, she had to let Dig and Roy and Thea and Laurel handle it. She caught Roy's eye and made sure he understood what she was conveying to him. 'Make him pay, make him suffer. Make him scream.' She was granted the slightest nod from the Legends leader, it was enough for her to know that he had understood and was in agreement with her. Maybe she'd call Anatoly later, just to make sure, the Bratva would most definitely ensure Adrian was going to pay for what he did to their brother in the most painful way possible.
"John, it's…it…it…it is over for me. I don't want to do this anymore. I'm shutting everything down." Sara kept her focus on Oliver, taking note of every little detail, filing them away for the future, certain they'd be necessary when it came to addressing what had happened to him and handling him later. Everything she learned now, was something he didn't have to go over again later when he was rested and ready to talk about what had happened to him during his captivity.
"Oliver, what happened?" Dig took several steps towards them looking serious, concerned and confused about Ollie's declaration. And she couldn't even fault him for it. It was a rather unexpected turn of events, even if it wasn't coming as out of the blue to her as it seemed to Dig and, as a quick look around confirmed, the rest of the team. Were they really that oblivious to the issues they've been having with each other lately? It seemed like it.
"Yeah, maybe you want to sit down or maybe go to the hospital? And what did you mean by shutting this all down?" Her sister looked very worried about Ollie but there was also a disbelieving and slightly challenging, if not petulant, note underlying her voice, when requesting an explanation for his statement, Laurel made it very clear that she didn't like the turn this exchange had taken. At all.
"Laurel's right Oliver, I really think that you should be checked out by an actual doctor." Felicity sounded as concerned as she and Laurel looked and Sara got their standpoint, but she wasn't going to agree or disagree with them or take him to the hospital before she had actually seen the extend of his injuries and could then make an informed decision, once she knew how badly wounded he was and whether a doctor would be necessary. Depending on his wounds taking him to the hospital would cause more harm than good. And she'd like to avoid anything that could lead to the old 'Oliver Queen is the vigilante' discussion. They also hadn't spent the last few months avoiding going out in public together to just throw it out of the window now, unless Ollie told her he wanted to go to the hospital, then sure, she'd take him, no discussion. But she seriously doubted it. Chances were higher that pigs would fly. They both tried to avoid hospitals if at all possible. The only other reason why'd she take him would be if she deemed his injuries too serious to treat without a doctor.
"The only thing I need is for all of you to go home." Sara got what he meant and why he phrased it like this, but she strongly disagreed, the only thing he really needed was for the two of them to go home and for him to be properly taken care of.
"Oliver, we're not going anywhere." At another time she might have appreciated Dig's show of loyalty by his defiance and challenging Ollie on his decision, but not right now. This was the worst possible time to try and drag Ollie into an argument. She felt more of the Green Arrow's weight lean on her as time progressed. Worst possible time seriously!
"Not a suggestion John." She was glad about her husband's rebuttal and the authoritative tone he chose, hoping they'd get the hint and let him go, so he could get out of his suit, and she could look at his wounds and take proper care of them.
"Don't you think you at least owe us an explanation?" Sara turned towards Laurel in complete disbelief. Was her sister fucking serious right now? Ollie could barely stand, there was a hole in his leg, and he looked utterly exhausted. She sort of potentially got Dig or Felicity giving him push back right now, even though the younger woman had been surprisingly quiet so far, except for what had appeared to be a genuine display of concern for his wellbeing, but Laurel? Was she seriously expecting him to go into this right now? Did Laurel really believe anything constructive would come out of it at this moment in time? She loved her sister, she really did, but she could be so dense and oblivious at times and she was horrible when it came to reading Ollie. She should know better. Trying to rationalize with an exhausted Ollie had never been a good idea or led to anything productive, quiet the contrary actually. Most of the time it backfired spectacularly. Those were the moments he usually said shit he didn't mean to in a way that was anything but diplomatic.
"The explanation is simple. Chase is right. Everyone that is… ah… down here around me, they either suffer or they die." Sara watched Oliver bite his lip and shake his head while shortly closing his eyes. She saw him falter, his energy starting to wane and knew he wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer. She'd wait a little longer before she'd put an end to this and get him away from them.
"Oliver, I can't imagine what you've just been put through, but you have to know that Chase is wrong." It was interesting, to watch their dynamics, to see the way they were approaching Oliver in a situation like this, and it gave her a better understanding of some of the main issues they were having. They were trying to reason with him, to have a conversation, or argument at a point in time that it was hopeless. Everything was still too fresh, too raw, and he hadn't had time to process it yet. He wouldn't be making any rational choices now. But what nearly made her head explode was the fact that they'd all addressed the physical state he was in, they were all aware that he'd been in captivity for almost a week, which meant very little or no sleep and food at all, he was severely wounded given the way he held himself and moved, which was obvious to everyone and yet they were trying to have a discussion and conversation with him right now. When the only thing he needed was to get his wounds taken care of, something to drink and eat and some rest. He could barely stand, and they expected him to think clearly? To make a rational decision to go into this in full detail right now?
What the hell was wrong with them? She did hold her tongue though, letting Oliver handle it for now, if she got involved it would most likely only drag on even longer, and she wasn't in the right headspace for this conversation, or argument, either. None of them were, which is why no one should even try to have it now.
"I don't think that he is and I can't.. hmm… I wish you'd just go, please. Sara, I want to go home. Can we just go home?" He started off with his voice sounding strong while addressing his team, at least as strong as he could given its hoarse state, but it lost strengths towards the end until it wasn't much more than a broken whisper directed at her, while he was pulling her into another tight embrace. His whispered words nearly broke her; he sounded so lost. The last thing he needed right now was for her to be a crying mess. It was easy for her to notice just how difficult it was for her husband to stay upright, she was supporting a fair amount of his weight.
"Okay. C'mon let's get you changed." She had to swallow hard before replying, holding onto him until he was ready to let go, but only removed one arm from around him as before and used the other one to help him move towards the back of the Bunker, so that she could help him get out of his suit and into something more comfortable to head back home in. It took them a long time to reach the changing area. She helped him sit down on the bench and carefully pulled the zipper of his jacket down, making sure that she wouldn't hurt him if he was wounded underneath. The sight that greeted her as soon as his naked chest was revealed, made bile rise up her throat and tears distort her vision. Her breathing increased while her hands began to shake, and she had to force herself to stay calm. He was here. He was alive. He was home, and he was alive. She felt Oliver take hold of both of her hands with one of his each, lifting them to his lips and kissing them softly.
"I love you." She wrapped her fingers around them and held on tightly, looking him in the eyes and blinking back her tears, swallowing harshly, before returning the sentiment. They stayed like this for long moments, until she gently freed her hands from his and carefully pushed the fabric off of his shoulders and helped him get his arms out of it, only then noticing the deep cut in the palm of one of his hands. All the while trying not to aggravate his wounded shoulders any more than necessary.
"I'm sorry." The apology left her lips because she heard him suck in a breath every once in a while and see him wince in pain at her actions. She desperately tried to swallow the lump in her throat, unsuccessfully.
"It's okay, Pretty Bird." The way his voice sounded confirmed her suspicions the pain the inflicted wounds had caused, had made him scream… probably for hours. She closed her eyes for a moment, before furiously blinking away the tears that had gathered. Now was not the time to fall apart. Ollie needed her to keep it together right now.
"Can you stand on your own for a moment? So that I can take off your pants?" She looked at him questioningly and apologetic. There really was no other way, not unless she got help from Roy and she was pretty sure that was the last thing Ollie would want. To have anyone else see him this vulnerable. She was very aware of the hole in his leathers and probably his leg, she really, really needed to take care of that wound. It looked bad. But she also knew that it wasn't something that could be done quickly, it looked like an arrow wound and those were tricky, especially depending on the type of arrow that had been used.
"Yeah. Help me up?" He didn't look too sure, but it wouldn't take her that long, at least not once she got them away from his wound, fuck, that was going to hurt. She just needed to get them down to his knees and he could sit back down. They were too tight, and the leather too sticky given his sweaty and bloody state to even try to get them off while he was sitting without causing him even more pain. She knew that from experience.
"Of course." She held on to one of his arms and helped him up, she waited for a moment until he gave her the go ahead and she was sure he wasn't going to fall. She opened the button and zipper of his pants before kneeling down to carefully pull them down, making sure to not aggravate the injury on his leg any more than necessary, but some of the leather was pushed into the wound by what she assumed had been an arrow. Sara stopped for a moment, taking it in while considering the best course of action.
"Talia shot me." He must have noticed her mustering the wound and provided her with the necessary information she'd need to handle the injury. It also answered the question how Prometheus had been able to take him. So, arrow it was, but not just any arrow, a specially made League one, that was still stuck in his leg. Fuck! Taking the pants off would hurt no matter how careful she was. But she needed to take them off, for one to get a better look at it and because it would give the wound a chance to breathe, as would the loose sweatpants she planned to put on him until they were home and she could properly take care of the wound, by removing the arrowhead still inside, she used one of her knives to carefully cut a hole into the leather around his wound, not wanting to risk ripping it open even further, once that was done she put the knife back and carefully moved the pants down past his knees, mindful of the gaping hole in his pant leg and flesh, she could almost feel his pain when he sucked in his breath and hissed and it made the tears in her eyes spill over and run down her cheeks. The wound looked horrible and seriously needed to be taken care of. As soon as possible. She hoped she'd manage to keep her shit together to actually get it done without fainting or throwing up. Ollie needed her to take care of him, his wounds and especially his leg. She needed to make sure it wasn't infected and wouldn't get infected and there wasn't going to be any more damage than the arrow had caused going in and staying there for what looked like days. She knew she was fine right now because of the adrenaline cursing through her, something she hadn't had while taking care of his last wound, it hadn't been nearly bad enough to get her adrenaline pumping, it had been their equivalent to other people cutting their finger with a kitchen knife.
She was faced with their next problem once his pants were past his knees, she was still contemplating the best way for her to get up in a standing position on her own again, she couldn't reach the bench behind him from where she was kneeling, when Ollie held one of his hands out to her, so that he could help her get back up, he was holding on to the back of the bench behind him with the other. Sara took hold of his hand with one of hers, out of habit, and used the other one to push herself off of the floor. She was really looking forward to Mila no longer residing in her body and things like getting up from a kneeling position becoming simple tasks again instead of entire exercises. Sara wasn't sure how, but somehow, they managed to get her back up in a standing position right before Ollie nearly toppled over and she could help keep him from falling to the floor. The Canary was kicking herself for taking his offered hand, of course it would fuck with his balance and lead to aggravating his wounds. She helped ease him back onto the bench and let him draw her to him, so that she was standing between his open legs, his head resting against her round stomach. She put one hand on his shoulder and brushed the other one through his hair, willing to give him as much time as he needed before getting his regular clothes and getting him dressed.
"I'm sorry, Ollie. But you'll be more comfortable at home." She carefully detangled herself from him when she felt him nodding off, his head resting against her body became heavier as his hold on her was easing. He slowly and sluggishly moved his chest back and straightened, groaning in pain by the action.
"S'okay, Pretty Bird." His mental and physical exhaustion was very apparent by his pronunciation, understandably so… days of torture would do that to you. Him still being capable of helping her to get him changed and trying to hold up his end of the conversation, hell, the simple fact he wasn't passed out yet, was very impressive and testament to the unbelievable inner strength and determination her man had.
"Do you want me to take care of your wounds here or…" she started but never got to finish because Ollie interrupted her looking slightly up to catch her eyes.
"No, can we just go home?" She nodded, part of her grateful; they had more, better suited space and privacy at home, but the other part, the assassin in her knew his wounds needed to be taken care of as soon as possible. The longer the arrowhead stayed in his leg, the more difficult it would be to get it out and the more damage to his leg it could cause. But then again, it thankfully didn't look infected on first and second glance, and it seemed to have been in his leg for several days, so another thirty minutes probably weren't going to make much of a difference. She triple checked the wound just to be sure that it really wasn't infected, from what she could see, and that there were also no signs of sepsis.
"Yeah." She agreed once she was sure he was not fatally wounded and every second mattered. She moved away to get some of the spare clothes she knew he kept here after running her hand through his hair and softly kissing his very dry lips.
"I'm sorry, Sara." The broken sound of his voice had her turn around towards him, clothes in her arms, and look at him confused at the words he spoke. Why would he be sorry? There was no reason for him to apologize to her, at least as far as she knew. She walked back to him and kneeled down again to untie his boots, so she could take his pants all the way off.
"What for?" she looked up from untying his shoe, bewildered. She slowly and carefully removed his shoes and pants and started to redress him in a pair of boxer shorts and sweats he kept at the bunker.
"Sweater or zip up hoodie?" She addressed him, he could better decide which piece of clothing was the less painful choice, the zip-up hoodie would be easier to get on and off him, but chances were the zipper would chafe against his chest wounds and aggravate them further causing him more pain. Yet, having him lift his arms to put the sweater on would aggravate his shoulders.
"You spent the last few days down here because of me. Zip-up hoodie. Lifting my arms hurts." Ollie slowly and carefully stood up again, so she could pull the pants all the way up. Staying in her kneeling position for now, he lowered his body back onto the bench as soon as they were all the way up. Looking at her apologetically and with so much guilt.
"Don't be silly. It wasn't your fault, and someone needed to make sure they were going to find you. Besides, I take here over an A.R.G.U.S. safe house anytime of the day. What happened wasn't your fault, Ollie." She softly touched his face, making sure he knew she meant it and that she didn't blame him. Sara decided to leave his feet bare, knowing he preferred it and also because she was pretty certain his feet were swollen, and that meant she'd probably struggle while putting some shoes on, which would cause him more pain and it would probably be uncomfortable if not painful, and she knew what she was talking about, she was dealing with swollen feet on the regular right now. Plus, he'd been wearing his boots for more than six days straight, and she could only imagine how uncomfortable that would've been and how much his feet needed to breathe and be free from the confines.
Ollie once again helped her back up from her place on the floor. This time was easier, given his sitting position. She helped him put the hoodie on and get him off the bench once she was back on her feet, and they slowly walked back to the main area.
"Do you mind driving us home?" Her quiet question was addressed to Roy, who seemed to have read her mind, speaking almost at the exact time as she had.
"How about I take you guys' home?" She softly and gratefully smiled at him before he took hold of Oliver's other side. Thea following in step, already holding on to her and Ollie's stuff, pushing the elevator button and holding the doors open for them. The four of them got into the elevator and proceeded towards Ollie's car.
Roy helped her get Ollie into the backseat, where she joined him. He was resting with his head in her lap. She was softly stroking his hair, fighting her tears yet again. She barely registered Thea and Roy getting into the car and Roy driving off. Ollie had dozed off during the drive and it had nearly broken her heart to wake him up, but she needed to take care of his wounds and the position he was lying in looked anything but comfortable, especially given his size and bulk, he'd be a lot more comfortable in their bed, where he could stretch and lie on his back.
Once at home, Roy helped her get Ollie to their bedroom and onto the bed while Thea went ahead and got their first aid kit from the bathroom.
"I figured you'd need it. Is there anything else we can do for you?" Speedy stepped back once she handed it to her, giving them some space and privacy, but it was very easy for Sara to detect her reluctance to leave her big brother alone in his current state.
"Could you maybe make him some tea? There's a blue ceramic can with flowers on it. It's one teaspoon of tea for one cup. You'll have to brew it for nine minutes. And could you bring the bottle of vodka from the dining room? Thank you. And honestly, I wouldn't mind some food. The takeout menus are in the kitchen drawer next to the fridge. Why don't you guys pick something, and we'll eat once it arrives and you can just crash here afterwards, so you don't have to drive all the way back to your place, Speedy." She wanted to make sure Thea felt useful and knew that she was more than welcome to spend the night here. She would never kick Ollie's sister out while she was obviously just as worried about him as she herself was and didn't want to leave him alone.
"Yeah, sure, sounds good. I can do that. Anything in particular you or my niece are craving?" Thea threw her a relieved and grateful smile, which she returned with one of her own.
"No, just nothing with any type of seafood. The smell alone makes me sick." There was more, but she didn't feel like going down the list and couldn't really recall. But anything that lived in water was a sure way to get her to barf right now.
"Ollie, anything in particular you'd like?" She watched Thea turn to Ollie; it was a sweet if pointless action. He probably couldn't say what he would even be able to stomach after six days in captivity. But she kept her mouth shut. Not wanting to risk upsetting Thea, which would in turn upset Ollie. There was no need for that.
"No, anything's fine." She hoped Thea would make sure it was nothing too heavy, but she didn't want to tell her what to get him, but she was pretty sure he hadn't eaten since he's been taken, he had noticeably lost weight and anything too heavy would probably make him sick. They should still have some Ramen, just in case. She waited for Thea and Roy to leave the room and until they heard them in the kitchen before turning towards Ollie again.
"I have to remove the arrowhead from your leg." This was going to be a bloody mess; she was sure of it.
"I know. Just be gentle with me." He threw her a smirk. At least he tried to, it looked rather pained, but it was the effort that counted given the circumstances. And the juxtaposition because gentle wasn't usually their style. Well… it had been more so lately. She blamed it on Mila, and she was sure they'd be back to the usual once their daughter was born. Ollie was just very mindful of her presence, well, they both were. And neither was willing to take any unnecessary risks.
"Roy?! Could you bring me some towels from the bathroom?" She called for their friend after considering what the best course of action would be and putting towels under his leg seemed like a better option than needing to change the sheets afterwards. Especially since she was pretty sure he'd probably be unconscious; this was going to hurt like hell. Hence, Anatoly's Vodka. The fact he probably hadn't eaten in days was in their favor in that department now.
"You sure you're up to this, Pretty Bird?" His concerned look almost did her in again. He was the one hurt all over with potentially life-threatening wounds, yet here he was worried about her.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Besides, I don't think there's anyone else around who has experience with arrow wounds, or enough of it to know how to remove one of the League's specially made arrows." And she knew how to. She'd been trained in this. She knew exactly how to proceed and what to look out for and how to stop the bleeding. How to make sure she wouldn't cause more damage to his leg and the best way to get the head out.
It wasn't long before Roy came back with both the bottle of vodka and the towels.
"How about I assist you?" She looked at Roy at his offer and then at Ollie to check with him. He was the one in a vulnerable position and it was up to him if he was alright with Roy seeing him like this or not. It would be helpful to have him here, even if only to hold Ollie down. But she'd be able to do it on her own. She was considering tying him up for a moment, but unsure how he'd feel about that after having been chained up for days, the chafe marks on his wrists were a bloody mess, surrounded by the colors of the rainbow underneath and she was sure anything she'd use to tie him to the bed would aggravate those and cause him more pain and damage. And that was the last thing she wanted to do; it couldn't be avoided getting the arrowhead out of his thigh, but there was no need to add to it. She might have him take his zip up hoodie off or open it, in addition to his pants, just so Roy could see where his wounds on his chest were and where he could plant his hands to keep him still. Fuck. This was going to be a challenge, but she knew bringing up the option of giving him something to completely knock him out wasn't worth the breath it took, knowing full well that he'd be against it. And she understood it from his perspective. Hell, she'd be the same way, but it would make this easier for her and Roy. If she was lucky and her assessment was right, he'd probably succumb to the sleep of the unconscious before she'd get to the point of actually removing the arrow. He was severely sleep deprived, starved, wounded from days of torture and completely mentally and physically exhausted. She didn't expect him to hold on and win against his body's demand for oblivion, given the pain for too long after all of that. But then again, Ollie had an extremely high tolerance for pain and a tendency to surprise her. She hoped for all their sakes he'd be able to give in to the darkness early on and wouldn't fight it too hard, knowing he was in a safe environment.
Ollie gave her a small nod to let her know it was alright for Roy to stay and help her.
Sara took her time selecting the items she would need to perform the surgery. One because it had been a while since she'd last done anything comparable. And two, because she needed to be sure she'd get everything right, that she wouldn't make a mistake, that she wouldn't cause irreparable damage to his leg. And three because she needed to distance herself from the situation. She needed to push the worry and love and every other emotion to the back of her mind and hand the reins over to the assassin inside of her. The part of her that was cold, detached, calculating and methodical. It was the only way she was going to get through this. She also mentally tried to distance herself from her daughter, tried to fool her body into believing she was not carrying a child inside of her, because she couldn't afford the hormones messing this up, couldn't afford to get sick or pass out at any time during the surgery, he'd bleed out and die if she did. It was a lot of pressure. But she trusted her knowledge of what she could and had done before more than she would a stranger in a hospital. So, there was no other option. She'd puke or pass out once the wound was nicely sewed up.
Once everything she needed was selected, prepared and placed within her reach, Ollie's pants and hoodie taken off, with very little protest on his side and a lot of help on Roy's she walked up beside the bed until she was right next to his head. Sara softly kissed his lips, putting all of her love into it before straightening again, and handing him the bottle of vodka that Roy had placed on the nightstand.
"Drink up." Sara waited until Oliver set the bottle back on the nightstand before motioning to Roy to hold Ollie down. She spared one last glance at Ollie's face before focusing on the task at hand. Getting the arrowhead out.
Notes:
I hope it made sense and the changes I made to the conversations don't feel out of character. I'm not sure about the lines I stole from Curtis and gave to Laurel, part of me feels they fit Laurel the other part of me feels unsure, but it is what it is... let me know what you guys think.
I hope I captured Sara and her state of mind believably here.
Anyone else noticed how Oliver's team always picked the worst possible moments to try and rationalize with him? And then they were pissed and surprised that he wasn't listening to them or open for the conversation. Don't try to have a rational conversation with someone if they are A: wounded, B: under shock, C: completly exhausted, D: on emotional overload.
Chapter title is still from the song "Just A Man" by Tom MacDonald.
Any feedback would be appreciated, it's the only thing that lets me know whether or not anyone is still reading this story, if people like or don't like a chapter and it would just be really nice to know how many people are actually still invested in this story...