Heart Hypnotic by LandJrule
Words: 15, 272
Published: 22/08/2013 (Australian East Coast Time)
Pairing: Oliver/Felicity
Characters: Oliver, Felicity, Diggle, Detective Lance. And the rest are my own creations.
Season/Episode: Set well after Season 1 — like probably more around if the show reaches Season 4.
Synopsis: You got my heart hypnotic, & no letting go. The usual case turns into one giant nightmare for Oliver — with the suspect willing to kill anyone who threatens to expose his dirty secret. Not even his men are safe. With their leads both killed, Oliver doesn’t expect what comes next. Someone he loves will be hurt.
Rating: M (swearing/coarse language, sex scenes)
Author’s Note: Okay, so this story came to me over 2 weeks ago. Pretty much within a few hours of me publishing my first Arrow fic (titled That’s Your Honesty— which can be found here & will soon be up on this site). I was watching an Australian drama TV show, Offspring — which I give full credit for this. One of their leads was killed off that week, and it was devastating (he was really handsome and there’s lots of reasons why he shouldn’t have died).
I was in an emotionally terrible place that night (regretting watching a new Arrow before Offspring — I really needed the comfort), & well the writer in me seeks comfort through writing. And so this story was formed — taking the plot from Offspring, and giving it to the characters in Arrow. (There’s two differences in mine — one being who it happens to (it was a guy in Offspring), and the other…. well, if I told you now it’d ruin the ending of this.)
I warn you now — it’s very sad. I cried so many times writing it. I think it’s why I took a fortnight to write it — I kept leaving it because it got too much. But I shouldn’t complain — I think that getting so emotional just proves how high the stakes are for the characters, and that in writing it, I’m expressing the emotions correctly. And it really did help me cope after watching Offspring.
I also want to give credit to a song. I even named this fic after it. It’s Heart Hypnotic by Delta Goodrem. If you don’t know it, listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viLRe3qN57s
I named the piece after that song because I keep singing that song. It really is a great song. And it fitted with the Olicity pairing. …. okay, and I later figured out that it also relates to what happens in the story. And I wasn’t originally going to put the song in the story, but I read another Arrow/Olicity fic that had one of my favourite songs in it and I was listening to the song a few days later and, well… it kinda grew on me how good it’d be to include the song.
I’ve got a little more to say about this piece, but it’s about the end scene. So I’ll have another Author’s Note sitting at the end for you.
Disclaimer: just the usual I don’t own it stuff.
—————————————————————–
I rush in, barely stopping myself from running, to the emergency room full of waiting patients.
“Can I… Can I…” I stammer, my voice broken by the shock of this situation. Then it comes out, unexpectedly, in a shout, “HELP!”
Everyone in the room, be them patients or Nurses, all stare at me. Two Nurses briskly walk towards me, but my eyes drift down. Down to the young blonde woman in my arms.
The sweet, cute, babbling I.T. woman.
The unconscious and barely-clinging-to-life I.T. woman that is Felicity Smoak.
“Hang on, Felicity. Hang on.”
*****
Two Weeks Earlier
“OLIVER!” Her voice booms across the open space that is my lair. No, not lair. Arrowcave. That’s what she calls it.
I drop my Eskrima rattan sticks to my side, and turn to her as I pant. I stare fiercely at her, and snap, “What?”
She jumps in fright, and then nervously pushes her glasses up. “Don’t you think you should ease up a bit? I mean… you’re training pretty hard.”
“The men I fight don’t go easy,” I reply, turning back to my Wing Chun dummy as I raise my sticks, ready to continue my training.
“I wasn’t saying go easy when you’re out there.”
I sigh, lowering my sticks as I turn back to her.
“You’re pushing yourself quite hard, and all you’re doing is hitting a padded pole with two sticks.”
I bite back the urge to correct her use of ‘padded pole’ and ‘two sticks’. Mainly because I can’t blame her for not knowing the correct names for them.
“You’re going to tire yourself out, and then what happens if you have to go out tonight?” She continues, snapping me from my thoughts. “What if you have to fight more men but you’ve spent all your energy here, in training?”
I cross the room to her, stopping so close I’m staring down at her. One thing I have over her is I can easily intimidate her purely with my height and larger frame. She looks up at me, eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights, and those luscious bright pink lips part slightly as she leans her upper body back – I have to force myself not to smile in satisfaction at the fact that she’s put off by my physical intimidation. She’s known my secret for almost four years now – and she continues to surprise me at how easily intimidated she can still be with me. I keep her eyes focused on mine, wanting to see how long she can last before folding.
However, it’s not she that breaks it. No, it’s me. I can’t help but crack a smile and chuckle, unable to taunt her any longer. “God, Flick. You need to be less easily intimidated by me.”
She sighs, her body language relaxing. “I… It would be easier to do so if you’d quit being so intimidating. You’re not helping.”
I hook an arm around her waist, and pull her flush against me. A faint smile flashes over her lips. I lean down and kiss her.
“You’re just too easy, Flick. You fall for that every time.”
“Maybe I like it,” she whispers.
I smile, turning it into another kiss. And she kisses me back. We’ve been together for almost a year now. But we’ve been keeping it a secret. Not that we don’t want to share it with anyone, it’s more we’re both worried that she could be harmed in order to get to the Green Arrow. Not that anyone in Starling City knows that I’m the Green Arrow… But we keep it secret just in case. Even though the identity of the Green Arrow remains a mystery for most people, there are still threats out there – threats who know my secret. Like Helena Bertinelli. I think Helena’s the reason why I’ve been so reluctant to tell anyone about me and Felicity. Helena’s already attacked Felicity once, nearly four years ago now, and I can’t help but feel like she’d do it again.
Felicity moans into my mouth, snapping me from my thoughts. I lift her up with ease, and she instantly wraps her legs around me. I keep my arms wrapped around her waist as I turn, still kissing her, and walk towards our hidden room tucked away in the corner of the large space. Felicity had been studying the layout of the building just after we got together, and had discovered, by chance, a medium sized room on the layout coming off this main room. I’d told her she was wrong – there was no room – but her stubbornness led her to prove to me she was right. And she was – at some point the door had been covered up by some metal work, and I hadn’t noticed it. We’ve since used it as our little hide-away, a room for us to make love without anyone knowing. Felicity’s since improved the way its entrance has been hidden from view. So far, Diggle’s unaware of its existence. At least as far as we know.
The first time we’d made love in there we used one of the blankets we keep in the Arrowcave, usually for use if one of us, more often than not me, gets injured. Felicity had been okay with that arrangement for that one time –since we’d been so spontaneous, she said – but had demanded that we get something more ‘permanent and proper’ (her words, not mine) for next time. It was a bit of a hassle getting it past Diggle without him seeing it. But I eventually did – and surprised Felicity with a fully furnished little love room.
I carry her over to the bed, and lay her down. I love the way she digs her fingers into my back every time we make love. I love everything about her. Afterwards I flip us, letting her lay on top of me. She places her head down, the top of her head under my chin. I wrap her golden hair around my finger, smiling as I remember her stating that she dyes it.
“I never want to lose you, Flick.”
“And I you, Ollie.”
I kiss the top of her head. She starts tracing patterns with her finger over my left bicep.
“What are you thinking about?”
“How incredibly well-toned you are.”
I smile, letting out a chuckle. “You’ve known that ever since we met.”
She lifts her head up, and stares at me. “Yeah, well, that still doesn’t mean I can’t think about it whenever I want.”
I draw her closer in, claiming her lips in another kiss. I push my hips up, pushing deeper inside her, and she moans right into my mouth.
“I want you so much right now,” she mutters.
I smile, and open my mouth to respond, when –
“Oliver?” Diggle’s voice echoes in from the main room.
“Fuck,” I mutter.
“Oh… My… God!” (she elongates the last word)
In all the time that we’ve been together, Diggle’s never come to the Arrowcave when we’ve been in here. We both get up, and quickly start getting dressed.
“What are we going to do?” She asks.
“He’s looking for me, so I’ll go out there.”
“And?” She asks, buttoning up her blouse. “What am I meant to do?”
I step over to her, gently cupping her face with my right hand. “Figure out how to make it look like you’re only just arriving.”
“Easier said than done with an ex military man out there who has the knack of noticing small things.”
I smile. “He hasn’t noticed we’re dating.”
“Oliver!” We hear Diggle call.
“I should get out there.”
“You should.”
We kiss, and I let myself start to deepen it.
“Oliver, are you here?”
I break the kiss. “Oh, for Fuck’s sake.”
“Go.”
I lay a kiss on her forehead, and then turn for the door. I pause at the door, and look back at her. She smiles, and then waves her hand to encourage me out. I open the door, thankful of the metal wall that hides the door from view.
“Oliver?”
“Yes, Diggs,” I reply, as I step around the wall.
Diggle’s half sitting on the corner of Felicity’s desk. “Where were you? I’ve been calling your name.”
“Just doing some training.”
“Training?”
And there it is. That look he gives me whenever he believes I’m lying to him. So I respond with a raised eyebrow and my fake smile. “Yes, training.”
“Right.”
He’s still not convinced. And then we hear a door shut. A moment later Felicity’s walking over, head held high. She’s managed to not only slip out of our secret room, but get across the other side of the room without Diggle noticing. And I have to try extremely hard not to smile.
“Hello, Diggle.” She cheerily says.
“Hello Felicity,” Diggle responds.
She then looks at me. And, with her usual hello nod to me, says, “Oliver.”
“Felicity,” I reply, giving her my fake smile.
I watch as she starts to smile – she knows I’m faking – only to catch herself, and she turns her attention to her monitors. And in doing so, she turns her back to me – revealing that her blouse isn’t tucked in at the back. I press my lips firmly together.
“Just got up, Felicity?” I ask.
She whips around to look at me, a surprised look on her face. “What?”
I cross and stand inches behind her, just far enough apart to appear like we’re just friends. I then, in as neutral tone as I can, say, “Duck’s Tail.”
She frowns in confusion, taking a moment to realize what I meant.
“Oh,” She mutters. She quickly tucks her blouse in. “I spilt coffee on myself earlier. I’ve just been home to… uh… to change my top.”
Diggle chuckles. I look at him, eyebrow raised. He’s smiling, shaking his head as he looks downwards.
“Diggs?” I ask. “Something funny?”
“Just admit it already.”
“Diggs?”
He looks at me. “You two are the worse pair of liars I know.”
“What are you on about?”
“For God’s sake, Oliver! You two are dating.”
Both Felicity and I act surprised.
“What? No.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Diggle,” Felicity adds.
This just makes him smile more. “For a while now I’ve seen the looks you keep giving each other, the sneaking around that you two do. When you don’t think I’m watching,” he says. “I spend too much time around you two not to notice when you change your behavior.”
Felicity looks at me, and I know she’s waiting for me to take the lead. I sigh, and look at Diggs. “Okay, we are.”
“I think it’s great you two finally got your act together.”
“Really?” I raise an eyebrow.
“Yeah. About time too, you know.”
I cross my arms. “What’s that meant to mean?”
“There’s been chemistry between you two right from the beginning. You –” He points at me. “You were too set on making amends with Laurel in the beginning to take much notice of what’s been in front of you the entire time. And you,” he looks at Felicity. “I’m still not too sure what you were thinking back then.”
Felicity meekly smiles. “I… I found him very pleasing on the eye. But, really, who wouldn’t? With his good looks and his reputation…”
I raise an eyebrow. “A pre-island reputation,” I correct her.
She meekly smiles at me. “The point is, I really didn’t think it was anything beyond mere attraction to a handsome guy.”
I raise an eyebrow at her. “And when did you change your mind?”
She tilts her head to the side as she considers her response. She smiles, before saying, “That’s for just me to know.”
“Flicka!”
She scrunches up her face in protest, hitting my arm. “Don’t call me that!”
Smiling, I step closer. I hunch slightly, bringing my lips down to her ear, and whisper, “Admit that you secretly love being called that.”
“Never ever ever, Queenie.”
I pull back to look at her, and find that she’s grinning. I shake my head. “Un-fucking-believable.”
“Don’t deny it, you love it when I tease you.”
*****
Three days later, I walk into the Arrowcave to find Diggle and Felicity staring at one of her monitors.
“What’s—”
“Shh!” Felicity interjects. “Come look.”
I cross and stand beside Felicity, placing a hand on her lower back. The monitor they’re watching has a news report on – an apartment fire, now extinguished, and they’re reporting that a body had been found. We watch until the report is over, and Felicity turns off the speakers. I look at Diggle, one eyebrow raised in a silent question.
“Felicity tracked down a man named…” He looks at her.
“Dmitri Romanov,” Felicity added, knowing Diggle had forgotten the name. She looks at me. “I’ve been searching for a way of getting us into the circle we need to bring Alistair Drake-Osborne to justice. And my digging led me to Romanov.”
“And how does the news report connect with that?”
“Oliver, don’t you see?”
I frown, crossing my arms. “Would I ask if I did?”
“I tracked down Romanov’s address, and we were planning on telling you when you arrived, but…” She sighs. “I’m always monitoring the emergency lines, keeping an eye out for any heads up on anything bad going down. And just as we were discussing Romanov’s address… a warning popped up about a fire.” She nervously pushes her glasses further up her nose. “Oliver… that building… it’s… his place.”
I close my eyes, understanding what she means. “So the body’s Romanov.”
I open my eyes to see her nodding.
“I believe so. I mean, we won’t know for sure until they identify the remains, but… yes. Romanov’s dead.”
I turn, and bend over as I grab the edge of the table firmly with both hands. It’s the only thing I can do from stopping myself from lashing out. “Is there any evidence suggesting Drake-Osborne had anything to do with it?”
“Uh… I haven’t been able to get into the police files on it yet, but… there’s a chance this wasn’t accidental.”
I look at her. “How much of a chance?”
“Oliver?” Her voice is shaky, like she knows what I’m building to.
“Just answer it, Flick.”
She swallows, then licks her bottom lip, before finally responding. “I’d say in the 50 to 80 percent range.”
“Right,” I straighten up, letting go of the table. I cross to the display cabinet containing my Green Arrow outfit, bow and quiver. I’d rather they be kept in my green chest, like they had been to start off with. Following the Undertaking, Felicity had spruced this room up – and the cabinet is one of her changes. She wanted to show it off, while I thought it was ridiculous. But she’d won in the end. I open the cabinet, and pull the leather pants out. “I think it’s time Alistair Drake-Osborne had a little friendly chat with the Green Arrow.”
“Oliver.”
I turn to look at her. “He’s killed enough people already, Felicity. I’m not going to let him take more lives.”
She crosses to me, and I see her nervousness. Even after this long working together, she still doesn’t always see eye to eye.
“Just… please don’t kill him.”
I look at her sternly, and she flinches.
“I mean, don’t go in there with the intention of killing him. Okay, if it comes down to it and there’s no other way, like if he’s coming at you with the intention of killing you, and its either you or him that dies… yes, kill him. But otherwise… just scare him. Which, knowing you, isn’t all that hard for you to do. You continue to intimidate me every day, and I’ve known you for four years.” She realizes she’s babbling. “Just make him aware he needs to stop what he’s doing. At least give the police time to get him.”
I place a hand on the back of her head, and pull her in. I kiss her forehead. “I know. I’ll try not to.”
“I’ll understand if he tries to kill you, and you kill him in self defense.”
I look down at her and smile. “Where would I be without my blonde conscience?”
She smiles, placing a hand on my arm that’s still holding her. “You’d still be on that island.”
I get what she means by that – I’d be emotionally still on that island, living here in Starling City as a vigilante rather than a hero (there’s a difference, she says).
“Just… be careful.”
I smile, and plant another kiss on her forehead. “I can’t promise I won’t come back sporting injuries.”
She smiles. “You do, I’ll kick your ass.”
I smile, chucking. “Maybe I will just to see you try and kick my ass.”
She cocks an eyebrow. “Are you challenging me?”
“I’m merely stating that I don’t think you’d be able to kick my ass.”
She leans in, standing on tip-toes to put her lips near my ear. She then whispers, “In a fight, I might not be able to beat you. But I have other ways of kicking your ass.”
“And what would that be?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” she playfully whispers. “A place that’s three letters long, starts with ‘b’…”
She steps back, and smirks as I look shocked by her comment.
“Sneaky little witch.”
“Oh, shoosh, you love it.” She says, batting my comment off. “Now… get that green leather on and get going.”
*****
“Fuck!” I growl, slapping her hand away.
She instantly slaps my hand in return. “Stop being such a cry baby,” she chides, putting the swab back in contact with the cut on the right side of my forehead.
So my meeting with Alistair Drake-Osborne hadn’t gone so well. It had started out quite well – his bodyguards were easy to disarm and knock unconscious. Drake-Osborne had been intimidated by me at first, and had blabbed to me things I wasn’t expecting him to be so straight-forward with. And then he fought back. Clearly the blabbing was to distract me. Or maybe he blabbed because he thought he’d be able to kill me and therefore all that information would continue to be a secret. Either way he underestimated by abilities, and I fought back pretty hard. And I walked away with a few cuts and bruises, far better off than he did. I left him lying on the floor, his nose bleeding while he was unconscious. And there’s no doubt I’d broken his right arm too.
When I entered the Arrowcave, Felicity and Diggle were sparring. I’d kept my hood up the entire way back, so they didn’t see any of my injuries at first. Felicity had welcomed me with a kiss, ignoring my hood. I’d barely noticed my wounded face until I’d groaned as she kissed me. Surprised, she leant back and pushed my hood back – and gasped. That’s when she pointed them out to me. And being Felicity, she insisted on treating my cuts. She bullied me into sitting on the metal gurney, so she could reach my face. And damn her, she was doing a fine job at hurting me in the process.
“You’re meant to be helping me, not inflicting more pain.”
She leans in closer so our faces are inches apart. “What’s that saying again?” She asks. “No pain… no gain?”
I glare at her. “Been there… done that.” I reply. “Multiple times.”
She straightens, and continues to treat my wound. “Then you should be able to suck it up then.”
“You done yet?”
“Nope.”
I growl.
“Well if you weren’t moving so much, I’d have it done by now.”
Most of them are grazes, which barely needed medical attention. The worst is the cut she’s treating – it’s deep enough to be bleeding a fair bit. She’d remarked at how amazed that I hadn’t noticed it concerning the blood was trickling down almost directly into my right eye.
She tapes down a gauze over it – making sure to push rather too firmly on it as she held it in place. I let out a low growl, glaring at her.
“Cry baby,” she mutters.
I wrap my hand around her wrist, causing her to jump in fright. Her eyes drop to stare into mine, and I see that she’s scared.
“You done?” I ask, as nicely as I can.
She nods, “Mmm-hmmm.”
I let go of her wrist, simultaneously hooking my other arm around her waist. I pull her flush against me, and press my lips against hers. “Thank you,” I tell her. “Though the taunts were unnecessary.”
“Next time come back without needing me to play doctor.”
Diggle lets out a loud cough, and Felicity jumps backwards causing me to let go of her.
“Should I go and leave you two to be cozy?” Diggle asks.
“No,” I reply, though a small part of me wants him to go.
He smiles. “You two really do work well together. As a couple. You’ve got that Ying and Yang thing down pat.”
“Well, I tried the whole dating someone like me, but it didn’t go too well.” I reply, nonchalantly. “She wants me dead.”
Diggle chuckles. “If I do recall, I warned you not to get involved with Helena.”
In the corner of my eye, I see Felicity shift her weight from one foot to the other. Anytime Diggle and I bring up Helena, it makes her uncomfortable – despite the fact that I went out with Helena three years ago, well before I realized I love Felicity. But it’s not just my past relationship with the Huntress. No, it’s what she’s done to us over the years. The way she used Felicity to get what she wanted. Just like I’ll never forget my time on that island, Felicity won’t forget the time that the Huntress came into her office and threatened her with a crossbow in order to make Felicity hack the FBI database. I’d taught Helena to find and use a weakness to her advantage – and I continue to blame myself for what Helena did to Felicity that night. Especially concerning I wasn’t able to help Felicity earlier than I had.
Felicity leans forward, and starts packing up the First Aid Kit. “I should put this away.”
I place a hand on top of both of hers, making her stop. I wrap my other arm around her and pull her into a hug. She wraps her arms tight around me.
“I’m sorry for dragging up bad memories,” I whisper.
“It’s okay,” she whispers back.
I start to release her, only to stop when I feel her tighten her arms around me.
“Hold me just a little longer,” she whispers.
“Of course,” I whisper back.
I look at Diggle, whose watching the two of us. He smiles, clearly amused by our little love fest, and then he stands. He mouths, “I’ll leave you two alone.”
I lift a hand from Felicity’s back to give Diggle a wave, and watch him walk out of my line of sight heading for one of our many doors into the Arrowcave. No doubt he’s going for the back entrance, which leads into the alley rather than passing through Verdant.
It takes a while, but eventually Felicity releases me from the hug. She draws back, keeping her hands on me, and looks around the room.
“Where’s Diggs?”
“He left.”
“Without saying goodbye?” She sounds like she’s just had a massive rejection. So disappointed.
“You were a little caught up in hugging me.”
She pouts. “Remind me to chastise him for not saying bye.”
I smile. “If you can’t remember yourself, then it’s not worth doing.”
She places a hand under my chin, and looks at my grazes. “You’re lucky they’re not more serious.”
“He was no match for me.”
“Mmm-hmmm,” she says, eyes narrowing slightly in the way they do when she doesn’t believe me. “If he was no match for you, how come you’re wounded?”
I raise an eyebrow. “I got back here, didn’t I?”
“Would’ve been better if you weren’t sporting a new set of grazes and cuts.”
“It could’ve been a lot worse, too. Would it please you more if next time I come back with a far deeper cut? Say, to my abdomen?”
She crosses her arms. “It’d please me more if you came back without a scratch.”
I pull her against me. “Well, then. I believe you need to punish me for not adhering to your wishes.”
She smiles. “Yes, I did say I’d kick your ass.”
I smile. “Indeed you did.” I lift her up off the ground as I slide off the table to stand, making her squeal in delight. I lower her gently back down, and release her. “Well, here it is,” I tell her, twisting around slightly to expose my backside to her. “Ready and waiting for you to kick.”
She laughs. “Remember we agreed I didn’t mean literally you ass!”
I smile, pulling her into my arms again. “Yes. But I couldn’t help making you laugh.”
“Come to think of it, there is a way you can make it up to me. For getting hurt when I told you not to.”
“Oh?” I ask, gently rubbing her back.
“Take me into our secret room, and show me you love me.”
I smirk, understanding the hidden meaning in her words. “I have a better idea.”
She frowns, confused, and I scoop her up into my arms. I turn, step round to the end of the gurney and lie her down on her back on it, her lower legs dangling off the side. I part her legs, then slide my hands under the bottom of her skirt, and push her skirt up her thighs. She stares at me with wide eyes, surprised by my forwardness. And I smile at her. When her skirt’s just above her hips, I turn my attention to her red undies. I rub my thumb up and down over her undies, and she lets out a moan. I smile as she closes her eyes, pushing her hips up. Just as she’s about to climax, I stop. As I slide both my hands back down her thighs, she opens her eyes and growls. I just smile at her, taking my hands off her. She looks confused, her mouth ajar with a question that’s yet to be vocalized. And by God, that makes her so fucking attractive.
I lean forward, sliding my arms under her body. I carefully lift her up, her arms reaching to wrap around me. But all I want is to move her further along the gurney – there’s just not quite enough room where she was lying for what I have planned next. I shift her so she’s almost entirely on the gurney, then let her go – she clings to me for a moment, trying to make me stay, but then lets me go. I grip the edge of the gurney either side of her body, and support myself as I shift from standing to kneeling between her legs. I tease her by rubbing my thumb over her undies once more, and watch her eyes shut with pleasure. With my other hand, I unzip my jeans and push them and my boxers down to my knees. I then lean down, claiming her lips with mine as I hook my thumb under one side of her undies and push them to one side. I then plunge inside her, smiling as she moans in response. I love how easily distracted she can be, leaving her vulnerable to whatever I please. As I move inside her, she places her hands on the back of my neck. I thrust into her harder, and she digs her fingernails into my skin. I break our kiss to playfully nip her neck over and over, gliding my hands up and down her sides. She arches her back, moaning with pleasure. She grabs my head, guiding me back to her lips – we kiss as I plow into her over and over. Finally we both climax, loud and simultaneously. We’re both panting, resting our heads on each others shoulder. She wraps her arms around me, holding me tight – reminding me of when I first told her to do that, seven months into knowing each other as we stood in the elevator shaft of Merlyn Global HQ.
“Well, that was one hell of a way of making it up to me,” she whispers.
I place my hands on the metal either side of her body, and push myself up enough to look her in the eyes. I smile. “The upside to having an argument is the make-up sex.”
She smiles. “So does that mean we’ve had an argument?”
I try hard to suppress a laugh. “Perhaps just a tiff.”
*****
The next day, Diggle and I arrive together. I told Diggle I wanted to go through Verdant, to check up on things. I barely get the door into the Arrowcave open when the sound echoes up to us.
Grey skies over a setting sea
Heartbreak, that sounds like a symphony
Future memories at the thought of you
Perfect moments of a desperate youth
Sun light burning into the moon
Just like all off the things you do
The way you got me,
You in control,
Yeah, you can hypnotize me,
You hypnotize me,
I step inside – Felicity’s sitting at her desk, working at our computers. While singing along to the song. I look at Diggs, an eyebrow raised. Diggle’s smiling, trying his best not to laugh – though it’s slipping through. I walk down the stairs first, Diggle behind me, neither of us speaking. Felicity’s too focused on singing to even notice us.
I don’t,
I don’t know what this is,
But I know I love it,
Baby yes I know,
You got my heart hypnotic,
And no letting go
I stop right beside her, and bend down so my face is level with hers.
“Having fun?”
She screams as she jumps in fright, before quickly turning the music off. “Oliver!”
“I could hear the music when the door was barely open. You do know the Verdant staff are upstairs.”
“I… I… I…” She’s so thrown, and I can tell she’s breathing heavily from the fright. “I’m sorry. I really like that song, and… well… I can’t help myself. I turn it up instinctively.”
I smile, straightening up. I place a hand on her shoulder. “I don’t mind you having music on. Just… remember that if the staff upstairs hears it, I’m going to have to explain why. And I don’t think I could explain why an I.T staffer from Queens Consolidated is playing music loudly in the basement of my club.”
She nods. “I’ll try and remember. Sorry.”
“What was that song?”
She pivots round on her rotating chair to face me. “It’s called Heart Hypnotic. By a really lovely Australian, named Delta Goodrem.”
“Huh.” I nod. “Wouldn’t have picked you to be listening to that.”
“We’re all full of surprises, Oliver.” She replies. “Besides, the song is co-written and produced by Ryan Tedder.”
I frown. “Who?”
I catch in the corner of my eye Diggle shaking his head. I’ve been back almost four years, and I’m still catching up on celebrity names and other things I missed when I was stranded on that island.
Felicity looks surprised. “Seriously? You don’t know who Ryan Tedder is? He’s like the sexiest guy ever.”
I raise an eyebrow. And she knows what I mean.
“A-a-a-after you, of course.”
I can’t help but smile – she’s so damn cute when she realizes she’s said something wrong and she tries to cover it up.
“Getting back to the point I was making… Ryan Tedder. You know, OneRepublic.”
I tilt my head slightly, narrowing my eyes. I open my mouth to ask what that is.
“Before you ask, OneRepublic’s a band.” She gets in first. “I think the next down time we have, we’re going to spend it catching you up. Because you so reeeally need to know who these people are, and there’ll come a time where you won’t have someone round to explain to you who they are.”
“Yeah, sure. Have you been able to find out anything else about the fire at Romanov’s place.”
She pulls her lips tightly together, lightly punching the air in front of her with her fist – the move she always makes when she knows I’m steering her away from babbling.
“So far, the police have been examining the crime scene as well as the burnt remains found there,” she replies, rotating her chair to face the monitors again. “There’s not much to their case right now, but they do have the results of the identification of the remains found.”
“And?” I pull up a stool, and sit beside her. “Is it Romanov, like we thought?”
She clicks on one of the files open, bringing it to the front of the screen. “This is the report.”
I look at it, but it’s all just numbers and words I don’t understand.
“Oh, boy,” she mutters, knowing from my slight frown that I don’t understand it. “Yes, it’s him. Romanov was killed in that fire.”
I nod once – this wasn’t what I wanted to hear. “Anything else?”
“The preliminary inspection of the crime scene suggests that there’s foul play involved.” She replies. “However, they’re currently working on a more thorough examination, and it won’t be officially deemed either a murder or a suicide until after that.”
“So Drake-Osborne’s behind it.”
“Don’t go jumping to conclusions, Oliver.” Diggs says. “Not until we have more evidence.”
“There’s enough evidence for me.”
“Diggs is right, Ollie. We shouldn’t just assume Drake-Osborne’s behind this. We all know what dirty business both Drake-Osborne and Romanov were in to. I’m sure Drake-Osborne isn’t the only one willing to murder someone in order to keep their little scheme a secret. There’s no clear evidence other than Romanov knew Drake-Osborne to link the latter to the fire.”
“Well, find evidence that points to someone else being behind it then.” I reply. “In the meantime, I’m going to stick with it being Drake-Osborne.”
“Ever heard of ‘innocent before proven guilty’?”
I lean closer in to her. “People like Drake-Osborne don’t deserve that, Felicity. They belong in the ‘guilty until proven innocent’ field.”
“And that’s just one of the things we see differently.”
I have no response for that. I think she enjoys hitting back at me sometimes. It’s one of the qualities that drew me to her – she’s always been feisty, always made a stand for what she believes in. Always making me see the truth, to see the bigger picture. I started this as The Hood, the Vigilante. But I owe it to her that I became the Hero. The Green Arrow.
“I do have some better news.”
“Oh?”
“I have us a new lead,” she says, smiling at the end. “Well, more like a possible lead. But at least he’s alive… to my knowledge, anyway.”
“Good work, Felicity.”
“Thanks, Diggs.”
I lean in closer, my lips inches from her ear, and whisper, “I could kiss you right now.”
“Well you’re more than welcome to, Ollie.” She replies, loud enough for Diggs to hear.
I place my hand under her chin, and gently turn her face to me. I claim her lips with mine. “You’re a genius.”
She smiles. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
“That I want you with me forever.”
“Knew that.”
“Whose the lead?”
“Knew that too.”
I smile. “No, I actually meant that. Whose the lead?”
“Oh, right, yes. Stupid me.” She turns back to her monitors. “Anton Archer.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Anton Archer?” I reply. “With double a initials, he would’ve been subject to quite a fair bit of teasing growing up.”
Felicity looks at me through narrow eyes. “Is Oliver Queen experiencing some sympathy?”
I try hard to hide my smile. “Maybe. So what do we – uh, you – know about Anton Archer.”
“He’s been involved in the same general area of business as our target for several years. Oh, you should see the file the police have on him. Sooo much stuff.” She glances at me, sees my raised eyebrow and clears her throat. “It seems as though he’s in some alliance with Drake-Osborne. Or at least they know each other. Either way, he could be our link to getting close enough to Drake-Osborne to get what we need to stop all of this seedy business that he’s doing.”
“Got an address?”
“Yep.” She searches through several pieces of paper on the desk. “Ah-huh!” She pulls one out, and hands it to me. “There.”
“Thanks.” I smile, taking it. “Anton Archer’s about to meet the Green Arrow.”
She smiles, giggling slightly.
I raise an eyebrow. “Felicity.”
“I’m sorry. But you haven’t noticed.”
“Noticed what?”
“His surname. It’s Archer.” She giggles. “As in he who does archery.”
I smile. “Oh.”
“So you’re about to attend a meeting of two archers.”
“Yeah, I get it now, Flick.”
“It’s still funny though.”
I get up. “Going now.”
“Say hi to the other archer for me!”
I roll my eyes. “I take back that comment about you being a genius.”
“Hey! I am a genius! I’m allowed to have fun too, you know!”
*****
Just as I arrived at Anton Archer’s address, he was leaving. So I followed him – all the way to a rooftop meeting with Drake-Osborne. Watching on from a neighboring rooftop, I can see that Drake-Osborne has the advantage over Archer – the former has seven men standing guard, compared to the latter’s two. I carefully shoot one of my transmitter arrows into a wall close to them, which thankfully goes unnoticed. I turn on my receiver, keeping myself hidden in a shadow as I watch on.
“That’s absurd!” Archer exclaims.
“It’s rather generous, if you ask me,” Drake-Osborne replies. “If I were in your position right now, I’d accept it.”
“Well, that just proves how different you are. Because it’s not even half what I should be accepting.”
Drake-Osborne laughs. “Don’t think so highly of yourself, Archer. What you do isn’t worth anything more than what I offer you.”
“People are starting to question how Romanov died,” Archer says. “It’s only a matter of time before the police connect the dots.”
Drake-Osborne steps closer. “They won’t. Not if you’ve done your job and made it impossible for them to determine it wasn’t accidental.”
“I’ve done just that. I made sure it was. Now, I deserve to be paid correctly for it.”
“I’ve offered you payment, but you’ve turned it down.”
“Because it’s ridiculously under what I deserve.”
I can sense trouble coming. I pull an arrow out of my quiver and load it, ready to let it fly at the first sign of trouble. I want Anton Archer alive at the end of this.
But Drake-Osborne is quicker than I thought. He whips out a knife, and slashes Archer’s throat before I can let my arrow fly. And I’m even more helpless to save Archer’s men – for Drake-Osborne’s men kill them. Normally I’d fight them – kill as many as I could – but not tonight. There’s nothing more I can do – Drake-Osborne needs to be brought to justice. And killing him and his men won’t bring that. Not completely.
And so I lower my bow, returning the arrow to my quiver. I then slip away. At least Felicity will be relieved I’m not hurt from this encounter with Drake-Osborne. I wish I could say the same about Archer.
*****
I slip in the back entrance to the Arrowcave, fully aware that Verdant is in full swing – the doof doof of music emitting from the building as I approach is enough of a reminder. I push my hood back off my face as I enter the main room, expecting to find Felicity and Diggs there. But the room’s empty.
“Felicity?” I ask. “Diggs?”
It’s not unusual for them not to be here. So I change back into my suit, expecting one of them to show up. But neither of them appear. So I decide to call them – see where they are, and let them know about Anton Archer. I decide to call Diggs first – but it rings out to voicemail.
“Hey, Diggs. You’re probably with Carly right now… Thought I’d let you know I’ve finished for tonight. Things didn’t go so well with Anton Archer. But I’ll leave the details till tomorrow. Bye.” I hang up.
I go back into my contacts, and scroll through to Felicity. I’m about to hit call, when an incoming call takes over the screen. I smirk – it’s Felicity.
I answer. “Hey, great minds think alike.”
“Hey…” Her voice sounds shaky. “O-Ollie.”
“Flick, are you okay?”
“I…” She sighs. “It’s weird… I… I got knocked over.”
I frown. “Sorry?”
“By… by a car.”
I can’t breathe. I feel like something’s just hit me hard in the stomach, forcing out all the air from in my lungs. “Oh My God.” I reply. “Are… are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m just… shocked.” She definitely sounds shaken. “Just… sitting on a curb.”
“Wh-where?”
“Uh…” I can tell she’s trying to figure it out. “I’m not sure. I’m… I’m a little dazed.”
I turn to her computer, and bring up the program she uses to track cells. “Hang on, I’m just seeing if I can track your cell.” It takes a minute, but it pings back. “Got it. I’m coming to get you.”
“No, no. I’ll… I’ll walk.”
“Flick, you sound really shaken. I’m coming. I won’t be long.”
“O-o-okay.”
“Just sit tight. Don’t move.”
“Bye,” she mumbles. And then she hangs up.
I check the map on the monitor one last time, memorizing it. I then leave.
*****
The drive to Felicity is tense. I have to grip the steering wheel so tight just to try and stop my hands from shaking. But I’m holding it so tight, my knuckles have turned white and my hands hurt. This is turning into the worst night ever.
I spot her, and pull in – thankful there’s a space right near her. She’s rubbing her left knee, looking worried and in pain. I turn off the engine, and get out of the car. As I step over to her, I realize she’s quietly singing.
“Dark nights under the setting sun
Bright lights, come we’re the only one
I’ve got this vision, how it’s supposed to be
There’s a fortune teller, telling you and me.”
“You’re chirpy for someone who just got hit by a car.”
She smiles, though it’s forced. “Just… trying to keep myself calm. My heart’s pounding. Which is ironic, concerning I’m singing a song called Heart Hypnotic.”
I smile, finding it amusing that she can still babble after something as serious as getting hit by a car, as I sit down on the curb right beside her. I place my hand on her right cheek. “What happened?”
“Uh… I went to cross the road. And… I swear it was clear. There was no cars.” She looks down. “One minute I was up, the next I was down.”
“Oh,” I mutter, shocked. I spot a graze on her closest elbow. “You’re grazed.”
“Am I?” She looks at it. “Oh, it’s… it’s not that bad.”
“Stop taking it so light-heartedly.”
“I’m not.” She protests.
I look around. “Where’s… where’s the driver?”
“I… I… don’t know.” She stammers. “They… they didn’t even stop.”
“What?” I snap back to look at her, shocked.
“It’s all a blur, Ollie. But… I do remember a bit. They just clipped me, I spun and fell to the ground. I remember seeing a car heading off.”
I let out an almost scoff, pulling her into a hug. I kiss her head. She wraps her arms around me. I place a hand on the back of her head – and feel a bump that shouldn’t be there.
“Flick,” I say. “Did you… did you bump your head?”
She pulls back to look me in the eyes. “Yeah… I… I think so.” She then exhales sharply.
I look at her worriedly. And I know she knows what’s on my mind – she needs the hospital.
“Yeah, you’re right. We should make sure I don’t have a concussion.”
I nod. “Yep.”
I stand and hold both my hands out to her. She takes them, and I help her to her feet. I put an arm around her and as we walk back to my car, I kiss her on the lips. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Yeah. I hope I didn’t interrupt you. How did it go with Anton Archer?”
“Oh, let’s just get going. I’ll explain on the way.”
I open the passenger door for her. She gets into my car, and I wait until she’s in. I close the door, and then go round to the driver’s side. By the time I’m in, she’s already got her seatbelt on.
“So… how did it go?” She asks, as I do up mine.
“I followed him to a meeting,” I reply. I pause, taking the moment to look up from the seatbelt buckle to her. “Guess who was it was with?”
“Who?”
I know she knows straight away, but she’s clearly trying to keep the conversation going – no doubt wanting to use it to keep her mind off what’s just happened to her.
“Drake-Osborne.”
“Oh?” She’s surprised, though I pick up a hint of it being fake. “Anything good come out of it?”
“Not for us.”
She looks confused. And then it hits. “Oh.”
“Drake-Osborne killed him before I had the chance to defend him. Slashed Archer’s throat.”
She closes her eyes, clearly disgusted. “Okay, Ollie. That’s… that’s still gross, even after four years. Please don’t give me the details.”
I nod. “Sorry.”
I turn on the engine, and drive off. In the corner of my eye I see her relax into the back of the seat, resting her head on the head rest.
“Ollie.”
“Yeah, Flick.”
“I-I-I need to tell… to tale…” She pauses, silent for an unusually long time. “To… tale… tell you something.”
I frown, noticing how slurred her speech is. But she was stammering before. It could just be shock.
“Sure, what is it?”
“I…I… un…um… I… yammmmm… yammmmmmmm…”
“Flick?”
She mumbles words I can’t understand. I glance over to her. Her eyes are flicking weirdly, and she’s blinking a lot – and then her mouth is moving like she’s trying to speak but nothing’s coming out. Something’s definitely wrong.
“Flick?” I ask, turning my attention back to the road to make sure we don’t crash.
She doesn’t respond.
“Felicity!” I bark, starting to panic. I look at her. “Talk to me.”
Her eyes are closed, her head slumped towards her right shoulder. I shift my left hand to a slightly better position on the wheel, so I can keep control of the car as I take my right hand off the wheel. I reach over, and cup her chin with my right hand.
“Felicity. Come on, just say something to me.” But she doesn’t respond. “Open your eyes, Flick. Come on, say something.”
Her eyes open, and she turns to look forward.
“Flick,” I say, relieved.
But it’s gone in a moment – for she slumps forward, and slightly sideways.
“FELICITY!” I catch her head just in time, barely stopping it before it hits the dashboard, and ease her back up till her back’s completely against the seat again. Her eyes are closed again.
I let go of her, placing both hands on the wheel. “Oh, shit.”
When I glance back at Felicity, she’s starting to fall sideways again. So I reach over and straighten her up. Every time I think she’s up, I let go. And she starts to fall a different way.
“Shit!” I pull her back up. “Felicity!”
I end up placing my hand on her shoulder – at least that’ll keep her still. I’m breathing quite fast, panicking over what to do.
“Hang on,” I whisper. “Hang on.”
But I can’t keep holding her and steer, so I have to let go. I turn into another street, and accelerate. I weave my way through the traffic – receiving some loud toots from unhappy drivers – as I head for the hospital. I don’t care if I break the speed limit – Felicity’s in trouble, and I need to get her there fast.
I reach for my cell in its stand, and tap in Diggs’ number, putting it on loudspeaker. I listen to it ringing.
“Come on, Diggs.” I whisper, before adding much louder, “Pick up, pick up, pick up, PICK UP!”
“Oliver?”
“Diggs!” I smile, relieved. I even laugh a little – which I find rather odd given the situation.
“Are you okay, Oliver?”
“Yeah, I’m… I’m fine. It’s… it’s Felicity.”
“Felicity?” He’s shocked. “What… Oliver?”
I swerve round a car – getting a long toot in response – and then grip the wheel as I respond with, “She’s… not good, Diggs. Uh… she… she got hit. By a car.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“Is she okay? Where is she?”
“She’s…” I swerve round another car. “She’s with me. I’m driving to the hospital now. Diggs… she’s… she’s unconscious. She… she hit her head.”
He’s silent for a moment. “Alright, get her there. I’ll come. I’ll meet you there.”
I hang up, and look over to Felicity. “Hang on, Flick. Hang on.”
*****
I slam on the breaks, making a quick turn into the hospital carpark. I drive up and stop right at the door, in one of the emergency spots. Felicity slumps forward as the car stops – inertia at work – but only momentarily, as she falls back into the seat.
“Shit. Hang on, Flick.” I say, scrambling to get my seatbelt undone.
I get out of the car, slamming the door shut. I then slide across the bonnet of my car – because it’s faster than walking around it – and open her door. I undo her seatbelt, and then carefully maneuver her out, sliding her into my arms. Yes, she could have a spinal injury and I could be making it worse, but I don’t have time to go get medical staff with a gurney. I step back, pushing the car door shut with my leg.
I rush in, barely stopping myself from running, to the emergency room full of waiting patients.
“Can I… Can I…” I stammer, my voice broken by the shock of this situation. And then it comes out, unexpectedly, in a shout, “HELP!”
Everyone in the room, be them patients or Nurses, all stare at me. Two Nurses briskly walk towards me, but my eyes drift down. Down to the young blonde woman in my arms.
The sweet, cute, babbling I.T. woman.
The unconscious and barely-clinging-to-life I.T. woman that is Felicity Smoak.
“Hang on, Felicity. Hang on.”
*****
“Mr. Oliver Queen?”
I turn around to look at the Doctor. “Yes.”
“You brought Miss Felicity Smoak in?”
“Yes.”
“And what’s your relationship with Miss Smoak?”
“I’m…” I pause, realizing this is the first time I’ve ever mentioned this to anyone other than Diggs. “I’m her boyfriend.”
He nods. “I’m Doctor Neumann. Sorry to make you wait, they’ve just taken her into theatre.”
I’m shocked. “Oh,” I mutter. “Okay.” That’s all I can manage right now.
“Are you aware of any medication that she’s on that could affect her blood clotting?”
“N- uh.” Why am I so thrown by that? “No, no. No medications.” I reply. “None that I can think of.”
“Does she have any allergies that you’re aware of?”
“Uh…” And that’s when it hits – I love her, yet I have no knowledge of any of her medical history. “I’m sorry… I…”
“I understand. It is quite a shock to experience what you have.”
I force a smile. “You clearly don’t know my name well enough.”
And it’s as if it suddenly occurs to him exactly who I am. “No, no. I do, Mr. Queen. It’s easy to forget the outside world some days in here.” He looks uncomfortable. “Thanks for your help. Is there… is there anything else we should know?”
I shake my head. “No, no. Not that I can think of.”
“She’s pregnant.”
I raise an eyebrow, and turn around. Diggs is standing just behind me, looking at me and Doctor Neumann. And I feel as though I’ve been punched in the gut again – that all air has been squashed out of me. I can’t breathe. Tears fill my eyes.
“Wha—” My voice breaking from the shock. “What?”
“And you are?” Doctor Neumann asks.
“John Diggle. I’m a friend to both Miss Smoak and Mr. Queen.”
I keep my eyes focused on Diggs, who seems to be avoiding looking at me right now. I want answers from him, but not in front of the Doctor.
“He’s… he’s my bodyguard.” I stammer, eyes focused on Diggs. “Okay…” Doctor Neumann says, sounding rather baffled by our little group. “Thanks.”
I nod, turning partially back around to the Doctor. “Please keep me informed.”
Doctor Neumann nods. “I’ll find you as soon as I can. It’s going to be a while.”
“I’ll be paying for everything.” I reply. “I want her put into a private room as soon as she’s out of surgery.”
He nods, giving me a sympathetic smile. He then walks off. I watch him till he disappears round a corner further down the corridor.
I inhale a big breath, and hold it in as I turn back to Diggs. He’s just standing there – looking at me the way he always does, showing no emotion. His announcement about Felicity was unexpected. And I’m starting to feel anger rising inside. I press my lips firmly together, suppressing my anger. In the corner of my eye, I spot chairs to my left. Without a word, I turn and walk over to them. I drop into one of them, and stare at Diggs with a raised eyebrow – silently challenging him to explain himself. He steps over and sits down in the chair beside me.
“She’s going to be okay, Oliver.”
I clench my right hand, digging my nails into my skin as I fight my anger. I’m not mad a Diggs, or Felicity. I’m angry at myself, for not seeing any of this coming.
“You going to explain what you said?”
“I’m sorry you found out that way.”
I shake my head slightly, and huff. “That’s an understatement.”
“Look, Felicity was experiencing early signs of being…” he hesitates when he notices I’m glaring at him, knowing that right now he needs to tread carefully. He sighs. “Earlier in the week, she was nauseous. She said she was craving food she doesn’t normally go for.” He sighs again. “I’ve seen the signs before. Carly…”
I nod, knowing what he means.
“I just casually said to her how Carly used to feel like that when she was pregnant with Artie. I didn’t actually specifically say to Felicity that I thought she’s pregnant. That she jumped to by herself.” He continues. “She decided to find out for sure. And she only told me how that went – that she is actually pregnant – because I’d picked it up in the first place. I never wanted to know something so personal like this before you did.” He pauses, letting me have a moment to absorb all of what he’s said so far. “The last time I talked to her about it – which was a few days ago — she said she was planning on telling you really soon.” He thinks for a moment. “In fact… she said she’d do it this week.”
And that’s when I remember what Felicity had said in the car – something that had, until now, been almost swept away in the chaos of the drama it preceded. Take away the fact that she was having trouble to speak by then, she’d said – I need to tell you something.
I need to tell you something.
I groan, leaning forward to rest my elbows on my knees and putting my face in my hands. “Fuck.”
“Oliver?” He’s worried.
“She was trying to tell me.” I rub my hands over my face, before dropping them. I look at him. “Earlier tonight. After I picked her up. She was trying to tell me. But…” I sigh, closing my eyes. “Her head injury stopped her. She fell unconscious before she had the chance to.”
He places a hand on my shoulder. “She’ll get through this.”
I inhale slowly, letting it out in a shaky sigh as I close my eyes. “I hope so.”
*****
It’s 11:30pm before Doctor Neumann returns. I don’t notice him at first – I’m struggling to stay awake – and it’s not until he’s standing in front of me that I see him. Diggle sits forward as I lift my head to look Doctor Neumann in the eyes.
“How is she?” I ask, my voice croaky. I don’t even recognize it anymore.
Doctor Neumann pulls a chair closer and sits down. “She’s suffered what we call a subdural hematoma.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s usually associated with traumatic brain injury… in Miss Smoak’s case, the cause would be the car hitting her. It would appear she either hit her head on the car itself, but more likely the ground.”
I swallow, fighting back my tears. “What… what does it cause?”
“There’s been blood gathering within the outer meningeal layer, between the dura and arachnoid mater.”
“Forgive me, Doctor. But I have no idea what that means.”
“The dura mater is what adheres to the skull, while the arachnoid envelops the brain.” He explains. “This results from tears in bridging veins which cross the subdural space. And in many cases, like Miss Smoak’s, this has led to an increase of intracranial pressure, which causes compression of and damage to delicate brain tissue.”
I close my eyes, my stomach doing a backflip. I don’t know many medical terms, but I’ve picked up enough from his tone that this is serious.
“How serious is it?” Diggle asks.
Doctor Neumann hesitates for a moment. “Miss Smoak’s case is classified as acute subdural hematoma.”
I frown. “What does that mean?”
“It’s the worst type of subdural hematoma possible.” He replies. “It’s often life-threatening.”
“Shhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttt.” I put my head in my hands. After all we’ve been through – all the life-threatening events we’ve dealt with over the last four years, Felicity’s life could end thanks to a small hit by a car? This can’t be happening.
“It’s a lot to take in, I know. But you have saved her life, Mr. Queen.” Doctor Neumann says, no doubt looking at the top of my head. “You got her here quick enough that it was caught early. We rushed her into surgery as soon as we found it. In acute subdural hematoma cases are the most lethal form, and have a high mortality rate if not treated by surgical decompression.”
I lift my head up, staring at Doctor Neumann so intently he looks frightened. “Is she…” My voice gives out on me.
“Dead.”
I drop my head back into my hands. “No.”
“Mr. Queen?”
“She can’t be dead… she can’t be!”
“She’s not dead.”
I snap my head up, eyes filled with tears. “What?”
Doctor Neumann looks shocked. “I… I believe our wires were crossed for a moment, Mr. Queen. I was simply finishing your question.” He says. “You were trying to ask if she had died, yes?”
“So…” I’m still reeling. “She’s… she’s alive?”
Doctor Neumann nods. “Yes.”
I let out a shaky sigh. “When… when can I go see her?”
“She’s being transferred to ICU right now. You’re free to go see her straight away.”
“Take me.”
Doctor Neumann nods. “Follow me.”
We all stand, and Doctor Neumann leads us towards ICU.
“I’m sorry that you mistook what I said.” Doctor Neumann says as we walk.
“Don’t be. I jumped the gun.”
“You really did save her life. You did well bringing her here. A lot of people in that position wouldn’t have stayed as calm as you did.”
I force a smile. I think about how completely uncalm I was in the car before we got here. “I’ve been through much worse than that. Over the last decade I’ve experienced a lot more than people think I have. Learning to be calm in difficult situations is just one of the many ways I survived through this much.”
He nods, but I can tell he has no idea how to respond. Instead, he fills me in more on Felicity’s condition. “She’s currently in a coma, but since we’ve been able to stop the bleeding, she should be able to wake up.”
“How long till then?”
“We’ll keep monitoring her, but it’ll be several hours. Maybe even days. It depends on how quickly she heals.”
“And…” I can’t bring myself to ask. So instead, I simply opt for making the statement. “She… she’s pregnant.”
Doctor Neumann nods. “Yes, I remembered that. We’re having our maternity ward assist in making sure that the pregnancy hasn’t terminated.” He replies. “But it’s too early to know for sure. Everything is still critical.”
I nod. “Thanks, Doctor. For everything.”
*****
I press my lips firmly together, trying hard not to loose it. I’m standing in her hospital room, watching as she lies there – the only movement is the slight rise and fall of her chest as she breathes. The heart rate monitor beeps with every heartbeat. I walk over and sit down in a chair next to her bed. I take hold of her left hand with my left hand. She’s so vulnerable like this – her breathing being supported by a machine, her head wrapped in a bandage.
“Oh, you’re going to hate your new hair cut.” I tell her. “They’ve really messed with your beautiful blonde locks.”
And that’s when I break down – I can’t hold back the tears any longer. “I’m sorry, Flick. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you the way I should’ve.”
*****
The following morning, I smile in thanks to a police officer and cross the room to Detective Quentin Lance, whose sitting at his desk. “Detective Lance.”
Lance looks up at me. He looks as tired as he was four years ago. And he’s surprised to see me.
“Oliver Queen.” He replies. “What can I do for you?”
“I wanted to report a hit and run.”
“Who have you hit?”
I force a smile. “No one.” I reply. “I know the victim.”
“Okay, why don’t I get the form and we can talk in private.” He stands, crosses the room and gets the form, before returning to me. He grabs a pen off his desk as he adds, “Follow me.”
He leads me into an interrogation room. “Why do I feel like I’m going to be scrutinized when you bring me in here?”
“It’s an interrogation room,” he replies, shutting the door behind me. “It’s meant to make you feel like that.” He walks around the table, and sits down. “Sit.”
I hesitate, not liking the tone of his voice. But I sit down a moment later. He’s sitting forward, almost hunched over the form on the table in front of him.
“You said you know a victim of a hit and run.”
“That’s right.”
He sighs, clearly annoyed at how vague I’m being with him. “Do they have a name?”
“Felicity Smoak.”
Lance starts to write that down, and I watch him pause halfway through writing Felicity. He looks back up at me. “Felicity Smoak?”
“Yes.”
“As in one of your employees?”
“Yes.” I reply, hiding my feelings. I raise an eyebrow. “Is there a problem, Detective Lance?”
“I just never picked you to be concerned over the health of your employees.”
“Felicity is an integral part of Queens Consolidated. She’s my Executive Assistant, and has helped me over the last four years on many things – both professional and personal matters – including assisting me in rebuilding my family’s company following the Undertaking.”
I’ve hit a weak point in him by bringing up the Undertaking.
“You’re aware she’s been connected to the vigilante.”
“What my employees do in their spare time is none of my business.” I reply, fighting my rising anger. “And I think you’ll find it’s Green Arrow now. Whoever he is, he’s no longer a vigilante. He’s a hero.”
Wise words. And true. I think about all the times Felicity’s called me a hero; and the times she’s defended my actions to others by calling Green Arrow a hero. She’d be proud that I’m using that word right now.
Lance scowls, clearly angered by my defense of… well, myself. Though Lance doesn’t know that. I give him my fake smile.
“What do you know about the hit and run?”
I tell the full story of last night. Of course, I omit everything to do with Drake-Osborne. And I cover up the fact that she’d called me by explaining that I’d told her to call if she needed to. I follow that up by pointing out that Felicity doesn’t have any family in the city, which is why I offered to be there for her. I go on to explain that I picked her up, that we were on the way to the hospital to get her a CT scan when she fell unconscious, and that I waited at the hospital while they operated on her. I end with explaining that her doctor said she had had a subdural hematoma, and what exactly that is. Well, the just of what it is.
“The doctors say had I not been with her when she fell unconscious, she’d be dead right now.” I say, struggling to keep my emotions suppressed. “I want you to find the son of a bitch who did this to her.”
“If you’re looking for the driver to be charged for it, you’re looking at a slim chance.” He replies. “From what you said, the car clipped Miss Smoak. It was nothing more than an accident.”
I lean forward, resting my arms on the table. “She came very close to dying.”
“It still doesn’t change the fact that it was an accident.”
“Will you find who did it? At least do it to tell them what happened to her. They didn’t even stop to see if she was okay.”
“Had they stopped to check she was okay, we wouldn’t be classifying it as a hit and run.”
“Find them.”
He’s clearly irritated by my persistence. And I wonder if he’s trying to figure out if there’s a hidden reason for me reporting this.
“I’ll look into it.” He replies. “Now, anything else you want to report?”
“Yeah.”
He sighs, leaning back into his chair. “Of course.”
I fake smile. “Tell Laurel I say hi.”
He clenches his jaw – I’ve finally pushed him too far. “Mr. Queen. I’m not a personal messenger for you. If you want to talk to Laurel, either go to her place or call her.”
I stand. “Call me when you find the driver.”
I turn and cross to the door, smiling in satisfaction.
“Before you go, Mr. Queen.”
I stop, hand on the doorknob. I turn back to him.
“What’s your relationship with Miss Smoak?”
I sigh. “I already told you. She’s one of my employees. And my friend.”
“Are you sure?”
“I know who I know more than you do, Detective Lance. You’re not in a position to question me about them.”
“I’m simply giving you a chance to be honest with me, Oliver. Because during my investigation into this case, I’ll be talking with her Doctor about her condition.”
My heart jumps into my throat – our secret could get out. No, secrets. Our relationship – the baby.
“I am telling you the truth, Detective. Felicity’s my friend. And I’m concerned about her. If you don’t believe me, then that’s your problem.” I turn to go, but stop. I turn back, as I add, “And don’t you dare drag your personal feelings into this investigation. I know you have some vendetta against me because of my past with Laurel and Sarah…” That angers him more. “But don’t use it against finding justice for Felicity.”
And with that, I turn around, open the door and walk out.
*****
I pause at the door into Felicity’s hospital room, taking a moment to brace myself for the overwhelming emotions I’m going to get hit with. I inhale deeply, letting it out slowly. I then step inside. Diggle had offered to stay with her. He sees me as I enter, giving me a slight nod. I stay silent until I’m sitting in a chair at her side, and holding her hand.
“How is she?”
“They checked on her progress not long ago. They say she’s improving.”
I sigh in relief. “That’s good.”
“How did it go with Detective Lance?”
“He’s still holding a grudge.”
Diggle smiles. “I meant about Felicity.”
“He said he’d look into it. But I don’t think he really will.” I reply. “He thinks that even if they do find out who hit her, there won’t be charged with anything. According to our detective friend, because Felicity was only clipped by the car, that gives them ground not to charge the driver.” I sigh. “It’s nothing more than ‘an accident’ to Lance.”
“Do you think it’s an accident?”
I think for a moment, before shaking my head.
“This was no accident.” I reply, turning to look at Felicity. “I believe that going after Drake-Osborne brought this on.”
“Oliver, that’s absurd. How would Drake-Osborne know who the Green Arrow is. The people in this room are the only ones you know who know. None of your family knows.”
“Firstly, you and Felicity have been like family for the last four years. Secondly, Tommy knew.”
“You know I was counting people alive today.” He replies. “Do you seriously think a criminal like Drake-Osborne could uncover a secret identity like who the Green Arrow is, and then find out that Felicity’s connected to him?”
I look at Diggs. “Felicity said that she never saw the driver. They didn’t get out to see if she was okay.”
“Still doesn’t link Drake-Osborne to it.”
I stand up, lean over and kiss Felicity on her cheek. I whisper, “I’ll be back soon.”
I straighten as I turn my attention to Diggs.
“Well, I’ll just have to find the proof we need,” I tell him.
I then walk out.
*****
I crash through a window, landing on my feet. A guard comes at me, but two quick punches from me knocks him out before he can land one. Another guard charges me, but I knock him out in with just one punch.
I walk down the corridor to the door at the end, loading an arrow into my bow as I do. I kick the door open. More guards come at me, but I shoot them. The last one manages to get to me before I can shoot, and so we exchange a few blows before I punch him out. I then load and aim at Drake-Osborne, before stepping further into the room. He’s standing behind his desk, unfazed by my appearance.
“Alistair Drake-Osborne.”
“I’ve been waiting for you to return, vigilante.”
“Do you know anything about Dmitri Romanov’s death?”
He shrugs. “He died in a fire. A tragic accident.” He replies. “A tragic, tragic accident.”
“Did you kill him in order to cover your own hide?”
He raises an eyebrow. “Are you suggesting that I committed murder?”
I take several steps closer, an arrow still aimed at him. “Did you kill Dmitri Romanov?”
He leans forward, placing his hands on his desk. “What will you do if I do confess?”
I fire, the arrow burying itself into his desk – right between his hands. He looks down at it as I get a new arrow and load it.
“Is that meant to intimidate me?” He asks, chuckling. “Because right now, it’s nothing but child’s play.”
He walks around his desk, and partially sits on the front. My arrow’s now aimed at his head, between his eyes, and I wonder if he’s trying to coerce me into killing him.
“Did you kill Dmitri Romanov?”
“Yes.” He sounds so calm about it. Like he wants to get this out, to confess it all and then have me kill him – so he can’t be brought to justice for it.
“Why?”
“Because he was going to reveal everything I didn’t want him to. You see, much like that hood hides your identity, I have things I don’t want everyone to know. And I’m not afraid to eliminate anything or anyone who threatens to expose those secrets.”
“Did you pay someone to kill Dmitri Romanov?”
He smiles, chuckling. “Unlike you, vigilante, I don’t do all my dirty work.” He replies. “If I want someone dead, I send someone to kill them.”
I’m about to ask him another question, but he gets in first.
“I sent Anton Archer to Dmitri Romanov’s place that night.”
This doesn’t surprise me. When I’d followed Anton Archer to that meeting with Drake-Osborne, I’d picked that up from their conversation.
“I told him to do ‘whatever it takes’ to ensure Romanov would stay quiet.” Drake-Osborne continues. “My men all know that when I say ‘whatever it takes’, I mean ‘kill the bastard’.”
“Why light his place on fire?”
He smiles. “Because simply putting a bullet in him wasn’t enough.” He replies, staying far too calm and collected for a man in his position. “You see, that would suggest he was murdered. But my way – setting fire to his apartment – if done right, would make it look like Romanov was careless that night. Just a simple mistake that ultimately cost him his life.” He picks up a pen from his desk, and begins twirling it. “And I met Anton Archer the next night. And when it became clear that he had become a threat, I killed him.” He looks up from the pen to look at me. “That one I did personally.” He pauses. “Simply because I like the kick it gives.” He thinks, though I know it’s for effect. “Come to think of it, sometimes there are cases where one of your own turns against you. And there’s no other way to eliminate them than doing it by yourself.” He smiles. “There’s no satisfaction than killing someone whose willing to one day change sides, and stab you in the back.” He chuckles. “Of course, sometimes you see the change occurring, and you get in first with the back stabbing.” He smiles again. “Or in Anton Archer’s case… slashing their throat.”
“And what about the hit and run you made on Felicity Smoak?”
He raises his eyebrow. “Felicity Smoak?”
“That’s what I said.” I reply, struggling to keep my emotions in line. “Did you order one of your men to run her down?”
Urgh, that sounds so horrible – so wrong. And now I get why Felicity often says things that sound stupid and instantly regrets it.
“And what makes you believe that I would want to harm her?” He asks. “Is she a part of my world of business?” He thinks, though it’s clear he knew the answer right away. “I’ve never heard of her. A little fact – I don’t work with women. They just can’t cut it.”
He sound really happy to have a go at all women. Sexist pig.
“You said earlier that you eliminate threats to your secrets.” My hand holding the arrow loaded shakes as I speak, my emotions barely staying hidden. “She knew one of your secrets, and you wanted to eliminate her.”
“And?” He’s still so calm. It just makes me angrier. “Did I? Is she alive?”
“Yes.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Does the vigilante know this… what’s her name?” He pretends to think. “Felicity Smook?”
That makes me think of the first time I met Felicity four years ago. I incorrectly said her surname. Not that it could possibly be my fault. Who has a name like Smoak anyway? It’s so… unusual.
“It’s Smoak.” I snap, feeling my emotions starting to crack my mask. “And I don’t like seeing innocent people get hurt by crooks like you.”
He chuckles. “Is that the best insult you can throw at me? ‘Crook’? I’ve heard worse.”
“Did you order a hit and run on Felicity Smoak?” My hand shakes again as I ask him that, rage flowing through me, threatening to come out. I push my emotions down, forcing them to stay beneath the surface so I can finish what I came here for. I need him to confess to it all. He needs to be brought to justice. For Dmitri Romanov. For Anton Archer. And for Felicity.
No, not just them. For our baby. That’s the innocent person at the heart of this. The reason why I should ensure that he gets brought to justice.
“Answer me!” I shout. “Did you order a hit and run on Felicity Smoak?”
He stands up, and confidently crosses to me. His calm demeanor is really starting to piss me off. He stops when his face is no more than three inches from the tip of my arrow. Point blank.
He wants me to kill him. Well, he won’t get what he wants. Even though I want nothing more than to see him dead for what he did to Felicity. I know killing him won’t bring the justice he deserves.
“Yes.” He says. “I ordered a hit and run on Felicity Smoak.”
And there it is. The final piece in his confession. And there’s very little stopping me from killing him right here and now. He won’t. So it’s up to me to stop myself. And right now? I don’t trust me to do it.
I actually sigh – yes sigh – when I hear the familiar sound of police sirens echoing up from the street below through the broken window several meters behind me. The police are coming. Good. They can deal with him.
“Well, if you’re going to do it, now’s your time.” Drake-Osborne says. “Because that noise… means your time’s running out.”
I lower my bow, relaxing the string slowly to disarm it.
He laughs. No… cackles. “What? You can’t kill me?”
I kick him in the groin, and he hunches over in pain. I take hold of my bow and arrow in my left hand, and slam my right fist into his face. I smile at the fact that he keels over, unconscious before he’s even hit the floor.
“Killing you is the cheap way out.” I tell him. “Leaving you alive allows for justice.”
I kneel down beside him, placing my bow and arrow on the floor. I pull a few flechettes from my arm holder, and use them to pin him to the floor – by his suit jacket and pants. I have no idea whether the police sirens mean that the police are arriving for here, or for something else near-by. I’m not going to give him the chance of escaping now. The flechettes will keep him down for some time.
I then stand, picking up my bow and arrow in the process. I load the arrow once more, aiming it at the desk. I take a deep breath in. And then release the arrow, knowing straight away it would hit exactly where I want it to – right next to the other one.
But it’s not just any arrow. No, it’s one of my transmitter arrows. Drake-Osborne’s confession is on tape. Ready for the police.
I smirk as I lower my bow. I’ve beaten Detective Lance to solving the case once again. I look forward to seeing his face when he tells me the Green Arrow beat him to finding the man who caused Felicity’s injuries.
And with that, I sneak away – disappearing into the shadows.
*****
When I return to the hospital, I can’t help but walk more confidently. I’m even smiling. I’d finally caught Drake-Osborne. Not just for our case, but for what’s happened to Felicity. And right now, that’s the best reason to smile.
I turn into Felicity’s room, to find Diggle pacing. He looks at me, and I know by his expression he knows what I’ve been up to. I open my mouth—
He puts his hand up to stop me. “I don’t want to know.”
“I was going to ask how Felicity is.”
“Bullshit, Oliver. You were totally going to tell me what you’ve done.”
“You can read thoughts now, can you?”
He just shakes his head.
“But seriously, Diggs, how is she?”
“No change.”
His eyes shift to the door, and he slightly nods in its direction. His silent way of telling me there’s someone there.
I turn around, expecting a Nurse or Doctor Neumann. I’m surprised to see Detective Lance standing in the doorway.
“Detective Lance. How’s the investigation going?” I ask, hiding the fact that I already know.
Lance looks from me to Diggs, and I turn partially around to look at Diggs.
“I’m going to get a coffee,” Diggs says. “Can I get either of you one?”
“Yes, that’d be great. Thanks Diggs.”
“No, I’m fine. But thanks.” Lance says.
Diggs nods. He passes me as he heads for the door, patting my shoulder and I nod at him. Lance stays quiet until Diggs has left the room.
“We’ve had an unexpected update to Miss Smoak’s case.”
“Oh?” I ask, feigning surprise. “What is it?”
“Have you heard of man called Alistair Drake-Osborne?”
I pretend to think for a moment. “No.” I reply. “Should I?”
“Do you know if Miss Smoak has heard of him?”
I pretend to think again. “Not that I know of. Is there a reason why we should?”
“We were busting him on another case, and it turns out that he paied for a hit and run on your Executive Assistant.”
“What?” I ask, pretending to be shocked.
“We found evidence that clearly proves that he did.”
“Well, I haven’t heard of him. And Felicity’s never mentioned him to me.” I look at Felicity, and then back to Lance. “Thank you. For investigating.”
“I can’t take the credit. Frankly, I’d dismissed it immediately after you left.”
I raise an eyebrow. “So who do I have to thank for justice being served?” Come on, say it. Say the Green Arrow.
He’s hesitant. And I know why – he doesn’t want to admit that the Green Arrow did his work for him. That I beat him to the punch.
“The vig—” He catches himself, and sighs. “The Green Arrow.”
I raise my eyebrow again. “You saw the Green Arrow tonight?”
“No. He was gone before we got in there.”
“So how do you know he was there?”
“Upon arrival, we found all but two of Mr. Drake-Osborne’s men lying dead on the floor with arrows sticking out of them.” He replies. “The two surviving ones were found in the corridor surrounded by glass from the broken window, no doubt the way the vig-uh, the green fiend entered.” He takes several steps towards me. “Mr. Drake-Osborne was admitted to this hospital—”
“What? The man who tried to kill my E.A. is in the same hospital?” I’m angry for real. That was unexpected.
“We had no choice – it’s the closest hospital. We arrived to find him unconscious.”
“If he was unconscious then, and since he was admitted to this hospital, I assume he’s still unconscious. How did you get his confession?”
“It’s all on tape.” He looks at me, as if trying to read my mind to see if I’m being truthful. “It seems our hooded friend decided to record his chat with Mr. Drake-Osborne and left it behind for us.”
“Well, if you do get to see him, please thank him for me.”
“I rarely come face to face with him. We’re not exactly talking.”
I force a smile. “Kinda reminds me of us.”
He smiles, amused. “How is Miss Smoak?”
“She’s slowly improving. Her doctor expects her to be out of the coma in a few days.”
He nods. “That’s good.”
I nod. “She came extremely close to dying. And there’s nothing more I’d like to see than that son-of-a-bitch Mr. Drake-Osborne get what he deserves for doing this to her.” I pause, letting it sink in. “Ensure that he doesn’t find a loophole that gets him out of it.”
He looks me in the eyes, and, for the first time, I feel as though we’re finally equals. He nods. “I’ll do my best.”
I nod. I then extend my hand to him. “Thank you.”
He hesitates, before taking my hand and we shake. “You’re welcome.”
We let go, both dropping our hands to our sides.
“I hope Miss Smoak has a full recovery.”
I nod, fighting back tears. “I hope so too. She’s my finest worker.”
“You really care for her.”
I let out a small sigh. “We’ve worked so close over the last four years, I now consider her to be family.” I look at Felicity. “Besides, she has no family here. She needs someone to look out for her.”
“Well, she’s very lucky to have you.”
“She sure is.”
I watch in the corner of my eye as he turns and heads for the door. He takes a few steps, before he turns back.
“In the future, don’t go broadcasting the fact that you’re dating Miss Smoak to the hospital staff.”
I snap my head round to stare at him.
He smiles. “You had no idea I knew.” He says. “Did you?”
“What’s it to you who I date, Detective?” I reply, clenching my fists. “I thought you’d be glad I’m not chasing after your daughters anymore.”
“Oh, I don’t care less who you’re dating if they’re not my daughters.” He replies. “I merely brought it up to warn you. Rumors spread quickly out of this hospital. Before you know it, the media’s going to be on it.”
“Well, thanks for being so concerned.” I raise an eyebrow. “Didn’t think you cared that much for me.”
He smiles. “Don’t be so confident in that, Oliver. I was merely looking out for her.” He points to Felicity. “She’s a good young woman. She doesn’t deserve to get caught up in that frenzy.”
I cross to him, stopping far closer than I normally do. “She’s not alone.” I reply. “She has me to take care of her.”
“Here’s a piece of advice, that no doubt you’ll reject, but hear it anyway.” He replies. “Whatever you do, don’t repeat history. Don’t treat her like you did my girls. Love her, and only her.”
I clench my jaw, biting back my anger. And then the best comeback jumps into my mind – one that speaks the truth, but also will also get him back.
“Felicity means more to me than Laurel or Sarah have ever meant.”
I watch him clench his jaw, and I can’t help but push him more by smiling in satisfaction. A real smile.
“I love Felicity more than either Laurel and Sarah.” I add. “More than both of them combined.”
He’s glaring at me, trying his best not to lash out at me.
“Now, I’m sure there’s paperwork about Drake-Osborne that you need to do.”
“There’s one thing that continues to puzzle me about you.”
“Really?” I fake surprise. “What?”
“That good hearted women keep falling in love with you, despite the fact that all you do is destroy their lives.”
I smile. “I can’t help who falls in love with me.”
“Yes, but you could do the right thing and push them away.”
“Is there a point to this, Detective?” Because I’m bored of you sticking you nose into my life.
“Change your behavior. Before you crush her heart like you crushed both of my daughters’ hearts.”
“Perhaps your darling little girls needed it.”
He glares at me.
“And I would never treat Felicity like them. She’s the heart of my world.” I add. She really is. “And I would lay down my life before I would break her heart.” I really would.
He doesn’t respond.
“Now, if that’s all. Please leave.” I tell him. “The last two days have been emotionally draining for me. I’d like to have some time to sit with Felicity.”
Lance doesn’t speak. He just turns and leaves. I watch him, not moving until he’s gone out of my sight and I know that he’s not coming back. I let out a big sigh, and then turn to Felicity. I sit down in the chair beside her, instinctively taking hold of her left hand. I gently stroke her cheek.
“I miss talking to you.” I whisper. “Come back to me, Flick. Come back to me.”
*****
Grey skies over a setting sea
Heartbreak, that sounds like a symphony
Future memories at the thought of you
Perfect moments of a desperate youth
I smile. Felicity was right about this song. It’s really good. I’d gone home last night to sleep, only to spend it tossing and turning as I couldn’t stop thinking about her. On the way back to the hospital this morning, I remembered all the music she’d been trying (in vain) to get me to listen to. I realized that her handbag is still in my car, abandoned on the floor of the passenger’s side, where she’d left it the night I picked her up from the side of the road.
Parked in the hospital carpark, I looked through her handbag searching for her iPod. When I had it, I tucked her handbag back away in the spot it had been. I then took her iPod with me to her room. And I’ve been sitting here for some time now, listening to various songs on it.
I’d been avoiding Heart Hypnotic all morning – just the thought of listening to it made me think of the last two times I’d heard it; before her life was hanging by a thread. Even now, as I listen to it, I don’t see her in the bed. I see her in the Arrowcave happily singing along to it. I see her on the side of the road, quietly singing what I now know is the second verse. Before I can stop them, the tears are running down my cheeks. Oh, how I wish I could go back and stop this from happening!
I stand up, bend over her and kiss her cheek. I’d kiss her lips – I’ve longed to do so since I first stepped into the room – but the tube helping her breathe is in the way. She’s so fragile – so vulnerable.
“I wish I had been there for you, Flick.” I whisper. “Wish I’d been with you. Stopped you from hitting your head.”
I rest my head on her arm, partly on her chest, and stare at her hand in mine. I gently rub my thumb up and down it. And that’s when I think of my promise to her.
“I’m going to protect you more, Flick.” I whisper. “I’m going to protect you… and our baby. I’m not going to let anyone or anything stop us from being a family. You’re everything to me, Flick. I love you. And I love our baby.”
I, I don’t know what this is,
But I know that I, I love it,
I, I don’t know what this is,
But you got my heart hypnotic
I, I don’t know what this is,
But I know that I, I love it,
I, I don’t know what this is,
But you got my heart hypnotic
THE END
Author’s Note: Okay, so there it is.
Many of you might be shocked that I left it like that — ended it without telling you if she wakes up. There’s a few reasons why I chose not to.
1. By the time I finally finished the story, I was too emotional to keep going. I was crying as Oliver cried. I just couldn’t handle any more.
2. (and this is the real reason why) I wanted to leave that unanswered. It just comes off more powerful emotionally this way. And it leaves it open to possibly coming back & doing a follow-up at some point. Besides, I’m really happy with that final scene. I think it just speaks so much about the emotions at the heart of the story. And it’s a pretty powerful way to end such a tear jerker.
Please leave your comments.
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