Sometimes A Surprise Is Just What You Need

Untitled Part 29

Slade sighed. "It depends on how much of the drug is in her system. We had several agents that were injected while we we were trying to retrieve the drug", he paused. "It didn't end well."

"Fuck!!", Oliver walked over to a nearby table, leaning down on his hands. Before anyone could stop him he let out a growl, swiping his hand across the table sending the contents flying.

John quickly walked over, "Oliver you have got to calm down man. The fact that the bullet was a through and through is a good thing. It means the bullet did not stay in her body long enough to spread much of the drug."

Lyla walked over to Felicity, while John talked Oliver down. She stroked her cheek, "You have to wake up Lis. We all need you."

Roy was pacing, his nerves frayed. Looking at everyone, he said "I am going to go observe the warehouse. I need something to do before I go crazy." Oliver just nodded, as Roy walked over to Felicity and gently kissed her forehead. "You need to wake up Lis." Before he lost it in front of everyone, he quickly left.

Slade walked over and squeezed Felicity's hand, then looked at John and Diggle. "I am going to go with Roy. Someone needs to keep an eye on that kid."

John and Oliver both nodded as he left.

Suddenly Tommy and Laurel came running into the room, Laurel immediately went to Felicity while Tommy walked over to Oliver and John. "What happened man? We ran into Roy in the hall and he told us about Felicity. It is all he could choke out before he left."

John went back over everything he could remember, guilt starting to weigh heavy on his heart. "This is my fault Oliver. I should have been more alert. I let those bastards get the jump on me."

"John! This is not your fault", Lyla said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked over at Felicity then back at Lyla. "She is an agent Joh. She knew the risks when she took this assignment. It's part of what we do."

Oliver walked over and placed his hand on John's shoulder. "She is right John." John nodded, accepting what he said. Oliver moved over to Felicity's side, taking her hand.

Laurel and Tommy held each other as Laurel asked, "If it was a gunshot wound, why is she not waking up?"

Oliver sighed, "The bullet was laced with vertigo."

Tommy and Laurel looked at him shocked, "What?"

"Slade recognized some discoloration around her wound. It is a drug that is used by the Chinese mafia. He came across it when he was on assignment in the South China sea", he said, his thumb gently stroking her knuckles.

"Well what can we do?", Tommy asked, holding Laurel close. Felicity was their family. They needed to do something.

"There is nothing we can do", said John. "We have to let the poison run its course and hope that it is not enough to kill her."

Laurel gasped as Tommy looked at him in shock.

Oliver leaned down, kissing her cheek softly, then whispered in her ear, "You have to wake up baby. We have plans to make, vacations to take. I need you." Oliver's voice was thick with emotion.

Gently patting his shoulder, John, Lyla, Tommy and Laurel, all left, giving Oliver some time alone with her.

10 Hours Later

Felicity gasped awake, a searing pain tearing through her shoulder. She cried out as she looked wildly around the room. Oliver had dozed off at her side, his head on his folded arms, next to her on the bed.

"Felicity!!", he said with relief.

Felicity looked at him, her eyes wild and slightly unfocused. "What happened? Where am I and what are you doing here?"

Oliver thought she must be confused after having woken up, so he moved a hand toward her. She immediately jerked back, again crying out in pain.

"Don't touch me Ray!!"

John and Lyla came running in as Oliver looked down at her in shock, his relief and happiness that she was awake slowly fading. Felicity looked at Lyla, her eyes wild, angry.

"Lyla, what is Ray doing here?"

These must be the hallucinations that Slade had mentioned.

Lyla walked to Felicity, placing a soothing arm on her shoulder. "Felicity, that is Oliver, Ray is not here. You are hallucinating honey."

Felicity looked confused. "Hallucinating? Why am I hallucinating? What happened to me?"

As much as he wanted to take her in his arms, Oliver kept his distance. He didn't want to agitate her anymore than she was currently, and she seemed to be calming down with Lyla.

Lyla explained to Felicity about the mission, how they were knocked out and she was shot. That the bullet was laced with a drug called vertigo.

"It should work it's way out of your system in about another 14 hours. Until then you need to rest Lis. John stitched your wounds and we don't want you to pull your stitches."

Felicity looked over at Oliver and then back at Lyla, unsure.

"I want Ray out of here", she said. Lyla glanced over her shoulder at John and Oliver. She walked over to John and whispered, "Why don't you give her a sedative to help her rest. Oliver you come with me"

Oliver looked at Felicity helplessly, before moving to following Lyla out of the room.

John placed a sedative into Felicity's IV and she eventually drifted off to sleep. He walked into the hallway as Lyla was talking to Oliver.

"Who is Ray?", Oliver asked Lyla. "Why did Felicity seem afraid of him?"

Lyla sighed, "Ray was an Agent that Felicity dated when she was a cadet. They dated for about a year. Everything was great, and then he changed."

John looked at her, his brow crinkled."What do you mean he changed?"

Lyla looked up at John, wondering if she should continue, but then looking at Oliver's face, she knew he needed to know. "After a particularly difficult mission Ray just seemed to snap. He became emotionally and physically abusive. After a rough month of trying to get him help through the bureau, which he declined, Felicity left him. That is how we became room mates."

Oliver was floored, and angry. Felicity was a beautiful, strong, amazing woman. The thought of someone, a man, intentionally hurting her made him livid.

"Because of what happened with her father Felicity was in a bad place for awhile. Otherwise she would have never stayed with Ray for as long as she did. After she left Ray moved out of state and we have not heard from him since. The bureau fired him when they found out about his abuse." Lyla placed a hand on Oliver's arm. It was hard and rigid with tension. "I can tell you Oliver that he only hit her once. That was what caused her to leave. It made her see that he was not going to get help."

Oliver's jaw ticked. He wanted to race out and track down this Ray and pummel him to the ground.

"Look, I am going to go back in with Felicity", Lyla said. "I don't want her to wake up alone. I will let you know when the vertigo has worked it's way out of her system. Why don't you go home and get some rest Oliver?"

"I am not leaving this building. But I will go to the gym and take a shower." He looked at her earnestly. "Call me the moment she wakes up you understand?"

Lyla nodded. Then leaning up she placed a kiss on his cheek before, squeezing John's arm, and heading back into the room.

"Oliver, someone needs to call Lance and Waller and fill them in on what has happened. Despite what has happened with Felicity she completed the mission Oliver. The server has been destroyed. I think she has a commendation in her future", he smiled slightly. "I will go call them while you take a moment to digest what you have been told. Felicity is going to need you when she wakes up."

Slapping his shoulder John took off down the hall. Oliver let out a breath. Felicity was going to be ok. She was alive.

He walked down the hall to the elevator, hitting the first floor to head to take a shower. He had a lot to process.