Arrow in the Heart

Chapter Nine

"Well that was unexpected." Felicity commented as Roy and I broke apart.

We all laughed and Roy pecked my lips again before racing out with the others. Felicity and I kept tabs on all of the team members and the people they would be fighting.

"You and Roy certainly seem to be on a much better level than when you first came back." Felicity commented as she type something on her computer.

"Yeah. Visiting Noah's grave really helped both of us and allowed us to heal and move past everything that had happened previously between us. We realized how much we really need each other I guess."

"I'm happy for you. Both of you deserve someone who loves and cares about you." Felicity said, smiling at me.

"Thank you." I replied, smiling back at her.

We both turned our attention back to the computer screens as the team arrived at the restaurant. As the team fought, Felicity and I talked to them through their earpieces and kept them updated on where the rest of the security and the main target were located. Just as they had finished taking down most of the security team, a rogue gunman attacked Oliver.

"Oliver's down! Dig has him for now, but you're going to need to set up some stuff, Doctor." Laurel said.

"We really need to come up with a codename for you." Felicity said as I ran to get things set up.

After a couple more agonizing minutes of fighting, the team successfully took down the sleazy realtor and his goons. The police arrived on scene to find him pinned to the wall with two arrows, babbling about how he'd been breaking laws and selling houses with clear code violations.

"Is Oliver shot or just beat up?" I asked.

"Both. Bullet grazed his arm but didn't go in too deep. Possible broken ribs too." Thea reported.

"You need to get an x-ray machine down here." I said, grabbing wraps for Oliver's ribs.

"I've been telling them that for years." Felicity said, not looking up from the computer.

I continued to gather things to treat Oliver while Felicity talked to them through their earpieces. After a while, she rolled away from the computers and took a deep breath.

"Did they get him?" I asked, suddenly worried.

"Yeah, they got him. They're on their way back now." She said.

A few minutes later, the team came in. Oliver looked a little weak, but stable. The rest of the team had made it through with nothing more than a few bruises and scrapes.

I began to examine Oliver as everyone changed into the clothes they had been wearing before they got called out.

"From what I can tell, you fractured two ribs. Nothing seems to have gotten punctured though, so that's good. Let me just stitch up your arm and you'll be good to go." I said, grabbing a stitching kit and some extra gauze.

As I stitched him up, Oliver talked to Felicity about some kind of business meeting she had to go to later in the week.

"All done. I'll take them out in a few days." I said.

"He'll probably take them out himself in a day and a half tops." Roy said, laughing.

"If you do so much as look at those stitches, I will hurt you." I said.

Everyone laughed. I looked at them, wondering why they were laughing.

"I'm being serious." I said, looking Oliver straight in the eye.

"Emma, even we can barely land a punch on Oliver." Laurel said, laughing.

I surprised everyone, including Oliver, by flipping Star City's famous vigilante right on his butt. The air left Oliver in a silent "woosh" as he landed hard on his back. Everyone stared at me with mouths open in surprise.

"How did you do that?" Thea asked.

"Joe and Barry have taught me a lot. Plus I occasionally have to wrestle a violent patient at the hospital." I explained.

"In my defense, I wasn't expecting my doctor to do anything to hurt me." Oliver joked, pulling himself onto his feet.

"I'm your friend too. Not just your doctor." I reminded him.

"I'll keep that in mind. I promise I won't take my stitches out by myself." Oliver said, kissing my forehead.

As I cleaned up the blood-soaked gauze and tossed everything in the nearby trash bin, Oliver got changed and everyone else went out to grab coffee and a bite to eat.

"Emma, may I ask you a question?" Oliver asked as I finished tidying up the medical area.

"Sure. What's up, Ollie?" I asked, sitting in a chair and turning to face him.

"Why did you learn how to fight in the first place?" He asked, leaning against the table next to me.

"Ollie, I already told you. I helped Barry fight metahumans. It's not a big deal." I said, turning around so he wouldn't see me flinch at how bad the lie was.

"He walked over and knelt in front of me, putting his fingers under my chin and forcing me to look at him.

"Emma, you're like a sister to me. I know when you're lying." He said, looking me in the eyes.

I sighed and pulled away. I spun towards one of the computers, which Felicity had deemed mine earlier in the day. I pulled up Central City Police Records on a man named Samuel Braxton. I gestured for Oliver to read the report.

"Why do I need to know about this guy?" Oliver asked.

"Just read it, Oliver." I said.

As Oliver read, I sat calmly in my chair, working over a way to explain everything to Oliver without anyone getting hurt.

"Emma, this guy sounds dangerous. He beat up his girlfriend and almost killed her. She's lucky she got away. It's a good thing he's in jail." Oliver said, turning to face me.

"I know what he did, Oliver. And I know who he did it to." I said, trying to keep myself calm so that I didn't start crying.

"Whom did he do these things to?" He asked, concerned.

I took a deep breath and looked Oliver in the eyes.

"Me, Oliver. He did those things to me."