Arrow in the Heart

Chapter Ten

Oliver stared at me for a minute, his mouth open in disbelief and pure anger. I could tell that he was upset that I hadn't told him before.

"Before you ask why I never told you, I want you to know that I kicked his ass and he's in jail now." I said, looking Oliver in the eyes.

"Emma, I could have helped you." He said.

"Ollie, look at the date on the police report."

"Oh." He said.

"Exactly. You weren't exactly in Star City when this all happened. You were on the island."

"I'm sorry." He said, looking at me with regret-filled eyes.

"Oliver, it's not your fault. Samuel was an alcoholic with a lot of pent-up rage. He took it out on me and I let him. Finally after a few months and a handful of hospital visits, I tried to break up with him. When he wouldn't leave me alone, I went to some self-defense classes and I asked Joe to teach me how to fight. After I felt confident enough in my skills, I broke up with Samuel. When the inevitable fight came, I kicked his ass and delivered him to the police station. He's been in Iron Heights since."

"He put you in the hospital? What the hell did he do to you?" Oliver asked, anger prominent in his usually calm features.

"He did a lot of things, Ollie. He would punch me, kick me, and slap me. A few times he threw things at me or tried to at least. Usually he was too drunk to aim well enough to hit me."

Oliver shook his head and pulled me into a hug. I sighed and hugged him back. Ollie had always been like a brother to me. In fact, we had a stronger relationship than most siblings.

"It's a good thing you're strong." He said, letting me go.

"Thanks, Ollie." I said, smiling softly at him.

He turned around and grabbed a box wrapped in dark blue paper with a gold bow. He handed me the package and gestured for me to open it.

"A ridiculously fast friend of ours made it for you upon my request." He said as I tore off the paper to reveal a smooth wooden box.

I lifted the lid to reveal a midnight blue mask, just like the ones Oliver, Laurel, Roy, and Thea had. I looked up at Oliver, shocked and slightly confused.

"I know you aren't out on the streets with us right now, but there may be times when I need you. Only if you feel like it though." He said.

"I don't know what to say. I love it. And I would love to hit the streets with you and the team. I just would need a little training first. I can shoot a bow, but not as well as you can."

"Your suit should be done soon. In the meantime, I came up with a codename for you." Oliver said, taking the mask from my hand and pointing to something on the strap.

Inscribed on the deep blue fabric were the words "Midnight Medic" in shimmering gold.

"I love it." I said, hugging Oliver.

"Cisco may have helped a little."

I laughed and tried on the mask. It fit perfectly and I could see clearly even when moving around.

"It's perfect." I said.

"I'm glad you like it. I even installed a new dummy for your outfit when it's finished." Oliver said, leading me over to everyone else's suits and showing me a new compartment right next to Roy's Arsenal suit.

"Thank you so much for everything, Ollie. I really appreciate it." I said, smiling gratefully at him.

"You're welcome." He replied, squeezing my hand gently.

While Oliver worked on something upstairs in the campaign office, I decided to call Iris.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Hey, Iris. It's Emma." I said.

"Hey, Ems! I miss you so much!" She exclaimed.

"I miss you too. How are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm doing really well. We've all been incredibly busy at S.T.A.R. Labs. Cisco is working on some tech to help defeat our newest metahuman. How's Star City?" She asked.

"It's great here. I've been hanging out with Oliver and the team and working at the hospital. I miss Central City though."

"We miss you here. Hang on, Cisco wants to talk to you." She said.

"Okay. Bye, Iris. Love you." I said.

"Love you more." She replied.

I heard her pass the phone of, mumbling something about how pushy Cisco was being.

"Hey, Midnight Medic." Cisco said.

"Hey, Vibe." I replied, laughing.

"I have a quick question about your suit. Do you want a hood?" He asked.

"A hood would be great. Thank you so much for making this for me, Cisco. It really means a lot." I said.

"I love making suits and helping out Oliver. I have to go, but I'll see you when I come drop off your suit. I want to ask Felicity about some computer stuff. See you soon, Ems!" He said.

I said goodbye and thanked him again before hanging up and tucking my phone into the back pocket of my jeans. A few minutes later, Roy came down into the lair with two cups of coffee. He handed me one of them before taking a sip of his.

"What have you been up to this morning?" He asked.

"Not much. Just talking to Oliver about some stuff." I replied.

"Anything important?" Roy inquired, clearly curious.

"I'll tell you about it later. What are you planning on doing for the rest of the day?"

"I'm not really sure. I don't have anything planned." He replied.

""Do you want to go on a walk around the city with me?"

"Sure, Emma. I would love to go on a walk with you." Roy said, smiling at me.

"Great. Just let me find my shoes." I said.

"I forgot how much you hate shoes and socks." He laughed, handing me the pair of black flats I had tucked under the desk.

I slid them on before following him to the elevator. We rode up and silence. Oliver waved us over when we got to the ground level of the campaign office.

"Where are you two headed?" He asked, signing a few papers and tucking them into a folder.

"Roy and I were just going to go for a walk around the city. I want to see how things have changed in the past few years. Call us if you need anything." I said.

"Have fun. Roy, protect her." Oliver said, looking Roy in the eyes.

"I think she can take care of herself, but I'll make sure she's okay." Roy replied, not flinching under Oliver's stern gaze.

"Ollie, we'll be fine. Let us know if anything comes up." I said, grabbing Roy's arm and pulling him out of the office.

Roy opened the front door of the office for me and we started down the street. We talked as we walked, just catching up on what we had been doing over the past eight years. It felt good to just talk to Roy.

We stopped at a park bench and sat down to rest for a moment. We were a few miles away from the lair and the sun was out and shining bright.

"Emma, there's something I need to tell you." Roy said, turning to look at me.

"What's up?" I asked, slightly worried by the nervous look in Roy's eyes.

"I didn't realize it until we kissed. I guess I never really got over you as well as I thought I had." He started.

"Roy, what are you saying?" I asked, my heart racing.

"Emma, I still love you."