Requested by @needother-reason
He thought that the night he died, that’s the night he would feel the worst, because the mission, the mission was so important to him, but when he saw that arrow in her stomach, he could focus on nothing else except her and the pain. She was dying, because they had been stupid. She was dying because they were arrogant and they kept her out of the loop. God, why did he do that? Why was he so naive to think that this wouldn’t come back to haunt him?
She stayed afloat for five years without him, he couldn’t do it without her for an hour. He paced back and forth outside the room. Eventually someone came by and told him that he had to go. He had to go change, but that he could come back. She would be fine. They would watch over her. But he just didn’t think he could. If she was out of his sight, then she could actually die and he could not have that. He could not have her dying.
But he went home and he changed his clothes and he got out of the stupid costume that lead to this in the first place. He never should have put on that costume, never should have trusted Malcolm. When she was right, she was really right. And the first rule in their house? Laurel is always right.
“You know, it’s not your fault,” Thea said as they got in the car and went to the hospital.
He shook his head. “She told me not to trust him. And I just couldn’t get away from it. I couldn’t even believe my own wife,” He told Thea. He picked at his nails and wondered if this would be the way that they would go out. If this is the way that God wanted to punish him, by taking away the only treasure he ever had in his life, the only thing that wouldn’t fade on him. And it certainly wasn’t for a lack of trying. Oliver had been something of a grade A ass to her, but she wanted him, always and forever, still after all this time, and he didn’t get it.
He wasn’t going to let it go. That much was clear to Thea. “You know, your dying, she always knew that you would have wanted her to carry on. She didn’t wallow because she knew that you would hate to see her waste her life on something that she could never get back. If you weren’t going to come back, she had to live her life anyway,” Thea told him. “It was her strength that was the biggest influence for me. You need to do everyone a favor and you need to find a way to borrow some of that strength, because she would not want you wallowing,” Thea told her brother.
He took a deep breath and as the car stopped, he knew that his sister was right. He rode the elevator and was stopped before he got to her room, by her doctor.
“She’s still in critical condition, Mr. Queen, please, let her rest,” Her doctor said.
He nodded. That was not going to stop him from seeing his dying wife.
Even dying, she looked beautiful. She would hate that he thought that. She always asked him if there was anything else he could comment on before her beauty. He supposed the fact that she was still trying for him, despite it all, to come out of this alive, that was probably what he should have remarked on.
When he sat down, he held her hand and looked at her. “You are the greatest wife there is. And the truest friend. When I first saw you, I didn’t know that I was looking into the eyes of my soulmate. But there you, you are. I never thought I would have someone who would put me first. It always felt like I came second, but I never worried with you,” He said.
She groaned a little and shifted in the bed, but he just laid a hand and quieted her.
“You don’t have to speak, in fact, it’s probably best that you just rest, okay?” He said and he got a little choked up. He couldn’t believe it, this could be the end. He didn’t want it to be, but he knew it could be.
He dried his tears. She didn’t need him weeping, acting like she was already gone. “You’re the most special girl in the world and I love you. Always and forever. And that’s a promise. It’s always going to be you,” He said as he kissed her forehead.
She opened her eyes and looked at him and oh, to be looked at with those eyes forever, the ones that want to love you, that’s what he wanted.
She concentrated hard, “Ollie, I-” She coughed, “I love you too. Always and forever. And this, it’s not the end,” She told him. “I want a long full marriage with you,” She told him and clutched his hand.
He wanted that too and all he heard was Thea in the back of his head telling him that he needed to find her strength and be strong, because whatever happened tonight while she was asleep, that was all fate, but this moment, this right here, he could control. “And you’ll get one,” He said.
Satisfied, she closed her eyes again and he wiped the tear away before she could see it. The doctor came in and looked at her progress. She beckoned him outside, “You know, with cases like these, there’s not much to do but wait for them to leave the body, because that injury is substantial and death comes for us all,” She told him.
He didn’t even look at the doctor, just looked at how peaceful his wife was. “She’s a fighter.” He told the doctor.
“Yeah, I can see that,” She told him. “Because in her case, she’s actually healing. I’m seeing signs of progress which is something that I would never have thought,” She told him. “Your wife has finally stabilized. She’s not dying,”
