Arrow in the Heart

                 

A few weeks passed and everyone had returned back to their respective cities.  Riley and I had finally settled in a general schedule.

"And that's the story of the time daddy shot his first bad guy." I said, scooping the last bite of applesauce into Riley's mouth.

I stood up and tossed the empty applesauce container into the trash before rinsing off the spoon and sticking it in the dishwasher.

"Dada!"

I spun around and faced my daughter.

"What did you just say?" I asked, stepping closer.

"Dada!" Riley laughed, kicking her feet against her highchair.

I felt tears spring to my eyes.

"Yeah, baby.  I'm your dada." I said, unbuckling her and hugging her tightly.

I kissed the top of her head, a few tears slipping down my cheeks.  I set her down on the floor so she could crawl around while I cleaned up her highchair.  I had just grabbed the package of wipes when my phone started ringing.

"Hello?" I answered, putting the phone on speaker so I could continue cleaning up while I talked.

"This is Doctor Jackson Kryo.  Is Roy Harper available?"

"Hey, Dr. Kryo.  It's Roy."

"Roy, I have some really good news for you.  Emma just woke up."

I froze.  I had to have heard him wrong.  Emma had been in a coma for almost two months.

"Are you there, Roy?"

"Yeah, I'm here.  Sorry.  Are you sure?  Is this real?" I asked.

"Absolutely.  She's been asking for you.  Should I let her know you're on your way?"

"Yes.  Yes please.  I'll be there as soon as possible." I said, tossing the wipes on the counter and racing to get Riley dressed.

"Alright.  See you soon."

I hung up and immediately dialed Oliver's number.  As I filled him in on what was going on, I changed Riley's diaper before dressing her in a lavender dress with little grey shoes.  As soon as Riley was ready to go, I set her down in her crib while I raced to pull on a clean pair of jeans and a black shirt.

"Are you ready to go meet Emma?" I asked, buckling my daughter into her carseat.

Riley babbled happily in her own language before shoving the tail of her favorite stuffed whale in her mouth.

"I'm going to take that as a yes." I said, laughing before closing the door and jumping into the drivers seat.

I turned on some kids music and headed out to the hospital, ignoring my phone as it blew up with text messages and calls from friends as Oliver told them the good news.  When we got to the hospital, I undid Riley's carseat from the base and carried her inside, heading straight to Emma's room.

"Roy, how are you doing?" Dr. Kryo asked, meeting outside Emma's door.

"I'm excited to see Emma and introduce her to Riley." I said, readjusting my grip on Riley's carseat.

"She's excited to see you two.  She remembers everything you told her when she was in the coma, so she knows about Riley.  She can't wait to meet her.  She's officially yours now, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she is.  We just finished up the paperwork last week and now she is officially my daughter.  Can I see Emma now?" I asked, growing impatient.

"Of course." Dr. Kryo said, opening the door and stepping aside.

I walked in and set Riley down next to the bed before wrapping Emma in my arms.

"I missed you so much." I said, my eyes filling with tears.

"I missed you too.  I love you so much." Emma whispered, kissing me gently.

I kissed her back, enjoying the feeling of her lips on mine.  We broke the kiss a few seconds later when Riley screamed out 'Dada!'

"Where is this new little family member?" Emma asked.

I unbuckled Riley from her carseat and picked her up, placing her on my lap and turning her so she could see Emma.

"Can you say hi to Emma, Ry?" I asked.

Riley blew a raspberry and reached towards Emma, giggling.  I set Riley on the edge of the bed and smiled as she played with Emma's curls.

"Hello, sweet lovebug." Emma said, kissing Riley's head gently.

"That's what I call her too." I said, watching my daughter interact with my Emma.

"She's perfect, Roy.  I'm so proud of you for stepping up and taking care of her."

"Thank you.  I saw her and I just knew I couldn't let her go.  Captain Lance was a huge help through the whole adoption process and really helped to speed things along." I said, digging out a container of applesauce and a spoon.

"May I feed her?" Emma asked.

"Of course.  She's kind of a messy eater though, especially when she isn't completely focused on the food." I said, unscrewing the lid and handing the applesauce to Emma.

While Emma fed Riley, we talked about how things were going with Samuel's case.

"His trial is set for two weeks from now.  He got discharged from the hospital after two weeks of recovery.  He's being held back in Iron Heights without bail, but he's in solitary so that nobody else can stab him." I said, digging out a pack of baby wipes from Riley's bag.

"I'm sorry I've put you through so much, Roy." Emma said, wiping the last of the applesauce off Riley's face.

I took Emma's hand in mine, looking into her tired blue-grey eyes.

"Emma Marie Maxwell, none of this is your fault.  You did what you believed was right by treating Samuel and that is something that nobody can ever hold against you.  What Samuel has done to you is in no way your fault.  Everything he's done, he's done on his own accord.  Not yours." I said, meaning every word.

"Thank you." she said, smiling softly up at me.

Our moment was interrupted when Riley started to cry.  I pulled a fresh diaper out of the diaper bag and laid a blanket down on Emma's bed.  I quickly changed my daughter's diaper and got her dressed again as efficiently as I could.

"There you go, lovebug." I said, setting her back down on the bed.

Nurse Hailey walked in and started checking Emma's vitals.

"How long until I get discharged?  I have to get back to work."

"Emma, you just woke up." I said.

"I'd have to ask Dr. Kryo.  I don't think you'll be going home today though." Hailey said.

"I figured, but I thought I'd ask anyway." Emma said, sighing.

"It's okay, babe.  We all just want what's best for you." I said, kissing her hand.

Hailey nodded and wrote down Emma's vitals before leaving.

"You called me 'babe'." Emma said, looking over at me.

"I did?  I'm sorry."

"No, don't be sorry.  It's okay.  I don't mind at all."

"Roy, I've done a lot of thinking and I've decided that I'm finally ready."

"Ready for what?" I asked, confused.

"If you'll still have me, I'd like to be in a relationship with you." Emma said, her voice holding a hint of nervousness.

"Emma, of course I'll still have you.  I love you."

"I love you too."