Time, Truth, Tragedy

Choose Healing

Chapter 1

Choose Healing

"Grief is the price we pay for love. "

Queen Elizabeth II

Life presents us with an endless amount of choices. The great task in life is to determine which choice is right and which is wrong.

Oliver Queen found himself making choices, unsure if they were right or wrong. It all began a couple of months ago, on a hellish island that he just couldn't get away from. One man was able to turn his entire world upside down.

When arriving to Lian Yu, Oliver thought he knew how it would end. It was supposed to be him and Adrian, one final fight, while his friends and family all got away to safety. It was the end he was prepared for. What he wasn't prepared for was his wife appearing and changing the plan he pieced together before he even arrived on the island. He wasn't prepared to face what he thinks he would've forced her to face if his plan was successful. The fear and the nervousness overtook him the moment she appeared and then sent him away. It was so unbearable that he chose to go back for her, and he chose to tear her away from anything she'd been planning to do. He's spent the last five months since leaving that island wondering if his choices lead to the horrific outcomes. Samantha, Malcolm and Jacob were dead. Thea was in a coma. Their house of three became a house of five. Grief and sadness still in the air at the Queen household and Oliver was just trying to be there for everyone.

"Oliver?"

Oliver lifted his eyes to Nick. He found that regular weekly visits with the doctor, really did help him. To talk to someone, and to be able to vent to someone. In today's session, Oliver had zoned out. Once again thinking about the many choices that have lead his life to this point.

"Uh, sorry, did you say something?" Oliver sat back in his seat, coming back to the moment.

"Yeah, I asked you how things were going at home?"

Oliver let out sigh as he turned away. "It's...we're hanging in there." he looked back over to the doctor. "There's still a lot of grieving. Will and Ari...they aren't really talking to me or Katie, and we don't want to push, so we give them their space." Oliver let out a heavy sigh. "And Twinkie, she's...she's keeping a brave face, for the kids, but I know she's hurting." he shook his head. "She just won't let me in."

"And what about you?" Nick asked and Oliver turned to him. "How are you coping with everything that happened?"

Oliver thought of the answer to that question as he looked over to the doctor before dropping his eyes.

"I don't think I am." Oliver looked back over to Nick. "Maybe I'm locking away those emotions as well." he shook his head. "I kind of feel like I can't feel them. At least not right now. Not when my family needs me to be strong."

"So what I'm hearing, everyone in the Queen home is trapped in their own little personal emotional bubble." Nick shrugged. "Everyone needs an outlet. Everyone needs a way to let out those feelings that we don't like."

Oliver nods, because he knew he was right. He knew that they couldn't keep going on like this. Wallowing in the sadness and holding it all in wasn't a way to live. For any of them.

Tonight, Oliver decided to do something about it. He was going to make dinner and they were all going to sit down together as a family. He stopped by the grocery store on the way home. Walking inside, Oliver balanced bags in his hands that he took to the kitchen and sat on the counter. He stood there for a moment and let out a sigh at the silence. Their house was quiet all the time now. He hoped to change that. He climbed up the steps, venturing down the hall. He stopped in front of Ari's door first, knocking before getting her approval to come in. He pushed open the door, a smile coming to his face at the sight of Ari, Robyn in her lap at Ari's desk in front of her laptop.