Food allergies - The perils of distracted eating

I own nothing, just enjoying playing with them every now and then. So, this came to me when I was reading and thinking that, well, Thai food has a lot of peanut stuffs in it, and originally this was gonna be with her eating noodles cooked in peanut oil but then I actually looked at a Thai menu and changed what I had her eat. I don't really know that much about Thai food but I did try to do some research so I hope this very short story is representing it ok except for the allergic part. Correct me if I got anything wrong, too, don't know much about allergic reactions either. Thanks so much for reading!

It started out as a pretty normal Wednesday evening. Felicity was on her computers tracking down the latest perp, Diggle and Oliver training in the background, and Roy had gone out on a food run.

So it was that when Roy returned with some sort of salad in a carton-like container, saying as he handed it to her, "Didn't know if you wanted chicken or shrimp, so I got one with both." Felicity didn't pay it much mind beyond a murmured thanks as she took the carton. Her entire focus being on her computer screens, she didn't give the food in her hands any mind at all. Until she was about two bites in.

She smacked her lips as a strange taste hit her tongue and she stared down in confusion at the salad in front of her, absently scratching at her throat with one hand. She was trying to place that strange flavor, it seemed vaguely familiar, and why did her tongue feel kind of itchy all of sudden? Felicity coughed, and that's when it hit her.

Peanuts. The salad had peanuts in it, maybe it was the dressing? Didn't matter what it had been in, it was already taking its toll on her and closing her airways.

"Crap." She wheezed, and then tossed the carton to her desk as she dove for her purse. Her Epi-pen, she had to have it in there somewhere. She'd been required to carry it but hadn't had to use it for years and where had she seen it last?!

Kneeling on the floor in front of her purse and searching through it like a crazy woman had, naturally, drawn the attention of all the male occupants of the room. The fact that she was now hacking and wheezing instead of breathing may have helped gain their attention, too, but it certainly wasn't an aid in her searching.

"Felicity, what-" Oliver began, having come to stand before her but was cut off when she gave up and just dumped everything out of her purse, hands now shaking. He took a step back as everything tumbled out but she didn't even notice him at all. This was not good, so very very not good...

Tears started to form in her eyes because the Epi pen was still. Not. There. It wasn't to be found amidst the dumped out contents. So. Where the heck had she put it last?! Sort of a life-or-death thing, here.

Thankfully, Diggle was there. He put the pieces together as soon as he saw the carton on its side atop her desk, and picked it up for a sniff. His eyes widened.

"Epi-pen! That's what she needs, bound to have one in her purse - That's what she's trying to find." Diggle spoke aloud quickly, looking to Oliver who was on the floor next to her. Oliver sucked in a quick breath, his expression becoming stone as he grabbed Felicity's purse and very likely ripped a zipper compartment as he tore into it. He came across a glasses cleaning kit, a small case of some other type of medication, and then finally, finally, there at the bottom. He pulled out the Epi-pen. Extracting it from the purse's zipper pocket with a flourish, he held it up then hesitated.

"What do I-?" He was again cut off as Dig grabbed the pen from him, uncapped it and shot it into Felicity's thigh is quick succession. Felicity had been leaning against the desk because by this time her head was really feeling funny and breathing was just...too difficult. She did let out a hiss, however, upon feeling the bite of the needle. Then she whimpered and promptly blacked out.

"Dig!" Oliver barked, gathering Felicity into his arms as he looked at his friend with terrified eyes because what if they'd just done something wrong? "Why'd she black out?" Oliver whispered, turning his gaze down to her and realizing that yes, she was breathing but barely. Dig shook his head and motioned to the stairs.

"I'm calling an ambulance, get her upstairs."

"I'm sorry," Roy whispered, whom til now had been silent. "I didn't- I had no idea she was...oh God please tell me she'll be ok. I honestly didn't know she had an allergy."

Oliver stood with the woman in his arms, and turned to Roy as he approached the stairs. "This isn't on you, Roy. I," here Oliver had to pause and grimance at himself, because, "I didn't know either." He whispered, closing his eyes breifly and shifting the bundle in his arms to cling to her tighter before glancing at Roy and nodding to the door. "Help me with the door."

Thankfully, they had gotten her help in time and she was right as rain within a week or two. There was, however, a lifetime ban on Thai food in the foundary, unless it was first very carefully checked.

And, as soon as Felicity got home she found a beautiful new purse the exact color shade as the one before waiting on her coffee table.