Chapter 5

Reality?

They were early, and then they were late, and then there were balloons

Oliver and Katie were early. They were rarely if ever early, but today they were. They'd flown into Coast City to see an OB referred by Dr. Baxter. Apparently he was

one of the best in the field, so the couple decided to check it out. This was the closest to Starling they'd been since they left, and they knew by the time it was time to leave they would have to decide if going back was the right thing for them to do.

For right now, they were early, and because they were early, they had time to kill. That's how Oliver once again found himself in a mall, shopping. Only this time, he was actually enjoying himself.

"Look at this!" Katie called over to the man and he lifted his head to see the woman holding up a onesie, the words. "World's Cutest Baby" printed on the front. "It's so tiny!" Oliver laughed as he watched the woman, whose eyes seem to light up the moment they walked into the store.

"You know we should probably find out what we're having before you buy the entire store." Oliver said and Katie just waved him off.

"I'm getting gender neutral stuff." she replied as she looked through the clothes. "Have you decided on a crib?" Oliver turned with a shake of his head. They'd given him a book with different baby cribs, and even showed him some they had in store and for some reason he couldn't choose. Each one had different features, different colors, different shapes and sizes. He had no idea what to choose.

"I didn't know a bed for a baby would be so complicated." the man said finally placing the book down and turning back to the woman who seemed to move across to the store and was looking at more furniture. He walked over to see her looking at rocking chairs.

"There is this picture I have of my mom after I was born. She was sitting in a rocking chair like this one, holding me." Katie smiled sadly.

"We should buy it." Oliver suggested and Katie looked over to him.

"And put it where? In our hotel?" the woman shook her head and let out a sigh before walking over to the clerk at the counter. "I'm so sorry, I'm actually not going get any of this." she glanced over to Oliver. "Let's go." she turned and headed for the door and Oliver quickly went to the clerk.

"Hi, I'm actually going to buy everything she chose, and that rocking chair over there." the man said. "Do you guys deliver?"

It wasn't until they were sitting in the waiting room of the doctor's office, that Oliver finally found the courage to finally ask her about what happened at the store. He knew there were risks, that this could lead to her biting his head off in one of the many moods she's adapted since being pregnant. He just had to figure out what was wrong this time.

"So you want to tell me what happened at the store?" he glanced over to the woman who didn't say a word as she paged through the magazine she was currently pretending to read. "You were happy, I know you were happy, and you were smiling and then something happened. Something changed. What was it?"

"Let's drop it." she replied glancing over to the man before sitting down the magazine and picking up another.

"So you're choosing to avoid a problem instead of facing it." Oliver said and Katie turned a quirked brow to the man.

"You know you watched Dr. Phil one time, it does not make you a psychiatrist." the woman shook her head looking back to the magazine. "I decided to not buy something, it's not a big deal."

"You decided to not buy things for the one person in this world I know you love." Oliver replied and Katie sighed as she closed her eyes. "You're excited about the baby. About preparing for the baby. What happened?"

"Reality." Katie replied turning back to the man. "Reality happened. The reality that we're not these people who have no worries in the world. At some point that topic neither one of us wants to talk about is gonna come up and reality will come flooding back."

"Twinkie-"

"Lara Croft!" a voice spoke and both Oliver and Katie turned to the nurse that had just called out the name. "Ms. Croft?"

"You've got to be kidding me." Katie muttered with a shake of her head, before raising her hand. "I believe that is me." the nurse smiled before walking over to Katie.

"Sorry, but the doctor requested that I say that." the woman replied before nudging her head. "You can follow me to the exam room." Katie simply nodded before Oliver helped her to her feet.

"I'm confused, what's going on?" Oliver whispered over to the woman as they followed the nurse.

"Well it would seem Twinkie wasn't the only nickname I've had in my life." Katie replied when they finally walked into the exam room, where she saw someone she didn't expect to see.

"Of all the Dr. Flemmings, in all the world, you turn out to be my OB?" Katie asked and the man just laughed before walking over and engulfing the woman in a hug. Neither noticed the confused and very agitated face of Oliver beside Katie who wasn't sure what was happening. "Zach, how did you get a medical license."

"You know I paid a couple of people, it's the American way right." the doctor pulled from the hug. "And you must be the lucky one to finally knock up Ms. Croft." Zach held out a hand to Oliver who didn't attempt to shake it.

"I'm sorry, you two have met?" Oliver asked glancing over to Katie who gave a nod.

"We went to medical school together." Katie said looking back to Zach. "He was one of the first friends I had when I moved to New York." she turned back to Oliver with a shake of her head. "He was funny-"

"And if I remember you liked funny guys." Zach replied in a way that only made Oliver more annoyed. There was something underneath the man's words he didn't like.

"Wait, so did you two date?" Oliver asked looking between Katie and the doctor.

"Officially-"

"No, we didn't date." Katie says interrupting the man before turning back to him. "Shouldn't we get this over with. We have a baby here we would like to check out."

"Oh, sure-" Zach said turning and grabbing a gown before handing it to Katie. "Why don't you change into this, and I will be back to do the exam." the man gave a nod, before turning a smile to Oliver as he left.

"Ok." Oliver said as Katie pulled off her jacket. "What is the deal with you and Dr. Zach?"

"What, I told you we went to medical school together. We were friends." Katie says as the man simply continued to stare at her knowing there was more. "Oliver, drop it. We're here to check on the baby and finally find out the gender. Don't ruin this with insecurities and jealousy."

"Did you two date?"

"I told you no, we never dated?" Katie replied folding her arms over her chest, and Oliver knew her answer was just too specific.

"Ok, then what did you do?" Katie shook her head before turning away from the man. "You've had sex with him." it was more of an accusation than a question and Katie couldn't help but roll her eyes. "And you really expect me to be comfortable with him performing this exam."

"You heard Dr. Baxter. Zach is one of the best OB's in Coast City. What happened years ago doesn't change that. I mean how would you feel if I told you that if you ever needed a lawyer, that you shouldn't ask Laurel."

"That's different."

"How?"

"Because, Laurel representing me doesn't involve either of us without clothes." Oliver replied and Katie let out a sigh before taking a seat on the bed. "You have to see how this looks from my side."

"I do." Katie says looking over to the man. "You're right. We will find someone else." she gave a nod before standing up and grabbing her jacket.

"Now you're upset."

"No, now I am not arguing about this. It's pointless. Let's go back to the hotel. Maybe we can just head back to Starling and see Dr. Baxter." the woman walked past the man toward the door, just as it opened and in walked Zach.

"Wait, you're leaving?" he asked, glancing from Katie to Oliver. "Aw, you told him?" he turned back to Katie. "That was forever ago. I think I was crazy drunk or stoned, and I don't even remember what you look like down there."

"You know when you say stuff like that, it doesn't make me any less uncomfortable or angry." Oliver replied as Katie simply stalked out of the room. He was about to go after her, but Zach moved in front of him.

"Look, I get it. Our history doesn't make me a popular choice for the doctor who gets to be all in her business. But I promise, I hold nothing more dear than this job, and I take nothing more serious. Right now, she's about to enter the third trimester which is a pretty crucial time because at any moment that baby could come. I just want to make sure everything is right to make sure that happens so both the mom and the baby come out happy and healthy. So if you really don't want me as the doctor, I can make some suggestions of other OB's we have here. I mean none of them are as good as me, but I would trust them with this." Oliver looked at the man for a moment before giving him a nod before walking around the man to the door. "Oh, and if it makes you feel any better, nothing ever really serious happened between us because she was hung up on some other guy. I never got a name, but she did mention he gave her some weird nickname when they were in high school." Oliver dropped his head slightly and sighed before turning and walking out of the door.

When he found Katie she was standing by the elevators, avoiding his gaze.

"Maybe I overreacted." Oliver said and Katie looked over to him. "I'm sorry."

"No, you were kind of right. I mean if Laurel being your lawyer did include either of you being naked, I'd probably set one of you on fire." the woman said as the elevator opened. Oliver shuttered, hoping that never happened, before he stepped inside as well. "Plus we probably should head home. We're going to have to start coming to these appointments more often just to make sure everything is happening the way it should."

"You're right." Oliver replied and Katie looked over to him. "We should go home."

The drive was silent. Oliver glanced over to Katie who stared out the window, obviously not happy and he hopes that will all change soon.

"This isn't the way to our hotel." Katie said as they seemed to be in a suburban neighborhood and no where near their hotel. "Where are we going?" she looked over to Oliver who didn't say anything immediately. "Liver, what's going on?"

"I told you." Oliver finally said looking over to the woman, before glancing up with a slight smile. Suddenly the man pulled over the car. "I'm taking you home." he quickly stepped out of the car, before rushing to Katie's side and opening her door as well, taking her hand to help her stand. Katie stared at the man in confusion, watching as he turned to the beautiful house with a two car garage in front of them.

"Oliver, what is this?" Katie asked and the man looked over to her with a smile. "Is it ours?"

"Yeah." the man replied before pulling the woman with him toward the door. Katie watched in shock as he pulled keys from his pocket and opened the front door. "Welcome home Twinkie." he moved aside to let her in. The woman stepped inside, her eyes wide as she looks around the beautifully furnished house.

"Liver, what-" she turned back to to the man, still not really believing this was all true.

"What if this was our reality? Where we can be happy and not have a care in the world."

"We can't—" the woman shook her head as she turned back to the house. "That's not how it works. We can't just be different people."

"Twinkie, this is our house-" he grabbed her shoulders turning her. "That is our kitchen, and that's our living room." he took her hand and headed for the stairs. They walked down a hallway, until Oliver turned and opened a door. They walked into a room different than the others. It was unfurnished, and walls bare. "And this is our baby's room. And you know I think that rocking chair will look great right there by the window." Katie glanced over and she could see it. She could actually see a life that didn't involve their craziness. She turned back to Oliver. "Twinkie, this is real."

"This is real." she repeated, finally believing that the words were true. She soon felt tears in her eyes as she turned back to look at the room. Oliver brought his arms around her from behind, his hand sliding to her large belly before placing a kiss to her neck. "You're going to have choose a crib or this kid won't have a bed to sleep in." she spun around in his arms, bringing her arms around his neck.

"So you like it?" the woman shook her head with a smile.

"You know I think I love it." she replied placing a hand on his cheek. "And I really love you." the man couldn't wait another second to kiss the woman and so his lips captured hers. Before the moment could sweep them away, Katie suddenly pulled away. "Wait, what do we tell everyone?"

"The truth."Oliver replied honestly. "They will probably be upset. Especially my sister and Felicity. But they'll accept it. I mean we're not that far. They can literally visit whenever they want."

"If you say so." Katie said taking the man's hand and pulling him out of the room. "C'mon, come show me around some more."

The next morning they were lucky, but they were late. Another OB at Coast City Memorial Hospital schedule freed up, allowing them another appointment. They really meant to be on time, but the excitement about the new house, added some distractions that kept them in bed longer than intended.

They rode the elevator up to their floor, knowing they were making a horrible first impression.

"I told you we were gonna be late." Katie muttered once again and Oliver simply kept quiet, deciding that he wanted to stay on her good side today. He could mention that she's the one who initiated everything that made them late, not that he was complaining about it. Soon the elevator doors slid open, and they rushed out to see a doctor at the nursing station turn to them.

"Ms. Robins?" the blonde asked and Katie simply nodded. "I'm doctor Cameron, and you're late. You only get one tardy pass with me, after that one I start suggesting you find a new OB."

"We completely understand, and it won't happen again." Katie replied and the woman simply turned back to the nurse. "Could you have someone bring them into the exam room to get changed." the doctor once again glanced over to the couple before stalking away.

"She's going to be a pleasant doctor." Katie said before looking over to Oliver. "You know there's still time to get Zach."

"I'm actually good with the drill Sargent OB." Oliver replied taking the woman's hand and pulling her to follow behind the nurse. "Let's go before she yells at us again."

Soon Katie was lying the exam room table, glancing over to Oliver who after all this time still seemed nervous during these appointments.

"You know the awkward stuff is over." she said and he glanced over to her with a smile. "The next part is we get to see an actually baby looking image on that screen."

"We saw the baby in the last appointment." Oliver replied.

"I know, but I feel every time we see him or her, there's something different." she replied sliding a hand over her belly. "We're getting down to the wire."

"I'm starting to realize that every time I look at you." Oliver replied placing a hand on top of hers. He noticed the look she was giving him. "What?"

"What does that mean, Oliver?" Katie asked. "Every time you look at me? Cause I'm getting bigger? I know that, you don't have to remind me every-"

"Alright!" Dr. Cameron announced as she walked in, her eyes down to table. Oliver let out a sigh of relief when the doctor saved him from yet another mood swing. "Physical exam looks great. Your blood pressure has gone down, which is awesome." the doctor sat the tablet down before looking up to the couple. "Only one thing left to do." she turned grabbing the machine and pulling it closer. "So I'm told you would like to know the sex."

"Yeah, last time the baby wasn't angled quite right for us to know, so hopefully they will be cooperative this time." Katie replied. The doctor simply gave a nod, before squeezing the gel on Katie's belly. Oliver's eyes watched her closely, his hand holding on to Katie as the doctor places the wand on her belly and the familiar sound of the baby's heart beat plays around them. Oliver never could get over the rapid thumping that came from their baby. He was assured it was normal for the heart beat to beat fast. "Heart sounds good, now lets see if we have a cooperative baby." the doctor moved the wand a bit more until the baby finally came into view. "Ok, let's-"

"Oh my gosh!" Katie yells, bringing her hands to her mouth in surprise before turning to Oliver.

"Do you know what we're having?" Oliver asked and Katie enthusiastically nodded. Oliver waited for her to tell him, but she just kept smiling and it was contagious because he had no idea what had her so happy, but he couldn't help but smile as well. "What are we having?"

Thea Queen loved her sleep. Especially now when her nights usually ran late now with her crime fighting duties. It's why the sound of her doorbell made her groan and pull her pillow over her head in hopes the sound would end. The pillow couldn't suppress the sound, which is why she angrily threw her pillow across the room before looking over to her clock. It read six am, which was entirely too early for anyone to be stopping by. The door bell once again rang and she jumped out of her bed. The woman was out for blood. The moment she reached her door, she swung it open prepared to kill whoever was on the other side. Whomever it was must have known the end was near, because they were gone and the only thing left was a very big box with a bright yellow bow.

"What the hell is this?" the woman said.

Soon the box sat in her living room as the woman eyed it suspiciously. There was a knock at her door, and the woman rushed over to open it, glad to see Felicity and John.

"Come in."

"Thea please tell me you didn't drag us out of bed because of a box." John said as he walked inside, finally able to see it. "That is a big box."

"I know. What if it's bomb or something?" Thea asked turning to Felicity who was looking over the box at a distance.

"If you thought it could possibly be a bomb, why did you bring it inside your loft?" Felicity asked grabbing her phone. "I'm calling Bruce, I'm going to need-"

"Wait, I think there's a note here." John said cautiously snagging the note and looking back up to the box to make sure he hasn't triggered something. When he's sure he hasn't, he looks down to the note that has Thea's name on it. Thea and Felicity walked over to watch as the man opened the note to see a very short message. "Thea, hope this helps narrow it down for you. Love Twiver."

"It's from Katie and Oliver?" Thea said, now curious as she moves closer to the box. John catches her arm.

"Let me." the man says, before pulling the bow so it falls to the floor, and pulling open the box. The moment the box is open, lots of balloons of the same color suddenly fly out of it, and the three of them stand there in confusion for a moment before Felicity realizes what they're looking at and squeals in excitement as she jumps up and down. She turns to Thea who is still confused before she looks up to the balloons once again and it suddenly hits her.

"Wait a minute-" the woman points to the balloons, a wide smile coming to her lips. "Does this mean what I think it means?" she turned to Felicity who was still bouncing in excitement. She looks over to John, who now wore a small smile finally understanding what they were witnessing. Thea turned and grabbed her phone and quickly dialed her brother's number. "Hello Oliver-" she laughed. "I don't care if you're still sleep, I just got your package. Is it true?" she looked up to the balloons on her ceiling, her smile going wider at the man's confirmation. "I have so many names, I have a list-" the woman looked around the loft. "It's somewhere."

"I want to talk to them." Felicity rushed over and pulled the phone from Oliver. "Oliver, it's Felicity and I can't believe-" the woman just squealed again on the phone. "I'm sorry, I'm just really excited. You know what this means, don't you? We have have to go shopping. Where are you guys? I mean the last time we spoke the Twiver ship was floating on the sea of love, so when are you coming back?" the woman listened for a moment, before the smile suddenly fell from her face."

"I found it!" Thea called as she walked back over to Felicity, a piece of paper in her hand. "Let me speak back to him." she noticed the very blank look on the woman's face. "What's wrong? Is it the baby?"

"Felicity?" John said now walking over. "What's going on?" Thea just shook her head before taking the phone from Felicity and bringing it back to her ear.

"Oliver, what's going on? Felicity is stunned in silence, which I thought was impossible. What did you say to her?" Thea asked and then she heard the words she really didn't want to hear. He asked her to say something, but she couldn't right now. "What's there to say, you've already made up your mind it seems. You know what, forget the list." the woman suddenly ended the call before stalking back into her bedroom.

"What's going on?" John asked. "What did he say?"

"They're not coming back." she said turning to the man. Tears suddenly came to her eyes and she just shook her head before heading for the door. John was about to go after, but stopped at the door and looked back up to the balloons.

John stood there and knew he was probably the only one in the room who understood. He remembered when baby Sara was born and how he promised to do anything and everything to keep her safe. John respected the decision and sure he was upset he wouldn't see Katie and the baby any time soon, he understood that sometimes you have to make certain choices in life for your children and for yourself.

"I guess there's just something about daughters." the man muttered with a shake of his head as he looks up to the pink balloons. He let out a sigh before turning and going after Felicity.

Author's note:

Pink balloons...