Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I in any way associated with, Smallville.

AN: This is angellwings' Christmas present and since I know she's dissatisfied with the current state of her ship (and I haven't watched the show regularly in a long while) this takes place in a non-existent time frame. Basically, that means there is no chloliver because it was easier that way. Though you could say there is and Oliver's just being ... well, Oliver really.

Cute Nurse

The metal pan clattered loudly, nearly upending as Oliver grasped the small table it sat on for support. He was almost done. Once more in and he should have it all. Then he just had to - No. Just focus on the next step. The next step was easy.

"Courtney's fine, she and John are - oh, what the hell?"

Oliver closed his eyes against rapidly blurring vision. Ignore her. Focus on the next step. Only the next step.

"Stop breathing like that, you sound like you're about to pass out." She pushed his still whole shoulder, forcing him back against the exam bed.

"It was only for a minute," he muttered, twisting so no pressure was going on his left side.

"You already passed out?" Dinah snapped and punched him lightly. It reverberated through his body and he hissed out a breath, his eyes flying open. She was still in her uniform but while he watched she tugged her gloves off and dropped them beside the pan he'd nearly spilled earlier. She frowned at the bits of metal he'd already removed and began rearranging the medical tools, separating the ones that he'd gotten bloody from the clean ones.

"This," she said primly, "is why when people ask, 'are you okay?' after a big fight, you tell them the truth."

"I was doing fine," he said through clenched teeth while she pulled back his shirt to examine the wound.

"Don't look," she ordered just before sticking something sharp and painful into his shoulder.

He held his breath while she worked. It was a lot less painful than when he did it, whether because he didn't have to think so much about it or because she was just better at it than him, he didn't know. He wasn't about to ask her about it either so he just watched her instead. Her forehead was furrowed while she focused on her work and he noticed a trail of blood by her ear.

"You're -" he cut off, wincing as she began pulling out. He closed his eyes against it the way he had when he was a little boy getting antiseptic put on scrapes. When she was done and he could breathe easily again he sighed, "-bleeding. You're bleeding."

She laughed and his eyes shot open. She bit her lip in apology and said, "It took you long enough to finish that sentence."

He frowned. Her mask was gone. And so was his shirt.

"You were out for a good twenty minutes," she explained and got to work cleaning up the mess he'd made getting the supplies out earlier.

"Oh." He couldn't think of an answer that wouldn't give her license to mock him so instead he looked down at her work. A large white bandage hid the wound so he began pulling at the corner closest to his head.

"Stop that!" she snapped, slapping his hands away and pressing the bandage back down. "If you absolutely must know you got eight stitches. It probably would have been five if you hadn't been poking around in there like an idiot." She paused, her hands going suddenly still before she snatched them away and returned to cleaning.

He smiled at her back. She probably should have kept the mask on, it might have hidden her blush. He put his hands behind his head, not caring that it pulled at his shoulder. It was worth it for the look on her face when she turned back around.

"You know, you're right," he said, enjoying the way she forced herself to focus on his face. "I really should ask for help when I need it. Next time I get hurt, I'll be sure to let you know."

She glared at him and he only smirked back.

"I'm serious. You're the best nurse I've ever had. Cutest too."

With that she grabbed her gloves and mask and marched past him to the door, smacking him in the head on her way out. "Next time," she said, "I'll let Clark patch you up. No stitches that way, he can just heatvision the wound shut." She slammed the door, leaving a content Oliver to nap away the pain.

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