So, I figured that since Barry and Cisco got to finish Gorilla Warfare with their significant others, Caitlin should as well. Comments and reviews welcomed. Thank you to DoctorHarrisonWells, my wonderful beta! Also, thanks to everyone who has reviewed any of my other stories. Reviews help keep me motivated! Not my properties and I make no monies from this.
It wasn't the best part of town. In fact, it was one of the worst parts of town. If you wanted to live without anyone looking at you twice or asking questions, this was the best place to be. Considering the man Caitlin was going to go see, she could understand why he lived in the area. His building was surprisingly clean considering the neighbourhood. From the sign out front, she knew that the building consisted of single room housing. Glancing at the address she'd written down, she started climbing the stairs headed to the third floor.
At the door, she paused, checking the number one last time before taking a deep breath and knocking. The walls must have been fairly thick, because there was little sound in the hallway. After waiting a moment, she knocked again. She was certain it was the right address. Before they'd all gone their separate ways for the night, she'd insisted that he give it to them. Frowning, she decided to knock one more time before leaving. She realized she should have gotten a phone number for him as well.
"What?" The door was flung open and the word spat in a rather irritated manner. Blinking, the annoyance vanished from his face and surprise replaced it. "Snow, sorry." Stepping back, he made room for her to enter.
Caitlin stared at the man who had answered the door. At least now she knew why it took a few knocks and why he was so annoyed. Doctor Harrison Wells of Earth 2 was wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. His dark hair was wet and plastered to his forehead, and water droplets still glistened on his skin as he moved deeper into the single room. Blinking, Caitlin reminded herself she was a doctor and he didn't have anything she'd not seen before. Looking around, she took in the room.
The left wall consisted of cabinets, a fridge, stove, and an oven. Against the far wall was a lofted bed with a table and benches beneath it. There was a desk with a laptop on the right wall, next to a dresser. Just to her right a door led into a small bathroom with only a shower stall, toilet, and sink. The main room had been optimized so that everything fit nicely into the small space. Everything was neatly squared away, though the bed looked unmade.
"Sorry about that, I was just finishing a shower," Dr. Wells said as he moved into the room. Closing the door, Caitlin watched the way his muscles shifted and flexed as he walked. "I wasn't really expecting any company." Running a hand through his wet hair, he glanced nervously around the room as if ashamed of it. "What can I do for you?"
"Oh, well, I thought I should check in with you," Caitlin began. "I was going back over the x-rays I took after Grodd hit you and wanted to make sure you were still feeling okay." Reminded of why she'd come, her mind went clinical and she turned her gaze on him. The bandage she'd applied to cover the stitches on the left side of his abdomen stood out brightly against his skin, along with with dark bruising which mottled his entire torso.
"I'm a little stiff and sore, but that's to be expected," he answered honestly. Moving to the dresser, he pulled out the top drawer and grabbed some clothing.
"Oh, well, do you need me to look at anything?" She stepped closer, frowning at bruising on his back and shoulders. "Did these come from Grodd?" Concern filled her voice. Turning to face her, he pulled back, startled at finding her so close to him.
"Gah," he tried to step back but instead nearly ended up sitting on the dresser.
"Sorry," Caitlin apologized on autopilot. She was concerned with the bruises. After what Grodd had done to him, she had a sinking feeling she'd missed something in her examination. "Perhaps I should examine you again." He couldn't back up further as she moved forwards, her eyes critically examining his entire body. There were bruises everywhere, but the bruises on his back concerned her most as she didn't remember seeing them earlier.
"Really, Snow. I'm fine," he said, sliding out of the space between her and the dresser. He moved away, back towards the bathroom, allowing her a better view of the bruises they were discussing.
"Dr. Wells, I'm concerned about the bruising on your back and chest." Caitlin followed him, stopping in the bathroom doorway so he couldn't close it. "I would feel better if you'd let me examine you once more."
"I'm fine," he insisted, backing away from her until he fell, sitting on the toilet. Thank goodness he made a habit of putting the lid down. "The bruises on my back must be from when Barry thought I was the Reverse Flash." He shrugged, flinched in pain from the movement, and then sighed in frustration.
"Barry attacked you?" Caitlin hadn't heard about it.
"You were in Grodd's lair. Barry thought I was the Reverse Flash and pinned me to the wall." This time he was careful not to shrug. He was certain that if he showed any pain, there'd be no escape.
"Oh. Well, I'd feel better if you just let me do a follow up." Caitlin crossed her arms. "It is my fault that you got hurt." He frowned at her.
"It was my choice to put the suit on and try to trick Grodd. I made the mistake of saying 'please' and giving myself away." At this point, he was certain she wouldn't let him refuse her request.
"Dr. Wells." She gave him a stern look. Sighing in exasperation, he ran his hand through his wet hair once more.
"Fine. Can I at least put some underwear on?" He wasn't certain what she would say. Much to his amusement, her eyes widened as she realized that he was naked beneath his towel.
"Oh." Her eyes looked him up and down. "Yes, of course. I'll just wait out here." Turning smartly on her heel, Caitlin left the bathroom. Going to the lofted bed, she slid onto one of the benches and opened up the medical kit she'd brought with her. She'd only just started setting out supplies when she realized Dr. Wells was standing in the middle of the room. He'd pulled on a pair of blue basketball shorts, but was naked otherwise. His wet hair was wild from being dried with a towel.
"Sorry about the space," Dr. Wells began, his gaze flitting around the room. Sliding off the bench, Caitlin stood and cast her eyes around. Grabbing the chair pushed up to the desk, she rolled it over into position next to the table.
"Don't worry about it. This will work fine," Caitlin said with a smile. "Sit, let me start on your back."
"Okay." Stepping forward, he straddled the chair and sat, letting his arms rest on the back of the chair. "This okay?"
"That's perfect." Caitlin leaned forward to study the bruises, sitting on the edge of the bench. Frowning at one, she looked back to her medical kit, her gaze pausing on a photo on the table that caught her eye. It was of Dr. Wells with his arm around a pretty, young woman, both wearing large smiles. "Is this Jesse in the photo?"
"Yes," Dr. Wells answered, not bothering to look over his shoulder.
"She's very beautiful. You and her mother must be proud." She carefully palpated around the bruise. "Does this hurt?"
"Ouch, yes," he complained. "And yes, I'm very proud of Jesse. She's my joy. Her mother's been dead for four years."
"I didn't see any breaks on the x-ray, but this bruise is bad. I'm sorry about your wife."
"Yes, well, at least I still had Jesse." He looked over his shoulder, frowning at the pain Caitlin's poking was causing.
Shifting so it was easier for him to see her, Caitlin leaned closer to him. "We will find Jesse." Their eyes locked, and he slowly nodded.
"I know. Thank you."
"Now, turn around. I want to check your stitches." Sighing, he stood and turned to face her.
"We can put the table up if you think it would be easier to examine me while I'm lying down," Dr. Wells said, motioning at the table.
"Okay. I'll do that. You should probably be resting. Have you had dizziness, nausea, anything like that?" She spoke as she put the table up, clipping it into place. "These pull out to make another bed?" She motioned at the cushions on the benches.
"Yes," Dr. Wells answered. He watched her get the bed in place and then stretched out so that she could have easy access to his wound.
"Hold still, I'm going to pull the bandage back." Resting his hands on his chest, Dr. Wells nodded and watched as Caitlin pulled the bandage away to reveal the stitched wound. Leaning in, she tilted her head so that she wasn't blocking the light. Her hair brushed his stomach and a small laugh slipped from his lips.
"Sorry. Little ticklish," he smiled apologetically at her.
"Looks like you've pulled one of the stitches," Caitlin observed as she lifted her gaze to meet his blue eyes. Without his glasses, his eyes seemed clearer, easier to read. She liked the way he looked without glasses. Sometimes it was hard to remember that he wasn't Eobard, but then he would say something or screw up someone's name, and she would remember that he wasn't her Harrison Wells.
"Must have happened when Ramon and I were marking the circle for Grodd," he mused.
"Your soap smells good," Caitlin said without thinking. Blinking, she looked up to him, shocked to see amusement dancing in his eyes. "Sorry."
"Don't be. Glad you approve of my soap selection." He chuckled. Caitlin liked the way his eyes lit and the sound that rumbled from his chest. "Reason I showered was so I wouldn't stink. Nice to know I succeeded in my goal."
"You know, for all your similarities to our Dr. Wells, you're very different," Caitlin mused as she started the process of re-stitching his injury.
"I think our worlds are as different as they are similar," Dr. Wells declared.
"True. Now, earlier you said you hadn't lost consciousness at any point, but I'm still concerned about a concussion. Have you had any symptoms, like dizziness?" After thinking a moment, he shook his head. She finished with his abdomen and applied a fresh bandage. Pulling out her penlight, she moved up to check his eyes. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she leaned over him, checking his right eye first and then his left. "Your eyes look good."
"Thanks, yours are nice too," he replied. At the widening of hers, he looked apologetic. "Sorry. Little tired so the filters between my brain and mouth aren't working well."
"That's okay," Caitlin said softly, gazing into his eyes. "It was very brave, what you did. Standing up to Grodd when you don't have any powers."
"Thank you, but it was the least I could do to help you," he replied. She was still leaning over him, their faces inches from each other. Caitlin found herself wondering if he was a good kisser. Without thinking, she leaned in closer, their lips touching and then crushing together.
It was better than Caitlin had imagined. He made her feel like she was the center of the world, there was nothing else in the room. Nothing existed beyond the two of them, and Caitlin liked the way it made her feel. She could have stayed like that for an eternity, except that when she went to run her hand through the back of his hair, he pulled away, crying out in pain. Bolting away from him, Caitlin's eyes widened as she realized what they had done.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." Gathering her things, Caitlin stood. She started for the door.
"Snow, wait." Rushing to his feet, Dr. Wells started to follow her, but veered off into the bathroom. Hearing retching, Caitlin stopped, and turned back to help. Dropping her medical bag just outside the door, she went to stand next to him, watching him empty his stomach contents. It didn't look like much.
"Well, I'm going to say you have a concussion," Caitlin observed. Kneeling, she rubbed his bare skin until he finished. As he leaned back, resting on his heels, she kept gently rubbing. "Doesn't look like you've had much to eat today."
"It's been a busy day," he said, pausing to spit and then shutting the toilet lid and flushing. Standing, he wobbled a little, and Caitlin grabbed his hand to help him regain his balance.
"Okay, rinse your mouth out, and then get comfortable on the lower bunk," she ordered. Leaning over the sink, he used his hands to cup some water and bring it to his mouth. Caitlin waited at his arm and helped him out of the room when he started to turn. Together, they entered the room and headed to the table now turned bed.
"Sorry about that," he said as she helped him stretch out. A grimace marred his face, and Caitlin reached out to check his forehead as she helped him settle into the bed.
"Well, you aren't running a fever," Caitlin declared. "Get comfortable. I'll order us something to eat. Pizza or chinese?"
"Whatever suits you," Dr. Wells answered. He rolled onto his right side and pulled a blanket up to cover his bare body. "Sorry about the kiss." Sighing, Caitlin sat down next to him and pulled his shoulder so that he rolled onto his back.
"I am as responsible for the kiss as you are," Caitlin lectured. "Now we have the entire night to spend together and get to know each other better. I'm okay with that. Are you?"
"You aren't going to let me sleep?" Caitlin shook her head. Sighing, he tucked his right arm behind his head. "Sounds to me like you get to introduce me to the video entertainment of this world."
"Cisco might be better for that, but I do have a Netflix account," Caitlin said.
"We can watch on my laptop," he suggested. "But, I'm going to need a Doctor's note for work tomorrow." He made a grumpy face.
"Work?" Caitlin arched an eyebrow at him.
"What? The money on our worlds are different enough that I can't use mine. Harrison Wells here was a confessed murderer. I'm not into credit fraud, so yes, work. I'll need a Doctor's note. The more official, the better."
"I can take care of that. Where are you working?"
"There's a clinic a few blocks away. I'm working there as a RN. The paperwork was easy enough to forge and I'm more than competent when it comes to the medical field." He shrugged and flinched again before sighing once more.
"Well, I will not only write you a note, but I can call and provide further documentation if they need it." Smiling, Caitlin grabbed the laptop. She set it down next to him and then pulled out her phone to look up the closest delivery shop.
"So, you sure you want to spend the entire night with me?" He typed on his laptop as he spoke.
"I can think of worse company," Caitlin declared. "What kind of sub do you want?"
"I'm really not hungry."
"Tough. I will order something for you and you will try to eat in a few hours." Smiling at him, she dialed the deli and moved away from the bed long enough to place the order. When she was done she motioned for him to scoot over. Putting the table down, he set the laptop on it and waited for her.
"All set?" He asked as he carefully moved over onto the far side of the bed. Nodding, Caitlin settled into the bed and took the computer long enough to log into Netflix. "So, what are we watching?"
"How about something old and silly?" Caitlin pulled up MASH. "But, no complaining about shoddy science or medicine."
"I'll do my best," he agreed. "Is there enough of this to get us through the night?"
"Eleven seasons," Caitlin said with a grin. Clicking play, she sat back. After a moment of thought, she settled against him, letting him carefully drape his arm over her shoulder. Since she was on his injured side, she double checked her position to make sure she wasn't hurting him. He smiled at her in response. "I think we have enough to get us through the next twenty hours or so."
"And then some," he agreed. Humming in contentment, he settled back into the pillows. With a sigh he inhaled her scent and then focused on the screen. He still missed his daughter, but there were some things about this Earth that he liked. The music ended and the show started. Hopefully it wouldn't be too funny. Laughing hurt his side.
