Role Reversal
By: Riley
Summary - Now Cisco understands how tough it is for Caitlin to watch her friends come back form battle. One of my prompts for KillerVibeWeek2018 on tumblr.
"Welcome back, Dr. Snow."
Caitlin rolled her eyes. She brought her hands up to rest on the sides of the bed, trying to sit herself up, but Cisco walked to her bedside and pushed her back down. "Now, now, you know you're not supposed to be getting up. And, yes, I'm going to be saying that every time you wake up."
"Do you have to?" Caitlin rested her hands on her lap, gently tugging at the blanket that covered her lower body. Her eyes shifted over the Cortex, of what she could see from the medical bay. She was at a bad angle to see their monitors—she was sure Cisco turned them away on purpose—and could barely see Barry zipping across the map of Central City, stopping all the petty criminals. "It's starting to get kind of repetitive."
"How else am I going to know you're okay?" Cisco lowered himself into the seat next to her, resting his chin in his hands. His eyes studied her. "You really scared me, you know?"
Caitlin's lips pulled up at the corners. Cisco wasn't really one who liked to admit things like that. Admit he was afraid of losing people. "I'm not going anywhere."
"You've been out for a long time."
"My regenerative healing—"
"—Screw your regenerative healing, Cait," Cisco interrupted. Caitlin clammed up. She chewed her lower lip, fists grasping her blankets even harder. She stared back at him. There was no point in trying to avoid the conversation, they'd done it since she woke up the first time. She'd been knocked out after a particularly nasty battle with Eobard Thawne after he'd returned from…where else in time he'd been.
Killer Frost had fought hard against him but couldn't handle his speed. Cisco breached to her as soon as he could, but wasn't fast enough. He'd hurt her enough so that she spent days asleep. Days where Cisco sat by her side, waiting for her to awaken. Days where he waited to be the first one she saw when she woke up, to let her know she'd be okay.
And every time she woke up, Cisco greeted her the same way—the same way they'd greeted Barry. A code-phrase they'd taken on as their 'I'm glad you're alright' without having to say it.
"I…I watched you," Cisco said. "I saw…" His voice caught in his throat. He shook his head, ran a hand over his face and said, "Now I understand why you get so angry when you're working on Barry."
"I'm not angry, Cisco, I'm—"
"I know." And he said it so simply that Caitlin knew he truly did get it. She wasn't angry, but horrifically worried. Where she was the one who sat back and watched Barry get hurt and had to operate on him afterwards, where his life was in her hand. And now the roles were reversed where he had to do the same for her. Cisco stood up, leaned over her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Caitlin watched his face when he leaned back, saw the utmost heartbreak and love in his eyes as he repeated, "I know."
Iris always said it was hard to sit back and watch as Barry went out into the field and continuously got hurt. They were married, it'd make sense. Neither Caitlin nor Cisco knew, when they started their relationship, just how hard it truly was.
Now it—their mortality—was staring them in the face.
Caitlin reached out, took his hand, held it firmly in hers. Her voice caught in her throat as she said, "I love you."
Cisco smiled, a tear finally sliding down his cheek. "I love you, too."
THE END
