Iris West never thought she'd be the type of person to fall for her doctor. But that's exactly what happened after she injured herself jumping out of a window while covering a story about housing fraud. She didn't think she'd put herself in that much danger covering a story like that, but it happened. Eavesdropping and then being caught and shot at, causing her to jump out of the window of Baldwin Towers was certainly not on her to do list. But again, it happened.
Her father, Joe, along with her best friend Linda and her editor Scott were all furious with her when they found out what happened. Especially Joe. When she called him from the Emergency Room at Central City Memorial Hospital needing to be picked up because she was in a cast and couldn't drive had him worried sick. He was the cop in the family and the one that's supposed to be in danger. Not his baby girl. That's the reason he practically forbid her from becoming a cop as well. He thought she'd be safe in Journalism. When he saw that he was wrong, and that criminals actually shot at his daughter, he wanted to lock Iris away in her old childhood bedroom and never let her out to keep her safe.
But his daughter inherited his stubbornness so that was a no go. He did have to keep her at the house to help take care of her while she healed and took it easy. Although Iris didn't take it as easy as she should have and didn't heal as well as she was supposed to. She was still in pain weeks later and after having her cast removed. She was then referred to a specialist, the absolute best she heard from her then doctor.
So now, she was sitting on the examining table in a hospital gown at the private practice of Team Flash, which consisted of Drs. Bartholomew "Barry" Allen, Francisco "Cisco" Ramon, and Caitlin Snow-Raymond. She was specifically referred to Dr. Allen because he was the best when it came to hips and knees. Dr. Ramon was the shoulder and elbow guy, while Dr. Snow-Raymond rounded them out with foot and ankle.
Iris just hoped that this doctor was as good as they said he was and that she would heal and be pain free. Pain and taking it easy was hard for her to do. She had stories to report on and write. And while she could easily just work from her desk, she needed to be out on the streets, getting the good scoop.
So she was praying that Dr. Allen healed her and got her back to normal.
Becoming a doctor was always the dream for Barry Allen. His father, Henry, was a doctor also and he proudly wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. He looked up to his dad and wanted to be just like him. While his father worked in Internal Medicine, Barry chose Orthopedics. He became infatuated with bones when he was pre-med in college and ran for the track team.
Working with the trainers really sparked an interest in him and he knew the kind of doctor he wanted to be. He had always been a nerd, so that worked in his favor. He was literally the smartest person most people knew. He breezed through high school and college. He met Cisco and Caitlin both in medical school in their Anatomy class. The trio hit it off and became good friends. So good that they started a practice together after their residency.
They built this family like setting that really made their patients feel at home. Even the nurses Jesse and Becky, and the physical therapist Kendra were a part of the family. Barry really enjoyed that aspect because he didn't have a family of his own. He was an only child that lost both parents. He was thinking that maybe sooner rather than later, that he needed to meet someone and settle down and start a family of his own.
He and the nurse Becky had been flirting as of late and he was wondering where it would go. He wondered why he thought about that as he showered and got ready to start his day. She really hadn't been on his mind, but she appeared somewhat out of thin air. Could he really settle down with Becky? Maybe he could. They at least needed to go out on a date first. See where it went.
He figured he'd ask her when he got to work. He wasn't getting any younger.
Barry drove to work and got there after the practice was already opened. He was habitually late and that didn't change just because he was a doctor and had patients to see. As long as he was good at this job, who cares if he was always late? Better late than never.
He took a little time to get settled into his office before he saw patients. He had his morning coffee, went over a few things, and made his way to the exam room where a patient was waiting to be seen. He looked at the chart and read, "Iris West". He didn't recognize the name and figured she must just be a new patient. He was always happy to get new patients. That meant good things.
He did the normal doctor thing by knocking and walking in with Jesse. He barely paid attention to the patient sitting on the table.
"Good morning, I'm Dr. Allen. It's a pleasure to meet you." He says and sticks out his hand. He felt a jolt when she shook his hand. He then finally looked up at her and was a little taken aback.
Iris was taken aback as well. "Iris West. It's a pleasure to meet you too, Dr. Allen." She stuck her hand out and felt a jolt when she shook his hand too. She wondered what that meant.
Barry awkwardly smiled at her and suddenly became nervous. That had never happened to him with a patient before. He had great bedside manner and rapport with patients. Sure she was beautiful, absolutely gorgeous, even in a hospital gown. He mentally scolded himself for thinking that. He wasn't supposed to think that way about a patient.
Iris took in her doctor and thought he was handsome, with boyish good looks and eyes and eyelashes to die for. He was tall and lean built. It shocked her with just how cute she thought he was. He was her doctor for goodness sake.
Barry nervously released his hand from hers and sat down. He tried to focus on the matter at hand: his new patient. He opened her chart and slowly looked over it. "So, Ms. West, tell me about your injury."
"You can call me Iris. I don't mind." She says and smiles at her adorable doctor. She was halfway to flirting with him and needed to stop.
Barry looked up at her smiling at him and smiled back. "Iris. Tell me about your injury."
"Well, I had to jump out of a window, and hurt my knee."
Barry appeared shocked. "You jumped out of a window?"
"Yes."
"Why did you jump out of a window?"
"It was either jump or get shot. I chose the former."
"Why were you in danger of being shot?"
"Well, I'm a reporter for CCPN, and I was covering a story. I found out some things I shouldn't have, and that put me in harms way."
"I think you're lucky that all you hurt was your knee."
"I think so too." Iris says and smiles at him again.
"I see you tore your ACL in the past?" Barry asks, while trying to ignore her smiling at him and staying on task.
"Yes. I was a cheerleader and tore it. Ruined my plans to become a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader."
Images of her in a cheerleading outfit entered his mind and he felt like punching himself. "You're a Cowboys fan?"
"Yes, indeed. I was raised there before my father and I moved here when I was a kid. Who's your team?"
"The Giants."
"I won't hold that against you." Iris says and laughs, causing Barry to chuckle. Jesse watched the exchange and didn't say a word. Barry must have felt her eyes on him though, because he glanced her way. He felt like his mother just caught him doing something he knew he wasn't supposed to. He cleared his throat.
"Ok, well, you may have reinjured your ACL in that knee. I won't know until I examine you and get x-rays." He closed her folder and stood. He placed her folder on the counter and walked over to the sink and washed his hands. He avoided having direct eye contact with Jesse. It didn't look professional at all to flirt with a patient in front of her. He wasn't supposed to flirt with a patient at all. He walked back over to Iris and stood in front of her. "Which knee is it?" He asks just to be certain, though he already knew it was her left.
Iris smiled and pointed to her left leg. "This one."
Barry then reached out to touch her knee. He looked her in the eyes. "Are my hands too cold?"
"Nope, they're perfect." Iris says. She was painfully aware of how soft his hands were. They locked eyes and stared at each other for a moment.
Barry shook the dangerously bad thoughts from his mind. "Great." He says and then starts to examine her. He wanted to switch places with either Cisco or Caitlin because he felt like a perv and completely out of line. He then refocused his attention and continued with the exam. He moved her knee around gently. He ignored the light gasp that came from Iris as he did so. "Could you lay back for me, please?"
"Sure, Dr. Allen." Iris says and does as requested. She couldn't describe how she felt when he really started touching her. He had to touch her thigh, and that felt like she knew it wasn't supposed to feel. She had the urge to wish they were alone and he would reach higher. She felt so incredibly bad when she thought that. He was her doctor! He was just doing his job. The fact that he was cute was irrelevant. Who flirts with their doctor, thinks they're cute, and wishes they weren't getting a totally professional exam? She felt like trash.
Barry continued the exam in silence. He blocked out how he felt. He had to. The last thing he wanted was to be sued for malpractice. He was doing his job just as he was taught and would do with any other patient. The fact that this patient was beautiful didn't matter at all. He saw beautiful women everyday. He wasn't a sleazy doctor. He would never cross the line with a patient. He took an oath.
Besides, he figured she must be married, or at least taken. She had to be. That didn't matter anyway. She was a patient. He couldn't even think of going there with her. He could lose his license. He worked too hard for that.
He finished the exam and walked over to the sink to wash his hands again. "Well, I think you have an MCL injury. I'll know more after the x-ray. Jesse will take you to do that now." He says, devoid of emotion.
Iris noticed his sudden change in demeanor. She wondered what that was about. She started to worry that her knee was more injured than she thought. "Ok." She says and gets off the table. She watched as Dr. Allen left the room without a word. She looked at Jesse. "Dr. Allen is good, right?"
Jesse smiled. "Dr. Allen is the best. You're in excellent hands. Follow me." She just took Iris to get her x-ray and tried not to laugh or think too much about what she just witnessed. She has seen Dr. Allen give that same exam to countless others, but she had never felt like she felt while she was there. She felt like a voyeur. Something chemical happened between Dr. Allen and his new patient. Pheromones were flying high in that room. She knows they both felt it, which caused Dr. Allen to change. He looked at her and she knew he felt badly about how things were going. He looked embarrassed and riddled with guilt. She felt a little bad for him because he was such a nice guy and good doctor. It probably took him by surprise how he reacted to his new patient.
They returned to the exam room and Iris got back on the table. Dr. Allen came in minutes later, cold and distant, holding her films. "Ms. West, so I was right. You tore your MCL. But with proper treatment, you'll be pain free and moving like you did before your injury. I want you to see our physical therapist and I want you in a brace. I want you back here in two weeks."
"Ok, Dr. Allen. Thanks."
"You're welcome, Ms. West." He says and leaves the room in silence. He intentionally called her Ms. West and would do so from then on.
Iris was perplexed by his behavior. He was so nice and so engaging at first. She wondered what changed. Jesse left her to get dressed and she headed for the receptionist area. She made an appointment to see Dr. Allen in two weeks and also one to see the physical therapist in three days. She left the office feeling dejected and rejected and confused as to why she felt that way.
Barry got back to his office and locked the door. He sat down at his desk and just stared at the wall. He looked at his degrees and wanted to curse. He got really lost in thought trying and failing miserably not to think about his new patient. He looked at his degrees again. "First Do No Harm" seemed to ring in his ears. He took an oath to be a doctor. He didn't take an oath to be a sleazy doctor that fell for his patients. He then laughed it off thinking he was being overly dramatic. It really wasn't that serious that he found her attractive. He would never act on it. He was just going to treat Iris West like any other patient.