Title: Worth Fighting For
Author: LaueHime
Rating: PG.
Genre/pairing: Hurt/Comfort, Family.
Characters: Barry Allen, Joe West Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon.
Word count: 4,7k
Warnings: Hints of spoilers for season 2, up to episode King Shark.
Summary: One-shot. Companion piece to my story Stupidly Brave. This is the missing whump scene you guys have asked for, or, what happened to Barry after he was stabbed and before he went back home.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Flash or intend to make any profit out of this.
A/N: Hey guys! I've finally managed to finish this companion piece that I've told that I was writing. It took me more time than I thought it would, but I was so moved by the feedback you've given me on Stupidly Brave that I couldn't let you guys down. So here it is!
If you haven't read the story, this one could be read as a stand-alone… but, of course, it would make more sense if you read them both! It's kind of a package deal, really.
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this! You'd be kind to le met know because feedback is love.
Joe West settled behind the wheel. His hands shook as he tried to do everything as quickly as he could. He managed to buckle his belt with trembling fingers.
Barry was already slumping in the passenger seat. He kept the towel Joe had handed him pressed tightly against his bleeding abdomen. Even with the help of the cloth, blood poured through Barry's fingers.
"Bar?" Joe asked in a high pitch. His worry-meter had exploded as soon as he had seen his foster kid slumped against the brick wall outside of Jitters.
Barry sluggishly turned his head toward his father figure. His eyes fluttered for an instant before he managed to keep them open.
He grunted in response.
Joe knew that time was of the essence. Barry needed medical attention right away.
He put the car into gear and sped away from the scene.
"You hang in there, Barry. You hear me?"
Barry kept his eyes on Joe. Watching the speeding landscape made his stomach churn. Besides, the sight of his adoptive father made him feel safe.
"I hear ya," he breathed out, while trying to keep his nausea under control.
Joe's eyes kept drifting from the road to look at his kid. Barry was fading. Even with his super-healing, the blood loss was affecting him.
Being a cop, Detective Joe West knew what hypovolemic shock looked like.
At that moment, it looked like Barry.
His fingers tightened around the steering wheel, until his knuckles paled.
"What the hell happened?" he dared ask. Aside from keeping Barry talking, he also needed to know. Some sick person had hurt his kid. That person had to wish that she wouldn't end up face to face with Joe, or so God help him…
"I was bonding… with Wally." Barry's breath hitched and Joe assumed that it was some kind of choked giggle.
"I see you still have enough strength left in you to joke about it. This s'pposed to make me feel better?"
Barry shrugged weakly, automatically wincing when it jarred at his wound.
"Seriously, though. You're the Flash? How'd you let that happen?"
It was probably the biggest hole in the story. The one Joe couldn't fill with his deductions alone.
Barry swallowed but, by the sound of it, he was having a hard time.
"Didn't want Wally to find out… not like this."
Joe frowned and turned to look at Barry. His face screamed accusationsand Barry immediately felt bad about it.
"You tellin' me you let some punk-ass kid stab you because you didn't want Wally to find out you're the Flash?"
If only it were that simple. Barry wouldn't feel so lame about it.
He almost dropped the towel that was meant to stem the blood flow. At last, he caught it with weak fingers and placed the drenched material back to his side.
"I didn't know what to do… he…already thinks I'm a coward… if I'd run away… I just couldn't."
Joe felt a pang in his heart. Whether Barry had done it consciously or not, he still chose to face danger right on instead of losing to Wally. These two would definitely need to talk, to sort that rivalry thing that they had going on between them.
Joe couldn't help it and let out an affectionate sigh. As smart as he was, Barry had a tendency to get distracted by his emotions and to act impulsively on them. It was part of his charm, really. Joe could only hope that it wouldn't be the death of him some day.
"Well. Many people can say that they have been saved by the Flash, but Wally West will be able to claim that he has been saved by Barry Allen," Joe stated fondly.
Barry smiled sadly. He felt increasingly tired and his lids were getting heavy.
"Hey. Bar. No sleeping yet, alright?"
Barry snapped awake at his father's warning. He had hardly noticed that he had drifted toward the darkness.
"Sorry," he mumbled quietly.
Joe was racking his brain to find something comforting to say. He hated to be reminded of how mortal his kid was, despite his super-speed. Sometimes he could maintain the illusion long enough, at least until situations like these came up.
"I already called Caitlin and Cisco. They're waiting for you. It'll be over soon, alright?"
"Hm hm," was the best Barry could muster. The knuckles of his free hand turned white from the strength he put into digging his fingers into the leather seats.
"We're almost there."
Barry clenched his eyes shut as a wave of nausea assaulted him. His whole body tensed.
Joe was aware that something was up. "You can do this, Bar."
Somehow, Joe's steady reassurances did soothe Barry's mind. The man's presence was already enough to make him feel safe, without the added weight of his unshakable trust in Barry.
The rest of the drive was a blur. Barry had moments where he felt completely disconnected from his body. At least, the pain wasn't so bad then.
He hadn't even realized that they were reaching their destination, until they had.
Caitlin and Cisco were prepared, indeed. Joe had parked his car near the backdoor and Barry's friends and colleagues were waiting with a gurney.
They didn't waste their time.
Joe was on Barry's side of the car in an instant. He tried not to pay attention to the blood on the seat. The state of the seats, per se, didn't faze him. He could care less about the car, really. What disrupted him was that all of that blood was pouring out of his Barry.
"We're here, Bar. We'll get you inside."
Barry unconsciously leaned toward Joe. He showed complete and utter trust in the man. Whatever happened, he seemed to know that he was in good hands.
Joe helped Barry up. He was wondering if his foster son could walk, but he had his answer when he saw the way Barry heavily leaned back against the car.
Cisco and Caitlin were already by their side. All three of them guided Barry down to the stretcher, so that he wouldn't have to put weight on his bleeding abdomen. Considering how pale and shaky he was, he wouldn't have made it to the door, anyway.
"Dude, seriously? What happened?" Cisco questioned as Caitlin was already measuring Barry's pulse.
"…mugged," Barry replied briefly. He had only said one word and yet, he had used all of his air for it.
Of course, Caitlin noticed. She was Barry's physician after all.
"Barry. Are you having trouble breathing?"
His breaths were rapid and shallow. His eyes widened as if to say obviously. Caitlin nodded.
It was impressive how, when Barry was hurt, she could turn into doctor mode quicker than it took for the speedster to put on his scarlet suit.
"Cisco, you elevate his legs. Joe, you keep him awake. We need to get him to the med bay as quickly as we can. He needs O2 and I need to get a better view of that wound. Let's roll!"
They didn't need to be told twice before rushing inside the building.
Barry didn't know where to look between the passing scenery and the distraught faces of the people close to him. Soon enough, he looked disoriented. Joe's hand in his was the only thing keeping him grounded.
Cisco leaned over the railing. He had so many questions that wanted to come out at once.
"How'd you let that happen? Seriously?"
Barry turned glassy eyes to him. His mouth kept opening and closing like a fish out of water.
"I couldn't…use my…speed." He blinked his eyes rapidly.
Joe's hand tightened in his.
Cisco had a hard time wrapping his head around that explanation.
"Okay. But, you're like the Flash. Surely, you'd have seen this coming."
The engineer was trying to find some kind of sense in all of this. That Barry had had his ass handed to him by Zoom, he could understand. The guy was a freak.
But a simple mortal?
Barry rolled his eyes before shooting an apologetic glance at Joe.
"Wasn't alone…didn't have much of a choice."
With that, Barry closed his eyes for a brief respite from the flurry of activity that was unfolding around him. Joe remembered what Caitlin had asked and, if that was the one thing that he could do, he would do it well.
"Bar?" He added some pressure on his grip on Barry's hand as further incentive, which elicited a groan from the main interested party.
"m' awake…" Barry mumbled quietly, with his eyes still closed.
The med bay was a corner away, as they pulled out of the elevator and moved toward the Cortex.
"Please, open your eyes. Just so we know you're awake," Joe demanded softly. He knew the request was simple, but he was also aware of what he was asking of his foster son, in his current condition.
Nothing was ever that simple.
Still, Barry obliged. He looked exhausted, despite his effort to remain responsive.
Caitlin left their side as soon as they reached the Cortex. She ran ahead of them to prepare the medical equipment that she would use as soon as Barry was settled on the bed.
Cisco seized that opportunity to turn accusing eyes to Barry. "You sure have a sense of timing," he admonished through gritted teeth. He was trying to keep his voice down, so that Caitlin wouldn't overhear them.
Barry frowned in confusion. Cisco shook his head at having to explain himself. "She just lost Jay. Can you try to, like, not die for a while? I'm sure she'd appreciate that."
A faint smile grazed upon Barry's lips. He knew his friend didn't mean it in a bad way. That was Cisco's way of worrying for both of his friends' well-being.
He put his knuckles up for a fist-bump, in response to Cisco's request.
"That's my man," Cisco cheered with a smile, although his usually bright eyes dimmed behind a veil of genuine concern.
They reached the side of the bed that constituted the med bay. Caitlin lowered the railing of the stretcher before motioning for Cisco to follow her on the other side of the bed. Joe stayed next to Barry.
"On three," Caitlin announced. She and Cisco grabbed their side of the blanket that Barry was lying on. Joe grabbed his share. Being the strongest one of the three, he had to cover for two.
Caitlin counted loudly. On three, they lifted Barry from one mattress to the other. Once the latter was settled, the real action started. Joe wheeled the stretcher out of the way and Cisco brought everything that Caitlin would need closer to her reach.
The trained Doctor started by hooking her patient up to the different monitors.
As she'd expected, Barry's sats were too low for his bodily needs. The speedster's super-metabolism needed an amount of oxygen that greatly exceeded the amount required for a normal person.
"Your cells aren't getting enough oxygen," Caitlin informed her patient, as she reached for an oxygen mask that she adjusted without the slightest hesitation.
Barry watched her work without saying a word. Breathing was a relief, once he realized how much of a struggle it had been before.
"I'm gonna set an IV. You're going to feel a slight pinch in the crook of your arm."
She proceeded to unpack the sterile needle. Barry watched her with detached interest. His eyes were already rolling in their sockets. Sleep was waiting for its cue to take over him.
As Caitlin had said when she had warned him, he felt the sting of the needle. If she had been meticulous for that part, the next steps were rather efficient, if not sharp. The leads to the cardiac monitor, the pressure cuff and the pulse ox followed.
At that point, Barry's head was lolling on the pillow.
"Your BP's low. You need fluids."
She wasn't really expecting a conversation with Barry. He seemed too out of it, anyway. She did believe that informing him of the course of the treatment was, at least, allowing him to be a part of it. Mostly, though, she did that for herself. It was her way of keeping it together for Barry.
Caitlin hadn't had time to react to the news. As soon as she had gotten the phone call from Joe, she had put on the physician costume. It wasn't like it was the first time Barry got hurt, either. Even if she had been in this situation many times before, it never got any easier, still.
She finally came to the part that would definitely be a nightmare for both Barry and herself.
"Barry, I'm gonna take a look at that wound. You're not gonna like it," she warned as she prepared to undo the makeshift bandage Joe had made out of a hand towel. It was soaked in blood and the simple act of taking it off would, most likely, trigger renewed blood flow.
Barry's shirt had been torn when he had been stabbed. Poking around the tear in the fabric and the drenched cloth would definitely rub on the speedster's sensitive nerve endings.
Caitlin waited until comprehension sparkled in Barry's eyes. With the blood loss, it did take a few seconds for the news to sink in.
Barry's glassy eyes flashed with apprehension before they attempted to steady on Caitlin. Despite his obvious will, her patient wasn't completely with her.
She could only understand, from the large amount of stress his body was under.
He finally offered the slightest nod to let her know that he was ready for her to begin her ministrations.
She grabbed a pair of scissors and nodded back to inform him that she was about to proceed.
With firm but careful hands, she cut Barry's shirt at the middle so that she wouldn't have to jostle him out of it. His eyes flickered at the movement, as if it had reminded him of the fact that he had a body, and that said body was in a world of pain.
The faintest grunt escaped his lips, and that wasn't the worse part yet.
Caitlin tried to smile in sympathy, but she knew that it would be no use once she got to the real business.
"Try to relax. I'm going to uncover the wound in a few seconds."
Barry nodded despite the grimace of disapproval that settled on his face against his will.
Joe was standing out of the way, but still as close as he could, to keep an eye on his foster kid. The latter turned desperate eyes to his father figure, as if asking him to make the pain go away. It felt like someone had grabbed Joe's heart with his hand and mashed it with his bare fingers.
For an instant, he was the one who couldn't breathe.
Barry stretched the fingers of his hand; the one that was closest to Joe.
Without the shadow of a doubt, Joe understood and reached forward to grab his son's hand.
"It's okay, Bar. I'm right here."
The reassurance in those few words were enough to calm Barry down. He closed his eyes and focused on breathing.
Caitlin did feel the change in Barry's muscles, as they loosened. She shot Joe an appreciative smile.
As she had expected, taking the cloth off the wound was like taking away a piece of a dam. Fresh blood bubbled to the surface of the cut.
She had no way of telling how deep the wound was. She could only pray that it hadn't hit anything vital.
She dabbed the wound with sterile gauze to remove the excess blood. Barry flinched and groaned in apparent discomfort. His hold tightened on Joe's hand.
Joe squeezed Barry's hand back, before putting his other hand on the kid's shoulder for additional support.
"It's gonna be okay, Bar. Just breathe through it."
Barry's eyes remained closed, but he nodded to let his foster dad know that he was doing the best he could.
Caitlin watched the whole scenery with observant eyes. The next part would be the worst. She warned Joe with a single, serious glance. The latter gripped his son tighter.
"Now's the part that's actually going to hurt. I'm sorry, Barry."
While warning him, she started shielding the bed sheets surrounding the side of his abdomen with disposable linens.
Barry's muscles clenched one by one, knowing he had no other choice.
Caitlin grabbed a bottle of saline and filled a piston syringe with it. She directed it at the top of the wound and depressed the plunger.
Salt water poured into the wound, turning a shade of light pink.
At first, Barry hissed because the water felt icy when it came in contact with his flesh. Only, the cool sensation wasn't the worst of it. When the salt started acting, it became another story, completely.
He couldn't repress a series of painful cries. The burning sensation, that was first located at the site of the wound, rapidly spread. Soon enough, it felt like his whole body had caught fire.
Every muscle in his body clenched in an ultimate defense against the invasion. He tried to bat Caitlin's hands away from him, only to be restrained by Joe.
"I know it hurts, but you've got to let me do this," Caitlin assured quietly, her voice almost cracking. Watching a complete stranger in pain was something, but watching her friend…
Barry was writhing within Joe's grip. Quickly, Caitlin could see that it was a losing battle, as fatigue wore Barry down. His strength vanished from his body, to the point where holding his head up demanded too much energy.
Barry sank back into the mattress, his glassy eyes slowly disappearing under heavy lids. The only visible signs of struggle left in him were the occasional twitches coursing through his body like electric currents. The pain-filled cries had been swallowed, leaving guttural echoes of physical suffering in their wake.
Joe studied his kid's face. Whatever Caitlin was doing to him left him panting, which Joe could see through the rapid fogging of the oxygen mask. At least the kid had stopped fighting.
Instead of taking a step back, Joe only moved his hand back into Barry's.
"You're okay, Bar."
Barry's eyes sluggishly found Joe's.
Caitlin used that moment to pour more saline into the wound. She heard her friend groan in pain, noting that he was past screaming.
The water still wasn't clearing up and Barry's heart was starting to race out of control, despite his lack of moving around.
Joe looked up to the monitors before eyeing Caitlin deeply, one eyebrow raised in confusion.
"I know Barry's heart rate is higher than normal, but is it supposed to be that high?"
"He's going into shock and his speed is making it worse. His heart is trying to compensate the blood loss, but it's beating so fast that he's only bleeding out more. That's not all of it. The more he bleeds, the lower his oxygen level gets. But the problem is that his metabolism requires a lot more oxygen than the normal human body does," Caitlin rambled quickly, as she tried to explain what was going on inside her patient while still treating him.
"So, what does that mean in English?"
Caitlin looked up from the wound on Barry's abdomen to Joe's puzzled face.
"That his heart rate needs to go down. That way, his blood will stop getting out of his body and oxygen will start getting in."
Joe frowned. "Can't you give him something for that?"
She shook her head. "His metabolism will burn it right away."
They both turned to look at Barry, who sluggishly blinked back at them. Apparently, fighting for his life was just as exhausting as anything.
Joe turned back to Caitlin. "I still don't understand. Why isn't he healing?"
The Physician shrugged and risked a look inside the wound, without a warning. Barry flinched away as much as he could in his weakened state.
"I'll have to explore further into the wound, but my guess is that the blade has nicked something. If it were only superficial, he would've stopped bleeding by now."
As she said it, she grabbed another amount of sterile gauze and pressed it on Barry's wounded side.
"Shit." Joe's complexion had visibly paled, to the point where he also looked sick.
"What do you need to do?"
Caitlin added another layer of gauze on the rapidly reddening ones that were already in place.
"Laparoscopic surgery. Small incision; I go in and check for internal bleeding. If there is, I stitch it and then he should be okay."
She dared a look in Barry's direction. Without anesthesia, it would be hell for him. But she needed him to be okay. Joe seemed to be on the same page.
Barry was hardly with them enough to understand what was going on. His only answer was to squeeze Joe's hand. The latter interpreted this as his green light.
"Do it."
Caitlin nodded and retrieved the necessary tools.
Joe pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat close to Barry's head. That way, his kid easily had him in his field of vision, if he were to start panicking when the unavoidable discomfort would begin.
"Bar, I need you to look at me. Just keep your eyes on me. Caitlin's gonna take care of you. You'll be okay."
Barry blinked in response.
When Caitlin gave Joe a look that indicated that she was ready to start, the Detective nodded before turning his attention back to his kid.
"Focus on me, Bar."
And the kid did, while his Doctor made the first cut. His first reflex was to clench his eyes shut. He couldn't bite back the whimper that followed.
But Joe West was sharp and he had his own practice-acquired skills. Comfort was his specialty when it came to Barry.
His hand went to the top of the kid's head; his fingers carding through Barry's locks.
Just like he had when a panting younger Barry woke up after a terrible nightmare, he massaged the kid's scalp in soothing circles.
"Shhh… it's okay. You're okay."
Barry grimaced and wriggled on the bed, but Joe's hold was steady and warm.
As Barry was whimpering, Joe started to hum a soft tune close to the kid's ear. The soothing movements of his fingers became regular; rhythmic.
The muffled cries of pain slowly died down, until Barry's breaths were the only sound that remained. His eyes had closed as he had given in to the darkness.
Joe kept on humming and rubbing Barry's head in circular motions. Only, Caitlin noted that the man's chest was looser than it had been before. The wind that came out of his lungs suddenly didn't seem as forced.
Barry was out and his heart rate was coming back down.
A light smile lit her face, from both relief and fondness.
She found the tear in his small intestines and stitched it closed. With the source of the bleeding taken care of, his blood pressure started rising.
Caitlin completed her washing of the wound before sealing it with medical glue and sterile bandages. It would only take a few hours for it to turn into a nicely healing scar.
His vitals stabilized quickly enough.
With Cisco who had joined them when Barry had stabilized, the three occupants of the med bay let out a sigh of relief.
Barry was going to be okay.
Caitlin managed to replace the mask with a cannula and to change Barry's bandages a few times before he even showed signs of waking.
Caitlin and Cisco offered to leave Joe alone with Barry, explaining that father and son would benefit from the quiet moment on their own. They most likely had some catching up to do.
Joe was deeply grateful for that amount of consideration. When Barry finally opened his eyes, he was the only one in the room.
"Welcome back," he greeted softly.
Barry blinked a few times. Even before his awareness returned, his head was instinctively turning toward Joe's voice.
He swallowed a few times before taking a deep breath and settling steadier eyes on his father figure.
"You okay?"
Joe shook his head in disbelief. "Aside from almost having a heart attack today, I'm happy now that you're okay. And relieved. How are you feeling?"
Barry shrugged, wincing when it pulled at the skin on his side.
"Sore," he finally admitted.
Joe nodded. It was to be expected, after all. He thought about what had happened for a few seconds. To think that Barry had put his life on the line to protect Wally… Joe couldn't help but feel some kind of pride for his foster son. Still, he had a hard time digesting the fact that it could have led to dire consequences if they hadn't had Caitlin and Cisco's help to get through this.
"Barry," he started, gaining the kid's attention. Joe took a deep breath before proceeding further. "I know you did what you did for me. I keep thinking that all of this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't pushed you to try to get along with Wally. You probably wouldn't have felt the need to prove yourself to me. I get why you did it… but if anything had happened to you…"
Emotion gathered into a lump in Joe's throat.
Barry placed his hand on top of Joe's.
"I'm okay. It's not your fault. I also get why you wanted Wally and me to get along. If it makes you happy, I'll try."
Barry smiled and Joe had to give it back to him. He couldn't help the fact that it really did make him happy. He just wished that Barry didn't have to get injured for him to work things out with Wally.
"Thanks, Bar," he finally replied affectionately. Barry nodded, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Without a warning, Joe started laughing. Barry sent him a questioning look.
"It's just fun to think that, now, Wally's gonna think of you as a superhero without knowing the truth."
Barry smiled. He did prefer for the guy to think of him as a hero, rather than as a coward. It wasn't like he had done it to prove Wally wrong, or anything. But it did feel like some kind of justice had been restored.
Joe had stopped laughing, his smile freezing on his lips. His eyes became distant for a second, before they soulfully found Barry's.
"Thank you."
Barry frowned, for he didn't know where that one was coming from. "What for?"
"Protecting him. I'm not picking sides here or anything… I'm just glad you're both safe."
It was Barry's turn to feel a forming lump of emotions in his throat. His father's gratitude was so genuine, he couldn't help the overwhelming sense of duty that washed over him.
He had never been a big brother, but he assumed that this was what it felt like to be rewarded with parental pride after looking out for a younger sibling.
"Yeah. Me too," he replied, after a few seconds of reflection and silence.
Joe gave him a warm pat on the shoulder. Barry smiled genuinely as he realized how much being part of the West family meant to him.
"C'mon now. Get some more rest. I'm not taking you back home until your Doctor approves, and I doubt that she'll be happy with me if I keep you talking while you should be resting."
Barry let out an approving short laugh, before settling into a comfortable position. He was still exhausted, after all. Despite his healing abilities, he was reminded of his mortality whenever he was hurt.
Seeing the worry on his friends and family's faces was what drove the point home.
But if he was honest with himself, he wouldn't be able to live without them either.
When he woke up some time later to Joe telling him that Iris and Wally were waiting for them back at the West's house, a comforting excitation filled him whole.
That was what it felt like, to him, to have a home and a family to get back to.
He wouldn't trade that for the world.