Author's Note: Special shout out to Lunar Fox 13, and GhostlySights for your wonderful reviews! Thank you to everyone who favorited and followed as well, it your support means so much. I felt incredibly inspired last night and was able to bang out this chapter in a flash. HA! Oh god I'm sorry, I had to.
I made the mistake of staying up way too late again. By the time I glanced up from my book, it was almost one in the morning. Thank god tomorrow is only Sunday. I'd be dead on my feet if I had to wake up at six. Hunkering down under the covers, I switched the light off, falling asleep almost instantly.
I've always been a light sleeper, and tonight was no different when a tapping noise filled my room. Groggily, I sat up, refusing to open my eyes, listening for the noisy intrusion.
'Tap' 'Tap' Tap' The sound was quick, but quiet. Cautiously, I crawled out of bed towards my window peering outside.
There stood Barry, fidgeting in the alley between me and the neighbors. He glanced up, pointing for me to open the window.
"Barry? What is it? What time is it?" I yawned sleepily, my head propped against the window pane.
"It's late."
"Go home." I deadpan, moving to shut the window on him and crawl back in bed.
"No, wait!" he braces his hands, thwarting my attempt to shut it.
"Barry! I'm so tired, can't it wait?" I moan; flopping onto the window sill dramatically.
"I'm running away."
"You're doing what?" My head shoots up, staring at him wide-eyed.
"My Mom's killer is out there, Layla, and no one but me seems to want to find him."
"Barry—"
"My Dad didn't do it, Layla!"
"Keep your voice down, my parents will hear you!" I whisper shrilly, clapping a hand over his mouth. We sit still as the grave, listening for any movement. After a moment of silence, I motion for him to come in. He crawls through the window, landing face first on the floor, and I have to stifle a giggle. He settles himself at the end of my bed near the window, probably prepping for a quick exit.
"Barry, I believe you, trust me. But, how is going after a super-powered murderer going to help you get your dad out of prison? What are you going to do? Traverse the world until you find him? Then what? How are you going to catch him? You said it yourself he was a blur, a yellow blur. He moved so fast you couldn't even see him. How are you supposed to see his face? What if he kills you?" The words poured out of my mouth before I could even filter them. I could see the wheels turning in his head as his face morphed between angry, contemplative, and frustration.
"I can't just let my Dad rot in prison, Layla. We're the only ones that know the truth. No one believes us."
"What about Joe?" Barry made a face.
"Joe is a cop, and cops need facts, they need proof. If I'm going to prove my Dad is innocent, I need to get proof that the yellow man exists."
"Barry, I want you to find him more than anything. But, you're just a kid. You have no resources, no money, nowhere to start."
"Then what am I supposed to do?" His voice cracked, he's at his breaking point, I can tell.
"What would your Dad want?"
Barry sighed heavily. "He'd want me to go to school, spend time with my friends, and not worry about him."
"Well, the worrying is a given unfortunately. But the other stuff sounds pretty good to me. Besides, you're not allowed to leave without me."
"Oh really,"
"Yes really, I can't believe you were even thinking about it!" My tone may have been joking, but I was dead serious. We've only been friends for a little over a year now, but I'd be devastated if Barry up and left without saying goodbye.
"You would go with me?"
"I'd think about it." I definitely would, which is scary. I gave him a side-ways glance, failing to hide the grin on my lips.
"Vitals are still good, what were the results of the CT scan?"
"No fractures, though signs of a concussion; Brain scans show high activity in the cerebrum."
I feel like I'm submerged under water; like I'm floating, everything feels murky. I can hear voices but they are muffled. I try to open my eyes, but they are heavy.
"Ah Miss West, good to see you. We are just finishing up, have a seat."
"Thank you,"
"Do you want a coffee babe?"
Iris?
"Absolutely. Babe huh?"
"You don't like it?"
"No, no, I do."
"Ok…good. Be right back."
"Miss West, Layla seems to be progressing well, she's responding exceptionally well to auditory stimulation. So far her scans have been coming back fairly normal."
"That's good right?"
"Incredibly, given that she retained severe damage to her cerebrum. Once we were able to get the hemorrhaging to stop, it's been a matter of monitoring the condition. So far things are progressing amazingly. You're friend is a fighter. Both of them are."
Both?
"When can I see him?"
"Right now he's fighting for his life; but when he's more stable, you can go in."
"I really need to see him, please, just for a minute."
"I'm sorry Miss West, but it's just like a told your father, you can both visit, but through the window, we need to be able to take quick action in case his heart gives out again."
"Oh god," I can hear her getting choked up.
"They are in good hands, I promise. We will do everything we can."
"Will she be able to hear me?"
"Oh yes, she will be able to hear everything you say. Whether she retains It is still unknown to us. You're welcome to try."
"Thank you."
"Absolutely, if you need anything, please push this button and an attendant will be right over."
"Thanks," she whispered.
I could hear her dragging the chair over next to me, before settling in.
"Hey you," Her watery whisper washed over me. "Doc says you can hear me. God, I hope he's right." The palm of her hand covered mine, I tried to grasp it, but my fingers wouldn't budge.
"It's been a few weeks now, Doctor's don't know when you're going to wake up. God, I hope it's soon. I really need you right now. Barry really needs you. He's not doing so well, Ry."
"Here you go the best in the hospital."
A mystery voice.
"Thanks,"
"You ok? Stupid question."
"Very stupid."
"What did the Doctor have to say? She going to be ok?"
"They think so. They were able to stop the hemorrhaging. They have high hopes she'll be waking up soon."
"That's great!"
"She can hear us, if you wanted to talk to her."
"Would that be weird?"
"Not at all, Ryleigh is as weird as they get."
"Hey, uh, Ryleigh, this is Eddie. We haven't met yet, but I'm Iris' boyfriend. She and Joe speak highly of you. Apparently you don't like to be called Layla."
"Not really, she just prefers Ryleigh."
"Ah, well, I'm sure that's something you can explain to me when you wake up. It will be nice to actually meet you in person; apparently I'm really missing out."
"Incredibly; we miss you Ry. You need to wake up soon ok? Please?"
"How's Barry?"
"He's hanging in there. Doctor's are trying to keep him stable."
"How's Joe handling all this? He puts on a brave face at work. He gets really choked up and far away when it's just us."
"He's doing the best he can. Barry and Ryleigh have been a part of our lives for so long, they are family. It tears him up seeing them in here like this. If that dispatch didn't happen to pass by—"
"But they did, and they found her. She's going to be fine, Doctor's said so. Everything is going to be fine. Barry will pull through, just watch. I have to go, you're dad is going to be here soon, and it's going to look real suspicious if I'm in here."
"Hey, I know we've only been dating for a few weeks now, but thank you for coming. I know this isn't ideal, but—"
"She's family, I'm happy you'd let me be here with you. But if we are going to keep this off the radar, I need to go. I'll call you later, maybe we can have dinner tomorrow?"
"Sure, I'd like that."
"Great. I'll talk to you later then,"
"Until later,"
"Bye,"
"Wow," I whispered sleepily.
"Ry?"
"He's cute."
"Oh my god, Oh my god, Nurse! Nurse!" Iris shouted excitedly.
"Ow, not so loud," I pleaded, groaning, feeling my head pulsate.
"Oh my god, Ryleigh!" She gripped my hand, tears welling in her eyes. "How do you feel?"
"Like I got hit by a truck,"
"Ah, Miss Gallagher! Welcome to the land of the living, it's good to have you back."
"What happened?"
"Well, we're not exactly sure, you took quite the blow to the head, but you didn't have any outer contusions. A couple of officers happened upon you out cold on the side of the road."
"What? When?"
"About a month ago, after the explosion at Star Labs; can you recall anything about that night Layla? How you were hurt? Where you were going?"
The harsh florescent light made me wince, and feel like someone bashed me repeatedly over the head with a brick.
"Uh, Um, Ugh," I gripped my pulsing head. The whirring machines, the chattering residents, and the questions made my brain hurt.
"Not to worry, you only just woke up, we'll give you time to adjust before we start the questioning. Everything seems stable right now, but a nurse will be in soon to keep tabs just in case. I'll leave you two to your catching up. My name is Doctor Harmon; if you need anything just push that red button next to you."
"Uh, ok."
"How do you feel?" Iris questioned soothingly, reclaiming the chair next to me.
"Like I was hit by a truck; how did I get here? What the hell happened, Iris?"
"After the particle accelerator explosion, a dispatch was heading out to the scene. One of the patrol cars passed by you, you were unconscious and bleeding from the ears. You had severe hemorrhaging in your brain. They weren't sure if they were going to be able to stop it."
"Oh my god,"
"What happened, Ry?"
"I don't know. I remember leaving the precinct. I was walking home, and there was an explosion, and—"
My head began pulsating at the memory.
"Ugh,"
"Ry?"
"My head,"
"I'll call the Nurse."
"Wait,"
"Nope," Her tone was all business, as she reached over me pressing the red button. "I just sent a text to my Dad; he will be here soon ok? He will want to see you actually awake."
"Where's Barry?" She froze deer in the headlights.
"Uh,"
My blood ran cold, my heart skipping a beat. "Iris," I questioned, but she didn't respond. Her lips parted to answer, but she closed them just as fast. Her face was twisted with anguish. Oh god. The heart monitor beeped faster, as I waited anxiously for her to answer. "What happened? Iris, where is he?"
"Ryleigh,"
"Iris, where is he? Where is he Iris?" Tears welled in my eyes, the heart monitor wreaking havoc on my ears.
"Ryleigh!" Joe called, skidding into the room. "Ryleigh?" His fearful, confused eyes flashed between me and Iris searching.
"Joe," I called brokenly, reaching a heavy hand out to him.
"I'm right here Ry, you had us so scared."
"Where's Barry?"
"He's going to be fine."
"What does that mean? What happened?" Joe blinked a few stray tears away, he had been crying for a while now, but fresh ones were beginning to blear his vision.
"There was an accident. He's being moved to a better location, where he can be monitored by people who can help him."
"Where?" Iris blanched, apparently this is new information.
"Star Labs,"
"What! Dad no, you can't let them take him, this is their fault in the first place!"
"His condition is in direct relation to the Particle Accelerator explosion, they have the best equipment money can buy, they will be able to better monitor Barry and help him get better. It's his best chance Iris."
"What kind of accident? Joe, what the hell happened?"
"He…was struck by lightning. It came through the window during that storm. We found him upstairs. He's critical. Dr. Wells said as soon as the doctor's are able to stabilize him they are moving him to Star Labs. They are going to look after him Ryleigh I promise."
"Barry…" Wrenching sobs wracked my body, as I called out to my best friend. Joe held my hand, fighting so hard to be strong while I fell apart.
"I want to see him."
"Ry, you just woke up, I don't think they will let—"Iris offered weakly.
"I. Want. To. See. Him." I insisted furiously, flailing slightly. I could feel the tape holding the IV's in my arm tugging at my skin. I was trapped in this bed, while my best friend was hanging on by a thread in another room.
"Ry, you don't want to see him. Not like this." Joe reasoned.
"I don't care!" I screamed. I needed to get out of this bed. I needed to find Barry. I should have stayed at the precinct that night. I should have never left.
Two nurses and Dr. Harmon entered the room, ushering Joe out of the chair and to the back of the room.
"Miss Gallagher, you need to try to calm down please."
"I'm sorry, she insisted on knowing about Barry, and well—"
"Ah, I see. Close friends?"
"Best friends, like family."
"I'm so very sorry, Layla. Barry is in good hands I promise you."
"I want to see him."
"I'm afraid now is not a good time. Nurse, ready the sedative. Light dosage, just enough to help her sleep. Now Layla, Carla here is going to give you something to help you relax, all right? Just to help you sleep. Not to worry, it's going straight into the IV bag, so you'll feel the effects relatively soon. Have a good sleep and we will be in to check on you again."
"I promise, as soon as they release you we'll take you to see Barry." The sobbing slowed significantly to deep sniffling; I can feel the sedative slipping into my system. My limbs relaxed, my head became heavy. I nodded numbly at his words, giving his hand a squeeze.
"I'm so glad I got to see you, and we'll be back tomorrow ok?"
"Ok,"
I fell asleep to the sound of Joe humming an all too familiar tune.
"Ok, Layla, everything seems good. Hearing is excellent, cognitive skills are on par, you've done exceptionally in both physical and neuro therapy. Brain seems to be functioning normal; the only thing is your cerebral lobe is functioning at amazing efficiency."
"What does that mean?" Doctor Harmon grinned, producing two images out of my chart.
"This is an image taken of average brain stimulation. This right here, that's the cerebral lobe. The lit up part is the percentage that functions when stimulated. This is a picture of your stimulated cerebral lobe. It's lit up like Christmas tree. I've never seen that much stimulation before. It's working at peak efficiency. It's absolutely fascinating to see."
"Oh wow, that's ok right?"
"You've passed every test with flying colors, no negative side affects present. You feel fine now?"
"Well yea, I feel great."
"Well then my job here is done. If you need us, you know where to find us. Hopefully you won't need to. Have a good one, Layla."
"You too, Doctor Harmon, thank you." I nodded signing the rest of the release forms. Iris leaned against the door smiling brightly at me.
"How does it feel to have real clothes on?"
"Horrible, I need to start wearing more dresses I've been spoiled."
"You're ass was hanging out."
"And I felt free! No more pants, ever."
"Good luck with that. Let's go get some coffee. I know you're dying for it."
"Jitters stop?"
"Where else? You could use it, besides I told Cisco I would pick him up one.
"Cisco?"
"One of the scientists looking after Barry; be prepared, he's a talker."
"Any progress?"
"He's stable, but nothing else."
"That's good enough for me right now." There's still hope. I refuse to think anything else.
"Oh, before I forget, this belongs to you." My phone! I pressed the center button, but nothing came on.
"It's fried,"
"What do you mean fried?"
"Joe checked it when he collected your personal affects, we couldn't turn it on even after charging it."
"Great." That pulse must have fried the battery. The sound emanating through the ear buds was—just recalling the screech gave me a headache. I shuddered lightly, sliding it into my pocket.
"I called you that night. It started pouring bad and we were worried you were going to get stuck in it. Then Barry—when you didn't answer I was so mad. The worst time to not answer your phone. I called you a dozen times, all straight to voicemail. I didn't think…"
"Hey, it's ok. I'm so sorry, Iris, I shouldn't have walked home that night, I should have been there. None of this would have happened."
"You couldn't have stopped this, I just feel so rotten because, you usually answer your phone. I should have known something was up when you didn't call back."
"There was no way you could have known. Don't beat yourself up ok? I'm ok, you're ok, and Barry is going to be ok."
"You really think so?"
"I'm not giving him a choice." Iris cracked a smile, pulling me into a hug.
"Good, between the three of us, he'll be awake in no time."
Coffee in hand, Iris led me through the security doors of Stars Labs. It feels like so long ago we were here together, even though it was only two months ago. My heart thumped wildly against my chest, at the prospect of seeing Barry. Iris and Joe mentally prepared me for this visit, though I'm sure it won't ease the blow by much.
Iris pressed the intercom just inside the lobby.
"Ah, Miss West," I flinched slightly at the high-pitched tones of the intercom. I rubbed my ears gently, adjusting to the sound. "Good to see you again and you've brought a friend."
"This is Layla Gallagher."
"Good to see you out and about Miss Gallagher. You're here to see Barry no doubt. I must warn you, you might not like what you see. He's stable though, Cisco and Dr. Snow will walk you through the rest of our findings."
"That was—"
"Dr. Wells,"
"How did you,"
"I remember his voice."
"Oh, weird,"
"Thanks," I roll my eyes, following her into the elevator. The doors open to a science whiz's wet dream. Everything in here was sleek and unbelievably advanced, were it any other circumstances I would be in awe. My eyes focused on the other side of the lab, to a stretcher occupied by my best friend. I approached cautiously, my legs turning to lead with each step. Iris held back, giving me a moment alone with him I'm sure.
"Hi, you must be Layla! The name's Cisco Ramon, and I'm—"
"Just leaving," a fiery-haired women strut over shutting Cisco up with a look. "We'll be over here. Take your time." She added softly, shooing him to another part of the lab. I felt like I swallowed a five ton weight. I shuddered slightly, as I approached. He looked like he was sleeping, hooked up to multiple monitors, measuring god knew what. I feel so helpless just standing here watching him.
"Hey, Barry," I whispered, tears lodged in my throat. Cautiously, I reached for his hand, encasing it with mine. "It's me! I finally made it. It took a few months, but I finally made it." I whispered, caressing his hand with my thumb. "I uh, I was in the hospital…something happened the same night you ended up like this. Only you would get struck by lightning inside, Allen." I choked on my tears, fighting back the sobs. I wasn't going to fall apart here. I wanted to see him, not cry over him. "I don't know what the hell happened that night, one minute I was walking home and the next—Iris says they found me on the pavement. Crazy shit happened to us that night, and I want to know what that freaky brain of yours makes of it. We need you to wake up, Barry. I need you to. You're not allowed to go anywhere without me. You gotta come back, Barry."
I could hear the soft patter of sneakers approaching behind. Wiping my eyes aggressively, I desperately tried to pull myself together in time.
"Um, I figured you and Iris would want a progress report."
"Yea, that would be awesome." I sniffled.
"Well, as you can see, physically not much has changed, he's still out cold. But! He can still hear you, so if you wanted to come and visit, familiar stimulants will probably help him recover faster. Also, we want to see if his brain patterns change depending on the environment. He's not familiar with Caitlin and I, but you and Iris are his best friends, so if he hears you guys, music he likes, simulated noises, that could affect his brain activity."
"I uh, could give you a list of his favorite bands."
"Oh I already hacked his Facebook; he's got a pretty good list to bounce off of."
"Oh,"
Caitlin shot Cisco another look, shutting him up. "The good news is, he's stable and we've got the best technology to help him. Dr. Wells is a brilliant man, if anyone can help Barry, it's him."
"Good, I'm glad he's taking responsibility, because if it wasn't for his machine, none of this would have happened!" I snapped.
"We are all affected by this accident. Thankfully you and Barry came out relatively unscathed."
"Unscathed! He's in a coma! He was struck by lightning. He died, over and over again! Doctor's had to keep restarting his heart! You call that unscathed?"
"He's alive, and breathing, which is more than some. I promise, we are doing everything we can." Her lips were pressed so thin they turned white. Her glare was hard, but it held suffering. I chanced a glance at Cisco who offered a sheepish smile, before seeing us out.
"Here's my number," he offered, handing me a slip of paper. "Give us a ring when you want to visit Barry."
"Thank you, Cisco."
I glanced over at Caitlin, who stormed off, distracting herself with something on a nearby screen.
I bent down planting a kiss on Barry's forehead. "See you soon."
Author's Note: Hopefully my interpretation of Caitlin and Cisco are up to par. What do you think of Layla? Anything you guys would like to see? Reviews inspire me!