Barry heard the soft pitter patter of feet, and immediately knew Abby was out of her bed, and trying to discreetly crawl into his and Caitlin's. Letting out a sleepy yawn, Barry kissed his sleeping girlfriend's forehead before opening his arms, catching his daughter as she crawled up onto the bed and into them.
He smiled down at the five-year-old, who was currently rubbing sleep out of her eyes.
"Morning, sweetheart," Barry murmured, brushing her hair back.
"Morning, daddy," she replied, before pushing her face into the crook of his neck. It was then that he felt the wetness on her cheeks, and tried to pull back, to see what was wrong. She clung to him with strength that surprised him; he hadn't expected his little girl to have so much strength.
"Button, what's wrong?" Barry asked, as he ran a soothing hand up and down her back.
"Had a bad dream," she replied, voice muffled against his neck. That one sentence brought on an onslaught of tears, and he hushed her gently. After a few moments of gentle murmuring, Abby calmed down long enough to look up at her father through wet eyelashes. Barry kissed her nose, and she giggled quietly.
"How about you lay up here with mommy, and I, hmm? Get a few more hours of sleep?" Barry asked softly.
"The monsser won't get me?" Abby asked, eyes wide, and Barry laughed gently.
"No, not when he realizes you're with your dad, who will fight him off when he scares you," he replied, and, again, Abby giggled. She thought about it for a moment, then nodded her head.
"Okay, daddy," she said, before burrowing herself under the covers, Caitlin automatically turning around in her sleep, and wrapping an arm around her daughter. Barry threw the covers back over them, then wrapped his arm around Caitlin's body, making sure his daughter was wrapped securely between them.
"Sleep now, Abby," Barry said softly, and it wasn't too long before her soft snores were filling the room.
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"Daddy, mommy is hot," Abby's worried voice brought Barry back to consciousness. He opened a bleary eye, taking in his surroundings. Then, looked down at Abby.
"What, sweet pea?" Barry asked.
"I said, mommy's hot," she repeated, frown washing over her little face, which, in turn, made a frown wash over Barry's face. He placed his hand on Caitlin's forehead and immediately felt his concern swell; she was burning up.
"Cait, baby, wake up," Barry murmured in her ear, and Caitlin groaned.
"You better have a good reason for waking me up, Allen. And, taking all the covers when it feels like the inside of a freezer in this room," Caitlin rasped out, before yanking the covers onto her. Abby giggled at her mother's grumpy attitude, but immediately sobered up.
"Is mommy sick?" Abby asked her father, and he nodded his head.
"I think so, button," he murmured, before easing Abby off the bed and standing up.
"Sweet pea, think you can do me a favor?" Barry asked his daughter, and she nodded.
"Go, and get me a cool wash cloth from the bathroom?" Barry asked her, and she nodded, before going to her bathroom down the hall. Knowing she'd be occupied for at least a couple of minutes, Barry directed his attention back onto his sleeping girlfriend. He shook her shoulder gently.
"Caitlin, baby, wake up," he murmured for the second time, then ducked, as she threw a pillow at him.
"What, Allen?" Caitlin hissed, before coughing. Barry winced at how deep it seemed to be.
"You're burning up, I need to check your temperature," he said.
"I'm the doctor, I'll check your temperature," she mumbled, before snuggling in the pillows. Barry tried not to laugh at how incoherent his girlfriend sounded, before sighing, and walking to his own bathroom. After retrieving the thermometer, he made his way back into the room in time to spot Abby trying to clamber up onto the bed. He bent down and picked her up. She huffed a little as he placed her on the bed, but then went about putting the cool washcloth on her mother's forehead; like Caitlin had done for her many times.
Caitlin, finally realizing she wouldn't be getting any more sleep, admitted defeat and opened her eyes.
"Morning," she rasped out, and Abby looked at her.
"Mommy, you've got a frog in your throat," she said worriedly, and Caitlin smiled.
"It's alright," she murmured. Abby went to go give her a hug, but Caitlin held her at arms-length.
"I might be contagious, Ab," Caitlin murmured, and the little girl frowned. Barry knew she wanted a hug, but also knew Caitlin was right: she might be contagious, and he didn't want to have two sick people in the house. He wasn't worried about catching anything, not with his abilities; but, however, he knew Caitlin would never forgive herself if she got Abby sick. Making a decision, he placed the thermometer down, and scooped Abby up.
"Let's go set you up with some books, hmm?" Barry asked, swinging Abby onto his back. Her little feet kicked out, as her laughter filled the room.
"I'll be back in a minute, Cait," he murmured, and she just grumbled, and he laughed as he walked Abby to her room. After setting her up with her favorite book, he went back to his bedroom, to spot Caitlin sitting up, shaking.
"Alright, let's see how high your fever is," Barry murmured, and she sighed.
"It's fine, babe," she coughed, and he shook his head.
"Don't be stubborn," he warned her, and she nodded petulantly. He tapped the side of her mouth, and she opened it with a huff. Rolling his eyes at her antics, he gently placed the thermometer under her tongue, and held it there, until it beeped.
"104," he read in a worried tone.
"It's fine," Caitlin rasped out, before coughing again.
He shook his head.
"No, I'm taking you in. You may be a doctor, but even the doctor needs a doctor," he stated decisively, and she just groaned, before getting out of bed. They got dressed, with Barry handing Caitlin her favorite sweater. Then, he called Cisco, and Hartley, to see if Abby's uncles could come and watch her while they were at the office. Finally, thirty minutes later, Barry had bundled Caitlin into the car, promising his scared five-year-old that everything was okay.
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One diagnosis of bronchitis later, and they were back at the house. Barry had called Cisco, and given him a heads up to keep Abby occupied while he got Caitlin back in bed. After making sure she was covered, and had taken her first round of antibiotics, Barry kissed her forehead, placed a new washcloth over it, and left her sleep for a bit, knowing she'd need fluids and food eventually.
Once he was in the living room, he spotted Hartley, and Abby reading, and Cisco pouring a cup of coffee. He walked towards Cisco.
"Hey, thanks for looking after Abby," he greeted him, and Cisco waved a hand dismissively.
"You'd do it for us," he replied, and Barry hummed.
"Figured Caitlin could use a cup of coffee about now. Did the doctor say how long it's supposed to last?" Cisco asked.
"Several days to a week," Barry replied.
"Bet she loved that," Cisco mused, and Barry chuckled.
"He also said strict bed rest was on the recovery plan," he added, and it was Cisco turn to laugh.
"Bet she really loved that," he remarked dryly.
"Yeah, well, she's not getting a choice. I've banished her to bed for the rest of the weekend, at the least," he replied.
Just then, Cisco handed the cup of coffee to Barry, as two pieces of toast popped out of the toaster. He plated them up, and spread some butter on them, before passing off the plate to Barry.
"Get her to eat something, alright?" Cisco asked, and Barry knew he was worried. Being her best friend for as many years as he had been, it was only natural. Barry nodded his head.
"I will, thanks," he murmured.
Barry then headed back into their room with coffee and food in hand, sitting down on the edge of their bed gently.
"Hey, baby, got some food for you," he murmured.
"I smell coffee," Caitlin groaned.
"And, there's coffee," Barry rolled his eyes, and Caitlin peeked her head out from underneath the covers, coughing as she did so. He winced in sympathy.
"You're the best, babe," she murmured, taking a sip of the coffee.
They spent the rest of the weekend with Barry taking care of Caitlin, and Hartley, and Cisco helping with Abby. After spending three days in bed, Caitlin's fever finally broke, and she was well enough to let Abby crawl into bed with her.
"I missed you, mommy," the little girl said, as she nestled herself into her mother's arms.
"I missed you too, sweet girl," Caitlin whispered, drifting to sleep a moment later. Abby wasn't too far behind her. Barry, who opted to stay awake, pulled his two girls into his body. Rubbing Abby's back gently, as he carded a hand through Caitlin's hair, Barry found himself thinking he'd remember moments like this fondly.
Author's note: Just a prompt I had myself. If you'd like to see any, comments are where to request them. I have a couple to get to, but yesterday, my anxiety was triggered exponentially, and I've been feeling the fallout from it all day. So, on top of having a six-hour drive tomorrow, I have anxiety I'll most likely be dealing with. Hope to get some more writing done tomorrow night. Merry Christmas, and happy holidays. XOXO