"Barry? It's Caitlin," Barry heard Cisco's voice waver, and he gripped his phone closer to his ear, straining to hear.
"Cisco, what about Caitlin?" Barry demanded, determined to understand why his friend sounded so panicked.
"Its…there's been an accident. Caitlin's been involved in an accident. She's at the hospital. It's bad, Barry, it's really bad," Cisco muttered. In that moment, Barry felt the earth drop beneath him, and he had to latch onto his kitchen counter to support himself. His mind was a jumbled mess, but he managed to grasp onto words like, Caitlin, accident, and bad. He nodded his head mutely, before clearing his throat.
"I'll be there soon, hold on, okay?" Barry replied.
"Yeah, man. Just, hurry, alright?" Cisco asked.
"Already on my way," Barry said before clicking off the phone. Grabbing his wallet quickly, Barry ran to his front door, before hurriedly stepping outside of his apartment, and locking his door. A quick glance around the hallway told him no one was outside of their apartment. Perfect. He flashed off the moment he heard the lock click in place, running as fast as he ever had to the hospital. He showed up moments later. Catching his breath behind the hospital, he took a moment to calm his rattled nerves, before running into the building at a normal pace. He spotted Cisco sitting near the front desk, and immediately called out to him.
"Cisco!"
Cisco's head popped up, and Barry noticed how relief flooded through his orbs.
"Thank God, you're here," Cisco muttered as soon as he was standing next to him, pushing his shoulder length hair behind his ears.
"What do we know?" Barry asked, not wanting to waste a second more.
"Caitlin was run off the road," Cisco whispered, and Barry felt his heart clench.
"By who?" Barry demanded darkly, and Cisco shrugged apologetically.
"Harry's working on it," he said quietly, and Barry sighed, before nodding his head.
"What do we know in terms of Cait's condition?" Barry prompted.
"She's in surgery. It-It didn't look good for her when they first brought her in, so I was told," Cisco whispered, and Barry felt his heart stop.
"And now?" Barry asked fearfully, hoping to God he wasn't about to get even more bad news; he didn't think he could handle it.
"The nurse said she'd come talk to me when Caitlin was in her recovery room," Cisco explained, but that wasn't good enough for Barry.
"Cisco, I can't just sit by and wait for them to give us news on our best friend," Barry exclaimed. He glanced around, and spotted a nurse walking down the hallway. He rushed up to her.
"Excuse me, but I was wondering if there was any news on Caitlin Snow?" Barry asked. The nurse looked at him, before looking at Cisco, who had appeared silently behind him, and shook her head.
"Not yet," she murmured apologetically.
"That's not good enough," Barry snapped impatiently. The nurse, (her tag read Amy), raised an eyebrow.
"Well, that's all I can give you for now," Amy replied coolly. "I suggest you take a seat, young man, and wait until I can give you the answers you're seeking."
Barry opened his mouth to say something else, but Cisco elbowed him in the ribs.
"Don't push it," he muttered, before turning to look at the nurse. "Thanks for all your help, Amy. Just let us know when you can tell us something."
Cisco grabbed Barry by the arm then, and steered him towards the seats in the waiting room. Barry sat down in a huff, legs dancing impatiently.
"Calm down, dude," Cisco said, and Barry cut his eyes towards him.
"How? How am I supposed to "calm down", Cisco? Caitlin was in a wreck, and we know nothing. Nothing. Not how she's doing, not if she's going to be alright, not even if she's…" Barry trailed off, suddenly afraid.
"Alive?" Cisco supplied quietly, and Barry winced. It was one thing to think the word, a whole other matter entirely when said out loud. He nodded his head shortly.
"Don't think like that, Barry," Cisco said firmly. "Caitlin's too strong to let something like this knock her down. She's a fighter. She's survived a lot worse."
"Why does it always seem to happen to her?" Barry sighed, as he rubbed a weary hand over his face.
"I don't know," Cisco said softly. Nothing more was said. Not until Amy came back.
"Guys," Amy said and they both looked up, Barry standing to his feet so fast it left him dizzy.
"What can you tell us?" Barry asked nervously.
"Caitlin's out of surgery. It was a success," Amy stated, and Barry felt his knees shake. He was tired just by simply listening. All he wanted to do was see his friend.
"When can we see her?" Cisco voiced the question he was thinking, and Barry looked at Amy expectantly.
"The surgery was a success as far as saving Caitlin's life," Amy began, and Barry felt fear pool in his stomach. He narrowed his eyes.
"What does that mean?" Barry demanded. Amy sighed as she took her glasses off, and rubbed them on her scrubs.
"I'll go get Dr. Jackson. She'll be able to explain everything in detail," Amy said. She walked off then, and Barry was so nervous, he thought he'd explode. He looked at Cisco, who looked as lost as Barry felt. Luckily, it was only a moment longer before Amy returned, with Dr. Jackson in tow. The middle-aged doctor bore a look of grimness, and Barry exhaled shakily.
"Friends of Ms. Snow?" Dr. Jackson asked.
"More like family," Cisco breathed, and the doctor consulted her notes, before nodding her head briefly.
"Ms. Snow didn't have any family members as emergency contacts, so that's why you were called, Cisco," Dr. Jackson informed him. Cisco nodded his head.
"What can you tell us?" Cisco asked timidly.
"Ms. Snow, while alive, is not conscious. We had to put her in a medically induced coma, to help the swelling in her brain," the doctor explained.
"When will she wake up?" Barry demanded, manners be damned. The doctor sighed as she rubbed her eyes. She looked tired.
"That's up to Ms. Snow," she murmured. "It's entirely up to her when she wakes up. These types of comas can last anywhere from days, to months.
"Months?" Cisco gasped, but Barry had expected an answer like this. He was suddenly numb.
"Thank you," he replied in monotone.
Dr. Jackson, and Cisco, exchanged a few more words, before she led them to Caitlin's room. Barry inhaled shakily as soon as he saw her. Her leg was in a cast, and propped up; her right side covered in cuts and bruises.
"God," he breathed out, forcing himself to not cry. Cisco was an entirely different matter; silent tears streaming down his face.
"Cait," he said softly, inching his way closer. When he was close enough to her, he grabbed her hand, and brought the back of it to his lips.
"You're a fighter, Caitlin Snow," he said firmly, and Barry watched him.
"You're going to bounce back from this, like you always do, and we're going to be ready for you," he murmured. Barry felt a lump swell in his throat, and tried to swallow discreetly. He stared at Caitlin's beaten and fragile body, before sinking down in the chair next to her head, with Cisco taking the one on the other side of her bed.
"We're not going anywhere," Barry said softly.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
At least a couple of months had passed, and Caitlin still hadn't woken up. Cisco was doing everything he could to handle Star Labs, while Barry refused point-blank to be anywhere but the hospital. Central City had Kid Flash, that was good enough. The only thing Barry partook in was helping catch the guy who ran her off the road. Once Cisco had found out the meta human's name who had hunted her down, Barry turned around and hunted him down. Turned out, he was an enemy of the Flash, and looking for revenge. Prison was too easy for him; too gentle. Barry locked him in the pipeline where he couldn't use his powers, and didn't even bother to think about freeing him ever again. He deserved to pay for his crimes.
XXXXXX
Four months in, and Barry saw Cisco losing hope.
"Maybe…maybe we should just let her go," he said to Barry one evening. Barry snapped his head up from his fist he was resting it on, and leveled Cisco with a look.
"Would she give up on us?" Barry demanded harshly.
Cisco opened his mouth to speak, but Barry didn't give him the opportunity to do so.
"That's a no, Cisco. No, she wouldn't. If you're tired of sitting here, then leave. I can handle watching over her for a while," he snapped. Cisco looked at Barry sadly, before getting up.
"You know where to find me," he said quietly, before leaving the room.
Barry redirected his attention back to Caitlin.
"Hey, you," he murmured, squeezing her hand gently. He had read that people in comas could still feel touches, and hear words. He just hoped she was one of them. Taking a deep breath, he began talking.
"Look, Cait, I know the timing is pretty horrible, but since all I seem to have lately is time, I just want you to listen. When I got that call from Cisco, four months ago, my world ended. I didn't know how I was going to pick myself back up. Then, when I got here and heard you were alive, I felt some light filter back into my life. Now, after sitting by your side every day, I've finally found the courage to say something I've wanted to say since the moment I woke up from my own coma. Caitlin Snow, I love you. I've been in love with you since the moment I met you. I know I said it was Iris, but you knocked that position right out of her hands. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner. So, so sorry. You must wake up, Cait. Wake up, and I can tell you every day what you mean to me, and how much I love you. Please, baby, for me," Barry murmured. He brushed his lips across her forehead, before leaning back down into his seat, and waiting again.
XXXXXXXXXX
A month later, when Barry was resting, he felt her hand twitch for the first time. He yanked his head of his arm, and stared at her.
"Caitlin?" Barry whispered. Her hand twitched again.
"That's right, Cait, keep moving your hand," he encouraged.
"Help!" Barry shouted, and suddenly the room was filled with nurses and Dr. Jackson.
"Mr. Allen?" Dr. Jackson asked.
"Cait just moved her hand. I literally just felt it twitch," he exclaimed excitedly.
Dr. Jackson moved Barry gently out of the way, before turning to look at Caitlin.
"Ms. Snow, if you can hear me, I want you to squeeze my fingers," Dr. Jackson said calmly. All eyes were glued to Caitlin's hand. Then, miraculously, her fingers moved, wrapping around the doctor's hand and squeezing.
"Cait," Barry breathed, letting a couple of tears slip past.
It took her several long moments, but eventually, she opened her eyes and blinked at them all.
"Cait!" Barry cried, wanting to run to her. A nurse stopped him.
"Let me get to her," he exclaimed, and Dr. Jackson nodded her head.
"Let him through," she spoke calmly, and the hand holding him back dropped, and he raced over to Caitlin.
"Caitlin?" Barry asked.
"Barry?" Caitlin asked back, sounding confused and scared.
"What…what happened?" Caitlin whispered fearfully.
"Shh, it's alright," Barry soothed her, before looking at Dr. Jackson. She nodded her head.
"You were in a wreck, it's okay; you're okay," Barry said gently. Caitlin stared at him.
"A wreck?" Caitlin whispered. He nodded his head. Just then, Dr. Jackson spoke up.
"Ms. Snow, we need to run some tests, make sure everything is healing the way we need it to. As you can tell, you broke your leg. That's been healing nicely, considering the location of the break and how severe it was," she said calmly. Eventually, Barry was asked to leave the room while they ran their tests, and he did so, reluctantly. He promised he'd be back in as soon as he could.
While he waited, he called Cisco, telling him she woke up. The engineer promised to be there as soon as he could, which was, whenever Wally brought in their latest meta human. He also promised Chinese food, which both men knew she liked to eat in times of distress.
When he was given the all clear to go back in, he ran back into her room. Dr. Jackson paused him briefly.
"Beware, she's tired, and will most likely drift in and out for a few days," she warned him.
"As long as it's not for a few months again, I'm good with that," he replied, eyes never leaving Caitlin's face. Finally, it was just the two of them.
"I-I heard you," Caitlin began quietly, and Barry's heart stopped. He looked at her.
"Which part?" Barry asked seriously.
"All of it," she murmured, and they stared at each other. In a moment that stretched on for an hour, Barry suddenly understood what she meant. She heard him.
"Oh," he whispered.
She stared at him for a long moment.
"I want you to know: I love you, too," she whispered, and he laughed gently.
"Good, that's good. I'm glad," he murmured. She closed her eyes.
"Will you stay with me?" Caitlin asked softly, eyebrows crinkling in concern adorably.
He rubbed her brow out softly.
"Always," he murmured. "Always."
Author's note: Jesse! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FRIEND! My first one shot in ages! Hope you like it. Miss you. XOXO Taking prompts again. Will try to get some more out.