"Stop, stop! You're hurting me!" Caitlin screamed, but all Mick did was laugh. The fire burning her skin sent tremors wracking through her body. Mick didn't seem to care; he just kept burning her. She felt the fire eating at her flesh as she screamed, burning her from head to toe. She had been kidnapped by Captain Cold, and Mick, as to draw out the Flash. She had refused to give up his identity, and here they were, as a result.
"Mick, stop. We've got to go meet him," Captain Cold called, and Mick grinned, as he sent one more burst of flames her way. She screamed. Eventually, Mick stopped, and Caitlin breathed through her nose heavily, trying to work her way through the fire like tingling through her body. Her arms, legs, torso, and face burned; there wasn't one part of her body that the scorching fire hadn't touched. She was too tired to fight against the restraints that bound her to the chair, so she didn't fight back as Mick activated the bomb underneath the chair.
"Don't go anywhere alright, darling?" Mick laughed, and she winced against his hot breath next to her ear as he whispered into it. Then, he roughly forced material into her mouth, and she could no longer scream; not that she had the energy to do so.
After they left, Caitlin wasn't sure how long she sat there, fighting the exhaustion threatening to pull her under. Her skin burned, and she was so tired. So very, very tired. She lost sense of time altogether as she sat there, too afraid to move in fear of agitating her burns. Eventually, she heard Cisco's voice, and looked around.
"Caitlin?" Cisco called.
"Cisco!" Caitlin called back, but it sounded muffled against the material in her mouth. He heard her regardless, and followed the sound of her voice. When he spotted her, she tried to turn around and look at him, but her body protested any form of moment.
"I'm going to get you out of there, Cait," Cisco soothed, but she shook her head frantically, despite the pain it ignited.
"No!" Caitlin tried to shout. She wanted to warn him about the bomb under her chair, but she was too tired, and she didn't have the energy to fight anymore.
Joe, whom she hadn't noticed at first, seemed to get the gist of what she was trying to say, however, because he shouted for Cisco to get down a moment later, and threw himself onto Caitlin, knocking her chair out of the way, as soon as Cisco had tripped the wire.
Caitlin cried out in anguish as Joe shoved the chair to the ground, covering her body with his. Caitlin was trembling like a leaf, as she heard the bomb go off, but knew the worst of it was over; they had survived. Then, Cisco ran up to her, and smiled gently.
"Shh, it's okay," he murmured, before taking a good look at her, and noticing the burns that covered every inch of her skin.
"Oh god, Cait," he murmured as he took in the sight of her. She tried to turn, to hide herself, but he stilled her with a gentle hand to her forearm.
"It's okay, Cait," he said soothingly, and she nodded her head. He worked on getting her wrists and ankles free, while Joe took out the gag. Once she was free, she inhaled shakily, trying her best to ignore the tingling she felt in her body.
"Can you walk, Cait?" Cisco asked gently, but she shook her head.
"I-I don't think so," she muttered, fighting the urge to fall asleep. Cisco must've noticed her eyelids drooping, because he shook his head quickly.
"Stay with me, Cait," he said urgently as he looked to Joe. Joe nodded his head.
"Caitlin, I'm going to have to pick you up, alright?" Joe murmured, and she nodded her head tiredly.
"Alright," she mumbled. He bent down and scooped her up, and she cried out against the pain. Once he secured her in his arms, Caitlin could tell he was concentrating hard on not jostling her.
They all but flew out of the warehouse, Cisco leading the way out. Caitlin was surprised to see an ambulance once she was outside, in the cool night air.
"I already called them, just as a precautionary," Joe explained, and she simply nodded.
As soon as the paramedic saw Joe running towards him, he met them half way with a gurney; Joe placed her down gently.
"When's the last time she's had water?" The paramedic asked, and Caitlin glanced at his nametag. Drew, it said.
"Not since she's been here, I can tell you that. So, not since yesterday," Cisco supplied, and Drew frowned.
"Alright, let's get an IV going," he called to his partner, and she nodded, then went about setting it up. Eventually, Caitlin, and Cisco, were bundled into the back of the ambulance, with Joe saying he'd meet them at the hospital. As they drove, Caitlin slept, finally.
XXXXXXX
It was a sharp, angry voice that brought Caitlin back to consciousness.
"Where is she?" Barry demanded, and she frowned. What was Barry doing here? Then, after a quick glance at her body, she realized she was covered in bandages, and remembered what happened. Not wishing for anyone to see her like this, she shook her head at the nurse who was in her room, refilling her water.
"Don't let him in here," she implored, but before the nurse, (Jenny, her nametag read), had a chance to reply, the door was opened, and Barry was running in.
"Cait?" Barry said gently, as soon as he reached her. She turned her head, trying to hide the worst of the burns.
"Don't hide," he murmured, and her heart bled at the gentle tone he was using.
"Barry, please, go away," she rasped out. He shook his head stubbornly.
"No," he replied resolutely, and sat down in the chair next to her bed. His shaking hands reached out for her pitcher of water and cup, pouring her a cup to this best of his capability. Once he had the cup filled, Caitlin watched as he tried to pass it to her lips, but she turned her head at the last moment.
"You need water, Cait," he said gently, but she shook her head.
"I don't want you to see me like this," she implored.
"You're still you," he murmured, and tears came to her eyes.
"No, I'm not," she whispered, staring at the wall opposite of him.
"Yes, you are," Barry insisted.
"Look at me, Barry, I look like some sort of…of…monster," Caitlin said helplessly, trying and failing to stop the tears from falling. They burned her skin, and she hissed in pain. Barry caught her tears with his thumbs gently, hushing her with soft words.
"Cait, you're still as beautiful as ever, if not more so now," he whispered, and she looked at him.
"I've got burns that will turn into scars, Barry," she stated pointedly, but he shook his head.
"No, they'll turn into reminders of what you survived, Cait," he said softly, and she thought about it. He held the cup up, and tapped the side of her mouth. Sighing, she opened her mouth, and he helped tilt her head back, pouring some water down her throat. It felt good.
Once he was satisfied that she had gotten a reasonable amount of water, he lowered the cup and helped ease her back onto her pillows.
"You're beautiful," he murmured repeatedly, and that soothed the ache in her heart. She nodded her head, not quite feeling the best, but better than she had since this whole ordeal had started.
"Sleep now, Cait. I'm not going anywhere," Barry said gently.
"Promise?" Caitlin asked in a small voice, and he placed his hand over hers', rubbing the ace bandage gently.
"Promise," he verified. Nodding her head, she closed her eyes only a moment later, feeling safe at last.
Author's note: Prompt I got about the kidnapping in season one. Hope you like it! Leave prompts in the comments, if you have any! XOXO