Caitlin had been feeling off all morning. It first started with a dull throbbing near her appendix, but, per usual, she ignored it, determined to go to her job and lend her hand to her friends anyway that she could. And, if she was being honest with herself, she wanted to see Barry. True, they had been dating for half a year now, and the team knew, it was still nice to get the familiar butterflies in her stomach she always got every time she saw him. So, she put on a loose-fitting dress, slid into her high heels, and wrapped her sweater around herself. She was ready to tackle the day, pain be damned.
By the time Caitlin got to work, the pain had increased exponentially, and she was wincing at every turn she made with her body. She knew she'd have to paint a smile on her face and act like nothing was wrong, because, everyone would immediately tell that something was wrong if she walked in cringing. Sighing, she battled through the pain and made her way inside the cortex, feeling flushed.
Predictably, she was the first one there. She headed to the coffee pot and turned it on, making sure the coffee was extra dark. If she was to act like nothing was wrong, she'd need the extra boost of energy to keep her going. As it brewed, she eased her way to her desk, stifling a groan of pain that threatened to escape her lips. She pulled her tablet out of her purse, and turned it on, along with the other monitors. She felt clammy, and realized she probably had a fever. Fantastic. Sighing, she tightened her sweater around her gently, trying not to jostle her lower abdomen too much.
Soon enough, the other members of the team started trickling in.
"Morning, Cait," Cisco greeted her, and she tried to turn her grimace into a smile.
"Morning," she murmured, breathing through her nose slowly.
"Are you okay, Cait?" Cisco asked in concern. "You don't look good. Like, at all."
"I'm fine," she said as evenly as she could with the way her pain had increased even more. She heard the coffee pot beep.
"Coffee," she muttered, before easing her way towards it. If she hunched her body in on itself, there would be a less likely possibility that anyone would accidentally jostle her. She poured herself a cup, and sipped out of it slowly, still focused on her breathing.
Just then, she felt a soft hand on her shoulder, and she looked around.
"Morning," Barry smiled, and she returned it as best as she could.
"Morning," she murmured, and he frowned.
"Are you alright?" Barry asked quietly, tracing gentle circles into her hip with his thumb. She thought that she'd be shy in the ways they showed affection towards each other, especially with Iris around, but she wasn't. She leaned into his touch.
"I'm fine," she murmured, going in for a quick kiss. He placed his hands on her sides, and squeezed gently. Even though it wasn't near her appendix, it was enough force to cause pain to flare up. She pulled back quickly, gasping.
"What?" Barry asked hurriedly, frowning. His hands moved to where she had placed hers' at, and held onto them.
"What's wrong?" Barry asked. She quickly shook her head.
"Nothing," she forced out, trying to swallow the cry of pain threatening to bubble up to the surface. "You just tickled me, is all."
He frowned, not looking like he was buying her explanation.
"Cait-," he started, but she shook her head quickly.
"It's fine, I just got startled," she assured, kissing him once more. "Coffee's ready."
She walked off then, and went and stood at one of the monitors, scrolling through her tablet, and sipping her coffee. She still felt clammy, and hot, and knew it was probably a fever; she recognized the symptoms, at least. Sighing, she redirected her attention back to her tablet, determined to make it through the day unscathed.
XXX
It was after ten that things started to go south and fast. Caitlin, who had felt hot earlier, couldn't get warm enough now. She was shaking, continuously tightening her sweater around as discreetly as she could. She had just about given completely up on working through the pain, and was just now focused on surviving the rest of the day. She knew she should make a doctor's appointment, or, at the very least, go home, but she was stubborn to a fault sometimes. She refused to be sent away.
On her third trip to the coffee pot, she doubled up when her body spasmed in so much pain, leaving her breathless.
"Ow!" Caitlin cried, tears gathering in her eyes. Everyone stopped what they were doing, but, predictably, Barry had been the first one to reach her. Hands shooting out, he placed them on her back, rubbing it.
"Okay, just breath," he murmured, so low only she could hear. She felt black pinpricks start to pop up along her vision as the pain tripled. She exhaled shakily.
"Uh, I think I need to sit down," she mumbled, dazedly. She saw Barry's mouth moving but couldn't, for the life of her, figure out what he was saying. She saw Cisco running towards her, but as she was aiming to sit down in the chair he was pushing towards her, she lost grip on her consciousness altogether, tumbling into the dark abyss eagerly.
XXX
By the time Caitlin had returned to consciousness, some of the pain had receded. She looked around, realizing she was in a bed. That explained why she was warm and comfortable. She heard him before she saw him.
"Hey, you," Barry murmured, and she blinked, and he loomed into focus.
"Hey," she rasped out. She tried to move, but he placed his hands against her shoulder and held her in place.
"Don't move, sweetheart," he murmured, and she nodded tiredly.
"What happened?" Caitlin asked, trying to think back to earlier that day.
"You fainted, and I swear, I never ran faster in my life than I did when I ran you to the hospital," he murmured. "You had appendicitis."
"Had?" Caitlin asked in confusion.
"They had to perform emergency surgery; your appendix was swollen three times its normal size," he said.
"Oops," Caitlin muttered, looking down guiltily.
"I knew you were stubborn, Cait, but working through appendicitis? That's a new one, even for you," he chastised, and she ducked her head.
"I didn't think it was as bad as it apparently was," she murmured. He chuckled.
"Clearly."
Caitlin felt herself relax at the joking tone he adopted, and knew he wasn't mad at her.
"You can't do something like this again, sweetheart. You're a doctor; you know the risks of pushing yourself through pain," he murmured, and she nodded her head.
"I know," she said quietly.
"Luckily for you, I'm springing you, so you can heal at your own apartment," he added, and she smiled.
"Thanks," she replied gratefully.
It wasn't too long before she had been sprung, and he was wheeling her to Cisco and the van from Star Labs.
"You're an idiot, you know that?" Cisco asked, and Caitlin laughed.
"I know," she replied.
"I swear, Caitlin, blatant disregard for your health," Cisco muttered as he leaned down and kissed her forehead.
They left the hospital then, with Cisco dropping Barry and Caitlin off at her hospital, waving goodbye.
"Take care of her," Cisco encouraged, and Caitlin was too tired to tell him she could take care of herself, thank you very much. Barry nodded his head.
"I will," he promised. Cisco left then, and Barry lifted Caitlin into his arms.
"I won't go too fast," he promised, and she tucked her head into his neck, and they were off. When she opened her eyes, she was sitting on the couch, and Barry was putting her keys back into her purse.
He eased her back onto the couch, propping her up with a few pillows, before covering her with a blanket.
"You still have a fever, so the rest of this week, you're on bedrest," he instructed, and Caitlin scowled.
"How will I get any work done?" Caitlin grumbled, and Barry just laughed.
"Even the doctors must take breaks, sweetheart," he murmured, and she nodded, frowning unhappily.
"Bedrest sounds miserable," she muttered.
"Just think of all the Jell-O you get it eat," he encouraged.
"Strawberry?" Caitlin asked hopefully.
"Am I not your boyfriend? Do I not know what you like?" Barry asked, flashing away and coming back a moment later, arms filled with boxes of Jell-O.
"All strawberry," Caitlin sighed happily.
"Yes, of course," Barry grinned, handing her a cup. She opened it, then accepted the spoon he gave her, and began to eat. Barry sat down next to her, and eased her feet into his lap, and began massaging them.
Maybe having appendicitis wasn't the worst thing that could've happened to Caitlin Snow.
Author's note: Jesse, for you! Hope you like it. You guys gave me some prompts to work on, and I'll be getting to them throughout the rest of the week and the weekend, along with my other stories. If you have any prompts, leave them in the comments. XOXO