Current Timeline, Caitlin Snow, 2014
Caitlin Snow was watching the monitors with Cisco as Jay and Barry headed towards a fire on the other side of town. She wasn't a fan of watching them put their lives in danger over and over. However, if Jay and Barry were going to do this, she would rather help them to make sure that they had what they needed to stay alive. Not to mention that having them go up against smaller things was good practice when the really bad stuff showed up. They had been doing this for almost a week now with success. They'd covered everything from muggings to bank robberies. The plans had been relatively simplistic. Jay would take care of any civilians while Barry would focus on the main issue.
She checked on their positions.
"Jay you'll be there in about four seconds," she told him. She and Cisco had decided that it would be easier if they each kept track of one of them. So now Cisco watched over Barry and she watched over Jay. They agreed to keep the communication lines open between the two of them so that if the other had the answer, it could be given quickly.
"Thanks Caitlin," he told her as she watched him stop perfectly.
"Barry!" Cisco shouted.
"What? What? Did I miss it?" Barry asked him.
"You overshot by about six blocks!" Cisco told him. He watched as Barry's blip zipped back over to Jay's.
She wasn't worried about them. They'd find a rhythm soon and in the meantime, Jay was handling the situation.
"What are you two doing?" Dr. Wells asked them, wheeling into the main room.
"Good morning Dr. Wells," Caitlin greeted him like always. "Cisco is working on debugging some code in that computer and I am looking at a medical journal by one of my old professors from college."
Dr. Wells had never been a fan of the boys using their powers around town. Every time the boys had wanted to go out to help, Dr. Wells had made it quite clear that he did not approve. Despite his warnings, the four of them decided to do it anyway. Barry and Jay convinced them that, for now, it was best not to involve Dr. Wells. Part of that meant having a few cover stories and code phrases for what they were doing so even if Dr. Wells was in the room, they could keep going.
"Uh-huh," Dr. Wells nodded slowly. "Then why do you both have coms in your ears?"
"We wanted to make sure if something started happening to Jay and Barry, like a side effect or something, that they could get in touch with us right away," Cisco answered a little off but hopefully not too much that Dr. Wells would notice.
"We got everyone out and the fire department's here," Barry let them know. "You got anything else for us?"
Caitlin checked the scanners and found a bank robbery in progress. It was time to see if their code held up, "Cisco do you remember that bank robbery a couple of months ago? Where was that? Central City National? Corban General? Young, Palmer, and Associates?"
"No yeah, Central City National," Cisco followed along with her. "They made off with a lot of cash."
"Why do you ask Caitlin?" Dr. Wells asked, clearly suspicious. They would need to change up the code somehow again.
"Just something I was trying to remember," she answered. She didn't like lying to him. He was her boss and trusted colleague but she had promised she wouldn't say anything. Jay and Barry didn't want to have him involved after the conversation that happened last time. They didn't want someone who didn't support them on their team. She figured that it wouldn't be long before someone messed up unintentionally and then everything would come out into the open. Dr. Wells was a good guy and would eventually see that they were doing something great and get onboard with them.
"Hmm," Dr. Wells mused. "Call Dr. Garrick and Mr. Allen and have them come in. I want to start testing them more thoroughly in the lab. Actually, since they have their coms on, why don't you just put them on speaker."
"We got the bank robbers. They're sitting in police vehicles as we speak," Jay told her through the coms.
Caitlin tapped the button on the side of her com. "Hey Jay," she pretended to greet him. "We wanted to get a better look at your speed here in the lab. Can you come in as soon as you can?"
"Yeah, I can come over, I'll be there in a few minutes," he told her knowing that whatever was said to just play along.
"Thanks, see you soon," she said as she turned off her com.
Now it was Cisco's turn. He turned his com on speaker mode. "Hey Barry, could you come to Star Labs? We want to see if we can get a better look at your speed in the lab."
"Yeah, I'll be there as soon as I can," Barry told him.
"Thanks man," Cisco said before shutting off his com.
True to their words, both of them came zipping in dressed in their everyday clothes.
"Hey guys," Barry greeted as he and Jay walked in.
"Mr. Allen, Dr. Garrick," Dr. Wells greeted them. "I hope you both are well-rested as you are going to be doing a lot of running today."
Both of them let out a small groan of dread. Caitlin couldn't help but smile in sympathy for them knowing Dr. Wells was going to put them through the wringer. However, she would never feel bad about having them do tests. This was the best way for them to find out what was going on with their new bodies and track their progress. She cleared the main console before standing up and grabbing her equipment. As they began walking towards the lab, Barry's phone started ringing.
"It's work, I gotta take this," Barry said as he took the call. It lasted for a few seconds before Barry hung up and said, "My day job beckons," he told them. "I'll come back as soon as I can." He went over to Jay and said, "hang in there man."
"I'll try my best," he told him. "Good luck at work."
"Thanks," Barry said before he sped out of sight.
"Well Mr. Garrick," Dr. Wells started. "Are we going to be hearing you need to be going in to work in the next minute or so?"
"No, since I don't have an intern, I arranged to work from home for the foreseeable future," he answered as he knew that he was going to be working much harder today with Barry gone. "So I will be available to be on call as much as possible."
"Well then, Let's get to it," Dr. Wells urged, satisfied, as he motioned for them to continue.
Caitlin moved so she could give Jay a small pat on the back in support. He gave her a grateful smile as they kept moving.
At some point, she realized that Jay wasn't next to her so she turned around to find him. She looked to see him completely stopped, slightly bent over with his eyes just staring at the ground. His eyes closed tightly, his left hand rose to touch this forehead. His right one rested on his thigh. This was new.
"Jay are you okay?" Caitlin asked him as she came up next to him. This could be a headache, migraine, a symptom of something worse, something that had developed when he gained his powers. Whatever it was, it wasn't good.
"Yeah, I'll be fine in a minute," he told her as it looked like the headache increased, not to mention her worry. She hadn't seen him have any headaches since he woke up. She couldn't remember him having any headaches back in junior high or high school either.
"How often are you getting these headaches?" she asked him as she checked his pupils and then his temperature, trying to narrow down the possibilities. At this point, Dr. Wells and Cisco had come over to see him in this state as well.
"I've had one or two during the last week but they were very small and went away quickly," he said as he tried to keep his eyes open for her test. "This is the first one I've had since then. This was my first one today. I wasn't worried since I'd get these before I got my speed. I'd get them whenever I forget to eat for a while because I was deep in a project. It's a little weird though because I had breakfast this morning."
"Hmm," Caitlin wondered as she ran through diagnoses in her head. She then moved onto checking his pulse. "What did you have?"
"I had some eggs, toast, and drank some water," he answered, smirking as he noticed that she was guiding him subtly towards the lab.
"Lucky, I'd kill for something to eat right now," Cisco told them as he went to the other side of the medical table. "All I had was some coffee and a go-gurt and those things are nasty. They don't even taste like something. It's like ice and slime. Ew."
"I have some energy bars in my desk if you'd like one," Caitlin offered him as she gently pushed Jay to sit down on the medical table to start taking his blood pressure.
"Those things are like cardboard and fake nuts. Oh my gosh, please tell me those are not what you had for breakfast today. They're terrible," he asked her, hoping that she hadn't.
"I have one every day," she told him guiltlessly. "And they are not that bad," she looked to Jay to back her up as she took off the wrap.
He looked back at her with care and sympathy as he told her, "they really are."
"Thank you!" Cisco said happily proving his point and doing a self-high-five. "See! This guy knows what I'm talking about."
"Whatever," she shook her head as she pulled out some sensors. Energy bars were better than they gave them credit for. It was just a matter of finding the right ones. "Okay, I'm going to check on some of your levels. They don't require samples, I just need to place these on you quick."
She knew that she was probably worrying about nothing but she couldn't help it. She was cautious when it came to him and would be for a while. Besides, if she did find something that needed to be attended to, they could take care of it and continue on. He took off his shirt so she could attach the sensors to his chest. She picked up the tablet and started sifting through the information. Everything she'd checked came back good. Level after level came back clear until she looked at his glucose level.
"Oh my gosh," she gasped as she looked at her data. She showed Cisco the results.
"That makes a lot of sense actually," he said as he looked at her tablet. "I'm going to call Barry and tell him we need him to come back here as soon as he can."
"Care to share?" Jay asked her as Cisco went to go get his com. Worry was written throughout his face. It was different to see that look on him. He was never the worrying type of guy but for the first time, she saw a small portion of the look she had a lot recently.
"It's your glucose levels," she answered, showing him the data. "Total metabolic failure brought on by acute hypoglycemia."
"Okay so I need to adjust my intake to make up the difference," he said as he leaned back a little on the chair. The look faining away slowly.
"We're gonna need to fashion you a diet based on your metabolic changes," she told him as she took off the sensors. "I suspect Barry will need to do the same. It's a good thing we caught this when we did. You could have collapsed somewhere by yourself without a way to contact us."
"Somehow, I think you'd always find me," Jay joked. At least, that's what she believed he did. He might not have but he laughed when he said it and so she'd laughed too. She didn't know quite what to think if he hadn't been joking. It was more likely and simpler to believe that he'd made a joke.
"We should probably get you some food before you crash," she told him as she put away her equipment. "I'll grab you some energy bars to get your levels back up for now," she said as she turned to get them. She would have too if he hadn't lightly taken her wrist; stopping her from going any further. She looked back to find him looking at her with this somehow relaxed yet serious look in his eyes.
"Caitlin, I am a scientist. Which means I know what those things taste like as someone who has regrettably lived off those for weeks at a time," he told her, letting her know that he had no intention of eating those. "Why don't we instead invite Cisco, Barry, and Dr. Wells to get a team breakfast or something? Go over some preliminary calculations for our new diets, eat some real food, discuss more about the future concerning our newfound abilities."
"I don't know," she said rather tempted. It sounded like a good idea. If she was honest with herself, she was hungry and the thought of some eggs and toast sounded heavenly right now. But they had a lot of work that they needed to do here. All the equipment they would need was here. All her medical supplies were here too. She was sure she could probably get Jay to eat one bar if she played it right.
"Come on, when was the last time you ate a meal with friends?" he asked her.
It was definitely a long time ago. Probably before Ronnie... before the particle accelerator exploded. Come to think of it, she couldn't remember the last time she'd had a real meal. The thought of all this caused her stomach to make itself known. She was rightfully embarrassed but Jay laughed as she'd inadvertently proved his point.
"Come on," he told her as he put his shirt back on and guided her out to the main room. "Hey, what would you guys think about doing some formulating over some real breakfast?" he asked Cisco and Dr. Wells. It was at that point when she realized he was letting go of her wrist. It wasn't something that hadn't happened before. Jay had held her wrist before back in school to show her something or another and she'd forgotten he was holding it. That hadn't happened with Ronnie as he preferred to take her hand for very specific purposes. It was probably nostalgia she was feeling. That was it. It was good but odd too.
"Yes! I'm starving," Cisco answered them passionately, pulling her back from her internal conversation with herself.
"Dr. Garrick, I think it would be best to stay here and finish our work before we do something else," Dr. Wells told him.
"Please Dr. Wells," Cisco asked. "We all need some real food and the best way for Barry and Jay to get their glucose levels back up is to eat."
"He's right, Dr. Wells," she told him, throwing her own, slightly nervous, hat into the ring.
She waited nervously as he mulled over his answer. He debated it for a few more moments before finally saying, "fine, but we are all staying late tonight. We need to do some real testing today. We are already behind schedule thanks to Mr. Allen."
No sooner was his name spoken when the man himself came zipping in looking rather out of breath.
"Cisco," he started but stopped to take a breath and clutch his head. "You said you found something to fix my headaches?" he looked like he was about to collapse.
"You have some free time?" Jay asked him.
"I got an hour maybe if I use my speed at work," Barry answered as he took a step to help himself steady. "Why? How long is this going to take?"
"You're coming with us. We'll get you fixed up," Jay promised him. "I think it'd be best if you rode with someone."
"I'll take him," Cisco told them as he grabbed his iPad and put it in his knapsack. "Let's roll!"
"We'll meet you at IHOP," Jay told them as they all started walking out of Star Labs. "Oh, shoot," Jay realized as they made it to the parking lot. "I didn't drive here."
"No, but I did," she told him, holding up her keys. She took his arm and led him towards her car. "You can ride with me."
"So, I've done a few calculations," Cisco told them before taking a bite out of some pancakes. "You need to consume an amount equal to roughly 850 tacos. Unless we're talking cheese and guac, which is like a whole other set of equations."
"Oh my gosh," Jay said as he took a sip of his coffee. "The thought of eating that many tacos sounds just…"
"Awful? Disgusting? Makes you never want to eat Mexican food again?" Barry tried to fill in as he ate his seventh chocolate chip pancake.
"I was going to say inhuman but those work too," Jay agreed as he ate a bite of egg. "Can you imagine how much 850 tacos would cost? And that's daily."
"Oooh, yeah, we should definitely see if we can make something to help," she told him before she took a bite of her toast, "Something that will give you enough of the substances you'll need that you can eat in a sitting."
"Sounds like an energy bar," Dr. Wells joked as he bit into his apple.
She laughed as Jay sunk into his chair with a small groan as he heard those words.
Jay was right. This was exactly what they needed. She'd never really go out to eat with coworkers other than Ronnie and occasionally Cisco when they were waiting for Jay and Barry to come out of their comas. It felt so good to do things with people again. She hadn't realized just how much she'd missed this. Friends gathered together just because they wanted to. Laughing, talking, having fun between the crazy.
A thud sounded through the restaurant.
Everyone felt the jolt in the earth. Dishes clatter, plates fell, drinks spilled, as the second wave hit the place. She could see the way Dr. Wells was gripping his armrests. How Cisco clutched his iPad tighter, Barry shrinking into himself a little, Jay's hand on her elbow. Even he looked a little rattled. They looked at each other in that unmistakable way. Trouble was coming and it was going to be big. They slipped out of their seats to go see what was going on outside. Another thud sent their feet off the grounds. Caitlin felt herself being pulled into Jay's side as dust and bits of the ceiling started to fall to the ground. They took cautious steps as all but Dr. Wells exited the building. Another thud resonated throughout the building. She was pulled under Jay's frame as bigger pieces of the ceiling gave way over where she had been standing. The four of them moved quicker to see what the commotion outside was.
The road had been decimated by a large trench down the center of it with pieces of pavement rising on the sides. There where the trench began was a man. He was tall as a bear, burly like a Viking, dressed in a full metal face mask, black warrior cuffs, green and black combat gear without sleeves. He raised his hands, aimed them in the direction of the valley, and clapped his hands together. The earth trembled. The trench grew deeper. The team nearly fell to the cracking sidewalk.
Jay turned to her, placing both hands on her shoulders. He looked straight into her eyes as he told her, "you need to get Dr. Wells and get to Star Labs." He turned and looked at Cisco, "Both of you."
"What are you going to do?" she asked him. Outside stood a giant that was powerful enough to send sonic blasts that could shatter buildings, not to mention bones.
"We're going to get the civilians out of the nearby buildings and then see if we can stop him," he told her. "Once you guys get back, see if you guys can spot any weaknesses that we can use."
"No way, this is not safe. You haven't gone up against anything like this before. You two could die ten different ways from this guy. This is too dangerous," she said. This was not going to happen. This couldn't happen. For once, she hoped that they would listen to her and do as they were told.
"Caitlin, we don't have a choice. There are a lot of people that will get injured or worse if we do nothing. We are their only chance. Barry and I have our suits; you'll be able to track and monitor everything," he assured her as Barry went to change quick.
She looked deep into his eyes. She could see the determination and strength inside. She wouldn't win. She shouldn't win. He was right. She was just being scared again. Jay and Barry were the toughest men she knew. They could do this. She needed to believe this. "Promise me you will be careful," she told him as this was not to be taken as a question.
"Promise," he said as he gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze before releasing them. She watched Jay zip away and a red and blue blur sped away to the next building. Two heroes readying for the battle ahead. She went back to catch up with Cisco and Dr. Wells.
"Where are Barry and Jay?" Dr. Wells asked as she returned without them.
"They're on their way to Star Labs," she told him as she directed them out towards the emergency exit in the back. "You guys need to get back to Star Labs. I'm going to help get these people out."
"We'll meet you at the lab," Cisco told her as he helped get Dr. Wells over the door jam. "Hurry okay? If that guy keeps doing what he's doing, this whole place will come crashing down."
"I'll hurry," she promised him before getting back to the main area. "Everyone!" she yelled to the people in the restaurant. "You'll be safe if you go out the back this way! Leave whatever you don't need. We need to get out of here or the building will collapse!"
People moved quickly as they discovered the new and safe exit. What used to look like a half-empty dinner turned into a giant crowd that all squeezed together through the narrow hallway to the exit. Caitlin looked for stragglers or anyone who got hit by debris. She waited until the last person was out safe. A new more powerful wave threw her off her feet and towards the other side of the room. She looked up but it was too late.
Current Timeline, Jay Garrick, 2014
Jay and Barry collapsed on the ground against the wall of a building. Gasping for breath as almost all their strength had been blasted, slammed, or pounded out of them. Their bodies bruised and battered from debris and two huge fists. Their hearts racing, barely slowing down as they rested. The two of them had managed to wear, whatever he was, down until he ran away. They tried attacking him but nothing seemed to work. It was as if they were hitting an indestructible wall. The only reason they were alive was because of pure luck. After running rampant around the giant, he seemed to have grown dizzy or something. He took both hands and slapped the ground. The momentum sent both him and Barry soaring while the guy got away clean.
While they just took in energy, it was almost gone again. Both of them thankful that whoever they had been fighting quit because neither of them knew how much longer they could have lasted without any more fuel. Jay sighed and looked around. It wasn't a good idea to stay out in the open like this for much longer. They needed to get back to Star Labs or at least change. Maybe he could get Caitlin or Cisco to come pick them up. He opened his com channel. "Hello?" he called in. "Can anyone read me?" He looked over at Barry. He didn't look good. He looked like he was going to pass out.
"Jay?" Cisco picked up. "Jay can you hear me?"
"Yeah, I hear you," he confirmed, taking a small breath of relief. "Hey, we need some help. Barry's going to pass out and I'm not doing much better. Can you or Caitlin come and pick us up?"
"Jay, Caitlin didn't come back," Cisco told him worriedly.
"What?" he asked, his heart stopped. His whole body went numb. Cold flooded his blood. Everything tightened. Panic started materializing again. No, no, no, not Caitlin. She was supposed to have left with Cisco and Wells. Was she dead? Was she injured? Did she even make it out of the building? What if she was trapped and running out of air? What if she was unconscious and burning alive? Was she bleeding out and screaming for help? No, no, cool it. She'll be fine. You won't stop until you find her and get her whatever she needs, he thought to himself. Pull it together. You need to calm down if you're going to find her. I need a plan.
"She stayed behind to get the other people out but she never came back. Jay, we gotta find her," he told him, panic evident in his voice.
"No," he told him confidently. "Cisco, I need you to stay where you are."
"Have you lost your mind!? What are you talking about? You need help!" he practically shouted.
"Exactly," he told him. "If Barry and I don't get something for our bodies to metabolize we die. I need you to start working on those energy bars so we can get back in action. I'll get Barry somewhere safe. I'll find Caitlin and either she or I will drive us to Star Labs in her car. I want you working on a small temporary fix to get us up and running again quickly. We can work on a better long-term solution later."
"Dude, you need more help to find Caitlin," he told him. Jay could hear him anxiously shuffling around. "Look, I'll be right there."
"Cisco, either one of us could find Caitlin. Only you and Dr. Wells can save me and Barry. Okay?" he asked, hoping it stuck. He could feel his energy slipping slowly away as each minute passed by. This was going to be close.
"Fine but keep your mic on, I need to know that you're still alive," he told him, frustratedly.
"I can do that," he nodded as he took in a few deep breaths to help him focus. He turned towards Barry. He barely had his eyes open as he laid completely on the ground. "Barry," he got his attention. We need to move somewhere less open." He struggled to pull himself up off the ground.
"Jay, I don't think I can," Barry said as he tried to get up but failed.
"We're not going far. We just need to get you to Caitlin's car," he told him. He slowly made his way over to him. Each step felt heavier and heavier. "Come on man, you can do it," he encouraged as he held out his hand. Barry missed twice before grabbing it. Pain surged its way up their bodies at an alarming rate as they worked to get Barry on his feet. He was running on fumes. He needed to find Caitlin before he was run out. They pulled themselves over to the car. Thankfully, she'd left the car unlocked. With a few quick movements, the door was open, Barry was inside and buckled up. "Don't move," he warned Barry as he closed the door. "I'm going to go get Caitlin. Just rest and stay right where you are."
Barry nodded before leaning against the window and closing his eyes to nap.
Jay took a moment or two to breathe again. One thing down, two to go. Step by step, Jay pushed his way through the exit and back into the dinner where he'd last seen her. He could feel himself running on fumes. His body wanted to quit and give up. Every ache and pain hurt worse and worse but he would not give in. Caitlin was here somewhere and he had to find her. He would not stop until she and Barry were both back at Star Labs.
The practically demolished building was very unstable. Everywhere was covered in dust, ceiling parts, broken glass, and toppled furniture. He looked and looked, calling out her name every so often in the desperate hopes that she would call back. Part after part, he turned over as he searched for any sign of her. Then he saw it. There! A pile of drywall the size of Caitlin if she was curled up. He pushed his way over to the pile. He fell to his knees as he finally made it to the pile. He shoved piece after piece away until finally, he saw her. Through the cracks, he saw bits of pearl skin and brown hair. He tore through the rest of the pieces until her face was completely out. Her arms had been over her head to protect herself from worse injury. He reached in and wrapped his arms around her body. With four strong tugs, he pulled her out of the rubble as dust flew about the air. He pulled her close to him. He needed to know if she was alive. He put his fingers on the pulse point of her wrist. He could feel her faint pulse in her wrist. She was alive. Thank goodness she was alive. He hugged her close. Relief washed over him indescribably. "Cisco!" he called in. "I found her! She's alive! She's unconscious but she's alive."
"Oh thank goodness," Cisco sighed in relief.
She was unconscious but alive. She needed pure oxygen to replace all the dust and debris she'd been breathing in. "Cisco, she needs oxygen. Have it ready when I get there."
"No problem!" Cisco said as he got up. Jay didn't think Cisco knew he could still hear him when he asked, "Where is the oxygen tank in this place!? Why can't I find the dang thing!?"
He proceeded like that but it went relatively unnoticed by Jay as he had bigger things to worry about. They still needed to get to Star Labs. He dug around until he found her keys in the rubble. He summoned every little piece of strength he could as he lifted her up and carried her towards her car. Every part of him felt like it was on fire but it didn't matter. Nothing would stop him from getting them all help.
First, he settled Caitlin into the passenger seat before checking unconscious Barry in the back seat. Once he was sure they were travel-ready, he trudged his way to the front seat. The minute he sat down his vision started to blur; his eyes desperate to shut. Panic started flooding back as he was met by a new threat. His body was shutting down. His body felt the comfortable seat, holding him easily, and everything but his brain was trying to shut down to recharge. It felt so good. It was the most comfortable thing he'd felt in hours. His eyes started closing. No! He took a deep breath and shook his head. No! He would not fall asleep. He would not rest. He started the car and slammed on the gas. He couldn't waste another second. He drove as fast as he could.
He drove successfully for three straight minutes before his head started tilting around as the rush of new energy wasn't able to sustain him. He couldn't hold on much longer. His body was turning against him. He had maybe ten minutes before he lost consciousness. Star Labs was eight away. His foot slammed harder on the gas. I can make it. I can make it. I can make it, he kept telling himself until eventually, he had to start saying it aloud. He must have said it a hundred times or more, he couldn't keep track, before there on the right side of the street was the building.
He could see it. There it was his saving grace, Star Labs. It was just up ahead. "Cisco," Jay called in. "I can see the building. We're almost there."
"Roger that, I'm coming out to meet you guys," Cisco reported.
He turned them into the parking lot. He saw them. Cisco was racing towards him with water bottles and an oxygen mask. He put on the brakes and shifted into park. His body leaned back against the seat as he breathed shallowly. He rolled down the windows. Cisco was coming up on his side. He shook his head and nodded towards Caitlin. She was the one in the most danger right now. Cisco altered his course and Jay smiled gratefully.
"Dr. Wells made some energy drinks that will get you guys the nutrients you need much quicker than bars would. They'll still take some time but as long as you drink all of this, you'll be okay after a nap," he told him while he slipped the oxygen mask over her face and the tank into her lap. He handed Jay the bottle and then went to the back to work on Barry.
Jay opened the top. He hoped he could get through this. He was already on the edge. "It's just one more thing," he accidentally said to himself out loud. "One more thing and then you can rest." In a last-ditch effort, he quickly raised the liquid to his mouth and chugged it down as fast as he could. As far as he knew, he drank it all. However, his vision was blurred and then it was gone.
Current Timeline, Caitlin Snow, 2014
Light was the first thing she remembered seeing. As she slowly opened her eyes, it made her want to close them again. Her spell of weightlessness broke as she lifted her hand to rub the sleep out of her eyes. Her fingers accidentally knocked into something plastic as she reached up for her eyes. She could feel it go all the way around from the bridge of her nose to underneath her bottom lip. Soon the band going around the back of her head made itself known as she truly started to wake up.
She was breathing through an oxygen mask.
Once that piece of information set in, everything else started flooding back. Jay, Barry, the restaurant, the ceiling collapsing, all of it surged from her memory into her immediate thoughts. She sat up and looked around. She was in the Med Bay sitting on one of the medical beds.
"Caitlin, you're awake!" she heard as someone wrapped their arms around her. She turned to find that it was Cisco who was hugging her. He released her before saying, "I'm so glad you're awake. I wasn't sure how long to leave the oxygen mask on, so long story short, we're going to need a new one in about fifteen minutes."
She carefully pulled the mask back over her head before taking a deep breath of normal air. "What happened?" she asked him. "The last thing I remember, I got knocked out by some falling debris. How did I end up here? How long have I been out?"
"Well, you've been out for maybe three or four hours," Cisco started with her last question. "You never came back to Star Labs and Dr. Wells and I were getting really nervous. I had to tell him what was going on when Jay and Barry didn't show up either. I'm sorry about that."
"It's fine," she assured him quickly. "Now, what happened next?"
"Jay finally turned on his com and told us that he and Barry tired out the guy and needed a pick up from you or me because they were almost out of energy. That's when I realized that you may not have even left the building and told them that you weren't here. I told them I would come and look for you but Jay said no," he continued, getting slightly faster with every word.
"Wait, he said that you guys should leave me behind?" she asked, really confused. That did sound like Jay to abandon someone, especially her.
"No, he meant that he would find you while Dr. Wells and I made them a quick fix. I tried to tell him that I could help do both but he made me promise to stay here and get the fix going while he found you and that either you or him would drive. From what I can gather, Jay got Barry to your car before he crashed and then Jay went looking for you. Based on what you said, he must have pulled you out and carried you all the way to your car before somehow driving you all back to Star Labs before passing out," he finished his story. "I don't know how he managed to do all that though. When he pulled up, he was as white as a ghost and on the verge of collapsing. I mean, the guy saved everyone today. Not to mention that if he hadn't made me stay here, it would have been too late for the energy drink to work."
Her head was swimming with all this news. Everything sounded so crazy. Yet the crazier thing was the one thing her brain kept going back to. Jay found her, pulled her out, and carried her to safety. Speaking of Jay, where was he? "Where are the guys now?" she asked Cisco. "Are they okay?"
"They're fine," he promised her easily, they're right behind you."
She looked back and sure enough, there they were. Each of them lying on a medical bed of their own with an IV drip attached to them. They looked as if they'd never woken up in the first place. As if the past week had been a dream. A reoccurring pain washed over her. Worries from the first time all came flooding back. Emptiness pooled in her stomach as she watched the two of them breathe slowly with only the sound of the heart monitor to remind her that each breath was not their last.
She slipped carefully off the bed and walked a few paces to the next cot where Jay was. Jay and Barry nearly died because of her. All this extra pain was her fault. What kind of friend was that?
Current Timeline, Jay Garrick, 2014
Jay started to wake up. His head was hurting like crazy. Head, hurt, Caitlin, Barry. "Caitlin? Barry?" he called as he shot up into a sitting position. His hand grabbed at the pain at the back of his head as it increased dramatically. Sitting up that fast was a bad idea. Any noise sounded amplified to the point where it was like listening under the ocean. The only sound he could truly hear was an awful ringing that had no end. When he tried to open his eyes, all that came through was some bright blinding white light that made him shut his eyes as tight as he could.
"Caitlin? Barry? Cisco?" he called out again as he tried to get up and find his friends. He was stopped momentarily by something on his arm. He felt a drip of some kind running inside his arm. He reached around to try and find the stand it connected to.
Why hadn't he heard from someone yet? He could understand if Caitlin and Barry were still resting but Cisco should still be here or even Dr. Wells. Where were they? He called out in last resort, "Dr. Wells?"
No one responded. That was it. He had to go and find them. He wheeled the stand around the bed and grabbed on with both hands. He took a few deep breaths to prepare himself to get up. One, two...
"Jay," he heard as a cool hand came to land on his back. It moved in a soothing circular pattern as another hand landed on his hands. He recognized the gentleness of the hands. The care and softness that belonged to Caitlin Snow.
"Caitlin," he called softly as he tried to open his eyes to see her regardless of the pain. "You're alive."
"Yes, hey, I'm okay, I'm here," she promised in him a soft and gentle voice as he felt her move the IV stand back to where it was before. "Jay, I need you to lay back. This is going to ease the pain."
She was okay. She was walking, talking, and doing okay. Relief had a powerful effect as already he felt a portion of his pain leave. Even more vanished as she guided him back down onto the medical bed. With his pain nearly halved, he took a chance and opened his eyes. The brightness had lessened and he found himself staring up at her. She had a small band-aid along her jaw and a thin scab along the top of her right cheek. She looked so happy and relieved as she looked back into his eyes. He imagined he looked the same. Thank goodness.
"How are you? You look a lot better. Are you and Barry fully recovered?" he asked her, feeling much more relaxed than he had in the past couple of hours. He looked over and saw her left arm had a bandage around a good portion of it. He reached out and gently took it in his hand. He didn't remember a cut on her arm when he pulled her out of the rubble.
"I'm a little bit banged up but I'll be completely healed in a few days," she answered him, placing her other hand on his for a moment. She smiled before she slipped off the bed and headed towards the IV stand to change the bag.
"As for Barry and you, Dr. Wells was able to make an energy drink that was able to stabilize you quickly. Unfortunately, it does leave anyone who takes it with the equivalent of the world's worst hangover. I've been working on developing some better alternatives that will be more effective without the same side effects. In the meantime, we're giving you IV bags to get the nutrients into your bloodstream."
"Thank you," he sighed as he closed his eyes but didn't go to sleep.
"I should be telling you that," she said as he felt the bed shift a little. "The way Cisco tells it, you were so exhausted and close to dying. Yet, you dragged me and Barry into my car, drove us all here just in time, while keeping a cool head the entire time."
He let out a small laugh. If she only knew what was going on in his head. He had been so worried about so many things. Only by sheer luck was everyone still here. "Cisco exaggerated. How's Barry by the way?"
"He's sleeping next to you," she answered him softly. "We gave him a sedative so that he could sleep while the pain was at its worst. Though, you metabolize everything much quicker than everyone else so it's only going to last less than half of what it would for someone without your capabilities. You're also healing much faster than us. Any scrapes, cuts, or bruises you had were gone by the time I woke up."
"Well that's good," he breathed easily. Everyone was okay.
"Are you in a lot of pain? I could give you something to help," she offered him.
"I'm in some pain but I think I can handle this without any. I'll let you know if I change my mind," he promised her. He felt her hand once again as it slipped into his. He gave it a small squeeze, letting her know he was grateful. "Talking with you is very distracting from the pain. Have we learned anything about what happened this morning? Do we know who that was? Anything that could help us defeat him?"
"Dr. Garrick," he heard Dr. Wells start. He opened his eyes to find him a few feet away. "I would have thought that the obvious failure of this morning's escapade would have shown you just how bad an idea this was but apparently, you still haven't learned anything. Not only did you nearly die but so did Mr. Allen and Dr. Snow. You may be willing to risk your life but as you can see; when you risk yours, you risk all our lives.
"You know that I am not an idiot, Dr. Garrick. So when I read about the "Red-Blue Blur" that has been running around the city, I know who they are. I know that you have Cisco and Caitlin helping you. I know about all of it. You did it your way, Dr. Garrick. You and Barry tried and failed. Now, we're doing it my way. The one where no one gets hurt like this again."
Jay closed his eyes again as Dr. Wells left the room. He couldn't blame Dr. Wells for feeling this way. They had gone behind his back. They had left him out intentionally and that must have hurt. Guilt spread through his chest as he mulled over Dr. Wells' words.
He felt her hand squeeze his again. Care and support poured from her fingertips to his discouraged heart. Her quiet strength soothing his panicking mind. "I'm sorry," her words were simple and sincere. "But this time he's right."
His thumb brushed gently over hers. His eyes holding her gaze. "Caitlin, you know he's not."
"No, Jay, I know that you and Barry want to save the world but you can't this time. We need you here, alive so that we can do the good we have been trying to do all along. This way you'll be safe. You told me that if I couldn't find my rock, I could stand on yours. I can't do that if you aren't here. I need you to be alive. I can't take one more person I care about dying," she told him honestly. Her breath had become shaky, her eyes filled with that fear again, her hand clutching his.
"I know that this is scary. I'm scared every time Barry and I go to save someone. I get it," he assured her, "but we have to be brave here. Barry and I rescued maybe 40 people today by getting them out of those buildings and tiring out whoever that guy was so he couldn't do even more damage. If we do nothing, people will die. It's that simple. That doesn't mean I won't be careful. That doesn't mean I won't fight with every last breath to come back in one piece. I know that this is the right path. You do too."
He watched the internal battle that raged inside her. Her worry and doubt versus her care and compassion. Her internal battles had been happening more frequently. He watched as she finally settled on an answer, "I do."
He knew she did. He'd known for a long time now that Caitlin could never be selfish at the expense of others suffering. She was a caring person who would give her all. One of the many qualities that made her such a wonderful friend and human being.
He smiled at her, "Then this is what we're going to do."
"Alright, but you are going to stay right in this bed until you are completely healed. Do you understand?" she asked him for competence, not an agreement.
"Yes ma'am," he nodded. He had no objections to this request. It would be foolish to do anything in the condition he was in and with the lack of knowledge they had on whoever they had fought earlier. Right now, it was best just to rest and let Caitlin have a win.
"Good, I'm going to work on the metabolism project. I will be back to check on you later," she promised him.
"Thank you," he said, his voice tired but grateful. Arguing with her had drained him, especially in his current state.
"Of course," she returned just as gently.
His eyes focused on her before they closed one last time. He felt far more relaxed as he fell asleep even with the dull headache. Caitlin always had his back. He'd make sure he always had hers.
And that's part 1! I hope you all enjoyed it. The next part will take about the same amount of time as this one did. As always please follow, favorite, and review. I had fun writing this one with a big change right of the bat. Let me know if you figured out who the villain was. Be back soon!