"It looks like you had a distal radius fracture," Caitlin said in a familiarly clinical tone, a puzzled expression on her face.
"Had?" Barry asked.
"It's healed," Caitlin explained. "In three hours."
"How is that even possible?" Barry asked. Already the capabilities and possible implications of his new powers were stacking higher and higher.
"We don't know," Caitlin said. "Yet."
"You really need to learn how to stop," Cisco chimed in, entering the room with Wells just behind him.
"What happened out there today?" he asked. "You were moving pretty well, and then something caused you to lose focus."
"I just… started thinking," Barry said. "About how monumental these powers are, and what they might mean for the future. For my future."
"Well, unfortunately the only advice I can offer is to try not to think about it too much," Wells told him. "Just take it one day at a time."
"Thank you," Barry said. "I'll keep that in mind." Checking his phone, he added, "I need to go meet Iris" and hopped down from the exam chair.
"Wait," Wells called out when he reached the door. He stopped and turned to look at him curiously.
"We need to talk about your sister," Wells said.
"Later," Barry promised, though he was already worrying about just how much of Kara's secret he would have to reveal after what Wells and the others had seen her do at Ferris Air. Wells nodded in silent dismissal, and Barry continued on his way to meet Iris.
"Can I help you with something, Detective?" Iris asked a short time later, stepping out of Jitters to meet Detective Thawne. Barry had been about to cross the street when Iris had come out of Jitters, but now he remained where he was, not wanting to interrupt whatever she had going on with Detective Thawne.
"You can stop acting like you can't stand me when your dad's around," he said, getting to his feet as Iris approached the table where he'd been sitting.
"Awww, but I like having a boyfriend who isn't shot to death," Iris said with a smile, kissing him. Barry watched it happen, feeling like a creep but unable to tear his eyes away. After a moment, Iris spotted him and pulled slowly away from her boyfriend.
"Barry's here," she told him, "so I have to go. I'll see you later." Thawne nodded, and Iris raced across the street to where Barry was waiting.
"You can't tell my dad," she told him as they were walking down the street, side by side, not long after. "He doesn't know about me and Eddie."
"It doesn't seem like anyone's in on the secret," Barry muttered bitterly, unable to stop a wave of jealousy from overtaking him.
"I was gonna tell you," Iris said insistently. "While you were in the hospital, Eddie covered my father's shifts so that we could both be with you. I thanked him with a cup of coffee and things just kind of… happened. And it's good."
"Dating your partner's daughter?" Barry asked, still feeling bitter. "Isn't that against department regulations?"
"Why are you so upset?" Iris asked.
"I just don't like lying to your dad, you know?" Barry replied, which was in and of itself a lie.
Their conversation was cut short by the distant sound of police sirens and screeching tires. The sound grew louder and louder, until a sleek black car came into view, barreling down the road with a police car hot on its tail. It sped straight toward them, nearly running them down. Barry dived out of its way, taking Iris with him. He watched as the police car crashed into a dumpster and the car that had nearly run them down continued on its way down the highway. Getting to his feet, Barry sped off after it, thinking only that someone had to catch its driver. He sped past car after car on the highway until he drew even with the one he was chasing. He glanced inside the driver's side window and was shocked to see that the driver of the car was Clyde Mardon. The next thing he knew, he was inside the car, wrestling with Mardon for the wheel. Barry grabbed it and yanked, making the car spin and flip upside down. Behind them, driver's blew their horns in annoyance at the sudden blockade in the road. Managing to struggle of the wrecked car, Barry saw Mardon about to simply walk away and get away scot free with whatever it was he had just done.
"Hey, Mardon!" he shouted, determined to stop him. He charged forward, trying to catch Mardon, but he made fog appear in the road and disappeared into it before Barry could catch him. A car came barreling out of Mardon's fog bank and crashed into an embankment, exploding into a fireball upon impact. Barry quickly sped out of the way of other oncoming vehicles and ran off to find help.
"That poor man," Iris said later, at the scene. "The way that fog came in… I have never seen anything like it." Barry stared at her. He hadn't realized that she'd seen what had happened after Mardon had almost run them down.
"Barry!" Joe called out, running toward them. "Iris!"
"I'm alright, Dad," Iris reassured him.
"What the hell were you thinking, having her out here?" Joe demanded, rounding on Barry, seeming not to realize that Barry hadn't wanted any of this to happen.
"No, no, no-" Iris started to say, jumping to his defense.
"And I told you, when you see danger, you run the other way," Joe interjected, cutting her off. It was clear he was upset with both of them. "You're not a cop."
"Because you wouldn't let me," Iris snapped.
"You're damn right," Joe shot back.
"Joe, I need to talk to you," Barry said urgently, both because he was trying to defuse the situation and because he thought he should know what had happened on the road.
"It can wait," Joe said, still angry.
"No, now," Barry insisted. He led Joe a short distance away from Iris so she wouldn't overhear.
"I know who did this," he said when they were a good distance away. Joe nodded.
"It's Clyde Mardon," Barry went on. "I know everyone thinks he died after the STAR Labs explosion, but he is alive, all right, something happened to him that night. I… I think he can control the weather. The recent robberies, they all happened during freak meteorological events, and when I just confronted Mardon, the street was instantly enveloped in fog." He paused, searching for Joe's reaction. He was stone faced.
"Of course you don't believe me," he said, realization dawning. "You never believe me."
"Okay, you want to do this now?" Joe asked. "Out here? Fine. Mardon is dead. There is no controlling the weather, Barry, just like there was no lightning storm in your bedroom that night when you were eleven."
"Yes, there was," Barry insisted for what felt like the millionth time since that day.
"No, there wasn't!" Joe shouted. "It was just your overactive imagination! There's no such thing as men made of lighting or people who can move faster than light!"
"Dad, enough!" Iris said, jumping to Barry's defense once more.
"Uh uh, Iris," Joe scolded, gesturing her back. Turning his attention back to Barry, he said, "I have done my best to mentor you since you joined the police department, and I have never asked for anything in return, not even a thank you, but what I do ask now is you for once in your life see things as they are!" Barry shook his head angrily, his jaw clenched tight, and turned and stormed away. If Joe wouldn't listen to him, maybe someone at STAR Labs would.