Barry sat with Caitlin in his arms for an hour. He could see in her face that she was so weak, so fragile. He worried if he tried to run her out of there, she would fall apart in his arms. Caitlin couldn't seem to stop crying, and even when she did, her body continued to shake. When she had stopped crying and shaking, Barry decided it was time to get her out of there. He thought about taking her to S.T.A.R labs, he really wanted his dad to check her over. She was so exhausted though, and he knew that what Caitlin needed now was peace. And Barry knew that if other people were around, she would try to act tougher.
"Just keep your arms around my neck," he whispered to her, and Caitlin looked up at him. Her eyes were so beautiful, even though they were red from all the crying.
"Okay," she muttered back, tucking her head under his neck, interlocking her fingers to try to hold on. Barry made sure he had a tight grip on her, he wasn't going to let her go now. He thought about taking her to her apartment, an environment that she could control. But if Zoom came back, he would look for her there. And there was the same problem with his house. Every single place had been compromised by that monster. At the end of the day the best place for her was S.T.A.R labs. Barry sped in, laying her down on one of the hospital beds. "Thank you," muttered Caitlin, reaching for Barry's hand. He kept a tight hold on it, just as Cisco raced into the sick bay.
"Caitlin," he muttered, moving slowly across to the bed. He looked down at his best friend. She looked so weak, so unlike the strong Caitlin he knew.
"Cisco, can you get my dad? I need him to do a medical check on her," said Barry, and Cisco quickly nodded. He headed out to find Henry, which surveillance cameras made a lot easier. Barry wasn't going to be leaving her side anytime soon. The metahumans were locked up, and Zoom was back on his earth. For now the only place he needed to be was by her side.
"Barry, I am so sorry," Caitlin whispered, slowly sitting up from the bed. Barry looked into her eyes.
"Sorry for what? That monster was the one controlling you Cait, you did nothing wrong," he replied, unable to speak Zoom's name at the moment. Everything he had done to her, it filled Barry with such rage, such anger. He wanted to kill him for what he had done. He turned, hearing footsteps head towards them. Caitlin shifted herself in the bed, propping herself up. There she was, putting on the brave front for the people around her. Using strength that she didn't have in her body.
"Caitlin, you need to lie down," said Henry, moving to a draw and grabbing a syringe.
"No," replied Caitlin, gripping Barry's hand tight. "Please, don't sedate me. I can't fall asleep. All I see is him," she rambled, desperate to stay awake.
"Cait, you need rest," said Barry, reaching one of his hands to her cheek. It felt so natural to both of them. "I promise I will stay by your side the entire time," he whispered, and she nodded.
"When you wake up, you need food, and I'm going to get an IV going into you with fluids. You are extremely dehydrated," said Henry, beginning prep on the IV. Caitlin looked slightly hesitant.
"You are safe with us," Barry whispered, pulling Caitlin into his chest. Henry moved across and pressed the needle into her arm. The only way that girl is getting any sleep, Henry thought to himself as he pushed the sedative in, is if we drug her. The sedative wasn't going to take long to kick in, but it didn't seem like either Barry or Caitlin planned on moving until she was unconscious. Henry finished the IV preparation just as Barry was laying Caitlin down to sleep. He tried to put the needle in as gently as possible, watching the liquid flow into her system. He made sure there nutrients going in as well, she wasn't just dehydrated but malnourished.
"Son, I gave her enough sedative that she will be out like a light for the next eight hours at least. If you want, I can call you when she wakes up?" he asked, and Barry shook his head.
"I promised I would stay by her side and I will," replied Barry, pulling a chair over to beside the bed.
"Son," said Henry, making sure no one else was within earshot. He wanted an honest answer from his son. "Do you care about her? As more than a friend?" he asked, and the look on Barry's face said it all. Henry leaned back against the table. "You love her don't you?" he asked and Barry nodded. The way Barry looked at her, it was the way he remembered looking at his wife. It made him happy to see his son find that once in a lifetime love. "I'll be back to check on her later," Henry said, getting up and heading out of the room. Barry stayed by her side the entire time, muttering most of it, just needing to talk to her. He had thought he had lost her at moments, and the fact that she was here safe made Barry feel happier than he had ever felt.
"I brought you some food," he heard a voice say, and looked up to see Joe standing in the doorway. He had two boxes of pizza in his hand, both of which were for Barry.
"Thanks," said Barry, leaning back from Caitlin. Joe moved across, putting the pizza down beside Barry who immediately ate an entire box.
"How is she?" asked Joe, looking at her. "She's been through hell. I saw the way Zoom looked at her in the police station," he muttered, and Barry felt the anger in his system once more. He wanted Zoom dead.
"She's resting, which is what she needs right now," replied Barry, moving towards the next box of pizza. He downed that one quickly two. What Joe would give for Barry's metabolism.
"That isn't all she needs right now," said Joe, looking at Barry in the eyes.
"What is it with father figures in my life and my love life today," muttered Barry, looking down at her.
"Barry, it is kind of impossible to miss. The way you are looking at her right now, that is true love," laughed Joe back, which made Barry smile.
"I feel so helpless," muttered Barry. "I can't help her, I can't take away the memories of what Zoom has done to her," he continued, reaching for her hand.
"Even if you could Barry, that would be the wrong thing to do. The only thing you can do for her is be there by her side, be the support she needs right now," replied Joe. He looked at the two of them and knew that this was the right decision. He knew there had always been Iris and Barry floating in the background, a distant goal in most cases. But Barry here, this was love.
"I can't lose her again," said Barry, looking up at Joe.
"We won't. We will stop Zoom and keep her safe," promised Joe, grabbing a hold of Barry's shoulder to reassure him. Joe left the room, knowing Barry just wanted to be alone with her right now. He sat in the chair, just looking at her. He kept an eye on the clock, counting down until the sedative would start to wear off. He wanted her to rest, she clearly hadn't had much recently, but he also really needed to talk to her.
The darkness had been so comforting for a change for Caitlin. Then she saw lightning streaking through the darkness, lighting up the area. In a blink Barry was suddenly standing before her, not in his Flash suit, but in his normal clothes. He had a large smile on his face as he stared at her. It made Caitlin feel warm, and safe. He lifted his hands to her cheeks.
"Cait," he whispered, before moving towards her lips. Caitlin leaned in, letting him meet her lips. Barry pulled backwards and she felt herself staring into the eyes of Zoom, and she ran away from him, but everywhere she turned he was there.
"Leave me alone!" she screamed, trying to run away. Zoom picked her up off the ground, holding her tight.
"You are mine," he whispered at her, his eyes turning black before she was surrounded by blue lightning.
"No!" yelled Caitlin, sitting up in bed and hyperventilating. Barry quickly grabbed a hold of her hands, shocked to see her like this.
"Cait, it's okay, I'm here," Barry whispered, as everyone else raced into the room. Hearing Caitlin scream like that, seeing the tears rolling down her cheeks and the fear on her face, it hurt all of them. "You are safe, I promise, I'm here," he continued, pulling her into his chest.
"Every time I sleep, every time I almost get rest, he is there," she spluttered, her entire body shaking in Barry's arms. "I can't handle this," Caitlin continued, completely overcome with sadness.
"It's okay, we are here for you," whispered Barry, keeping her tight in his arms. Seeing Caitlin like this, broke his heart. She was such as strong woman who had already been through so much pain and hurt. She didn't deserve this.
"He broke me," she whispered.
"He cannot touch you again, we will keep you safe. I promise, I will keep you safe," whispered Barry, wiping some of the tears off her cheeks.
"You need rest," said Henry. "And you need food," he added, grabbing a bag of Chinese that Cisco had gone to pick up. "Trust me, it will make all the difference," he finished, sitting the bag down beside her. Caitlin smelt the food, and for the first time she didn't feel sick at the thought of eating. Barry opened the bag up and she realised how hungry she really was. Maybe it would help, maybe if she did get her strength back, she might be able to remove Zoom from her mind. Barry opened a box up, and pulled out a fork for her to use. Everyone looked at Caitlin shaking though and knew she wasn't going to be able to use that on her own. More importantly, they knew she wouldn't want them to watch that.
"We will be back to check on you soon," said Cisco, as they all slowly trailed from the room. Caitlin looked at Barry, who showed no sign of moving. She didn't know what he felt, and that made the shaking worse.
"Listen," started Barry, using the fork to pick up some of the Chinese for her. Once the food was on there, he passed it to her, she could at least do that much. Caitlin took a small bite of the food, not wanting to overwhelm her system after next to no food over the past couple of days. "I know how terrible the timing was, for what you told me on the phone," he continued, and Caitlin froze.
"You listened?" she asked, and Barry nodded. Caitlin looked down, keeping her eyes away from his. Barry used a finger to lift her chin up so that they were staring at each other again. Both sat there, neither saying anything for a minute.
"But it is terrible timing for me too. Because I have had to watch the woman I love be tormented by a man who played us all. Cait, I know you are not in the state to hear this, but I need to tell you in case I don't get the chance to," he whispered. "Dr. Caitlin Snow, I love you," he finished, and Caitlin froze, staring into his eyes.
Barry loved her.
Barry loved her. He felt the same way as her, he did love her.
"Barry," whispered Caitlin. Then she did something under those circumstances she probably shouldn't have. She leaned into him and kissed him. It didn't last long, but it didn't need to. They both knew what that kiss meant, that they were both in love with each other. That they were both there for each other.
"I promise, I am staying by your side to help you through this. What that monster has done to you, he will pay for that," he promised, bringing her into his chest once more. "And no matter how long it takes for you to feel better, I am going to stay by your side," he finished, and Caitlin folded into his arms.
"I love you Barry," she whispered, and Barry smiled. It was good to hear her say that in person.
"And I love you Cait," he whispered back, planting a gentle kiss to her forehead. He was willing to take this slow, give her time to heal, to mend. He would do anything to make her feel better. And that included taking Zoom down.
Thanks to everyone for the reviews! It really makes me smile. But now I need your help! As the story nears the end of Season Three, I want to get an idea of what you guys would like to happen. Should Barry still travel back in time? Should Caitlin become Killer Frost? Should the two live happily ever after? Let me know, and who knows, you may change what I currently have planned! Thanks again!