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The One With What She Always Wants
Barry shifted in the bed, awareness slowly coming back to him. There was pain radiating from every inch of his body and he knew he must be in bad shape. He tried to move his fingers and toes, succeeding in getting both to twitch but the effort was exhausting.
He blinked open his eyes slowly and even that felt hard, like he was trying to bench press a truck just using his eyelids. But the familiar sight of the med bay ceiling had him relaxing slightly. He knew that ceiling well after all these years. He was in Star Labs so he was safe.
Bits of memory slowly revolved around his head.
Sitting on the hillside with a lightshow beneath him, Caitlin's hand wrapped in his. A teasing argument of what actually constituted fake snow. Eating mince pies and washing it down with mulled wine. Caitlin's shining eyes and bright smile…
A text from Cisco about a meta. Flashing them back to Star Labs. Getting into his suit…
Some sort of trap and then pain…
The swirling colours of a breach…
He heard footsteps approaching and desperately wanted to turn his head to see who it was but even that little motion was too much.
"Barry?" A voice asked, though it sounded far away.
"C-Caitlin?" he croaked.
"No, it's me," Iris said and she appeared above him. "Sorry for the lying down. Caitlin wanted to keep you as still as possible to give you the best recovery."
"Where is she?"
"We made her go lie down herself," Iris said. "Cisco's making sure of it. It's been a tough twenty-four hours. Since you were hurt and Cisco got you back here she's been all go, barely even stopped to eat. Once she said you'd been stable for six hours, some kind of good medical time I guess, we managed to get her away."
"How long have I been out?"
"The fight was in the evening yesterday," Iris answered. "It lasted quite long actually. Then we got you back here. So fifteen hours, give or take a few minutes." She looked down at him and an unsure expression flitted across her face. "You really worried us."
Barry couldn't hold her gaze and looked away. He felt awkward and not just because he couldn't change his position and was lying looking straight up. It was awkward as he hated making the others worry and have to deal with him like this. It was also because this was the closest he and Iris had been in months.
"Did I at least stop the meta?" he asked
"Yeah, he's been transported to Iron Heights."
"Good."
"You need more rest," Iris said and Barry couldn't help but hear a command in her tone. If Caitlin had said that it would have been said in a serious tone or a warm voice. It would have been delivered with her gentle bedside manner. "I'll make sure everyone leaves you alone for a while."
Barry wanted to say that he was fine with visitors but the words got stuck in his throat as Iris took his hand. There were no tingles, no rush of feeling. He felt nothing as Iris gave his hand a squeeze.
It was nothing compared to his memories of last night from just a few moments ago.
"Feel better soon Barry," she said and then left the med bay.
Barry sighed as he tried to catalogue where the worst pain was coming from but everywhere hurt. He felt his eyes grow heavy and knew that sleep was the best way he would heal. He just wanted to see Caitlin though…
His eyes took over the decision for him and he fell back into a deep sleep.
The next thing he was aware of was tingles up and down his arm. He came to feeling a hand gently brushing his arm, the sensation relaxing and not painful. He must have healed some in his sleep.
"Barry?" a voice he felt he would recognise anywhere asked softly.
"Cait," he sighed and manged to open his eyes and even turn his head so he could see her.
She was standing over him, one hand holding a chart, the other now squeezing his hand.
"Hey there," she greeted with a relieved smile. Her face was paler than usual, dark smudges marred the underneath of her eyes and her lip was a deep pink, probably from biting it. But she was still a sight to Barry's eyes.
"Are you ok?" He managed to ask.
"That should be my question to you," she admonished.
"You're looking after me," Barry replied. "I know I'll be ok."
"Oh," she said softly and pink bloomed in her cheeks as she looked down shyly. "Well now you're awake I feel ok too."
"Good."
"Can you tell me where it hurts?"
"Everywhere."
"I figured. Any one area more than another?"
"No," Barry scrunched up his face as he tried to do a mental catalogue. "I think I hurt less than when I woke up last. When was that?"
"About three hours ago. Iris said you managed to remember what had happened so that's good."
"She wouldn't go get anyone," Barry said.
"You needed to rest," Caitlin said gently, squeezing his hand again. "Everyone's been in to see you and they'll be in again. Your body is healing but it's going to take some time. You went through a lot."
"I wanted to see you," Barry said and hated that there was a slur to his words; he could feel sleep encroaching again.
"I'm here now. I'll be here when you wake up again. But sleep is good Barry."
A sudden thought raced through his mind. If he'd had that fight last night and then been asleep recovering since, that meant it was a new day now.
"I didn't get your present to you," he mumbled.
"That should be the last thing on your mind right now," she whispered.
"It was a good gift."
"I already have a gift right here."
Barry looked at her with a furrowed brow. Or at least he tried, after a second it hurt too much to sustain it.
"Can you hear it?"
He listened for a moment but there was only silence really. "All I hear are the machines."
"Exactly," she said, her voice heavy with emotion. "I can hear your heartbeat and your lungs and that little ticking? It's you brain activity. That's all the gift I could ever want. Especially after today." She squeezed his hand gently and Barry felt the slow drag of exhaustion pull him back under. But just as his consciousness darkened he swore he heard Caitlin's murmured voice. "The gift of you will always be what I want."
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