Inspiration had struck! (Thanks to DJ Dubois) Enjoy!
Barry was extremely quiet the whole car ride to Joe's house. (Despite clearing his throat a few times.) Joe wanted to comfort the kid but everything he could think of saying sounded wrong and fake even though he was sincere. He even tried turning on the radio. That was a mistake.
Finally, they were pulling into Joe's driveway. Joe quickly turned off the car and turned to face Barry. The boy's eyes were wide but no tears fell from them. 'He must be in shock.' Joe thought, mentally cursing himself for not getting Barry checked out by a paramedic.
"Barry." Joe started, getting the kid's attention. "Do you need help getting inside?" Barry was silent a minute before slowly shaking his head no and crawling out of the car. Joe followed him, keeping a steady hand on Barry's back. When they got inside Iris was waiting for them on the stairs, a robe draped across her shoulders.
"Oh, Barry." She cried rushing to his side as Joe left to grab a blanket and pillow. Iris hugged his shaking shoulders with all her might. Barry couldn't find enough strength to lift his arms. "What happened?" Joe could hear soft talking from downstairs as he pulled an extra blanket from the closet. They didn't have another pillow so Joe had to grab one from his bed.
"There was a man." He heard Barry whisper. Joe stopped by the staircase to listen. He thought it was odd that Barry didn't say 'my father' but didn't think too much of it. After all, if Joe's dad had killed his mom he wouldn't see him as a father anymore either. And the case was still open, Henry might still be innocent no matter what the evidence pointed to.
"He… He killed my mom." Joe heard Iris gasp. On the phone, Joe had only told Iris that there was an accident and that Barry was coming to stay at their house for the night. He hadn't told her any of the details, not knowing how she would take it.
"Oh, my gosh, Barry. Are… do you want to talk about it?" She asked.
"No," Barry choked. "I just want to be alone… please." Joe suddenly walked into the living room, dropping the neatly folded blanket and pillow on the couch.
"Alright, son you can sleep here tonight." He said, turning back towards Barry. Barry nodded slowly and shuffled towards the couch. "Also I packed you some clothes for tomorrow before we left." Joe stated, giving Barry his backpack.
"Thanks." Barry mumbled then asked: "Um, can I use the bathroom?"
"Yeah of course." Joe sighed as he watched Barry shuffle towards the bathroom, setting his backpack on the ground. Barry looked like he was in a trance but that was probably just the shock. Suddenly he noticed that Iris was tugging at his sleeve.
"Mrs. Allen is dead?" She asked, fighting away tears. Just like Barry had been to Joe's house, Iris had also been to Barry's. She knew Nora better than Joe did. She also knew…Henry.
"Yes, Iris. I'm so sorry, baby." Joe pulled her into an embrace. Iris was silent for a minute before asking another question.
"Barry said someone killed her… Is that true?" Her voice shook as she spoke, causing Joe to pause and really think through what he was going to say next.
"Yes." He said simply. Joe leaned his back against the couch watching Iris's face as she took all this in.
"Do you know who it was?" Iris asked, pulling her robe tighter around her waist. This wasn't like when Francine "died", Francine was never a good mother. Nora, on the other hand, was always so kind to Iris whenever she came over. She had even made her and Barry some brownies one time, making sure there was extra for Iris to take home. Nora was the only real motherly figure in Iris's life.
"There's not enough evidence yet." Joe lied. There was plenty of evidence, and it all pointed to Henry Allen. But Joe wasn't going to tell Iris that, not until he was sure. Barry suddenly walked back into the room looking sick.
"Are you okay?" Joe asked. He then noticed how pointless his words were. 'Of course he's not okay.' Joe thought. 'His mother just died.' Barry nodded slowly.
"I'm fine." He stated. "It's just… my stomach… I felt like I had to… I didn't make it to the toilet, I'm sorry." Joe quickly realized what Barry was talking about.
"That's alright Barry." Joe sighed. "I'll clean it up, you just get some sleep, okay." Barry nodded gratefully before crawling onto the couch and pulling the covers up over himself. Joe knew how to take care of kids when they were sick, (heck, all parents do) but something Joe didn't know how to do was care for a grieving child.
After asking Barry if he needed anything (He didn't), and tucking Iris into bed, Joe silently wondered what not having a mother could do to a kid. Iris didn't have a mom but she didn't remember having one either. For Barry this was going to be hard, and Joe vowed that whatever happened, he would be there to help in any way that he could. That's what fathers are for.
Alright I think that that will be the end of this story. (unless you want me to continue) Hope you liked it!
~I'm The Reverse