Hello! So this is about to get very inaccurate medically – I'm making it as accurate as I can but I'm going to need you guys to just kind of roll with me on this one – suspension of belief and all – if you do notice anything glaringly wrong that you want to let me know about so I can fix it that would be much appreciated! Hope you guys like it!
"Barry, I promise it'll be OK."
"No."
"Dude, you need to get fluids in you."
"Just let me sleep."
"It'll only hurt for a second."
Barry had his arms tucked in, eyes closed, shivering on the bed while Caitlin, Cisco, and Iris tried in vain to get him to agree to an IV.
"Barry, you've had one before, come on, you'll feel better," Iris said.
"Can you get me a blanket?" he asked.
"I'll get you one once you get the IV in," Iris said.
Barry frowned at her and turned to Cisco instead. "Can I have a blanket?"
"Barry, I have to put the IV in," Caitlin said, stressing each word.
"I'm fine," he mumbled, "I just need to sleep."
Caitlin exchanged a look with Iris and then all three of them backed away for a second.
"What do we do?" Caitlin asked, directing it at Iris. "Cisco can hold him down while I get the needle in, but –"
"But we kinda specifically promised we would like, never, do that," Cisco said.
Iris sighed, "Trust me, they used to have to do that – it does not go well."
"He's sort of out of it already," Cisco said.
"Not that out of it," Caitlin retorted.
Iris turned back to Barry, taking his hand. "Barry," she said in a firm voice, "Caitlin's going to put the IV in. I'm going to hold your hand, alright, but you need to stay still for Caitlin, otherwise Cisco will have to hold your arm."
Barry's eyes snapped open. "No!" he said, fear flashing (yes yes haha I know) on his face.
"Barry," Iris said, "Give Caitlin your arm."
"No, Iris –"
"Barry, Cisco's going to –"
"Iris, I can't!"
"You've got three seconds, Barry –"
"You said you wouldn't do this!" His voice cracked and his body trembled, his back pressed up against the corner of the bed, mouth a strangled frown.
"Breathe, Barry," Caitlin said. He was shuddering and sputtering out breaths.
It was killing Iris to watch this, it always did. "I know, Barry," Iris said, her thumb rubbing circles on the back of his hand, "You're just really sick, and we need to get the IV in so we can start helping you. I know you're scared, but you've gotta do this for us, OK?"
Barry shook his head, his chest tightening. His whole body ached and the fever was only feeding his panic. He just wanted to go home. He never should have let Iris get him in the car.
"Come on, Barry, you can do it," Iris said.
"We're all right here," Caitlin added.
Barry was exhausted. He couldn't deal with this right now.
Caitlin looked at Iris, then at Cisco. Cisco took Barry's arm, moving it down. He let him for the first five seconds, before jerking it back.
"Please, later," Barry said, "I can't do it right now."
"You won't want to do it then either, Barry," Caitlin said, "And we need to figure out what's going on with this fever. Just relax. That's it. Look at Iris."
Barry was shaking and he did not want to do this. He did not want to do this but Cisco had his arm and he was pulling back but it was useless and he was weak. He tried to sit up, half fighting, and Iris pressed his shoulder down. She was holding tightly to his hand while his other one was getting closer and closer to Caitlin. Cisco moved deliberately, slowly, but his grip was firm.
In a last ditch attempt to get out of this Barry looked up at Iris, his eyes screaming, pleading with her.
"Please, don't," Barry said. The back of his wrist hit the bed and in a panicked burst he tried to pull back. "No, please, no, Iris!"
"Shh, it's alright, Barry, it's OK."
"No," Barry said, "Stop." He couldn't breathe and he couldn't look but he couldn't move his arm and he felt frozen, ten years old again as they pinned his arms to the doctor's table, screaming and sobbing, yelling at the doctors and his parents, anything to make it stop.
The needle pierced his skin and he screamed, "Stop!" He shook and his tremors of vibrations rolled down his skin, his speed mixing with the panic, but it was too fast to see. He jerked his arm, almost ripping it from Cisco's grip.
"Man, hold still," Cisco said, bearing his weight down just to keep him in place so Caitlin could work. She quickly drew a couple vials of blood before taping the IV in place, a process that Barry shuddered and hyperventilated and half-yelled half-pleaded through.
"It's done, Barry, it's done," Iris said, putting a hand against his forehead, wiping back his hair.
He shook his head. "No," he said, and his face was strained. "Get it out, take it out."
Iris felt her gut clench. "We can't do that, Barry, I'm sorry."
Barry leaned his head back, twisting back and forth. "Please, just take it out."
Caitlin had gone off to examine the blood sample, but Cisco was still holding his arm steady so he wouldn't rip the IV out.
"Can't you give him a sedative?" Iris asked, looking desperately at Cisco.
He shook his head. "Not in this condition." He didn't mention they didn't have a sedative strong enough for Barry's systems.
"I can't do this, Iris," Barry said.
"Yes you can," Iris said, "You're doing great, Barry. Just relax your arm a little OK? Then Cisco can let you go, alright."
"I want it out," he said.
"I know, but we can't do that."
"I want it out now." He started shaking again.
"Just hang in there, Barry," Iris said. She looked at Cisco, "Can you stay with him for two minutes?" Cisco nodded and she detached her hand from Barry's, walking away to make a call. Cisco started making jokes, trying to get Barry to snap out of the anxiety-ridden state he was engulfed in. He didn't appear to be making much progress.
Iris called her dad. She told him the situation, and he promised to be there as soon as he could. Maybe he could calm Barry down a little.
Just as Iris closed her phone, Cisco had just managed to get Barry to stay still so he could let go of his arm. Caitlin came back with the blood tests and Iris sat down next to Barry again.
Cisco and Caitlin stood a little ways off, looking at the results.
"His cells are running at different levels," Caitlin said, "Some of them are regenerating at their normal speed and some are regenerating much slower, not quite normal slow, but, still, noticeably slower."
"What does that mean?" Cisco said.
"His body's attacking itself," Caitlin said, "The cells that are regenerating faster are killing the ones that are regenerating at a lower speed – and his immune systems is practically in chaos, some systems fighting the slower moving cells and some fighting the faster moving cells, depending on the percentage of the slow or fast cells in that system."
"So if he gets a high enough percentage of one or the other in any system –"
"It could essentially just stop working."
"Well that's not good," Cisco said.
"No, that would definitely not be good."
"I take it you called Wells."
"Yes, but," Caitlin zoomed in on the tablet to explain, "I think, if we can stabilize the cells behavior, everything should get back to normal."
"Wait, how did this even happen?"
"It doesn't matter. What matters is we need to figure out a way to get all his cells regenerating at the same rate before his organs start shutting down."
"Captain Cold!" Cisco yelled, "The gun – when Barry got shot!"
"It would explain why they're moving slower," Caitlin said, looking down.
"What if when he got shot the frostbite got into his blood," Cisco said.
"And the blood traveled through his systems –"
"Affecting him like a virus!"
"So if we can reverse the process…" Caitlin jerked her head up. "I need a bathtub and a dozen hotplates."
"But with his fever if we raise the temperature –," Cisco said.
"Make that a bathtub, a dozen hotplates, and a few pounds of ice," Caitlin amended.
"On it," Cisco said, running out the door. Caitlin looked over at Barry. She let out a long breath. He was not going to like this.
"I really have to do this?" Barry asked for the fifteenth time since they'd told him.
"Yes," Cisco and Caitlin said in unison.
He was stripped down to his boxers, shivering. He was exhausted, panicky, and he felt like absolute shit, not to mention he was practically naked. If it weren't for the fever his face would be bright red. And they still had the goddamned IV in his arm.
"Just get in, Barry," Iris said, "Get it over with."
Barry gritted his teeth and stuck one foot into the ice water. His teeth chattered loudly.
"This is freaking freezing," Barry said.
"That's the point," Caitlin said.
"Come on, man, sooner you get in the sooner we can heat the water up," Cisco said.
Barry painstakingly lowered himself into the water, hands gripping the sides of the basin with white knuckles. They had the makeshift tub on top of what first looked like a bunch of mismatched metal squares, but were the hotplates they used in the lab. It would serve as a makeshift heater underneath the tub.
"Alright," Caitlin said. She reached up to his IV, which was hanging from a pole to the left of the tub, and added something to it. "This is going to burn a bit," she said.
"What is it?" he asked.
"A stimulant," she said. When she didn't elaborate, he knew it had something to do with his speed.
"Ah," he said, cringing as it entered his bloodstream. Iris gave him a reassuring smile.
"All the way in, Barry," Caitlin said, motioning for him to put his arms into the water.
"This," he said as he shivered, "Is cruel and unusual punishment."
"And your shoulders," she said, "Lean back."
Barry complied, but not before swearing colorfully.
A wave of dizziness washed over him all at once, and then a pain in his stomach exploded.
"Guys," Barry said, leaning his head back as his vision swam, "Ow, ow, God." He curled up, grabbing his stomach, but then almost slipped under the water.
"His heart rate just plummeted," Cisco said.
"Lean back, Barry," Caitlin said, jumping over to him and pulling at his shoulders. Barry tensed.
"My stomach, it hurts," he said.
"Appendix?" Cisco asked, looking at Caitlin.
"It shouldn't be," she said.
He grabbed his side next, fingers tearing at his skin.
"Guys," Barry said, clenching his teeth.
"Kidney?" Cisco said.
Caitlin didn't answer.
"What's going on?" Iris asked.
"It's OK," Caitlin said, "Just hang in there, Barry."
"Hotplates?" Cisco asked, already at the plug ready to turn them on.
Caitlin looked at the bag of fluid hanging on the IV.
"Now," she said.
He turned them on.
After a thirty seconds the pain was gone, and after five minutes Barry's head was starting to clear, and the aching pain in his whole body was beginning to fade. It was about then that Joe arrived.
"Dad!" Iris said, seeing him enter.
He walked over, smiling at Iris and then frowning when he saw Barry, his eyes closed and leaning his head over the edge of the tub.
"Hey, how you doing, son," he asked, looking down at him.
Barry held up his arm. "They put an IV in me."
Joe laughed lightly, then took his hand for a moment. "You feeling better?"
Barry nodded.
Caitlin and Cisco explained what had happened to Barry, and when Iris stepped out to make another call they explained what really happened to Barry. She had just come back when Barry starting shifting in the water.
"Umm guys," Barry said, "I know I was complaining about the cold earlier, but think we could try not to boil me alive?"
Caitlin checked the thermometer. "Ten more degrees," she said.
By the time they reached the temperature Barry was sweating and very happy to get out. Caitlin gave him a towel and Cisco brought him to get dry clothes after Caitlin took the IV out. Iris reached over and gave him a hug, even though he was still dripping wet with a towel around him, and told him she had to leave for work, but she'd meet up with him later.
When Barry came back, the rest of them were around the bed again and they all turned and they were giving him that look. Barry stopped where he was.
"I am just feeling so much better," he said, "I think I'll go back to my apartment now."
"Barry," Caitlin said, "We just need one more blood sample."
He turned in the opposite direction. "Feeling absolutely better, actually, just so much better – just perfectly –"
Joe caught his arm and with one hand over his shoulder spun him around and steered him back towards the bed.
Barry was hyperventilating by the time they got there.
"Can't it wait until tomorrow?" he asked, "I promise, no problems, I'll come right over."
He refused to lie down, and he couldn't stop tapping his foot. His mind was going in overdrive, and after the IV his body was already hyped up and his systems primed for panic.
"Come on," he said.
"Son," Joe said, "Just look over here, and let them do their job. It's alright, Barry. It'll be done in a second."
Barry took a deep breath and closed his eyes, waiting. He was able to keep his resolve while Caitlin gently took his arm, able to keep it together while she swiped an antiseptic cloth over him, but when the metal touched his skin, he panicked. And then, once again, he was standing five feet away.
"Barry, it's just one more," Caitlin said.
"Then you can go home and chill all you want, dude," Cisco said.
"We just have to make sure your blood's back to normal," Caitlin said.
"And what if it's not?" Barry said, panicking, going to the worst case scenario. "I can't – I won't do another IV, I can't do it right now."
"We don't know until we check," she said.
"I can't do it," Barry said, "I can't do it."
"Barry," Joe said, "Breathe. You're OK. It's just a blood test. You can do it."
"No, I can't."
"You have to stop telling yourself that, Barry," Joe said, "You can."
"I don't want to."
"I know, Barry."
And once again Joe had his arm around him and Barry was frozen, panic bubbling up and choking him. He couldn't breathe and he couldn't think but he also couldn't run, even the brief spurt five feet away had drained him. He was too tired.
"Please don't," he said, but even as he said it the needle slid into his skin. He was too drained to do anything but blink before the water at the corners of his eyes slid down, and to yell, looking sharply away.
Caitlin confirmed the results. His cells were almost entirely back to normal. She said it should take a couple of days for everything to be entirely normal, but it should be fine. And another day ended with Joe bringing an exhausted and drained, not to mention silent, Barry back to his apartment. In Barry's opinion, it was starting to happen way too often.
As always let me know your thoughts! Probably will do dentist next - but I am considering the idea of bringing in a self harm element of the story - something along the lines of Barry feels like he has no control since they keep doing panic-inducing things to him essentially without his consent (even if they are justified in doing it)and this leads him to hurt himself in an attempt to not only control his fear (aka if i stick myself with a needle maybe i won't be afraid anymore) but also as a means of coping with the panic he's experiencing - but i might make that a sequel or another story altogether. I realize it can be triggering and it's just not everyone's thing - so let me know what you think. Should i abandon the idea altogether, make it a different story, or what? PM me or review and let me know!