The song for this chapter is Rhodes - Always

BARRY'S POV:

With a gasp, I startled awake. I looked around, not knowing where I was. Someone's house. Not Cisco's. I rose shakily and noticed that there was an IV in my arm, my gaze followed it up to meet at least ten bags if not more on the stand. I tugged it off and headed for the door. Whoever brought me here saw my face. What if they told people? Iris would definitely be in danger then. I stopped in my tracks when I saw a picture of Joe and Iris, smiling. With another look, I noticed the small things about the house. The dent in the bottom step where Iris and I had decided to slide down the stairs on a big container lid. That didn't end well. Or the series of finger paintings we thought were better than Picasso.

"You're awake,"

I dashed around to see Joe standing in the kitchen way with a cup of water. All I could do was stare at him with confused eyes. What did I say? A part of me always wondered if he speculated.

"It's okay, son. I know it's you. I'm not going to tell anyone." He inched closer, his forehead creased.

"You brought me here?"

He sat down on the armchair of the couch. "What were you thinking, Barry?"

With a sigh, I pulled the mask off and neared him hesitantly. "I'm sorry, Joe. I didn't think anyone would get hurt. I just wanted to help people."

He seemed to chew on that. "And meanwhile Iris is in the hospital and I'm here talking to you."

My mind played back the events. Worry set in. "I gotta go see her." I started for the door.

"Barry, sit. You and I need to talk."

Obediently, I sat on the couch. I could tell I was in for it.

"How could you keep this a secret from me? I can understand not telling Iris, but I'm your next of kin if anything happens to Henry. You're like my own son. Did the fact that I'm on the police force escape your mind? I could've killed you today."

I nodded. "You're right, Joe. I'm sorry. I just didn't want anyone to get hurt because of me."

"What about you, huh? What if a guy like Snart actually kills you next time? Then where would I be? Where would Iris be?"

The mention of her washed a wave of guilt over me. She was in this mess because of me. When she woke, if she woke up, I had to distance her from the streak. Being around me proved to be dangerous.

"She hates me. She could care less if I'm dead."

He gave me a disapproving look. "You know that's not true. She cares about you a lot."

I shook my head. "No. Something happened today at school. One of the guys were messing around and they hit on her as a joke and I didn't do anything about it. She ran away crying and all I could tell her was that I was sorry. She flat out told me she hated me, Joe. It doesn't get clearer than that."

He looked worried. "What kind of stuff was this guy saying?"

I thought back to Drew's cruel words and how I just stood there. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what to do. I should've stepped in sooner. There was no excuse great enough to why I let Drew attack her like he did.

"Things that I beat the crap out of him for after the fact."

His brow lifted. "You beat him up?"

"Got suspended for a week."

"Henry's going to be mad."

I shrugged. "I know.

"Well, thank you for sticking up for Iris, even if it was late."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "How is she?"

"She's recovering. The fall hit her head pretty hard so she has a concussion and a few bruised ribs."

"What?" I shot up. "I'm so sorry Joe. I never meant for her to get hurt."

"Relax, I know. I know how you feel about her."

My face immediately blushed. "I don't have feelings for her if that's what you think..." I gave a harsh laugh. "That's crazy. Iris and I, there's no Iris and I. We're not even friends really."

He gave a knowing look.

My fake smile fell. "How long have you known?"

"Long enough for you to realize what an idiot you've been and start back where you left off."

So a long time.

I shook my head. "No," My hands ran over my head nervously. "I tried, she shot me down repeatedly."

"If you don't think Iris has feelings for you then you're a bigger idiot than I thought. She misses you, even if she doesn't say it."

I hoped he was right.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Almost twelve hours. Cisco called me when he located you."

Unease sat in the pit of my stomach. "Cisco called you?"

He nodded. "Yeah, he knew I would watch over you."

Annoyance rose. "That was not his decision to make."

He held his hand up in caution. "Woah, Barry. He was trying to help."

I paced. "And what if I didn't want you to know? He didn't have a right to bring you in."

"He's your best friend, the only one that knew what you were going through. I think he's entitled to some say when you're passed out."

My hand made a fist at my side as I tried to control my anger. "What are we still doing here when Iris is at the hospital?"

He pushed off the couch and ushered me towards the door. "Let's go."

I sat down on the edge of her bed, worry set in deep. She just laid there asleep and possibly dying. Just because they diagnosed her with a concussion and bruised ribs didn't mean she couldn't get worse. What if she slipped into a coma? This was because of me. If she hadn't been so obsessed with proving the streak was a hero then she wouldn't have willingly run toward danger.

Joe had left to give me some time alone with Iris. Now that I could literally say anything to her and not have her slap me or push me away I didn't know what to say. The truth had to be a start.

I grabbed her hand, knowing that if she woke up I'd be in for a rude awakening. "Hey, it's me. Barry." I held onto her hand tighter. "I know you said you hated me and never wanted to see me again, I know you have a flair for the dramatic, but I've ignored your request." I gave a slight chuckle that sounded wrong at a time like this. "I don't know if you can hear me right now, but I have to have you know that I never wanted you to get hurt. That's not why I started this. I wanted to make a difference, make everyone I cared about safe. Instead, you ended up in here." I sighed as my throat dropped to my stomach. "I can't even fathom the world without you in it, Flower. I'd gladly take you hating me over the alternative any day." My thumb rubbed the back of her hand. "I also know that there's a lot that I have to make up for. Ten years worth of being an asshole to prove that I can be there for you, that I'm not going to leave you again. And I know that's a lot of faith to put into me, but I need you to trust me." Tears stung my eyes. "I wasted so much time, time I could've been spending with you. Time I'll never get back. If you die in here I don't know how I'll forgive myself, how'll I'll look Joe in the eyes again. So I need you to make me a promise; you hang on and heal, so when you wake up we can be there for each other again."

I leaned forward and gently pressed my lips to her soft forehead. The contact electrocuted me, I jumped back quickly. What did I do?

She just laid there, her heart rate was stable, everything was stable.

After I felt comfortable leaving her for the night I made my way to Cisco's.

"Barry," He moved to the side and let me in. "I've been wondering when you'd show up."

I hesitantly moved inside, the air was already thick with tension for the argument that was about to come.

"We needed to talk."

He closed the door with a nod. "Yeah, we do."

"Look, I know you're my best friend and you've been the only person helping me with this, which is way more than I should've asked of you, but you had no right to call Joe. You knew I didn't want him to know."

He shook his head. "I didn't have a choice. I didn't know what to do with you besides give you an IV. His daughter is in the hospital because of a metahuman, he'd understand what you were trying to do."

"I just can't deal with this right now. I gotta go see Iris. I'll talk to you later." I headed for the door.

"Wait, there's more."

I slowly turned around, my hands on my hips. "Like what?"

He looked on the verge of crying and I'd only seen Cisco cry a handful of times. That meant this was serious. "I built the Cold Gun."

"You what?" I neared him. "How would you even build something like that?"

He looked away from me. "I built it with Dr. Wells."

"Dr. Wells? You've been working with him after we said we wouldn't? I thought you didn't trust him."

He shook his head as he looked back up at me. "No, you said you didn't trust him."

"So you built the gun for what reason?" I demanded.

He neared me, his voice low and his eyes pleading. "Don't be mad."

"Cisco!"

He swallowed. "We built it to stop you if anything ever happened."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. On top of everything my best friend was afraid of me, he didn't think I could remain good and not use my abilities for evil. A feeling a lot like betrayal simmered in me. I couldn't even look at him right now let alone hear what he had to say, so I headed for the exit.

He pulled on my arm and I shoved him off.

"You could've killed Iris! You could've killed me!"

His big brown eyes pleaded with mine. "I didn't think it would go that far, I didn't think this would happen!"

"That's the problem, Cisco! You didn't think. You had more faith in Wells than you had in me."

He neared me, his hands up in a sign of peace. "It wasn't like that, Barry."

"Then how was it?"

He sighed and paced the floor. "I was trying to help, you know I'd never try to hurt you or Iris. I'm sorry!

"Sorry's not good enough!"

I stalked away.

The next day her hospital bed was empty, the room completely wiped of evidence that she'd ever rested there. This couldn't be what I thought it was. An empty pit started in my stomach as I fled the room.

Luckily, I saw a doctor I knew.

"Dad," I rushed toward him, not caring about the swarm of doctors asking him things. "Where's Iris? Is she okay?" I interrupted.

He grabbed my shoulders. "She's stable. Room 753." He pulled me to the side. "The receptionists said that streak guy brought her in. He saved her life. She had some swelling in her brain. She's still out cold."

I pulled away and headed for the stairs.

"Barry."

"What?" I demanded.

"We have to talk. Your school called."

With a sigh I headed towards the stairs. The elevators would only slow me down.

IRIS' POV:

My eyes fluttered open as I coughed. My throat felt like sandpaper. I took in the hospital's white walls and monitors, the incessant beeping. A sleeping Barry sat in those uncomfortable chairs with his head on the edge of the bed. His hand wrapped around mine.

My heart rate picked up a little. Having his big strong hand protecting mine tugged at my resolve. Seeing him here made me want to forget what had transpired between us. He was here, that meant he cared about me. Right?

"Barry?"

His hazel eyes flickered open as he registered that I was awake. He scooted his seat closer.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

I had to think about that. I tried to sit up and winced. A blinding pain throbbed in my head. "Well, I guess that was your answer."

He leaned forward, his forehead creased with worry. "You scared me."

I didn't know how to respond to that so I asked, "What am I doing here?"

"You got your ass kicked. Leonard Snart tried to kill you with a freeze ray. The Streak brought you in."

A small grin found my lips. "He did?"

He nodded. "Do you need something? Water? Food?"

"Maybe some water."

He rushed to get the water pitcher and a cup on the other side of the room. The open window brought in rays of sunlight.

"How long have I been here?"

He handed me the water cup gently, like I'd break if I didn't move at a speed of a half a mile an hour.

"Three days." He said as if it pained him. I could see the tired heavy eyes and light stubble darkening his face. "I was starting to think the worst, Iris."

My dad popped into my mind. "Where's my-"

"He went home to shower. He'll be back soon." He grabbed my hand again, his thumb rubbed against the skin. He gave a tired grin that still dazzled me. "I'm really glad that you're okay, Flower."

The monitor that showed my heart rate picked up as my eyes widened and I prayed by some miracle he'd lost his hearing for a few seconds. Nonetheless, his hearing worked fantastically as his eyes narrowed slightly and he rubbed my hand some more. Sure enough the monitor beeped and my whole body flushed.

"Are you okay, Flower?"

My eyes rolled. "Shut up." I pulled my hand away.

He grabbed it again. "I'm not letting you go this time..." He looked all vulnerable for a few seconds. "If that's alright with you?" His eyes drifted to mine.

With a deep breath, I really thought about it. With everything that's happened I really wanted to be furious with Barry, but looking at him now, having him be the first face I saw when I woke up meant a lot to me. I couldn't hold onto the past because that would destroy me and my future relationships. And despite everything, I wanted to believe Barry was a decent guy. The worry in his eyes were real.

I nodded. "I could really use another friend."

He relaxed a bit, letting a playful grin take over his face. "I knew you couldn't stay away."

"Oh, whatever, Allen. If anything, I'm taking pity on you." I teased.

He casually rolled his eyes. "You can't resist this face."

"You want to bet?" Even though I was in this bed I was feeling ballsy.

He moved closer until he was hovering over me, his face incredibly close to mine. I honestly thought my panties caught on fire as his mouth nuzzled into the curve of my neck. "I wouldn't test me right now, Iris. I would do just about anything to make you mine."

I wanted to tell him that he couldn't say stuff like that but the feel off his mouth trailing to my jaw made me sigh as my hand moved up to stop him, but it ended up fondling his stomach. My legs squeezed together. The heart monitor beeped out of this world.

A nurse rushed in here. "What is going on in here? Are you okay Ms. West?"

My hand slipped from his hard abs. I couldn't speak so I just grinned and gave her a thumbs up.

She gave Barry a narrowed once over before checking me out. "You should refrain from activities that make your heart race while you're in the hospital being monitored, Ms. West."

"We understand." Barry chided.

I gave her a tight smile as she exited. My hand flashed out to slap his chest. "What is wrong with you?" I met his eyes and regretted it.

"You almost died, Iris. I'm just taking liberties." He shrugged with a sly grin.

My head shook and I regretted it. "You better not ruin this for us this time."