Sorry for the wait, got sidetracked. Anyway, I'm pretty sure this is fairly medically/psychologically impossible, or at least extremely rare - i can't find a lot of information on it. Either way, MarissaTodd you semi-predicted and semi-prompted this chapter so thank you! I had been thinking about it, but finally decided to make it happen here. Another giant thank you to everyone who's been reviewing - i absolutely love reading all your comments and thoughts, and you inspire me to keep writing when I get bogged down in the shortcomings and problems in my stories - so thank you all so much! Hope you like this one :)

Barry couldn't concentrate. The thief had struck again, but it was at night this time. By the time anyone called him about it, he was too late to get to the scene. Another bank this time.

He was at work now, case files in front of him and evidence to go through and he was just staring. The words blurred in front of him and he was exhausted. After waking up for the robbery, he hadn't been able to get any real sleep. Instead he tossed and turned and dozed a few times until nightmares woke him up.

He had a pounding headache. It had never really gone away from yesterday. His back hurt too. He didn't know what he did to it – probably slept on it the wrong way but it was a stabbing pain that ached and burned when he moved the wrong way. Every once in a while it shot down his arm. He was trying to ignore it, but it seemed like every little twitch brought on another stab and it felt increasingly, alarmingly like the shots, until he was sitting absolutely still, afraid to move.

The door opened but Barry was still staring down. He heard footsteps, then Eddie's voice.

"Hey, Barry, I've got the files for the next case – and Singh's wondering when that evidence report will be done."

Barry forced himself to look up. Pain shot down his neck. Sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Yeah," he said, "yeah, I'll get that."

Eddie looked at him oddly. "You know when you'll be finished?"

"Um," Barry tried to think. His hand was gripping the desk, knuckles white. Pain buzzed down his arm. "Yeah… soon, give me – give me an hour."

Eddie put one hand on his desk, tilting his head. "Are you alright there, Barry?"

"Yeah," Barry said. His tongue felt thick in his mouth, like he couldn't get the words out. His voice had shrunk in his throat. He reached for the case file, taking a deep breath.

"Arrrgghhh," Barry yelled through his teeth, curling inward, almost doubling over, at the shock of pain, red hot and shooting up his arm, eyes squeezing shut. His mouth screwed to a grimace and he was breathing fast, way too fast.

There was a hand on his shoulder and Eddie was leaning over him.

"Whoa, hey, Barry, what's wrong? What's going on?"

All Barry could do was sit there and hyperventilate, staying entirely still now. His arm was still burning but he was terrified of making it worse, of making that fire shoot down his limb again.

"Barry," Eddie said, "What's wrong? What is it?"

"Hurts," Barry got out. He was shaking now. He felt dizzy.

"What hurts? What did you do?"

"Arm," Barry said. He screwed his eyes shut again. He thought he was going to throw up. "Back."

"Did you hurt yourself?"

"No."

The pain started creeping into his other arm and Barry started breathing faster. Dread circled in his gut. It was in his chest, every breath hurt, like it was wrapped around his ribs. It was making his stomach churn. He could just feel it spreading inside him, entangling his veins and squeezing down on the bones.

"Think you can walk?"

"No."

"Does your stomach hurt anywhere? Your sides? Your chest?"

Barry nodded slightly. His vision was tunneling out.

"I'm going to call an ambulance, Barry."

"No."

"Unless you know what this is, you need to get to a hospital."

"No, I can't," Barry took in a shuddering breath. Even that sent pain down his body. "I have to… Star labs."

"Where?"

"Joe… or, call Caitlin."

"Joe just left, where's your phone."

Barry just looked across the table where it was lying. Eddie got up and grabbed it. He scrolled through.

"Call Caitlin," Barry said, "Tell her… tell her I don't know… it… hurts, everything." His voice was getting higher, almost squeaking and he couldn't get the breath to get it out. Eddie was dialing and then he was talking but Barry didn't hear what he said until he went "Alright, I'm putting it on speaker," and set the phone down next to Barry, leaning over next to him.

"Hey, Barry, it's Caitlin."

"Hi," he managed.

"Can you tell me how it started? Cisco's on his way to get you right now."

"It…" he can't think, "I… headache, and then… then my back." Oh, God, it was getting worse. He closed his eyes. He was going to scream.

"OK, Barry, can you take a deep breath for me? You sound like you're hyperventilating. Can you calm down? Are you panicking?"

Barry shuddered out a breath. "Can't breathe."

"Eddie?" Caitlin's voice had taken on a slightly higher pitch.

"He's breathing fine," Eddie said, into the phone. He turned back to Barry. "You're breathing fine," he repeated, "try and slow it down. You're going too fast – it's not going to help the pain."

But Barry couldn't stop, and everything was spinning and he didn't know what to do.

"Barry, you still there?"

"Y-yeah."

"You said it started with a headache, and then your back, and now it's everywhere?"

"Yeah."

"What does the pain feel like, Barry, can you try and concentrate on it for a minute?"

"Feels like the shots."

Caitlin was quiet for a second. "OK, Barry, Cisco's almost there – can you lie down somewhere? Is there anywhere you can lie down?"

"Can't move."

"Does it hurt to move?"

"Yeah."

"OK, I need you to try, Barry, can you do that?"

"Cait – I – I"

"It's alright. Can you stand up, Barry? Can you try and stand up."

"No."

"I need you to try, Barry – it's going to help, I promise."

"I can't – I can't move."

"OK – Eddie's going to help you, alright? Just stand up."

Eddie had a hand on his back and the other on his shoulder but Barry was rock solid.

"No."

"Barry," Caitlin said, "I promise you if you do what I say the pain will go down. I need you to try for me."

"Come on, Bar, right here," Eddie said. He was gently guiding Barry upwards and Barry felt his arms come down, braced against the desk and he was lifting up from the chair, standing. Pins and needles shot down his legs, burnt their way through his arms.

"How is that, Barry?" Caitlin asked.

Barry didn't answer, was breathing too fast, trying to understand the sensations going up and down his limbs, painful but not more so.

"He's up," Eddie said. He grabbed the phone.

"OK, I want you to walk a few paces, Barry, OK?"

Barry wouldn't move until Eddie nudged him and then he was taking a step. He stopped short, pain exploding again. Caitlin heard the change in his breathing.

"It's alright, Barry, take another step. It'll go away, I promise. Keep walking. Cisco's at the station."

Barry took a couple more steps. The pain was sliding over him, and although he was still nauseous and breathing too hard, the pain was dissipating for a stinging, pins and needles feeling instead. Cisco burst through the door.

"Hey," Cisco said, walking briskly over to them. "Oh man, let's get you out of here."

LLLLLIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Barry lay on the bed, his face totally expressionless. Caitlin was running tests to make sure, but by the time they got to Star labs the pain was mostly gone. She said it was a neurological response, probably linked to PTSD and caused by all the sessions he was having with Oliver. Caitlin couldn't find anything physically wrong.

Barry was numb. He had shut his mind off, staring at the ceiling while Caitlin did scans and blood tests and checked all his vitals. It was about twenty minutes later when Oliver arrived.

"Hey," he said. He walked up to his bed and in an uncharacteristically gentle voice he said, "Heard you had a rough day."

Barry didn't look over. "That's one way of putting it."

Felicity walked up behind Oliver.

"We brought you take-out."

"Not hungry."

Oliver shot a glance at Caitlin. It read very clearly. How bad is this?

Caitlin just took in a long breath, adjusted a monitor to Barry's right.

"You want to talk about it, Barry?" Oliver asked quietly.

"No."

"It might help."

"I don't want to talk."

"Do you want something to drink – hot chocolate?" Felicity asked.

"I'm fine."

"I have my laptop," she said, "what about a movie? I could get you a book or something?"

"It's fine, Felicity."

"Well it most definitely is not fine," Felicity muttered under her breath. She shot a very pointed look at Oliver.

Oliver for his part was looking fairly worried. He reached out and put his hand on Barry's arm.

"Hey," he said, "let yourself relax. Don't stay stuck in your head. What do you want, Barry? What do you need?"

"I don't need anything," Barry said. His voice was flat and raw.

"We're not going to train today, Barry," Oliver said.

"OK."

The absolute indifference in his voice struck Oliver worse than any scream. "Can you tell me what happened, Barry?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Can you do it anyway?"

"No."

Oliver looked over to Caitlin. "Are you almost done with everything?"

"Yeah," she said, "that's it. I'll get this stuff off you, Barry."

Felicity leaned over the bed. "Do you want to go lie down somewhere else, Barry?" she asked gently.

He shook his head.

"Not even to go home? I'll go with you back to your apartment if you want."

"Don't want to get up."

"Why not?"

"I don't wanna move."

Felicity frowned. "Does it still hurt?"

"No," he said. He moved his hand a little bit, as if to check. "Just don't wanna move."

Oliver took a deep breath. "Do you want us to call someone, Barry? Iris, maybe?"

Barry shook his head again. His eyes kept flitting in and out, going glazed over and then coming back again.

"Alright," Oliver said, his hand still on Barry's arm. "Is it alright if we stay here with you? Do you want to be alone?"

Barry shrugged.

Oliver opened his mouth, about to say something when the doors burst open. Everyone turned to see a very angry Joe walking towards them.

"You did what to my son?"

The question was to Cisco, who was walking briskly beside him, apparently having met him in the halls, but Joe was looking at all of them, particularly Oliver.

"You," he said, "have better got a damn good explanation for this, Queen."

Oliver put his hands up, getting ready to defend himself, but Joe went right by him. "We will have a very, very long chat about this later," he said, and then he was at Barry's side.

"Don't kill him, Joe, I told him to do it," Barry said.

"I don't care what you told him," Joe said, "how are you feeling, Barry?"

"Like shit."

"Eddie told me what happened. You doing OK? Sounded pretty terrifying from how he described it."

"Yeah," Barry said. There was a flicker in his eyes.

"You feel better now, though?"

"Yeah."

"Can you tell me what's going on in that head – I can't read your mind. How do you feel?"

"Feel numb," Barry muttered.

"You don't need to block things out," Joe said, "you're all better now. Pain's gone."

"Yeah."

"Do you want to go home? Watch some TV, I'll make you lunch."

"I don't wannna move."

"Do you really want to stay here?"

Barry's eyes flickered again. "No," he said, resigned.

"Alright, well then you're gonna have to move, bud," Joe said, "unless you want me to get a stretcher and load you in the back."

Barry almost smiled at that.

"I could do it," Joe said, raising his hands, "But it might be easier if you just walked."

Barry let out a long breath and then started to sit up slowly. He stopped once he was all the way up, swaying a little bit.

"You alright there, son?" Joe asked.

"Dizzy."

"Alright, let it clear."

Barry got down a minute later. Joe put an arm around his shoulder. "Alright, Bar, let's go."

They started walking out and Joe turned his head. He shot a look at them that was both angry and extremely worried, clearly stating that he would be back later. For now though, he led Barry outside and to the car to take him home.

About to get an influx of more characters to the scene. Tell me what you think, and thanks for reading :)