Author's Note: Hey guys! I am so, so, so sorry this chapter took so long! It's been far too much time since my last update. I swear I would have gotten it up so much sooner, but after my recovery from bronchitis, I pretty much was immediately saddled with extremely bad ear infections in both ears. The pain was really bad, and there was no way I was going to be able to write. On top of that, I started college up again on Tuesday, so that also hindered the production. Thankfully, however, my ears are much better now and it's Friday! Hallelujah! I swear the next chapter will be up much sooner than this one was. The action has died down at this point, so there's not too much excitement in this chapter, but things will still be a little heated as Barry begins to heal and deal with his exposed identity. Anyways, hope you enjoy it!
The way Caitlin and Felicity both darted out of the med bay in unison might have been funny under other circumstances. As things were now, the pair was just eager to see their friends, and to get this entire nightmare over with. As they both watched, the other filed in as a pack. Iris was sticking close to Joe, appearing to lean on him slightly. It made sense, Caitlin figured, if she did in fact have a broken rib. Snart was hugging one arm close to his chest with the other, and Oliver seemed to be limping lightly, though looked as if he were trying to hide it. Typical. Thankfully, as Felicity had said, Joe and Cisco looked perfectly fine. Though she would have to look at the other three as soon as she dealt with Barry.
"Oh thank God," the doctor heard Felicity say as she laid eyes on all of them. The blonde immediately went to hug Oliver, who grunted but allowed the contact; she then smacked his arm, despite his potential injuries. "I'm going to kill you later," she said seriously as she lead him over to a chair. Caitlin made her way over to the other five, giving Snart and Iris a quick once-over with her eyes to make sure there weren't any immediate concerns she needed to take care of. While she was itching to help Iris at least, Barry was in more urgent need of her assistance; they had all put themselves at risk to help him.
"You got the sample?" she asked immediately, and Joe nodded, pulling a blood-filled syringe from his jacket pocket. She took it gratefully, palming it carefully.
"So how is this going to work?" Iris asked, and Caitlin could detect the pain seeping into her voice. The doctor grimaced, giving her a somewhat apologetic look; she would examine her first after she had dealt with the speedster.
"By looking at her blood and the unique makeup of the structure, I should be able to isolate the anomaly attacking Barry's own structure. And once I do that -" Caitlin paused, noticing the way they all seemed to be looking rather uncomprehendingly at her. "You know what? I'm just going to do it. Just trust me, it'll work." There were nods all around.
"And I'm looking at all of you once I'm done," she added sternly as she turned around, walking at a brisk pace back into the med bay where Barry was. She spared a quick look at his prone form. "Hang in there, Barry. Everything's going to be alright," she said softly, and immediately set to work.
The waiting was agony for Iris. When she had been out with Snart and Oliver searching for and fighting the metahuman, it had been a distraction: a way to feel like she was actually helping. Now that that was done, and all she could do was sit and wait, she felt utterly useless again. Not to mention the fact that her chest still hurt like hell, and her father had already tried to give her a heated lecture twice in the hour or so since they had been back. She had long since retreated to the med bay to sit by Barry and watch Caitlin work, while the others waited together out in the Cortex. But she was getting antsy. She did not, however, have the nerve to speak up and ask when she would be finished. The doctor was clearly concentrating hard on what she was doing, and Iris didn't have it in her to interrupt - not when what she was doing was so important. And so she held the speedster's hand and waited quietly, keeping an eye on his vitals as Caitlin continued to focus on the cure.
After a few more minutes, and what seemed like forever, Caitlin finally turned around with a smile on her face.
"Done," she announced proudly, and Iris immediately jumped up at the words, approaching her.
"Really?" she asked hopefully, getting a good look at the vial of blue-colored liquid the doctor was holding in her hand; Caitlin nodded, grabbing a syringe from a nearby drawer and very meticulously transferring the contents into it.
"Really," she said in response, and Iris smiled widely.
"So you just have to inject him with that? And he'll start to get better?"
"He should," Caitlin replied, and walked quickly over to Barry's bedside. She grabbed his arm and lifted it; it didn't take long to find a vein that would work, and the doctor wasted no time pushing the needle into it and pushing down the plunger until all of the liquid had been emptied into the speedster's bloodstream.
"How long will it take to work?" Iris asked anxiously, making her own way back over to the bed and placing a gentle hand over Barry's still one. She had almost expected immediate results, for him to open his eyes and look at her and smile and just tell her that everything was okay. Of course, that was unrealistic; he remained limp and unresponsive. Caitlin's expression took on an unsure look.
"I can't say for sure," she admitted. "It should hopefully start working right away to rebalance everything in his system, but it could still be a little while before it starts to show. He may still be out of it for a while," she said apologetically. Iris sighed, and winced a bit at the pain the action caused; Caitlin frowned.
"Sit down," she said automatically, motioning to the chair the journalist had vacated only a minute ago. "I need to check out your ribs."
Iris shook her head.
"We should grab my dad and the others, tell them that you finished the cure. And besides, Barry's still more important to focus on -"
"Iris," Caitlin interrupted, a stern look on her face. "We can grab them in a few minutes; I need to look them over anyways. And there's nothing else to do for Barry right now. Sit," she commanded, and Iris relented, easing herself back into the chair. She had learned by now that when Caitlin's voice took on that tone, she meant business, and would not give in easily.
"Shirt off," the doctor instructed.
In the past, Iris might have blanched at the request. With all of the trouble she got into with Central City's resident evil metahumans, however, she was more used to this than she probably should have been. She sighed and obliged, carefully removing the article of clothing, leaving her in her bra. Caitlin started to poke and prod at clearly bruised area, but despite the pain it caused, Iris wasn't focused on it. She was looking over at Barry once again.
"Cait?" she asked after a moment, in a voice softer than usual. "He - he is going to be okay, right?"
Caitlin paused a moment in her exam. "I already told you -"
Iris cut her off.
"No, I don't mean it like that. I mean - God, everyone knows he's the Flash," she said. "I just - I can't imagine how he's going to take that. He's worked so hard to keep it a secret. Not just to protect the people he cares about, but to be able to have at least a somewhat normal life outside of all of the heroics. That's all gone now."
Caitlin's poking and prodding started up again, but Iris could see the small frown that now graced her features as she slowly turned her head to look at the other woman. She was silent a moment before saying anything back.
"He's not going to like it," she said. "It's - it will be a big adjustment. But I have faith that Barry will be able to handle it, you know? There are worse things in the world. I'm not saying it's good, but he has us. We'll all be there for him."
Iris nodded slowly; Caitlin was right, she knew. It was going to be a huge adjustment for him. But he wouldn't be going through it alone. She sighed slightly again, and this time attempted to change the subject as she spoke.
"What's my prognosis?" she asked, managing a small, tight smile, which Caitlin returned.
"Hard to be 100% accurate without an X-Ray machine here, but I'd say it's a fractured rib," she said. "Probably hurts like hell, but not much you can do for it treatment wise. Ice pack and pain meds are gonna be the way to go," she replied. Iris nodded again, and took her shirt back as Caitlin held it out to her, sliding it carefully back on.
"I'm gonna go grab the others so I can take a look at them and fill them in," the doctor then informed the journalist, giving her a small pat on the shoulder. Iris nodded and gave her a soft smile as she turned to leave, placing her hand gently back over Barry's. All she could do now was wait.
Over the next two hours, Iris watched as Caitlin examined each and every person who had gone to deal with the angry metahuman. Snart had ended up in a cast after the doctor of the group had reset the confirmed broken bone; Oliver, much to Felicity's relief, had only ended up with a few nasty bruises and a dislocated shoulder, which Caitlin had easily popped back into place and instructed him firmly to ice. Now, however, despite everyone having been gathered in the small room not long ago, Iris found herself alone once again with only Caitlin and Barry.
Satisfied that Barry would be okay, Oliver and Felicity had packed up and headed back to Starling with the promise to return if anything got out of hand, and the demand that they be kept in the loop. Snart had slipped away rather quietly after his injury had been dealt with, returning to wherever it was he had been hiding out before all the chaos had started. Her father and Cisco had gone downstairs to keep tabs on the ever-increasing number of people outside of the compound, and to try and figure out a way to either control it or disperse the crowd. It seemed almost too quiet now after the dispersal of friends and family, the only noise in the room the sound of Caitlin rummaging through supplies and Barry's rhythmic breathing.
Though Caitlin had already explained to her that it would take time for Barry to start to heal even with the cure administered, Iris still had a pit in her stomach that seemed to grow with every minute that passed. She was worried, and justly so, even with the small signs of improvement in his health: the patches of color that seemed to be returning to his pale pallor, the slow but sure descent of his high fever. But she knew that she wasn't going to be satisfied until he was awake and coherent, reassuring her that he was fine like he always did when his well being was threatened. Usually, it pissed her off, him sitting in bed getting stitched up or bandaged or whatever else while he gave that sheepish smile and tried to tell her everything was okay when it clearly wasn't. Now, however, she found herself longing for it. Caitlin turned around then, catching the other woman staring at the unconscious man once again.
"Iris. Give it time," she said, voice gentle. Iris ran a hand through her hair, turning her head away from Barry to look tiredly at Cait.
"I know," she replied, voice also gentle; Caitlin gave her a sympathetic look.
"I'm gonna go see how Cisco and your dad are holding up downstairs. Hopefully the mob didn't get them," she said, attempting a lighthearted joke which Iris briefly smiled at. "I'll be back in a few minutes. If anything happens, come get me."
"Of course," Iris said with a nod. Caitlin turned then and left the room, moving quickly. Iris watched her go until the woman was out of sight, then immediately turned her attention back to Barry with a sigh. She ran her thumb gently over his hand, smiling sadly at him.
"You're gonna be alright, Bar," she said, her voice still soft. "Everything's gonna be alright. You're strong." Iris found her eyes watering a bit and mentally cursed herself; crying wasn't going to help anything, damn it. She squeezed them shut tightly, trying to keep herself composed. It was then that she heard the voice: raspy, weak, but clear in the quiet room.
"Iris?"
Her eyes snapped open and met with Barry's.
Author's Note: Hope this was worth the long wait for you guys! Again, sorry about that! Until next time!