Iris was getting sick of being in the hospital, since she was sick of being treated by an invalid, though she knew it was only going to get worse when she was released, since due to the fact that she only had one one arm, she wouldn't even be able to use a wheelchair without assistance. She wasn't sure if that was worse than being confined to a hospital bed or not.
However, she was pulled from her thoughts when the door to her hospital room opened and she smiled when she saw Barry enter the room with Caitlin and her mother in tow, Carla carrying a large case with her.
"Not that I'm complaining, but what's with this visit, since I don't think it's just another well wishes." Iris said, since she'd seen Caitlin numerous times while she'd been in the hospital due to Caitlin trying to distance herself from Star Labs, which was in disgrace following the explosion and Barry rarely left Iris's side, unless he was actually at Star Labs for treatment after being struck by lightning, but that was only because Iris was making him go, since she was as concerned about his health as he was about hers, even though she had to admit that she was jealous that despite being hit by lightning, Barry had never looked better while Iris would never be the same again. Carla however was new, since while she and Henry had dropped by after she'd first woken up to wish her well, she hadn't really been here since.
"You're right. We're here because we have something that might be able to help you." Carla said.
"And that would be?" Iris asked as Carla opened the case and Iris's jaw dropped.
"Is that what I think it is?" Iris asked and Carla nodded.
"Yes, this is a prototype of the new Tannhauser prosthetic arm we developed for this exact situation actually. To help veterans like yourself adjust to life after their service. And as you can see, Caitlin helped me tailor this prototype specifically to you." Carla said, since the arm looked nearly identical to the arm Iris still had, only this one was a right arm and it didn't have a single scratch on it.
"And it really works?" Iris asks skeptically.
"According to all the tests we've run, but like I said, this is a prototype and hasn't been used on an actual person yet." Carla said.
"So I'm your beta tester basically?" Iris asked, not opposed to it, she just wanted to make sure she knew everything she was signing up for before she agreed to anything.
"Essentially. And it would require you to stay in the hospital until you've recovered enough to have the operation performed and then afterwards for rehab to learn how to use your new arm." Caitlin said.
"Though there is another option." Dr. Wells said as he wheeled into the room.
"Harrison, what brings you here? I hope it's not to offer Star Labs' aid?" Carla said, since she didn't trust Harrison with Iris's recovery.
"No, I was going to suggest Argo Enterprises. From what I know of Kara Danvers's work, one of the fields her company works is therapeutic cloning." Dr. Wells said.
"What does that mean?" Iris asked.
"Growing new organs to replace failing ones, but that's organs like hearts and kidneys. Not to mention from what I've heard, their research is still theoretical and growing organs is different from regrowing a human limb." Barry said.
"I'm aware. But I was talking about some of the internal damage that Iris might've suffered from, since while the doctors repaired the internal damage, that doesn't mean it's a permanent fix." Wells said.
"When it becomes an actual possibility, I'll consider it, but that arm is my best chance of not being completely dependent on other people after I get discharged and that arm looks close enough to a regular arm that if I wear sleeves, no one who doesn't already know would tell the difference. But would I be able to feel things with that arm?" Iris asked.
"I'm sorry, but no. This technology is advanced, but not that advanced. At least not yet. But there's always room for upgrades. Not to mention as Cisco would put it, all kinds of bells and whistles that we could add." Caitlin said, since Iris had met Cisco and Barry chuckled at the idea of Cisco's face at the prospect.
"I'll think about that once I know the arm works. Right now I don't need bells and whistles, I need to be able to use two hands so I can take care of myself to some extent. How long would I have to be in the hospital for?" Iris asked.
"Well, given that the stump that used to be your arm has nearly healed according to the tests, maybe another week before we can start prepping for the operation and then physical therapy will really just depend on how long it takes your arm to learn how to communicate with your brain and for you to get used to it." Caitlin said.
"And how dangerous is the procedure?" Barry asked.
"Considering that we'd only be operating on her arm that's not on the side of her body that her heart isn't on, I'd say minimal risk as much as possible. But it will take time for her arm to learn to communicate with her brain and physical therapy to help her get used to it, especially since, with this arm being mechanical, it will be a lot stronger than your old arm was Iris." Carla said.
"Sweet, but will I need to plug myself in every night?" Iris asked and Caitlin chuckled.
"Not exactly. The actual procedure is more us installing a port on your arm stump that you connect the bionic into. Since the arm is a machine, it does require energy and we'll provide you with a charging station for it and I do recommend you plug it in every night like you would your phone." Caitlin said.
"Any chance we can just incorporate my phone into my arm. It would save a lot of time." Iris said, only half joking.
"I'm sure Cisco would love to try." Barry said.
"He would, but I think we should make sure that this arm works properly before we start thinking about those kinds of upgrades. I'm guessing that means you're on board with it?" Caitlin asked and Iris nodded.
"Hell yes, I'll sign whatever I need to if it means I can retain some of my independence." Iris said as Dr. Wells wheeled himself out of the room and found an empty storage closet to sneak into, where he quickly used Gideon to loop security footage to make the cameras think that this room was still empty while he consulted Gideon.
"Gideon, run a calculation to determine how Iris West getting a prosthetic arm made by Tannhauser Industries will impact the timeline?" Thawne asked her.
"Calculations complete, according to the new timeline data, Iris West now always received her prosthetic arm from Tannhauser. As long as the rest of her recovery is made possible by Argo Enterprises, the timeline should remain intact." Gideon said.
"Excellent." Thawne said, thinking that was one crisis averted. Now he could focus his attention on training the Flash to serve his purpose, since while he'd tried to use the particle accelerator explosion to restore his own speed, like he'd suspected, it didn't work, which meant that as of right now, the Flash was still his only option if he ever wanted to go home and he had to ensure that the timeline remained as close to the original as possible if he wanted to make sure he had a home to return to