Flashes of Life (Barry Allen/The Flash Fanfic)

Shea Is Trivial

"-t," I bolted upright, eyes wide.

"Doesn't this seem familiar?" Cisco walked by the medical bed, checking the vitals. I looked down at my arms and saw multiple wires and needles entering my blood system. Caitlin noticed me, hurrying over from her computer.

"Hey Cisco. Caitlin," I greeted hoarsely. Clearing my throat, I lay back down, a dizzy spell threatening to occur. I remembered what got me here, and I quickly sat up again.

"Where's Barry?"

"No need to freak, Barry's fine," Cisco replied, pushing me back down again.

"Wh- wait how does that- how did you- I'm so- ehh?" I stuttered after he touched me. Cisco grinned, pulling up the gloves I hadn't noticed until then.

"Mhm, these - slightly small - bad boys are made of a reinforced bi-polymer, which is amazingly soft and light. It acts as an insulator against your...draining, so even if you try really hard to, it won't let you, because they stop the current in which they flow down." Noticing my confused face, Caitlin amended, "Long story short: wear these gloves and no one will be affected if you touch them."

"Hey." We turned our heads to the entrance to the cortex, seeing Barry walk in. Was I glad to see him? Yes. Was it because he was alive and well, or something else? I wasn't too sure myself.

"Oh Shea, you're awake!" Barry smiled.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I guess so."

Caitlin asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, just a little difficult to breathe."

"That's understandable," Dr Wells wheeled in. "You did have a poisonous gas in your respiratory system. Luckily, it won't happen again, because we managed to get a sample from your lungs."

"You have this remarkable immune system - just like Barry's - that allows you to withstand damage to your cells," Caitlin raved. "It's like they have added resistance. Could it be due to the particle accelerator? Perhaps."

The right side of my mouth twitched upwards. "I guess I have you guys to thank for that, huh?"

"Oh I almost forgot!" Cisco took the gloves off, handing them to me. Here you go."

I took them cautiously, slipping them on. Turning to Barry, I gestured to his arm.

"Mind if I-"

"Hm? Oh yeah sure, go ahead," he stammered after realising my request. He drew up his sleeve, exposing his arm. I looked to the others, seeing them give encouraging nods, Cisco giving the most excited one of the three. Shutting my eyes, I touched Barry's arm.

"I'm not dead!" I opened one eye, to see Barry grinning uncontrollably, Caitlin and Dr Wells smiling in relief, and Cisco fist pumping, yelling, "Ramon wins again!"

I started smiling, bouncing up and down, feeling jittery. Barry let out a relieved laugh and hugged me. Caught up in the moment, I hugged him back, resting my head in the crook of his shoulder, smiling like I hadn't done so in years. Which, technically, was true; I had been through a lot ever since my parents left me as a teenager.

"Well." I heard Cisco say, making me realise that Barry and I had been hugging for a while. He quickly pulled away, and I scratched the back of my head awkwardly, trying to avoid Cisco's big ass grin and 'inconspicuous' wink.

"I think your gloves work?"

--

After removing all the needles, Caitlin smiled. "You're free to go." I gratefully nodded. As I put one foot outside the door, she hesitantly called my name.