Within Seconds: Flashpoint Edition

The Ending To A Skinny Love

In record timing, Barry brought Wally and Joe back to the Medical Bay within the Cortex. He rushed off once more for the inhaler. In his return, he skidded to a stop outside of the Cortex, where Nathan sat by himself. The poor boy was hugging his mother's jacket, quietly crying into it. 

"Nate," whispered Barry, kneeling in front of him. "I need you to tell me where Evelyn and your Mommy are, can you do that for me, baby boy?"

Nathan pointed down the hall. 

"Thank you, beautiful boy," praised Barry, pressing a kiss to Nathan's head. 

Wasting no time, Barry used his speed to find them. Inside of a room down the hall, Cisco and Parker were hovering over an extra medical bed. Evelyn's little body was almost lifeless, slouched up against her mother. Her hands were shared between Cisco and Parker. Her small chest was wavering, struggling to continue breathing, despite the oxygen mask over her mouth. 

Voice breaking, Barry whispered, "Tell me what I can do."

"You've done enough," snapped Cisco. 

Parker didn't look at him. She couldn't. Disappointed in herself for not seeing an obvious trigger in the wind intake that came with Barry's running, she was already upset in her abilities as a mother. Bringing herself to look at the man who caused her child's asthma attack, intentional or not, was going to bring her to a level of rage no one wanted to witness. 

He took a couple steps forward, wanting to offer physical comfort to Parker, or Evelyn. One step, and she snarled, "Don't," protectively. He stopped. 

"I'm gonna..." he frowned. "I'm gonna check on Wally. I'll be back..."

"I'm gonna..." tried to touch her shoulder, she wiggled away from him. "I'm gonna check on Wally. I'll be back."

In the Cortex's Medical Bay, Iris, Caitlin, and Joe were with Wally as he continued to be unconscious from his stab wound. 

Barry stopped in the doorway when he saw the same exact scene. Joe and Iris were on opposite sides of an unconscious Wally, holding his hands. They tried to hold back their tears. In Barry's case, it was getting harder and harder to, knowing he was the one who caused their pain. 

"Wally's vitals are low and he's lost a lot of blood," explained Caitlin. 

"He should be rapidly healing," said Iris, confused. 

"It's one of the gifts of being a speedster," added Barry. 

"He's not. I'm sorry." 

Joe, with an angry sniffle, excused himself from the room. 

Caitlin tapped Barry softly. "Am I free to go?"

"Hm," agreed Barry. 

"This is why I didn't want to get involved," said a voice behind him: Cisco. "Crime fighting sucks."

Watching Wally's lifeless body and seeing Iris cry helplessly into her brother's chest broke Barry's heart even more. It was his fault, all of it. He had been careless, selfish. The only reason Wally and Evelyn were in the positions they were in was because he stripped the safeness and familiarity from their lives. 

One option remained to make things better; the last thing he ever wanted to do turned out to be the necessary course of action. 

Barry placed a hand on Iris' shoulder, offering his brief comfort, before he returned to the room where Parker and Evelyn sat together. In the doorway, he stayed. 

"Barry?" whispered Parker. 

"I know I'm the last person you want to see."

"Can't deny that," she sighed. She turned her head to him. "I can't do this."

Barry lowered his head. "I know."

"You came here wanting Parker. You're settling for me, because I have her face, her touch. And it's not your fault. I thought I could do this with you, too. I thought we could both find our past loves in each other. But I can't do it. That's not love, Barry. That's just settling for something less than what we had."

"I know," he said again. 

"You can't let her go. I knew that before, but I know it for sure now. She's still your world, despite her being gone, just like he was mine. Except, I have babies that remind me of him, and that helps me move on. I see my Barry in our kids. Where you find her, I don't know, but it's not with me. I can tell you that.

I do know that can't drop my whole life to help you fix yours. You neglected my babies tonight. I can't have that happening. You can't be the Flash and a father, Barry. The urge you have to do good is going to outweigh what's important. And I know they're not yours, but--"

"I was ready for them to be mine," he defended. 

"No, you weren't," she scoffed softly. "You thought you were. Hell, we both did, but being the Flash is who you are, who you'll always be. Nothing can happen that's going to make you change that, not even kids."

Barry couldn't fight her on anything she said. He wasn't able to deny it, either. Instead, he said what he originally came to say: "When I created Flashpoint, I thought I could make things better for my self, but everyone's been paying for my happiness. Will you help me?"

"Do what?" asked Parker. 

"Make things right."