If You Can't Be With the One You Love

The Voice Calling Out to Him

"You're here," Barry chokes with a large smile.

"I've been here," Oliver begins. "I wasn't leaving until you woke up."

Barry continues to smile while squeezing Oliver's hand as tight as he could. The distraction of Oliver's waking presence suddenly wore off as Barry remembered the numbness he felt in his lower half. He began to panic. "Ollie, I can't feel my legs."

His eyes look at him bewildered and worried tears begin to fall. "I can't feel them."

Oliver's expressions mildly mirror Barry's. He swiftly puts his hand on Barry's shoulder. He softly rubs it in assurance. "Hey, you're fine. You're going to be okay."

"Why can't I feel anything?" Barry whines.

"I don't know," Oliver tells him stately. Concern begins to seep into his tone. He squeezes his hand before letting it go as he stands up. "I'll go get Caitlin."

He leaves the med-bay, leaving Barry alone to begin to comprehend his predicament. Wires ran from all over his upper body. A breathing tube rested in his nose— it was beginning to feel bothersome. He felt as if he couldn't even sit up due to a weakness that radiated from his rib cage to his shoulder blades.

The only thing that he had full control of was his head and neck— and even there he felt stiffness. He waited for Oliver to return with Caitlin, a restlessness coming over him as fear started to consumed him. Fear for his abilities. Fear that he would never be able to walk normally again. A fear that his entire life had been taken away from him in an instant.

He heard footsteps walk towards the door, followed by a warm smile that greeted him as it walked in. It was Caitlin. He meekly returns the gesture as she walks to his bedside. "I'm so glad to see you awake."

"Did you take good care of me?" Barry asks roughly. His attention is brought to Oliver who stands behind Caitlin, nodding with a grin. "I figured."

Caitlin furrows her eyebrows. "So Oliver tells me that you don't have any feeling in your lower extremities?"

Barry nods. "I feel nothing past my ribcage." He struggles to take a breath to continue talking. "Everything north of that feels weak— almost useless."

"The weakness is to be expected." Caitlin explains. Her tone becomes worried. "The bullet could have done damage to your vertebrae, therefore causing paralysis-"

"Paralysis?" Oliver asks worriedly. His facial expressions match Barry's.

"Is it permanent?" Barry adds.

Caitlin shakes her head. "With the speed force in you, it should heal the vertebrae. I would give it about a week or so and you should regain feeling."
She slightly grimaces. "Once you regain feeling in your legs, you'll need to start intensive therapy so we can get you up and walking again."

"And running." Barry adds, reminding her of his duties as the Flash. She hesitantly grins in response.

"Of course." She says stately. "Let me check your vitals so we can finally take you off this damn ventilator."

Barry looks to Oliver who was picking his phone up out of his pocket. He informs Barry and Caitlin that he was going to let Joe and Iris know that Barry had woken up. He shoots Barry an assuring grin before walking out of the room.

"What happened to the guys who shot me?" Barry inquires Caitlin.

Caitlin answers as she measures his blood pressure. "One was arrested on site. Joe immediately went on a manhunt to find the other guy. They've been in Iron Heights for about two weeks now."