Flash of Bravery (Book One)

Chapter 14: Issue

"What are you talking about, Barry?" Andi asks. "I'm right here."

Barry turns around with the same expression he gave Caitlin when she said she grew him. Barry rushes to Andi and picks her up in a hug. Andi still has her confused face expression on, which turns into a smile. She hugs Barry, feeling his warm jacket under her hands.

"So are you going to tell me why you're hugging me." Andi asks, not wanting the moment to end.

"I though something happened to you." Barry answers, putting her down.

"Why would you think that?" Andi wonders.

"Caitlin said she needed to talk to me about-"

"Himself." Caitlin overlaps Barry's voice. "I just love to get to know my," Caitlin pauses to hug Barry from the side, "partner, a little better."

Andi notices how Caitlin rubs up and down Barry's arm. Andi feels chills on her back. She rolls back her shoulders, feeling her stomach knot inside. "I need to sit down anyway." Andi replies, holding her head.

"Let's go over there, Barry." Caitlin announces with her stiff tone.

"You can stop talking like that now, Caitlin." Barry whispers in her ear.

Once they're in the room, Andi turns to Cisco and Dr. Wells who exchange the same face expression. "You two do know they're hiding something, right?"

"It must be important if Barry rushed in here." Dr. Wells commented.

"Do you know what it is?" Andi asks.

Cisco shakes his head with a sad smile. Andi rests her pounding head in her hands. She stays sitting down, wondering what those two are keeping from her.

**

"You want to talk about Andi without her knowing?" Barry wonders.

"I just don't want her to find out by some results or be told this information in a wrong way." Caitlin explains.

"What is it, Caitlin?" Barry asks with worry in his eyes. "You're starting to scare me."

Caitlin doesn't know how to tell Barry the bad new of their friend. So she doesn't, she hands him her tablet with her results are. She watches his face expression

"W-what?" Barry stutters in spite of surprised. "Are you going to tell her?"

"I'm not. You are." Caitlin locks her eyes with Barry as she takes the tablet. "She needs a friend to convince her how this is bad. Especially for Andi."

Barry nods looking at the closed door. He walks around Caitlin and exits the room. He sees Andi who suddenly is standing right outside the door. "Uh," Andi sighs. "Okay I can't lie since you can obviously see me. I was snooping, but I didn't hear what you were talking about."

"We need to talk." Barry gently grabs her wrist and pulls her inside.

"Barry, I'm not a child who needs a therapy lesson." Andi says as a joke. "Just tell me."

Barry let's go of her wrist. "Why haven't you been taking care of yourself?" Barry blurts out.

"Excuse me?" Andi asks straightening her posture.

For the last days, Andi knows she hasn't gotten any the right amount of food or sleep. She doesn't know why. Even though it hasn't been on the top of her list, the urge of hunger or sleep hasn't came. Nothing and no one has forced her to do either.

"Your results came back and most of your health levels have gone down." Caitlin explains giving Andi the tablet.

Andi reads the tablet and sees a bar graph of each level of her health. Andi looks up at Barry and Caitlin. She gives back the tablet and folds her arms. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Andi this isn't good if you want to help me." Barry lectures.

"I can still train, I can still fight." Andi defends herself.

"You can't skip a meal and think you can miss a night of sleep."

"Why do you care?" Andi asks on the verge of crying.

"I care." Barry says softly. "Caitlin, Cisco, and even Dr. Wells. We do not keep secrets." Barry quotes from Caitlin.

Andi snaps her eyes at Barry then Caitlin. But before she could say anything Caitlin notices something, "I think Cisco wants us to tell us something." Caitlin says out the glass window.

Andi and Barry turn to look and see Cisco waving his arms in the air to grab their attention. The three of them step out of the room.

"Um, guys you're going to have to talk later." Cisco says. "Heat Wave has been spotted."

"Right," Barry remembers what he found out. "Mick Rory has new whereabouts."

"Guess it's time for me to finally get out there." Andi says with excitement.

Barry glances at Andi as he says, "It's time for us to go."