ᴅᴏᴜʙʟᴇ ʟɪғᴇ✗ᴄ.ᴅᴀᴠᴇɴᴘᴏʀᴛ/ʙ.ᴀʟʟᴇɴ

Chapter Fifteen

Three days. 

Three long, agonising days of waiting. Waiting for all of this to make sense. 

Joe constantly sat in Barry's hospital room, teary at the sight of his traumatic injuries, the sight of him lying peacefully yet conscious triggering memories of his coma he'd only woken up from a year before. He hadn't mentioned this to Iris yet, which was probably for the best. However, I couldn't help but wonder when I'd have to reveal myself to her. Hopefully I wouldn't have to. 

I felt like an intruder. Being brutally honest with myself, I already was. Everyday of Barry's admittance I sat outside on a make shift bed, which was really just four waiting room chairs lined into a bearably comfortable position, checking in on the Allen-West family every minute or so. I refused to eat or sleep, I barely drank. It seemed unfair that I was allowed these simple pleasures while Barry, lined head-to-toe in bandages and wires, wasn't. 

Davenport had covered for me. Told the family that my 'long-lost twin brother' had been found in a serious state and that I had to stay in Central City for a while longer as I waited for him to recover. They seemed to take quite well to the lie, as I had received a numerous amount of messages expressing concern and sympathy from Bree.   

The closest hospital we could take him to was a four hour drive outside of Central City, in a small town that was seemingly in the middle-of-nowhere, to avoid any questions on why there were two Barry Allens. For now, we were just twins. The perfect lie in this scenario. However, it did cause almost every hospital staff member to talk to me for ages about "how sorry" they were and "how hard it must be to see your twin like this". It was the worst time for my introvert side to kick in, all I wanted was to be alone. 

Today was no different. 

I sat slumped in the uncomfortable waiting room chair, my arms folded and my eyes closed. The sight of the pristine white and blue hospital halls sickened me,  reminding me too much of the lab I woke up in that caused this whole nightmare to start. 

"Chase?" A voice cooed softly from beside me. 

I opened my eyes swiftly, turning my aching body with a grunt to face the owner of the voice. I was met with a smile, Caitlin standing next to me, her hand on her shoulder. 

"You know you don't have to stay here if you don't want to," she said bluntly. "You have family, don't you?"

I shrugged. I knew what she was trying to say: we don't want you here. "It's fine. I want to be here. Besides, my family won't care". They hardly do these days. 

She gave me a sympathetic smile. "I'm just going to take Joe out for some fresh air. He's hardly been out of that room". 

I nodded, agreeing. 

"We'll probably be an hour, maybe two if things go well. Let me know if anything happens?" 

"Of course".

She gave me a smile of gratitude before heading back into Barry's hotel room. 

I watched as she spoke with Joe for a while, Joe seeming pretty reluctant to leave his son's side. However, Caitlin must've presented a pretty solid argument, as, minutes later, her and Joe emerged, one hand on his back and her other rested on his shoulder as she slowly led him down the halls and out of the facility. 

I don't know what came over me, but a sudden feeling of caution sounded in my heart and I needed to be by my look-alike's side, to be there for him and to make sure he was alright.

I slipped into his room, slinking myself into a slightly more comfortable variation of the waiting-room chairs, and watched the heart monitor rise and fall with each beat of his broken heart. I had heard a rumour that his heart rhyt hm had fluctuated several times, but the others had told me not to worry about it. Something about his speed.