Moving Forward

2024, part 2

April 28th, 2024

It was with her white medical bag tightly secured under her arm and with the strap over her head that Caitlin was dashing through the hallway of Iris and Barry's building. Well, more like just Iris' building now. They tried, they really did, with everything they had... but they failed. Badly. Despite all of their efforts, they couldn't stop the future they had been aware of for the better part of nine years and had been desperately trying to avoid for the most part of the last year. It had all been in vain as Barry went M.I.A. while fighting with his arch-enemy Reverse Flash.

They weren't going to give up, they were going to keep on searching 'til their last breath if they had to. Except, they had nothing to go on at the moment. Not a single thing. And, as if that wasn't enough, the Team couldn't fall apart, not even for a second, as they needed to stand tall and stay strong for Iris. Their friend's pregnant wife was going to need all the support she could get even once she would feel ready to get out of the apartment she locked herself in after the disappearance of her husband four days ago.

Thirty minutes ago, the three months pregnant Iris had called Caitlin, crying over the phone, to ask the doctor to come over. Before the doctor could get any extra information about what the situation, she got hung out on and got left wondering on her own. Was the baby okay?

"Iris? You're in there?" Inquired Caitlin as she knocked down the door, worried soaking in all her words.

Putting her ear against the door, all she managed to hear was a distant sobbing. Carefully moving her free arm forward, the one that wasn't holding the bag, she grabbed the door' knob and turned it to instantly confirm it wasn't locked. Opening the door all the way and taking a peek inside, Caitlin quickly spotted her friend sitting at the kitchen's table with her elbows on the furniture and her head between her hands. At least, she didn't look hurt or in pain. Well, not physically speaking.

"Iris?" She gently asked again. As she made her way to the pregnant woman, the doctor got rewarded when the reporter finally looked up at her, "what's going on?"

Wiping her tears and her runny nose, Iris finally managed to slowly speak, "went to my scan today and... the..."

Caitlin frowned, worried again as she dared to look down at the slightly showing belly, "is the baby okay?"

Iris shook out her head as she was gathering herself under a comforting hand that was slowly massaging her back, "I'm having twins."

Caitlin froze up for a second, it wasn't the answer she was expecting. For one second, she almost dared to ask if it was a good thing or not. Thankfully she stopped before the stupid question could get out. Not only the team had to worry about the possibility of never seeing their friend again, Iris had been left wondering if she was going to raise a child on her own. Now, she was left wondering how she was going to raise two children alone.

"Oh honey, it's going to be okay," whispered Caitlin and strongly wrapping her arms against the other woman, "you're not alone, you'll never be," she promised. No matter what the future was holding, they would face their trouble together.

July 30th, 2024

"Where is he? Where is he?!" Iris' voice boomed as she dashed into the cortex as fast as she possibly could while carrying around her huge 6 months old pregnant belly filled with quickly growing twins. It wasn't that quick, to be honest, but it was enough to force her dad to take long strides behind to keep on with her. Her tired and swollen feet had somehow found a renewed energy the instant she found out, on her way back from her last follow-up test with the doctor, that her husband had been found by Cisco. Apparently, the hero had found himself trapped, alone and starving, in another dimension.