Zero hour

Never-ending cycle

There were smoother ways to come back to the world of the living then hearing these words straight out of the gates, Barry's getting worse, we need your help.

When the words registered into Caitlin's mind after a few seconds of confusion while looking down at her new clothes, her eyes widened again, "what time is it? How long was I out?"

Pushing aside a lock of long black hair, Cisco's reflexes kicked in faster than his mind, and he glanced once more at his watch before he could remember he just did that moments ago, "you've been out for a bit less than five hours, I'm sorry I woke you up."

"Damn it," cursed Catlin under her breath before swiftly taking the sheet from over her body and forcing her still tired body back in action, "have to get to work."

Five hours sleep will have to do for now, and it wasn't bad considering how this was the longest and most recuperating night she had since defeating Devoe. A short rest in a bed would always beat sharing a tight metallic cage for days.

"From what I can tell, Jay seems to be getting better, slowly, but Barry's fever just keeps climbing, and I don't know what to do," explained the engineer, succinctly to the doctor who was putting herself up and biting her lips at the news.

If she was right about what she found out on Earth 3, there wasn't any second to waste; she had to get to Barry right away and finish her tests.

Caitlin stumbled the instant her feet touched the ground, but she managed to regain her balance and started walking so fast toward the medbay that Cisco was having trouble catching up without breaking into a jog. The doctor was in quite the hurry. During the whole walk toward the medical room, Cisco could hear his friend talking to herself as she was mentally cataloguing all the tests she would need to perform and the cares she would have to provide.

"You should've woken me up sooner. I just hope it's not too late," said Caitlin, adding that second part to no one particular as she passed next to Iris and Joe who were both standing next to the entrance.

The doctor's clammy hands, caused by her sudden rising fear at the thought of how much her friend could've worsened while she was out, quickly opened up the same medicine cabinet she was searching inside earlier before passing out. Swiftly, she started carefully, yet frantically, selecting the IV bags she would be needed before attaching her hair in a ponytail. Thanks to her much-needed nap, her mind on high alert was now able to connect all the dots between her last day's researches and Cisco's explanation about what unfolded at the lab.

Grabbing the closest lab coat she could find, Caitlin put on some gloves and turned around to take a look at her patient.

Her frown deepened when she spotted the awful state Barry was in at the moment, "if Barry had been strong enough to stay in control 'til now, I'm not sure how long he'll stay alive," she commented to herself before biting her lips in deep concern and taking one quick look at the displayed vitals. Jay could wait a bit; Barry couldn't.

Confused looks got shared between the rest of the team still present, and conscious, in the room who heard her remark and murmurs of worry spread across the room. What was that supposed to mean?

"I don't understand a word you're saying," Joe commented for the rest of them while anxiously looking at the hero he loved like a son. The thought of losing him was crushing his heart and squeezing his airpipe. If he couldn't control his emotions, he wouldn't be able to keep his composure for very long.

"Isn't it a good thing that Barry's strong and fighting?" Added Iris, "I mea-"

"I wish I knew when he received the last dose," commented Caitlin to herself as she was barely listening to the team's comments and was clearly uncaring about the fact she had just interrupted them, "how high was his temperature when he arrived?" She inquired while walking next to her patient with an empty syringe and inserting it under the skin to extract a new blood sample for herself.