Snow Falls

Chapter Five

As Barry zipped through the city on his way to the hospital, an overview of his and Caitlin's relationship played at the forefront of his mind. It was like something out of an old movie or a sports match; only showing the highlights in a tender sepia tone filter. Starting with the moment they met upon him waking up from a nine month coma. However strange it seemed at first, Barry would come to remember two different types of light standing in his path of vision at that moment.

The Barry and Caitlin Moving Picture Show kept him company as he ran to his destination; somewhat serving as motivation. He had been running for so long, he couldn't recall the last time he had truly felt the ground beneath his feet. The mixed emotions that came with his impending fatherhood led him to believe he was once again, walking on water; which according to his wife, put him in pretty interesting company.

Upon running passed The Press Box, his heart skipped a beat. That night was the best he had had in a long time. What began as a stake out to track Clay Parker and Shawna Baez, ended up being exactly what he needed- a way to safely move on from a childhood crush that would never be fulfilled or reciprocated. As he got Caitlin settled into bed that night and stayed by her side until she fell asleep, he realized something important. They had both been hung up on people they couldn't be with and let it consume them; preventing them from truly living their lives. It was time that they found someone new to be crazy about.

His first day back on his feet after the particle accelerator explosion, Iris told him that she hoped he would find someone that saw and appreciated how brilliant he was. He just never expected it to be Caitlin. Even though it took him a while longer to admit it, Barry thought of that night at Caitlin's as the moment he started to fall for her.

"Barry, how are you doing on travel time?" Iris asked, checking in after she had called Toby to say that she would be home late.

"I'm coming up to the hospital now" Barry reported, rounding the corner of the building to rapidly change out of his suit.

Barry lightly jog to the front desk, his face still red from running and beads of sweat trailed down his jawline. Before he spoke, he held onto the desk and hunch over to catch his breath.

"Hi. My name is Barry Allen. I'm looking for my wife, Caitlin Snow-Allen. She was admitted in the company of my friend, Cisco Ramon" Barry said.

The receptionist- a near dead ringer for Felicity, nodded her understanding and began looking for Caitlin's information on the computer screen in front of her.

"Yes, Mr Allen. It says here that she was in a labor room upstairs but she is now being transferred to the O.R. for a c-section" the receptionist revealed.

"What?!" Barry asked, not caring about the volume of his reaction as the panic filled his chest.

The room spun around him as he tried to process the gravity of the situation. His heart ached as he thought of the possibility of losing either his wife or his child, or both. Grieving his mother was the hardest thing he ever had to do, and he was still doing it to this day. He couldn't fathom having to do that again; especially with Caitlin. Just as he prepared to race to the operating room, Caitlin's voice echoed through his mind and forced him to stop dead in his tracks; conveying the same message from when he asked her to turn on the treadmill so his powers would return.

"I already lost someone in this building that I care about, I can't do it again".

"You won't" Barry thought before his attention was brought back to the receptionist.

"I'm really not in a position to explain, Mr Allen. But if you are fast enough, the doctor will gladly do so" the receptionist said.

"Thank you" Barry nodded as he sped off to find the operating room.

~

Caitlin's head hung to the side as she watched the window in anticipation of Barry's arrival. Her heart suddenly started to race as she sensed him approaching.

"Cisco, get ready to open that door" she instructed.

"Why?" he asked as he made his way to the knob.

"Barry's coming" she answered.

Even though he anticipated it, Cisco's heart still threatened to leap out of his chest as Barry's face appeared in the window. The mechanical engineer let out a high pitched scream, clearing his throat to recover from embarrassment. Up until now, Harry had been the only person to hear him scream like that.

"Hey, man" both boys said in unison, embracing each other briefly.

"How did you...?" Cisco asked, as he looked at Caitlin with grave confusion,

"A woman doesn't need pregnancy induced superhuman abilities to know when her husband is near" Caitlin replied, a smile of relief on her face as she focused on Barry.

His heart broke at the sight of his wife on the operating table; breathing tubes placed on her nose and a curtain dividing her head and body.

"Well, I should probably get going, let you guys have your moment" Cisco said, nodding at the pair.

Briefly, Barry released his grip on Caitlin's hand and stood up to see Cisco out.

"Thanks for taking care of her, man" Barry said, engaging Cisco in another hug.

"You're my bro. I've always got your back. Now, go make me an uncle" Cisco said proudly as the hug had concluded.

As he made his exit, Dr Cooper and a team of nurses made their entrance.

"This is the father, I presume" he said, looking from Caitlin to Barry.

"Yes. This is my husband- Barry Allen. Barry, this is Dr Charlie Cooper" Caitlin replied, still finding it difficult to hear his name, let alone say it.

Barry raised a knowing eyebrow at the doctor then looked back at the mother-to-be. It didn't take him long to connect the dots between the doctor and Caitlin's struggle. Charlie was the name she had given her son all those years ago and Cooper was the last name of the couple who adopted him.

"So the receptionist told me about the c-section, but why?" Barry asked, rubbing the temples of his forehead in order to calm down.

"During our last check-in, the baby appeared to be breech. Given the delicate matter of delivering early, the best chance for survival is a c-section" Dr Cooper explained.

Barry nodded his understanding. But his head still swam with worry about Caitlin's safety.

"How fast can it be done? I mean, take your time obviously but-" Barry said.

Dr Cooper could tell Barry was extremely worried about how this would affect Caitlin.

"We can have the baby out in five minutes if we need to and Caitlin is going to be fine, trust me" Dr Cooper answered with a nod and a slight smile.

A nurse in pink scrubs and a raven black ponytail then advised Barry to take his place on the stool by Caitlin's head. The medical staff took their positions on the other side of the paper thin, powder blue curtain.

"Barry, I know this is not ideal but you have to be strong for me. I'm scared too, okay? Stay with me" Caitlin pleaded, letting her guard down for the first time that day.

"Always" Barry replied, taking her hand in his and tracing circles around the surface with his thumb.