The Line Between Living and Dying

Drowning

Bette yelped as the bullet pierced her skin, embedding itself in an artery. She collapsed from the impact, both Barry and Dani running to her side.

"I'm sorry. I didn't see him." Barry apologized, slipping his cowl off.

"Don't be. It's not your fault." Bette assured between ragged breaths. "I'm glad you stopped me."

"We're gonna get you back to S.T.A.R. Labs," Dani promised.

"Wait, Dr. Wells, he... he..." Bette tried to warn the two heroes, but her breath wore thin and her heart stopped beating.

Dani covered her mouth, tears falling as she fell back onto her butt. She shared a devastated look with Barry before she noticed the purple glow spreading over Bette's body.

"Barry, look." She pointed at the redhead.

Barry's eyes widened, realization dawning on him. He pressed his hand to his earpiece, consulting the team. "We have a problem."

"Is Bette okay?" Cisco quickly questioned.

"No. Eiling killed her." Dani denied.

"She's glowing. She's gonna detonate." Barry added.

"Oh my god, a mass that size, the explosion, it would be--"

"Devastating." Dr. Wells finished for Caitlin.

"Guys, you have to get her away from the city." Caitlin pressured.

"But there's no time." Barry shook his head, looking up, his eyes landing on the waterway before him. "Can I run on water? I built up enough speed to run up a building. How fast do I need to go to run on water?"

Dani shook her head. "There's not enough time. I can teleport her out there."

"Are you sure?" Barry asked.

"I'm sure." Dani nodded, threading her arms under Bette's armpits and teleporting miles out in the ocean. She let the redhead go then tried teleporting back to Barry but water flooded Dani's lungs. She struggled to keep breathing, panicking, trying over and over again to teleport but it only made her situation worse. She started to sink.

"Dani? Dani!" Barry called. He could hear gurgling on the other end of the comms. "Guys, how fast do I have to go to run on water?" Barry asked again. Fear rose in his voice as his mind envisioned the worst possible scenarios. 

"Assuming your weight--" Cisco began making calculations. "450 pounds of force per step for vertical suspension. Accounting for fluid drag."

"Approximately 650 miles an hour." Dr. Wells answered Barry.

"You have to outrun the blast from Bette, too, or you'll die," Cisco warned.

Lightning flashed through Barry's eyes as he sped off to Dani he didn't care about his own life, as long as she was safe. When he reached her, he quickly reached down, grabbing her arm and turned around.

As he was still running to the shore, Bette exploded. Gallons of water shot high up in the air and came down like a mini tsunami.

When Barry finally reached land, he placed Dani on the ground gently. He checked her pulse, feeling nothing.

"Guys, guys she's not breathing!" Barry shouted through the comms.

Caitlin pressed the comms button. "Bring her to S.T.A.R. Labs now."

Barry nodded, picking Dani up bridal style and racing to the Labs. He placed her onto a gurney as Caitlin ran in with a crash cart.

"Clear." She zapped Dani's heart. Nothing. She tried again. Barry slowly stepped backward into the cortex. Tears filled his eyes as he watched his best friend, the woman he secretly loved, die.