Always Running

Therapy

"Hey, hey, don't move too quick." Caitlin softly instructs. Barry wiggles in the med bed in her lab. She reaches to hold his shoulders steady.

Cisco walks up next to her, a weak smile on his face. "Hey man. You scared the crap out of us. You were out for a long time."

Caitlin is still staring at him with concern.

"How bad is it?" He asks, his voice gruff and shaky.

"Bad." Caitlin answers lightly, giving him a sympathetic smile. "If you didn't heal so fast, I would be very worried."

He tries to move again, now noticing the brace around his neck and the oxygen tube in his nose. He looks at Caitlin, fear in his eyes.

"It's okay. It's gonna hurt for a bit." She says.

He shakes his head, his face contorting. "I can't feel my legs." He looks up at Cait in panic. "I can't feel my legs."

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She turns to look at Cisco who is staring at Barry with a deep look of pity and shock on his face. Caitlin isn't surprised after seeing the MRI on his spine, but she had really hoped he wouldn't be paralyzed. Had he woken up a couple of days ago, he probably wouldn't have felt anything below his neck.

She sits down in her chair that is next to his bed. He looks and sees the armchair. She reaches for his hand. "Barry...this isn't going to be a quick recovery. It's going to take time."

He looks at her. She's never seen him look so young. His face is scared, but there is a tiny spark of hope in his eyes. "But it will heal." He says as more of a question.

Caitlin isn't sure if she should be honest or gentle. She nods. "It will heal." She answers. She's not lying. He will heal. The question is, how much?

"There he is!" Joe calls, walking into the lab. "How are you feeling, Bar?"

Barry doesn't respond. He looks to Caitlin to answer for him. She looks up to Joe and gently shakes her head. Joe walks up to them and puts his hand on Barry's shoulder.

"It's gonna be okay." He says softly but full of confidence. "We're gonna get through this."

Joe stands by Barry's side, Caitlin on the other holding his hand. Cisco sits at the end of the bed, placing one hand on Barry's leg and looking at his friend with an encouraging smile. Barry looks down at Cisco's hand touching his leg and frowns at his inability to feel it.

****************************

PHYSICAL THERAPY DAY 1:

"On three. One, two," Caitlin starts. Her and Cisco are under each of Barry's shoulders and have an arm wrapped around his waist.

"Three." They all say, lifting Barry to his feet. They turn him slightly and sit him down in Wells' wheelchair. Barry lifts himself to readjust. He leans back and tries to catch his breath.

Caitlin gives him a concerned smile. "It's gonna be hard to breathe for a bit." Her voice is soft. The same way she's spoken to him since he woke up. Barry just nods.

Anytime the focus is on Barry for too long he tries to bring up Zoom. What to do next. How to find him. How to fight him. The team pushes that it's not a concern until he's better. The team minus Harry, but he's a different story.

Since the incident, he's been even more hellbent on catching Zoom, and Joe has been more hellbent on him leaving. Joe blames Barry's condition on him and, while she was mad at him at first too for pushing the plan, even Caitlin admits that it's not Harry's fault.