Everything Has Changed

Chapter 7 Still Nothing

It had been at least a week and still nothing. Barry's condition got worse and there was still nothing Team Flash were able to do except put him on an oxygen machine to keep his vitals stable. It hurt the team that Barry was this sick and it angered them at the same time since they had no idea that Thawne could be capable of something like this.

Julian had decided to stay at the lab to help with trying to make the antidote and even with his help, there was still no positive results.

Iris decided that she needed to leave the lab for a while. She wanted to stay so that she was by Barry's side but at the same time, she knew that Barry would want her to get some personal time to herself instead of sitting in the lab all day, feeling helpless and guilty.

Iris walked into her office at the Central City Citizen and sat down at her desk. When she opened up her laptop, she immediately received a notification from her blog. She opened it and saw that it was a post from someone in the city.

"Where is The Flash??"

Iris got emotional over that. She didn't know how to explain why The Flash wasn't in the city saving people at the moment. She shut her laptop and broke down into tears. The door soon opened and in walked Kamilla. When she saw that Iris was crying, Kamilla walked over to Iris and comforted her.

LATER

"I don't know what to do, Kamilla. I feel useless" Iris said, wiping the tears from her face.

"You're not useless Iris. You're doing everything in your power to help Barry. Even Barry would say that. If he was here right now with you, he'd tell you exactly what I'm telling you" Kamilla said.

"Thanks Kamilla. I really appreciate it" Iris said, smiling a little. Kamilla hugged Iris and Iris hugged her back.

"I guess I should post an update on the blog. The people need to know" Iris said, sighing a little.

"Know what? That Barry's The Flash?" Kamilla asked.

"No, that he's sick and he's taking some time away from crime fighting to get better. I wouldn't out my husband's identity" Iris said as she opened up her computer.

AT CCPD

At CCPD, everyone was talking about Barry. Wondering where he was and when he'd be back at work. Joe eventually told the precinct that Barry was really sick and that he was seeking treatment at Star Labs. No one knew why Barry always went to Star Labs since that was the source of him being struck by lightning but they knew not to ask about it because it was none of their business.

As Joe sat in his office, feeling stressed about the whole situation with Barry, Cecile walked in.

"Hey babe" Joe said, standing up and walking over to her.

"You gotta stop stressing" Cecile said.

"Are you doing that thing where you're reading my mind?" Joe asked.

"Yes" Cecile said in a little bit of an awkward tone.

"I'm never gonna get used to that" Joe sighed.

"Joe listen, I came here to tell you that even though Barry's currently at Star Labs and unable to be here, he wouldn't want you to feel stressed and concerned" Cecile said.

"Why? I've raised him since he was eleven. I still worry about him now just like I worried about him when he came to live with me and Iris" Joe said.

"Joe, I'm sure he'll be ok. The team are working on that antidote, remember?" Cecile said.

"And so far, nothing" Joe said.

"Yeah, so far. Maybe in the next few hours, they'll finally find the cure" Cecile said.

AT STAR LABS

While the team were working on the cure, Barry lay in the med bay. Suddenly he woke. He sat up and looked around. Wondering where everyone was . He stood up from the bed and saw that he wasn't actually awake. His body was still lying on the bed, connected to an oxygen machine.

"What the hell!?" Barry said to himself in shock.

"My beautiful boy" Nora's voice suddenly said. Barry turned around and saw his mother.

"Is this...really you? Or is it just the speed force playing with me again?" Barry asked.

"It's really me, Barry" Nora smiled. Barry walked slowly towards her and then gave her a hug.

"I've missed you so much" Barry said, getting emotional.

"I've missed you too" Nora replied. Barry then stopped hugging her.

"What's happening to me?" Barry asked.

"You're going through what's called an out of body experience. Your condition is worsening. More than you realise" Nora said. Barry looked back at himself before looking at his mother again.

"How about we take a walk" Nora then said with a smile. They both then left the med bay and as soon as they walked out of the room, they were suddenly outside on the Star Labs balcony.

"So, how long do you reckon I have?" Barry asked.

"About a few more days. At the moment the toxin is attacking your immune system. Making you weak and easily susceptible to internal infections. Which will only make matters worse" Nora said.

"Is there anything I can do about it?" Barry asked.

"At the moment, no. But the team are able to do something" Nora said.

"The cure" Barry answered. Nora nodded.

Barry and Nora then teleported into the cortex.

"How are we going with the cure?" Julian asked.

"Almost done. I've just gotta make sure that it works" Caitlin said.

"How do we do that?" Ralph asked.

"We test it with the computers by running some tests on it" Caitlin replied.

"I wanna kill him" Barry suddenly said. Nora looked at Barry in confusion.

"I know that this seems harsh and insane but Thawne has put everyone, including me, through hell. Enough is enough" Barry said.

"Barry, I know that you're angry about what's happening and what happened in the past but don't let that anger get the better of you. Remember what happened when you let that take over?" Nora asked. Barry nodded.

"I know you wanna kill him and to be honest, I wish he was dead too but killing is not the way. You need to find a different way. Just like you did with Zoom. Instead of killing him, you found another way to get him away" Nora said.

"Mom, that was because he had a really bad rep with the speed force. I barely did anything to make him go away" Barry said.

"You defeated him" Nora said.

"I know" Barry said.

"And that's what you can do with Thawne. You can defeat him" Nora said.

"How? Last time I tried to fight him, he kidnapped me and tortured me" Barry said.

*EKG RAPIDLY BEEPING*

Barry looked over at the med bay entrance and watched as the team rushed in. Barry rushed over. He then saw himself having a seizure.

"Hold him down while I get a sedative" Caitlin said.

"Quick Caitlin! His vitals are dropping!" Cisco said, looking at Caitlin, who was rummaging through the cupboards. He said that while holding Barry down at the same time with Ralph's, Chester's and Julian's help.

When Caitlin finally found a sedative, she injected it into Barry's leg. Barry slowly stopped seizing.

"We need to get that cure done otherwise we're gonna lose him" Cisco said. Caitlin nodded.