"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.

There isn't much to be done for Barry until he gets feeling back in his legs. The majority of the day has been spent testing his ability to feel every hour and Caitlin undoing the bandages that she had been replacing every day since he was hurt. The wounds are healed now, and the bandages are no longer needed. Barry has complained about his neck brace all day, but no one has been gullible enough to take it off him.

As the day has gone on Caitlin has gotten more gentle with Barry physically and emotionally, and Barry has gotten more gruff with...well everyone. By early that evening, he was exhausted from the day and Caitlin and Cisco moved him back into the med bed so he could sleep. They both stick around until he falls asleep. Cisco leaves, leaving Caitlin alone in her chair next to his bed.

"This was always going to happen." Caitlin looks up to see Jay standing in the entryway to her lab.

"I disagree. But that doesn't matter. It did happen. Now we just need to get him back." She whispers to him. Jay nods for her to join him in the cortex so they can talk. She looks at Barry to ensure herself that he'll be okay for a few minutes and walks into the cortex.

"Haven't seen you in a few days." Caitlin says.

"I told you I wasn't going to help with a plan that got Barry killed. I didn't want to be in here while he was still in the woods as a result of that plan."

Caitlin nods. "Understandable I guess."

"But not you." He says. She gives him a confused look. "You told them not to do it too. Yet...you stuck around. Helped them carry it out. Even stayed here while he was unconscious for those few days."

"It's not my job to make decisions. It's my job to make sure he stays safe. Even if they aren't listening to me." Her tone is slightly pointed.

"You think I should've stayed and helped." He points out.

She takes a deep breath. "Yeah. Yeah, I do. I think it was selfish that you left. I'm not saying we would've won, but...I can't help thinking he wouldn't be as bad off if you'd helped."

Jay chuckles. "I think you think too highly of my ability to help."

"No, I think highly of you. You're smart Jay. You're reasonable. You're a nice balance with Harry and his...impulsive and aggressive mode of working. You know what you're doing and...I'm not sure about Harry yet, but I believe you care about Barry's well-being. And as far as I'm concerned, you don't get a say in what happens around here if you don't care about that." She says softly, looking at the ground.

"I do care about Barry. I care about all of you." Jay says, walking toward Caitlin. "I'm on your side."

"I know." Caitlin says, turning to look back at Barry. Her face drops. "Were you ever injured this bad?"

"No. Never this bad." Jay says sounding almost disappointed that he can't relate for her.

"I want to tell myself...I want to tell him that I know he's going to make a full recovery but...honestly, I'm not sure."

"He's a speedster. He'll be good as new before you know it." Jay says trying to sound encouraging.

"I'm not just talking physically. Jay he's..." She takes a deep breath and shakes her head, chuckling. "He's gonna fine." She tries to sound optimistic but fails.

"Hey." Jay grabs her arms and gently turns her toward him. "You can talk to me."

She gives him a weak smile. "I know. But right now, I just...I just want to talk to him. I want him to be okay."

Jay nods and pulls her in for a hug that she hesitantly returns. He pulls back and smiles at her. She returns the smile and walks back into her lab.

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

PHYSICAL THERAPY DAY 2:

"Can you feel that?" Caitlin asks Barry as she pokes him with a stick on his leg.

"Barely." He says dryly.

"Well barely is better than yesterday." She says in a soft optimistic tone. Barry sighs and rolls his eyes. She notices and her face drops for only a second before softening.

Her and Cisco help him up to his feet again. Today he is able to steady his feet, but he isn't able to put any weight on them. He moves his toes and flinches his ankles and knees, but nothing too extreme. Jay, Joe, and Cisco all echo Caitlin's praise that he's getting better, but he responds with the same sigh and eye roll.

Cisco brings him his favorite Thai food. Linda has come by to thank him for saving her and tell him how grateful she is. He unenthusiastically responded to both. Caitlin stabs him a bit more aggressively at the end of the day with the stick which caused him to flinch more than he had all day, but not by much.

"Well...you felt that." She says in a mock-proud voice. He rolls his eyes again. Maybe if she's lucky they'll get stuck there.

"Go home, Cait." Barry says. "I can take care of myself for a few hours so you can get some sleep." His voice lacked the concern for her sleep that his words had.

"I'm not going home, Bar."

He sighs and shifts in the bed to face away from her. She leans down to kiss him on the cheek. He doesn't give any sign that he even noticed. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. He'll get better. He'll get better.

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

PHYSICAL THERAPY DAY 3:

"Alright, let's just try vibrating. Can you vibrate your hand?" Caitlin asks. She's started using her doctor voice more, hoping it will receive less eye rolls. It doesn't.

Barry vibrates his hand for a few seconds before it stops, and he struggles to get it started again. She nods and writes down the time.

"Now lift your leg." She instructs.

"I can't." He says, sounding annoyed.

"Just try." She says, matching his tone. He tries and raises it a couple of inches before it starts shaking and drops again. She writes something down.

Joe, Jay, and Cisco notice the tension between them. Jay, Cisco, and Caitlin go get lunch while Joe stays behind. He hesitantly approaches Barry who is sitting in the wheelchair.

"She's doing her job, Bar." Joe says softly. Barry just nods, not making eye contact. "She believes in you. We all do."

"Great." He says flatly.

Joe sighs. "We're rooting for ya, kid. Even if you aren't." Joe says as he turns to walk out.

By the end of the day Barry can walk with supports under both arms in the form of Caitlin and Cisco. His steps are slow and unsteady, and are honestly more like peg legs, but they're steps. They walk him from the edge of Caitlin's lab to the bed and get him settled in for the evening.

Caitlin sits in her chair and falls asleep shortly after Barry does. She wakes up to a loud thud. She sits up and sees the bed is empty.

"Barry?" She asks in panic.

She hears a groan from the other side of the bed. She stands and runs to the other side and squats down next to him, straightening his legs and struggling to sit him up against the base of the bed.

"Are you okay?" She asks, her voice shaky.

He grunts and pulls away from her. "Yeah, I'm fine."

She sits down next to him on the floor, slightly out of breath from waking so suddenly and trying to pull his body up against the bed. After they both catch their breath Caitlin stands to try and help him back up on the bed. She walks to the end of the bed to lower it and walks back over to Barry. She leans down in front of him and puts her arms out.

"What are you doing?" He asks, staring at her.

"Getting you back into bed." Her voice is tired.

"I can do it myself. Just...give me a minute."

She sits next to him and waits. And waits. She can feel him subtly try to push himself with his hands a little every few minutes. He isn't getting very far. After an hour she turns to him. "Ready?" She asks softly.

He nods. He pushes himself to lay on the ground and tries to push himself to his knees but has to balance himself on the bed. When he attempts to pull himself up and put his leg up to stand on, he falls back over, shouting out in frustration. Caitlin assumes the shout is pain and quickly kneels next to him.

"I'm fine!" He snaps. "I can do it."

"Let me help you before you hurt yourself more." She says firmly. He pulls away from her again and in the process, finishes knocking himself to the ground. She can see his eyes watering. "Stop being stubborn please." She begs. Her voice pleading. "Let me help you."

He scoffs. "Just say 'I told you so' already." He snaps. She gives him a confused look. "I know you've been dying to."

She pulls him back up to a sitting position and this time she kneels, her legs on either side of him straddling his lap. She faces him and stares at him. She notices the tears in his eyes. She can see how scared he is. "I told you you're going to heal." She whispers to him, leaning close to him. "I told you you're getting better. I told you I believe in you." She rests her forehead against his. "I told you you're going to get through this." Her voice is barely a whisper. "I told you so. I told you so."

Caitlin feels Barry's body shake. She doesn't have to pull back to know he's crying. She kisses next to his lips and keep pressing kisses to his cheek, back to just below his ear and buries her head in the crook of his neck, pulling him toward her and wrapping her arms around him. She feels him slump into her and bury his head in her neck. His body is limp but shaking.

"I believe in you." She whispers.

"How can you?" He asks with a shaky voice.

She chuckles, pulling back and putting her hands on either side of his face. "How long you got?"

He gives her a weak smile. "All night."

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

PHYSICAL THERAPY DAY 4:

Cisco walks in to find Barry and Caitlin asleep on the floor, sitting up and leaning against the med bed. He walks up and waves his coffee in front of their faces. Caitlin doesn't open her eyes but leans toward the coffee, sniffing as she gets closer.

"Rise and shine!" Cisco yells.

Caitlin and Barry both wince at his yelling. Cisco helps Caitlin lift Barry, who is now able to help more with his legs, into the wheelchair. They spend the day getting him to walk further with the help of two people. He is able to vibrate his hand as long as he wants. While the rest of the team is ecstatic about his progress, all of the gentleness Barry was showing last night has faded. He is gruff with all of them again, annoyed when they get excited about the tiniest progress. He attempts to stand by himself and fails, having to get help from Caitlin and Cisco again to get back in the chair. He goes to bed, facing away from Caitlin and without saying goodnight.

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

PHYSICAL THERAPY DAY 5:

"Push against me." Caitlin instructs. She is holding Barry's foot, his knee pulled to his chest. He pushes her back successfully. She does it again but resists more. He pushes again but struggles more. She tries one more time with the same resistance. He tries to push but runs out of energy halfway through and gives up. He is out of breath and refuses to do his other leg. She sits in front of him with an emotionless face until he agrees. He rolls his eyes at this.

Jay tries to help him working on phasing his hand through objects and getting his legs to vibrate but has little success.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be more help." Jay says to Caitlin as he walks out of the cortex.

"It's okay. He isn't accepting much help lately anyway."

"Then don't make it optional." Jay suggests.

That evening Caitlin gets Barry into bed and kisses him goodnight, deciding that tomorrow she would stop being his girlfriend and start being his doctor.

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

PHYSICAL THERAPY DAY 6:

"To the door." Caitlin instructs. They've walked out of the cortex and are headed down the hall to Cisco's workshop. He is walking with their support on either side, but his steps are strong, if not still a little unbalanced.

"I can't make it to the door. Let's just go back." Barry argues.

"No. We go to the door. If you're tired, we'll take a break there, but you need to get there and back today." She says firmly. Barry sighs but does as he's told.

When they get back into the cortex, she lets him catch his breath before starting his other exercises. She is firm with him today. She doesn't let him slack. She makes sure he catches his breath but immediately starts again when he does. The soft tone she had been using was gone. Her voice was firm. Decisive. He rolled his eyes twice as often but didn't argue near as much.

"I'm gonna walk to bed." Barry states before everyone leaves.

"Barry." Caitlin warns. "Not yet. Cisco and I can support you while you walk, but you're not ready to do it by yourself yet."

"I can do it." He says again.

"At least use the cane." She says, not in a pleading tone, but more instructing. She walks up and tries to hand him the cane. He pushes it away.

"You believe in me, right?" He snaps.

She sighs. "Yes. But,"

"But nothing. I can do this."

Barry pushes himself up from the chair and stands. He takes one weak and unsteady step toward the bed. Caitlin cautiously watches. He takes another step. He is breathing heavily. She can tell he's using all his energy to stay upright. He takes another step, his leg shaking.

"Barry." She pleads.

He takes another step, his knee folding, and he falls to the floor. Caitlin rushes to help him up but he pushes her off.

"Dammit, Barry let me help you." She argues, trying to get under his arm.

"No, I can get up myself." He says firmly. She stops struggling with him and looks at him. Her eyes pleading. "Go home Caitlin."

"No."

"Yes. I don't need you monitoring me every minute. Just go home. Leave me alone for one night." He begs. "Please."

She lets go of him and takes a step back. She turns and looks at Cisco and Joe, walking toward them. "Get him back in bed. Make sure he has water. Put the chair right next to his bed for him to get in if he needs to get something. Make sure he puts his oxygen tube in before you leave." She takes a deep breath. "And...I guess I'll be in the guest quarters tonight in case he needs something." She says quietly so Barry can't hear.

Joe and Cisco nod, giving her an apologetic look. Joe gives Barry a scolding look, but he just rolls his eyes again.

"Those damn things are gonna be stuck in the back of your head if you do that one more time." Joe threatens. The two walk over to start following Caitlin's instructions.

Caitlin walks down to the guest quarters where she sees Jay getting ready for bed. He sits on one of the twin-sized beds and smiles at her.

"Looks like I'm rooming with you tonight." She jokes half-heartedly.

"Trouble with Barry?" He asks.

Caitlin sits on the other bed and nods. "He's just...discouraged. And I don't know how to fix that. I'm a doctor, not a therapist. I can't...I don't know how to make him believe in himself again."

"He's a speedster who can barely walk. When he can run again, he'll get better." Jay says.

"It's not that. Zoom didn't just hurt his body. He..." Caitlin looks like she's going to throw up. "He broke him. He humiliated him and tore him down in front of the town who looks up to him. The town that inspired him to be the Flash in the first place. It's gonna take longer than a week and a lot more than some leg exercises to put him back together."

"Well...he has a great team to help him." Jay says, walking over to sit next to Caitlin. "He has you."

She turns to him and smiles. "Thanks, Jay."

"Anytime, Cait."