In A Blink ? Barry Allen/The Flash

18.

"Caitlin, pay attention. His wounds are starting to heal with the fragments still under his skin," Dr. Wells warned, turning his attention back on the Flash. Ronnie and Natalie slowly walked over, Caitlin still in the way of The Flash's face as she plucked out the spikes and set them in the container Cisco was holding.

Cisco gagged slightly as the spikes hit the container, the blood staining the sides, "This is just like the time I stepped on a sea urchin. Only much worse."

Ronnie stepped back by Caitlin as Natalie walked by the foot of the bed, her breath catching in her throat as her eyes fell upon The Flash, her eyes slowly traveling up is body. The crimson red suit, the spikes covered in his blood, the way his chest heaved, and then he spoke.

"Yeah..just don't pee on me." Natalie's stomach flipped when she heard the voice. Her eyes flickered up to the faceless mask of The Flash. It was Barry. His face was contorted in pain as Caitlin pulled out each spike individually. He glanced over at Cisco and followed his gaze to Natalie, his face falling into a sad expression, broken only when Caitlin pulled out another spike. Natalie shook her head and made her way over by Cisco by Barry's head.

"Umm.. Is there anything I can do..to help," Nat asked staring at Barry's body. His gaze focused solely on her, gasping in pain a Caitlin removed each spike. Cisco picked up another pair of tweezers, "No one else wanted to pluck them out."

Natalie nodded her head and held the tweezers in her hand, scanning over Barry's body before she went to pull a spike. Hesitating slightly as she squeezed it, Natalie yanked up, pulling the spike out as quickly as she could and dropped it in Cisco's container, wincing at Barry's pain.

"Nat..I wanted..I'm so sorry-" Barry tried to say, heaving in-between breaths. Natalie shushed him, "Later, okay?"

Barry nodded and tried to hold in his screams as Caitlin and Natalie each pulled out spikes, Caitlin quicker and more precise than Nat of course. Caitlin shook her head as she worked, "I'm so stupid. The grad student who was helping Professor Stein with his F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M. research, he said that the army took all of Professor Stein's material when he disappeared. I should of known it was General Eiling."

"It's not your fault," Dr. Wells said as he watched the two girls work. "He still thinks you hold the keys to the ultimate human weapon. Both of you," he said as he looked at Ronnie.

"Okay," Barry said, straining under the pain, "Let's finish this. I gotta get to Stein's house. Eiling's gonna be after him too."

Ronnie looked like he sensed something and turned towards the entrance of the room, "Stein's fine. He's right there."

Standing in the doorway was an elderly man that Natalie had never met, "It seems Mr. Raymond and I aren't as..distinctive as we hoped."

Caitlin and Natalie finished up pulling the spikes out of Barry and cleaned up the blood that was left on the tools as Barry went to go change out of the suit. As Caitlin set up some equipment to test Ronnie and Professor Stein, Nat took a seat on a stool. She felt someone elbow her side and looked up to see Barry, "Is it later now?"

Barry led the way out of the testing room and into a hallway similar to the one she first came through. Turning around and scratching the back of his neck, Barry stood, watching Natalie, trying to read her thoughts. Natalie stood there, trying to wrap her head around everything.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner Nat, but you have to understand that I couldn't. Not then. I was going to tell you soon, but not like this. I wanted to be the one to tell you, to bring you here. Not have you shot at and have to help patch me up," Barry started, shaking his head as he spoke.