Only Because I Need You

Calm

Caitlin relaxed into her seat in the cortex. The previously loud chatter had dimmed to a small murmur as Harry had returned to his quarters, and no one was there any longer to argue with Cisco. She was biting down on her lip subconsciously, her eyes travelled to the large metal door that separated the Cortex from the medical wing, where they had moved Ethan to. The small boy was there as well. He had not awoken from his slumber, and Caitlin was beginning to fear he never would. They knew so little about his history, for all they know he could have been the very thing that brought Ethan to their time. She clasped her hands on top of her lap. Her shoulders were slumped inwards and her eyes were slowly closing over. It had been a long day, "I still can't get over the fact that Caitlin told Ethan he was being childish," Iris laughed, and Caitlin's attention was pulled back to the present at the mention of her name.

Iris and Barry were standing side by side, their hands were intertwined together. Barry seemed slightly lost in thought, even his civilian clothing was slightly dishevelled. Caitlin pulled her eyes away from the couple to her best friend who was seated right next to her, his chocolaty eyes were creased with amusement, "I know," he turned his attention to his friend, "like gurl you put him in his place,"

She shrugged her shoulders, "it was a force of habit," she replied, playfully glaring at her friend. Cisco pouted and crossed his arms over his chest, but his eyes never lost their playful excitement.

"Sorry we are late," the clicking of heels and lumbering footsteps caused the entire team to turn to the doorway where Cecile and Joe strode in together. Their faces were alight with joy and happiness.

"No it's fine, we have the situation under control now," Iris smiled at them, a glimmer of pride was evident in her eyes.

Cecile's gaze flicked over the the door which lead to the medical wing. Her eyebrows pulled into a thin line of concern. Her body swivelled towards the door, her frame remained slightly frigid, as though she were a child home alone and had heard footsteps upstairs, "what can you hear Cecile?" Joe asked, he watched her intently.

"I can hear someone screaming," she muttered, her eyes grew wide. Caitlin and Cisco shared a concerned look, "it sounds just like..." she cocked her head to the side and her gaze flicked over to Barry, "just like Barry," Caitlin felt a sickening wave of nausea wash over her. Of course, she had nearly forgotten about Cecile's mind reading capabilities. She could probable hear Ethan, but why was he screaming? The most likely answer was simply that he was having a bad dream.

Caitlin rose to her feet, she supposed Cecile should know exactly who's thoughts she was hearing. She strode over to the Medical Wing, opening the double doors. She caught the eyes of Barry and he simply nodded, flashing her a reassuring smile. She swallowed hard and gestured for Cecile to follow her. The Medical Wing was small, only the size of a hospital Ward. Hospital beds were pressed up against one wall, leaving two meters between each one. Several medical devices were lined up next to the beds, most of them were turned off but a couple were in use. The opposite end of the room was covered in cabinets and storage compartments where Caitlin stored all of her supplies. The two beds closest to the door were both occupied. One was occupied by the small child, his chest rose and fell evenly. The other bed however, contained someone much more dangerous and disturbed. Caitlin strode over to the side of Ethan's bed, Cecile and Joe trailed at her heels, their eyes widening as the took in the familiar form that looked just like Barry. Joe clenched his teeth, he knew exactly who it was.

Barry leant in the doorway, his eyes scanning the form of his future self. Iris stood by him, her eyes were watching Caitlin. "This is Ethan," Caitlin gestured to the him. His breathing was ragged and uneven, but there was no sign of any rasp. His features were screwed up, he was grinding his teeth harshly enough that it was audible for Caitlin. The heart monitor connected to Ethan was beeping too quickly for her liking, she had hoped that his heart rate would settle after a few hours, but because of her luck, it hadn't. His skin was covered in a slick sheen of sweat, which lead her to believe that the venom was still affecting his body just as badly as when he was brought to her.

"Isn't that Savitar?" Joe regarded Ethan out of the corner of his eyes.

"Wait? As in the Savitar that is dead?" Cecile raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but this is his younger self from the future," Caitlin smiled as Cecile's expression did not change.

"Riggghhhttt," Cecile nodded, "of course, I should have know," a slight chuckle entered her voice. She must have been picking up habits from Joe. Caitlin felt her smile widen, that pair seemed perfect for one and other. She was so happy that they had finally found someone that they both felt they could rely on. Cecile's eyes snapped back to Ethan, she tilted her head to the side, "that's funny," she knitted her eyebrows together, "every time one of us talks his dream changes a little,"

Caitlin nodded, "Yeah, although he is unconscious, all his senses are still functional, so they will be incorporated into his dreams," she studied him. The venom pumping through his veins had probably sent this body into panic mode, meaning that his mind would be filled with anxious and nasty visions.

There was definitely something she could do about those scars. They looked as though they were still raw and maybe she could even fix his eyes as well. Although she would need to obtain permission from him, and that would be more difficult than the actual procedure, "quick question?" Caitlin felt a slightly devious smirk cross her lips. Cecile nodded, her eyes glinted with the same mischief. Caitlin reached over Ethan's body and clicked her fingers next to the ear that was riddled with scars, "did his mind react to that noise at all?"

Cecile screwed up her eyes, "no, not really," from the corner of Caitlin's eyes, she could see Barry standing up straight, his head tilted in curiosity. He wasn't sure what she was doing.

Caitlin brought her fingers around to his other, healthy, ear and repeated her click, "what about that time?"

Cecile's eyes spread wide, "he did not like that," her mouth slowly fell agape, "he is very vocal... and he sure had been through quite a bit," his face twitched before pulling into an angry frown. Cecile stared at his face, her eyes began to softly water and she wrapped and arm around Joe.

"Well, it is as I suspected," Caitlin murmured, "his hearing is severely damaged in his left ear, the cause of which is most likely the same thing that gave him those scars,"

Joe pulled Cecile into a soft hug. He looked down at his beloved. Her eyes glistened with tears brought emotion to his own eyes. Whatever she was hearing was mostly likely from Ethan's past. A past so horrid that it had driven a man with a heart of gold to the edge of insanity. He studied the speedster's resting face. He looked angry and in pain, but he wore the same face as Barry. Joe could feel his insides screaming to help his son, to protect him from his fear and pain. He had to remind himself that he was the man who had tried to kill his daughter and the woman he had fallen in love with. He was a broken and beat down version of Barry, who seemed to have no redeemable features. He wanted to hate Ethan, he really did, but knowing that he was Barry, no matter how screwed up, stayed his emotions. He needed to focus on the positives, how he still had his version of Barry and that Iris was still alive.