Canary After Lightning

Five

The hospital was dark, hundreds of people rushing around with flashlights, doctors racing to save patients, new patients coming in every other second. It was absolute chaos.

"Hey" Eddie and Singh walked over. "How are you feeling"

"Good" I croaked, "Better than the others coming through"

The doctors had been so overwhelmed, they had to put me in the hallway with other non-critical patients. I wasn't badly injured, a bump on the head and really sore throat. "Your mother is on her way and your family in Starling City have been notified," Singh says, I simply nod.

"Barry?" I asked.

"Joe and Iris said he's in critical condition," Eddie said. I nodded looking down at my hands. I have a shitty love life...

~

I got discharged since the doctors couldn't find anything wrong, so I was sitting in the waiting room with my mom, waiting on news from Iris or Joe. "Have you called Oliver or Laurel?" Mom asked.

"No" I croaked. "I don't want to until we get news"

"Oh baby" she comforted me, "He's going to be okay, he's going to live"

We stayed for hours, the lights came on a few minutes before Joe came out. "Hey," He said, "What are you still doing here?"

"I couldn't- I couldn't leave without news," I said.

"He's in a coma" Joe sighed, "He's alive, but the doctors say not many people wake up"

I sighed, "It's all my fault," I said, "I should've helped him with the- with the chain"

"Hey now" Joe sat next to me and wrapped his arm around me, "He wouldn't want you to blame yourself, he didn't want you to help cause he didn't want you to get hurt"

"I brought you some coffee and soup" Mom pulled it out, "I know your not gonna want to leave his side"

"Thank you" Joe took it, "Want to come and see him?"

I nodded and he led me to Barry's room. He was hooked up to dozens of machines and IV lines. Iris was sleeping on one side of the room, there was another chair right at his bedside. I sat down as Joe went and woke up Iris. "Huh?" she asked.

"Come on, let's let Avery have a minute" Joe ushered Iris out.

I took Barry's and leaned on the bed. "I have a real shitty love life" I croaked, tears stinging at my eyes. "I know you won't want me to blame myself, but I do, I should've reacted better. I should have used all that training, I should've known to get us out of there the moment that beacon shot up, god... I'm sorry Barry"

~

I laid in bed, wide awake. After my brief visit with Barry, mom took me home and I went to my room immediately. I didn't sleep, I barely moved. "Avery, the phone is for you" Mom came in, handing me the house phone.

"Hello?" I croaked.

"Oh thank god," Oliver said, "I saw the news"

"Barry was struck by lightning," I said.

"What?" He asked.

"He was struck by lightning. We were in his lab at CCPD, watching the Particle Accelerator when it began to explode, he went to close the sunroof and I went to call my mom and the lightning came through the roof and struck him" I explained. "He's in a coma"

"Oh my god, Ave" Oliver sighed. 

"I just got back from the hospital a few hours ago, but it's not looking good" I sighed, rubbing my throat. "Why was I cursed with a terrible love life?"

"Don't say that Avery," He said, "You are not cursed"

"I am cursed," I said, "I don't think I'm going to be coming back soon, are you guys going to be able to handle everything without me?"

"Yea, take your time, Ave," He said, "We'll be waiting for updates"

I hung up and laid down thinking everything over. What the hell was I going to do?

~

I ate breakfast in silence, reading the newspaper which of course was all about the Particle Accelerator exploding. "17 dead" Mom sighed.

"It was supposed to save people, not kill them" I croaked, my throat still pretty sore. "I saw this guy at the launch"

I pointed at one of the victims, a man about my age, "Poor soul" Mom shook her head, "Ronnie Raymond, a structural engineer for STAR labs"

"He was so proud standing behind Harrison Wells, god..." I huffed and put my bowl away and leaning on the counter. 

"Why not call your dad?" Mom suggested, "He's going to be worried"

"I'll do that in a bit, I'm going to take a shower," I said, "I need to think"

"I can't believe you!" Sara exclaimed, shoving me onto the bed.

"Me!? You're doing the exact same thing as me! A little more skimpy may I add" I motioned to her outfit.

"Shut up," She said, "You're supposed to be the good little girl who listens to dad, weren't you just accepted to Washington State!?"

"There's no such thing as a good girl, Sara" I stood up, pushing her back a bit and moving to the other side of the room, swaying a bit as the boat rocked again. "I got sick and tired of being compared to her every single day, so I decided why don't I get Oliver to compare me to her?"

"You're the Queen of Partying aren't you?" She asks, crossing her arms.

"Tommy and Oliver have given me the kind of attention I wanted," I said, "They never compared me to Laurel, they never expected anything out of me, other than to be their friend and someone they could rely on. So what if I got closer to Oliver? I finally had someone that respected me more than my sister... so I thought"

"This is my first time with him," Sara said. "I flirted with him once, but he ignored me"

"Probably preparing for me to leave," I said sitting down on the bed, "I told him this would be my last trip with him"

"Why?" Sara asked.

"I have to grow up at some point. I'm going to school, I'm going to be a detective like dad, and I am going to move on, I'm not telling Laurel about this ever" I said, "If she hadn't figured it out by now, then she shouldn't know"

"Can I come in?" Oliver knocked, stepping in. "I'm sorry"

"Don't be," I said, standing up and pouring myself a glass of champagne, "I should've known you'd replace me"

"I'm not replacing you," Oliver said, "I could never replace you"

"As much as I hate what he's saying, he's right," Sara said.

"We're turning around," Oliver said, "The storm is too treacherous for us to carrying on"

"Than I guess this is our final-" A loud boom echoed. "What the hell"

Everything started sliding, we hit the wall together, glass shattering and everything moving. "Avery" Oliver reached out for me as I crawled. "Sara"

"Ollie" I called, reaching for him, but in seconds I hit a cold surface before sinking below the water.

It became quiet, the occasional creak of the Gambit above, but still. I sunk lower and lower, my airways become closed, and my eyes shutting. I would die here. I would never make it home, I would never meet Barry Allen, I would never follow him to Central City. This is where I would die... Had I not heard the water moving.

My eyes opened, and I got a glimpse of Oliver swimming down, reaching out for me. I had to swim... I had to...