Barry's mind was screaming at him to run after Zoom and get Cisco back but he could barely move at all from where he lay shaking on the floor. His vision was harshly blurred and his head spun, making him so dizzy he felt as if he were at sea during a storm, lifting and falling on crashing waves, about to tip over at any moment.

The hero scrunched his eyes shut against the sharp lights of the lab but he could feel the light stabbing through his eyelids. He groaned as a hard shiver rolled through him, and suddenly became aware of the hands on his goose-bumped skin, their voices piercing the air with their concerned tones.

"Barry can you hear me? I need you to try and slow your breathing, you're going into shock."

"Caitlin? I don't feel good."

Her hand was on his shoulder, gently but sternly trying to flatten him on the ground as he instinctively curled in on himself.

"I know but you'll be okay, just keep breathing and try to stay awake."

Barry squinted his eyes open to look at the Doctor as she leaned over him and saw that Iris was there too. Caitlin turned to the other girl and started giving instructions, her voice calm and decisive, making Barry feel instantly better. Caitlin knew what to do, shed take care of him, she always does.

"We need to set up some IV's and get some fluids and sugar into him. Go get the bed and find some blankets if you can, he's shaking so badly I don't think he's going to be able to get there on his own."

Barry thought he should have been ashamed, shaking on the floor of the cortex in front of a girl he's had a crush on since childhood and a woman as smart as he was and far more beautiful, but he was so glad that they were there to take care of him. He felt awful; his heart thumping hard in his chest as he shook uncontrollably and fought to stay conscious.

Iris darted away to follow Caitlin's instructions, leaving the Doctor to check the hero over. Her gentle hands taking his pulse, monitoring his breathing and temperature, all the while calming Barry and making him feel safe. She had a crease between her eyebrows as she concentrated and she was muttering things to herself.

When Iris came back, the familiar hospital bed in tow with extra blankets piled on top, Barry was almost curled into himself again. He was shaking so badly he thought he might rattle the beds screws out, and that was if he could get onto the bed in the first place. Caitlin lifted Barry's chin with a finger, demanding his attention.

"We're going to get you into bed okay?" She turned to Iris. "Take his other arm and put it around your shoulder we'll support his balance and weight so we can direct him into the bed alright?"

Iris nodded, helping Caitlin slowly sit Barry up and waiting for him to swallow his nausea before taking his arm around her shoulders. Caitlin did the same on Allen's other side, both woman holding his waist and waiting for him to get his shaky legs ready.

Barry's limbs felt so heavy and clumsy as they shook that it took almost all of his concentration just to get his feet under himself when they lifted. Once he was on his feet they shuffled over to the bed, mostly dragging him, before laying him down on the familiar mattress.

Iris immediately started pulling the blankets down, arranging Barry underneath them, tucking her best friend in as Caitlin pushed the bed to the small room with all her medical equipment.

Dr Snow was a whirlwind, in her element and in control as she set up machines, placing IV lines and hooking up monitors. Iris could do nothing but watch the woman work and hold Barry's hand, rubbing his trembling arm in an attempt to rid him of his goose-bumps.

Once everything was finished Caitlin took some blood samples and ran off to test them. Barry thought Iris might have been saying to him but after all the days excitement he simply had no energy left to listen and he let his eyelids fall shut as unconsciousness swallowed him whole.

….

Caitlin had taken so much blood the past few days that Barry thought he might actually run out. She was testing and retesting his cells and his DNA, trying to figure out what happened and how his body was adjusting to his sudden loss of powers.

Barry hated being without his powers. He felt weak and tired and stupidly human without them. Being at S.T.A.R Labs didn't help, his Flash suit sitting mockingly in front of him and Cisco's monitors going off with crime alerts, all reminding him of what he had lost.

Cisco had come back, Zoom having released him once the breach was open to his home world, and Barry was glad he was okay. At least there were a few things to celebrate. Zoom left, Cisco's back, Wally's safe. Barry made the list in his head when his thoughts got particularly sulky but after a few days repeating the same short list he had begun failing to see the accomplishment in what he had done.

Joe kept reminding him that he had saved Wally's life, something he could never thank him enough for, and that he still had a job to do at the CCPD.

"You still save people Barry, you just don't have to wear a mask when you do it." Sure, Barry thought, catching someone's murderer was all well and good but it didn't stop them from being dead. He wasn't saving anybody, he was just cleaning the mess up afterward.

Barry used to love his job but there was just no comparing it to being the Flash. So when the S.T.A.R Labs monitors picked up a robbery in progress Barry couldn't help but put on his Flash suit and go intervene.

He knew he should leave it to the police but he was fairly sure it was a meta-human and there wasn't much they could do about a woman that could cause earthquake like tremors. So, ignoring the Joe sounding voice in his head telling him not to be stupid, the hero left.

Taking a taxi to the bank being robbed was embarrassing but Barry forged ahead, crashing through the doors of the bank with a bang. There were already police outside, with thankfully no sign of Joe, and they looked pleased to see the Flash. Barry just hoped no one noticed his lack of lightning and less than grand entrance.

The meta human looked towards Barry as he came in, snarling and throwing her bags of stolen cash to the floor with a grunt. Taking a quick look around Barry saw cracks in the floor and walls and there was a group of terrified hostages huddled together, hands tied behind them.

"Well damn. I thought you might have disappeared or died and wouldn't be here to stop me. No one's seen you in a bit Flash and I have to say I'm not that happy to see you."

Barry opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted when the com system crackled to life in his ear, a panicked voice on the other end.

"Barry what the hell do you think you're doing?!" Cisco sounded panicked and Barry could hear someone else yelling in the background.

Barry muttered back to his friend, looking up at a now confused Meta human.

"Now's not really the best time buddy."

"She could kill you Barry! Get out of there, there's nothing you can do to stop her just let the police handle it. Joe's almost there with The Boot he can-"

Barry interrupted, shaking his head and starting towards the waiting criminal in front of him.

"I can do this Cisco. Just like I have a hundred times before."

Cisco continued to shout into the coms but Barry ignored it, running at the Meta as she smiled.

Quake, as Barry was sure Cisco would name her, flung her hands out and Barry watched as the air rippled, like waves of heat coming towards him. In that moment, being faced with powers as strong and uncontrollable as an earthquake, Barry longed for his powers. He was desperately empty of the speed force and he could do nothing but cry out in pain as the waves of force crashed into him and flung him to a nearby wall.

Quake laughed as Barry smacked against the unforgiving stone, crumpling to the floor and curling in on himself as he felt his bones break.

"Well, if I had known it would be this easy I would have started robbing banks a lot sooner. You're not going to fight back Flash? Just gonna lay there and give up? That's a good idea. I'll just take my things and go. Maybe I'll take a hostage or two as insurance that you won't follow me. If you do I'll turn every bone in their body to dust, how about that huh? That sound like fun?"

She turned her back on him, not at all worried about what he could do while her back was turned, and picked up her bags of cash. Barry groaned and bit his lip, trying to get back on his feet to face her. His arm felt broken and his ribs were crunching when he moved, definitely a bad sign, making it hard to breathe. But he would not be deterred. Shakily, the hero go to his feet, locking his knees to keep himself standing.

He didn't really know what he was going to do to stop her but he could at least distract her, keep her occupied till Joe came. He couldn't let her hurt or take any of the innocent people here.

"How about we go another round. Give me another chance to knock you on your ass."

The Meta sighed, moving away from the hostages and turning around with a smirk.

"That does sound like fun. When you first showed up I was worried about you stopping me but this is just too easy. I'm starting to think you haven't got any powers at all. I haven't seen one flicker of lightning on you and you since you got here and you haven't used your speed yet."

Barry faked a smile, praying Joe would get here soon.

"Maybe I wanted to give myself a challenge. It'd be too easy to take you down with my speed."

Quake tilted her head and frowned, pretending to be thinking about it.

"No I don't think so. I don't think you have your speed at all."

She flung her hands out again throwing another wall of rippling air at him and Barry could only brace himself before it hit him. The waves flung him off his feet and sent him to the floor again, cracking his head against the stone, sending him tumbling into blackness.

Joe got to the bank in time to see the Meta knock Barry out, the boy lying crumpled and still on the ground. The detective set his jaw and fired The Boot, watching the metal cuff clamp around Quake's leg and securing her to the floor. She screamed in anger and tried to use her powers to take it off but it stayed put, much to Joe's relief.

Dropping the peculiar gun, Joe ran to his son's side and placed two shaking fingers to the boy's wrist, fingers finding the gap between the suit and gloves in order to do so. He sighed in relief at the thumping pulse and took out his phone. Cisco picked up on the first ring.

"The Meta's been booted but Barry's hurt. I can't tell how badly but he's unconscious, and I think his arm might be broken." The limb was crooked, a slight bend in the middle that made Joe want to throw up.

"Yeah his suits sending back his vitals and they don't look too good. I'll bring Caitlin with the van just let the police take the Meta and try to keep everyone away from Barry."

Joe could hear Caitlin in the background, saying something about a head injury, before Cisco's voice came back over the line.

"Oh and you probably shouldn't move him."

(dont worry I will be doing the sick thing in the next chapter its just hard to explain and write about cause duh im not a doctor or a scientist so its a little hard to find an explanation that works while trying ti think of something that will fix it all.)