Father's Love

After about ten minutes of playful checking, Joe arrived—Cisco had notified him.

Joe rushed into the surgery and hugged Barry like a bear, wrapping his arms around him tightly.

"My boy, I was so worried about you," Joe said happily, holding Barry.

Barry smiled, touched, and said, "Joe, I'm fine. I'm recovering fast. See? I can jump and run again."

To prove it, he hopped a couple of times playfully.

Joe patted Barry's arm, then grabbed both of his shoulders seriously. "Barry, I suggest you go back to focusing on your work. You already have a job at the police station."

Barry looked confused. "Joe, what do you mean..."

"Put away that red suit. Stop this foolishness. Okay?" Joe's tone was stern and sharp.

Caitlin let out an "Mm-hmm," nodding in agreement. She couldn't stand the superhero antics these men had gotten into.

Joe gave her a strange look.

"Don't look at me. I'm on your side," Caitlin said.

Put away the red suit? How could that work? If he didn't wear that suit and act as The Flash, what about the future? Lin Li didn't care—Barry was fast enough to run through time anyway, so the future didn't matter to him. But Dr. Wells was anxious. He needed The Flash to appear and stabilize the future.

"Detective, we all want what's best for Barry..." Dr. Wells began.

But Joe cut him off. "If you want what's best for Barry, you should talk some sense into him, not let him go out there and risk his life. He almost died again."

Barry was unhappy with Joe's words. "Joe, you saw it. There's a meta who can control the weather..."

"So what? You almost got killed. You almost died. You're just a little faster than most. You can't handle this. Stop this nonsense."

Joe's voice was harsh. He really didn't want Barry to take such risks—it was too dangerous. He'd already planned to have a serious talk with Barry about quitting this hero business. Seeing Barry in that hospital bed only reinforced how dangerous it was. This couldn't continue.

Faced with Joe's lack of understanding, anger rose in Barry's heart. "I saved you. I saved Eddie. I saved everyone on that street. Without me, you'd all be dead. I have the power to do this, so I have to."

Joe crossed his arms and snapped, "You think running a little faster and saving a few people makes you a hero? That you're something special? Wake up, Barry. Lin Li is way stronger than you. Leave this to him. You're still a kid—my kid. Stop this fantasy hero act."

Joe's scolding ignited Barry's fury. "I'm not your kid, Joe. You're not my father."

"My father is rotting in prison, full of injustice."

"And it was your mistake that put him there. This time, it was your mistake too."

"I saved you. I saved Eddie. And you yell at me, deny me. I don't know what I did wrong."

"I can't save my father. But if I can save others from disaster or stop criminals, I will—without hesitation."

"I'm not your pet. You can't stop me."

Barry finished his outburst, then vanished in a blur, leaving a gust of wind and a trail of yellow lightning as he sped out of the surgery. His foster father's lack of understanding and rejection of his actions cut deep. The person closest to him never seemed to understand his thoughts. Furious, he raced away.

The wind hit Joe's face. His eyes glistened with tears as he watched Barry disappear. Those words—"I'm not your kid. You're not my father"—shattered him. After raising Barry for over a decade, the bond was carved into his bones. Barry was like a son to him. In that moment, the clash between a father's love and a child's actions left him in pain. Everything he wanted for Barry was for his own good, but Barry just couldn't see it.

It's a problem every father and child face. A father's love tries to control; a child's will only wants approval.

It was a family matter. No one else could interfere. Only after Barry left and Joe walked away did the tense atmosphere ease.

"The Flash and his foster dad are fighting? Is Barry's hero plan dead?" Cisco made finger guns and pointed at the others, hoping for an answer. He loved being a hero's support. He didn't want to lose such a cool gig after just a couple of weeks.

Caitlin didn't answer. She just shook her head. "Barry and Joe must be hurting so much. They both care about each other so deeply."

"This is something Barry needs to sort out. And I believe he will. Right now, our priority is finding the Weather Wizard."

Wells turned his wheelchair and left the surgery.

Cisco followed him out. He needed to head to the control room to monitor things and repair the Lightning Suit.

Caitlin stayed behind to tidy up the surgery—it was her domain after all.

She noticed Lin Li standing there like a statue. "Lin Li? What are you doing, standing there like a block of wood? Or do you want to help me clean up?"

Lin Li shook his head, snapping out of it. "Huh? Oh, I'm heading to the underground training room."

Without a hint of chivalry, he walked off, leaving Caitlin to clean up alone.

Caitlin shrugged and continued tidying up.

The moment Barry left, Lin Li felt the Speed Force in his mind—once just a tiny spark—suddenly expand, surging with a massive influx of power. His head was filled with it again, just like before.

So it really only generates when Barry runs?

Lin Li pondered deeply. The Speed Force in his head troubled him, especially because he couldn't control it. He'd felt what it was like to use it—that godlike sensation. He'd once hoped to wield that power, but the Speed Force never responded, so he gave up.

He'd thought that tiny spark of Speed Force in his head would just stay there forever—like a faint star, neither growing nor shrinking.

But then Barry ran, and he felt it again.

The Speed Force was once again enveloping his mind. Why? What was it wrapping around? And yet, it didn't interfere with his brain function at all. It just sat there quietly, only sending out warnings when Barry's life was in danger.

There was definitely something strange about this Speed Force in his head.

I need to study it.

With that thought, Lin Li headed straight to the control room. He downloaded all of Barry's data from the main computer—including the past two days' physical stats. He needed to figure out why this Speed Force, which belonged to Barry, was inside his own head.

Lin Li's actions once again sparked Wells' suspicion, especially when he saw Lin Li downloading all of Barry's information onto his tablet for study.