It hurts his heart to see Caitlin so scared, but Cisco focuses on the important part: getting her out of the elevator in one piece. If he doesn't do this exactly the right way… Well...The smear of crimson on the floor comes to mind. Cisco feels like he's going to be sick, but he doesn't let himself process that feeling. Head in the game, Ramon, he tells himself. Keep your head in the game.
His whole body tenses as Caitlin comes closer and he isn't surprised, but he is relieved when she's careful to mind her step nearing the blood on the floor.
"Okay," he echoes back, swallowing thickly. This is Caitlin. This isn't some stranger he's trying to do a good deed for. It's Caitlin. She's like a sister to him and if he screws this up, then her blood will be on his hands. So he's trying to reassure himself as much as he is her with that parroted "okay."
Cisco takes a deep breath and raises his arms over his head, moving just slightly so that there's space for Caitlin to get past him rather than bumping straight into him. The metal leg feels suddenly so much heavier than it really is. He nods at her suggestion. "On three," he agrees, looking her back in the eye. She trusts him more than he trusts himself right now, if that look in her eye is anything to go by.
"One…"
He raises his arms a little higher, lining up the metal robot leg with the space between the elevator doors.
"Two…"
Cisco looks back at her and forces what he hopes is a reassuring smile before his eyes shift back to the robot leg in his hands. He takes one more step forward and to the side and takes a deep breath.
"Three," Cisco says and he shoves the robot leg in between the doors. It isn't long enough to take up the whole space, so the doors start to snap shut anyway. They hit either end of the leg with a nasty metallic clang before starting to actually crush it.
It all happens so fast. The doors slam against the leg and Caitlin's jumping and Cisco's grabbing her by the arms to pull her forward once her hands are free and, just like that, before he can process anything that just happened, the elevator doors slam shut and Cisco shifts himself to block Caitlin while raising an arm to shield his face as what little is left of the robot leg he meant to dissect, sprays at them in jagged little pieces before shattering to the floor.
"Holy shhhh—" tumbles out of his mouth before he realizes that he needs to make sure Caitlin is actually in one piece after all. He steps back with his hands on her shoulders. "Are you okay? Hey, huh? You good? Are you good?" The words spew from him so fast that they probably sound a jumbled mess, and his hands are shaking as they hold onto her, but he's looking right at her and he thinks she might actually be okay.
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His whole body tenses as Caitlin comes closer and he isn't surprised, but he is relieved when she's careful to mind her step nearing the blood on the floor.
"Okay," he echoes back, swallowing thickly. This is Caitlin. This isn't some stranger he's trying to do a good deed for. It's Caitlin. She's like a sister to him and if he screws this up, then her blood will be on his hands. So he's trying to reassure himself as much as he is her with that parroted "okay."
Cisco takes a deep breath and raises his arms over his head, moving just slightly so that there's space for Caitlin to get past him rather than bumping straight into him. The metal leg feels suddenly so much heavier than it really is. He nods at her suggestion. "On three," he agrees, looking her back in the eye. She trusts him more than he trusts himself right now, if that look in her eye is anything to go by.
"One…"
He raises his arms a little higher, lining up the metal robot leg with the space between the elevator doors.
"Two…"
Cisco looks back at her and forces what he hopes is a reassuring smile before his eyes shift back to the robot leg in his hands. He takes one more step forward and to the side and takes a deep breath.
"Three," Cisco says and he shoves the robot leg in between the doors. It isn't long enough to take up the whole space, so the doors start to snap shut anyway. They hit either end of the leg with a nasty metallic clang before starting to actually crush it.
It all happens so fast. The doors slam against the leg and Caitlin's jumping and Cisco's grabbing her by the arms to pull her forward once her hands are free and, just like that, before he can process anything that just happened, the elevator doors slam shut and Cisco shifts himself to block Caitlin while raising an arm to shield his face as what little is left of the robot leg he meant to dissect, sprays at them in jagged little pieces before shattering to the floor.
"Holy shhhh—" tumbles out of his mouth before he realizes that he needs to make sure Caitlin is actually in one piece after all. He steps back with his hands on her shoulders. "Are you okay? Hey, huh? You good? Are you good?" The words spew from him so fast that they probably sound a jumbled mess, and his hands are shaking as they hold onto her, but he's looking right at her and he thinks she might actually be okay.