It's Been Done Before
Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, nor am I affiliated in any way with the copyright owners of Fullmetal Alchemist. Fullmetal Alchemist's story line and characters are copyrighted to Hiromu Arakawa and the various companies who produced the manga, anime and merchandise.
A/N: Oneshot. Complete. Originally part of Random Ficlets, which I decided to delete. I wanted to post each story contained there as its own story. Originally posted forever ago. OOC? Perhaps, but Ed's allowed because he has a fever, and Izumi... well... You'll see. I haven't found very many Parental!Izumi/Ed fics, so I decided to write my own. I love Izumi, she is my favorite female character.
Izumi smiled tenderly as she sat on the edge of the bed, her hand laying carefully on a warm brow. "Oh Edward, you know only an idiot catches a cold in the summer..." she murmured, brushing sweat-soaked bangs away from the boy's sleeping eyes. She had just gotten him to sleep after arguing with him, and making him take the medicine the doctor had prescribed. She had to admit, if only to herself, that the ten-year-old had fought valiantly against taking the bitter potion.
Izumi had also given Alphonse a small dose, in an attempt to keep him from getting sick as well. He didn't fight like his brother had, but he still made a disgusted face. It was going to hard enough taking care of one hardheaded alchemist, she didn't think she could handle two, even if the younger sibling was much better behaved. Afterward, she had sent him to the marketplace with Mason.
She hadn't known the young brothers for very long, but they had still found a way into a heart she thought she had hardened long ago, when she lost her own child. Her son had been stillborn, and her grief lead her to make a mistake that had cost the woman her fertility. She was aware of the loss they suffered when their mother passed away, and was determined to teach them and keep them from the path she had mistakenly walked in her own youth.
The dark-haired woman stood, being sure to not disturb the feverish child, and turned to leave the room. Her forward progress was halted by a small hand, which had latched onto her wrist. "...Mom..." The word came out in a hoarse whisper, and went straight to her heart. She bit down on a knuckle and looked back at the sleeping figure cocooned on the bed, fighting back tears. She had always wondered how it would sound, how it would feel, having a child call out to her with perfect love and perfect trust. She moved back toward the bed and knelt down, taking the tiny hand in both of hers.
"Edward..." she whispered, feeling tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.
"M...mom... Don't leave... Please..." the blond choked out, his unseeing eyes open and searching wildly. "Mommy..."
Izumi choked on a sob as the voice began to sound far younger than it was. She knew how hard it must have been to lose the one they had been the closest to all their short lives, and she couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. She swallowed hard at the sudden impact of the emotion. 'I am jealous. I never got to meet my son... We both lost something dear and precious, but who lost more?'
The boy began to thrash about, lost in a fever dream. Izumi quickly gathering the little from in her arms, cooing and petting him. "Shhh... shhh... I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here. Shhh... It's okay." She began rocking as she held the sobbing boy in her arms, running her fingers through his hair until he calmed down.
She softly hummed a lullaby until she was sure the boy had fallen back into peaceful dreams. His face relaxed, and all traces of his nightmare vanished. Izumi kept him cradled in her arms as lay down on the bed, drawing her knees up so she would fit. This is how Sig, Mason, and Alphonse found them a couple hours later.
Both were asleep, Izumi had her arms wrapped around the boy, and Edward had his face buried in her shoulder. Izumi shifted in her sleep when Al crawled into the bed, putting an arm around him as well. She cracked her eyes when she felt a heavy comforter being draped over them. She smiled at her husband, who was gently tucking the trio in. "Sleep well," he whispered.
And sleep well she did, for the first time in a long time.