The boy's blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail; his usual red jacket absent from his appearance. Book in hand, glasses perched on his nose, he almost looked like a regular teenager. Although, the automail arm threw the allusion off. A good looking man, wearing a blue military uniform, crosses the street nonchalantly, approaching the boy. So engulfed in the book, Edward Elric doesn't even notice the new presence.
"Wow Fullmetal, if I didn't know any better I would say you were ignoring me." The man remarked laughing.
Finally Edward looks up, shielding his golden eyes from the sun. He stands, closing the book. Casually he replies, "Wow Colonel, if I didn't know any better I would say you were following me." He looks at the man, smiling. "Didn't I just see you the other day? I thought you were investigating something in the East still. What are you doing in Central anyways?"
"I was, but apparently some pressing business has come up here. I saw you sitting here and thought you might like to accompany me to the briefing."
"I guess I can tag along." Elric replies, scratching the back of his neck. "Since Al left me to go shopping with Winry."
"Ha!" Mustang laughs. "By the way Fullmetal, I like the glasses look." He points at the young man's face wear the brown rimmed glasses still dwell. "You resemble you old man more with those on."
Edward rips the glasses off, enraged. He grips them too hard with his automail hand and ends up cracking the lenses. Cursing under his breath, he shoves both of his hands, along the broken eyeglasses, into his pocket.
Roy smiles, sighing. A car pulls up behind him, with Ms. Hawkeye driving. "The meeting is at the Central Command. Would you like a ride there Fullmetal?"
"No." He responds coldly staring off into the distance past his superior. "Al and I are renting a car, I will just use it."
"Alright, I guess I'll see you there then." Mustang turns and gets into the waiting car, while Fullmetal walks down the street, still fuming at the Colonel's remark of his father. Edward gets into the rental car, turning the key he revs the engine to life.
Little did the Colonel know that as Ed drove pass the two, he could barely see where he was going without the help of his glasses. He saw the red sign informing him to stop, he saw that no one was coming, and he saw that the road was pretty clear.
What he didn't see was the obvious drunk driver behind Mustang's car swerve into the opposite lane, trying to pass, and nearly hit the Colonel. He didn't see the car come up beside him and swing over crashing into his vehicle until it was too late. And the Colonel saw the whole thing as the poor kid's car flipped onto its right side from the abrupt impact, sliding to a stop.
He felt the color drain from his face as Hawkeye slammed on the brakes. Mustang knew he was getting out of the automobile, but he couldn't feel his legs. He saw Riza running over to the other barely damaged car, yet he didn't. He felt the eyes of the bystanders as he rushed to the front of the boy's car. The windshield was broken, lying in a giant pile of glass in the road.
Roy looked at Edward lying awkwardly in glass on the ground inside of the automobile. His face was cut from pieces of glass, his automail arm was bent every which way, and there was lots of blood coming from a deep gash in his head. There was also a large growing bump on the back of his head; his legs weren't visible at the time being. He tried to get closer to remove Fullmetal from the wreckage, as he grabbed his hand it felt unreasonably cold.
"Someone call an ambulance!" He felt himself yelling but it didn't sound like his voice. Hawkeye ran up behind him, trying desperately to stifle her gasp. "Help me get him out Hawkeye." She knelt beside him and the two of them carefully lifted the injured youth out of the car.
Just as they had managed to lay Edward gently on the sidewalk, the intoxicated man stumbled over, unscratched from the accident, and began slurring senseless things. "Damn kids these days! I could have diedjustnow and he wouldhave gotten away withit! I should give him a good lickin' forwhathedid. Damn kids."
Outraged at the comment, Mustang jumped up grabbing the man by the scruff of his collar and punched him. The man grabs his aching face as he falls to the ground. There were so many things that Roy could say and do to the man, but nothing comes out.
An ambulance drives to the side of the road ahead of the lifeless boy and two men jump out with a stretcher. They rush over to Fullmetal and immediately start caring for the teen. Mustang sits on the curb running a hand through his hair, unsure of what to do. As the paramedics strap Ed onto the long stretcher, Hawkeye ushers Roy up and into their car. She says something to him but he doesn't hear her, he just stares at the blood on his hands.
xXxXx
"He really is lucky to be alive." The doctor proclaims. "The surgery went perfectly, but he is still unconscious. His right leg is broken and both of his automail limbs have been removed since they were beyond repair. We stitched the wound on his head, but we aren't sure of what the bump will do at this point in time."
"I see, thank you doctor." Mustang shakes the man's hand. "May we go in and see him now?"
"Yes of course." The man steps aside, leaving a path to the room open. "Has his family been notified?"
"We're still trying to get a hold of them." Roy looks at the doctor in defeat. He and Hawkeye enter the hospital room and there on the bed lies Edward. Almost completely bandaged, the boy has several IV bags and an oxygen mask. Mustang walks over and sits in the chair next to the bed. Intently, he watches the rise and fall of Edward's chest. After a while the Colonel falls asleep.
xXxXx
The sun had set a long time ago and Hawkeye had left to get a cup of coffee not too long ago. Suddenly the door bursts open as the younger sibling runs into the room landing on his knees next to the bed. "Brother!" He yells trying to wake his brother to no avail. Winry stands at the door, hand over mouth, silently weeping.
Roy sits up rubbing his tired eyes, and he looks at the crying pair. Suddenly like a giant puzzle, it all fits together. "It's my fault." Al glances at the superior, questioning the statement. The Colonel stares at his feet trying to explain. "If I hadn't said anything about his glasses he wouldn't have broken them, he would have seen the car, and he would have been able to stop the car or something. It really is all my fault this happened." Roy looks at the broken glasses that the doctor had given him before Edward went in for his surgery. Silence fills the room and Riza reenters carrying a hot cup of coffee.
"Hmm." The small sound breaks the quietness and everyone looks at the hospital bed. Edward moves his head wincing from the pain. His eyes open showing his glazed golden orbs. "Where am I?"
"Brother you're awake!" Alphonse moves closer to the hospital bed. "You're at the hospital, you were in a terrible car accident."
Edward turns his head watching his younger brother, looking completely confused. "Nnn." He pauses and looks around the room slowly. "Who are all of you?"
Author's Note: Muahaha! I am so mean. I decided I didn't like the happy ending and wanted to change it. Evil me I know, but now I have to continue the story. By the way this takes place after the manga/Brotherhood when Al has his body back, except Ed didn't have to give up his alchemy only his right arm and his dad helped by giving his Philosopher's Stone as a last fatherly act. Ed feels that he owes his father now and can never repay him that is why he was mad at Mustang for talking about his daddy. Thanks for reading! :)