Author's Notes-So I got this idea from Heachan's 'Escaping the Abyss', and while this pales in comparison I really liked this part of the show. This story takes place after episode 41. So yeah this story has gotten a serious upgrade. It is substantially longer now. I hope everyone likes the changes I made. Enjoy.
Recovery
The loud banging on the door could have woken the dead. Whoever was pounding on it sounded like they could come right through the wooden obstacle if they wanted to. The old man wearily turned on the light and pulled on his bathrobe as he hurried over. At this hour he couldn't understand who would be coming to his modest clinic. Even if it was an emergency, people would normally go to the military hospital. Another pounding at the front door came again, this time sounding more impatient.
"All right, all right, give me a second." Readjusting his glasses, he opened the door to find two large men standing there. They're expressions were serious and they were wearing military uniforms. The one had something on his back.
"We understand you're a doctor."
"Yes that's right, is someone hurt?" He opened the door all the way, letting them in.
"It's pretty serious, Doc." As they entered, the old doctor noticed the unconscious teen being carried. The darker of the two men carefully helped get the injured patient off the other's back.
"Bring him in the other room. I'll take a look at him." They followed him into another room further inside. "Luckily right now, we don't have any other patients." As the two chimeras placed the state alchemist on the exam table, they pulled open his jacket. The doctor turned on the light overhead. "So what happened?" He was reluctant to even ask the question as he noticed the large amount of blood soaked into the patients clothes. It brought a frown to his face, the thought that someone so young was hurt so badly. As he carefully lifted the black shirt, there was the sound of something clanging against the table. Looking down, he noticed the state issued pocket watch. "He's a state alchemist?" Now the doctor worried that these two men might be criminals and that this could be a kidnapping.
"Yeah. But we really need to keep this quiet right now." The answer didn't put the doctor at ease. Deciding not to venture any further into what was going on, he moved over to his medicine cabinet. "We're gonna need to cut those clothes off." He grabbed a pair of snips and handed them to the soldier wearing glasses. Not even thinking about it, he started cutting through the red material. His partner smirked in amusement as he watched.
"I have a feeling he's not gonna like the fact you're ruining that tacky thing." The other snorted back.
"I'm doing him a favor. Besides it makes him stand out too much right now."
"We're not use to these kind of injuries so I am limited in what I have for pain. Don't have any morphine, maybe an epidural would work. But if he's gonna need a blood transfusion, we're gonna have a problem."
"Considering we don't have many options at the moment, just do what you can. Beside it's not like he's awake to feel anything." The one doing the cutting paused, glancing towards the doorway, thinking he heard something.
"Everything okay, Heinkel?" After a second or so, he sighed heavily.
"Yeah, we weren't followed." The doctor looked over his shoulder at the two of them. Their demeanor only made him feel even more nervous.
"The two of you certainly are on edge."
"We just need to avoid the military right now." the one explained as he started removing the ruined clothing. "Not that either one of us know much about medical stuff, but can we help at all?"
"Considering my assistant doesn't come in till the morning, I could probably use both of you." He grinned in such a way that was unsettling. "Hope the two of you don't have weak stomachs though."
"Trust me, we've seen more then you know." The doctor smile even more at that.
"Well good to know. There's always the chance things can get messy." He finished getting the supplies he needed before heading over to the table. Placing his tray down, he headed for a sink in the corner. "Now just gotta get scrubbed up and we can start." He removed his bathrobe and replaced it with a white coat hanging nearby. Other then the water running, the room got awkwardly silent.
"Hey, Darius," he heard Heinkel speak up, "he's not looking so good. What are we gonna do if he doesn't pull through."
"Let's just hope he does pull through. Otherwise things'll look much worse for us. It's not like Kimbleys' gonna vouch that he's the one who did this."
"Damn alchemists. They're all too reckless."
"That would explain that patch job," the doctor muttered to himself but Heinkel's sharp ears caught the statement. Darius and he were in quite a predicament and depending on whether the state alchemist made it through this or not would determine what their next move would be.
"You're just lucky he's unconscious. I don't even want to think about what he's gonna do when he wakes up," Darius' statement pulled Heinkel back to reality. The doctor came back over.
"Well if it becomes a problem, I can just dope him up more. Of course..." The doctor adjusted his glasses, looking up as though he was deep in thought. "Medications get pretty expensive now a days." The two chimeras glared back at the older man.
"Really? We've got an emergency here and you want to talk about payment now?" Darius shook his head. The doctor brought his hands up defensively.
"Now I'm not saying I'm not going to do my best to help you all out. But considering that we're keeping things quiet, I expect to get some kind of compensation for the extra trouble."
"Well that's pretty low." The doctor shrugged back. Heinkel heaved in a breath.
"Tell yah what. You save the kid's life and don't get the military involved, we'll make sure you're properly compensated." Darius gave his partner a shocked look.
"Where are we gonna get that kind of money?" The lion didn't even look over at him.
"We gotta deal, doc?" The old doctor finally nodded back.
"Don't worry, I'll have him fixed up in no time."
"Heinkel," Darius finally got his attention.
"The kid's a state alchemist. He's gotta have a research account or something." As much as Darius didn't like how this situation was going down, they didn't have any other option.
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It felt like trying to think through mud. Edward wanted so badly to be able to figure out where he was. He was worried and that worry was pushing him, despite his own injuries. But as much as he so desperately wanted to move, he was stuck. His body didn't seem to want to response. It made him wonder if he was dead. There were voices somewhere, floating into his thoughts but he couldn't understand them. His eyelids fluttered slightly.
"Hey, do you think he's waking up?" He knew this voice, even if it was vague. Two shadows moved over his face and he could feel them leaning in.
"Does he look like he's in any pain?" Ed furrowed his brow and he turned his head to the side, letting out a groan. The doctor looked over at the two chimeras as Heinkel poked Ed's face.
"He shouldn't be able to feel anything right now. I'm almost finished anyway." The conversation sounded so far away. Despite the brightness of the room, he dared to squint up. Everything was blurry as he tried to look around.
"Darius, he's awake." As the two chimeras came into view, everything started to click.
'That's right, I was fighting Kimbley...and got hurt...he's gonna go after Al...and Winry...I..I have to stop him.' He tossed his head back and forth but as for the rest of his body, it was no use, he couldn't feel or move anything.
"Hey kid, take it easy," Darius warned him, placing a hand on his metal shoulder.
"But...I..." His eyes started to water and he inhaled sharply. "Al...and...W..Winry...they're...he's gonna...ugh" Concern took over his features as he realized he didn't have the energy to explain why he had to get up.
"Just try to calm down." Ed finally conceded that there was nothing he could do.
"I..I...don't understand, why... why are you helping me?" His voice came out in such a weak tone and he tried to clear his throat. Darius stood back, crossing his arms.
"You helped us first, it's only right," he explained. "But don't take advantage of our kindness by trying to run off to go after Kimbley and just get all busted up again." Ed quietly nodded back and closed his eyes again. He was feeling overwhelmed by everything and it was making him even more exhausted. The dismal surrounding faded from his mind as he welcomed sleep.
His dreams were hard to grasp. He had to get to Al and Winry, to warn them. It seemed he wasn't getting anywhere as he ran towards a light. Just when he thought he was going to reach it, he stopped when he heard Kimbley behind him.
"I'm not gonna let you save them," he hissed in Ed's ear. "This is what you get for being so soft. Should've killed me when you had the chance." Looking down he noticed the jagged metal coming out of his side. His legs felt shaky and his stomach wrenched at the sight. There was no one there to help him as he fell to the ground. He felt like he was going to be sick from the sight only to spit up blood. He could taste the thick copper forcing it's way up his throat. More then he could afford to lose. The pain became intense pulling at his consciousness, demanding his attention. He collapsed completely to the cold ground, going into shock.
The throbbing ache in his side pulled him back to reality. He could only ignore it for so long before his eyes shot open and he frantically gripped his side, wondering what unseen thing was stabbing him. It was like the beam was being pushed through him all over again, tearing at his insides. He broke out into a cold sweat at the thought and started to shake uncontrollably. There was nothing he could do as the pain seemed to get worse. He ground his teeth together as a pathetic cry pushed forth, getting anyone's attention near by. The doctor hurried in, a concerned look on his face.
"I was hoping you'd stay out for awhile longer." He made eye contact with the only patient in the room and hurried over.
"It...rrreeaally...huurrtts." He leaned his head back, still gripping his side as though his life depended on it. Whatever pain medication they had given him had long worn off.
"It's gonna be okay, I sent the other doctor out to get some stronger medication for you. We don't have any here right now." Edward tried to move again, leaning on his automail arm for support. "Try not to move so much." He nodded, his bottom lip starting to tremble. The doctor helped him lay on his opposite side, keeping a hand firmly on his shoulder. "Just breathe." Sucking in a deep breath seemed to help him focus on something else other then the pain, but it was still there, none the less. After several minutes he managed to get his panic under control despite the gnashing at his side. The doctor heard the front door open and his assistant come in.
"I'm in the back!" Edward squinted up just as the curtain opened and a small old women came in.
"You mean he woke up already. Great." She seemed displeased with his conscious state and seeing the pain in his expression. "Anyway, here you go. This should help out." Edward turned away, not sure if he could stand to see anything else that might be unpleasant. Considering the excruciating pain, he actually questioned how fast the pain killers would kick in only to feel the pain literally melt away, leaving him feeling numb and drained of what little strength he had left. Even though he wasn't in any pain, the idea of moving at all seemed like a bad one. Once the doctor was finished checking his vitals he brought the covers up and rose to his feet.
"You should be fine for now, maybe later you can try to keep something down. Wish I could say the old lady can cook, but I'm not a good liar."
"I heard that!" The woman called from the other room. Ed found himself managing a feeble smile in response but he dare not laugh. Once the doctor left the room, Darius poked his head in.
"Hey kid, you awake?" Noticing he was, the large man, along with Heinkel entered the room. "We checked to see what's going on with Northern Command and Fort Briggs. I think they believe the two of us are dead, although there have been several soldiers out looking for you." This news didn't seem to make the State Alchemist feel any better. Despite being asleep for more then a day, he still had dark circles under his eyes and looked like he needed to sleep for the rest of the week. He was not in the mood to have this conversation as he squinted through the small discomfort he was still in.
"You're wanted back at Northern Command for questioning. We were able to listen in on their radio and it sounds like a direct order from the Furer. Seems like they've given up looking for Scar. It would be best to lay low for now," Heinkel added. Despite how worn out he felt, Ed nodded back at them. He had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to just disappear so easily. Those working for Father would make sure to keep an eye on him. Laying low for awhile seemed like the best course of action, even if he didn't like it. Heinkel placed his hands in his pockets and felt something poke the center of his palm. Pulling it out, the small red stone caught the alchemist's eye. For a second he didn't know what to say. He was certain he had quite the shocked look on his face though.
"Wh..where'd you get that?" He sounded somewhere between angry and desperate all at the same time.
"I guess Kimbley dropped it back at the Mine. I figured we can't use it so you might want to hang onto it." The offer caused the alchemist to drop his head and tightened his grip on the blanket.
"I can't..." He closed his tired eyes and let his hair fall in his face. The two chimeras exchanged glances.
"But I figured it could help you and your brother, right," Darius mentioned.
"...They're made using human lives." The simple explanation made Heinkel want to drop it. Instead he quietly placed it back in his pocket, knowing just the sight of it bothered the alchemist. Edward sighed heavily once it was put away. "There's a lot more going on that the two of you don't know about," he added, keeping his voice low. Heinkel glanced towards the doorway before replying.
"I think that you should probably get some rest before explaining anything just yet. We're not going anywhere for awhile anyway." As curious as the two of them were, Darius agreed with his partner that the injured teen didn't need to worry about explaining anything to them at that point. They would loyally stick with him. Something in their animal instinct told them he was trustworthy.
"He's right, we'll let you get some sleep. Just wanted you to know what's going on." As they left the room, he turned some, getting comfortable. So if everyone was so busy looking for him, maybe Al was able to get to Winry and the others like he hoped. Sighing loudly, he glanced over at the side table to see his watch along with Winry's earrings. At least she hadn't been here when this whole incident with Kimbley went down. She would have really been upset. Since there weren't any search parties out there still looking for Scar and Dr. Marco, it made him wonder if Kimbley was even still in the North.
Just thinking about everything seemed to wear him out even more. He shifted some, readjusted to get as comfortable as possible. Despite the drugs, there was still the dulling ache that seemed to be throbbing. A constant reminder of the horrible incident he'd just endured. His eyes drifted close as he realized he had too much on his mind at once to even think straight. He just wanted to think about something else. Something far away from all of this. The drugs must have been taking their effect as his thoughts quickly faded into a deep slumber.
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Darius didn't particularly care for being stuck inside the small clinic. Especially when the doctors who were going to be generously compensated for their help, would leave for hours, expecting the two chimeras to hold down the fort. They even gave them instructions in case someone showed up in need of care or if their only patient in house woke up in need of more meds.
"Just stick him in the arm, he'll go back to sleep in a bit." Darius was not fond of this at all. If they didn't have to worry so much about the military finding them, then he wouldn't stand for it. Meanwhile Heinkel seemed indifferent to their assignments. Technically they were staying there for free so he really didn't mind. Darius glanced over at his partner observing his odd behavior. He had been sitting by the window for quite some time now, just watching people walk through the small town. Anything that seemed to move out there caught his attention but then now that he thought about it, Darius concluded this behavior wasn't so strange for a cat. He hoped he didn't have any tendencies that brought his chimera side to light.
It was just as quiet outside as it was in the small clinic. Occasionally Heinkel noticed an officer or the MP's patrolling the street but he doubted they were looking for them. And from what they heard over the airwaves, no one was particularly looking for the two of them, just the Fullmetal Alchemist. If they wanted to they could just leave him here and live their lives in peace. Unfortunately they were too devoted for their own good. It was clear that the path they were going down would more then likely be a dangerous one but that didn't seem to deter either of them. Darius let out a yawn and stretched his arms over his head. The way a gorilla would stretch, Heinkel mused as he watched out of the corner of his eye.
"Man, this babysitting gig is boring," Darius admitted.
"Yeah, but at least we're alive."
"True. I can't help but wonder when the doc and his assistant are getting back."
"As worried as I am that they might go to the authorities, I highly doubt it considering how much they mention money." Darius snorted back.
"Yeah, maybe we can convince the kid to make them a couple of gold bars."
"Doubt that. He's a little too honest for something that stingy." It had been about two days since the State Alchemist was last awake. Ever since they heard about the military still looking for him, Heinkel noticed more MPs with each passing day. "I don't think it'll be too long before they find this place but it's not like we can leave just yet." Darius just nodded back. "Theres' suppose to be a pretty heavy snow storm tonight so maybe that'll slow the investigation down."
"Hopefully." Darius leaned back in his chair as though there was something else on his mind. "Do you think we should tell the kid about Kimbley still being up at Briggs? Or about that attack from Drachma?"
"I don't think it'll make him feel any better about his brother and that girl." There was sudden movement from the back room that caught Heinkel's attention first. The two of them remained quiet, hoping Edward hadn't overheard their conversation. But as hopeful as they could be, within a minute or so the blond poked his head out, hanging onto the wall for extra support.
"What do you mean Kimbleys' still here? What happened with Drachma?" Either he was still really tired or the pain was starting to resurface. He seemed to be glaring through some form of discomfort that was unseen by anyone else.
"How long have you been awake?" Heinkel tried to change the subject but it did no good as Edward shook his head back and forth.
'Long enough, now what were you saying about Kimbley and Drachma." Since changing the subject hadn't work, Darius thought that perhaps making light of the situation would. He couldn't be that sharp in his condition after all.
"Well it's not really a big deal. There was something on the radio about Drachma actually trying to attack Briggs and they mentioned the Crimson Alchemist was involved." Ed narrowed his gaze as he leaned more on the wall. A shiver went up his spine at the mention of Kimbley that caused his injury to complain loudly in response. He knew this wasn't just a fluke that Drachma attacked now of all times. It had to do with carving that blood seal in the north that Kimbley had wanted him to do. His distress became all the more evident in his face causing Heinkel to rise to his feet.
"It's nothin you need to worry about right now. You probably don't need to be out of bed yet either." Getting a better look at him, the chimera wondered if he was getting a fever too considering he looked a little flushed as well. Any reassurance just seemed to bounce off Ed's stubborn will.
"You said you think they aren't looking for Scar anymore but how do you know for sure?" Despite how badly he was injured, Ed's tongue still worked perfectly well as he came back with another sharp remark. Darius scratched the back of his neck.
"Well if your brother didn't make it to them then they would have already made it to Briggs and it would have been reported to Northern Command. Worrying about all this isn't going to make you feel any better, yah know." Ed took in a particularly deep breath which just caused his side to remind him not to overdue it. Part of him wanted nothing more then to go after Kimbley and make things even between them but the more reasonable, logical part of his mind was telling him that wouldn't help anyone out. And he knew if Al and Winry were here, they would be telling him to stay in bed too.
"Ugh...fine, whatever..." His voice came out in a flat annoyed tone and he turned lazily back towards the bed. He managed over slowly, irritated by the fact that he knew he was stuck here for however long it took to heal up. A step backwards. Another obstacle keeping him from his goals. He settled in under the covers and before he knew it, the cold world disappeared into blackness.
Sleep just confirmed that he had too much on his mind. Dreams came and went, mostly random things. He dreamt of his mom and Resembol. He hadn't dreamt of the past in a long time. Then there were dreams of things that hadn't happened yet. Dreams of Alphonse, in the flesh and happy. It was almost too difficult to grasp at this point. And then there were unpleasant dreams which wasn't so unusual. He finally found himself sitting in a plain room at a table. This was something new. Glancing around, he couldn't tell where he was but before he could contemplate his surroundings any further, there was a presence behind him that caused a chill to shoot up his spine.
"So trying to run away, Fullmetal?" The Furer's booming voice seemed to bounce off the walls, echoing around him. He didn't even get the chance to turn around or respond. "Well that's unfortunate. When they're done with you here, there's a body at the morgue they need you to identify." Ed's breath caught in his throat and his gaze went wide. "It's a shame, getting caught in the cross fire like that. The soldiers claim they didn't even see her." The blond clenched his teeth and balled his fists at his side. The tall man leaned down next to the alchemist's ear as if to tell him a secret. "Oh and as for the suit of armor, we've decided it would be in everyone's best interest if he stayed confined for the time being. Gotta make sure you don't try anything else." That feeling of anger that once occupied his chest seemed to drain completely away. He had to get out of this place. He couldn't stay here any longer, but at the same time he was unable to move. There was the sound of something dripping but it seemed far away. "Great, now your making a mess, human." Ed finally made eye contact with the leader of Amestris, not sure what he was talking about now. Bringing his head down, he noticed the crimson seeping through his shirt. It dripped down to the floor in a puddle. He couldn't breath and any effort seemed wasted. Desperately he gasped for air, not sure what to do.
He needed Alphonse. Al always had a way of getting out of these predicaments. But he didn't know where his brother was. Opening his mouth to call out for him, he realized nothing came out and he was falling from where he sat. There was no one there to help him, no one to save him. He was all alone.
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"I think he's getting worse," Darius muttered to his partner, sadly. The commotion in the back room of the small clinic had been going on for awhile now.
"He'll be fine. Remember the Doc said he wasn't in any serious danger. He just needs to stay in bed." It was as though Heinkel had forgotten how badly the state alchemist had been injured.
"If it was someone like us then I might think so, but he's really having a hard time with this." Heinkel just shook his head, listening to the back room. When the doctors came back and checked on the patient, his fever had spiked and he was mumbling in his sleep. They couldn't tell if it was some kind of hallucination from the fever or if he was still in pain, but whatever was causing his discomfort had to be dealt with. From the front room, they could easily hear him gasping for air as though it was in high demand. Things eventually settled down and the two physician's came out, looking tired as well. The chimeras didn't even have to ask before getting an update.
"Everything's okay. He just needs to rest." Heinkel glanced back at Darius.
"Told you."
"So what happened?" The doctor pulled his glasses off with a grim look on his face.
"Well he ripped some of his stitches and reopened that wound. He's already lost a fair amount of blood as it is," He rubbed his eyes before placing his glasses back on and bringing his gaze up to the two men. "You didn't let him get out of bed, did you?" The two ex-soldiers immediately found something else more interesting to direct their attention to.
"Yah know, it's not like the runt listens to anything we say." The doctor let out a tired sigh.
"Right. So plan B it is." Without another word the older man headed into the back room again. The two chimeras looked at each other and just shrugged.
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Another long span of time passed by before Ed came to again. He felt worse then before but it wasn't his side that was bothering him now. His head felt heavy and he was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. Just the idea of getting up seemed impossible. He caught some movement out of the corner of his eye and tried to turn his head only for it to drop to the side. He swore he was drooling too but that seemed like the least of his problems.
"Hmm...?" His visioned blurred and he found he had to close his eyes. There was a loud sigh and Ed could hear two sets of footsteps coming closer.
"You feeling any better," Darius was the first one to speak up.
"W...wwha happ..end?" Ed's voice slurred as his head lolled in the other direction.
"Well you reopened your injury when you got out of bed. So the doctor wanted to make sure you didn't hurt yourself again," Heinkel told him.
While the chimeras were in the back talking to the slightly aware alchemist, the doctors were in the front figuring out how much they could charge their only patient. The peaceful atmosphere was broken as a shrill yell came from the back room.
"You let them drug me! Are you crazy?" The old doctor let out a groan.
"They had to go and tell him that." The assistant smiled maniacally as she looked over the bill they were putting together.
"Let him get hurt again, he'll just have to stay longer which means we can charge them more." Despite the suggestion though, he decided to go into the back room and resolve things. While the patient wasn't yelling anymore, he was trying desperately to get out of bed. Luckily he wasn't even able sit up. The doctor shook his head and sighed heavily.
"You really do need to just calm down," he explained as he walked further into the room. Ed glared up at the older man, anger evident in his eyes.
"Maybe if I wasn't drugged. I'd be more cooperative." The doctor just shook his head again.
"This injury is not something to get over quickly. I'm sure you have your reasons for wanting to get out of here as soon as possible but unless you want to hurt yourself further, I suggest that you stay in bed. And if you don't want to be drugged then you best behave." Edward did not like being lectured but he also knew that the doctor was right and they probably had inconvenienced him enough as it was. A deep growl sounded from the back of Ed's throat as he finally laid back but still managed to look annoyed.
"The doctor does know best, you know," Darius reminded the teen.
"Oh like the two of you aren't getting him all fired up. Don't think I don't know what you're all talking about. You two need to leave him alone." The chimeras both stared in shock as the old mad walked out of the room. Edward snickered to himself before realizing the movement hurt his side. Heinkel turned and glared at the alchemist.
"You're lucky you're injured otherwise I'd hit you." The cocky blond quirked a smile and pointed a metal finger in his face.
"I'm sorry, who won our fight? Don't think I can't take you down again." The lion chimera leaned more on the bed.
"Don't think I won't leave you in a snow bank somewhere to freeze to death. Smart mouthed bastard." Darius decided he'd better intervene before things got violent.
"You want to help Kimbley finish him off, I'd rather not do that guy any favors. Come on, lets just leave him alone." Ed stuck his tongue out in response to Heinkel's comment. He decided the runt wasn't worth the frustration.
"Tsk, you're just lucky we hate that guy so much, kid." With that, the two of them exited the room. Despite his rantings a few minutes ago, Edward could still feel the effects of the drugs. He felt sluggish, even in his thinking. And being reminded about Kimbley didn't help ease his mind. He had to think about something else. Settling down more, his head involuntarily fell to the side. It made him realize that if he was awake he was going to be bored.
Normally he could just think about alchemy but even that seemed to not be distracting enough. After a couple of minutes he sucked in an uncomfortable deep breath and his gaze shifted back to the side table. The watch and earrings came back into view. Now that he thought about it, focusing on alchemy hadn't worked during his last tune up either. Part of him felt he was losing his focus. He wondered if Winry suspected anything was different at the time.
He found thinking about her to be a better distraction at the moment. Maybe that had to do with the fact that when he was normally hurt she was nearby. Same went for Alphonse. This was the first time he was completely separated from both of them and injured this badly. And as many adult situations he'd been thrown into, he concluded he didn't like this feeling. He felt alone and vulnerable, despite his earlier antics. The only thing that really brought any relief to him was knowing that the two chimeras were keeping watch. Even if they kept talking about things that worried him, at least they had stuck with him. They were surprisingly loyal considering they were his enemies not too long ago. It did free him up to focus on getting better which was all he really could do at this point. Worrying about the unknown wasn't going to change anything. The sooner he got better, the sooner he could meet up with Al. Sighing quietly to himself, he felt his eyelids start to get heavy. Quietly he fell back asleep, this time no dreams or sudden pains to bother him. Just sleep.