Edward could feel it coming on. He knew it was coming. He prayed, however, that he was mistaken but he had the misfortune of being right today.
Colonel Mustang and Edward had just finished up a case and were heading back to Central on a train. They had their own compartment, paid for by the military, of course. Two benched seats with red cushions sat across from each other. Colonel Mustang on one side and Edward on the other.
Edward was sitting with his knees against his chest looking out the window trying to distract himself from the shaking in his limbs, well the flesh ones anyway. His head felt like someone was squeezing it tight between their hands and his arm and leg felt like they didn't have any muscle tone and were shaking meanwhile feeling like he had just laid on them wrong. It felt like a lead ball had fallen into his chest and was rolling about the cavity. In his stomach, invisible hands were twisting and grabbing at whatever they could find.
Edward found himself wishing they were at Central already. He continued to click and unclick his watch looking at the time, knowing they would arrive in two hours but praying that when he looked down that any more than a few seconds had passed.
Edward's chest tightened more. He felt the need to moan in pain but settled with a sigh instead. He didn't need Colonel Bastard thinking he was weak. But the pain didn't stop there, it never did on days like this. The nausea in his stomach decided to up the game as well. He felt a tear slide down his cheek. He couldn't help it. He felt awful. He pulled his legs tighter to his chest hoping it would somehow help. It didn't. He let his head rest against the cool glass. It felt nice against his warm clammy skin. He didn't notice he had let out a moan until he heard it himself.
Mustang looked up from the paper he was reading and took in the position that Fullmetal was in. Something was the matter.
"Fullmetal? You okay?" He asked studying Edward's awkward posture. Edward didn't answer he was afraid of what would come out of his mouth if he did. Mustang tried again. This time he shifted seats so he was sitting beside Fullmetal instead of across from him.
"Edward?" He asked again. At this point Edward just groaned. This was not good and Mustang could tell. He began to worry.
"Edward, are you sick?" He asked. He then noticed the tears running down Edward's cheeks. Mustang brushed his hand up against Edward's forehead to feel for a fever. His brow furrowed when he felt that Edward's head was actually cool. Edward leaned into the touch however.
"Edward, are you feeling sick?" Mustang asked again, this time rephrasing the question. This time Edward nodded. 'Okay' Mustang thought, 'now we are getting somewhere'.
"I'm gonna lie you down Edward," He told him. It was quite the task unraveling Edward's balled up body. Edward's head ended up on Mustang's lap. Edward soaked up the comfort in which Mustang was providing as he stroked his hands through Edward's blonde hair.
"Maybe I should call Al," Mustang mused. This got a response from the young alchemist.
"No, please don't," He said while burrowing his head into Mustang's shirt.
"Fullmetal, If you're sick he needs to take you to a doctor," Mustang said down to his charge.
"Not sick," Edward mumbled.
"But you just said-" Mustang started before he was cut off.
"Said I felt sick, not was sick," Edward said into his commanding officer's shirt. Mustang pinched the bridge of his nose. For once in his life he didn't know what to do.
"Edward, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong," He said earnestly looking at the young alchemist in his lap. Edward mumbled something into Mustang's shirt but it was unintelligible.
"You're gonna have to speak up, kid," Mustang said.
"Forgot them," was all Mustang could get from Edward's non-coherent speech. He furrowed his brow not making sense of the words. What did Edward forget? Was it something important he left back in the previous town? Mustang raked his fingers through his charge's long blond hair which had somehow finagled itself out of its normal braid and was loose.
"Pills," was the only thing that Edward said.
"What?"
"Medicine, I forgot my medicine…" Edward trailed off. Edward needed meds? Since when? Was that in his file? What was it for? For a moment fear gripped at Roy Mustang's heart as he wondered if the medicine that Fullmetal had to take was for something that could kill him if he didn't take it… No, Edward would have told him right away if that was the case. Edward is a lot of things… Like bratty and annoying and late and lazy and arrogant and definitely short but he was not dumb.
"Your medicine?" Mustang echoed. Edward nodded pulling his face out of his commanding officer's chest to look at Roy.
"Forgot my anxiety meds," Edward said only then as he said it his eyes filled with tears. Anxiety? Edward has anxiety?
"What's going on now is- an anxiety attack?" Mustang asked eyes wide. There was a long pause. Mustang wasn't saying anything. He was thinking. How did this get passed him?
To Edward it seemed that Roy was upset.
"I knew you would make fun of me for it," Ed said and started to pull away.
"Whoa, Ed, no one is going to make fun of you!" Mustang said pulling Edward back against him and wiping a tear away from his charge's cheek with his thumb.
"You're not?" He asked sniffling. Edward's walls had broken as soon as the anxiety attack hit. He didn't have the strength to keep them up. To pretend like he was strong all the time. Mustang sighed.
"Of course not Edward. We all have our own problems." Mustang said letting the blonde boy rest his head against his shoulder.
"Go to sleep Edward, I will call your doctor and we can get the prescription filled by the time you wake up," Edward's eyes grew heavy as if Mustang's words contained the magic of exhaustion. Mustang allowed the boy to sleep on his lap all the way back to central.