Summary; Despite the years that she had been by his side, Riza had no idea about Roy's heart condition. So when stress makes him neglect his medication, she finds out about it the hard way. RoyxRiza
This is my first FMA fanfic, so I apologize if people seem OOC!
DISCLAIMER; I DON'T OWN FMA, OR ITS CHARACTERS. OBVIOUSLY.
Honestly, they were all tired. They had been working themselves to the bone lately with piles upon piles of important paperwork being shoved their way. Of course, a lot of it could only be handled by Roy Mustang, the head of the department. His team had tried to take some of the slack, but there was only so much they could do. With all these incidents with Scar, they were losing important personnel and the work was being shoved onto them. Out of all of them though, Roy looked the most haggard. And then of course, they lost Maes…
Riza was beginning to suspect that Roy hadn't even been home in four days. Knowing him, he had been making secret use of the dorm showers, and she was positive he kept a clean uniform somewhere hidden. But his uniform was crumpled; evidence of him sleeping at his desk. His hair was messier than usual, and he had at least three days worth of stubble on his face; which she knew he liked to keep in check. Usually he would skim over the paperwork and sign it without a care, but because of the intensity of the work, he had actually been much more diligent with his reading, which surprised her greatly as there were no guns at his head to force him to work.
She could see the dark rings beginning to form under his eyes, and decided that it was time for him to go home. She would drag him if she had to but the 'I'm going to get a bit more done before I go' excuse wasn't going to work tonight. She sighed. Roy could be very stubborn when he wanted to be and although it was great that he was actually applying himself to his paperwork, she couldn't help but be concerned for the idiot.
"Colonel, we're all heading home for the night" She announced as the team was heading out the door, weary and desperate for sleep.
"Ah, yeah… goodnight Lieutenant" He said, briefly glancing up from his paperwork before signing the next sheet.
"…Sir, you should be going home too" She said firmly.
"Yeah… I just want to get a little more-"
"Yes, I know. You want to do a little more before you go; except you haven't been going home, have you Sir?" She accused, watching him lift a hand to rub his chest. "You've been staying here and sleeping at your desk"
Roy set his pen down, leaning back in his chair with a soft sigh. "…You're far too observant sometimes"
"I wouldn't be doing my job if I wasn't. Come on, you'll work better tomorrow with proper rest" She insisted. Roy looked over at his stack of paperwork briefly, before nodding a little.
"Perhaps you're right" He admitted, setting his hands on the desk to push himself to his feet. He took his jacket from the back of his chair and pulled it on, every movement feeling heavy and exhausting. Maybe he had been working too hard. But the work did have to be done after all. He did his best to ignore the look he was getting from his Lieutenant; a mixture of disapproval and worry, he was sure.
They walked together down the halls, stairs and out the gates. It made sense since they were heading in the same direction. The military owned a lot of the apartment buildings in the area. The closest and larger ones were for the more important personnel and the ones further back and smaller were for everyone else. Roy had a cosy, spacious one a few blocks away, and Riza's smaller apartment was another few blocks away; she made it a habit to check on Roy and make sure he wouldn't be late.
Riza let out a small sigh into the cold winter air, watching the cloud her breath formed disappear. The lack of conversation was unsettling, and very much unlike Roy. Either there was a lot on his mind, or he really was exhausted. She spared a glance over at her superior. He didn't seem himself in all honesty; his breath seemed to be coming out short and in the dim lighting of the street, she could see a light sheen of sweat forming on his face. No way should he be feeling heat in this cold weather.
"Sir, are you alright?" She asked, stopping her walk, which made Roy stop too. He shouldn't be this exhausted from a short walk. The lack of a reply worried her. "Sir?"
"Hm?"
"Are you alright?" She asked again, reaching a hand out to briefly feel his forehead. He brushed her hand away, but he wasn't hot to the touch. His hand was back at his chest again, rubbing at an ache.
"Just… tired, that's all" Roy muttered, moving to carry on and get home.
"Sir, you don't seem alright" Riza said, taking a few quick steps to catch up. "If you don't mind me saying sir, you look li- Sir!" Riza closed the cap between them when Roy stopped and just let himself drop to his knees, both hands tightly pressed against his chest. His short breaths were coming out hard, and a grimace of pain crossed his features. "Sir… Roy, what's wrong?" She asked, laying a hand on his back and the other on his arm.
Roy shook his head, but his body betrayed him and he hunched over more. Riza could feel herself panicking; but she needed to be calm. "Come on, we need to get you inside" She insisted, pulling his arm around her shoulders and helping him to his feet. She could tell from the weight of him that he was finding it hard to even stand, and his eyes were becoming vacant. She pressed on forward, already able to see his apartment from here. It wasn't far, she was sure he could make it there.
She had to go slow for his feet to keep up with her, but what really concerned her was the way his discomfort seemed to be centred on his chest. "It's just up these steps now Roy, you're nearly there" She encouraged gently, guiding him up slowly. She had to be thankful that not only was his apartment on the ground floor, but he had given her his spare key. She was able to get him inside and onto the sofa.
Roy moved himself to lie down, bringing his hand back to rest on the other on his chest, closing his eyes and trying to calm his breathing down, but his shaking body made it difficult. Riza felt lost. This had never happened before; she wasn't sure what was even happening to him. "Roy, I'm going to phone an ambulance" She said, laying a hand on his shoulder. He didn't protest, but merely nodded instead. She crossed the room to get the phone and call for an ambulance.
"911, what's your emergency?"
"This is Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye of the Amestris military; I need an ambulance immediately at apartment 9011 in the military block"
"Alright ma'am, can you explain the nature of the emergency?"
"My commanding officer has collapsed. He's conscious but unresponsive. He seems to be having pains centred at his chest. He's struggling to breathe properly"
"Alright, there's an ambulance not far from your location. Does he have any medication?"
"I'm not sure… I'll check" She muttered, laying the phone down on the table. She went back to Roy, crouching down to be level with him. "Roy, are you on medication?" She asked. At her voice, his eyes cracked open a little. "Medication, Roy. Are you on any?" She asked again. He motioned a hand to his bathroom.
She raided the cabinet in there to get past the regular stuff; painkillers, cold remedies, sleeping tablets, Aspirin… She found two unusual bottles with a signature on the label; prescription medication. She took them back to the phone.
"Hello, I've found some prescription medications. Atenolol and Clopidogrel"
"Okay, make sure to give them to the paramedics when they arrive. Keep a close eye on his breathing. Do you know CPR ma'am?"
"CPR? Yes, I've had basic training… is this serious?"
"I can't say for certain ma'am but it sounds like he's experiencing some heart difficulties"
Roy had never mentioned any heart problems before! Riza had been by his side for years and never had he so much as hinted at a problem. She knew he suffered insomnia and a degree of anxiety, but never any heart problems.
"Riza…" Roy groaned out, shifting to try and sit up, but all he really achieved was falling off the sofa. Riza set the phone down on the table again and rushed to his side, helping him lift himself to his knees. She pressed a hand against his chest, more to feel what his heart was doing. It was beating at an increased rate, almost like an anxiety attack.
"Help is coming, just try to keep calm Roy" She said softly, gently rubbing his chest in a circular motion to try and ease the ache he was clearly feeling. "Let's get you back onto the sofa" She said, moving to try and get him up. Roy tried to move, but when he did he was forced back down, vomiting whatever had been in his stomach.
She could hear knocking at the door, but she didn't dare to leave his side. "It's open!" She yelled, hoping they'd hear her. Luckily she heart the door swinging open and two sets of feet coming in. She only moved away when the paramedics took over, getting Roy to sit and lean back against the sofa. She went back to the phone to confirm that the paramedics had arrived, and quickly hung up.
"Do you know what happened ma'am?"
"He collapsed outside as we were walking home. He was having chest pains, but he hasn't spoken, I'm not sure what happened. The phone operator told me to give you these" She informed as if handing in a report, and gave the paramedic the medications.
"This doesn't look good, we need to get him to the hospital" He said, the other paramedic quickly getting up to grab a stretcher.
"What's going on? Is he going to be alright?" Riza asked, unable to stop the worry that coated her voice.
"It seems like he's having some heart failure. Judging by these meds, it's probably linked to a defect. These are antiplatelets and beta-blockers" He explained, helping the other paramedic get him on the stretcher. "Are you related?"
"I'm his bodyguard"
"You should probably come with us until we can contact family"
"He doesn't have family"
"A medical proxy?"
"…He died recently"
"Then I guess decisions lay with his superiors. Still, you should come"
The following hours passed like a blur. Although she had been convinced to go, she had to wait. The best she could do was contact Havoc. She had him go to Roy's apartment to retrieve a set of clothes, his toothbrush and to clean up the vomit. Needless to say he hadn't been pleased about that part, but considering Roy's current condition, he hadn't complained. He had already been and gone, knowing it would be useless to stay; Riza wouldn't lean on anyone other than Roy.
But the wait was driving her crazy. She had no idea what was going on in that room, and no one had come to tell her anything yet. For all she knew, they could be fighting for his life. Or he could already be gone. They could have easily forgotten she was even here. Why hadn't he told her about this sooner? If she'd have known, she could have spotted the symptoms sooner. She could have gotten help quicker. Why was he such a stupid, stubborn, selfish little-?
"Are you here with Roy Mustang?" Riza lifted her head, not sure when it had even fallen into her hands.
"I am. I'm his Lieutenant" She explained briefly. "Is the Colonel alright?" She asked, reverting to his proper title; it would be no good to have anyone become suspicious.
"He suffered a minor heart attack. Luckily he was brought in quick enough for us to get it under control. He's going to need total bed rest for a little while though. It seems to have been stress related. Any thoughts on what triggered it?"
Riza let out a soft breath of relief. "A very close friend was murdered a few weeks ago. We're still investigating. He's been pulling a lot of late nights recently" She explained.
"That seems likely. It doesn't seem like he's been taking his medications either"
"If you don't mind me asking Sir, what is the nature of the Colonel's condition? I wasn't aware he had existing problems. Had I known, I could have acted much sooner" She said, worry nagging the back of her mind.
"Well, from what we've gathered from his records, he had a sudden heart attack at age fifteen. It seems to be a case of Coronary artery disease. The medications he's on are meant to reduce his blood-pressure and prevent blood clots. He's had no hospital admissions because of it since he was twenty-two" The doctor explained. "I'm afraid that's as much as I can give you. He is awake, it might do him good to see a familiar face" He offered. Riza nodded in agreement, rising from her chair to go through and see him.
She had expected him to be worse in all honesty; but all it took as a heart monitor, an IV and an oxygen tube resting under his nose. She glared at him. Hard. He shrank in the bed a little.
"I can explain"
"Start explaining Colonel, because you owe me, BIG time. Do you have any idea what was going through my mind? I had no idea what was happening to you! This is something you should have told me about in ISHVAL, and you decided that it wasn't a big deal?" She ranted, giving him a rare display of her wavering emotion. Roy gulped.
"It wasn't that I didn't think it was a big deal, honestly. It's just that I hadn't had any problems since 1907. My medication use is so routine I barely even think about it anymore. It simply didn't cross my mind"
"Sir, the war was in '08. Only a year after your last issue. You should have told me when I agreed to follow you"
"I know, I know… I'm sorry, Riza. Forgive me"
"You've been stressed. You need vacation time"
"No, I'll be fine. I'll stick to my regular work hours from now on"
"Not going to work. The doctor said you need to be on bed rest for a while. THEN you will return to your regular work hours. And I'll be keeping a firm eye on you" She warned. Roy raised hi hands in defence.
"Alright. Bed rest, then regular work hours. I swear. Can you stop with the glare now? I'm feeling thoroughly told off now" He assured. She lightened her gaze.
"Stupid man" She muttered, dragging a chair up by the bed to sit down. She would stay. At least until Roy was given the all-clear. After all… she had vowed to protect him. Today only proved she wasn't doing her own job well enough. This wouldn't happen again; she would make sure of it.
Thank you for reading! Please leave me a Review, I always appreciate reader's opinions!