Edward's whole body ached. He tried to remember what exactly had happened to him. It was a fight with Homunculi, right? They had really done something to him. He hadn't felt such pain in a long time.

Envy sure knew how to pack a punch. Once Lust and Gluttony had gotten involved, it was all over for him. He couldn't handle them all at once by himself. They were experts at dodging his alchemy attacks.

His eyes slowly opened and he found himself looking up at a white ceiling.

"You're awake."

Edward painfully turned his head and saw a blurred figure standing next to him. She looked so familiar…

His heart clenched in his chest.

"Mom?" he whispered, his voice full of longing.

His vision began to focus and he could see the woman beside him smile a little. "No. My name is Milena. You're in my home. I found you about a mile from here. You were badly injured. My father and I are doctors so we patched you up. You had a couple of bruised ribs and a lot of gashes and cuts. What were you doing? Playing with a saw?"

Edward ignored her question. He couldn't get over how much she looked like his mother. Her hair was pulled back into a very messy bun, but a several loose pieces betrayed the fact that she parted her hair to the right. She couldn't have been that much older than him. Perhaps in her mid-20s?

He moved around a little, the small motion sending a wave of pain through him. He was only wearing shorts and he had several bandages sprinkled all across his body. Some on his leg, some on his arm, one wrapped around his head, and a whole lot wrapped around his chest and stomach.

"How long have I been out?" he asked with a strained voice.

"At least a day."

Edward's eyes widened. "Where's my brother? Where's Al?!"

"I'm sorry, but you were the only person out there."

Edward quickly sat up, which he instantly regretted. His injuries screamed at him for moving so fast.

"Hey, take it easy," Milena said. She quickly went over to him and gently laid him down again. "Relax. I promise you that we will find your brother. But you are in no condition to be going after him right now. You need to let your injuries heal."

"I can't just leave Al alone out there!"

"I'm sure he's fine. Now…can you tell me your name?"

"Edward. Edward Elric."

Now it was Milena's turn for her eyes to widen. "Edward Elric? You're the Fullmetal Alchemist."

"Yeah, that's me."

"It's an honor to meet you in person. I've heard a lot of good things about you. I've also heard that you can be very stubborn, particularly when someone is trying to get you to drink milk. And I've heard that you have got quite a temper. Especially when someone calls you short."

"WHO YOU CALLING SHORT?! I'M STILL YOUNG WHICH MEANS I'M STILL GROWING!"

Milena laughed warmly. "Relax, Edward. You'll only make your injuries worse. And for the record, I don't think you're short. You're more of…medium-sized."

"HOW IS THAT ANY BETTER?!"

Milena laughed again. "Calm down. So does that mean your brother is the one who's always wearing that armor?"

"Yeah."

"Doesn't he get hot in that?"

"Not exactly…"

"Well, from what I've heard about the both of you, I'm sure that he's fine. Okay? I'm going to get you some food and water. You need to eat something."

She went away to the kitchen and before long, she came back with a tray of food for him. She helped him sit up, and then she went about preparing to change his gauze.

Once Edward was done eating, Milena took the tray back to the kitchen. When she returned, she helped him lie back down and sat next to the bed, her medical tools on the dresser next to her. She slipped on a pair of black-rimmed glasses and went about changing all of the old bandages.

For such a young boy, Milena was surprised that the teenager had such defined muscles. It was clear his body had been through a lot, and that observation didn't stem from seeing his metal limbs.

"That's some very impressive automail," she remarked. "Clearly the work of an expert."

Milena smiled as the slightest trace of a blush dusted Edward's cheeks. "Yeah," he chuckled awkwardly. "That's Winry. She's one of the best automail mechanics in the trade."

"I see. So this Winry…is she your girlfriend?"

Edward's eyes widened again. "What?! No, she's not my girlfriend! Why does everyone always think that?! Can't a guy have a friend who's a girl?! What's the matter with that?! It's not unusual!"

Milena laughed. "But she is your best friend."

Edward ceased his rant before smiling fondly. "Yeah. Al and I have known her ever since I can remember. Whenever there's a problem, she's one of the first people I go to. I know I don't tell her nearly enough, but when it comes down to it, I know that we're always there for each other."

Milena smiled. Not a girlfriend indeed, she thought to herself. "It's nice that you have someone like that in your life."

Edward furrowed his eyebrows. "Don't you?"

"My father and I spend so much time working with patients, I haven't really had time to get out and meet people."

"I'm sorry."

"I knew what I was getting into when I started learning medicine. But you know, when you see a patient heal and you see how happy they are when they're all better…it really makes it all worth it."

Milena gathered up all the old gauze and threw it in the trashcan in the room. Edward gasped quietly when he saw a long scar tracing her pale skin just beneath her hair. He wasn't sure how far the scar went down her back, but it was clear it had been a very severe injury.

"Hey, Milena?"

Milena turned to face him with a small smile. "Mm-hmm?"

"If you don't mind my asking…how did you get that scar?"

Milena's eyes darkened, but she didn't look angry with him for asking. For that he was relieved. The last thing he wanted was his 'doctor' angry with him.

"It was a long time ago. There was an accident involving alchemy. I got hurt in the process, and so did everyone within close distance of me. My father was able to fix everyone up, but I walked away with this scar."

"Who was doing the alchemy?"

"I'm not sure."

From the way she said that, Edward was pretty sure she was lying, but he decided not to press it. He had already pushed his luck as far as he wanted to risk it.


Milena could safely say that she had never had such an antsy patient the entire time she'd been a doctor. Edward just could not lie in bed for longer than an hour. She allowed him to get out and sit in a chair for a while, but she never let him stay up for long for fear of injuring himself further.

She knew how worried he was about his brother, and she didn't blame him for wanting to go find him. But she also knew that if he went out in his current state, he was going to get himself killed.

For hours on end, Milena would sit in Edward's room and talk with him to keep him company. It helped keep his mind off Al, and it kept him still. She took all of her meals in his room so that he wouldn't have to eat alone. She really enjoyed listening to all of his stories. He had had so many incredible adventures in all sorts of places. She would be lying if she said she wasn't a bit jealous that he got to travel so much.

She was about to make some dinner for him when he awoke from a nap when she heard quiet whimpers coming from the room…


"I love you, boys."

"We love you too, Mom!" young Edward and Alphonse chorused as they smiled.

Trisha hugged her two sons close to her. Edward soaked in the feeling of being in her protective arms once more. He missed her so much. He missed seeing her smiling face every day. He missed her warm hugs. He missed everything about her.

"You love me Edward?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then why didn't you save me?"

Edward's eyes widened and he took a step back. "…What?"

"Why didn't you bring me back? Why didn't you save your mother, Edward?"

"I…I tried."

"Not hard enough. Didn't you care?"

The perfect image of his mother melted away like burning wax. Her beautiful creamy skin turned leathery and wrinkled. Her jaw fell open in a skeletal manner. Her eyes began to glow red. Her luscious brown hair tangled and began flying around her head.

"MOM!"


"Edward!" Milena cried as she ran inside the room. She saw the poor boy grimacing in pain, clearly in the throes of an awful nightmare.

Milena ran to the other side of the bed and climbed up so that she was sitting next to him.

"Edward, honey, wake up. It's just a nightmare. Wake up."

She gently shook him until his eyes shot open. He took heaving breaths, sweat pouring down his face.

"It's okay," Milena said tenderly. "It was only a dream."

Edward slowly sat up in bed and looked over at Milena. The sight of someone who looked so much like the person he longed to see again was too much for him. His hands curled into tight fists, and tears began leaking out of his eyes despite all of his attempts to push them back.

Milena's heart broke in half. This was something she hadn't expected. This was the Fullmetal Alchemist in front of her. He was practically a warrior, a hero for the people. He was only a kid and he was already basically legend.

And yet, here he was, crying softly in front of her. She was seeing this hero at one of his weakest moments.

Milena gently put her arms around him and pulled him close. He clung onto her as if she was his only connection to this world. If he let her go, he would lose everything all over again.

Milena's eyebrows creased together sadly when she realized how tightly he was holding onto her. That had not been an ordinary nightmare he had woken up from. It had been a terrible memory. And whatever it was must've scarred him greatly.

She rubbed her hand up and down his arm as her other hand ran through his hair. "It's all right," she said to him. "It's okay. I promise. You're safe."

"I miss her," Edward said so quietly, she almost didn't catch it.

Whoever he missed, it must've been someone pretty important for him to react this way. She couldn't even begin to understand the hardships he had faced in his life.


Edward's legs hung over the side of the bed. Milena stood in front of him, ready to help him stand up. He grasped her forearms, and she did the same. Then, with Milena's aid, he forced his legs to hoist the rest of his body off the bed.

The injuries on his chest screamed in pain, but he did his best to ignore it. If he wanted to find Al, he had to force himself to get better.

"We're going to take it slow, okay?" Milena said.

She walked backwards throughout the house, Edward tightly clinging onto her arms. They took very small steps so that he could ease himself into walking again. For the first time, Edward finally got to see more of the place he had been staying in. It was a small, quaint little home. Perfect for a father and daughter to live in and take care of patients.

"Very good, Edward."

Edward hadn't realized how hard it was going to be to walk again. With the combination of his wounds and the fact that he hadn't walked in three days, this was really a challenge.

A sharp pain coursed through his side where one of his injuries was, and he bent over a little as he groaned.

"Okay, okay," Milena said quickly as she put his arm around her waist so she could support him better. "That's enough for now. Let's get you back in bed."

Reluctantly, Edward let Milena take him back to the room. He didn't want to, but if he kept moving, it would just slow down his recovery even more. That was the last thing he needed.

"You're getting better every day," Milena remarked once he was situated in bed again. "You'll be back on your feet in no time."

"Good. I've gotta get out of here and find Al. I just hope he's okay…"