Disclaimer: I do not own FMA!!
Chapter Three
His Silence
Winry sat in her own private compartment on a train heading for Central. She was filled with worry, hopelessness, lifelessness, and desperation. Worry because a few hours ago, she had gotten a call from Edward's younger brother, Alphonse. He told her that Edward was hospitalized and in a coma. Hopelessness because the man she loved was inches from death and there was nothing she, nor Alphonse, nor anybody else can do about it. Lifelessness because she felt that she would die if Edward died in his lifeless slumber. Desperation because she longer to feel his touch.
Winry felt like she would cry. She was frantically hoping that this was some cruel joke that the two of them were playing on her. She didn't know what to think. Winry kept remembering the promise that Edward had made her the other day. "Edward… Please be ok", Winry muttered.
The train pulled into the station and Winry stepped off it and walked into the lobby, dragging her suitcase behind her. "Winry!!" A brown haired boy that was about the same height as Edward ran to her. He had hazel eyes and a kind face. It was Edward's younger brother Alphonse Elric!
"Al", replied Winry in shock to see him in his body. "Al, is that really you?!"
"Yeah! Brother did it! He got me my body back", replied Alphonse.
"Edward", Winry whispered suddenly. "… Al, tell me it isn't true! Please tell me that Edward isn't in a coma!" Winry grabbed the collar of Alphonse's shirt. "Please, tell me Edward is alright! Please Al! Please!"
Alphonse didn't say anything. Winry felt the tears roll down her face. She dug her head into Alphonse's chest. Winry began to cry. Alphonse wrapped her arms around Winry and held her tightly. "I'm sorry, Winry…", whispered Alphonse. "Let's go see him in the hospital and see if he's woken up."
Alphonse put Winry in a one armed hug and moved her to the car he had wanting for them. Winry starred out the window and thought about the man she loved being in trouble and all she could do was pray. Pray that he would come back to Alphonse and herself. She hated to not be able to do anything to help.
They got to the hospital twenty minutes later. Alphonse showed the way to Edward's room. They walked up stairs and down the hall. Alphonse stopped in front of a door and opened it and let Winry inside first before following her in. Major Alex Luis Armstrong was watching over Edward and was talking to a Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. The Major and the Lieutenant looked up at the two of them. Winry froze as soon as she saw Edward in a dead like slumber.
"Hello, Miss. Winry", said the Major.
"Nice to see you again, Winry", said the Lieutenant.
"Um, Lieutenant, Major. I think we need to leave Winry alone with Ed", pointed out Alphonse. The lieutenant nodded and walked out of the room followed by the Major.
As soon as the door closed, Winry slowly walked to the bed were and fell to her knees. Tears rolled down her face and she began cry. Winry tried to wipe the tears away, but they wouldn't stop coming. After a while, Winry managed to pull herself into a chair near the bed and watched Edward.
Edward's face was pale and his breathing was slow and steady. He still had her automail arm and as far as she could tell, he still was missing his left leg and had the leg she made him. "You promised", muttered Winry. "You said you that would be back… How could you let this happen to yourself? Especially when you have Al and I waiting for you… EDWARD!!"
Winry folded her arms on to Edward's chest began to sob into them. She sobbed and sobbed. Why?! Why won't you wake up to my crying, Ed?! Why won't you wake up?! Please wake up… An idea suddenly came up and Winry lifted herself up to look at Edward's pale face. She moved closer to it and said, "Please Ed… Please wake up if you can hear me say this one thing. I love you, Ed." Winry leaned downward and lightly kissed Edward on the lips.
When she moved her head a little ways away, Winry felt more tears stream out of her eyes. Edward didn't wake up. Winry once again folded her arms over his chest and cry into them. Winry cried out, "PLEASE WAKE UP, EDWARD!! PLEASE WAKE UP!!", as she sobbed.
--
PLEASE WAKE UP, EDWARD!! PLEASE WAKE UP!!
"That crying… Where is it coming from? That voice…Its a girl's voice… It sounds so familiar… Where have I heard it before" These thoughts ran through Edward's mind as he fell deeper into the darkness. He was engulfed in the darkness and he couldn't move his body at all.
PLEASE WAKE UP, EDWARD!! PLEASE WAKE UP!!
"Wake up? What are you talking about? Aren't I already awake? What a minute how come I can't move body? Unless… I'm not awake. Ok, I'm not awake, but who is this Edward you keep talking about? Is that my name? I can't remember. As a matter a fact I can't remember anything. Why is that?"
"Hey, where am I anyway?! Why am I falling?! There's gotta be other people here! But where?! I can't exactly move my body in order to look! Is anybody out there?! SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, HELP ME!!"
PLEASE WAKE UP, EDWARD!! PLEASE WAKE UP!!
"I CAN'T!! I'M SORRY!! I CAN'T WAKE UP!! WHY CAN'T I WAKE UP?!"
'Morning Ed.'
"Huh? There's that girl's voice again…"
'Hey Ed. Can I give you something?'
"Give me- But I don't even know you. Or do I? Why I can't remember?!"
'This is my favorite earring. It would make me very happy if you wore it.'
"Hey, this kind of sounds familiar! Where have I heard it before."
'Please, Ed… It's an insurance that you won't forget me and have another reason to come home safely. This way a piece of me will be with you on your journey and give you luck.'
"An insurance… that I won't forget you… and have another reason to come home…safely…"
'Winry…'
"Hey that's my voice! Winry… That sounds familiar too! Is that the name of the girl that the voice belongs to? It has to be! She must mean a whole lot to me… But why can't I remember her?!"
'I guess it'll be ok… It's just an earring, right?'
"Earring?! What earring?!"
Edward felt a sharp pain in his left ear. Edward quickly lifted his hand to his ear and felt some thing that wasn't there before. It was an earring!
"An earring!! But how- When?! It wasn't there before?!"
And promise you'll never take it off, no matter what!
It was as if his heart was trying to tell his brain something. Trying to make him remember something that his brain could not. But what?
"Is this the earring that that Winry girl was talking about?! It must be! Why can't I remember?! Wait a minute! I-I moved my arm! Does that mean I can open my eyes?!"
Edward tensed his face in order to open his eyes. Little by little, they opened. Edward saw the darkness surrounding him. He gulped. It was cold and unyielding and unfeeling. He grabbed his upper arms and rubbed them as he sat up. Edward eventually got to his feet and tried to remember everything. Suddenly a face of a light blonde haired blue-eyed girl appeared in his minds eye. And then everything came back to him.
"Winry…"
--
A month past since Winry had arrived in Central. She never left the hospital let alone Edward's side. Alphonse brought her food and took her place when she needed to do something like go to the bathroom or take a shower. She hardly ever spoke. Pretty soon, Winry began to wonder if he would ever walk up. But she never left his side even if she lost faith. Winry would rest her head on the side of his bed when she needed to sleep. All she would do was watch him all day long.
At first, Alphonse objected for her to act like this. But Winry told him that she wanted to stay by his side 'til the end. She even yelled at him. Soon, Alphonse gave up on convincing her. The Major didn't say anything, but he was worried about her. The Lieutenant tried to talk to her too. She ended up like Alphonse; getting yelled at.
One night on the fifth week, Winry was sleeping soundly at Edward's bedside, dreaming about the last time they saw each other. She was woken up by being petted on the head by someone. She lifted her head, half expecting to see Alphonse or the Lieutenant or the Major patting her. But instead of seeing anyone of those three, she saw him.
Edward was sitting up and smiling wearily at her. Winry felt tears roll down her face as her heart exploded with happiness. She straitened up and starred up at him with her eyes opened wide. "Hey, Winry", said Edward in a raspy voice. "Sorry that I couldn't keep my promise and sorry to keep you waiting."
"Ed…"
"Thanks by the way… for the earring. It came in more handy than you think."
"Ed… EDWARD!!" Winry threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around him. She began to cry into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her as well. "I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU!!"
"Don't cry over me, Winry", muttered Edward. "I'm not worthy of you tears."
"SHUT UP", shouted Winry. "ONLY I CAN DECIDE WHO IS WORTHY OF MY TEARS!! AND YOU ARE!! YOU ARE WORTHY, ED!! OTHERWISE I WOULDN'T HAVE WAITED OVER A MONTH FOR YOU TO WAKE UP!!"
"Winry…" Edward held her tighter and closed his eyes. Then he let go of her. "Excuse me for a second, Winry." Winry slowly let go of Edward and watched as he toke of her earring. He grabbed her hand and put the earring in it. "I may have not gotten my arm and leg back but we got Al got his body back and the three of us will be going home together. I won't need to be reminded of you when I will see you everyday. And besides, I bet you miss it."
Winry looked at the earring, closed her eyes, and smiled. She shook her head and said, "No." Winry grabbed Edward's hand, put the earring in it, and closed his hand. "I want you to keep it, Ed."
"But-"
"It's my earring… So I get to decide who gets to keep it. I want you to have it… just in case something like this happens again. In case we get separated again." Winry quickly hugged Edward. "I missed you so much."
"Winry… Thanks…"
"WINRY!!" Alphonse ran into the room. "WINRY, IS ED UP?!"
Winry quickly tore away and looked at him. She glared at him. She wanted to yell, "AL!! WE WERE HAVING A ROMANTIC MOMENT HERE!!" But she didn't, she just glared. "Al, this is a hospital and it's in the middle of the night! Could you quiet down a little?!"
"That's weird. Just a few minutes ago, you were crying as loudly as Al was yelling, Winry", pointed out Edward with a smirk on his face.
"Shut it", muttered Winry. She pulled out her wrench. "Or I'll put you back in a coma."
"Right. I'll remember that."
"BROTHER!!" Alphonse jumped onto Edward and hugged him tightly. "Brother, you're ok! I'm so glad to see that you're awake!"
"And I'm glad to see that you're back in you're body, Al. I know that I promised that we would feast after we got out of there. Are you hungry?!"
"Yeah, Brother! Let's go to the kitchen!" Alphonse got off his brother and walked out the door. Winry turned to Edward. She smiled at him. He was putting her earring back in his ear. Edward looked at Winry and grinned back at her.
"What's a matter, Winry", he asked.
Winry's faced turned red and she looked away. "Nothing, Ed. Go and join, Al. I'll be here waiting."
Edward shook his head and said, "It wouldn't feel right to leave you out, Winry." He grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door and the down the stairs.
