I do sincerely apologize for the late update! I've been sick and lots of school work got in the way D; I already have most of the story written but am just unsure of where exactly I want it to go l: Chapter 4 should be up soon ^-^; Let me know what you guys think :D Reviews are GREATLY appreciated ^-^~

Chapter 3

Plague 61 was not the most pleasant disease. It made him sleep a lot, every muscle in his body was sore, he couldn't keep any food in his stomach (not that he even wanted to, just the thought of eating made him nauseous). Oh, and the fever was kind of uncomfortable too.

He had never felt so sick in his life.

Al rarely stayed in the room which struck him as odd. Normally when he was sick or injured his brother never left his side. In fact, he rarely left his side, ever.

Winry had been bringing him food regularly, even though he didn't touch it, stealing his milk that he didn't even glance at. He's asked her if she knew where Al kept going, but she just shrugged.

"It's hard for him, you know." She said. "Seeing you like this. It reminds him of your mother."

Ed looked out the window, since there wasn't really anything else to look at except Winry and he couldn't bear that sad look on her face she always wore nowadays. He hadn't really thought of the effect this could have on Al.

"Doctor Munro said this was actually the worst case he'd seen in months." Ed said, testing out the words for himself. He felt Winry take his hand and stiffened, remembering that first nightmare. He pulled his hand away, maybe a little too harshly, and ignored the hurt look on her face.

"I'm not some child, Winry." He said. "I don't need you to hold my hand through this."

She didn't say anything, but he knew the words had struck her. It's how it has to be. He told himself.

"You don't have to go through this alone." Winry said. She started to say something else but stopped, as if she'd changed her mind. "I'm going to go look for Al." She said, realizing he wasn't going to budge. Her tone of voice was… Pissed wasn't even the word. Disappointed? Hurt?

The worst dreams, Ed thought as he looked out at the city, were the ones he didn't realize were dreams at first. The ones that left him crushed that it was a dream.

The doctors had let him go take a walk on the roof to get fresh air.

'Letting' him meaning he snuck out when no one was around.

The sun was setting, making the sky ruby red. It had always been his favourite shade of the sky.

He hated being sick. He hated depending on everyone, making them worry. Sometimes he'd feel fine for a couple of hours, but then it came back even worse. He remembered that happening to his mother. It was the key symptom of Plague 61. The constant relapses.

He and his brother would be so happy to see her better for a little while. She kept getting worse and worse until she was finally fine for a week straight. They were so happy, all three of them, that it was done. It was over. The sickness was gone.

But they were uneducated in Plague 61 and the horrors of its relapses.

She died in her sleep a week later.

So these mini-recoveries didn't really comfort him. He couldn't really fully appreciate or enjoy them seeing as the symptoms usually came back twice as worse.

"Do you remember we used to watch the sunsets all the time back home?" Al asked from behind him. "All of us, even Dad sometimes." Ed winced at the mention of his father, but decided not to let it bother him.

"Hey, where've you been all day?" Ed said, not taking his eyes off the sky.

"Here and there." Al said. "How are you feeling?"

"It's not so bad right now." Ed said. "The symptoms come and go, really."

"Are you still having the nightmares?"

Ed thought for a moment. "Yes." Al sighed.

"At least they don't seem to be as bad this time."

Ed paused. "What do you mean 'this time'?" He turned to look at his brother

"You really don't remember?" Al asked. "A couple of months after Mom died you started having nightmares." Now that Al said something, it did ring a bell. "Every night, too." Al added. "For about a month. You'd wake up screaming, sometimes crying too."

Okay that he didn't remember.

"You wouldn't remember anything after, too. I wasn't sure if you actually couldn't remember or if you were just pretending."

"Sounds like night terrors." Ed said, then straightened up. "These are just nightmares though, Al, don't worry too much. Okay?" They both stood there until the sun was completely gone, leaving only a bit of light left before the stars came out.

"We should go back inside. The cold can't be good for you."

"I'm not cold."

"You have a fever, you're not really an expert on temperatures right now."

"You're one to talk." Ed said jokingly, but he followed his brother to the door.

He paused at the top of the stairs as Al went down them. Something wasn't right

He grabbed hold of the railing so he wouldn't fall, balancing himself on his automail leg.

"Al.." He said. "Al!" His brother turned questioningly, then hurried when he saw the panicked look on his brother's face.

"What's wrong?" Al said, helping his brother balance himself.

"I can't feel my leg." Ed said.

It was just him and the Doctor Munro in the room. The doctor looked over some files quickly, the moving paper the only sound in the room. Except maybe for Ed's pounding heart. His leg was completely paralyzed.

He knew this wasn't good.

"The plague's final symptoms.." Munro began. "The later symptoms we see is always paralysis. Sometimes in the face, hands or arms, or, in your case, leg."

Ed let that sink in. Final symptom.

"Now this isn't a death sentence." The doctor continued. "Some people do get over the paralysis and then heal. But.."

"But most don't.." Edward finished for him.

"I don't want to discourage you, but this is one of the most severe cases we've seen in a long time." Munro looked at him but Ed couldn't meet his eyes.

"There's nothing more we can do here." He said. "The medicine's done what it could."

"So it's just basically a wait-and-see type thing?" Ed laughed an emotionless laugh.

"I suggest you go home, Edward." Munro said. "Make yourself comfortable. "

"Make myself comfortable to die?"

"That's not what I meant." The doctor shot back at him. "But if this does end up worst-case-scenario.. Just be with your family to get better." The doctor stared at him. Al was his only family now. Munro squeezed Ed's shoulder and smiled reassuringly before leaving the room.

A few seconds later Al hurried in the room with Winry calmly behind him.

"What did he have to say?" Ed paused for a second, not exactly sure what to tell his brother.

"He said to go home." Ed said with an unsure smile, looking at Winry. There was a silence as Winry processed what he'd just told them. "The doctor said there was nothing else to do here but wait so.."

"I'll call Grandma and let her know." She said. Her voice sounded broken and Ed wondered if she suspected..

"Wait, so we can go home while you get better?" Al asked excitedly. Ed felt his heart break for a fraction of a second, but pushed the thought away with a smile.

"You bet'cha!" He said, grinning.

It wasn't Ed's first time in a wheel chair, but it was his first time on a train in a wheelchair.

It wasn't all that fun.

Winry said nothing on the ride there. Al, on the other hand, couldn't stop talking. He was just so excited to be going home.

They got so caught up in finding the philosopher's stone and getting their bodies back that Ed sometimes forgot that Al was still a kid. That he was still a kid himself.

Ed tried to feel hopeful about the whole situation. Besides like the doctor said. Some people overcame the final stage. Some did. Some don't, though. He added bitterly.

When they got off the train, Al and Armstrong got off first, walking a little ahead of he and Winry.

"You can't lie to Al like that." Winry said coldly. "You can't let him go about believing you're going to be okay. He's going to be so crushed when he finds out you're going to- … That you'll.."

She couldn't finish the sentence.

He didn't say anything, just lowered his head. He knew she was crying silently. He desperately wanted to comfort her, to wipe the tears away. But he couldn't. He couldn't get more attached to her than he already was nor could he be cruel and give her even more reason to be upset.

"That's not a guarantee." He said. He smiled. "There's hope, Winry."

"The fresh air feels so nice in this town." His mother said, ruffling Ed's hair. "It helps." He knew she meant with the illness.

He didn't fully understand how fresh air could help so much when he was younger. But he did now. After being trapped in a hospital for two weeks and a half, to see the green fields and feel the free wind on his face…

He thought of Al, who couldn't do that anymore. Couldn't go outside and have a breath of fresh air. That's why he was determined to see this through. He couldn't leave. Couldn't die. Not without getting Al's body back.

"What did the pipsqueak do to himself this time?" Pinako said the moment they all walked in, noting the wheelchair. Ed sighed. He didn't even have the energy to insult her back. She noticed. For half a second he thought he saw a worried look her her face but he couldn't tell because she quickly turned around and said angrily. "The room upstairs is all set up. And I don't care how sick you are, boy, I'm making stew and you are going to eat it."

Ed grinned. It was good to be home.