He wiped his face and took deep breaths, regaining his composure before his brother and Winry joined him again in the room. He looked on steadily as the pair entered, Winry leading a cautious Al behind her. He winced as she came into the light, the yellow spots on her nightgown glaring at him in the morning sun. He wondered briefly why she hadn't changed first and then dismissed the thought, she'd want to take care of him; he should know that. He smiled at Al's hesitant "Good morning, Brother," before swallowing heavily and attempting to answer.

"Alphonse….." he hesitated, trying to stifle his pride before it could rise up and halt him. "Will you….." the pride was beating him and he broke off, looking down. He heard the armor shift, but didn't look up to see what moved.

"Al, could you go put Ed in the bath? I need to change the sheets and he's heavy for me on my own." He sighed in relief at Winry's matter of fact tone, not fighting as a moment later the cold metal arms encircled him.

"Sure, Winry…um……" He felt himself lifted as Al answered. He forced himself to look into Al's new eyes, waiting to hear the rest of what was being asked.

"Out with it." His brow furrowed in confusion as Al avoided his gaze at her prompting.

"Do you want for me to come and help change the mattress, too?" He buried his face in chagrin as his little brother finally met his gaze again after asking this question. The armor was cool on his forehead and he felt a little measure of relief.

"Nope, that's okay. I had stuff over it just in case something like this happened. It's pretty common." He heard the clanking of nodding in response and squeezed one of the metal spikes on Al's shoulder. The shifting caused by walking sent jolts of pain through him and he pressed his head more against the breastplate, relishing in the coolness of the metal. At the doorway they stopped again.

"Winry?" He heard the rustling of sheets stop and held his breath for Al's next words. "Thank you." He didn't hear an answer as they were moving again. Instead of turning towards the bathroom they usually used, Al headed towards the stairs. He tried to shift around to see where they were going, causing Al to speak up again. "Hold still, Brother. We're going to the downstairs bath. Granny is getting it ready."

Each step down felt like his spine was trying to jolt out of his back. He was breathing heavy and he wasn't doing any of the work. He clung tighter to the spike and ground his teeth, he had to be strong. His face began to feel steamy, his breath marring the shining steel. At the bottom he sighed in relief as Al jostled him around, trying to get a better hold. The big leather gauntlets scraped along his sore leg; he bit his lower lip to keep from yelling. He heard the click of Den's paws and focused on the sound, willing everything else from his mind. He heard the creak of a door opening and the light reflecting off of the metal became unbearable, causing him to squint.

He couldn't help a yelp escaping his lips as he was lightly swung down, his feet dangling from the floor and his upper torso resting back against his brother. His attention was drawn down as the sheet was unwrapped from his body. He squirmed in embarrassment, causing the pain to come back with a vengeance, shooting down his spine until a few tears leaked out of his eyes. Granny ignored them with a serious nod at the tub and he felt nothing but relief as he was gently settled into the warm water. He floated, blissfully oblivious to any fuss around him, as the sharp pains in his body were slightly dulled.

He may have fallen asleep. When he opened his eyes again, Granny was gone and it was just Al; just Al, carefully squeezing a rag over his head so water would run through his hair; just Al, who had yet to tease him about wetting the bed or fuss at him for making a mess on Winry. Words failed him as he looked into the face his brother now had, unsure of what to say. He smiled as Al shrugged and dropped the cloth in the water. Bringing his left hand up, he grasped the leather gauntlet, surprised at the gentle squeeze that greeted the contact. Strengthened by the unspoken acceptance, he found what he wanted to say. He opened his mouth, but then frowned as the door opened.

Winry walked in, her hair down and still dripping on the floor behind her. Spotting the tray of food in her hands he sat up sharply, muscles protesting at the sudden movement. "I thought you might be hungry." He nodded enthusiastically in reply earning a laugh from Al. "Al, do you want to do this?"

"No, that's okay. I'm going to go outside." He quickly used the little rag Al had dropped in the water to cover himself as the two exchanged places, Winry settling the tray across the edges of the tub. She laid a towel on the floor before making herself comfortable on the tile.

She held the spoon of broth to his lips and he slurped it all up, his sore throat hungrily absorbing the heat as it went down. When he had finished the entire bowl and lain back again in the tub she broke the silence. "Ed…." He looked at her as she spoke, confused as to why his gaze made her breath catch but liking the reaction, "Al is outside practicing. He has been ever since you made the decision to get the automail. It scared me at first, his determination to help you and not hold you back. I don't know where it came from." He watched as she paused and took a drink of his water. He didn't quite understand what she was getting at.

"Winry," He hated the hoarse sound of his voice, "What are you trying to say?"

He jerked a little as she leaned over the tub, arms enveloping him in a tight hug. "I'm saying that you can scream, cry, and curse me all you want. But I'm going to push you and you will be recovered in a year just like you promised him." He gulped at how serious she sounded, her arms shaking a little around his shoulders. Unsure of what to do he wrapped his remaining arm around her waist and buried his face in her shoulder.