Tears of the Alchemist

Chapter IV – Ears to Listen

"It's good to see you two made it," Pinako said upon their arrival. She backed away from the doorway and allowed them to enter the house.

"We came as soon as we could," Al said as Pinako closed the door behind them. Ed stood in the center of the room, speechless. His eyes scanned the room, inspecting every corner. He couldn't believe how quiet the whole house was. He was so accustomed to a noisy Rockbell home. Whether it was because of Den barking, tools clanking, or Winry yelling at Ed, it was always filled with lively sounds. Now, even Ed's own quiet breathing could be heard.

He slowly turned his head to continue the inspection. He wrinkled his nose at the strange smells. The once always-present scent of engine oil had faded away and was replaced with one of sterility and medicines. Ed didn't like this smell at all. It reminded him of when his mother was sick. The smell was so strong now, and he had to shake himself free of any painful memories. Still, the familiar scent burned in his nostrils.

As his eyes proceeded to examine his surroundings, Ed noticed the empty tables that lined the walls. The prospect of the tables always paraded with tools and mechanical parts to be unbelievably bare seemed utterly delusive, and it nauseated Edward.

He sighed and stepped towards one of the tables, running his fingers through the hair hanging loosely over his face. When he reached the edge of the table, he rested his gloved hands upon it and grimaced at the empty surface. He grabbed his red jacket that was still somewhat hanging off his shoulder and placed it at one corner of the table. Scanning it again, he removed his black jacket and placed it at the opposite end. He then carefully fingered his gloves before pulling them off and placing them in the center, satisfied that almost all the empty space had been filled.

He had left his suitcase in the center of the room where he had previously been standing, and by this time, Al had already moved it up against the couch and had taken a seat. Pinako was leaning up against the wall next to the front door allowing Ed to take a few moments.

Staring at the table before him, Ed noticed something peeking out beneath his black jacket. Ed reached for it and lifted it to the level of his eyes. It was a medium-sized screw, obviously one Winry had been working with before she became ill and one that had been left behind when all the equipment was cleaned up. He clenched the lone screw in his fist and hesitantly swallowed.

"Where is she?" he asked Pinako without moving.

"She's upstairs in her room," she replied. "She fell asleep just a few minutes before you arrived." Ed turned to the stairs and stared up them, his eyes searching for her and his ears alert. Her door was only cracked open, so he was unable to see anything from downstairs.

"This rest is good for her," Pinako continued. "You must be thirsty after walking from the station in that heat. Come into the kitchen and have some lemonade." Ed still stared up the stairs but followed Pinako into the kitchen.

"Right," he said turning from the stairs. Al stood up and filed in behind his brother. The boys both pulled up chairs and sat down while Pinako prepared a tall glass of fresh lemonade for Ed. The ice crackled as she popped in each ice cube. She slid it over to him, and he quietly sipped at the beverage, letting the sweet lemonade tickle his lips. He sat the tall glass down in front of him, condensation forming at its base, and cleared his throat.

"Has a doctor seen her?" Ed asked Pinako, not wanting his eyes to meet hers.

"Yes. He's been here twice," she began. "When she first started getting sick, he said it was just a cold and that she should be over it in no time, but then it got worse. She couldn't work anymore because she was coughing so much and had a hard time breathing. Eventually, breathing became her most difficult task, and that's when I called Dr. Morris a second time. He was here that one morning… the day that I called you." Both Ed and Al listened intently as she recalled the course of Winry's sickness.

"He told me that Winry's cold had taken a turn for the worse. He had seen this condition only once before, but couldn't remember the name of it. He advised me to keep the house exceptionally clean, and that meant no mechanics. He promised to return tomorrow to check up on her and inform me more of the illness. It's a good thing you two are here. That way I'll have a couple more ears to listen to him because mine are getting old." She smiled at them, but Ed didn't notice.

"What about the other case?" Ed ventured. "He said he treated a condition like Winry's before. So, what happened?" Pinako's face dropped. She was afraid that he would ask.

"He did tell you, didn't he?" he asked, his eyes hopeful.

"Yes, Ed. He told me," Pinako confirmed, unwilling to answer his concern.

"And?" he demanded. Pinako breathed deeply and exhaled slowly before responding.

"The patient died within a few weeks after becoming bedridden." A slight gasp could be heard from Al's armored body, and Ed raised his eyebrows in shock. The kitchen fell completely silent until Al decided to speak.

"What are we going to do?" he whimpered.

"Well…" Pinako attempted but trailed off.

"We're going to wait for Dr. Morris," Ed chimed in. "Hopefully, he can come up with an effective solution. Until tomorrow, all we can do is wait." That statement ended the conversation.

Ed rose to his feet and walked towards a wall covered in photographs. He stood before them, studying the figures in each one. There were a couple of Winry and her parents when she was young and a few of her and Den. Ed even noticed some with her, Al, and himself, but the majority of the wall was covered with just her and him. Many were when they were children, but some appeared to be recent photos. He noticed one that showed Winry holding an ice pack up to Ed's forehead with an annoyed look on her face. 'That must have been after she threw another wrench at me,' he thought and slightly smiled. He shifted his eyes to the next picture. It was of the two of them when they were fast asleep and still very young. Ed was sprawled out on the floor, and Winry was resting her head on his chest. While examining the picture, Ed also noticed the popcorn thrown everywhere across the floor. Another slight smile formed across his lips.

"These weren't here the last time we visited," Ed claimed.

"Oh, Winry put those up when she first started getting sick," Pinako explained. "She said they comforted her and made her feel a little better." Ed nodded and found his way back to the table and his lemonade. Pinako's voice reached his ears once again.

"You can go up and see her now if you'd like. She wouldn't be too happy if she found out that I let her nap during your arrival." Ed glanced at Pinako, and then looked to the stairs.

"Okay," he softly said, beginning towards them. He slowly placed his hand on the rail and soon found himself quietly trudging up the stairs. He bit at his bottom lip as he climbed the steps. The fact that he felt a little nervous surprised him, but he ignored the feeling and continued to Winry's bedroom. When he finally reached the top of the stairs, he took a moment to study the crack of light at the corners of her doorway. With a deep breath, he placed his hand upon the doorknob and paused before creaking the door open.

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A/N: haha! I keep putting off the reunion of Ed and Winry. Please don't throw things at me! Yes, I have decided what Winry's illness is going to be. Yes, it is a real-life illness, and yes, I have done a little bit of research on it… just enough to get my facts straight. Anyways, I hope this wasn't as messy as I had figured it to be. Keep reading! Much love!