~~Chapter Four~~

It was now mid-day, and dad was still being tended to.

We had showed the people his watch and all the nurses immediately came to his aid. They gave him the best of everything, trying their hardest to save the man who had saved the country.

Alexis and I had been shooed to a corner somewhere, and without complaint, we obeyed. Occasionally, Al would come out and tell us updates; most of them were not good.

Momma had grabbed her Auto-Mail equipment, getting right to work on improving his old arm. She sat a ways down from us on a bench, her tools splayed out everywhere. She didn't say a word, and we knew better than to bother her.

Suddenly, a man in a bloodstained white coat came out. His face was solemn, and he walked right past us straight to momma. She looked up, fear in her eyes.

We saw him talk, but I couldn't hear his words. Momma had stood up, looking to him eagerly. Suddenly, she fell back on the bench, her face buried into her hands. Alexis and I rushed up fearfully.

"Momma, is daddy going to be okay?" Alexis squeezed my hand as she spoke. I looked to momma eagerly. Sadly, it was not her who answered.

"He seems to be at a stable condition, but we can do no more. Your aunt is in there, doing what little she cane to keep him stable. We just have to hope now." The doctor's face looked hopeful, a small shimmer of life in this hopeless case.

I wanted to squeal in happiness, I wanted to grab my sister and hug her. I knew that if I did that that would be the wrong reaction. So I simply squeezed her hand as well. I looked to her to see that she had a foolish grin on her face. I grinned back; happy I wasn't the only irrational one.

"C'mon momma. If you're there, dad's gonna be better in no time at all." Without thinking, Alexis and I grabbed momma by her elbows, hauling her up from the bench. She glared to us, but I simply turned away, dragging her to the room with dad in it.

Inside, we were greeted by Al. He looked up from the chair by dad's bed, his eyes filled with hell. Momma walked over to him, taking his hand in hers.

"Winry… I can't lose him. I can't. He's my brother… but all we've been through…" Al trailed off, his shoulder sagging. Momma ruffled his hair, looking to our dad laying in the bed.

"I know Al, I know." Looking to the bed, I was glad to see that dad was at least peaceful.

He seemed content, his eyes closed without the slightest wrinkle of pain. He was bandaged from head to toe, the spot where his arm should have been cut off at his shoulder. The bandages were already soaking with blood, his arm the worst.

I couldn't stand to see my dad like this. He was supposed to be… invincible. Every kid wants that of their parents, all they want is for them to be there for them forever. I had a chance of losing that. I had a chance of losing my god.

I didn't know if that was rational, or if I was being selfish. Right now I sort of hated myself for thinking these things. I wanted to only be worried about my father, and that was a majority of what my mind was doing. The other small part was worrying about how my family would fall apart if he…didn't make it.

Knowing my mom, I could just see her falling to pieces about his death. And what Uncle Al had just said… it made me wonder about his sanity too. It made me wonder who loved my father more, momma or Al.

It made me wonder what the world would do without their hero.