Disclaimer: I still don't own FMA D: But Addy, Sylvia and Bryce are aaall mine!
Notes: Yaya, I know, it took too long yet again. It's not as bad as last time, though! Less than a month! And, considering the plot bunny for the next chapter has already begun (in this chapter, ya? Just continuation.) I won't have to sit around for two weeks thinking "So how should I start this?" like I pretty much did with this one . . . Yet another reason why I shouldn't start new things when I haven't finished the old ones: I slow down majorly on the old ones D: So thank you for hanging around, and here is my angst!chapter that I didn't want to put next to the Sylvia one. Probably because they're both so past-based. But hey, the next chapter will be too XD (See previous 'continuation' note.) And so thank you for putting up with me, and read on! (Plz review :3)
Chapter Eight: In Which Roy Takes Control At The Right Moment
It was a hot autumn night, and Roy was finding it hard to get to sleep. The air was painfully still, not even providing a breeze for his benefit. Roy found himself staring at the ceiling, willing the fan to start spinning. It hadn't been this hot when he first got into bed, and he hadn't felt the need to turn it on. What was the world coming to when autumn felt like summer and summer felt like spring?
Finally, after much internal debate, Roy crawled out of bed very slowly, so as not to wake Riza. She stirred a little as the mattress moved, but he managed to spin the speed dial for the fan and get back into bed without any further fuss.
He was just congratulating himself when she rolled over. He froze, watching for movement, and when there was none he looked closer. Her eyes were still closed, but her expression was somewhat troubled.
"Ri, honey, are you alright?" Roy asked nervously. He'd heard that dreams were just what a person's mind made out of the sounds they heard in their sleep, and thought he might at least be able to help her out subconsciously.
She gave a moan in her sleep, but her expression tightened. For a minute, he considered leaving her alone and going to sleep, but then she took a sharp breath in through her mouth, and her breathing quickened.
After a last moment of indecision, he reached for her arm to shake her awake. When his fingers touched her shoulder she pushed him away with one hand and wrenched back, eyes flying open. At first, she cringed at seeing him so close, but then looked at him and seemed to calm down.
"You were having the nightmare again, weren't you?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied quietly.
"Riza, it's been two years. Maybe you should see a psychologist–"
She sat up and pulled at the sheet she had kicked off earlier, tugging it from her feet up just beneath her ear as she lay back down, facing away from him. "I don't need a psychologist. We discussed this earlier."
"We said we'd keep an eye on how you're going and contact a professional if it seemed necessary."
"It isn't."
"You haven't dealt with it. You need to talk to someone about this."
"How am I supposed to deal with this, Roy?" she asked, whipping around and staring at him angrily. "I'm trying the best I can. What more do you suggest I can do?"
"I don't know."
"That's right – you don't."
"No, I don't," he reiterated, "but a professional psychologist might have some idea. There'll be patient-doctor confidentiality, Riza. If the guy decides he wants to spread celebrity gossip, he'll be out of a job. I'm willing to risk media it if it's going to help."
She crawled back down into the bed. "Maybe you are, but I'm not."
"Ri . . ."
There was a bit of movement as she adjusted her position. "Can we talk about this some other time?"
Roy frowned. "After training tomorrow. We can't put it off forever."
She didn't reply.
Every few months they'd have the same discussion, and in the morning all of it would be brushed aside as though that sort of conversation shouldn't see the light of day. He could see how much it was affecting her, but she still denied the need for outside help.
Since that night, she just hadn't been the same. Sure, it was mostly a good thing – they got on, most of the time now – but Roy figured that that was a product of being there for her when she needed him. There were still other aspects that he knew were a result of what had happened to her, and if talking to someone about it could make her feel more at ease, then he knew what he thought she should do.
She was too stunned to make the call herself. He spoke to her again and again, reassuring her that it was the right decision. They'd never approached anyone about their personal lives before, and she was still having issues reconciling a friend's face with his actions. So Roy made the call on her behalf.
When he was patched through to the police, the man on the other end asked him if he had a crime to report.
"Yes, my wife was raped."
"Can you tell me when this occurred, sir?"
"Ah, maybe an hour or two ago."
"If you give me her name and location we'll be able to have an ambulance sent to pick her up."
He told the man his address, but the pause after he said his wife's name was Riza Mustang was filled with nothing but disbelief.
"Yeah, alright, well so long as she's put into the hospital under the same name, the detectives will be able to find her. If she hasn't washed yet tell her not to until she's been examined – the evidence will be fresher that way. Both of you stay where you are, and an ambulance should be there in . . . eight minutes."
"Our daughter's asleep. I can't leave her here," Roy interjected quickly, before the man could try to finish the conversation.
"If you're not comfortable bringing her to the hospital you can call someone to come and get her."
Roy had begun pushing the buttons for his parents' number when he heard the water pipes beginning to groan. He cursed and ran to the bathroom, knocking loudly on the door.
"Riza! Riza, the police say not to shower yet. Riza?"
There was no response. He jiggled the handle only to find it was locked.
"Riza, let me in. You alright?"
He heard a muffled "Roy?" and realised that the phone was hanging in his other hand. Someone must have picked up.
"Yeah, Dad, it's Roy."
"Did Riza lock you out of the house?" the older man asked in astonishment, evidently having heard Roy's last comment.
"No, it's just . . . There's a bit of a problem and we're going to have to head to the hospital," Roy said distractedly. "Would you be able to come and get Addy? I don't want to leave Riza right now."
"Is it serious?" came back the worried reply.
"She's not about to die, but the ambulance is on its way, and I don't want Addy there with us. Can you come get her?"
"Yeah, sure, I'll be ten minutes. Less – no traffic."
"Great, thanks."
Roy hung up and turned back to the bathroom door. "Riza, are you okay in there?"
He was still sitting outside the door, trying to make conversation when the doorbell sounded. Red and blue lights flashed in through the window, and he got to his feet carefully.
"The ambos are here, Riza. I'm just going to go let them in – I'll be right back."
Roy didn't like Riza being out of reach at a time like this. After an event like this. She'd seemed to use the bathroom as a retreat from him often enough recently, and the lock on the door made it so hard to get to her when it was necessary. He didn't know whether she was coping or not, and washing evidence down the drain was just going to make it harder to convict this Emlyn, wasn't it? That's what the guy on the phone had said. At least she'd be able to point him out, and that'd make it a lot easier for them.
Jogging out into the hallway and down the stairs, Roy tried to get to the front door before the bell rang again and woke Addy up. When he pulled the door open, the man and woman standing outside blinked in surprise, and the one on the left moved his hand away from the button next to the doorframe.
The two of them exchanged surprised glances – yes, he was Roy Mustang – and seeing as they hadn't opened their mouths yet, Roy said "My wife's upstairs," and stepped back to let them in.
Reminded of their reason for being there, they gave business-like nods. "Lead the way, Mr. Mustang," the woman said.
Bringing them inside, he led them up into the bedroom to stand outside the en suite door. The water was still running. Roy knocked again, listening carefully.
"Riza, the ambos are here."
"Did the police dispatcher tell you it's better if she hasn't showered?" the man asked.
Roy nodded. "Yeah, but she was in there already by the time I got off the phone," he explained. "Riza?"
There was a click as the lock was undone from the other side, and when the door didn't open Roy gave it a firm push. Riza was sliding down to the floor by the sink, still fully clothed. Stepping in towards her, Roy leant into the shower momentarily to turn the water off. The female paramedic followed him in.
"Are you alright, Mrs. Mustang?" she asked.
"Yes. Yes, I'm fine," Riza said with a grimace.
The doorbell sounded again. "That'll be Dad to take Addy," Roy said. "I'll be right back."
He gave another glance towards Riza before making his way out of the room. It appeared that was doing fine at the moment, and they were paramedics anyway – they should have known what they were doing.
When Roy opened the door his father looked at him anxiously.
"Come in, come in," Roy told him, rushing the man inside and closing the door after him. "Addy's in her room. I didn't wake her up because she might get worried with all of this fuss."
"Everything is alright, isn't it?" the man asked as Roy set off up the stairs.
Over the past few years, Roy had noticed how nosy his parents were. Of course, it had taken him some time to come down off his high horse and realise it always a matter sitting in plain sight and being denied. He got on well with his parents, but how could he tell them about Sylvia, or Bryce? And so they had watched his relationship with Riza fall apart, not understanding why their son and daughter-in-law were arguing so much when they seemed perfectly fine together before.
And now there was another matter that Roy thought wasn't right to talk about with his father. It wasn't his business to make it known, but there would be so many awkward questions if he didn't. Roy set it aside and resolved to leave it for later, when he wasn't feeling so flustered.
"It will be."
Once upstairs he led his father straight through to Addy's room, ignoring the voices coming from his and Riza's, then without turning on the light – it would make for a rude awakening – Roy found his daughter's backpack and used the moonlight coming through the window to find some clothes to put in for her.
"It's probably better if she stays all night at your house, rather than having us come and get her before dawn," he said in a hushed whisper. "I don't know how long we're going to be at the hospital, but it would be better for her to still get a whole night's rest."
His father didn't say anything, but when Roy turned to face him, holding out the backpack, Roy could see the worried frown on his face. He cast about for something else to say to relieve the tension.
"Um, I'll try come and get her around lunchtime, but I'll speak with Riza first. Make sure she's alright."
There was another moment of silence before the other man reached out and took the bag Roy was still holding towards him. "Take care of her, Roy."
"I will."
Moving past his father, Roy knelt down beside Addy's bed, brushing hair away from the girl's closed eyes. "Addy. Addy, wake up," he said, his voice a little louder now. He put a hand on her shoulder and nudged her gently.
Addy's eyes were scrunched up, but she peeked out at him grumpily.
"Grandpa's here to take you to his house tonight. We've got your things in your bag already, so we just need to get you to the car."
Her hands made the sign for 'Why?' sleepily.
"There was an accident and Mummy's been hurt," Roy said evenly. "She's going to be okay, but I need to go with her to the hospital."
Wide eyed, Addy started gasping in air, and asked what sort of an accident it had been.
"She's alright," he reassured her. "They just want to take her to the hospital to make sure everything's fine."
There was a great deal of trembling lower lips, but Roy finally managed to get her up by agreeing to carry her to the car, and she grabbed onto him, burying her head into one of his shoulders and clinging on tighter than a baby koala. Roy coughed a little, but after adjusting her a little bit his neck was slightly less crushed, and he allowed his father to head out first.
The paramedics were escorting Riza down the stairs when Roy and Addy arrived at the top, and Roy's father's "Riza! What happened?" was enough to make Addy squirm around to look for her mother.
Riza turned around, surprised, and once they reached the bottom of the stairs she stopped and took the restless Addy from Roy's arms, setting her down right away – Addy had become too heavy for her to carry – but still holding the girl tightly to her.
"It was- it was . . . It's just- It's nothing, alright, I'm fine."
Not much made Riza Hawkeye stutter, and Roy looked at her sadly. "Come on, Dad, we've got this covered."
Roy ushered his father out, and picked Addy back up after Riza had given her a kiss and told her she wasn't going to die.
As Roy buckled Addy in, the older man shook his head disappointedly at him over the roof of the car. "You two and your secrets. Honestly, Roy."
"No, Dad, it's just not the right time," Roy said wearily. "I'll talk to you about it tomorrow, when I come get Addy. I just want to get Riza sorted out right now."
"Fine," he replied, rubbing at his eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow."
It wasn't the best of partings, Roy knew, but it would do for now, so he waved as they drove off, and jogged over to the ambulance, where Riza was being bundled into the back.
"Can I come with you?" he asked the paramedics.
The male paramedic turned to him. "It might be better if you come in your own car – that way you can drive home when everything at the hospital is finished, instead of having to wait for a taxi."
"Right," Roy said, looking at Riza's quiet face. "I'll see you there, then."
Flashback to be continued in next chapter.
Thank you everyone :3 Reviews are loved, huggled, and/or what-have-youed. If you have any preferences for which one you want, be sure to specify! XD
(Don't blame me - it's 1:39AM and I've been trying to get up early, so I'm tiired -yawn- ;o; )
-Dai
