As Riza stood in the shower, letting the water flow over her skin and through her hair, she went through her mind on what she'd say to Roy. Now that she knew how she felt, she was filled with a burning desire to tell him.

Colonel Mustang, I need to...no not like that. she thought i'm deeply in love with...ugh not that either.

That last one in particular made her make a face at that. She didn't want to be overly dramatic but in her defense her lack of dating experience meant she didn't have much to work with. But then something came up in her mind as she shut off the shower water. How would she address him? She'd always referred to him as "Sir" or "Colonel" or "Colonel Mustang" but she never called him his name. It felt strange to her that she'd never just called him Roy.

She continued going through what to say to Roy as she got dressed. The elaborate but grisly scars on her back were then partially covered by her bra and then by her shirt as she slipped it on. She then looked at herself in the mirror as she finished getting dressed. She looked lovely with a soft colored dress top capped off with a purple skirt that extended all the way to just below her knees with her flowing hair reaching down to her midsection. She then took her hair and held it up with her hands in a makeshift ponytail. She thought it would be a bit easier to talk to Roy if she looked like an officer. But the more she thought about it, the more it seemed absurd.

If Roy shared her feelings, it wouldn't really matter which way she appeared or how she wore her hair. What mattered was that she was always there for him and would be for as long as she would be able to. So she let her hair down as she brought it to her chest. It went over her chest like a scarf and she sighed softly as she ran her fingers through it. She really looked stunning. She hoped Roy would think so.

She then stepped out into her living room and looked at the table in the middle of her apartment. There sat the phone on top of the table. She felt like picking it up and dialing the hospital. The operation had to be over by now. She walked over to it and reached towards it with her right hand but then at the last second she hesitated. She was acting ridiculous. They hadn't told her how long the operation would take since they had to do Roy and Havoc. And the Colonel had been in worse situations than this. So, instead of picking up the phone, she walked towards her couch and sat down, the light from the sun exploding through the window and the telephone just a few feet away.

He's alright. she thought to herself He's alright.

The next two hours felt like torture for her as she silently waited. Waiting for the phone to ring. Black Hayate seemed to understand his owners pain and looked up at her as she glanced down to him. Normally, she didn't feel comfortable with Black Hayate on the couch mostly due to him shedding on it which could take about an hour to remove. But she did let him on sometimes when she was in need of comfort or when she was happy. Now, she was a strange mix of both. She chuckled and tapped the sofa cushion next to the one she was sitting on. Black Hayate yipped happily and jumped onto the sofa, placing his head on Riza's lap. She brushed his head with her hands, his fur feeling soft and warm against her skin. As the minutes passed by, she began to feel very sleepy. As soon enough, she then lay on her side and fell asleep, with Black Hayate more than happy to have a whole sofa cushion all to himself.

As Riza slept, memories of her life since meeting Roy went through her head. She recalled when they first met when he was about sixteen and she was about seventeen and her hair was cut ridiculously short, the first time they met the Elric's and she'd told Winry that there was someone she'd had to protect with that now having whole new meaning to her, the time she and the Elric's helped her and Roy escape with Dr. Knox and Lan Fan away from Gluttony and the time she came close to losing him to his own anger when he wanted to kill Envy. That last one in particular felt very bittersweet. She'd seen him be nothing but pure rage as he practically incinerated the Homunculi and then readied to crush him under his shoe and how it took her, Ed and their enemy turned ally Scar to calm him down. It frightened her and she didn't want to relive that experience.

She was suddenly awoken by a loud ringing noise. She righted herself up as she shook her head to wake herself up and clear her head. The ringing was unmistakeable. It was her phone. Black Hayate yawned and lept off the bed and to his normal dog bed as Riza walked towards the phone. She waited just a few moments as she took a deep breath and exhaled, preparing for the worst. She then grasped the phone and held it up to her ear.

"This is Riza Hawkeye." she said "To whom am I speaking?"

"It's me, Dr. Marcoh." said the voice on the other end.

"Hello, Dr." Riza replied "Tell me, did the operation go well? Is Roy...I mean, Colonel Mustang, alright?"

"The operation was a success." Marcoh replied "Both Havoc and Mustang should be able to leave hospital after a day or two's rest."

At that moment, Riza sighed the biggest sigh of relief imaginable. It felt like a weight the size of the train was lifted off her chest. She felt as if she almost couldn't contain her joy.

"But..." Marcoh said suddenly.

Riza gasped but then regained control of herself. "But what?"

"Colonel Mustang has refused to let anyone into his hospital room." Marcoh responded "He wants you to come over right away."

"I'll be there." Riza said "Thank you."

She then put down the phone and sighed a great big happy sigh. She then looked up at the ceiling and smiled.

"God, if you do exist..." she said gently "...I want to say thank you."

As soon as she said that, the sun broke through some clouds and shone through her dining room window and cast a beautiful golden color in the room. She then couldn't help but chuckle softly, knowing that her prayer was answered. And with that, she rushed to the door and headed straight for the hospital, eager to see her friend the Flame Alchemist...and finally tell him how she felt.