Longing to die, yearning for life, dying for love . . .

Samara

Chapter 13

Isabella was startled awake, she hadn't remembered falling asleep. Ed thrashed and turned on his bed his face constricted in apparent agony. Muffle cries escaped his lips in his sleep; ''Al, Alphonse please . . . run away . . . you can't die . . . Al . . . no . . . ''

Isabella stood up and swiftly grasped his shoulders and tried to wake him with a shake, ''Edward.'' His thrashing only increased as the cries became louder. Isabella shook him more forcefully and said sternly, ''Edward, wake up.''

He stopped thrashing suddenly and opened his eyes to stare into hers. The look of defeat in his eyes made her eyes glaze with tears she forced herself not to shed. She said with a calm voice, ''Edward, it's okay, it was just a dream.''

Ed averted his gaze from her and shook his head as tears fell from his eyes. She understood the meaning, he didn't believe her, she steadied herself and fought even harder not to cry at the sight of his tears. She had seen him cry on a number of accasions, but it never came with the defeated look in his eyes. She released his shoulders and then cupped his chin and made him look her in the eyes. With a determined look in her eyes she bored into his and said with a steady voice she hardly believed she had; ''Your brother is alive, don't you ever think otherwise.''

He closed his eyes for a moment and then shook his head against her hold, she released his chin but continued to gaze into his eyes. His voice was broken, unsteady, rhaspy and weak as he spoke, ''No, I saw him die, in my arms. He was standing . . . I was right there . . . I couldn't save him and he was . . . right there.'' He turned his head away from her gaze and then curled up inwardly like a small, frightened child.

His frality made him look younger than his twenty-four years, according to the files. She took a deep breath to steady herself as she walked out of the room silently. She glanced at the nurses station grateful to see Angie stand up and walked over to her immediately. Isabella closed her eyes, hung her head and let out a deep sigh. If what Edward said was true she was very skeptical of him ever recovering. Why would Ry stoop to such levels, if she had tricked him using her shape shifting alchemy, which she hoped she did and that Al was indeed alive, she didn't know what she would do. There was really no way to convince someone that had seen such acts that it was indeed a ploy to discourage him, to break him. That vile, loathsome, evil, sadistic, twisted, damn bitch.

Angie's concerned voice made her open her eyes and look up at her; ''Isabella are you alright?''

Isabella nodded and forced a slight smile, ''I will be as soon as I figure out how to help him. I think I am going to need that sedative though, he woke up, had a nightmare.''

Angie nodded and swiftly moved to get the sedative and then grabbed a clean, unopened needle from the desk drawer next to her station. She walked into the room and helped Isabella give Edward the sedative which forced him to sleep after only a few minutes.

Once he was asleep Angie smiled at her friend as she resumed to her seat next to the bed, ''Isabella?''

Isabella smiled, ''Angie, I know it's bad to get attatched to the patients, but I can't help it. It might come in handy with his recovery, having someone he knows and trusts around him. Ry will never let his family and friends see him, it would bring back all the inner strength after all.''

Angie nodded knowing her friend was right, but she trully wished to learn more about him herself. She glanced at her watch and smiled upon noticing that she would be getting off in twenty minutes. Isabella and Edward had slept undisturbed for at least nine hours. Unfortunately the underground, make shift hospital allowed no sunlight, not that any of the room had windows anyway.

Angie nodded to her friend, ''I am getting off in twenty minutes, I want to talk to you about your patient. I can't very well do you any good if I am not aware of his condition.''

Isabella smiled in gratitude at her friend, ''Thank you Angie, I don't know what I would do without you.''

Angie smiled smugly, ''You would surely go insane love. I will be back in twenty minutes. I have to do my rounds before I clock out. Did you even talk with your head nurse in the O.R.?''

Isabella shook her head while covering her yawn, ''No, not that he'd notice anyway. No one in the O.R. gives a rats ass about anything there.''

Angie smiled, ''Okay, just wondering, see you in a few minutes then.''

Isabella nodded and stretched to wake her still drowsy muscles. She reached down to gather the medical files in her arms again and settled on reviewing everything while she waited to brief her friend on Edwards condition. She took notice of a another folder tucked inside the large folder of Ed's. She pulled it out and read the name on it; Alphonse Joseph Elric. She thumbed through the pages and stopped upon coming to a photo of the brother. He had a likeness to his brother, but his expression and his eyes were much softer, much kinder. Inside the semi-thick folder were the photo's of Noa Elric, Al's wife, their daughter Trinity Katherine Elric, and Edwards son. She had no trouble in knowing who the now four year old boy was in the picture; he had dirty blond hair, was well tanned like Ry, but it was his eyes that caught her. He had his father's eyes, his father's facial structure even at his young age. His golden orbs were intense in the picture, but still innocent and happy. She scanned over all the files and then she flipped to the last page and found a picture of them standing in front of a flower shop. Ed was standing next to Ry who hung to his right arm while he had a two year old Jason on his shoulders with a wide grin on his face as he rested his chin on the top of his father's head. Ed held onto his ankle with his free hand and next to him stood who she identified as Hues from Ed's description of the man. He had his arm around a woman with short, light brown hair, pale skin, and green eyes. She had a kind look about her as she smiled into the camera. Next to Ry stood Al and Noa, Al had his hand rested on Ry's shoulder and his other arm snaked around Noa's waist. She noticed that in the picture they all looked at ease and happy, but having met Ry and seeing what she was capable of she seethed at her form in the picture. She despised the woman, her blood boiled just thinking about her.

She was ripped awayy from her thoughts as the room was illuminated slight and her friend Angie entered the room. Angie smiled in greeting and carried a tray of assorted food with her setting it down on the nightstand. Then she picked up a chair and moved it over to sit by her friends side.

Isabella knew that Ed would be asleep for a while do to the sedative, which she was grateful for because it would mean that he would heal that much faster, at least physically.

Isabella set aside the inner folder lying it on the rgound beside her chair and opened Ed's file. She looked at her friend and handed her the folder then said calmly, ''He used to be in outstanding physical shape. There are no files on him before the age of sixteen, it seems as though he just appeared in this world around that time. The only records before the age of sixteen state that he used to be part of the military and due to that and his particular field of expertise that portained to his physica state. He was never sick that was documented, and the only complaint listed in his file are those that were created here.''

Isabella watched her friend for a minute as she read the file; ''They have tested nurmerous, deadly drugs on him that may have messed up his mentality and reflexes. I was the nurse that cared for him during those times and I know the side effects because I was present for them, but I do not know the long term effects or if their 'antidotes' will actually restore him to what he was before. His arm and leg were a long acquired casualty and the only thing he said on the subject was that 'he trespassed into God's territory.' I know a lot about him personally just from the conversations we have had, but he still seems pretty introverted.''

Angie read the file and she did see that he was in perfect physical shape before, despite his disability. She flipped through the pages taking in all the information and had to stiffle her gasps at the experiments they put him through. They had taken apart his unique prostethic limbs and altered them, actually upgrading them, but the upgrades had proved to cause him pain and a slowness to his reflexes. There were also signs that his mind had been affected sometimes making his dreams become realistic and confusing the real with the dreams.

Angie took in all the information and was highly doubtful of his recovery the deeper she read. But as she read the defiance that was documented she seemed to be hopeful of his recovery. He had been defiant despite what she read was done to him. Even against the strain his body was put through and the obvious signs of sexual abuse he had endured, he still fought against everyone. It was documented that the only one he allowed to touch him or do anything to him without a fight was Isabella, which didn't suprise her at all.

As she flipped through the file she came across a page of pictures. She took out the page and found that there were two other pages. She gasped at the horror on the pictures. The same young man was pictured with deep wounds and lacerations on his slightly tanner skin. He was unconcious in most of the pictures, but in the pictures where he was concious his eyes still held a fire in them and even though they were dull she could see the glint in his eyes. One picture had him stapped down onto a bed with Ry standing next to him with a sly grin on her face for the weakened, pale, and wounded young man in the picture.

She moved through every horrifying picture, every one making her stomach twist. Then her eyes rested on three pictures, one was this same young man with a similar looking younger man next to him with the elder having his arm over his shoulder. Both boys looked content and happy and the young man in the picture looked nothing like the young man on the bed. His skin was much tanner, his muscle were refined, he looked gorgeous, heavenly so in the picture with long golden hair pulled back in a ponytail. She looked to the other picture and saw the same young man standing with a taller, paler look a like to the brother. He was also taller and aparently german and next to him was a younger Noa. The three had smiles on their faces, and Ed apparently was younger than he was in the other picture. She flipped to the last picture and found that it was obviously tattered and old. It was a small picture that looked like it would fit inside a pocket watch.

She set the folder in her lap and held the picture in her hand; it was a picture of a shorter, younger Ed wearing black pants and a shirt with a silver, metal chain hanging out of his right pocket. He was wearing a long, red over coat. Next to him stood a girl only a couple of inches taller than him with ivory skin. She had bright, blond hair that was tied in a ponytail and was wearing a pink bandana on her head. She had on purple overalls with the top half down and a black tank top. She noticed the obvious muscle in the young woman and the slight blush on Ed's cheeks as the girl had her arm around his shoulder. There was a wrench in her other hand which she had rested on her hip. Their was a similarity to Ry about this girl, except for her complection and the blue of her eyes. Behind them stood an eight foot tall suit of armor that seemed to have a smile in the red of his eyes, he seemed alive and had a kindness about him that radiated through the photo. She turned it over and read the words on the back; Me, Al, and Winry-Ages 15,14, and 15

Angie gathered all the pictures except for the ones of the young man's captivity here and handed them over to Isabella; ''Look at these.''

Isabella took the pictures and froze when she came to the smaller one, she looked on the back and then again at the front. She glanced at Ed who was still curled up in a protective ball on the bed fast asleep. She looked at Angie, ''He was telling the truth, it wasn't halucinations . . . it was all true.''

Angie looked at her confused; ''What is it Isabella, telling the truth about what?''

Isabella shook her head trying to clear it; ''We thought it was dreams. But this picture describes her and him perfectly. The armor, the girl, she looks a lot like Ry, I hope he will recover from this and make it home.''

Angie thought her friend was talking crazy, she remembered the dreams that were mentioned, what he had talked about, but it all seemed surreal and unbelievable. Angie decided that they focus on getting him back on his feet instead of whatever his mental state was, they could work on that once he recovered physically.

Comment, I know I say it nearly every chapter, but I really want to hear what you think, honest. Thanks for reading!