Everybody's heart stopped as they watched Manami jump over the edge. Thanks to her speed, she soared father across than any of them initially expected, but she started to dip at about halfway across.
"!" Ed gritted his teeth.
But before any of them could try to react, more sparks flew. She had waved her fans again, giving her another boost that shot her a few feet back up again. They watched in awe as she reached the other side. Despite that she landed on her side and rolled a few times through the mud... she made it!
"Oh my god..!" Dominic couldn't believe it.
Ed and Al breathed a sigh in relief.
But, what about her arm..?
Manami laid in the mud, staring up at the rainy sky for a short moment, panting heavily. She knew she had to get up, but her shoulder was throbbing. She would have had a much easier time getting over that gap if it weren't for her wound... but now wasn't the time to think about it. She had to push through it.
She groaned as she forced herself to sit up and used her left arm to push herself off the ground so that she could stand. The heavy rain began to rinse the mud off of her as she stuffed her fans back in her pockets and approached the edge.
"Get ready!" She yelled to Ed. He couldn't hear her, but he got what she meant after she raised her arms in the air, then went to clap them together.
He clapped his hands as well, and they both touched the ground at the same time.
Giant chunks of earth, shaped as hands, extended from both sides of the riverbank. Their hearts pounded as they watched the hands approach each other in anticipation. They were almost there...
Manami's side started to waver.
"No, no, no, no..!" She yelled to herself. She was so close..!
Finally, the hands made of earth connected and grabbed onto each other, before fusing and enforcing each other to make a solid bridge. They even managed to make a barrier on each side so that no one walking across could fall off.
The sparks faded, and they watched for a few moments to make sure the bridge would stay intact. It seemed secure, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"You kids did it!" Dominic yelled, in shock more than anything. He quickly turned to run back so that he could grab his horse and get on.
Manami smiled at them from across the bridge. She was still panting, probably from all the adrenaline. Her arm was still throbbing, too. She saw Dominic start to cross the bridge on his horse, and he stopped for a moment to look at her.
"You're one crazy kid!" He yelled. "But I couldn't thank you enough!"
"Go get that doctor!" She yelled back at him with a smile, and he nodded before whipping the reigns, making the horse charge ahead.
She looked back to Ed and Al, who stayed on their side of the bridge. She went to run back over and approach them.
"I can't believe you did that!" Ed yelled over the rain, but he was smiling.
"I said to trust me!" She yelled back, her grin widening.
"Let's get you two out of the rain!" Al spoke, and they went to go inside.
"Manami..!" Winry happened to be there when they got inside. "Miss Satella's water broke!"
"What?!" Manami gasped. "Sh-She's giving birth now?!"
"Yeah, and I need your help to..." She trailed off, her eyes lowering to see...
She gasped. "Manami..! Y-Your hand..!"
"Huh?" Manami looked down to see several streaks of red going down her right hand, to where a few drops had already dropped on the floor. The rain must've been washing it away outside to where it wasn't noticeable.
That would explain the throbbing.
"You idiot..!" Ed yelled. "You shouldn't have—"
"I'm fine..!" Manami insisted. "Just let me clean it up, and I'll be there to help." She said to Winry and quickly walked past them before anyone else could say anything. Luckily she had stored her ointment in her back pocket instead of leaving it with her luggage at the hotel. That was thanks to a gut feeling that she would need it before getting back.
She went into the bathroom and shut the door behind her, locking it afterwards. She wouldn't be surprised if Ed and Al had followed her again, and she didn't want to deal with that right now. She had to do this as quickly as possible...
Manami quickly removed her drenched overcoat to look at the wound in the mirror, her shaky hand feeling around a bit. The dried part of the scab hadn't come off, in fact it just seemed like a part of it had just ripped open and that was why it bled. She had no way to feel if there was anything still open inside...
She looked around in the cabinets to find any disinfectant, to which she was relieved to find some. She made the mental note that Winry would probably need this for Satella. She also found some bandages and guaze, as well as some cloths. She took it all out and spread it across the sink with her shaky left hand. The arenaline was still coursing through her body.
"Damn it..." She had grabbed a cloth to pat over the wound and hold it there. She had to stop the bleeding first... she grabbed a second cloth to pour the disinfectant on, and took a deep breath. "One, two..."
She quickly switched the cloths, dabbing the disinfectant against the wound. She gritted her teeth to hold back the urge to yell out in pain that the stinging had caused. It only made her shake more. She removed the cloth and reached in her back pocket to grab the tube of ointment, slowly lifting her right hand to hold it so that she could open the tube with her left hand and squeeze some ointment onto her fingers. After quickly rubbing it in on the front and back sides, she slapped on the bandages on the front and back sides before wrapping the guaze around her shoulder a good five, six, seven times. She ripped the guaze with her teeth and slapped the end on.
"Just stop throbbing..." Manami lowered her head to groan. "I won't use this arm anymore... just stop throbbing..." She begged herself.
After a moment, she forced herself to move again, putting everything away except the disinfectant. She even plugged the sink to fill up with hot water so that the cloths could soak in there, hoping that would help getting the blood out later. She had no more time.
She threw the door open to see Ed and Al. Instead of angry, they looked worried.
"Winry's in the bedroom." Ed said. "We got everything we could, and..."
"We can't do anything more but wait..." Al finished.
"..." Manami nodded, going to walk past them. "It's all gonna be fine." She said.
"And your arm?" She stopped after Ed asked that, and she turned to give him a thumbs up with her left hand.
"Also fine. I'll explain more later, okay?"
Before they could answer, she turned and went to go back down the hall and to the bedroom. The sound of Satella's screaming resonated in her more than the throbbing of her arm, and the moment she stepped in the room, her pain had all washed away.
This was about Satella now.
An hour or two passed. Ed and Al were sitting outside the door to the bedroom, praying that Satella would make it through this...
But suddenly, they heard the front door bust open to reveal Dominic and a doctor.
"Is everything alright?!" He panted, and Ed and Al shot up.
"Y-Yeah!" They pointed to the door. "They're in there..!"
Both of them rushed past the brothers to go inside, and once again they were left out in the hallway alone.
A few minutes later, Paninya and Manami stepped out. Paninya immediately fell to her knees, eyes wide.
"Blood... so much blood... I can't handle all the blood..." She seemed traumatized.
Manami also seemed stressed, but she managed to remain standing and only lean her back against the wall as she panted.
"Wh-What happened?!" Ed asked, but Manami held her left hand up.
"Sh-She's fine... but please don't yell..." Satella had been screaming this whole time, and her ears were ringing.
"Winry's still in there..?" Al asked quietly, and Manami nodded as she let her back slide down the wall until she was sitting.
"Yeah... the doctor wanted her to stay..." She said, her eyes falling shut. "She's doing... a really good job..."
"The baby still isn't out..?" Ed blinked in surprise, and Manami shook her head no.
Holy crap...
Manami's eyes opened halfway as her arm started to hurt again. Luckily it hurt significantly less this time, it was more sore than anything...
"How's your arm?" It was like Ed had read her mind. She sighed softly and leaned her head back against the wall.
"I think I just opened the outer scab... and that was why it bled. I cleaned it up and wrapped it up in bandages and gauze." She explained.
"That was too risky." Ed frowned, going to sit next to her. Al went to sit on the other side of her. "You could've permanently damaged your arm... what good would you have been, then?" He asked, going to look up at the ceiling.
Manami sighed through her nose, looking down to her lap. "I'm a State Alchemist." She said quietly. "My job is to work for the people. So I did my job."
"..." Ed chuckled softly. "Since when did you get so cool?" Despite the sarcastic tone, he meant it.
"Cool?" Manami scoffed. "Hardly. Someone 'cool' wouldn't have gotten hurt like this in the first place."
"That's not true." Al replied, earning both Ed and Manami's glances. "I mean... whenever you hear stories of heroes, it's always people who put their life on the line. Sometimes give their life." He explained, then looked to the both of them.
"I guess..." Manami leaned her head back against the wall and shut her eyes again. "But I'm no hero. Just someone trying to do right to make up for my wrongs."
Ed and Al looked at each other, not knowing how to respond to that.
But then, they noticed something. It was quiet.
Manami's eyes flashed back open. Satella had stopped screaming.
"..?" The three of them looked to the door to suddenly hear... a baby's cry.
"!" They all shot up. The baby was born!
They all crowded at the door, waiting eagerly for the door to open. When it did, the doctor was surprised to see the kids so close.
"You want to see the baby?" The doctor opened the door, and they flooded in to see Satella laying in bed, holding a tiny, crying baby in her arms. Ridel was right at her side and looked over when they came in.
"Hey..!" He smiled at them. "It's a boy!"
"Wow..!" They all smiled excitedly. A baby boy had been brought into the world!
"You okay there, Win?" Manami saw Winry on her knees, her head hung low. The blonde weakly lifted a hand to wave. "Tired... but I'm okay." She looked up to look at Satella and Ridel looking happily at their new son.
"That's so awesome..! Alchemists were always unable to create life, but a woman could carry a life to term in just nine months..!" Ed stared in awe.
"Don't compare life with science, Ed..." Winry heaved a sigh. He was hopeless...
"Sorry, it's just the only way I can process all of it... it's just awesome. Humanity is awesome." He replied, making everyone smile.
"You were awesome too, Winry." Manami looked down at Winry. "You jumped right to action and were prepared to delivery this baby by yourself."
"I appreciate the praise!" She beamed, before sighing softly. "..." She went to reach for Ed's sleeve. "... can you help me up?"
"What's the matter?" Ed blinked.
"I hurt my back..." Winry whined. Ed knew he couldn't say no when she was on the floor like that... she did just help deliver a baby, after all. He bent down to help her up on his back and he went to piggy back her out of the room.
Manami and Al were still admiring the new family. That baby was so cute... But Manami was admiring Satella in that moment. She was so strong, and pushed that baby out of her, screaming in pain, for hours.
"... now that's a hero." She said quietly.
"Hmm?" Al looked down at her. He didn't seem to hear her.
"Oh, nothing." Manami went to turn and walk out the room. "I need some fresh air."
She walked out, going to turn to walk down the hallway, but stopped before the entryway as she heard a loud thud.
"Ow, ow..! That hurt!" Winry whined.
"You forced open my pocket watch?!" Ed hissed.
"I'm sorry..!" Winry insisted. "I-I'm... really sorry..."
Manami went to lean her back against the wall on the opposite side of the wall. She knew she shouldn't eavesdrop, but...
"You idiot..." Ed sighed as he went to help her up, and they went to sit in the chairs, their backs against the same wall Manami's was against, now.
"... I've never told anyone about what was inside that watch. Not even Al."
"Why not..?"
"The fact that I carry around this watch, to remind myself of the promise I made to myself the day we left... makes me feel pathetic." Ed answered quietly.
There was a moment of silence. But then Manami heard a soft sniffle.
"Why are you crying?" Ed broke the silence.
"Because you and Al never cry... so I'm crying for the both of you." Winry said quietly, followed by a few more sniffles.
For whatever reason, that comment broke Manami's heart just as much as it broke Ed's. She remembered the talk she had with Winry a few nights ago. How she worried so much about them.
"You just have to believe in them."
Was that the right thing to say?
What else could she have said?
"You should go back home, Win." Ed spoke up, breaking Manami from her thoughts. "Seeing that must have made you appreciate that you even have a home to return to. Granny is probably lonely, too... so..."
"It's actually the opposite..." Winry wiped her tears. "It... made me realize that I can't go home. Not yet. You burned down your home and wrote that date in your watch to remind you to keep moving forward. If you can do that, I should be just as serious about what I believe in." She looked to Ed. "And I believe I should be a better mechanic for you, so that your journey isn't as hard."
"..." Manami smiled softly to herself. She worried about Winry a few moments ago, but... after hearing that, she knew she was going to be fine.
She turned to quietly walk down the opposite way of the hallway, unnoticed.