Chapter 25
The phone rang out into the darkness of the house echoing throughout the house. Ed lifted his head, thinking he heard something then dropped his head again. He was so exhausted. It had been a month since he had slept a full night.
He had become accustomed to sleeping anywhere from one hours to three at the most. So far tonight he had one hour, and he wasn't giving up yet. It was only midnight after all. He lay awake for several minutes. But just as he drifted back off into sleep, the phone rang out. Slowly Edward sat up and swung his legs off the bed.
Then it stopped followed by a groggy, "Hello?" from Winry.
Ed continued walking toward the phone.
"Yes, this is Mustang's house hold." Winry said then turned and looked at Ed, "I don't live here though."
She looked to Ed as he sleepily leaned on the wall, "Edward Elric? Yes he lives here."
Ed looked up to her and she held out the phone to him, only then did it all hit him again. The dwelling, chocking fear from what he heard about the mines two days ago.
Pushing off the walk he took the phone, "Hello?"
"Edward Elric?" a deep unknown male voice asked on the other end.
"Yes, who is this?" Ed asked.
"Dr. Nelson, I'm one of the surgeons out in the war zone. I'm calling you to let you know, I've transferred Roy Mustang to Central. He is stable, for now. But he'll make it back in time-"
Ed interrupted him, "What happened?!"
"Sir, he was shot." Dr. Nelson said sadly. "He is stable, but there is still a bullet in his chest and we don't have the equipment to dig that deep."
"When will he be there?!" Ed was almost yelling into the phone. He was squeezing the receiver so hard with his flesh hand it made an odd noise.
"Shortly," there was a pause followed by a woman's voice, muffled in the back reporting a new arrival.
"Mr. Elric, he'll be there within the next couple of hours, I'm so sorry but I have to go."
Ed was about to rattle of more questions but the line was dead. Slamming the phone down Ed looked directly at Winry, tears stinging his eyes, "Get dressed!" and with that he ran off to his room.
Winry darted of into the room she had been using and quickly got dressed. They both came out of their separate rooms at the same time. Edward darted toward the door stuffing his wallet into his pocket and snagging the car keys from the table.
Silently thanking Roy in his head for sending it back from central.
"Edward! You don't have a license!" Winry exclaimed.
"Never stopped me before." Ed mumbled. "Keys, wallet…" Ed muttered looking around.
"Calm down Edward, I could hear him say it would be a bit-" Winry stopped talking and fell silent when Edward looked up at her.
Ed's eyes were terrified, and hurt. He looked down at the table, "Come on, if we sit at the hospital for five hours, I don't care."
Ed turned and opened the door and stepped out into the darkness. His mind was swimming with questions. Why did they wait so late? Was Roy out there at night? What was going on in general?
Jumping into the car Ed started it up as Winry sat down in the passenger side. Ed drove the speed limit. Slowing several times when he noticed the needle reaching further and further over to the right.
They made it to the hospital and Ed, briskly, walked up to the desk and spoke before the nurse could, "Has Roy Mustang been brought in yet?"
"No Sir, not yet. But when he gets here you'll have to stay in here until they say it's ok."
"Who will be operating on him!?" Ed demanded.
"I don't know sir, the only surgeons in are Dr. Berrett and Dr. Collins." she said, "Sir, please have a seat."
Edward looked at her for a moment longer before turning and walking over to Winry sitting in the nearest chair.
Winry took a seat next to him and rubbed shoulder. Ed leaned forward resting his head in his hands.
Winry sat silently, but watched Edward. Just as she was about to look away she saw one tear roll down Edward's arm. She squeezed his shoulder trying to comfort him.
Ed sat outside leaning against the wall of the hospital. Smoke threw itself into the slight breeze stringing out and disappeared as the air took control carrying it away. Ed mentally thanked Winry for buying him some.
The wind picked up slightly, as Ed reached up dropping the butt of the cigarette onto the high sitting ashtray that stood next to him.
Looking over Ed saw a military van-like vehicle practically flew up to the door. The doors on the vehicle flew open and three men jumped out and ran to the back of the van.
Ed stood but didn't dare more forward in fear of getting in the way, or if it wasn't Roy.
Edward felt his heart plummet hard and fast deep in his stomach. He watched completely stunned as the men pulled a stretcher out of the van.
There was a bloody, shirtless, screaming form lying on top of it, clad in blood stained military issued pants. The man's familiar, abnormally, pale chest suddenly began oozing blood as he squirmed in pain, only causing himself more.
"Get him in! Hurry! He's conscious again! The anesthesia is wearing off!"
"Hold in Mustang!" A woman called jumping out of the van but stopped and looked at Edward, "Shit!"
Ed darted forward, "Roy!" He cried out but was abruptly stopped as the blonde woman. Pulled against her, but she was strong, then someone else grabbed him.
"Edward!" they both cried.
Ed looked up too the women, recognizing them both. Winry and Riza.
Ed looked back seeing the men rushing, and Roy withering in pain. Edward didn't miss the tears flowing freely down Roy's face. The onyx eyes Edward loved so dearly, flicked toward him before his head disappeared on the other side of the door.
"Edward!" Roy cried out, in a desperate attempt to prove to them he wanted Ed close by.
Edward broke out of the woman's grip and with an amazing speed, he didn't know he still possessed.
Ed ran blindly into the building and past the E.R. doors only to have a man that was huge in comparison to himself step in his way. Ed looked up at the man with tearstained eyes.
"Where do you think you're going?" His gruff voice asked.
"To Mustangs room!" Ed cried his voice crackled under the pressure.
"Son, I can't let you go in there! He is going into I.C.U."
"Please... you don't understand..."
"You wouldn't believe how much I actually do... please, just cooperate." The man said, almost sadly.
About that time Winry and Riza Came running around the corner and grabbed Edward, "Come on Edward, lets go to the waiting room." Riza coaxed.
Ed numbly obliged.
Hours passed, but to Edward it seemed like days. He sat completely numb, not taking in anything that had happened. Not taking in who had walked in or out, unless they were dressed out in hospital attire.
Suddenly Riza jumped up, sparking a small fire of hope within Edward that the doctor came bearing news.
Jean Havoc walked through the doors with a bag of something Ed assumed to be cloths. Thank Gods, now Edward didn't have to see her military uniform with Roy's blood covering it.
As she stood Jean took her up in a quick hug and kissed her. The sight tore Edward heart into tiny pieces... tore his already sore, fragmented, heart.
Looking away he saw a doctor walk in and watched as he walked over to a woman that sat alone. He was speaking, but Edward didn't hear him. Though he saw how the woman suddenly began yelling.
To Edward the yelling sounded as if she was at the other end of a long tunnel and talking in a normal voice.
Then she broke down, and only then did he hear her.
"He can't be dead" she cried into the doctor's chest.
Edward cringed and looked to the ground. He didn't know how long it had been he zoned everything out, hell he felt like he had fallen asleep, looking over Riza and Jean sat whispering and Winry was watching Edward with a worried expression.
"Did I fall asleep?" Ed asked sitting up from his previous position of slouching against the chair.
"No, you ok?" Winry asked shocked at the question.
"I don't know…" Ed muttered rubbing his face, before he dropped his elbows onto his knees cradling his head in his hands. The rough and careless contact of metal and flesh should have hurt slightly, but Edward was already numb again.
He hid himself deep in his mind away from everyone as he sat back against the chair after a few moments. Ed's eyes saw nothing; they only functioned when anyone came through the doors but quickly returned to a blurry stare as soon as he registered if it was the doctor he needed to see.
Several hours passed. Edward was now no longer numb…
"Edward sit down, we have to be patient!" Riza practically hissed.
Edward turned to snap at her but a surgeon walked through the doors and looked directly at him, "Mr. Elric?"
Ed's heart felt weird, like it stopped or sped up, it was indescribable, "Yes."
"I'm Dr. Collins Roy, is stable for the moment." he said, "We got the bullet out, but it somehow managed to take just a small piece of the left auricular and it hit his lung."
"What?!" Winry cried.
"His… heart…" Ed mumbled
"He is in a coma. Mr. Elric, he should be dead. Honestly, this man is very lucky." Dr. Collins gruff voice said softly.
"How? How can it be possible?" Ed asked, shaking his head in confusion, squeezing his shut for a second to stop the tears.
"I honestly have no idea how he managed to live through this. He should have died from the hit to the heart, or even the lungs. It was even possible to drown in the blood." Dr. Collins explained, baffled.
"He'll survive?" Edward choked out.
"Hopefully, he has a thirty percent chance." the doctor said sadly.
"Can I see him?" Ed asked in almost a whisper.
"Briefly."
Edward stood next to Roy's bed, odd noises filled the room. Blood and other IV fluids were being pumped into him. Breathing machinery was running and the beeping of a heart monitor sounded out.
"Roy…" Ed whispered. He carefully touched Roy's face, as if he were afraid he would break him. "You're strong… you can do this…beat the odds." Ed's voice cracked under the pressure.
Ed carefully cupped Roy's cheek, "You have to pull through... Roy... baby... please... you have to..."
Ed stood looking down at Roy, ever so lightly caressing his cheek, and continued his pep talk, begging Roy to wake. "Please Roy... Please..." Ed begged, bending and place a kiss so light, that had so much meaning in it on Roy's forehead then straightened up dropping his hands to his sides.
Perfect timing. A nurse walked into the room and looked sadly at Edward, "I'm sorry sir but I have to ask you to leave."
"When will I be able to stay in the room with him?" Edward asked, unable to keep his voice steady.
"I'm not sure, the doctors will let me now in a few hours about visitors." she said carefully.
Ed nodded sadly and thanked her as he headed for the door, "What about the others?"
"What others honey?" she asked.
"The others that are here with me. Riza Hawkeye especially." Edward said looking at her, but his eyes wandered down to Roy's sickly form.
The nurse stood thinking for moment, "Send her in but it will have to be really, really short." The younger woman said.
Ed nodded and headed out to the waiting room, to alert Riza she could go see him. She stood just as Edward practically collapsed onto the chair hiding his face in his hands and cried silently.
It had been two days. Roy, still, hadn't woken.
They doctors said he looked as if he was healing, physically, just as he should. The even moved him into a different room.
They allowed Edward to stay in the room with Roy, but they did force him to leave the room several times a day, those times were the only when he left Roy's bedside. And he always took advantage of smoking and eating at those times.
Ed looked up at the clock and sighed, two in the morning. Leaning back in the chair Ed tried to sleep. Sleep was slowly crawling up on him when suddenly the heart monitor sped up. Slowly at first. Nothing that really worried Ed. The doctors said it was ok.
Then it started screaming. Ed jumped and ran into the hall to see doctors and nurses right there as he was about to yell for them. One nurse pulled Edward completely out of the room. It was the man from the E.R.
Ed watched from where they were as the doctors and nurses rushed all around Roy. Suddenly, Edward felt his world shatter over and over again. He just stepped into hell. A white walled Hell.
The sound of Roy's heart monitor flat lining sounded loudly.
"Paddles." the doctor said.
Ed watched, frozen, numb, and dead on his feet. As the shocked Roy in attempt to revive him several time.
"I'll call it... Time of death-"
"NO!" Edward cried breaking away from the huge man and threw himself, as gently as he could throw himself, onto Roy. "Wake up! You can't...you can't!" Ed whimpered.
Edward cried, his tears splashing onto Roy's face, "Please... wake up... you can't die... Roy... please..." Ed said pausing before he whispered, "I love you Roy..."
The doctors managed to pull Edward off of Roy and just as they towed him a few feet from the door...
Beep......beep.......
It was slow, but Roy's heart was pumping blood. It was beating, he was alive.
"Incredible..." The Dr. Collins breathed then began checking Roy over.
Then... the amazing happened.
"Ed...ward..." Roy's voice was hardly a whisper and it crackled, from the lack of moisture and use.
Dr. Collins stared in disbelief at Roy's form, he still looked asleep. No... he looked dead. The skin under his eyes was a mixture of green and black. His skin overly pale and didn't look right. Then... heavy eyelids opened... they were clouded from the drugs they kept in Roy. but he was somewhat wake.
"Mr. Mustang." Dr. Collins said.
Roy's brow furrowed, "Not... so... loud..."
"Edward please leave the room, you can come back in a bit." Dr. Collins asked politely.
Edward was pulled out of the room, though he heard Roy protest as he walked out of the room.
Edward sat in the waiting room impatiently when Dr. Collins walked in.
Edward jumped up.
"He's alive... and fully awake... I don't understand. But he proved the odds wrong." Dr. Collins said, "He is the luckiest I've seen yet."
"Can I go in?" Edward asked.
"Go on." he smiled.
Edward rushed to Roy's room, to see him looking at the door. Edward smiled, "Roy... oh my God I thought I'd lost you."
"I know... I heard everything you said..." Roy said, his voice wasn't all there but, it was much better.
"They said you shouldn't be here." Ed smiled.
"I couldn't leave you... not after everything we've been through." Roy said.
Edward lightly kissed Roy's lips then pulled back, "I heard the report, and you killed the bastard before I could punch his face in."
Roy smirked, "So I did hit him... good."
"You don't remember?" Ed asked.
"Not really."
"No matter, God Roy I love you." Ed said laying his head on the bed.
"I love you too." Roy smiled.
Silence floated comfortable around them, sure, Edward had questions. Now wasn't the time.
"What did you do when I flat lined?" Roy asked running his hand through Edward's hair.
"I pretty much through myself on you and begging you to come back..." Ed said looking to Roy.
"You cried... your eyes..." Roy said.
"Observant bastard," Ed smiled.
"You cried on me?" Roy asked.
"Uh... yeah... sorry."
"Tears of love heal all." Roy smiled.
Ed blushed lightly. "Edward..." Roy said looking at the blonde's ring on the chain around his neck, "Would you marry me if all possible?"
Ed could have fallen over, "Of course." Ed replied over-joy and fear stricken.
"I hope to live to the day they make it legal." Roy smiled and looked to the ring on his finger.
"You are married, we just lack in the certificate." Ed smiled.
"That makes you the wife." Roy smiled.
Edward lifted an eyebrow, "Yeah... right... Roy you need to rest."
Roy smiled, "I love you."
"I love you too."
Roy laid his head back against the pillow. Within minute Roy was asleep.
Roy was alive! He proved the odds wrong!!
Tears of love could heal all.
That is it! It is finished!!!! There will NOT be a trilogy!! But if I get plenty of reviews… I may do a quick epilogue… but I don't know. I mean, my reviews have dropped L that's not very cool. I do want to apologize for any and all delays in writing this story. It took too long too finish. I hope you all found it worth the wait. Within the next few… months? Possibly I will be revising BOTH Friend In Need and So Cold. But that project won't be started for a while. I hope you enjoyed the story!! I want to thank the people that stuck with me!! I'm not naming names because I'm afraid I'd leave some one out. Happy ending?? Thank you guys for reading!! Love you all!!!!