So here we are, the last chapter...
Thank you so much to everybody who has taken an interest in this story! Thanks to all the readers, favouriters, followers and reviewers! You have all helped in making this last week amazing for me!
And like I said, I will begin a sequel which I will start posting hopefully from tomorrow on, so I hope that you will want to read that as well!
So thank you, everyone! And I hope you'll all have a splendid Christmas!
Chapter Fourteen
Mustang had run over to Ed to remove him from the charred corpse. He lifted him up, Edward gasped because of the pain shooting up his arm, but he preferred not being near that woman, even if she was dead. The man was still angry, barely containing his rage.
"Thanks," Ed whispered.
"Don't mention it." Mustang spoke through gritted teeth.
Ed had to admit he was slightly scared by this version of Roy Mustang. He had heard stories about how protective the Colonel was of his subordinates and how he took care of them, but before now, Ed had just known him as a smug bastard who only cared about himself and how to get as many dates as possible.
This was not the selfish bastard that Ed knew.
And he suddenly understood why his subordinates were so loyal to him.
But he was still an annoying bastard.
Ed lifted his head slightly and saw that the man was looking much less like his usual self. He had bags under his eyes and stubble was covering his chin.
So I'm not the only one who hasn't gotten any sleep for the last two days.
Ed was put back down on the ground, wincing because of his arm and leg, and his ribs as well. After that encounter, the man obviously wanted Ed closer in case something else should happen. And judging by how goddamn defenceless he had been, Ed didn't really object.
Ed didn't know how long he spent watching them trying to dig their way out, but suddenly something happened that made his heart jump with relief.
"Hello? Anyone there?"
"Yes! This is Colonel Roy Mustang!"
"We've been sent by Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes! Have you apprehended the criminal?!"
"Yes, and The Fullmetal Alchemist is safe. We're trapped down here!"
"Is there anyone else in there with you?"
"Yes, First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye and Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc. None of us are critically injured, but Edward Elric needs medical assistance. The criminal has been eliminated as they opposed arrest and posed a threat to the Fullmetal Alchemist's life."
"We have brought medical personnel who will take him with them in an ambulance."
With four strong soldiers working on removing the rubble from the other side, they had cleared a path for them in two hours, and Mustang once again carried Ed, handing him to the medical personnel outside and putting him on a stretcher.
Ed was a bit glad that the Colonel decided to accompany him in the ambulance. The two doctors had some very suspicious syringes, but after Mustang threatened him with a court-martial, Ed agreed. He fell asleep not long after.
When he woke up, he was lying in a hospital bed. His head felt fuzzy, no doubt due to the painkillers. His left arm was in a cast and he had splints on his fingers. His toes looked horrible and his multitude of cuts were itching.
There were four people in the room with him. Mustang, Hawkeye, Havoc and Anthony were standing by the bed. Ed noticed that he had got a rather large room entirely for himself, then he realised that he was actually a military officer, and that that may have something to do with it.
"Hi," he croaked. He had regained some of his voice, so he guessed he'd been out for a while.
The others in the room looked relieved and Anthony took a step forwards.
"Hi, Ed! You had me so worried! Mum too! When I told her what happened, she was absolutely horrified and made the neighbours form a search party and everything! I'm so glad that you're safe! I should have done something when Miss Hopkins attacked you! I'm sorry."
"Slow down! And it wasn't your fault! I'm the military officer, and I got knocked out first, remember? I'm just glad she didn't kill you."
Anthony smiled a bit.
"Anyway, my Mum made this for you."
Anthony went over to the nightstand and picked up a box and opened the lid for Ed to see. Inside was a giant chocolate cake with frosting and chocolate letters spelling out "GET WELL SOON, ED!"
Ed was touched by the woman's concern. "Say thanks from me."
"I will. I told her about who you really are, and she grew really concerned, but then she became all flustered with how she had had a celebrity in her home and then she started crying over how I'm friends with a State Alchemist and how good it was that I finally had someone who understood my academic interest and all." He mumbled the last part.
Ed smiled slightly.
Then the door suddenly burst open. "NERDY-BOY! THERE YOU ARE!"
How the hell does she know where I am?
Catherine was grinning, taking in Edward's state. "What the heck happened to you?" She suddenly looked confused.
"How did you know where I was?"
"Whoa! What happened to your voice? Anyways, my aunt works here as a nurse, and she told me!" She looked him up and down before walking over to his swollen and bandaged toes. "What happened?! Are these broken?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I got taken by the serial killer."
"And you're still alive?! Wow! But you remember, I did warn you to take care!"
"I did, but that didn't exactly help when it turned out to be the school nurse!"
"Fair point." She took in the room's other occupants. "What are you doing here, Mr. Harrison?"
"Colonel, you explain," Ed said as he instead ate a piece of cake.
"Colonel? Whatcha mean?" Catherine was obviously confused.
Mustang sighed. "My name is Colonel Roy Mustang, I've been posing as State Alchemist Edward Elric's uncle during an undercover mission to track down the serial killer. The man you know as James Harrison is really Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc, and this is First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye."
"Uncle…? But that means that you're Edward Elric! The Fullmetal Alchemist!" She looked excitedly at Ed.
Ed gave a weary nod.
"Cool!"
"Catherine! You're not supposed to be here! You could get me fired for this! I told you no when you asked! Now go home!" A nurse was suddenly pulling Catherine by the arm, removing her from the room. "I am dreadfully sorry, Mr. Elric, it won't happen again!"
"Get well soon, Nerdy-Boy!"
Ed blushed at the nickname.
"What a fitting nickname," Mustang said.
"Oh, shut up, Robbie-Boy."
Mustang twitched and Havoc chuckled.
"How long have I been here?" Ed asked.
"You were brought here two days ago. You have got skin grafts on parts of your chest in order to render the array ineffective. You also needed a-hundred-and-twenty-two stitches, and the rest you already know," Mustang said.
"That's a lot of stitches."
"According to the nurse, you set a hospital record for people under twenty-five."
"Great," he said sarcastically.
There was a series of familiar clanking noises, and suddenly Al and Winry burst through the door.
"Brother!" Al shouted as he rushed forwards.
"Edward! What have you done now?!" Winry shouted angrily.
"What does it look like? I got tortured by a crazy nurse."
"Brother! How are you? What did she do to you? Lieutenant Hawkeye wouldn't tell and me and Winry have been so worried about you! I should have known something was wrong when you didn't call for a week!"
"Don't worry, Al, I'll be fine in a few weeks."
"So this is your little brother?" Anthony asked, saving Ed from being coddled.
"Yes, Al, Winry, this is Anthony Evans, my new friend and pen pal."
The three of them shook hands, and the military officers soon left the room to leave the four of them alone.
Once Ed had been released from the hospital, he had absolutely refused the wheelchair and was stubbornly hopping along with one crutch. Him and Al were back together, and Winry had gone back to Resembool a few days previously, as Granny Pinako had a patient coming in to be fitted with automail and she needed assistance.
Havoc was driving and Ed, Al, Hawkeye and Mustang were sitting in the back, and, seeing as how Ed was injured and should have some space, Hawkeye had volunteered to sit next to Al. They drove past a bookshop and Ed told Havoc to park the car.
"What's up, Chief?"
"I've got something I have to do."
Al followed Ed inside. Ed had already told him about how Anthony was a budding alchemist that needed some proper and accurate literature, and so he didn't say anything. Ed walked up to the owner of the bookshop. He was a man in his forties with a small, brown moustache, medium-length brown hair, a green hat and west, white shirt and brown trousers. He smiled expectantly at Edward.
"Can I help you, Sir?"
"Yes, I'm renewing a friend's bookshelf and want to get him some first-rate books."
"What are you looking for?"
"About fifty or sixty volumes including books on arachnids, biology, physics, advanced mathematics, insects, alchemy, geology, geometry, astronomy, that sort of thing."
The man's jaw dropped. "A-are you sure you can afford this?"
"Yes, I'm fairly certain. I just made a rather large withdrawal from my State Alchemist's account."
"I guess that means you're Edward Elric?!" The man looked excitedly at him.
"Yes."
"Well, in that case, I must thank you, Sir for helping to catch that madwoman. She killed the daughter of one of my dearest friends, so I suggest we give you a ten per cent discount."
"Great!"
"Now follow me."
It ended with Ed hopping out of the bookshop with Al carrying five large boxes filled with books, followed by the owner giving them a cheerful wave. They had ended up buying about a hundred volumes.
"Where to next, Chief?" Havoc asked as he got into the car.
Ed gave him Anthony's address and they were at his house in fifteen minutes. Al carried the books, and they were soon knocking on the Evans' door.
"Oh, hi, Ed! How nice to see you out of the hospital!" Mrs. Evans exclaimed. "I'll go get Anthony for you."
Anthony joined them in the hallway in thirty seconds. "Hi, Ed! Hi, Al!" Anthony had taken to Al just as good as Ed, and lit up as he saw them. "Why are carrying all those boxes for?"
"I'm fulfilling a promise I made to myself about renewing you bookshelf," Ed said, grinning.
Anthony looked awe-struck. "W-w-what? F-f-for me?"
"Yup. Let's go into your room so that you can have a look."
Al put the boxes down in Anthony's bedroom, and after Ed motioned for him to open them up, the kid practically dove into them, looking at each and every one of the titles.
Ed was smiling at the gleeful look on Anthony's face. He liked the fact that Anthony accepted the gift because he knew Ed well enough to know that he wouldn't accept a refusal. After he stared at the brand new volumes from all the scientific fields he was interested in for about two minutes of stunned disbelief, he muttered a weak "thanks" before he suddenly shouted excitedly "MUM! COME LOOK AT THIS!"
The woman came into the room, taking in the multitude of books, her jaw dropping. She just pointed at Ed, her eyes filling with tears. "Y-you bought him this?"
Ed nodded. The woman started outright sobbing with gratitude, hugging her son, seeing as how Ed wasn't really in a condition to be hugged. "Th-thank you my dear boy! I would never have been able to afford this! Thank you! Thank you!" She then put her hands on Ed's cheeks and kissed his forehead.
Ed was still grinning when he left the apartment. He was going to remember this for a long time.
All in all, the mission had gone rather well. They had got the end result they were hoping for, and Ed had gained a new friend, just as an added bonus. So except for the torture, Ed guessed that if this was how military missions were going to be, he would be able to take being a dog of the military until he got his brother's body back.