"Ow, Easy!" Ed yelped as Havoc scrubbed away at the leathery skin on his side. He gripped onto the edge of the kitchen table he was sitting next to, trying his best to keep still in his seat. Havoc winced sympathetically and eased up on the pressure.
"Sorry, kiddo. Have to make sure these burns stay clean, it wouldn't be good if you got an infection right now." He reminded him, digging through the first aid kit. Ed groaned through gritted teeth as Havoc generously smeared a thick white burn salve all over his side and arm. Ed clenched his jaw and tried not to shiver with agony as Havoc placed a roll of gauze against his wrist and began rolling it over his fingers and up to his elbow in a thick layer. He taped the edge down and began the same rolling process with his abdomen.
Ed sighed in relief when it was done, unfurling his tight muscles and bringing his shoulders away from his ears. Until Havoc started pulling apart the velcro on his boot. Ed grimaced and let his body sag with disappointment. He had been so focused on the excruciating burns covering his skin that he had forgotten that he was covered with other injuries as well.
His ankle was a sight for sore eyes. The bruising was much darker and covered a larger area than it had the day before, and it was so swollen that his skin was smooth and rounded, with no creases. Havoc hissed as he laid his eyes upon it.
"Damn, kid. Told you you shouldn't be walking around on it." He reprimanded, peeling off the bandage over the incision. Ed rolled his eyes as he inspected the stitches. Luckily, it showed no signs of infection, though it was reddened and irritated. At this point, Roy had wandered over from where he was washing dishes. He dried his hands absentmindedly on a dish towel, squinting his eyes at Ed's leg as he crouched down beside Havoc, who was cleaning up the stitches. He frowned, brushing his thumb gently over the bruising.
"You idiot..." He muttered, though there was no real malice behind his words. He simply looked frustrated with the fact that Ed was in so much unnecessary pain. Not angry with Ed, but angry with the people who had hurt him.
Ed grimaced in pain and annoyance as Havoc smoothed a new bandage over his ankle and turned his attention to his shoulder. When he had been fighting back against his assailants, he was wrenching his shoulder all over the place, and now it was throbbing angrily, letting him know how much it didn't appreciate the movement. He clenched his teeth as the bandage was slowly pulled away from the wound. Havoc cursed under his breath as he saw what was underneath, pressing gauze against the now bleeding wound.
"What? What is it?" Ed stammered, glancing down at his shoulder. Roy's eyes darted between Havoc and Ed as Havoc continuously swore quietly. He finally sighed.
"Colonel, do you have a suture kit?" He asked regretfully, rubbing his face with stress. Roy's brow furrowed with concern.
"Um, yeah, why?" He queried, though he could guess the answer. Havoc sighed wearily.
"Kid's ripped a bunch of stitches, and with our current situation, we can't really get him to the hospital." He spoke quietly, as if attempting to keep the information from Ed, though he was sitting right in front of him.
"Seriously?! Damn Drachmans!" Ed yelled in exasperation, sinking into his chair. Havoc frowned sympathetically.
"Sorry, kid." He murmured. Roy sighed and put his head in his hands.
"Can't you just use steri-strips?" He asked hopefully. "I don't have anything for pain, if you stitch him up it'll hurt like hell." He admitted regretfully. Havoc shook his head.
"No, I can see the plates in the bone. It needs to be stitched." He informed, holding back a gag at the thought.
"Ew, gross." Was all that Ed had to say about the matter.
Roy looked a little green as he padded to his bathroom, digging through the medicine cabinet for the suture kit he kept for emergencies. Ed looked unphased at his current situation, while the surrounding military officers were all biting their lips.
"I'm sorry I have to do this, kid." Havoc apologized, looking at Ed with a sad smile. Ed raised a brow.
"Why? It's not your fault. Besides, it's not really a big deal. I got over a hundred stitches without pain medication during the automail surgery, it's not that bad." He reasoned with a shrug. Suddenly, it all fell into place. Their faces all lengthened with realization.
Of course, the automail surgery. It was so easy to forget about that. The kid had undergone automail surgery, one of the most painful things known to man, so any kind of pain after that must have felt like child's play. No wonder he had such a high pain tolerance.
It was then that Roy returned, a sheen of sweat on his forehead and a look of anxiety on his face as he set down the suture kit on the kitchen table. Havoc nodded his thanks, reluctantly opening it and getting it ready, while Roy took his place in holding gauze on Ed's shoulder. Ed showed no signs of being even remotely nervous. His expression was calm as he watched Havoc fumble with the needle and thread, though the same couldn't be said for his fellow military officers. Fuery looked ready to be sick, Breda bit his lip with a wince, while the ever-stoic Falman and Hawkeye were straight-faced, though those who knew them could see the worry in their eyes.
"Okay, are you ready?" Asked Havoc warily, approaching the wound with the curved needle.
"Yeah, sure." Ed replied, sounding nonchalant. Havoc gulped, and they all held their breath as he carefully pierced Ed's skin.
Ed barely winced as the needle and thread were pulled through his skin. Havoc tied stitch after stitch in Ed's incision, with Ed not making a peep as the needle stabbed him repeatedly.
10 painstaking minutes later, and Havoc was tying up the last stitch, finally staunching the bleeding completely. They all let out a collective sigh of relief as soon as he cut the thread for the last time.
"How you doing, kid?" Havoc asked, wiping away the excess blood from the skin around the wound.
"I'm fine, really. I keep telling you, it's not that bad." He replied, attempting to shrug, but stopping upon remembering the man gently tending to his stitches.
"You are something else, kid." Breda commented, eyeing Ed with vague astonishment. Ed offered him a one shoulder shrug in response.
Havoc finished his work by covering the wound in a thick layer of antibacterial ointment and sealing it all in with a stark white bandage. Ed groaned as his arm was once again tied back into the sling, with Havoc lecturing him on the importance of keeping his shoulder still, especially now that he had messed with it a bunch. Havoc and Ed went on with their bickering, until they were silenced by an urgent-sounding knock on the door.
They all quieted, heads darting to look at the door. Though they thought it safe to assume anyone meaning harm towards them wouldn't bother to knock, Roy slipped on a glove and Hawkeye unsheathed her handgun just in case. They all watched warily as Roy approached the door, Hawkeye close behind. It may have been comical watching Roy unlatch all of the many locks on his door, if it wasn't for their dire circumstances. Roy poised his hand to snap if necessary as he swung the door open.
There stood Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, tapping his foot restlessly, face relaxing as he saw Roy's face. He pushed past his best friend and into his house.
"Oh, Maes. Do come in." He muttered sarcastically, closing the door and fumbling with all of the locks.
"We found something important, Roy." He informed, looking excited for the new development in the case, but also with worry lying in his words. Roy's brow furrowed as he looked at his friend. Ed nearly jumped out of his seat.
"Hughes! What'd you find? Did you find out what those bastards want with me? Because I sure as hell don't know." He rambled as Havoc tried desperately to keep him still as he rebandaged the wounds from his time with Lieutenant Colonel Rogers.
Maes turned to face Ed, offering him a warm smile, his face falling into a frown upon seeing just how battered Ed really was. Ed had been stripped down to his boxers to allow Havoc access to all of his wounds, leaving all of his injuries out in the open. Any area not covered in bandages was filled with dark bruises or scrapes, and he could see the long stitched up cut down Ed's chest as Havoc tended to it.
Ed must have noticed the look he was giving him, as he shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, looking like he wanted to hide himself. Maes shook himself out of his thoughts, replacing his smile.
"Yeah, Ed. We did find out what they want." He replied, watching Ed pout as Havoc carried him over to the couch and gently set him down. Maes sat down next to Ed on the couch, and the team hurriedly joined them, all sitting down in various areas in Roy's living room. Hughes took a deep breath before speaking.
"We had a translator come in to speak with the three men you arrested yesterday, and then we interrogated them."
The military officers all listened intently, brows furrowed in concentration and equal amounts of worry.
"The two older ones wouldn't crack, but the younger one was less experienced, and it wasn't hard to get through to him." He explained, folding his hands together on his lap. "The organization they come from is Drachman, and it's apparently pretty large. There are way more than just the three of them, and there's some kind of leader they all report to, probably the one who sent you that letter." He looked to Roy, unconsciously placing a comforting hand on Ed's back. "Those three were the ones who set the fire, which was supposed to be a distraction so they could kidnap Ed, luckily they never got away with it."
"Yeah, they still got me with that damn needle though. I'm still tired!" Ed griped, leaning into Maes' hand as he rubbed gentle circles on his back.
"Yeah, I know kiddo." He murmured, frowning empathetically. He turned to Roy. "I've had guards placed around your house, Roy. To ensure no one can get in from the outside."
Roy nodded in acknowledgement, watching as Ed tried desperately to stay awake and be part of the conversation, pulling open his eyes when the drug in his body kept weighing them down. Maes took a deep breath.
"They were going to take Ed, so they could use him as a tool against Amestris." He admitted quietly, earning a series of gasps and looks of shock and confusion, though the only emotion radiating from Ed was pure fury.
"Like hell I'd ever cooperate with them! I'd rather die!" Ed seethed, his anger surpassing his drowsiness. Roy shook his head in disbelief.
"That's what this is all about? That's what they've been hurting him for? All because of some stupid national rivalry?" He asked breathily, still shaking his head, though now disgust was plastered on his face.
"I'm afraid so."
"Well, then the chief's even less safe than we thought. Now we know that there are people who want him in their custody, and seeing the damage they've already inflicted, it seems like they'll do anything in their power to get to him." Breda commented, thinking about their office that had now been reduced to ashes.
"Well then," Roy started, his voice taking on an authoritative tone. "We'll just have to do everything in our power to keep him safe." He stated, his face holding an expression of raging protectiveness.
They all nodded, knowing they would do anything to keep anything else from happening to the kid that had weaseled his way into their hearts, and had become a part of their family the day he joined the military. All the while, Ed shrunk into himself, pouting at the idea of having to be protected.
Hughes put a reassuring hand on Ed's shoulder, smiling down at him warmly. Ed rolled his eyes playfully and smiled back.
He knew he was in no position to protect himself given his current state, this fact only further proven when he had been pinned by three men who he could easily take on any normal day. He sighed.
If he had to be protected, he was glad that they were the ones to be doing it.