Chapter twenty-five
Alphonse was walking through the hospital, not knowing what to think or what to do. Mister Hughes had told him that Brother wasn't going to be able to recognise him. He wanted to run to find him, but also not.
Because he was afraid of seeing just how much Ed had been through.
"This is it, Alphonse, 405," Mister Hughes said and knocked on the door twice before opening it. There was a yelp from inside the room and Al could see a familiar face peeking over the Colonel's shoulder along with a set of bandaged fingers.
Al felt both thrilled and crushed at the sight. There was no recognition in Ed's eyes.
There was just fear.
And Brother was whimpering at the sight of him.
Suddenly the Colonel was offering up his right index finger for Ed to take, and he did.
"Brother?" was all that Al could think of saying.
Ed only whimpered in return.
The Colonel too looked different. Not just because of all the needle marks on his arm, but also his eyes. His eyes were filled with pain and desperation and guilt. "Alphonse," he said weakly. "I-I'm sorry."
"Don't, please," Al said, looking at the shivering blonde.
"We'll leave you three alone, Al," Lieutenant Hawkeye said, placing a hand on his arm. "We'll come back in an hour."
Al knew that that wasn't the original plan, but it seemed that both Hawkeye and Mister Hughes didn't mind and Major Armstrong hadn't been allowed to come with them to see Ed. Apparently he'd been to this hospital once before and the nurses had been very adamant that he'd be likely to cause Brother to panic. Havoc, who had been standing in the corner of the room, went over to the door too, Ed following his movements closely.
And so the three soldiers left and closed the door gently, leaving Al alone with Brother and the Colonel.
"Alphonse, I don't want to get your hopes up unnecessarily, but there is a chance you could help him retrieve something of his memories. I don't know exactly what he'll remember if he does, but if you could show him your blood seal?" the Colonel said suddenly, the urgency evident in his voice.
"My blood seal?" Al was surprised by the odd request.
"Yes. I used my blood to make a transmutation circle two days ago and it seemed to trigger at least a fraction of a memory and he kept muttering your name while drawing the blood seal."
His hopes shooting through the roof, Alphonse immediately went over and kneeled down in front of the bed as he removed his helmet, letting Ed see the blood seal that he had drawn in his own blood.
Brother froze, staring at it. "Al."
Then he climbed over the Colonel to get closer before he leaned down and touched it. "Al-Al-Al-Al!" Al just watched, hoping for something that would mean that Ed wouldn't be so scared of him. Ed gently traced the design of the blood seal as he muttered his name. Ed then slammed his hand on the stump of his missing arm. "AAL!" he shouted, making Al just want to grasp his brother and hug him. Ed suddenly looked down at the helmet Al was holding in his hands and moved to replace it and Al helped him do so. "Buh-Buh-Buh-Buh-Buh-Buh!" Ed looked at him with such desperation and then he began hitting his head with his palm in annoyance like he thought it might help him remember something.
Alphonse was frightened by the response and grabbed Ed's wrist instinctively. "Brother! Don't hurt yourself!"
Ed's eyes widened as he froze and looked at him curiously. "Buh … Buh … Buh … Bo-uh," he said, tasting the word. "Bo-uh," he then repeated, looking a bit puzzled. "Bo-uh."
"He's saying "Brother"! He's remembering something!" The Colonel said, obviously both happy and relieved.
"Bo-uh," Ed said, looking like a confused toddler. Then he held out his hand to Al.
The Colonel looked ecstatic. "Al, give him your right index finger!"
"Okay?" And so Al held up his finger in front of Ed. He sniffed it curiously and then he carefully grabbed it in his hand. "Bo-uh."
"He's responding to you! He's actually responding to you!" The Colonel said and Al could see that he was nearly crying.
Al didn't know what to say or what to think. Ed began shivering and the Colonel sat up next to Ed and pulled the duvet around them, Ed still gripping Al's finger. Al couldn't stop noticing the bandaged digits. "Colonel? What happened to his fingers and toes?" he asked, needing to know, but also dreading the answer.
"Melanie forced me to pull all his nails out or she was going to cut off his fingers. I'm so sorry, Al." The Colonel's eyes clouded over with desperation and guilt.
Al was horrified.
"It was right before she gave him the drug that did this to him. I don't think he even knows why his digits are hurting." Then he looked down. "Alphonse, I am so so sorry for this. It's all my fault. I dragged him into the military and I'm the one Melanie wanted to hurt and she tortured him to do so. Your brother paid for what I did in Ishbal and it's all my own damn fault!"
Ed winced slightly at the tone in the Colonel's voice, and then Al saw tears going down the man's cheeks. Ed seemed to have seen them too, and the next second, he had released his grip around Al's finger and he then gently shoved his forehead against the Colonel's cheek while making a kind of questioning mewling sound.
Like he was trying to cheer him up.
It was heartbreaking.
"It's not your fault, Colonel. Brother made the choice to join the military. You were just trying to help," Al said, not knowing what else to say or think. Colonel Mustang had been through so much pain, both physical and psychological and this was a very different man than the one Al had known. He looked so burdened and exhausted, and so unlike what Al had grown to associate with Roy Mustang.
At the mention of the word "Brother", Ed responded with saying "Bo-uh" once again as he kept his forehead pressed against the Colonel's cheek.
"He's been honourably discharged and his automail ports were completely removed and the stumps healed up. All my "help" did was put your brother through so much agony and it was all for nothing," the Colonel said, the self-loathing clear in his voice.
"Bo-uh," Ed repeated, shoving his forehead against the Colonel's cheek again. "Bo-uh."
Sudden realisation struck Alphonse. "I think he's trying to cheer you up, Colonel, by repeating what made you so happy earlier." Al added as an afterthought: "and I don't blame you for being tortured by them hurting my brother."
"Bo-uh."
"Alphonse, I —"
"Please, Colonel, just don't say that. I don't blame you and that's final. Now please just stop it because I haven't seen him for four weeks and I don't want to deal with stubborn stupidity like that!" Al was slightly shocked by his own outburst, but he had been worried sick about Brother and to see him like this hurt him more than he'd even imagined and he honestly didn't know what to do anymore. "We'll get him back home to Resembool and help him recover."
The Colonel went silent for a little while and Al could tell that there was something wrong. "What's wrong, Colonel?"
"Alphonse, you're not going back to Resembool."
"What? Why?! Brother's been discharged from the military, hasn't he?"
"Bo-uh."
"Mrs. Rockbell has been deemed unsuitable to care for Ed. He's been diagnosed as unstable and dangerous and the Führer himself had to step in to stop him from being sent to a lunatic asylum."
"So where will he be going?" Al said, fear rising.
"Al, you and your brother are moving in with me."
"Bo-uh."