Roy groaned loudly as he woke up, huddled up in a hard wooden chair at the back of an office belonging to one of the doctors the military had on staff. His heavy winter coat fell to the floor as he stood up, stretching his back and feeling fifteen years older than he had the day before. The thought of not being twenty anymore, and that he shouldn't fall asleep on spots like that had appeared more and more often lately- despite him only being thirty. He wondered if all thirty-year-olds felt as old as he did (excluding anyone that hadn't been at war of course).
He took a quick moment to look in the mirror at the back of the office, making sure that he looked somewhat representable before he unlocked the door and stepped into the much more familiar hallway of the HQ infirmary.
It felt somewhat comforting to be out of the gloomy atmosphere of the hospital. This felt more like home- it was somewhere his office was only a staircase away. Someplace he trusted.
It was still early, so his surroundings were solemn and calm still. Within a couple of hours, the halls would be filled with military men and women with minor or major injuries. Doctors and nurses would walk, jog or run between patients and rooms, surgical theaters and the waiting hall where loved ones would wait anxiously for news of their spouse, child, parent or friend.
Roy had never been there himself- not that he had never been injured on the job. He most certainly had, several times. But, he had never actually been at any end of that particular double-edged sword. He didn't really have a family and his friends where all in the military. He didn't really have any loved ones, nor was he the loved one of anybody.
Not unexpectedly, Riza sprung into mind, clouding his own image as a lone wolf, but he quickly shrugged it off. He did love her. More than... more than most things. She was as much a family to him as Madame Christmas and the girls at the bar were- maybe even more.
But, if he had sustained any sort of injury that would leave him laid up in a bed at the infirmary, he didn't feel the need to call Chris. It would only worry her unnecessarily, and he didn't need her kicking down the doors and demanding to flog whoever dared to hurt her Roy Boy...
Roy smirked at the thought. He guessed, maybe he did have some loved ones after all. Not necessarily in the most conventional of ways, but being in his shoes, he should learn to count his blessings.
Blessings that seemed to become more apparent as he looked over the forms of the two teenagers, side by side and asleep in the bed in the hospital room before him.
Alphonse had huddled up beside Edward, resting his head on the same pillow as the disheveled bedhead of his older, longer-haired brother. Edward looked a lot better already, probably from not having gotten his daily dose of poisons injected into his body as he had the last weeks as he had been laid up in the hospital, under the care of the alleged murderer of his father.
A chill went down Roy's spine at that. He couldn't help but feel guilty for not noticing that somebody was hurting Ed sooner. Then again, he didn't really know what he was looking for- actually he didn't even know he was looking for something until Maes connected the dots back at the office last night.
...thank God for Maes' drunk, clumsy hands. He probably owed him a couple of patient minutes of looking at his family albums for that.
(in which case he would have to buy more alcohol).
"Kids are kinda cute when they're sleeping, aren't they?"
Roy startled, straitening his back and looking behind him in instant shock, where Riza stood with a sly smile coating her lips.
"Goddammit, Riz- Lieutenant," Roy slurred out in an annoyed tone, placing a hand on his forehead and rubbing it exasperatedly. Riza's expression didn't waver, however, and she kept her malicious smile in place while reaching him a paper cup of steaming hot coffee.
"Thought you might need it," she said calmly as Roy gratefully accepted, noting how much fresher this coffee smelled than the bitter tar he had been drinking at the hospital for the past week.
"From our office?" he asked hopefully, and she nodded serenely.
"Freshly brewed."
Roy blew away the hot steam and took a small sip, feeling his body relax momentarily as the warmth spread soothingly through his body and he sighed in appreciation.
"Maes called my home number this morning and told me what was going on," she explained. "I haven't checked in on Edward in a couple of days, so I thought I'd stop by now that his location is a bit more... convenient."
"So you're saying that you're not here to kick my ass for neglecting my paperwork?" Roy asked teasingly, but not without a hint of genuine concern.
"Don't tempt me," she warned, sending him a glance that Roy could only describe as shit-eating. "But, I think that job may fall upon Falman, Breda, Havoc, and Fury."
Roy furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at her, uncomprehending.
"It's their workload that has magically increased considerably while you've been gone after all."
"As much as I want to commend your evil genius," Roy started, the small angel on his shoulder telling him that it was his own fault that he had fallen behind on his paperwork, while the small devil on his back was making pretty compelling arguments from the other side.
"...I will commend your evil genius," he resolved. Dark charcoal eyes narrowing wickedly, a smirk tugging at his lips.
Riza smiled warmly back, before shifting her attention to the Elric brothers.
"So, how's Edward doing now?"
"Better. Much better, I think. At least he looks it," Roy answered, suddenly serious again. "I haven't actually talked to the nurses at the nightshift yet, but as far as I know, there haven't been any incidents during the night. He has already gained some more color to his face."
"It's amazing how not getting poison pumped into your body will do that," she retorted grimly, crossing her arms. Roy inhaled deeply.
"We don't actually know for sure that that's what happened," he hesitantly pointed out, even if they all knew that the new blood tests would prove them right, now that they knew what they were looking for. Riza shrugged her shoulder's lightly.
"Any news about Dr. Lucy?" Roy asked instead, realizing it was time to get back to business.
"This is a police matter now, but the last thing I heard was that they had sent out for her arrest. They'll call you in for questioning later. Edward too. And they're going to get someone to look over his blood results," she added, quietly.
"He's not going to know much more than we do," Roy said with a sour frown. He didn't want Edward to go through a police interrogation. Sure, he was getting better, but that didn't mean that he was well.
"He's the only witness there is at this time," Riza pointed out. "Without his statement, and probably a series of tests, there isn't much to go on. Hohenheim's body was cremated, they can't go back and check him for poisons now. If Edward can't give them anything, there really isn't much evidence at all."
"...I'll talk to the police," a small voice said from inside of the room. The two military officials turned their heads, looking towards where Edward had been stirred from his sleep. Alphonse was still snoring softly on the pillow beside him.
"I'm not sure I can tell them much, but..." Edward seemed a bit reluctant to finish his sentence. Worried golden eyes peered between the two officers and his sleeping brother.
"But...?" Roy tried to coax out of him as gently as possible.
When Edward was sure that Alphonse was fast asleep still, he continued.
"...but, I think I remember something. Not from now, but, you know... from before. After the fire, but before Drachma. I- I've never been sure though if those memories were real or if... it's just been part of the nightmares."
Roy and Riza stepped inside the room, trying to be quiet so they wouldn't wake Alphonse. It was clear from the anxious glances Edward sent his little brother that he didn't really want him to hear any of this.
"I can't know for sure," Edward continued, even more muted than before. "I was still so young back then, and, I haven't really told anyone, because I don't know if it's just a fragment of my imagination or if it really did happen. But, while at the hospital back in Risembool, I woke up. I didn't actually really wake up, but I was aware of what was happening. I could hear things, what was going on around me. People talking over me like I wasn't even there, feel them checking my stitches or pricking me with needles. I couldn't tell them though, because it felt like my body was set in concrete or something. I couldn't move, talk or open my eyes. I couldn't even breathe by myself."
Edward's hand subconsciously brushed over his throat as the memory of the tube they had stuck down there rose to the surface.
"I was just lying there for what felt like an eternity. Then, one day, just before they transferred me to the orphanage in Drachma, I could hear a familiar voice. I- I knew it was stupid, but it sounded like... like Hohenheim. Like, my dad."
The last word was said in barely above a whisper, and Edward shot another rapid glance towards Alphonse. When he was convinced that he hadn't woken Al, he continued his story.
"...I knew it wasn't, not really. He left, after all. But I hoped that maybe, just maybe, he had heard what had happened and come back for us."
A sad smile ghosted Edwards's face. He seemed to lose track for a little bit. He cleared his throat.
"Anyway, I just, I just recall the memory so vividly. I remember their voices because he was talking to someone and there really wasn't much else to focus on except for the voices around me or pain in my body. And, I thought it was a coincidence, because, I honestly thought I had dreamt it, but I think it might have been Dr. Lucy he was talking to."
Edward looked apologetically towards his two elders, almost as if searching for acceptance before casting his head and focused on his sole, bandaged hand that laid limply in his lap. For the longest time, he had been told that anything and everything he thought, felt or meant was wrong or stupid. Usually, he thought that they were wrong and stupid for saying that, but knew he would get in serious trouble for pointing it out.
His ideas had gotten him nothing but grief up to this point anyway, and he had the insight to understand that if everyone said something- even if he disagreed, everyone might not be wrong- no matter how strong he felt about it and even if those everybody's were shitty, horrible people.
"You need to tell the police that," Roy said gravely.
Edward's head jerked back up, staring holes through the older man's head with brilliant oat's gold.
"B-but, I don't think... It probably wasn't-"
"No, it probably was," Roy interrupted. He peered around the room, looking for something which he spotted in one of the corners, close to a set of foldable chairs for visitors. The leather suitcase was perfectly fitted for A4 sized papers, and he efficiently searched through it with trained fingers, letting his index and pointer travel effortlessly between hundreds of pages before settling on a thick file.
"Last night, we were reading your father's file. It states that he took a leave at the end of November 1903 for an emergency visit with his family," Roy said and handed Edward the file, where he had found the page with the information.
Edward watched the piece of paper intently, his eyes darting back and forth between the lines. Roy had to admit that he was impressed by the pure speed the child seemed to read through the complicated military phrasings. It wasn't hard to notice when Edward came to the indicated paragraph, as his eyes widened considerably and his mouth formed a silent gasp.
"It was him? Are you telling me he was really there?" Edward asked in disbelief, forgetting about Alphonse sleeping next to him and shuddering his younger brother off where he was partially resting on his shoulder to sit up straight.
Alphonse only shifted a little, mumbling something incomprehensible and settling back onto the pillow. The poor boy was probably all tuckered out after everything that had happened and was finally relaxed (or exhausted) enough to fall into a deep sleep. In more ways than one, Roy was grateful for that. This new revelation was already difficult to digest, and he wasn't sure if this was something it was necessary for the younger Elric to know.
"He..." Edward trailed off, looking at the piece of paper with incredulity.
Something Roy hadn't anticipated, was that the teen's orbs were starting to wobble.
"...he, he was so close..." Edward's voice broke off into an involuntary sob. His bandaged arm was quickly there to wipe away the offending tears as they started to trail uncontrollably down his face. They came more and more rapidly while Edward wiped at them with panic, refusing to avert his eyes off the paper, fearing what would meet him once he did.
"Edward..." Riza's compassionate voice started to say, as she stepped closer with an outstretched arm, but that only triggered him to panic even further.
"Don't you dare touch me!" Edward yelled, finally rousing Alphonse. His head shot up from the pillow, looking alarmed around the room and its inhabitants.
Edward's injured hand was gripping the papers tightly, crumbling them as he stared furiously at the two other startled people in the room.
"What's wrong, Edward?" Alphonse asked worriedly, and Edward shifted his attention to him.
"Nothing! Why does everyone think that something is wrong all the time? I'm fine!" he yelled loudly, making Alphonse slide off the bed uncomfortably, taking a few steps back and looking at him, fear and confusion radiating from his hazel eyes. Then, Al looked questioningly towards Roy and Riza, both looking as surprised as him.
"Edward, it's okay to be upse-" Riza started calmly, which again only made Edward react more violently. His face morphed into even more of an unrecognizable angry grimace, his breath hitching and his heart monitor starting to beep more rapidly.
Before the situation could escalate, both Riza and Alphonse were being dragged out of the room. Once outside, they turned to look at the offender, Roy.
"He's stressed," he simply stated, blinking much quicker than normal.
"No shit-" Riza deadpanned as Alphonse interrupted her.
"What just happened?"
Roy shook his head, hoping some sort of answer, some sort of sense, would come to him.
"His files states that he has post-traumatic stress disorder, he's reacting," he explained. "I- I guess we'll explain everything to you too Alphonse, but... Edward is... just reacting right now. He- he's uncomfortable, unable to leave and process this by himself- so he probably needed us to leave. And I think we should give him space... to, to react, I guess."
Alphonse looked to Riza for confirmation, who nodded solemnly.
"But, what if he does something stupid? What if he hurts himself?"
Riza and Roy exchanged pointed looks, exchanging an inner dialog. An art learned by many years of partnership.
'What if he does?'
'Then I guess you'll have to handle it, colonel.'
'What the hell am I supposed to do?'
'What did Maes do when you started acting irrationally?'
'...I can't confiscate the kid's gun when he doesn't have one-'
'Don't be stupid-'
'But I tend to be a little stupi-'
The tiniest hint of a glare warned him about finishing that.
'...I guess I'll handle it, then."
"Alphonse, let's go and get some breakfast, and I'll update you. Colonel Mustang has this under control," Riza stated determinedly, guiding the teen away from the hospital room, while Al's head looked questioningly back at Mustang.
"Y-yeah, I guess I do," Mustang mused quietly and turned to walk back into the warzone.
Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a comment. I've been slow with updates on my FMA fics lately because I've been working on a series for Bungou Stray Dogs. But I'm getting back into this fandom now, and an update for Just A Kid is probably close too if you follow that story.
Stay awesome!