Chapter forty-six
Roy got off the train and turned around to help Ed jump down the last step with a delighted look on his face. Roy had to say that it felt marvellous to stretch his legs again. He looked towards the large clock hanging above the platform, telling them it was four minutes past eight in the evening. He took Ed's right hand in his, watching as Al, Hawkeye and Rolf got off the train too.
Ed had been super excited about maybe finding a way to get Al's body back and his spirits were high. Roy knew the library closed five minutes ago and it was really bedtime for Ed, so they'd be going to the first branch tomorrow. Roy was looking forward to finally stretching out on a bed. Those train benches were torture and he hadn't been sleeping in a bed for three days. It was going to be great and he was more than happy to spend some extra money on getting a nicer room than the standard ones just to get a king-sized bed with a mattress that he could just sink into to his heart's desire. Besides, Ed would probably be fascinated, especially as Roy knew that those suites in fact had a jacuzzi. He had a feeling that it was a good thing that they still had their swimming trunks as it meant that Roy could teach his son just how enjoyable those things could be without Ed getting frightened by being in there alone. Also, those jacuzzis were really too deep for Ed to be left in on his own. But as long as Roy was there, it would be safe and Ed would probably enjoy it immensely.
Roy knew he would himself and if the water jets frightened Ed, they could just turn them off and Ed could enjoy the luxury of a deep tub.
Those suites also had separate bedrooms, meaning that they wouldn't have to pay for two rooms as there was one bedroom with a king-size bed and one with two singles. After all the bad nights Ed had had the last week, having a suite that was relaxing as hell would be good for them.
A soldier suddenly walked up to them, saluting both him and Hawkeye in turn. "Sir! I'm Second Lieutenant Maria Ross. I've been sent by Lieutenant Colonel Hughes to drive yourself, First Lieutenant Hawkeye and your sons to your hotel."
"Ah, thank you, Lieutenant Ross," Roy said smoothly enough, although he was surprised by the fact that Hughes wouldn't send any of his old team.
Ed was hiding behind Roy's left leg, looking at the stranger anxiously. Roy knew that Ed was still frightened of strangers, especially when they were unfamiliar soldiers that Roy didn't know either. After learning of the Pentons being soldiers, Ed's eyes had a tendency to view the uniforms as costumes rather than a source of comfort when worn by strangers.
"Where's Jean, Daddy? He picked us up back home," Ed said in a low voice.
Second Lieutenant Ross smiled kindly at Ed. "We are very busy at investigations right now because of the fire two days ago, sir. I was the only one the Lieutenant Colonel could spare at the moment," she said to Roy.
"What fire?" Roy asked.
"The first branch of Central Library, sir. It is believed to have been arson. The whole building was burnt down."
Al gasped, Roy felt like someone had just stabbed his chest with a sword. That couldn't be right. Not when they actually had a lead. "Were all the contents irretrievable, Lieutenant?"
"Yes, sir, although we have found a woman with eidetic memory who used to work there. She is helping us to recreate the records."
Roy could have sworn that if there was a god, he thoroughly enjoyed jerking him around. "Please wait a second, I've got a phone call to make, I'll be back shortly."
Roy opened the door to their suite, taking in the smell of luxury. The girl, Sheska, was going to write down the notes and that meant that right now, they had all the time they wanted to have a relaxing evening. Ed was staring at the room wide-eyed. He had slept so much on the train that he'd be awake for about two more hours if Roy knew his napping schedule, which he did. "Well, Ed, welcome to the world of indulgence. We're not making this into a habit, but right now I think we deserve it."
Ed was immediately running inside the large room, kicking off his shoes as he went and throwing open one of the bedroom doors, only to shout out loudly. "Daddy! What's that on the pillows?"
Roy smiled and walked further into the room, taking his and Ed's suitcases from Alphonse. "Chocolates," Roy said, appearing in the doorway, wanting to see Ed's gleeful face at the news for himself.
Ed looked up at Roy absolutely mesmerised. "They put chocolates on our pillows?!"
"Yes. It's a welcome gift from the hotel. You can eat mine too if you want." Roy smiled at Ed as he put the suitcases down outside the closet in their room.
Ed had jumped onto the bed within a second, quickly working on unwrapping the first of the two chocolates.
Thirty seconds later, Ed was standing on the large bed with a wide grin and a bit of melted chocolate at the corner of his mouth. "They were yummy!" Ed then jumped twice on the bed before his feet got tangled up in the sheets and he fell backwards onto the bed, laughing. Roy grinned. "Just be careful, Ed."
"I will, Daddy!"
Roy brought a change of clothes with him into the bathroom, carefully hiding his swimming trunks and bathrobe from view. He wanted to make sure that everything was as it should be with the jacuzzi before he told Ed about it. If something was wrong, he didn't want to crush Ed's hopes.
Thankfully, he found it to be just as he remembered, a large, square tub that sunk into a kind of platform, making it look fancier than it was. It was about two by two metres and had two seats of sorts on each side that also worked as a staircase to step on to get in and out of the jacuzzi.
It was certainly an upgrade from the usual hotel bathtubs.
And it was going to work wonders on Roy's aching back.
And so Roy slipped out of his uniform and his boxers and pulled on his swimming trunks before slipping on his bathrobe and tying it around his waist. He walked back out of the bathroom, nodding at the knowing look on Hawkeye's face and the slight chuckle from Alphonse. Roy had already told them about his plans on the train while Ed was asleep and they had agreed wholeheartedly that introducing Ed to a jacuzzi was going to make the kid ecstatic.
Ed had developed a strong fondness for bathing and it seemed to have a highly relaxing effect on him as well. Roy and Al had been discussing it during Ed's naps, and they had come to the conclusion that it probably had something to do with the Pentons. Ed hadn't really enjoyed bathing before the kidnapping, but he had told them about how the Pentons would wash his back from time to time with a cold washcloth after letting him pee in the bucket. As Ed's back and neck got more covered with needle marks, the concept of washing up had scared him as more and more of his skin got swollen at the areas where the drugs had been injected into him. The Pentons would clean him three or four times everyday, rubbing the sore skin with that rag of a washcloth, making him cry even more than he already had. Ed had marvelled at the feel of warm water against his skin ever since, as well as being thoroughly caught up with things being soft, especially his own clothing.
Roy went back into the bedroom, carefully hanging his uniform inside the closet before turning back to Ed who was jumping on the bed on all fours. "It's so soft! It's like your bed back home!"
Which is exactly why we're paying extra.
Roy smiled. "Hey, Ed, you want to take a bath before bed?"
Ed lit up. "Yay! Can we play with the duckies?!"
"Of course! Let's go find them right away." And so Roy pulled out Ed's suitcase and opened it up, finding the five rubber ducks in question. Ed immediately scooped them into his arms and followed Roy into the bathroom, only to stop in front of the tub. Roy grinned and put his hands on his son's shoulders. "Ed, today you're learning a new word: jacuzzi."
