Chapter Twelve

Ed had found a ride from one of the officers on the scene to take him and Al to the hospital while the rest of the police department milled around the dog pound, bagging evidence, and taking pictures. The ride to the hospital was a tense one and the silence weighed heavily on those in the car. When the brothers arrived, they asked for Winry Rockbell at the front desk, but the nurse said she was currently undergoing surgery and while the doctors were stabilizing and treating her, no visitors were allowed. Ed slumped into one of the worn waiting chairs, the padding practically non-existent as he tried to finally relax.

Despite the fact that Winry was now safe and in a hospital, it didn't do much to ease Ed's mind. The state he had found her in… it was incredible she was even still alive. The man who had done such things to her and the other girls… Edward clenched his fists in rage, examining the drying blood staining his white gloves and almost wished he had finished the job.

A heavy metal hand covered his own and Edward looked up into his brothers armored face, watching him with a concern he wasn't sure how the helmet could express but managed none the less. "She should be just fine now." Alphonse reassured softly.

"She shouldn't have been involved in the first place." Ed hissed as his brother removed his hand and Ed rubbed at the blood stains on his gloves.

"I know." Al left it for a moment, unsure of what to say. "None of those girls deserved any of this. Especially not our Winry." Al said, also feeling his armored hand clench in a fist of rage over what had happened to their childhood friend.

"Our Winry…" Ed said on a whisper, letting her bright and unharmed face beaming at him come to mind and letting his thoughts wander over simpler, easier times. Ed let out a long breath and bent over in his chair, scrubbing at his tired face with his gloved hands. Staring at the blood again, he peeled them off his hands and tucked them in a pocket, not wanting to be reminded of blood in this moment. He stared across from him vacantly and let his mind wander.

Ed's stomach rumbled loudly, but he kept his concentrated stare directed at the opposite wall, ignoring everything else around him as he was deep in thought. Hours had passed and Al sighed, knowing his brother wouldn't take care of himself while he was consumed in his thoughts and guilt. "You haven't eaten all day." Al said, breaking the silence. The only motion Edward made was to blink slowly. Al sighed again. "I'll go to the cafeteria and get you a sandwich or something." Al stood and stared down at his brother until he got a non-comital grunt before leaving his brother in his brooding, hunched state that he had been in since they had arrived several hours ago.

Al was concerned for his older brother. It was hard to see him like this and knew there wasn't much he could do to console him. All he could do was take care of his brother until he snapped out of this funk, which would probably happen about the time Winry woke up. Al found himself in the cafeteria and purchased a prepackaged sandwich and a bottle of water before starting his slow walk back to the waiting area of the emergency room. When he finally made his way back, he saw his brother still sitting exactly where he had left him, staring dejectedly into space, and looking miserable.

"Eat this." Al said, holding out the wrapped sandwich. Edward ignored the proffered food despite his stomach rumbling eagerly. "Water?" Al tried again with no better results. Al sat heavily beside his brother. "Starving yourself won't do Winry any good."

"Winry didn't eat or drink for five days." Ed said, closing his eyes as they began to sting.

"It's not your fault brother."

"We didn't find her for five days…" Edward glanced quickly at his little brother and then his golden gaze slipped to the side quickly, looking ashamed. "I didn't find her for five days." Ed rubbed at his face again, surreptitiously smearing away the few tears that escaped before anyone could notice. "In those five days, she didn't eat or drink, she was horribly beaten and probably… probably ra- "Violent shudders racked the young teen, and he wasn't able to finish his sentence. His whole body began shaking and he gasped for breath that wouldn't come, his chest was too tight, and his thoughts were too loud.

He slid from the chair and hit his knees, clutching at his chest as he fought for breath and his eyes burned. The panic attack came on swiftly and brutally and while Ed was struggling to breathe, Al also fell to his knees and wrapped his brother in a strong embrace, holding him close as his older brother shook uncontrollably against him. "It's not your fault." Al said firmly. "None of this is your fault. You saved Winry. She's safe now. You stopped the man that did this, and everything is going to be okay now. Just breathe." Al continued to soothe, holding his brother tight and praying this was getting through to him. Slowly, the crying stopped, and the violent shudders turned to the occasional shiver.

Even slower still, Edward raised his arms to return his brothers embrace and then pat him on the back, signaling his release. Al let go of his brother and pulled back slowly, trying to search his brothers face, but he had it canted down, and his bangs hid his expression as he quickly wiped at his face with the black sleeves of his jacket. Ed composed himself silently and sat back in his chair, keeping his gaze averted and hiding behind his golden bangs.

"You should eat this and drink some water." Al suggested lightly, holding out the sandwich and water once more. Reluctantly, his brother took both and began the automatic process of eating.

A nurse came around the corner and smiled down at the exhausted teenager sprawled in the waiting room chairs, where he had been camped out all day long. "Mr. Elric?" She asked softly, smiling as he quickly sat to attention and looked at the nurse eagerly. "Miss Rockbell is now out of surgery and resting comfortably in her room. She's not awake yet, but you can visit with her if you would like."

Ed was already on his feet, his younger yet larger brother in the suit of armor stood behind him, looking unsure yet eager. The nurse led the young men to a room in the critical care wing, she quietly opened the door and held it open for the boys. The older brother strode in eagerly but as he approached the bed, his confident footsteps slowed, and he stopped several paces from the bedside. The pale skin of the girl on the bed was marred by bruises in various stages of healing and dried blood that marked the lacerations on her face, and a white bandage wrapped around her head. Her face was smooth in a pain-free slumber as she took slow, shallow breaths. Her blonde hair had been cleaned and fanned out on the soft pillow around her. The blanket was pulled up to her chest, revealing some of her hospital gown, her arms atop the covers. Her right arm was in a cast from the elbow down and the left had an IV in it, delivering a slow and continuous infusion of fluids, pain medications and IV antibiotics. The blanket had been pulled back from her left leg, elevated on a pillow and showing her mangled and dislocated knee in a large brace and a thick bandage lower on her left ankle. There were a few wires that disappeared under the top of her gown and hooked to the monitoring equipment that surrounded the bed and beeped rhythmically.

A strangled sound fought to escape the blonde boy's throat and he felt his legs wobble unsteadily for a moment. "Winry…" Her strangled name fell from his lips and suddenly he was lurching forward, reaching out to gently touch her warm cheek and reassure himself she was still alive. He watched the slow rise and fall of her chest and lightly ran his flesh hand, sans gloves, through her soft white-blonde hair. There was a gentle scraping sound and without looking away from the girl on the bed, Al put a hand on his brother's shoulder and helped lower him into a chair he had brought to the bedside for his brother to continue his vigil. Once seated, Ed scooted as close to the head of the bed as he could get without being waylaid by monitoring equipment, reaching forward and gingerly taking the hand that wasn't covered in a plaster cast and stroking the back of her hand with a thumb, occasionally reaching with his other hand to stroke her undamaged cheek and soft locks. Al stood back and let his brother have his moment with their friend.

Hours passed and Ed had fallen asleep, head pillowed on the edge of the bed, hand still clutching the unconscious mechanic's hand. Al, not needing sleep, continued the silent vigil through the night as both teens slept. At one point in the middle of the night, Winry began to stir slightly, and Al sat up and watched her closely. Her blue eyes blinked hazily, and she began to take in her surroundings.

"Winry." Al called softly, not wanting to wake his brother. This was the first time Edward had slept decently since she had been kidnapped. Al stood and walked into her line of sight so she wouldn't strain herself.

Her blue eyes were bright from the pain medications, leaving her a bit dazed. "Where-"her voice was scratchy and her throat felt like sandpaper. Al took a cup of water with a straw and held it to the girl so she could sip cool water. When she was sated, Al set the glass down and she continued. "Where am I?" Her voice was still raw and raspy, but it no longer burned.

"The hospital." Al didn't feel like getting into the details and Winry probably wouldn't be able to follow a deep conversation in her current state.

Winry started to shift, but that was when she finally noticed Edward asleep in a chair and upper body draped across her bed, holding tightly to her hand. "Ed…" She mumbled softly and went to reach for him with her right hand but seemed surprised to find it in a cast. Her fingers were still free, and she used those to carefully brush through the golden yellow hair that fell across his sleeping face and pressing her fingers against his cheek, relishing the touch, and knowing this was real and not a dream.

Edward groaned as he was roused from sleep, and he turned to look to the source that had woken him. He found the pale fingers that led to a plaster cast caressing his cheek and beyond that, his beaten mechanic smiled gently down at him from her perch on the pillows. "Winry!" Ed gasped, coming fully awake and sitting up straight, ignoring the twinges in his back from his awkward sleeping position. He shifted and found his fingers still tangled in hers and gave them a gentle squeeze, not wanting to relinquish his hold. "You're awake." He leaned forward and cupped her undamaged cheek in his free hand. "Do you need anything? How do you feel?"

Winry shook her head on the pillow, but a wave of dizziness made her stop. "I'm just tired." With that simple statement, she felt the weight of her eyelids increase.

Edward noticed her drooping lids and rubbed her knuckles in reassurance. "Get some more rest."

Her eyes widened suddenly, and she looked to him in a panic. "You won't leave me, will you?"

"We'll still be here when you wake up." Ed reassured gently and then felt compelled to place a soft kiss on her forehead. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she had a small smile on her face; her fingers flexed against his, and then she settled back into a deep sleep.

Ed sat, stroking the knuckles on the hand he held as he watched his mechanic sleep peacefully. He leaned on the bed and let out a heavy sigh, eyes never leaving her face, watching her breathe. Al watched his brother watch Winry and saw his eyes begin to droop as well. "You should get some sleep too brother."

Ed gave the slightest nod of his head and made himself more comfortable, propping his head on his free hand, heavy gaze never wavering until sleep overcame him.

The next morning, Jered was finally allowed in to visit Winry once she was awake. He had made it to the hospital but had been made to wait in the hospital's general lobby instead of where Ed and Al had been allowed to stay in the critical care waiting room due to their clearance on the case. Jered had managed some restless and painfully cramped sleep draped over the hard plastic chairs but was more than eager to see his friend again.

He rushed to the room that held Winry and burst in, eager to see her again. "Winry!" He cried, long strides bringing him across the room quickly to where she was conscious, heavily bandaged and bruised but sitting upright against a pile of pillows, IVs and other monitoring equipment connected to her thin body. Ed sat as sentinel on one side of her bed, hovering protectively close and always keeping some kind of physical contact with his mechanic. Jered headed to the opposite side of the bed and reached out to touch her tentatively, wary of her injuries. "How are you feeling?" He asked, desperately taking in her appearance, and trying to reassure himself.

"Jered!" She greeted him brightly, smiling up at him, careful not to pull the stitch in her lip too hard. She reached up with her casted arm and offered him an awkward one-armed hug. Jered leaned in and carefully embraced the fragile girl, aware of the State Alchemist's glare fixed on him. "I guess I have a broken radius, I dislocated my knee, some bruised ribs and lots of cuts and bruises, but I'll live." She said, trying to make light of the situation but felt the grip on her shoulder tighten beneath Jered's hold before he carefully relaxed his fingers, almost as if he was worried he might injure her further.

Jered continued to examine her with a grave expression. She frowned at his severe face, and he softened his expression. "I'm glad you're okay. Well, not okay, but… you know." He shrugged helplessly, fully aware of the metaphorical foot he had wedged in his mouth.

"Thanks. I'm going to need your help a lot when I get out of here." Winry tried to joke.

"We'll be around for a while to help too." Ed cut in.

Winry turned to look at him with surprise. "Don't you have to get back to work?"

Ed shrugged nonchalantly. "Al and I get to set our own schedule and when and where we go to continue our research." He finished with a grin. "Jered will still have to go to work and Al and I can stick around until you can at least walk on your own again." He said, gesturing at her busted knee.

"Of course Winry!" Al chirped up excitedly. "We'll be happy to help with anything you need."

"Thanks guys." Winry said, eyes getting a bit misty.

After a few more minutes of standing around and making uneasy conversation, a nurse came in. "Sorry gentlemen, I'll have to ask you to leave for a little while. It's time to change her bandages."

"Of course." Jered said before bending to press a chaste kiss to the top of Winry's head before heading out the door the nurse held open.

"We'll be back soon." Ed said quietly, leaning in before pausing, coloring slightly and then quickly turning to leave, Alphonse following quietly behind and waving at Winry. The nurse followed the boys into the hall and closed the door leaving her in the hall with them, surprising the three young men.

"Did I hear correctly that the three of you will be taking care of Miss Rockbell?" She asked in a no-nonsense tone.

"Uh… yes" Jered stammered. "Ma'am." He added as an afterthought.

The nurse nodded sternly. "Then it is important for you all to know some of the serious things Miss Rockbell has faced and what you can probably expect during her recovery." Each young male seemed to gulp, even Al who only consisted of soul-bonded armor. "Miss Rockbell was not only severely beaten, dehydrated, starved and imprisoned, she was also sexually abused."

"He didn't-"

"Did he-" both Ed and Jered started but stopped abruptly.

"She was not raped, but she was sexually violated. All the things Miss Rockbell has faced have been extremely traumatic and can have long lasting consequences on the mind. Over the next several weeks, it is completely normal for her to break down in sudden fits of hysteria, to have insomnia or incredibly realistic dreams of the events of the last several days. I need you to be a calming presence for her, be patient and always remind her that this is not her fault. Do you understand?" She asked, making eye contact with each of them until she received a solemn nod from the three young men. "In her discharge paperwork, I'll include some helpful reading material to help you and Miss Rockbell deal with what has happened."

"Thank you." Jered said hesitantly.

The nurse smiled tiredly at the exhausted teens. "This might take a while. Why don't you go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat."

"We'll do that, thank you." Al said, reaching out to help steer his brother who seemed frozen to the spot, and he moved mechanically under his younger brother's guidance.

Several days later, Winry was fit for discharge from the hospital. The four teens caught a ride back to the apartment. Winry was able to balance precariously on her one crunch under her left arm but climbing to the second story was not going to be possible. Jered and Ed took a step towards Winry at the same time and stopped, watching each other warily. Winry noticed the awkward tension and turned to Al.

"Mind giving me a lift?" She asked, ignoring the other two boys. She passed her crutch off to Jered as Al stooped to gently scoop his friend into his arms and carry her up the stairs, the other two boys followed looking moderately shamefaced. Al tried to keep his steps light and his hold gentle, but everything still hurt, though she tried to hide it. Once at the door to her apartment, Jered hurried to unlock the door and swing it open wide for Al and Winry.

"Where do you want to go?" Al asked.

"My room. I can do it, just put me down."

"Just put her on her bed Al." Edward said before Al could do anything.

Winry frowned but didn't object as Al continued down the hall to the door on the left. Jered came around and pulled the blankets back on the bed and adjusted the pillows before Al carefully settled her on the bed. She couldn't help the face she made as her dislocated knee jostled despite the knee brace and it was difficult to get comfortable with one arm in a cast.

Jered hovered anxiously for a moment. "Are you thirsty? Hungry? I can make you soup or something."

Winry shook her head. "Maybe just a glass of water. I know I didn't do anything today, but I'm already so tired."

"Of course. You should rest. I'll be right back." Jered reassured as he hurried away.

Al pulled up the blankets. "Get some rest Winry. Let us know if you need anything."

Ed had been hovering in the doorway and was turning to leave as his brother approached but stopped at Winry's request." "Ed?"

The elder Elric came back towards the bed. He watched as Winry averted her gaze to the fingers on her good hand tracing the cast on her broken arm. "I know you and Al have more important things to do with your time. I know you're trying to get your bodies back… I was just wondering how much longer you guys would be able to stay?" she finished softly.

Ed covered her nervously twiddling fingers with a hand and vulnerable blue eyes looked up and caught his warm golden gaze. "We'll stay as long as it takes." He pulled back as he heard footsteps coming towards the room and Jered came in with a tall glass of cold water.

"Here's your water. Are you sure there's nothing else I can do?" Jered looked a little lost.

Winry smiled warmly at him. "I'm fine, thanks. Just going to catch up on some sleep." Both boys shuffled out and closed the door behind them.

It was hard to get comfortable. Everything hurt and it seemed far too cold. The sounds of several dogs barking triggered a warning and Winry sat up, gasping at her surroundings. She was in the basement in her cell once again. Her left ankle was still secured in the heavy iron manacle crusted in her own dried blood. Heavy footfalls warned her of the incoming of the ugly, balding man that enjoyed his pleasure as much as her pain. His slow steps stopped before her cell and he peered in at her with narrowed, malicious eyes.

"It's your turn." He said, pulling out his ring of keys and opening her locked door.

The fear was bubbling up in her chest as he got closer and closer, reaching for his belt and undoing it. He lunged forward, snatching the ankle not secured by the manacle and dragged her across the concrete floor towards himself. The terror finally spilled from her mouth in a scream.

Winry's bedroom door burst open, and the three boys came tumbling in.

"Winry!" Al cried from the doorway as he watched his friend sitting up in bed and screaming.

Ed finally broke the frozen spell they seemed to be under and rushed forward, sitting on the bed, and grasping her upper arms. "Winry! Winry! You're safe! You're home and you're safe right now! It was just a dream!" The vehemence of his words made him shake the blonde a bit.

There was a haze, and someone was screaming and suddenly Winry was being shaken and she realized that the screaming was her and stopped abruptly. She blinked in startled confusion until her vision cleared and Edward was leaning towards her, Jered and Al standing behind him and looking terrified. "Ed?" She asked in a croaking voice.

Edward let out a relieved sigh, but his grip on her didn't loosen. "It was just a dream." He repeated.

Winry reached up to touch her face and her fingers came away damp with tears. That was when Edwards words finally registered, and the dream came back full force. The overwhelming emotion tore through her again, more painful than any physical injury and she doubled over in Edwards grip, crumpling as she began sobbing again. Edward gathered the sobbing girl towards him and held her, unsure of what to do but gently stroking her back and hair while murmuring soothing things quietly.

Jered watched the painful scene, upset that there was nothing he could do to comfort his friend, but the Alchemist boy seemed to be all the comfort she needed at the moment. "Come on Al." He said quietly, slipping from the room with the younger Elric and leaving the two childhood friends alone.

Sarahplainntall here! Thanks for your patience. I should have one more chapter after this, so we're close to wrapping it up. Elvenstar146, I'm so glad you've been enjoying this story and the nice little twist where Ed takes care of Winry instead of vice versa. I adore all comments, truly, they make my day. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.