Ok, a lot of people (the two that reviewed) said last chapter was confusing, so after this one, I'll post it again. Just with MAJOR changes. Still pondering how to go about doing this...meh, chapter five? I wanted to point this out, I refer to Maes' wife as "Gracia" or "Glecier" so, and they're the same person. If it's not consistent, that's why.
Jazmine couldn't do much in the way of healing, but if she could bring a slightly dead man, then she can heal a dying man, correct? Roy took a deep breath unsure of where his thoughts were trying to lead him. The sheltered abyss of thoughtlessness was something that he was famous for. Reacting without a cause. He sighed and looked at the girl sleeping against his shoulder. She was his daughter, and she was a healer, but how can she help? He didn't want to put any pressure on her, yet could she bring back her mother? Roy merely watched as the orderly's made their way around the room, cleaning and checking vitals. They had said she would be ok, but even he had his doubts. He kissed Jazzy on the cheek and laid her down, walking away.
Time was of the essence, and lives were hanging in the balance and he needed to think of a plan. He paced around only half aware that Jazzy looked up mumbling something, and rubbing her eyes. She looked up at him as if nothing had happened, but he knew that for a young girl, even she could feel everyone's pain. She tilted her head at him, but he still remained silent. All Jazzy could do was watch him and wonder if he was ok. All at once, her (9) birthday, her mother dying, her mother coming back, getting a new daddy...it was all so hard for her to grasp her little fingers around. But as sure as she knew one thing, she knew this; she was going to save them all.
Riza's room was still held off from outside visitors. Nurses and doctors frantically checking vitals, administering pain medicine, whatever they could do to help her. They had told Roy there was a one in ten chance she would make it through. An even stronger possibility if she had something to wake-up too. So Roy stood outside her door and waited impatiently, as he often did, for them to allow him access. He looked back at Jazzy who managed a feeble smile. He was glad for her, not because she could save her, but because she was young, innocent, beautiful...nothing like Havoc at all. Since her legal guardian was "gone", that gave Havoc enough time to cum up with a way to "kidnap" her. Roy made sure that he couldn't, so he adopted her.
"Daddy?" Roy didn't look up from counting the tiles, but he knew who was talking to him. No one in the world ever called him daddy.
"Yes, Jazzy?" Jazzy was amazed he'd answered. He'd been so quite and withdrawn since the whole ordeal, she was afraid that he was gone too. Randomly, she ran over to him and hugged him. He smiled and looked down at her. "Y'know, now you don't look like me or your mom."
Jazzy shrugged. "I met a girl. She had cancer, I liked her. She was cool. But I saved her. I dunno how, but she touched me and just got...better. I was hoping she would, and as soon as she touched me, she did!" Roy smiled. He knew it was alchemy, but she was too young to realize that.
"Then that guy, the old one...he was dying. I sat and talked to him for five whole
Minutes, and he fell asleep on me. He wished he could see his son again, and so did I. I went to see if he was still awake, and he turned blue. The next thing I knew, he was hugging me!"
"Amazing. Now, do you think there is a possibility you can do it for your mother?" Jazzy shook her head and looked up at him.
"I don't know how I did it. I just know that I hope, and I get."
"I understand," he whispered inaudibly.
At this point they were both pacing around the room. Maes asked him to go home, get some sleep, but he declined, graciously. Maes decided to go back to the house. Inform Gracia and Elysia what was going on. Elysia walked back with him, and sat with Roy and Jazzy. Maes, in one of his "put foot in mouth" moments, asked a really stupid question. Just to see if Roy was even thinking anymore.
"Hey, Roy, you ever want to have kids?" Maes asked hopefully.
"Not with you, I don't." Jazmine and Elysia giggled, and Maes looked like he would cry.
"I was talking about with Liza (Riza). Wouldn't that be great?" He looked over at Riza's room.
"We already have Jazmine, Miles." Maes looked crushed.
"You can have more then one." Roy looked like he was going to snap.
"Miles (Maes), I hate to be mean, but we're not even sure if she'll get through this." Maes continued to watch in the window.
"I know, but its wishful thinking. Don't want to make Jazzy sad." Roy nodded in agreement.
Almost five minutes later an orderly walked from the room, nearly walking into Roy. The young man looked up at the older man and winced. Big mistake. Roy shrugged and ran a hand through his hair, Maes, Elysia, and Jazmine joining ranks behind him to hear the news. Roy's heart nearly sailed out the window when he saw the man smile.
"Well," said the man. "She's pulling along nicely. True military officer."
Roy read his nametag and responded. "Yes, she is. How long until she can be released?"
"Couple of days, week's maybe. That all depends on if she lapses again."
Roy nodded; He had a point. "This is true, what of her condition?"
"She's getting a lot better. Vitals are up; to a minimum, Iron and Blood level back to normal. She pulled out of her comatose state late last night, so you may see her at any time. They'll be moving her from ICU later." the young man stated casually.
"That's good to hear," Roy looked pale, as if he would faint. "One more question."
The doctor looked up from the chart of the girl in room 12A, then at Roy. "Yes?"
"Why are you moving her from ICU?"
"Healing patients don't need to be there. Only dying ones, or ones we aren't sure of. I can assure you, she's getting much better. In the three days she's been here, she's shown some major improvement. They'll probably release her sometime in the next few days."
Roy nodded and signed himself and Jazmine in on the visitors roll sheet. At the moment, she had requested only family. He was certain Maes could pull off his brother; not like they check anymore, anyway. He stopped and got Jazmine, whispering to Maes 'she's getting better', and walking away as whoops and hollers resounded through the hall. He looked back from reading the name tag, just in time to see Maes being drug off by an orderly kicking and screaming. He then put his hand on the doorknob, afraid to open the door. Jazmine laid her small hand on top of his, and he smiled, entering the room.
There was a tomb like silence in the room. The atmosphere was a bit on the cold side, but not too cold. The smell of anesthetic and such lingering in the air. Not exactly what they had expected, but not much they could do. Riza lay on her back, eyes closed, one arm resting over her stomach protectively. The other laying beside her as if there was nothing for it to hold onto. He wasn't sure if waking her was a good idea or not, judging by the IV attached to her left index finger, she'd be out for a while. He let out the breath he'd been holding, and pulled a chair beside her bed, laying his shaking hand on top of hers. He then laid a kiss on her forehead, whispering in her ear: "Can you hear me?"
She didn't make any type of response, so he whispered again. This time he added 'squeeze my hand once if you can.' This got him a response.
He felt her small hand close around his and squeeze gently. He almost fainted. "Can you respond?"
Her usually amber eyes, now green, fluttered open. She stared at him in disbelief. "I closed my eyes; you weren't here when I woke up. I thought maybe if I went back to sleep you would be here."
He smiled a bit watching Jazmine. "I'm glad you're ok. Miles was just drug off by your doctor. Making too much noise."
"He's still here? He and Gracia could have left. I didn't want to have to be 'begging' off them." She took a deep breath. "I already owe them more then my life for this stunt."
He nodded and smiled at her. "They're moving you from Intensive Care today. Your doctor says you've gotten a lot better. I can tell."
She nodded a bit. It was still a bit weird for him; not seeing the blonde locks, and amber orbs, but he'd gotten used to it in some...odd way. Jazmine looked up at them. "Daddy, can I heal them now?"
Riza paled; had she known all this time? Roy raised a brow at her choice of words. "Them?" he asked quizzically. Jazmine nodded and handed him her chart. Sure enough, down on the bottom, was a list of vitals for the baby. Now it was his turn to pale. Had MAES known? Is THAT why he kept asking? He let out a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. This would be interesting. "Jazmine put that back, I don't want to get kicked out."
She nodded and obediently put it back. "Should I?" she asked.
Riza looked between the two, confused, and irritated. "What do you two know that I don't?"
"Nothing," Roy responded resigned. He was afraid to let on that she was pregnant in fear that she might try to sign herself out. He decided not to say anything, for her sake, and the baby.
"I know you too well, Roy, tell me." She muttered. It was at this point he was glad they confiscated her guns. He hadn't wanted to be shot. Jazmine watched the onslaught giggling hysterically.
He looked up at Riza, a bit shocked, to see her eyes like that. He hadn't been used to her having green eyes, but he figured he'd get used to it. He sort of liked it. Not light enough to be hazel, but not dark enough to be black. Mysterious and deep. Not exactly Mossy, but in a certain light, they were light with a gold ring around the pupil. He didn't mind, at all. To him, she was still Riza, no matter what she looked like.
Jazmine looked up at him, smiling and pulling her sleeves up. He nodded to her, as if telling her to do it. She laid her hands flat on Riza's stomach, and did what she did best; she hoped. She wanted a little brother or sister in the worst way, and she hoped they would survive the ordeal. There was no way to tell if the baby was ok, but Riza wasn't. Roy had estimated it would be painful for her, due to the extent of her injuries and illness, so he took her hand and held on firmly. "It'll be alright," He whispered. Jazmine did the same for her, a blinding light filling the room. Riza shrieked in pain, causing Roy to hold onto her and whisper 'it'll be fine', in a reflex. The next few moments weren't what they expected, but the light faded. Jazmine stood where she once was, looking down at her palms. She watched as her mother and father talked, more of a whisper, and left the room, still staring at her hands.
If she was an alchemist...Why did that happen?
The orderly came back an hour later to check on Riza. Seeing that her condition was far more then improved, he moved her to another room in the left wing, to keep her monitored for a few more hours. Roy was allowed to sit with her, so he never left her side. In Jazmine's absence, they discussed different names. She hadn't realized he'd known. Not until now, anyway. When Jazmine wandered back in, she climbed into Roy's lap and sat there, hugging him tightly. He noted this and pulled away a bit, staring at her. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"My hands..." She whispered.
He looked down at her, flipping her palms over. Sure enough, etched into her hands, was something that he'd never seen there before. Housed on her hands were two small transmutation circles. On the left, was a circle that had another circle inside it, a wave at the bottom, and a diamond. On the right, was the exact same thing, upside down. Did that mean she was like Kimbley? Would she be the exact opposite of Kimbley? Why did this happen now? Or better yet, why did it happen at all? Roy looked up as Riza began crying. "I knew this would happen..."
"Why are you sad, mommy?" Jazmine muttered.
"These aren't tears of sadness, darling. They're tears of joy." Riza murmured and burred her head in Roy's neck.
There's still at least 4 chapters left to this. I know last chapter was confusing, so I'll just ask that you don't hold it against me. Please. Don't look down on future chapters because one was terrible. I was rushed with that one. That's why I made sure to make this one better. It took me two weeks to write this chapter, so...please review? Please? Purdy Puh-leez? - Jazmine