A/N Huh, very emotional chapter I guess… Ok, but before that, story time! In Japan, I ate tons of really weird foods… but for the majority they were really good! One night when we went out to eat, I ordered a pizza. I couldn't tell what it was, but it looked the least unusual, so I got it. Turned out, surprise surprise, that it was a pumpkin and shrimp pizza. Yeah. It was crazy over there… but it tasted really good, so that's cool. Hey, this trip was all about new experiences right? Well, this update is dedicated to Roy-fan-33 who it seems has made fanart for this story. I'll tell everyone when she gets it up on the Internet. I feel so loved… fanart for me, of all people! I cannot express my gratitude enough! So, in a cheap try at compensating her even a little, this chapter is extra long! Plus, I found a wonderful muse for it…
Disclaimer: Don't own FMA, never will.
Ok, think strait, she could do that. Riza stepped back to Ed, watching him shivering in silent sobs, curled up in a ball. Riza pulled away one of his hands, taking his wrist and squeezing it. Ed yelped, but Riza did her best to ignore it as she watched the clock. She probably didn't even have to have watched the time to realize Ed's pulse was racing, but it helped her keep everything around her strait.
"Ok Ed, can you hear me," she asked gently. No response. "Listen to me!" she yelled, squeezing Ed's hand. "You aren't going to die! It hurts but you need to cooperate with me." Riza pulled down the blankets, pulling off Ed's shirt and leaning down to listen. Then she realized something, as she felt Ed's shivering feverish body. It was what she couldn't hear that was strange.
"He's not breathing," Riza said, getting back up and stepping back in terror, "Oh my god!"
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Ed's eyes felt as though they'd been stapled together as he tried to open them. He felt the type of drifting lightheadedness that you get when you've slept for months on end. He felt tired and his mind must have been replaced with an enormous marshmallow for all the good it did him to try and think. He could remember blood… blood and pain. And then it was dark. Ed's eyes opened halfway, deciding that that was enough for now. He saw white bed sheets and blankets. Ed looked around him, his eyes still not entirely convinced that there was any need to open up any wider. He'd been in places like this before, if only he could remember what they were called. That was it, they were hospitals. He was in a hospital. Ed's eyes opened as wide as seemed humanly possible, before he fell back on his bed, eyes closing tightly as he passed out.
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"I didn't want to resort to this, but at least until he wakes up, it's for the best," Riza sighed, walking into the hospital room with Roy to watch Ed. "Roy, you need to talk to him about dealing with depression."
"I already have though," Roy replied, "How long will he stay here?"
Riza rolled her eyes and glared at Roy. "Then you obviously didn't do a very good job. He should leave as soon as he wakes up, for all that he knows, he's here because he passed out, nothing more or less. We'll keep it at that for now, see if we can get him to tell us what's really going on, on his own. You should take him out somewhere fun, make him want to be healthy, and happy, and alive."
"Alright," Roy replied. "I think he's enjoying living though…"
"Roy, I'm not trying to pressure you into this, if you aren't entirely serious about it than for god's sake just say so," Riza snapped, "But you weren't there last night. He stopped breathing Roy, he was about to die! If I hadn't washed the dried blood out of his throat… I don't even want to have to think about it." Roy gulped, looking over to Ed. He had one of those plastic bowl like things over his mouth giving him pure oxygen, Roy didn't know what they were called.
"I'm serious about this, and have been from the start," he said staring at Ed. He'd made up his mind. "If he does die, feel free to place all responsibility on my shoulders." Riza looked him up and down suspiciously, smirking at what she saw.
"Then go tell him that," she said bemusedly, "Take him out, somewhere nice, ok? Fatten him up for me will you?" She smiled. "I've got work to do, you can stay here and wait for him to come to if you want." Roy nodded, walking over and sitting down next to Ed.
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Ed's eyes flickered around the room, taking in everything. "Roy!" he tried to say, choking. He pulled the facemask off, sitting up. "Why am I here?" he asked fearfully.
"You passed out Ed," Roy replied, "Why else would you be here?" Ed sighed, his shoulders loosing their tension. "Are you well enough to get up?"
"Yeah, I guess," Ed replied, flipping off the paper thin sheets that all hospitals seem to buy in bulk. Ed got up, his head spun the first few steps, but he got over the worst of it and found it easier the longer he was at it.
"Good," Roy replied, "Because we're going out today." This caught Ed's attention, making him look up.
"A what?"
"It'll be fun, we've never been on an official date," Roy stated, plain as day. "So I thought it'd be nice to go to the fair." Ed nodded I disbelief as Roy took his hand and led him out and back to his room to change into some new clothes. Ed was still unable to think when they got into Roy's car and drove off. It was probably the lack of food, he finally decided as they got there. But when Roy bought their tickets and they stepped inside, what with all the rides, food, noise, and flashing lights, it suddenly seemed a lot more real. Ed couldn't help but grin for all that he was worth.
"Can we go on some rides?" he asked, looking up to Roy. Roy smiled, nodding his head as they walked off.
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"Here Ed," Roy said, handing the boy an ice cream cone, "eat up." They both sat down on a bench, eating their individual ice creams, staring into the night sky. Roy got up a few minutes later, having finished. A long day of running from one roller coaster to the next had them both rather worn out, but Ed was showing it much worse than Roy. "I'll be right back," he said, walking off into the crowd. Ed flipped through the pamphlet he'd been given, there were going to be fireworks in another half hour or so, they'd always been nice… Ed felt dizzy. It was only a little drowsiness that passed through his head and he recovered only a few moments later, but that got him worried. He couldn't pass out again, if he did Roy might start looking into it further… and that would mean trouble. Ed licked his ice cream, closing the booklet and looking up as Roy came back, toting a plastic bag with two small boxes in it.
"Here, I got us a treat," Roy sat down next to Ed, pulling out one of the boxes and setting it on his lap. It was warm and smelled yummy. Ed opened up the box, taking one of the plastic forks and taking a bite of the noodles.
"Yakisoba?" He asked after a moment, chewing it thoughtfully. Roy nodded, slurping an enormous mouthful down. Ed began wolfing it down with renewed vigor, feeling hungrier than he'd ever been before. He couldn't ever remember feeling this hungry, when was the last time he'd eaten a proper meal? Ed gulped the last of the noodles in a flurry, finishing as Roy made it to his halfway point. Roy looked in disbelief as Ed threw away the box, licking his lips.
"Someone sure is hungry," he smiled, finishing his mouthful, "Do you want me to go get some more?" Ed was going to nod, but stopped. It was to suspicious, he couldn't eat too much at once when he was in sight.
"No, I've just been asleep so long, I guess I missed a few meals," Ed replied, wiping sauce from his mouth.
"Well, try and save some room, I want to get us some dessert for watching the fireworks," Roy replied, "They should start pretty soon." Ed nodded, stopping. He felt his stomach rolling about uncomfortably. He tried to keep a casual expression on, smiling wearily. "You ok Ed?" Roy asked.
"Yeah," he replied, almost too jovially, "I'm just a bit tired, we've been out all day long."
"Think you can manage one last ride on the Ferris wheel?" Roy asked, getting up and holding out his hand. Ed took it, getting up as well, but stopped. He let go, his hands circling around his stomach. He gulped deeply, gasping for air as Roy paused. Ed gulped down the nausea as best he could. "Ed, what's wrong?" Roy asked hurriedly.
"I, I," Ed began, trying to finish before it came. "I need to go!" was all that he could get out before turning and rushing over to the garbage can; his head leaned in as he heaved. Roy ran over, looking on in shock as Ed wretched out all of the food he'd eaten so far that day. He patted Ed's back, holding his hair out of the way until he'd finished. Ed's eyes watered, tears forming at the corners as he stared into the abyss of the garbage can. He stared at the vomit, coughing as it clogged up his throat.
He looked on in absolute horror. Everything had been so good, so happy at long last… and here he was. Puking up his dinner. And it really hit him as he coughed up a few mouthfuls more, these tinged a light red, that this was it. This was what he'd been doing to himself this whole time. He coughed a few more times, before pulling his head up and looking at the sky. His mouth hurt, his stomach churned, and his throat felt like it was on fire. Roy rubbed his back, in case there was any more. A firework, the first of the night, flew up into the sky and burst into a flare of blue light. "I don't want to do this anymore," Ed whispered to himself, his eyes tearing up for real. "I don't want to do this anymore!" Ed fell to his knees and cried, sobbing in great gasps as fireworks shot above their heads, bursting into light on all sides. Roy leaned down, and picked up Ed, cradling him in his arms as Ed sobbed into his shirt.
"Lets go home," he said gently, carrying Ed back to the car and laying him down in the back. Roy got into the drivers seat and pulled out. Fireworks could wait.
A/N Pretty long chapter, I'm so proud. My updates are, unfortunately, coming much less often than they were some time ago. I've left a note on my profile explaining it, and I haven't the heart to depress myself by repeating it here. On a second note though, speaking of my Japan trip, I was planning on mentioning this, but I never really got to it did I? Just before leaving for Japan a few months ago, I turned 14. Yep, fourteen… I really feel the same though. Birthdays are weird like that. Do I seem younger? Or older? I really have no idea… well, thanks again Roy fan, I'll update next chance I get. See you all later.