#17 Scars

"Where'd this one come from?" A gentle hand lightly brushed over a reddish mark on the woman's pale shoulder.

"Last year, sir," she crossed her arms over her chest, keeping some sense of modesty in front of her commanding officer.

"When," his fingers hovered over the mark. He slowly moved them across the off-colored skin that stretched over the width of the blonde woman's right shoulder.

"When I pushed you out of the line of fire when that rebel targeted you at the bank in Central," her gaze drifted down to the white bandages that lined her torso. A red spot that stained the pristine bandages slowly grew larger and darker as time moved on.

"I'm sorry." The colonel's onyx eyes studied the old wound, "I never realized that the bullet hit you," his black eyebrows knitted together in concern when he saw the growing red stain that leaked through her bandages. "There will be another scar…won't there?" His hand trailed down her shoulder to the side of her stomach, where the crimson spot of blood was growing. The woman brought down a hand to touch his inquisitive fingers.

"Most likely," he looked up and caught her amber gaze," but it's another scar that tells me you're alive." She squeezed his fingers gently before she cupped his face, running her thumb along the arch of his cheek, and gave him that soft smile that she saved for only him.

"Um, excuse me Colonel Mustang," a female's voice, the doctor, echoed through the silent room, "I think Lieutenant Hawkeye would like some privacy during my examination."

"That's fine," Roy turned, and headed for the door. He stopped at the entryway and turned his head back towards Riza, "I'll wait for you outside Hawkeye."