All The Ice Cream You Can Eat

Epilogue

Warning: This story is set between the series and the movie, may contain mild spoilers of both

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA nor any of the canon characters (just the OCs); I just like to play around in it's world for awhile.

Rating: T, just to be safe due to mild cursing

Alphonse began dreaming soon after the ether delivered it's knockout punch, and they were fragmented, troubling dreams: he and Brother fled thorough the rain from a scarred man, he saw Brother kneel down and talk to a doglike creature which spoke like a human, then Brother tried to fight - and failed against this horrid creature with green hair. He also dreamed he was fighting a suit of armor with a skull for a head, then he was being eaten by a fat bald man with empty white eyes, and worst of all, Alphonse dreamed he was laying helpless in the street of a deserted town, unable to move as a red light rushed towards him...

"GAHHH!" He awoke with a jolt in what seemed total darkness.

"Alphonse, you've just had a bad dream, it's all right." A familiar voice spoke to him, so hee blinked his eyes to clear them, and saw he was laying back in his hospital bed, and a night light was banishing the darkness. Izumi sat next to the bed in a hard chair and watched him with appraising eyes for a moment before she leaned forward and put a hand on his forehead and her scowl deepened.

"Huh, those idiots" she grunted "You were still in the recovery room when you started hemorrhaging, they couldn't stop the bleeding at first and they had to take you back to surgery twice. Now you've picked up a fever, and no wonder, this place is so unsanitary."

She replaced her hand with a cool, damp cloth. It felt very good against his hot skin, and Alphonse made an appreciative noise in his throat. "It's my fault, Alphonse, I should have taken you to the pediatric hospital in Central, I'm sorry."

"Teacher?"

"If you want to know, you've been here for four days. All the other kids who had tonsillectomies the same day have already gone home. Once the main desk is open, I'm checking you out of here, because you're not going to get better in this pest hole."

Alphonse swallowed experimentally - his throat felt dry and scratchy, but the pain, and feelings of constriction were gone. "Do you want some water?"

Izumi put a hand under his neck to gently lift his head up, and put a glass against his lips. The water was cool and delicious, but she only let him have a few sips. "After no solid food for all these days, too much water will upset your stomach."

She set him back down on the pillow. "It's only 2 AM, so we've got a few hours yet, get a little sleep now."

Alphonse really doubted he could get back to sleep, but he dozed off and on for a few hours. About 7 AM the surgeon came to check on his stitches - after a few tense minutes, she pronounced them as holding fine and gave Izumi the go-ahead to take him home

His legs felt a little shaky, so she helped him change back into street clothes - this time he welcomed the nurse with the wheelchair because he wasn't sure if he could walk that far.

There were already new kids on the pre-surgery ward, as they headed out the double swinging doors, Alphonse saw that same nurse again, and she was holding the same cloth-covered tray as she waited for them to get out of her way. He knew what was coming for some poor new arrival, and he didn't envy that kid one bit.

"Alphonse?" Izumi looked concerned. "Your face turned white when you saw that nurse, what did she do to you?"

Suddenly afraid Izumi would go to confront the woman - or worse, beat her up, Alphonse quickly shook his head. "You don't want to know, Teacher. Please trust me, you don't want to know."

Mason - Sigu's apprentice - was waiting for them at the exit. He picked Al up as if he weighed no more than a feather and carried him to the Curtis house. He tried to make some small talk

"How was the hospital food?"

"Did you see any pretty nurses?"

"Were they nice to you in the operating room?"

But Alphonse answered only in monosyllables and nods, or shakes of his head, so Mason eventually gave up.

The day was already heating up, so Al asked if he could sit in the backyard instead of going to bed. Izumi looked at him strangely for a moment, but finally nodded her assent. While she did something in the kitchen, Al sat on a wooden bench next to the back door and basked in the sun as if his life depended on it. It seemed years since he'd last seen it - Al raised his head and closed his eyes, letting it's rays wash away his memories and the smells of the hospital. He must have dozed off, for he was startled awake when the back door banged.

Al kept his eyes closed, but he could hear the soft slap of Izumi's slippers approaching him. He could also hear a metal spoon rattling in a china bowl - odd - he assumed the bowl contained soup, but he couldn't smell anything. Now he felt a cold spoon at his lips; "Open your mouth, Alphonse," said Izumi.

Izumi had a particular tone of voice she used when she wanted instant obedience, so Al didn't hesitate to do what she ordered. The spoon slid over his teeth - and an instant later, his mouth was flooded with a sweet and creamy taste. The distinctive flavors of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.

Ice cream!

Fin

Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this fluffy little nugget of Alphonse-centric goodness; and the best way to show your appreciation is with a review.