Sidhe3141 -Yay! You were the first to review! Arigato! Cyber muffins to you! I am planning on having RoyRiza (just forgot to put it in the summery) As for AlMarta, though I like this pairing I'm not sure if I'll include it or not yet.
FullmetalChibi - Thank you! Here's an update for you! Cruel Angel - Thank you!.x.LookToTheStars.x. -Thank you! Here's the next chapter. I hope you like what I have planned for this story.
Alchemist Neko-chan –Thank you! Here's the second chapter!Al woke up to the sound of a soft but persistent voice.
"Sir? Sir? I'm sorry but you need to wake up sir." As Al opened his eyes he saw a young, dark haired woman in a nurses outfit standing beside him.
'Wait. A nurse? Am I in a hospital? Why would I be in a…' his thoughts trailed off as memories of the previous day came flooding back.
"Brother!" He called out, suddenly sitting strait. He looked up at the now rather irritated nurse. "Please, where's my brother?" he asked, a note of pleading in his voice.
"Your brother is asleep, right here." The nurse pointed to the hospital bed that sat next to the chair Alphonse currently occupied. "Now if you don't mind sir, visiting hours are over. I'm going to have to ask you to leave and come back in the morning."
I'm not leaving my brother." He looked down, clenching his fists. His there was something wrong with his brother and he wasn't going to leave unless his brother was coming with him. He didn't even want to think about what Ed's note had said.
The nurse sighed. "I'm sorry sir, but you have to leave. You can come back in the morning. Nothing is going to happen to your brother while you're gone."
Al was enough like his brother to be amazingly stubborn on occasions. Now was one of those times. He glared fiercely up at the nurse," I'm not leaving," he nearly yelled.
"I'm sorry sir but your going to have to leave." She said wearily.
"Now miss, surely it wouldn't be to harmful for the boy to stay." Al looked toward the source of the new voice, an older doctor with graying hair that had, apparently, come in while Al was busy arguing with the nurse "He's obviously very worried about his brother. As long as he's willing to alert the night nurse should anything change I see no reason why he can't stay."
The nurse sighed "yes sir" Now if you don't mind, my shift is over. I'm going home to bed. The doctor smiled at Al. Now, if anything changes, go to the nurses' station. It's just around the corner. The nurses will be making hourly rounds though, so you won't be on your own." He patted Al's shoulder and left.
Al sighed and turned to look at Ed's unconscious form. 'Brother… What have you gotten into now? Could have something to do with… No. Brother said that there were no side effects. It was a balanced equation. It couldn't have anything to do with that.'
As the hours passed, Al sat by Ed's bedside, silently waiting for his brother to wake up. The only way for Al to know how much time had passed was by the nurses that came by every hour. So far he had sat through four nurses checking on Ed and he guessed it was some time just after three in the morning. And though nothing had changed for the worse, it had not changed for the better either. Al sat there, seemingly lost in thought, by Ed's bed. All he could do was hope his brother would wake up for only then would the many questions swirling about his head subside.
To Al, nothing at the moment made sense. He glared down at his hands and allowed his mind to wander. That is, until he quiet coughing from the bed beside him. He looked up suddenly, taking in his brother's form. Al sat his brother up as the coughing fit subsided.
"Al?" Ed's hoarse voice pierced the quiet of the room.
"Brother!" Al cried, looking at his now conscious sibling. "You're awake!" Ed smiled weakly. This wasn't good. If he was in the hospital it meant that his attempted escape hadn't worked. This would lead to endless questions. Questions, that while he knew the answers, he couldn't respond to.
"Brother, what happened? Why…" Al trailed off as Ed looked away guiltily.
"Al…Al I…"He trailed off." I can't…"he sighed. He couldn't lie to his brother.
"You what Ed?" Al said, shaking slightly. After all that happened, his brother was going to try to hide it from him?
"Al…" Ed pleaded. He didn't want to fight with Al right now.
"No Ed. You're not going to keep it from me. I don't care what you say." Al yelled.
Ed sat up "I'm not getting you involved!" he let out a cough." I promised myself I wouldn't get you in-" he broke out coughing. Unable to stop he started wheezing, no longer getting any air. Al panicked, and looked around for a way to help. His eyes rested on the oxygen tank next to the bed. Thinking back he remembered the oxygen mask that had been placed over his brother's airway to help him breath in the ambulance, he grabbed the mask and placed it over his brother's face. Ed greedily gulped in the air. Eventually he could breath on his own and pushed away the oxygen mask. Ed collapsed back onto the pillow.HHHHhdlnlhhhh
Al staggered back 'H-he could have died… I almost killed him. If I hadn't been arguing with him it wouldn't have happened.'
"O-oh god…" Al collapsed into the chair.
"Al? Hey it's okay…" Ed laughed nervously
That's when Al did something he hadn't done in five long years.
He cried
