Alibis and Lying Eyes
"A true friend is one who thinks you are a good egg, even if you are half-cracked."
~Anonymous
Riza didn't return home that night. But then, Rebecca hadn't really expected her to. Judging from the way the lights had flicked out when she'd been stalk—er, doing recon—Riza's not-so-secret childhood friend had obviously invited her to stay overnight, and she'd just as obviously accepted the invitation.
Based on the few scant details she'd managed to wheedle out of Riza beforehand, Rebecca assumed the two of them would need more than just one partially-inebriated conversation to sort through all their issues. (Especially if they hadn't managed much of the actual talking part, Rebecca thought with a mischievous grin.) And so she didn't give it too much thought the following morning as she went about her usual weekend routine alone.
By late Sunday afternoon, though, she was beginning to feel a little anxious.
Sure, Riza had been in love with this guy for years, but she hadn't dated anyone, or really even looked twice at a man since Rebecca had known her. And here she was spending a whole weekend with some guy she barely knew? (Well, barely knew NOW, childhood friendship notwithstanding).
Maybe she did have some prior knowledge of his character, but people changed! So he'd once been kind to a lonely, sheltered girl, so what? Riza had even admitted that years had passed since they'd actually been in contact with each other. Who knew what his views on love and marriage and family were? Suppose he'd turned out to be some kind of nut job, too damaged by the things he'd seen and done in the war to have a normal, healthy relationship? Or he could just be a womanizing pig - with looks like those, he'd have no trouble keeping his bed warm any given night.
Yes, Riza was a grown woman, and perfectly capable of making her own choices and mistakes. But part of Rebecca was deeply worried that Riza was setting herself up for a nasty heart break.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Riza was trying not to flinch as Roy carefully cleaned and bandaged her burns. Getting dressed was going to be painful, and it was also going require another person's assistance. Though she knew it was silly, considering that she'd been wearing nothing more than a sheet for the past 36 hours, Riza had been extremely embarrassed to have to ask Roy for his help.
Once that was out of the way, though, her main concern became how she was going to explain her little weekend away without lying outright. Rebecca would likely fill in any blanks in the story with her own prurient little imagination, so as long as Riza didn't flatly deny anything, it shouldn't be difficult to just let her go on thinking whatever she'd already assumed...
No matter what, though, she couldn't tell Rebecca the truth. Rebecca wouldn't understand, not really, and she'd find a way to blame herself for encouraging Riza to take matters into her own hands. Even though she'd had no way to know what Riza's true purpose was in seeking out her old friend, she would still feel responsible for Riza's…injuries.
Riza wanted to spare her that misplaced guilt, if she possibly could. Wasn't it the least she could do, after all Rebecca had done for her? Was it so wrong to conceal something from her, if it was done to protect her from pain?
Roy interrupted her disordered thoughts by gently laying his hand on her uninjured shoulder.
"Ready?" he asked, sounding a little grim. They both knew this would hurt her.
"As I'll ever be," she replied. Gritting her teeth, she kept her as movements slow and measured as she could as Roy helped her slip a borrowed t-shirt over her head.
"I thought it'd be easier," he'd explained sheepishly when offering her the shirt and a well-worn pair of sweats. "In case anyone's gotten curious, it would be better if you weren't seen returning in the same clothes you left in...and this way it'll look like you're coming back from a run or something."
"Not a bad idea," she'd replied. "Let's just hope no one is looking too closely." And she'd glared at the bra that she wouldn't be able to wear for at least another few days - the straps would chafe against her still-raw wounds.
Following her gaze, Roy had stared at the frilly lace undergarment for a moment before the implications of her statement had finally hit him. The way his ears had reddened as he sputtered was oddly reassuring, and Riza had laughed aloud.
Maybe some of Rebecca's brazenness was rubbing off on her, she'd thought, and her eyes had glowed.
When nine o'clock rolled around on Sunday evening, and Rebecca hadn't heard a word from her friend, she decided to make one last pass by Riza's room. If she still wasn't there, then Rebecca would march back over to Mr. Flame Alchemist's fancy townhouse and demand that he return her friend at once before she filed an official missing persons report.
Just as she raised a hand to knock on Riza's door, it flew open, and her fist nearly connected with the face of the very woman she'd been looking for.
"Hey, you're back!" Rebecca cried, surprised. She made a motion to embrace her friend as usual, but Riza quickly stepped back out of her reach. Before Rebecca had time to feel offended, though, Riza hastened to explain.
"Better keep your distance," she warned, looking apologetic. "I don't want you to catch whatever this is."
Something about her did seem a little off, Rebecca noticed. Her dark eyes were glassy and her face seemed a little flushed.
"You okay?" Rebecca asked, reaching reflexively for Riza's arm when the other woman swayed slightly on her feet. "Maybe you should lie down," she added, concerned.
"Mm, prob'ly," Riza murmured, allowing Rebecca to steer her towards her bed. Moving very slowly, she sat down on its edge.
"Did you just get home?" Rebecca asked. Riza nodded.
"I was just about to come find you," she said, offering Rebecca a sickly little smile.
"Honey, you don't look so good," Rebecca replied, frowning. She'd never seen Riza come down with as much as a cold before, and she wondered whether her friend was always so out of it when she was ill.
"'m alright," Riza protested weakly. "I just...I took something for it a little bit ago, and it's kicking in. That kinda stuff always makes me sleepy," she explained between slow blinks, concentrating carefully on each word.
Watching her struggle for coherence, Rebecca was torn between mild amusement and incandescent rage. And then Riza tilted her chin and looked up at her with those soft doe-eyes of hers –an incredibly innocent and trusting expression on that pretty face—Rebecca's rage bubbled to the surface.
"Seriously, dearest, you look awful. Did this 'friend' of yours just let you wander off by yourself in such a state?" she demanded, folding her arms in annoyance. When she got her hands on that man, she thought darkly.
The corner of Riza's mouth twitched up.
"Course not. He walked me all the way back here...you just missed him, actually; he only left a moment ago." Irrational anger drained away at once, and Rebecca raised an eyebrow.
"Lucky for him. I was starting to wonder whether he'd kidnapped you," she retorted.
"No, no kidnapping," Riza chuckled gently. "I'd have been back earlier, but he insisted on taking care of me all day yesterday," she added, her face going a bit dreamy. Still besotted, then, Rebecca noted, and filed that little observation away for future reference.
"Geez, and here I thought you had this whole romantic weekend thing going on," Rebecca fussed, vaguely upset that things had apparently not gone according to plan. Riza snorted inelegantly, which coaxed a smile out of Rebecca.
"Not exactly," Riza said. "I mean, unless you count pouring chicken broth down my throat and wiping sweat of my face as romantic gestures."
"Depends," Rebecca said slyly. "Did he cook for you?" Riza pursed her lips, trying to focus on the question as the pain medicine continued to slowly dull her mind.
"I dunno. No, I don't think so. But he's not really a very good cook, so it was probably better he didn't," she finally said with a shy grin.
"You kinda sound like you're drunk," Rebecca observed, amused again. Riza's grin wobbled and slipped into a frown.
"I do? Stupid pills," she grumbled, adorably. Rebecca barely managed to resist cuddling her. But the woman had a point; it wouldn't do either of them good for Rebecca to catch the same bug.
"Come on, you. Lie down," Rebecca instructed, giving Riza's left shoulder a light push.
Riza sucked in a sharp breath as the blinding flash of pain burned away the medicinal fog with vicious alacrity.
"Wh-what's wrong!" Rebecca cried, alarmed. Riza's face had gone whiter than a bone, but there were beads of sweat standing out on her brow and water in her eyes.
"N-nothing," Riza managed, breathing heavily. "It's just my—I just got...dizzy, all at once," she said with an effort. I can't tell her; she can't know, Riza chanted in her head. She'd be horrified, she'd be sick; she can't EVER know...
"Do you feel nauseous? Need to puke?" Rebecca asked, already frantically glancing around the room for a suitable vessel to use. Riza shook her head, though she was a little unsure, herself. That jolt of pain had at least given her back complete clarity. She'd been dangerously close to babbling out something stupid.
"No, I don't think so..." she said after a moment. "But would you mind getting me a glass of water? Please?"
Rebecca leapt to her feet to comply. By the time she'd returned from the bathroom down the hall, Riza had taken her earlier advice and laid down (thanking god all the while that her borrowed clothing doubled as sleep wear - she couldn't handle changing with her shoulder pulsating in pain the way it was). She had curled into a tight ball on her right side, with her face to the doorway, a shivering bundle of misery. Her eyes were squeezed shut, but she opened them when Rebecca set the glass on the nightstand with a soft thud.
"Thanks," she said weakly, but she made no effort to sit up or reach for the glass. Frowning, Rebecca grabbed the blanket folded at the foot of the bunk and carefully spread it over her friend's trembling form.
"You want me to keep you company for a bit?" Rebecca asked softly. Riza started to nod, though her eyes had already closed again. But then she frowned a little and shook her head.
"Sorry," she whispered. "I feel awful. And I really don't want you to catch this." Rebecca gently brushed Riza's hair away from her forehead, which was warm, but not alarmingly so.
"You do need rest," she conceded, running a hand affectionately through the short blonde strands as she spoke. "But don't think you're getting out of telling me all the juicy details later, young lady. I'll come check on you in a bit, okay?"
"K," Riza replied, smiling just a little as her eyes drifted shut again. Seconds later, she was breathing the deep, slow breaths of the deeply unconscious.
Rebecca indulged herself in one last stroke of Riza's soft hair. Poor thing. All the stressing and fretting she'd been doing lately had probably contributed to her sudden illness. At least this Roy Mustang had proven himself to be a decent person by looking after her all weekend. And that certainly pointed to them coming to some sort of understanding about their relationship, didn't it? Though it looked like she might have to wait a little longer to get the whole story.
But for now, Rebecca decided she should notify the powers-that-be that Hawkeye would be out of commission for a couple of days. A girl deserved a bit of coddling when she was ill. Rebecca's cooking had gotten a bit better over the years due to Riza's diligent efforts, and she was reasonably sure she could whip up a fairly decent chicken soup. However, she also knew how to pick up a phone and order take out from nearby restaurants worthy of her patronage.
"Don't you worry about a thing, sweet pea; I'll look after you," Rebecca whispered. Quietly, she rose and tiptoed to the door, flicking out the lights on her way.
She never even noticed that Riza's eyes followed her out, glistening with unshed tears of shame and pain and gratitude.
"I don't deserve you," Riza whispered to the darkness.
A.N. As always, feedback is deeply appreciated. And a special thank you to my guest reviewers, Ba-sing-saying and Rookie bee, whom I am unable to thank individually. Your kind encouragement means a lot to me!
xoxo Janie