I'm alive and back with a new chapter! Yay!

Enjoy!

Edward was sitting awkwardly on the hospital bed as a doctor looked in his ears. This was not how Edward had planned to spend his day. He had hoped that he would be able to quickly finish all of the annoying stuff that came with turning in a report, maybe annoy the Colonel a little, and then head to the military dorms to get a little sleep in a real bed.

But, No! Edward was stuck in an annoying hospital, very confused, to say the least, and he was deaf, or at least that was what he assumed. It wasn't like it could be much else. In fact, what else could it be? He wasn't able to hear anything. The thing that made everything worse was that Edward wasn't quite sure what had happened and how everything ended up like this. He knew something went wrong on the train, but what it was Edward had no idea. And then there was this name floating around in Edward's mind, something that he was supposed to know but couldn't quite remember.

Gunner Pierce.

What happened that I can't remember?

Edward strained his brain to remember. From the back of his mind the blurry, unfocused memories of a fight played.

So I got into a fight with someone. Is that why I can't hear? Did He do something to me while we were fighting?

Edward was fed up with all of it by now.

Why can't something have gone right for me just this once?!

A familiar armour gauntlet slipped Its way into Edward's flesh hand, causing Edward to jump up in surprise. He flinched at the pain it had brought about to jump like that.

"Al," Edward whispered, forcing himself to look up at the helmet that served as his little brother's head. Edward's own eyes met with two red soulfire eyes. "I'm sorry."

Edward let his eye lids fall closed. He just sat there, feeling as if he had severed himself from the room's occupants by ignoring his sense of sight.

What Edward couldn't ignore was his sense of touch, which at the moment was feeling Alphonse's hand slip from his grasp. What? Had he angered his little brother past the point of forgiveness? The other thing Edward was finding hard to ignore was the aching in his heart by that small movement.

The absence of his brother was short lived though, being replaced by a hug, painful, yes, but very much worth the physical pain.

This was the equivalent of being forgiven, correct?

Edward really hoped so. He didn't want his brother mad at him in any way. Nothing good would come from hurting his little brother.

Alphonse was distressed by what his brother had said.

"I'm sorry."

But what for? What was Edward sorry about? It wasn't like all that had happened was his fault. So why?

"Brother, I don't understand," Alphonse said, perplexed, pulling his hand away from his big brother's hand. He looked strait at his brother's face noticing the tightly shut eyes.

"You don't have to say you're sorry when it isn't your fault," Alphonse said embracing his brother in his metal arms. "You don't need to say sorry. There is nothing to be sorry about."

The doctor stepped back, giving the two boys some room and turned to address both Hughes and Mustang.

"There is quite a bit of severe damage to the boy's eardrums, very severe. It seems as if Edward, here, is now deaf. Most likely permanently. I'm sorry."

Hughes and Mustang didn't know what to say. They had both been holding on to that last bit of hope, that whatever had been wrong with Edward was just temporary.

"I'm going to go get you a notebook and some pens, so that you can communicate with him that way." The doctor said starting to move towards the door.

"I'll be back soon."

An awkward silence settled over the room.

"It's permanent, isn't it?" Alphonse asked, breaking the silence.

"Alphonse, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Hughes was the only one to say anything, Roy wouldn't have trusted in his voice anyway.

Alphonse pulled away from his hug and took his brother's flesh hand in his own again.

Silence returned to the room.

The doctor returned soon after he left. This time he came in with a pen and a pad of paper.

"Here you go, Colonel Mustang," the doctor said handing the pen and pad to Roy. Before the doctor released his hold on the said items, he whispered.

"His condition is life-changing, and I think that hearing -or, rather, learning- the truth from someone he knows would be easier than learning it from me. So, I trust you will tell him."

"I understand," Mustang said, taking the pen and pad.

"I'll be going now. Find a nurse or a doctor of anything serious happens." The doctor left the room again, leaving the two teenagers and two grown men to their silence.

Roy was having a much harder time writing down Edward's diagnosis than he thought he would. It was because, for some reason, putting the boy's situation on paper made it feel all the more real, like the pain he was being subjected to would just go away of he ignored it. But that wasn't fair to Edward. Edward had all the right to know, and Mustang knew it was ridiculous to think everything would just get better ignoring by the truth of the matter.

"Hughes, I- I just can't." Mustang looked into his friend's eyes, seeing complete shock. It was probably because Roy was supposed to be the strong one that everyone could look to when things got out of control, but Mustang couldn't do it. He couldn't tell a kid that he had been robbed off his hearing because of a stupid accident. No! He just couldn't. Especially not that certain kid, that kid who had already been through so much of the world's horrors, that kid that he could sense was strong. How could he tell that kid that he was going to be deaf for the rest of his life?

"I understand. Roy, give me the note pad." Mustang passed the pad to Hughes, who began writing. His face was full of guilt and grief like he thought he was the one at fault. It was ridiculous for him to think like that, especially considering that the only one at fault was Roy himself. He knew that to be a fact.

I'm sorry, Ed. I'm pathetic. I can't even gather the courage to tell the boy that I messed up what is wrong.

Mustang looked away from his friend's buzy hands.

I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault.

Edward wasn't sure what was worse the fact that both Mustang and Hughes were supporting the worried look or that Alphonse was also giving off the feeling of, not exactly worry, but something very close.

Mustang looked worse as he tried to write something on a sheet of paper from the note pad he was holding.

Words? Again Edward saw the lips on his companions' face moving, but no words came. Well, that is, not that he could hear.

The note pad moved from Mustang's grip to Hughes's hands. The writing began to spill onto the page. Hughes was definitely more productive than Mustang was in whatever they were attempting to complete, though, Edward could hardly care what they were doing. That is, unless they were trying to fix him.

Edward hadn't even realised that he had closed his eyes to think until he felt a warm hand his shoulder. He jumped at the surprise contract, wincing at the pain the movement caused. His eyes shot open only to meet Hughes's apologetic eyes.

"Sorry, Ed." Or that's what Edward thought he saw Hughes's lips form.

Edward was about to say that it was okay when the very same note pad Mustang and Hughes had been writing in was shoved onto his lap. Edward looked up at Hughes only to see him turning away, not wanting to see the boy's reaction to the page's message. Edward picked up the note pad, looked down at the page, and started to read.

Edward, the doctor has told us to tell you what happened. I am really sorry, but he says that It doesn't seem likely that your hearing will return or heal. The damage to your eardrums, from the blast, was very severe.

The note made Edward's heart stop.

What!? No, this can't be happening! It can't! It just can't! This can't happen! I can't- I can't be deaf!

Edward dropped the note pad off the side of the bed and just sat there completely at a loss as to what he should say. He turned to look at his little brother.

If I don't get better how will I get Al's body back? How will I keep my promise?

A/N: So here you go! Okay, I've had this done for about half a week but my Wi-Fi was awful so I couldn't upload it. Also we all know I don't own fullmetal alchemist in any way so disclaimers aren't exactly necessary.

Sorry, I don't feel like much is happening in the story right now, but I promise it will get better. I also think I have spent too much time on just what is happening in the hospital, and I think I might be being unintentionally repetitive in my story.

Sorry for the mistakes and Thanks for reading!

Please drop a review and follow this story!

-UNAU/IME