Couldn't they just leave him alone? He hated that they were always poking and prodding at him, but, due to the thickness that had made itself at home in his throat, he was unable to tell them to stop.
"Owww!" Edward hissed, as the -probably but maybe- doctor touched his achy ears.
'He can't be a doctor, doctors don't hurt you. They are supposed to heal you. Help you, not hurt you.'
"Stay back!" Edward yelled. "Don't touch me!" With all the tightness and heavy feelings weighing down his throat gone, a single teardrop escaped and rolled down Edward's face.
A hand touched Edward's shoulder, it was actually gentle not like the previous rough-gentle hand. Surprise washed over Edward when he looked up and saw that the hand belonged to none other than the Colonel. Edward couldn't say why but for some reason the gesture was calming.
'No! Mustang's hand on my shoulder is not calming! What am I thinking?! He's an idiot who can't tell a-'
Edward clenched his eyes shut as pain burned in his thoat and formed into a throaty cough. The hand moved to his back drawing circles in a strangely calming way. Edward felt like he could almost fall asleep sitting there with that hand rubbing circles on his back. Without thinking Edward nuzzled up to the hand's owner. With eyes still closed, he held himself close to the Colonel's chest not daring to think how pathetic he probably looked, resorting to comfort from the Colonel. But as it seemed Edward's body wasn't cooperating with his pride.
The pain in Edward's wounds and ears were enough to make the boy seek pretty much anyone, which technically included the Colonel, to help relieve the pain. It needed to at least be someone he thought he could trust to some extent. The Colonel was one of those people. Edward wasn't actually sure when he started really trusting the Colonel it was different, though. It was more a feeling of reliance than anything and only now in his moment of pain did Edward realise that he didn't actually hate the Colonel. He was always trying to convince himself that he hated the man and wouldn't mind if something horrible ever happened to him but now Edward didn't want that. He didn't want to have to rely on someone either, sadly that couldn't be helped. Sometime, when in his thoughts his head had lolled and he had drifted off to sleep in the comfort of his commanding officer.
Roy hadn't intended to rub the boy's back, but Alphonse had told him to do something calming. And he wouldn't have thought it ever possible, but the very same boy who rudely called him horrible names all the time was snuggling up to him. He hadn't meant for it to be like this, but now with the boy's head resting on him he sat down letting the boy find a comfortable place.
Doctor Freud stood a little ways back examining the pair. He thought they looked like a son and father gathering together so that they could share the pain. In reality, even if he seemed quite cold, Freud cared about what happened to his patients, even if this boy wasn't really originally his patient.
He pulled off his latex gloves, waiting for the boy to calm down enough to be examined. In his waiting he picked up the chart at the end of the bed. Something he really should have done since the beginning.
Patient- Elric, Edward .
Sex- Male.
Age- 14.
Allergies_Drug Reactions- None. Side note: No allergies to milk, but he won't drink it.
Pharmacy_Therapist- Dr. White, Elena (specialist for the hearing impaired.)
Notes: Received large gash in side, several smaller cuts, severe third degree burns on back and arm, and lost hearing. In an earlier accident, lost both his left leg and right arm -fitted with auto mail.
Accident_Origin of injuries- Train derailment._
The doctor scanned the rest of the chart, before looking up to see the youth's head lolling to the side a little as he drifted off to sleep. Good. Sleeping was probably calm enough, just as a simple examination.
"Lay Edward down." Doctor Freud ordered, pulling on a new pair of gloves.
Mustang hadn't noticed that Edward had drifted off to sleep until the doctor ordered him to lay the kid down.
"Did he fall asleep?" Alphonse asked as Mustang gently laid his brother down on the bed.
"Yeah." Roy answered, worrying slightly as Edward readjusted himself in search of a more comfortable position.
Doctor Freud moved to the edge of the bed.
"Do you know if he has been sleeping well at night?" The doctor glanced up from Edward, locking eyes with Roy.
"I wouldn't know. Alphonse?" Mustang asked, turning to the armoured boy.
"I don't know. It seems like he's been sleeping." Alphonse said, slightly confused. "Why?"
"The way he fell asleep so quickly is worrying in some ways. He could just be tired, but it could also be the result of sleeplessness at night."
"I can ask him about it when he wakes up, if you want?" Alphonse offered.
"Fine." The doctor said before returning to his examination, and leaving the room in silence.
"Is Edward normally a heavy sleeper?" Doctor Freud asked, breaking up the silence with his question.
"Yes," Alphonse was the one to answer, considering that Mustang didn't know the answer, it was a good thing.
"Only at night? Or is it whenever he sleeps?"
"whenever." Alphonse answered again.
"Does Edward suffer from... nightmares?" The doctor asked as he looked up.
Alphonse paused before answering, "Yes."
"Is this a new occurrence or is it something that has always been a problem?"
"It wasn't always a problem. He first started having them when our..." Alphonse trailed off, looking upset even as a suit of armour. "When our mother died."
"I'm sorry."
"No, no, it's fine." Alphonse assured.
"Why are all these questions important?" Roy asked.
"Well, It helps me to determine whether or not he is likely sleeping at night." Doctor Freud answered as he crossed the room. He opened a drawer and pulled out a strange tool.
"How?" Alphonse asked.
The doctor crossed back over to Edward as Alphonse questioned him. "The differences in the way he normally sleeps and how he has been sleeping cou..." The doctor trailed off. He was looking in Edward's ears. "His ears are bleeding."
Mustang's heart stopped.
'That can't be good. His ears are bleeding?'
The doctor pressed a button. Probably the one to call a nurse, if only Roy knew about that earlier.
"How bad is it?" Alphonse squeaked in a frightened voice.
"I'm not sure yet, but don't worry. He'll be okay." Doctor Freud said as he returned to the drawer pulling out a white cloth. Crossing back over to Edward, he placed the cloth over the kid's ear. Turning Edward's head so that the cloth covered ear was against the pillow, he looked at the other ear.
"Is there bleeding in that one too?" Roy asked, hoping the answer would be 'no'.
"Yes." Of course. Poor Edward was stuck with unbearable amount of misfortune.
Edward's face was etched in discomfort. His brows were furrowed as the doctor touched the area surrounding the ear.
A gentle knock at the door drew everyone's attention.
"Ah, Della, this boy's ears are bleeding and are beginning to swell around the auditory canal." Doctor Freud informed as a nurse came in.
"Is it bad enough that we will need to operate?" The young nurse, Della, asked.
"I don't think so at the moment, but we should deal with it now rather than later."
"Operate?!" Alphonse shouted.
"Doctor Freud, would you like me to go get the operating team?"
"Yes, Della." Doctor Freud answered.
A whimper of pain came from the boy laying in the bed, as the nurse ran out.
"You're going to operate? Now?" Alphonse asked, wanting confirmation.
"We would have to operate in the end, but it would be safer and smarter to operate now." The doctor affirmed.
Alphonse moved to grab hold of his brother's flesh hand.
"How- how long?" Alphonse inquired.
"How long is the operation, or how long till the operation?" Doctor asked.
"Both." Alphonse said in a small voice. He didn't know what to say. He was worried. He was kind of scared. Only a minute before, his brother was fine, or so to speak, but now he was in need of an operation? It goes to show that the world is what choses any outcome of your life, and that it can change anything in only a matter of seconds.
"The operation will start as soon as everything is prepared. As for how long it will take, somewhere between two and three hours."
Edward's whimper of pain could be heard again. He writhed slightly in the bed, rolling his head off of the white cloth. To both Roy's and Alphonse's surprise, despite knowing that the boy's ears were bleeding, the cloth had a small patch of blood on it.
Another knock was heard before a different nurse came in holding a tray with a set of medical tools covered with a cloth.
"Doctor, they have an operating theater open for your team."
The doctor thanked the woman and uncovered the tray. On the tray were three different sized needles, a syringe, a few cleaning wipes, and a bottle of some sort of sedative. Taking up one of the wipes and the needle that would best serve the doctor's purposes, he began cleaning. After cleaning the needle, he attached it to the syringe. Everyone watched in silence as the doctor measured out the correct dosage, pressed down on the plunger to release the trapped air, and held down Edward's flesh arm. Alphonse didn't let go of his brother's hand, waiting for Doctor Freud to pierce Edward's skin and inject the sedative.
As the needle meet Edward's skin, he opened his eyes they were fuzzy and confused from sleep.
"There isn't anything to worry about." The nurse reassured Edward as the doctor pressed down on the plunger.
"What- what's happening?" Edward asked, falling into a daze like sleep before anyone could even answer.
All Mustang and Alphonse could do was watch as a gurney was wheeled into the room and Edward was placed on top.
A/N: Yay, Merry Christmas! Enjoy! Here is my Christmas present to all of you. Thanks for reading. Have a very good holiday season.
Please tell me what you think of this chapter! I love reading your reviews!
And as I said in the last chapter, I would love you too hear what you guys think I should put in the later chapters.
-IME/UNAU