"Ready to party, girlie?!" Rebecca Catalina stood in the doorway, a bottle of wine and several DVDs in tow. Riza blinked. Seeing the blank look on her face, Rebecca paused and squinted at her. "You didn't forget, did you? It's Friday! More specifically, the third Friday of the month." She wagged the bottle at Riza and stepped inside the apartment, going to the living room. Still dazed, Riza took a few more seconds before it hit her, and she felt foolish for forgetting: every month Rebecca and Riza got together on the third Friday. Riza had completely forgotten that it was her night to host. She shut the door and went to the living room where Rebecca was surveying the assortment of objects around. She eyed the bowl, the half eaten toast, the empty water bottles, and then finally Riza.
"Ri, what's all this? Are you sick?" Riza took a breath to respond but Rebecca talked on, "Oh, god I haven't checked my phone did you try to call me? Is that why you were so surprised when you answered the door?" Rebecca paused to actually look at Riza, taking in the smallest details. After a few agonizing seconds, she gently asked, "Have…have you been crying?"
Riza did not, could not, say anything. She could not move. This was going to be so much harder than she feared. Rebecca walked over and pulled Riza into a tight hug. Riza stood stiffly for a few seconds, then slowly relaxed into it. She was shaking, and Rebecca quietly started speaking.
"You'll be okay, okay? Whatever happened, it's going to be fine. You're going to be fine." she squeezed Riza once and then broke away to face her. "What...happened?"
Riza met Rebecca's eyes and felt tears spring into her own. Rebecca pulled her back into a tight embrace. "Oh, god," she said quietly. "Let's go sit down," Riza nodded silently into Rebecca's hair. They pulled apart and Riza sniffled. Settling down on opposite sides of the sofa and facing each other, each braced for what the other was going to say.
"Rebecca-" Riza started, and abruptly ended. Rebecca raised her eyebrows. Riza opened her mouth and closed it a few times before clenching her jaw and breathing in. She exhaled slowly. "I'm pregnant." Rebecca's eyes widened and she drew in a long breath.
"Holy shit. Holy shit." Rebecca spoke slowly; she hadn't realized what she said until after she said it. Riza looked to be on the brink of tears. Rebecca reached out and took Riza's hands. They sat, staring at the tangle of fingers on the couch cushion between them. Rebecca gave a gentle squeeze and asked, "Are you sure?"
Riza nodded. Rebecca let out a low whistle and a quiet, "Whoa." She drew small circles on Riza's hands with her thumbs. After a pocket of silence, she quietly ventured, "What are you going to do?" Riza shook her head and bit back a sharp sob.
"C'mere," Rebecca said, putting an arm around Riza. She cuddled right in, and after a moment or two resettled with her head on Rebecca's lap. Rebecca gently played with Riza's hair, braiding it and unbraiding it, running her fingers through the soft locks. Riza took a shaky breath. "What am I going to do?" she asked, barely a whisper. Rebecca stopped mid-braid and rubbed Riza's back reassuringly.
"It'll be okay, Ri." Riza nodded and curled further towards Rebecca. The phone rang, causing Riza to shoot up and look towards it. Rebecca shook her head and touched Riza's arm. "Just leave it, they can always leave a message." Riza curled back up with her head on Rebecca's lap, and they went back to how they had been. After a while spent in silence, Riza's breathing slowed and she faded into sleep. Rebecca carefully untangled her fingers from Riza's hair and sighed. She really did not know what Riza was going to do—though she did know that she would be there for her whatever came next. At least that much was certain. Suddenly, Hayate jumped up from his place on the floor next to the couch and growled, poised to spring toward the front door. Rebecca cautiously moved out from under Riza, making sure not to wake her. She was almost to the door when there was a soft knock. Rebecca glanced at her watch and hesitated; it was late. There was another knock, which she interrupted by quietly flinging the door wide open to reveal Roy Mustang, dripping wet and holding a plastic bag. Rebecca was the first to recover from the mutual shock of each seeing who was on the other side of the door. She tilted her head and stifled a small giggle.
"I didn't realize it was storming, Colonel Mustang. You look like you've had a good time…"
Roy didn't miss a beat. "I wasn't exactly singing in the rain, Lieutenant Catalina."
Silence ensued, in which they sized each other up. Rebecca raised an eyebrow and peered at the bag in his hand.
"What's in the bag? Actually, now that I think of it, what are you even doing here?" Roy knew Rebecca was straightforward, but her directness did catch him off guard. He stumbled for a response.
"Well, every Friday night we get together and have a late dinner—"
"Bullshit, it's girls night, which is always on a Friday night. Strike one, Mustang." Rebecca crossed her arms and shifted her weight. He cleared his throat, internally kicking himself for forgetting. Riza had mentioned something about it before—-that and Wednesday lunches—which she had missed this week due to finishing some last minute paperwork he had forgotten to do. He tried again.
"She called me and invit—"
"Ah-ah-ah, strike two. I've been here all evening." They locked eyes for a few seconds and Rebecca raised both eyebrows. "I'm waiting."
Mustang raised a hand to scratch the back of his head and looked away. Water dripped from his hair. His hand fell back to his side. There was another beat of silence.
Rebecca's eyes narrowed. She did not know Roy that well, but she knew that there was a slim chance, if any at all, that he would ever hurt Riza. But she had to make sure. She stepped menacingly forward. "If you did anything," she stuck a finger in his face, causing Roy to lean back, "to Riza. Anything. I swear to—"
Mustang was taken aback by her sudden shift in tone. His brow furrowed and stepped forward, cutting Rebecca off. "Just wait a minute. The only reason I'm here is because I knew she wasn't feeling well and I wanted to check up on her, but she didn't answer her phone earlier." Rebecca did not move. The sudden rush of an explanation surprised both of them and caused Mustang to shrink back and awkwardly continue, "Ssooo I came over to make sure she was okay." His concern was not masked. Rebecca scrutinized his expression and body language—anxious, brow furrowed, obvious concern—and softened. He glanced behind her, "Is she okay?"
"She's…" Rebecca trailed off; she didn't know how to respond. Riza obviously was not fine, but it really was not Rebecca's place to tell him what was happening. She knew that. She also knew that, while she was normally a great liar when the situation required it, Mustang had a reputation for detecting bullshit. He stood, watching her.
"She's what?"
"Roy, I don't…it's not. It's not mine to tell." It was his turn to narrow his eyes.
"Is she okay?" Roy spoke slowly and deliberately through his teeth. Rebecca stayed still. "I'm not playing games here. Answer me." More silence. He looked down and exhaled. "Please."
"I told you, it's not my place. You can ask her yourself later, she's sleeping right now." Mustang nodded. He held up the bag,
"I brought some—"
"Rebecca?" Riza's voice made them both jump. "What are you doing ou—Colonel?" Riza's voice jumped a few pitches when she saw Mustang. She stood in the doorway, palms cradling her elbows. "What are you doing here?"
Mustang floundered for a second while Riza tossed a wide eyed and questioning look at Rebecca, who returned a small shake of her head. Riza visibly relaxed, knowing Rebecca had not said a word, and exhaled quietly. Not quietly enough to escape Roy's notice. He cleared his throat and looked her in the eyes.
"Lieutenant?"
Riza looked down and gave a small nod, avoiding his eyes. She stepped aside and let both Rebecca and Roy move toward the living room while she shut and locked the door. She paused, taking a deep breath, and tried to steady her shaking hands.