Hi everyone! I am so sorry for not updating in a while! I got caught up with something and then my siblings had the computer over the weekend. But here I am, back at you with a fresh chapter! I can't thank you guys enough for reviewing and following and favorting (is that a word?). Thank you so much for supporting me, it means so much! This story is a suggestion by Guest (Nov. 7). Now, onto the story!
Summary: Roy is recovering after the gunshot to the chest. That is, until infection strikes.
Idea Came From: Guest (Nov. 7) who suggested I do a follow up of story 8: I'd Take A Bullet Anyday
Timeline: Just after story 8
Warnings: blood, infection
Rated: T for blood
Note: review replies at end, this is 18.4 pages long (according to Quotev)
Story 10: Infection
Roy is forced to stay in the hospital for almost four weeks. Three longer than what he would have liked, but it can't be helped. Even if he would be able to leave early, Hawkeye wouldn't let him, saying that if he did weasel his way out of the hospital she would personally put him back with her own gun.
So he stays. And each day he gets a visit from one or two of his team members, and sometimes Hughes stops by to see how things are going. Even Major Armstrong had stopped by, saying that helping people has been passed down through the Armstrong family for generations.
But out of everyone who had visited, the Elric brothers make a point to visit each day, and they stay for over three hours, sometimes longer. If the nurses allowed it.
Roy knows that Edward would never admit it, but he can tell that the fifteen year old is worried. Al is more obvious, though Roy doubts the boy had been trying to hide it in the first place.
Mostly the visit is spent in silence with both boys studying while Roy watches with annoyed jealousy. He has nothing to do all day, he doesn't think it fair that the brothers get to study. Though, personally, Roy wouldn't spend his time studying. But the boys found it entertaining, and that's more than enough to annoy Roy.
"Fullmetal," he finally says one day, surprised that he manages to pull Ed from the world of reading so easily. His golden eyes burn with a fiery shield of determination which masks his worry like a lazy cover up job as he glare at Roy with annoyance for disturbing him.
"What do you want?" Ed asks after a while of Roy just staring. By now they have caught Al's attention, the younger brother watching with curiosity.
"Um," Roy clears his throat, not really knowing how to ask the question. It isn't that he doesn't know how, it's more like he kind of feels he is slamming on Ed's walls of privacy and secrecy with an iron wrecking ball.
"Do you need some water?" Al asks after Roy clears his throat again. "I can get a nurse."
"No, Alphonse, I'm fine. Thank you." Roy replies with a twitch at the corners of his lips as he looks back to Edward. "Why do you boys keep visiting me? And why do you stay for so long?"
Al opens his mouth to answer but one flick of the eye from his older brother shuts him up. That doesn't stop a frustrated sigh from escaping Al as he shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"We have nothing better to do," Ed says casually as he looks back to the book sitting on his lap. Edward is sitting cross legged on the floor while Al sits in a chair. Roy would never understand why the elder brother likes to read sitting on the floor. "Besides, it's a nice change of scenery."
Roy watches Ed, not believing him in the slightest. Knowing Edward Elric, the boy would never voluntarily hang around Roy, especially for as long as he has been each day since Roy had been shot.
Almost as if he senses the intense stare from his commanding officer, Ed glares back up at Roy once more. "What?"
"Nothing," Roy replies as he looks out the window. He hears Ed sigh and he can see the boy shift, his golden eyes turning down to look at the page onece more.
"Brother," Al mutters as he all but glares at his older brother. Al can be just as stubborn as his brother if he wanted, though not as intense and angry as Ed can get. Al has the patience stronger than anyone Roy had ever met. Even Riza. Though, when it came to Edward's safety, that was another story.
"It's because we're worried." Ed hesitantly says and Roy looks over at the boy again, frowning slightly.
"Hm?"
Ed's guarded eyes flick up to Roy before he sighs, tapping an automail finger against the page of his book. "Um...we just want to make sure you don't suddenly die on us..or anything. That would be a whole hell of a lot of work for us, seeing as we would be transferred to someone else and everything."
Roy can't help but smile.
"What brother means is that we don't want to lose anyone else we care about." Al translates, earning the glare of betrayal from his older brother. "We...we've lost so many people because of our recklessness. We can't lose someone we trust and care about again."
"Al! Why don't you tell him our whole life day by day?" Ed snaps, crossing his arms in defiance. "I just don't want to be handed over to some other bastard who wouldn't even give me a break. Mustang is too lazy to give me missions all the time which gives us a chance to study."
"Big words, coming from someone as short as yourself."
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A TINY LITTLE PIPSQUEAK!?"
"He didn't say that, brother."
Roy is released from the hospital not long after that. He can't work for almost another month and he has to stay at home practically the whole time, laying around and healing. Much to Roy's annoyance. He would much rather lay around in his office and pretend to be doing work instead of laying around and home and doing nothing.
And, to add salt to the wound, both brothers "volunteer" to stay with Roy and make sure he's doing as ordered. Riza would, but she had to stay back at the office and make sure the rest of Team Mustang is doing what they are supposed to be doing.
"Did it have to be you two?" Roy complains as he practically collapses onto the couch in his living room.
"Well, you could try to argue with Hawkeye," Ed replies smoothly as he crosses his arms. His golden hair is out of its usual braid and is pulled back into a pony tail instead. Roy groans and throws an arm over his face. He quickly moves his arm down, wincing in pain.
"Are you okay? Do you need anything?" Al asks, frowning with concern. Ed stares at Roy blankly, almost like he is desperately trying to not show that he cares.
"Mental note: don't raise arm." Roy mumbles half to himself, lightly gripping his chest. "I'm hungry, you guys know how to cook?"
"Depends on what you have," Ed replies as a malicious looks darkens in his golden eyes.
"Use whatever you like. Just...don't poison me, Fullmetal."
"Don't worry! Al wouldn't let me, even if I tried." Ed says casually with a shrug as he makes his way into the kitchen, Al trailing behind while shaking his head.
"Those boys are going to be the death of me." Roy grumbles, shaking his own head.
It doesn't take long for the aroma of food to waft into the living room. And, surprisingly, it doesn't smell burned.
Curious, Roy makes his way into the kitchen to see both boys preparing food. There are three pieces of steak in a large pan, seasoning sprinkled over the top while the grease sizzles. Ed occasionally turns the steak while he watches over boiling potatoes as well as boiling corn. Al is mixing a bowl of fruit salad, occasionally stopping to add some more chopped up fruit.
"You can.. actually cook?" Roy asks, causing the boys to jump.
"Jesus, give us heart attacks why don't you," Ed snaps, turning to glare at Roy. And that's when Roy notices it, Ed's hair is up in a messy bun.
"Of course we can cook," Al says as Roy desperately tries not to laugh. "We had to teach ourselves after mom...and then we had to cook only using fire when we were put on the island. We know how to...Colonel? Why is your face all red?"
Roy can't hold it in anymore. He bursts out into laughter, despite the pain it causes for his wound. The sight of Edward standing in front of the stove, a spatula in one hand with an apron tied around his waist could make even the most stone faced of men laugh. Especially with the "man bun" atop his head.
"Hey, what are you laughing at?" Ed snaps, glaring as he turns the steaks over. He shares a confused look with Al, the younger only shrugging. And then he follows Roy's gaze and stops, he himself snickering at Ed's hair.
And then it clicks in Ed's mind. His cheeks turn red and he instantly explodes. "Why the hell are you laughing at me? Do you want hair in your food? Because I can take my hair out right now and let a few strands fall in your food. You too, Al!"
"I'm sorry, it's just weird seeing you like this." Roy manages to say through laughs.
"It's true brother," Al chuckles and Edward scowls, crossing his arms, continuing to hold the spatula. He looks like one of those angry soccer dads. "I told you that you should just leave it as it is."
"Oh shut up!" Ed shouts, desperately wanting to slap them both across the face. And then kick Roy in the chest for good measures. "Do you want hair in your food? Because I can put hair in your food! I'll even go out to random strangers on the street and put their hair in your food!"
"You'll make a great husband for that mechanic one day."
"SHUT UP!"
And that's what it's like for the next two weeks. That is, until one uneventful night rolls around. It starts around eight when Roy skips out on dinner, saying he doesn't feel good. Around nine the Elric brothers find Roy in his room, shivering and curled up in his blankets.
"What's wrong?" Edward had instantly asked, forgetting about all his previous feelings about his commanding officer. Because deep down, the boy really does care about him.
"Hurts." Roy manages to choke out, opening his eyes to stare up at the two brothers. He hates showing how vulnerable he is, but he can't help it. It feels like his chest is being ripped open from the inside out.
"Your wound?" Ed asks while Al places his hand against Roy's forehead, frowning.
"Brother, he has a fever."
Both boys freeze at the implication of what that could mean. They already know, since it has happened to them before. Well, it's happened to Edward since he isn't careful when he is injured.
"Al, go get a bowl of cold water." Ed quickly instructs as he pulls the covers off of Roy. He ignores the complaining as he sits Roy up. The adult lets out a cry of pain and grips his chest directly over where he had been shot. Alphonse jumps and quickly rushes out of the room to do as his older brother said.
"Damn," Roy breathes out, his voice shaking. Edward looks to his face to see his skin pale, along with tears in Roy's eyes. "This is so pathetic."
"Mustang, are you crying?"
"Shut up! Leave me alone, I can handle this!" Roy shouts as he weakly swipes at Edward with an arm. This results in him falling back onto the bed, crying out once more as tears start streaming down his face. He rolls over, gripping his chest once more, curling into himself.
"Damn it Al, hurry up!" Edward shouts as he quickly hauls Roy up into a sitting position by his arm. He swiftly unbuttons Roy's black shirt and pulls it back, the colonel unable to stay sitting up due to the pain it causes. Roy's eyes are squeezed shut and he is gritting his teeth, his breathing sharp and labored.
Edward's own body is shaking with adrenaline as he stares at the bandages wrapped around Roy's chest, currently getting soaked through with blood. Fresh blood.
Al runs back into the room and sets the bowl down on the floor, holding a cloth in the other hand. He opens his mouth to say something but stops when he sees Edward staring with wide eyes at Roy's bleeding chest, his body trembling.
"Brother?" Al asks as he dips the cloth into the bowl. Edward doesn't seem to have heard him. Al mentally curses as he quickly pulls the cloth out of the bowl, wringing it out. He then folds it and sets it on Roy's forehead, keeping his hand over it to both keep the cloth in place and to keep Roy on his back.
"Brother." Al repeats, sounding more commanding than timid. Still, no response. So, Alphonse turns to face his brother and grips Ed's shoulders tightly, giving him a little shake. "Edward!"
Ed blinks as his vision comes into focus on Al's face. He can see Roy writhing around on the bed once more, the washcloth having fallen limply to the floor. Another shake causes him to look back at Al and a shaky swell of pride grows in his heart as he sees the determination burning in Al's own golden eyes.
"Brother, I need you to step out of the room and take a breather. When you're okay call Lieutenant Hawkeye, there's something wrong with the Colonel and we need to get him to the hospital." Al says firmly, though Ed can clearly tell his brother is on the verge of freaking out as well.
"O-okay," Ed manages to stutter as he stumbles out of the room. He gently closes the door behind him and leans against the wall, running his shaking hands through his hair.
'Oh my god he's going to die.' That single thought runs through Ed's mind, like a bullet through a hear. 'No, no I can't-I won't let him die. Damn...where's the phone? Phone, phone...phone, there!'
With shaking hands, Ed picks up the phone and presses it to his ear. He then dials Hawkeye's number, almost missing the buttons a few times. He can barely remember it through his jumbled thoughts. He remembers vaguely Roy telling them to memorize everyone's home numbers in case something happened.
It rings. And rings. And rings.
"This is Lieutenant Hawkeye, who is this?" Hawkeye answers on the other end.
"Lieutenant, it's Fullmetal," Edward says as his knees buckle. He can hear Roy cry out something inaudible in the background, causing some tears to sting his eyes. A bead of sweat slides down his forehead as he tries to block out the noise from the bedroom.
"Ed? Is everything alright?" Riza asks, instantly alert. Even at 10 pm.
"Yes...no! No, nothing is okay!" Ed shouts as he grips the counter with his flesh hand. "R-Roy-something happened with his wound and now he's all hurt and-and...he's running a fever and-I don't know what to do! He's going to die...oh my god he's going to die..."
"Edward, calm down." Riza quickly says, cutting into Ed's personal ramblings. He hadn't even realized that he had started to recede back into the darkest depths of his mind, of his fears. "Now slow down. What's going on?"
"He-Roy skipped out on dinner, saying he wasn't feeling well." Edward answers, his voice still shaky. By now he's surprised he's even standing at this point. "Then-then an hour later we f-found him curled up with a f-fever. We-we tried to fix it, to make it better but..it's only getting worse! Alphonse is with him now and...oh god he's going to die!"
"I'll be there in five minutes. In the meantime, just breathe. Okay? Let your brother handle this one, I just want you to focus on your breathing so you don't hyperventilate. Can you do that?"
"I can try."
"Good. See you in five."
Ed hears Riza abruptly hang up. He barely manages to hang Roy's phone up on the hook before he leans against the wall, burying his face in his hands as he desperately tries not to cry. 'This is stupid!' He thinks as he slides to the floor, back pressed up against the wall. 'Why am I this worked up over him? It isn't like me!' And yet, the answer is tugging at the back of his mind. 'Because you're scared. Because you care. Because you can't lose two fathers in a row.'
Edward freezes at the last thought. Two fathers? But he only has one...and then it hits him. All this time, ever since Roy had set foot into their lives, he has been like a father. He has been the strong standing stone wall in the middle of a raging ocean, a pillar of hope in the darkness. Like a father. So it isn't any surprise that Edward had labeled Roy as such, even if it wasn't intentional. And since one pillar had already crumbled, having disappeared underneath the waves of despair, he can't lose a second.
It would be too much.
The front door opens, causing the teen to jump. He looks up and watches as Riza rushes into the house, not even bothering to close the door behind her as she makes her way to Roy's room. She opens the door and glances at him before entering the room to help Alphonse with whatever it is that he's doing.
'I'm so useless!' Ed thinks harshly as he quickly stands up, slapping his cheeks with both hands. Bad idea, seeing as the automail leaves a fairly noticeable red spot. 'Why can't I do anything?'
Edward watches helplessly as Riza walks back out of the room, one arm around Roy's shoulder as the man practically leans all his weight on Hawkeye. His eyes are dull and glassy, almost like he doesn't realize where he is. The blood on the bandages had grown, a few streams of blood slowly trickling down the rest of Roy's torso.
Alphonse exits the room behind Riza, face pale and tears streaming down his face. When he sees Ed he quickly runs over and grabs his wrist. "Let's go! We're going with the Lieutenant to the hospital."
Edward doesn't have time to argue-not that he would-as Alphonse practically drags him out of the house. They barely remember to lock and shut the door before they are in Hawkeye's car, Edward in the front with Alphonse and Roy in the back. Riza is speeding down the road, going more than ten above the speed limit. No wonder she got to the house so fast.
All of it feels like a blur, just like when the medics had taken Roy into the ambulance and sped away. The group rushes into the emergency center, Riza practically dragging Roy. Ed and Al hang back, watching as Riza calls for help. Five nurses rush over along with two doctors, the nurses pushing a stretcher out.
"Here, set him down here," one of the doctors say. Riza does as told and steps back as the team takes action, pushing Roy through the double doors and down the hall.
"Wait..." Ed breathes out, eyes widen as fear repeatedly stabs at his gut. Again. "Where are they...?"
"Edward," Riza says firmly. The boy barely seems to hear her, but despite that she continues talking to him. She continues trying to get through Ed's shock. "They're taking him to surgery." Riza says, her voice low as she talks slowly. "To help him."
"No...no I can't leave him.." Ed whispers as he shakes his head. Al looks on the verge of crying, unsure of how to deal with his brother. This has never happened before, the way his brother is acting is completely unpredictable.
"Brother please, listen to the Lieutenant."
"Edward. He's in good hands, the doctors see going to help." Riza tries again.
"No! He's going to die and I won't be there! I have to-I have to save him!" Ed shouts as he suddenly bolts towards the door. Despite his automail, he is quick. Riza barely manages to catch Ed around the waist, the force pulling her forwards.
"Let me go!" Ed shouts hysterically as he struggles. Riza plants her feet firmly against the tiled floor, but Ed proves to be stronger than originally thought. He manages to take a few steps, dragging Riza who desperately holds onto Ed, arms wrapped around his torso.
Al quickly reacts. He drops down and claps his hands, then press the palms of his hands to the floor. Alchemic blue light shoots up from the floor like lightning as two pieces of tile rise up and curve around Riza's feet, efficiently keeping her in place.
"Let me go! Please! I have to save him!" Ed shouts as he tries to pry Riza's arms off him. In the background the woman behind the desk is desperately talking into the phone, calling for security while other waiting civilian have all desperately move to another room.
"Don't let him clap!" Al shouts after seeing Ed start to quickly try and press his hands together. Al quickly runs around to stand in front of Edward, grabbing his wrists at the last second. The muscles in his arm strain as he tries to hold Ed's automail hand back, proving to be difficult. The automail is much stronger than his flesh arm.
"Let me go! Please! I can't lose him to!" Ed cries, tears spilling down his cheeks.
"Brother! He isn't going to die!" Al shouts, ignoring the shoes that stomp against the floor in the background. He can see three buff men in black uniforms running up to the group, a smaller woman with a syringe in her hand following behind. "Calm down or they're going to sedate you!"
"No! No, I won't let them!" Ed shouts as renewed determination spikes through his veins. He wrenches his wrists out of Al's grip and twists to get out of Riza's. Al hisses in pain as this causes a muscle to be pulled somewhere in his upper arm.
Ed takes a few running steps before he is tackled by the three men. He tries writhing around but his arms are easily pinned go to his sides, his legs held down as he is forced to lay on his stomach. The last thing he feels is a sharp prick in the neck before everything slowly fades away around him.
Al can't help but feel guilty as he watches Hughes carry Ed out out the hospital. He had been sedated, though the woman had been careful with the dose, using just under half of it.
''I'm sorry," Al says quietly as he replaces the tiles to their original form, releasing Hawkeye. She smiles at him and adjusts her shirt.
"It isn't your fault," she says as she leads the younger over to a group of chairs. They sit down by one another, Al lightly rubbing his upper left arm with a grimace. "Edward has been under an extreme amount of emotional stress ever since we almost lost the Colonel. I guess the stress has only been building, causing him to snap. So to say."
"Yeah..I didn't know it was this bad," Al whispers as he rubs at his eyes. "I mean, I knew that he was having nightmares and stuff but...I never thought it had gotten this bad."
"I'm sure he'll be fine after he wakes up." Riza replies as she wraps an arm around Al's shoulders. She finds it mildly amusing that Al managed to grow a head taller than Ed. "It's going to be okay."
Al can't help but latch onto Riza, burning his face in her shoulder as he desperately tries not to cry. He can't help but feel a sense of familiarity, a warm sensation of protection. A feeling he's missed for a long, long time. Being hugged and held in the loving arms of a mother.
The doctor approaches the two almost three hours later. Al had been dozing off so Riza has to gently shake him back to the present.
"Are you here for Colonel Mustang?" He asks, looking at the two.
"Yes, is he okay?" Al quickly asks, perking up.
"Are you...his family? I can only give this information out to family." The doctor says uneasily as he glances down at the clipboard he is holding.
"Oh, no we're not-" Al stutters, face reddening.
"I am Colonel Mustang's Lieutenant, First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. This is the brother of State Alchemist Edward Elric." Riza steps in, talking professionally as she stands. "How is he doing?"
"Well, um," the doctor hesitates, glancing at Al. "With all due respect, Lieutenant, I can't give this information out to you. Not to mention a child shouldn't hear-"
"Sir. I understand that you are hesitant to share medical information with us when we are not family, but we are friends of his. He has no family, so to say, all he has is his team. As for the child? I can assure you that he has both seen and heard worse." Hawkeye explains keeping her voice level and emotionless. "So please, share this information with us."
"Alright ," the doctor gives in, sighing heavily. "His recent gunshot would to the chest has become infected. For such a fatal would to begin with, an infection would most likely kill the person." Al sucks in a sharp breath while Riza tenses. "If not caught on time."
"So, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that we caught the infection on time," he replies, causing Al to let out a sigh of relief. "He have successfully stabilized his condition and we have stopped the bleeding. We are giving him medication in order to treat the infection."
"So-so he'll live...right?" Al asks hesitantly, afraid of the answer.
"Yes. He's definitely a fighter, I doubt something like this could take him out so easily." He replies with a smile.
"Can we see him?" Riza asks,causing an uneasy look to cross the doctor's face gain.
"Not at the moment. He is in the ICU. His condition is fragile and his immune system is weaker as his body tries to fight off the infection. When he is more stronger we will let him have visitors." The doctor explains, glancing over the clipboard. Almost to make sure he has it right. "We will keep you informed of his condition."
"Thank you, we appreciate it." Hawkeye says as she turns to Al. "Alphonse, let's go wait in the ICU for updates. You can call Hughes and see if Edward is awake."
As the doctor watches them go, he can't help but think 'they look so much like mother and son.'
Edward wakes with a jolt. He quickly looks around, taking in his surroundings. He is laying on a couch in someone's living room that he barely recognizes. It would have clicked faster if his head wasn't so hazy.
"The hell?" He groans as he slowly sits up, pressing his automail hand against his forehead. The pressure in his skull makes him almost believe the possibility of a brain exploding from headaches.
"You're up!" A cheerful voice exclaims as Hughes enters the room carrying a cup of what smells like green tea. He sits down on the couch across from Ed, handing the teen the warm mug.
"Thanks," Ed says as he takes it. He breathes in the steam before he takes a few sips, the hot liquid feeling like heaven again his raw throat. Wait, why did his throat hurt? Had he been yelling?
"Um, what happened?" Ed asks as he slowly lowers the cup. A frown falls on Hughes's face. "Hughes?"
"What do you remember?" Hughes's asks, almost like he is trying to avoid the question.
"Well, I remember cleaning up after Al and I ate dinner...then we heard a scream from Roy's room so we went to go see what was wrong. He was writhing around and holding his chest..." Ed trails off, eyebrows furrowing as he looks down at the tea. "I remember unbuttoning his shirt and seeing the blood...after that it comes in pieces."
"From what Hawkeye told me, you called her to come help with Roy. She said that you were hysterical. She said that they took him to the hospital where you completely flipped out. They had to sedate you, which is when she called me to come pick you up." Hughes explains, watching Ed's expression carefully.
"I don't.." Ed starts and then trails off again. His eyes slowly start to widen and his breathing hitches as it all comes rushing back. Panic squeezes his heart again and his hands start to shake.
"Ed, Edward, just breathe. Okay?" Hughes quickly says as he moves to sit beside the teen. He quickly takes the cup from Ed's hands and sets it down on the coffee table.
"What happened to Roy? Is he okay?" Ed quickly asks, looking at Hughes's face with pleading gold eyes.
"I don't know, I haven't gotten a call yet."
"This is all my fault." Ed mumbles as he leans forwards, covering his face with his hands. "I should have payed more attention to his wound. Now he has an infection because of my stupidity!"
"Ed. Did he change his bandages himself?"
A nod.
"Did you see him do it?"
A shake of the head.
"Then none of this is your fault. It's Roy's, blame his damn pride." Hughes says gently as he rests a hand on Ed's shoulder. "He probably saw the start of an infection and thought he could deal with it himself. Much like someone I know." At this Hughes nudges Ed's shoulder with a soft smile.
"It's still my fault," Ed whispers, running his hands through his hair. He notices that his hair is down instead of in it's usual braid or pony tail. "He wouldn't have even gotten shot if-"
"Hawkeye told me you would blame yourself."
"What?"
"She said that you still blame yourself for Roy getting shot." Hughes answers, smiling. "Ed, you have to understand, he would have jumped into the middle of an oncoming bullet for anyone. Even me, strange as it may sound."
Ed can't help but chuckle at Hughes's last remark. "Thanks, Hughes. I appreciate it."
"No problem kiddo," Hughes chuckles as he stands, clapping Ed on the shoulder. "Anytime you want to talk, I'll be here."
"Hello?" Hughes's chipper voice says on the other end of the line. Al can't help but jump slightly.
"Um, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes?" Al asks timidly, glancing st Hawkeye who nods. "Um-"
"That's me! If I could I would show you pictures of my little Elicia over the phone!" Hughes exclaims energetically. "But sadly, I cannot."
A muffled "seriously?" Is heard in the background. Al can't help but smile lightly at hearing his brother sound like his normal self.
"Is brother okay?" Al asks, despite hearing Ed in the background complaining.
"So so, he's anxious about Roy. I'll give him the phone, hold on."
Al waits patiently, tapping a finger against his thigh as he hears Hughes hand the phone over to Ed.
"Al?"
"Yeah, it's me." He smiles sadly as he hears a sigh of relief escape Ed.
"Are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I? Hughes told me that you had held my hands apart..."
"I'm okay." Al lies, he doesn't want his brother to feel even worse.
"Don't lie, Al, you're bad at it."
"How do you know I'm lying?"
"You hesitated, and you sound unsure. And I bet that you're fidgeting in some way."
Al pauses. He hadn't realized that he is still tapping a finger against his thigh, not to mention shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Wow. How'd you get so good at noticing a lie?"
"Well, we literally grew up together. We barely leave one another's side. I've also been spending too much time with Hughes. Not to mention the fact that you've just always been a bad lier in general." Ed explains casually. "So, how are you hurt?"
"Um, I sorta pulled a muscle in my arm." Al answers sheepishly, earning a scolding look from Hawkeye. Al smiles sheepishly at her. "Don't worry about it, it really isn't that big of a deal."
"But it is, Al. It's more than just a big deal. I hurt you and...and..."
Al hesitates to say anything as Ed trails off. He can hear his older brother sniffling and can instantly tell that Edward is trying not to cry. 'He must be really worked up over this whole thing' Al thinks empathetically, looking down at the floor. "Brother, it isn't your fault. You didn't mean to hurt me, it was my choice to hold your hands apart. I knew that something would happen as a consequence of holding automail back."
"...that's the thing. If I had never freaked out you wouldn't have had to hold my hands apart. If I had never came up with the stupid idea to bring mom back in the first place I wouldn't have had to fight to get your body back, and I wouldn't have lost my arm."
"Brother-"
"Just face it Al! All of this is my fault! It is always traced back to me!"
"Brother just-"
"If I wasn't so stupid and reckless than the ones I love wouldn't be hurt! They wouldn't be dead!"
"Edward!" Al finally shouts, causing Ed to instantly go quiet. Al can hear Ed take a deep, shuddering breath followed by a sniffle. Al glances at Riza who looks surprised by Al's sudden outburst.
"I'm sorry, Al." Ed eventually says, sounding quiet.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, brother. We're human, that's reason enough for you to break down once in a while." Al says sadly. "Besides, the Colonel is going to be okay."
"He is?"
"Yep. It was an infection but they caught it just in time. They'll let us know when we can see him." Al explains and he can hear Ed sigh with relief.
"That's good."
Despite the words, Al doubts that Ed is yet to be okay.
Both Al and Riza are told they can visit Roy late that night. Al had been starting to doze off again while Riza's eyelids had started to slightly droop as well. It's surprising what stress can do to a person.
When they get to Roy's room he is laying in a bed off to the side, a beeping noise beeping, parallel with his heart. There is an IV in his arm left forearm and a nasal breathing tube in his nose to help with breathing.
"Sir?" Riza calls out, causing him to look over at the two. He smiles weakly when he sees Riza, but his gaze shifts to guilt when he sees Al shifting uncomfortably.
"Hey you two. I'm surprised to see you awake, Al. Shouldn't you have some sort of designated bedtime or something?" Roy says, voice raspy and quiet and he winces slightly, like it hurts to talk.
"It's good to see that you are alright, sir. We we're very worried about you." Riza says while Al remains silent.
"Alphonse?" Roy asks and the boy slowly looks up, tears burning his eyes. Roy doesn't even need to say anything. He just spreads his arms and Al walks forwards, leaning over the bed as he lightly hugs Roy.
"I thought-we thought you wouldn't make it this time". Al whimpers, voice muffled by Roy's chest as he is hugged close. Though, Roy makes sure not to add too much pressure to his chest. He doesn't want to irritate his wound. "The possibility of someone living from a shot to the chest, almost bleeding out, and then living from an infection? Not even the strongest of people could live through it...except only a few on the rare occasion. And you-we-its just...we don't have much luck with the ones we love and care for...when they're hurt or sick they usually don't make it. We thought the same was going to happen to you, especially when the infection flared up."
"Al, I'm not like most people." Roy jokes lightly as he rubs Al's back. The teen trembles as he tries not to cry. "You should know that by now. I'm not going to let some stupid infection get the best of me. I'm fine, I'm going to be fine. This will heal in no time and then I'll be back to work, teasing Ed about his height."
Al can't help but chuckle at the last part. Which then turns into a sob as a cries into Roy's chest, completely breaking down. "J-just promise me y-you wont-you won't be like all-like all the others. Do-don't die on us."
"I promise you, I will not die."
Both Edward and Hughes visit the hospital late the next morning. Al and Riza had left after the nurses kicked them out. Al had gone to a hotel, calling his brother and saying that he rented out a room for the next two days. Riza had gone home to her own apartment.
"Yo, Roy!" Hughes exclaims with his usual upbeat greetings. Roy only groans and rolls his eyes as his best friend make his way into the room. Ed trails behind quietly, looking somewhat unsure. "Surprising to see you're the one in the hospital and not Edward."
"Yeah, well, sometimes it's good for a little change." Roy replies casually with a half-assed shrug. The bed is propped up and a pillow is behind his neck, supporting him.
"Change?" Ed mumbles as his eyes narrow. "You call this change? You almost died! Again! You almost gave me a heart attack! I completely freaked out, leaving my fourteen year old brother to handle the situation while I begged Hawkeye to come help! I could have broken Al's arm when they wheeled you away! And you call it change?"
"Now Ed-" Hughes tries but only gets cut off by the angry teen as he starts yelling once more. Completely ignoring Hughes's attempts at calming the situation.
"What makes you think that you can put us through that and simply call it change? I cant-I can't deal with this anymore! You could have died! Don't call it a change because it isn't! It is stupid and dumb and...and it shouldn't be called change!"
By the time Ed finishes his voice is hoarse and his body is shaking. His hands are curled into fists and his eyes are squeezed shut to keep the tears from falling. Hughes inches towards the door.
"I'll let you take care of this one."
"Damn it Hughes!" Roy shouts, watching his friend retreat. He then sighs and looks back to Ed, his heart clenching with guilt as he sees the boy glaring down at the floor as he desperately tries to keep his strong front.
"If you had died..." Ed whispers, slowly looking back up at Roy as a few tears slide down his cheeks. "I don't know...I don't know if we would be able to go on. I would be transferred under someone else and...I just..."
"I know," Roy says sadly. "Come here."
Ed instantly starts glaring defensively again, though he looks more like a lost puppy that's been kicked too many times to trust humans anymore with the tears clouding his eyes. Despite this, he moves closer to Roy, standing directly by the bed. Roy reaches out and pulls Ed close, much like he did the first time he had ended up in the hospital.
"I'm sorry you boys have to deal with this. I never meant for you guys to have to deal with the aftermath. You shouldn't have to." Roy says gently as he rubs Ed's back. And, just like that, all the pent up stress works past Ed's iron wall, a whole flood of emotions following after. He cries into Roy's chest, his body shaking. "You guys shouldn't have to deal with what you are going through. And I refuse to make my death another problem for you to carry on your shoulders. I promise I won't die. I promise I won't leave you."
And that's a wrap! Sorry again for not updating in so long. Hopefully the length of the chapter made up for it. Quick question, do you guys prefer "Elicia" or "Elycia"? Now, onto the review replies!
Patsy Koala- thank you! I'm glad you liked it!
Guest (Nov. 7)- thanks for the suggestion! I don't think I made Roy disoriented enough (I don't think I did anything like that), but I hope it ended up okay anyways!
Lady Jessica Mustang- thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it. And don't worry, there will be plenty of parental Roy and Riza in the future!
ScarOnline- thanks! It really means a lot when someone compliments my writing style, and I agree that there is too much incest and not enough brotherhood between the two. As for your suggestion, yes I will write the boys as children. And I actually really like Hohenheim as a character, even though he did leave. He does try to make up for it though! Any specific things you want me to write about them?
That's all! Thanks again for everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed! Don't forget to leave any suggestions for what you want to see me write in future chapters! Have a good day/night!