Chapter Nineteen

"Ling still not talking to you?" Alphonse asked his older sister as they sat down at dinner. They were at Winry's apartment in Rush Valley, eating with Winry and Paninya. Ling had eaten with them in silence, though left to wander the city as soon as he was finished. Ed was still surprised he didn't ask for seconds.

"Nope," Ed commented. After she had explained everything that had happened, Ling had grown silent. He hadn't even told Ed his opinion on the matter, but she was pretty sure at this point that he was pissed. "I'm pretty sure he's never gonna talk to me again. And you know what? I'm not really that beat up about it."

"Oh, sister, that's cold," Al commented. "You two were friends."

"What did you do to make him not want to talk about it?" Winry asked. Ed had only told a select few people that she was even pregnant, and she didn't particularly like talking about the fact that she'd had an abortion. It just wasn't something that needed to be mentioned. Ed reasoned it with how she didn't really talk about her automail surgery, which was a medical procedure, so she didn't need to talk about her abortion, another medical procedure.

"I kept a secret from him," Ed said. She didn't have a problem telling Winry about it, but she wasn't very keen on Paninya knowing every detail about her life. "Something I probably shouldn't have."

"Definitely shouldn't have," Alphonse interjected. "I told you to tell him, but you didn't." Ed glanced over to Paninya, hoping they weren't giving away too much information.

"I get it; this is family business." Paninya stood from the table, saying her goodbye to Winry before leaving.

"Is this really family business?" Winry asked. They had always considered her family and she did to them as well. If there was family business, she was involved.

"It's not really family business," Ed said. "It's my business. Well, mine and Ling's."

"Wait..." Winry trailed off, connecting the dots. "Are you pregnant?"

"No!" Ed exclaimed. "You think I could get knocked up with Ling's kid when he was off in Xing for two years and I was here?"

"Well, forgive me for asking!" Winry frowned. "Besides, you weren't here the entire time. You were traveling, so I don't know if you ran into him during your travels."

"I was traveling the west," Ed said. "Xing is east. Al was in Xing with Mei. They saw each other."

"And I'm glad I happened not to mention it," Al said. "Considering the fact that you didn't tell him."

"Can someone please tell me what 'it' is?!" Winry exclaimed. "You both are not going back to keeping secrets from me!"

"It's not really..." Al trailed off.

"I was pregnant," Ed said. She didn't have a problem with Winry knowing, she just didn't like to talk about it. "It was two years ago. I got pregnant a few weeks before the Promised day."

"I didn't see you for months after that," Winry said. "Al wasn't well enough to travel just yet. Did you...have it?"

"Do I look like I've ever given birth before?" Ed asked with a roll of her eyes. She was still as small-waisted as ever before with her hips remaining tighter and smaller. She had definitely never bore a child to full-term. "I had an abortion, but I didn't tell Ling. It's not even really Ling's business because he wasn't really the father."

"What?" Winry asked.

"It was Greed's," Al explained. "It happened while Greed was inhabiting Ling's body. Ling wasn't in control of it."

"And Ling wasn't the father," Ed said.

"That's crazy, Ed," Winry responded. "I mean, even if it was Greed, it's still Ling's DNA. It was Ling's body, which makes it his kid."

"It's no one's kid because it was never a kid!" Ed exclaimed. "And now Ling is getting all pissy at me because I had an abortion and never told him. His opinion wouldn't have changed my mind! Could you imagine me with a two-year old on my hip right now?" Ed was sure she wouldn't have been a good mother. She was too brash and never thought things through when she should. She was hardly a good influence on her own brother, let alone a kid of her own.

"Nope," Al said.

"Uh uh," Winry agreed.

"I rest my case," Ed huffed.

"I just wish you would have told me," Ling spoke suddenly, startling the Resembool trio, who quickly turned to see him. "It would have been nice to know then instead of now."

"It wouldn't have changed anything," Ed said. "I would have had to tell you in a letter. I couldn't have left Central to hike through the desert and get to you to tell you I was having an abortion. It would have taken forever and knowing you, you'd just talk me out of it. It was Greed's and you know it."

"I know," Ling said with a sigh. "That's why I wouldn't have tried to talk you out of it. You weren't the only one who was forced that night, Ed. I was forced too."

"Forced?" Winry and Alphonse asked simultaneously.

"I don't want to talk about it!" Ed exclaimed. She was still hesitant to say that she was forced into being with Greed. Either forced or coerced, she wasn't entirely sure. "I just wanted to tell you about the abortion because you're here and I thought it would be a good idea to get it out while you were around. I don't want to talk about it anymore after today, and I especially don't want to talk about Greed!"

"We won't talk about it anymore if that's what you want," Ling said. "But you and I have a lot in common when it comes to this. We're on the same side of the situation here."

"I just said I don't want to talk about it," Ed repeated.

"All right." Ling sighed, though didn't mention the matter anymore.

"Um, I want to talk about it," Al interjected.

"Me too," Winry added.

"Then talk about it among yourselves," Ed said. "Talk your faces off, but do it when I'm not around." She turned and left the room without a second thought.

"Ling...tell us what happened," Al said. "I've been with you this entire time and you haven't said anything about being forced into...you know..."

"I'm sorry," Ling apologized. "I can't tell you about that. I was in the same situation as Ed, but...it's just not my place to tell you everything that happened. It's hers."

Ling quietly left the room just as Ed had.