Chapter Nine: Don't leave me

Al looked up at Maes an hour later, after the fire department had, and with Al's help, put out the fire and begun to dig through the rubble for any survivors, even though they didn't know how many didn't make it out save for Anise and Edward. The three arrested, other than Mr. Carter, weren't talking. Mr. Carter didn't even know that Edward had been in there, in fact seemed distressed to learn that he had been and asked to help locate him. But he wouldn't give up any information either.

"He couldn't have been that far," He said with a trembling voice. "I heard him call to me. I know he's got a loud mouth, but he was close, that's how I-"

Maes nodded with a worried expression, ash and soot smearing his hands, uniform, and face, sweat streaking his face. He coughed from the smoke still lingering in the air. "We'll find him, don't worry."

"Hey! I think I've found something," one of the policemen called.

Al watched for the next half hour as they pulled out a man, dead and burned, bones crushed from the destruction and dug around more. Every single second that ticked by felt like more his older brother just didn't have. He tried to help, but Maes wouldn't let him, just told him to stay back because the structural integrity of what was left of the building was unstable and he might get hurt. Well they might too and he was less likely to get hurt than they were.

Where are you brother? Don't leave me, please.

Just when he couldn't stand it anymore Mr. Carter cried out and began digging faster. "I think I've found him, come help!"

Al ran over, stumbling a little, his metal feet slipping upon the broken masonry, splintered wood, shattered glass, odds and ends, and metal beams. He shoved Mr. Carter away and anyone else who tried to get too close and began lifting and digging himself upon seeing one of Ed's boots. He was panicked, almost in frenzy, moving as fast as he could. But he found his brother, uncovered him and knelt.

Ed lay there upon his left side covered in dirt and dust upon a broken and slightly burned and broken crate, glass shattered around him; a small gash sporting a bruise upon his temple. As he knelt down to investigate further Maes caught up and shined a light. At first the two of them froze, Maes ceased breathing and Al would have too if he could breathe.

Al preferred the dark version of his unconscious brother to this one. There were little cuts and more, smaller bruises all over Ed's neck and face, glass glinting off the light, a few pieces sticking out of his shoulder and arm, but what scared Alphonse the most wasn't the blood or glass or bruises, it was the horrid burn upon his brother's forearm. Half of his sleeve was missing, the top half and part of his glove. His skin was red, blistered and as they checked him, to their relief he wasn't burned anywhere else.

Al carefully lifted his brother, like a child, cradling him like he was the most precious thing in the world to him and so terribly fragile. He felt as if he were in his body, his heart would be breaking and bleeding at the sight of this. It was one more thing upon his brother he needed to fix once they found the stone. He just had to make his brother whole again, had to erase the marks of pain from his body.

He looked around, trying to find the ambulance that had come; someone had to help him get his brother away from here and treated. He had to hurry before infection, had to… keep him alive. He knew his brother was breathing, had seen his chest rise and fall, though unsteady and terribly shallow. Ed didn't breath shallow, he just didn't. Lily breathed shallow; even Roy breathed shallow, but not Edward.

"Over here Alphonse," Maes said gently, leading him in the right direction. He stumbled a few times but Maes was right there to catch Edward incase he fell.

Lily woke to the sound of the phone and yawned, turning over in her father's arms. "Daddy," she prodded his chest since it was still dark outside and he might be upset if she was up. He didn't stir, just kept sleeping as the phone kept ringing. She tried shaking him and that didn't work. She tried kicking him, not hard but that didn't work either and she was beginning to get a little annoyed with him as the phone kept ringing with an air of urgency.

Finally, after the tenth ring she pushed his arm off him and crawled out of bed. The floor was cold and she winced as her bare feet touched it then ran from the bedroom, down the hall and stairs into the living study.

When she picked up the phone she snapped, "What?!"

"Lily,"

Lily yawned and scratched rubbed her eye. "Uncle Maes, why are you calling so late?"

"Lily where's Roy?" He asked and he seemed upset.

"He won't wake up. I even kicked him and its cold in here."

Her uncle sighed heavily with a hint of frustration. "Listen Lily you have to wake him up for me, get him to come to the phone. It's very important; can you do that for me?"

Lily nodded. "Okay," She set the phone upon the desk and ran back upstairs, shivering and slammed the bedroom door open. "DADDY!"

Roy groaned but didn't get up, just turned over.

Lily glared and stomped over to the bed. Since he was facing her now she began poking his chest again. "DADDY!"

"What?" He mumbled.

"Wake up, Uncle Maes is on the phone."

"Okay," He replied and turned over upon his back.

She sighed and looked to the nightstand. There was a lamp, the alarm clock, and the book he'd been reading to her. Well she liked the book, a nice adventure tale involving a kitty but as far as she was concerned it could be of more use at the moment than just resting upon the table.

Quietly she picked it up, climbed upon the bed and upon her father's lap, lifted it into the air and smacked her father over the head with it. That woke her father up and he was sitting, hold his forehead, scowling at her. "What the hell was that for?!"

Lily winced as he yelled but held her temper. "You wouldn't wake up and Uncle Maes is on the phone with something important."

He frowned snatching the book from her hands. "So you hit me with a book?"

"You wouldn't wake up. I tried yelling." She huffed and slipped off him and the bed. She took his hand and began tugging. "Get up,"

Roy sighed and threw the blankets back. "We'll have a talk after I get off the phone." He grumbled letting her pull him along.

She didn't say anything just kept pulling and once they were in the study, with the light on, she sat in his desk chair. He didn't like that too much either and lifted her out of it, but he wasn't annoyed enough not to place her upon his lap before picking up the phone.

"This had better be important Hughes,"

Lily rolled her eyes as she'd already told him as much and rested her head upon his shoulder. His hand gently rubbed her back. Since the house was so quiet she could hear her uncle's voice.

"It is, how soon do you think you can get out here?"

Her father seemed to wake up at that. "What happened?"

"Honestly I'm not sure. We had everything planned out; Edward promised to follow the plan. Al said he heard Ed call to him right before the explosion-"

"Explosion?!" Roy snapped making Lily jump and then her father and her uncle began talking quickly.

Explosion… What did that mean? Well she knew something blew up and there was fire involved and somehow she figured that Edward was in trouble or had been hurt and from what it sounded like he didn't make it out. If he was hurt... She closed her eyes as another thought came into her head. He might be… no she couldn't think like that. He'd promised never to say goodbye and he couldn't die without telling her goodbye, giving her a hug. She didn't want him to join her Mommy in heaven yet, she still needed him, wanted to feel his warm hand holding hers.

Her father hung up the phone and sat still for a moment, barely breathing. "Daddy… what happened to Edward?" When he didn't answer she tugged upon his pajamas. "Daddy?"

Roy smiled in a sad sort of way, giving her a hug then smoothed her hair from her face. "It's going to be okay. Hey how would you like to stay with Havoc or Riza for a few days-"

"Don't you dare!" Lily snapped pushing his hands away. "You're not leaving me here."

He sighed. "Lily,"

"No Daddy, he's my big brother and I want to see him. I promise I'll be good and not get in the way." She tugged upon the front of his shirt, beginning to cry. "Please Daddy, don't leave me here. I just want to see him again."

Roy pulled her close and held her. "He's not dying honey, he's just really hurt."

"Then he needs me to make him feel better. I'd need him like I needed him and you when I was sick. Remember I never wanted you to leave me after I woke up?" She cried, fisting her hands in his shirt. "Please Daddy let me go with you. I want to see my brother."

"And what are you going to do?" He asked calmly. "What about your lessons?"

"I promise I won't get in the way, please, please, please!" She had to see him one last time at least. She had to!

Her father sighed. "Alright, do me a favor then while I call Hohenheim, pack up a change of clothes for Edward and several for you."

Lily nodded finally letting go. He set her upon the floor but wouldn't let her go. "Lily, he's not going to look well but I want you to know that he's not going to die. Ed won't be able to play with you for awhile but he won't leave you okay?"

Lily sniffled. "I'm still going."

He nodded and let her go.

Lily didn't think the six am train was good enough but she waited with her suit case quietly upon the station bench beside her father and her teacher for two hours. Riza came too, but just to see them off, promising to keep the office running in her father's absence.

When asked what she'd packed, she replied Ed's pajamas because he liked them and said they were comfortable. Roy nodded with approval glad that she'd remembered his coat, said she'd thought of everything.

The train ride to Ariss was quiet, her father getting them a privet car and it felt like the longest two days of Lily's life. None of them really talked. Her teacher asked questions and Roy told him what he knew which wasn't much.

As soon as they were off the train they got a cab to the hospital. Once in the hospital her Uncle met them in the lobby. Lily dropped her suitcase and demanded Ed's location. Roy tried to quiet her, even reason with her to wait a moment but she wouldn't have it. She wanted to see her big brother and she wanted to see him right now.

Finally they gave up after she threatened to tear into every room just to find him and Maes led them all down the hall.

Lily had seen death before in the form of dead animals but she'd never seen it in people or seen people look so terrible and beaten up. She knew from her own hospital experience that the needle in Ed's arm attached to the long tube that led from the bag of clear liquid was antibiotics. What she didn't understand were all the bruises and bandages, the stitches, the cuts, the long bandaged section of his flesh arm, or why there was a machine beeping near by.

Al rose from his place upon the floor. "Lily,"

Lily rubbed her nose, feeling her father's hand, warm upon her shoulder. "Daddy?" she breathed as a tear trickled down her cheek.

"He's not gone," Roy said softly.

"Nope, he's too tough for that. He's just sleeping right now." Maes said as Roy picked her up.

Lily tore her eyes from Ed, the sight hurt her as it was nothing she'd ever seen in her life, frightened her, and looked to her other big brother. She felt guilty for only thinking about Edward all this time and hardly at all for Al. "Al are you hurt too?"

Al came over and took her hand. "No, I'm okay. Ed will be happy to see you. He wanted to call you but when Major Hughes said you were coming he said to wake him up right away."

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Roy said gently.

"Well he's been sleeping for the last five hours so it'll be okay and he never stays awake too long, the medication he's on makes him drowsy." Maes replied.

"What about me?" A soft raspy voice said.

"Edward?" Lily asked letting her eyes fall upon him. She winced as his amber eyes fell upon her. He smiled and lifted his auto-mail hand to her.

"Hey brat, come to fetch me?"

From there Lily wiggled until her father put her down. The adults left the room and she climbed up into the chair beside the bed, her slanted black eyes looking him over. She shivered as his cold auto-mail touched her hand. "You promised…" it was all she could say.

Roy looked over the medical chart he'd snatched from the holder outside the door as Maes filled he and Hohenheim in on what Edward reported. The kid was lucky this time, no broken bones or fractures. He had some cuts, bruises, a concussion. Roy's eyes stopped at the words 'second degree burn to left forearm'. It started at about the elbow and went down to his wrist. That would leave a permanent mark, yet another he wished Edward would never have. He should have never let them come, never should have agreed.

"We haven't found Anise's body and from what Carter told us there was a back door behind her desk in the back room. Edward said after she caught him she scrambled for her desk and the man in the room with them pulled a gun. He was too busy trying not to get shot and get out the window to see if she made it out. He said the last thing he remembered was loud noise, something hit him, he fell and woke here. Near as we can tell he was burned when the packaging in the crate he'd fallen on caught fire or his arm happened to land upon a burning piece of the crate. Luckily we had Al there and he transmuted water to help the fire department's hoses and put out the flames."

Roy handed the chart over to Edward's father and closed his eyes. "So she's still on the loose then."

"Near as we can tell, but the police are looking for her and there are people at her house." Maes replied.

Hohenheim placed the chart back in the holder and sighed heavily. "How is he?"

"Tired, wants to go home." Maes smiled, adjusting his glasses. "Been waiting for his little sister to arrive. He'll be fine, thankfully."

Roy nodded with a smile of his own. Edward sure had the strangest luck; it failed in protecting him from harm but kept his ass alive. "Well we'll just add attempted murder to the list of crimes she's committed."

Maes's smile faded which caused Roy more alarm than he wanted to feel. He felt as if he'd been through the ringer as was in these last two days. He'd felt the same panic he'd felt when Lily was in the hospital, the same fear and Lily's quietness, her worry and fear that had threatened to out darken his upon the train hadn't helped.

"Two more actually, but we can talk about it later."

When Roy tried to ask Maes held up his hand. "You'll ask too many questions and frankly I can't have you going on some rampage. You need to focus on the kids and let me handle this one."

Roy knew it wasn't good, desperately wanted to demand the rest, but knew he'd not get it now, knew Maes was right. All of his kids needed him, Al, Ed, Lily… he couldn't tell which would need him more. Lily for how upset she was and the new frightening images that were suddenly brought into her life and her fear of abandonment, Al and his fear of losing his brother, or Edward and his physical pain and very shortly, when he noticed his birth father, emotional pain. Roy had questioned whether or not to bring Hohenheim but he just couldn't not tell the man and he'd wanted to come to see his sons. It was his right as their father and Roy wouldn't deny him that.

He sighed tiredly, getting a good look at Maes. Maes looked exhausted, in need of sleep. "You go get some rest, call Gracia."

Maes rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, you two going to be okay?"

Hohenheim smiled softly and bowed his head once. Roy turned to him. "You want to go in first?"

"No, I think I should wait a little while. He knows I'm here but I would like to give him a little time." The man replied softly. "You go ahead."

Roy hesitated but opened the door anyway and stepped in, closing it behind him. What he was greeted with nearly made him weep. Lily was curled up beside Edward upon the bed, her little arm around his middle, Ed's auto-mail arm wrapped around her, his hand upon her head. Al stood beside the bed.

"You have to be more careful Ed, you can't leave brother and me and Daddy behind. We need you so much." Lily whispered. Ed turned his head seemingly not to notice Roy and kissed Lily's forehead.

"I'll do my best, I promised to marry you right? Can't do that if I'm dead can I?" Ed replied with a yawn. "Don't worry, I'll be okay."

Roy took that moment to clear his throat and gained the eyes of all three of his children. Ed sighed. "Look, I-"

"I know, Maes told me." Roy interrupted. There would be no lectures today. He came closer and took the chair beside the bed. "We'll go home soon Ed."

"Where is he?" Ed asked after a moment.

"Out in the hall, he's worried." Roy replied.

"I'll go talk to him," Al said and began to move.

"Why'd he come?"

"Brother!" Al gasped. "You know he loves you."

"He's right Ed, don't be so quick-"

"You're my father." Ed replied quickly. "This is my family."

Still so angry. Roy had to wonder if Edward would ever forgive his true father. "Edward,"

Ed's amber eyes met his and he looked so exhausted. They cried out to him, reached for him telling him of the pain he felt in his heart and body, begged him to hold him again. "I just want you, he doesn't get to…"

"Stop being an idiot Ed," Lily scolded softly. "You can have two dads. I have two moms. My mommy and Riza."

Roy rubbed his face and let took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He was too tired for discussions like this, didn't want to think about it whether it was right or wrong, what would be best for all the people concerned. He just wanted to see Ed smile a little, and then get some rest so he could take him home where it was safe. He wanted to erase what had happened so Lily and her brothers could play in the house and make it warm and full of laughter again.

But he had to take the situation as it came just like always. Slowly he rose and walked around the bed. He smiled, brushing Ed's bangs from his eyes, and careful not to hurt him, he leaned down as Lily sat up, seeming to know she should move. He gave Edward as much of a hug as he could. "I do love you Edward and think of you as mine, nothing will ever change that. Just don't be so quick to cast Hohenheim away. You don't want to have regrets haunting you later. Now get some rest."

"Will you and Lily stay?" Ed whispered.

Roy nodded. "Of course," He smirked. "You really think I could get Lily to leave?"

"Try it and I'll kick you again." Lily replied sternly.

It was then that Edward smile the tiniest of smiles but it faded much too soon and the boy let the mask fade, let them see how much agony he was in. It was probably time for some more pain medication. Concussions could be dealt with and Edward had had at least two. Cuts and bruises were no stranger to the boy, but burn… Roy was the Flame Alchemist and while practicing and perfecting his craft he'd been burned a few times himself, never as badly or enough to really leave a scar. From now on he'd never again snap his fingers with his gloves on to even tease Edward into submission or for any reason.

"It hurts," Ed whispered. "And it itches."

Roy nodded. "That's the skin healing."

"I'm gonna kick her ass next I see her." Ed promised before falling asleep.