Roy-Fan-33 - Yup, Hughes just loves to stand out, doens't he? Miss Mustang - Thanks! The flashback was a needed respite fromt eh tenseness of the story. Steff7 - Thanks! Perennial Rhinitis - Sorry about the wait! SnufflesWillRise - Sorry, no wedding in this story. Just a couple of nice lashbacks. purple-drake - Well, I definitely believe character is plot and none of them came into existence just for this story, they have a past that plays a major part in who they are now and why they act a cerain way. I had to take a little creative license here and there in small spots, but I try not to do anything major or OOC. Thanks for the review!

Aftermath

The Present

Helpless.

Useless.

The words bit deep into Riza Hawkeye's psyche. All she could think about was that she should have been able to do more. What good was a bodyguard that was knocked out at the beginning of the fight?

A deep sigh escaped her as she shifted slightly. Her golden hair cascaded over the pale blue gown she wore. The metal frame of the hospital bed made a pained sound as she tried to find a more comfortable position. Though, she doubted she could find any comfort there.

The slightest movements made her head swim. It just felt like her brains were sloshing around inside her skull. With a soft grown, she reached up but winced in pain as a sharp burn raced through her arm from pulled stitches. She gripped the thickly bandaged wound and fought the tears that clung to her lashes before spilling down her cheeks.

With a rush, the memory of the attack flooded back to her.

Instead of fighting the images, she replayed them in her mind again and again. She tried to find her mistakes and yet, could find nothing glaring.

Certainly she could have been more vigilant or taken a different route back than the one they had previously traveled. There were a thousand little things that could have been done different, but in the blur of memory, none of it, she was sure would have made any difference.

Slowly she raised her gaze to the brightly lit room, sterile and unforgiving. The stench of antiseptic made her vaguely ill. Pulling at the covers, she drew them up, feeling naked even though she was dressed in a hospital gown. It was strange without her uniform and gun close by and only added to that feeling of helplessness that was gripping her.

The stiff, white sheet was drawn into a pale fist. Tears welled and threatened to burst forth in an uncontrolled flood. All she wanted to do was scream.

A light rap on the closed door was almost ignored. Before she could tell whomever to go away, the door swung wide open revealing three familiar faces.

Havoc led the parade, unlit cigarette in his mouth. "See, I told you she wouldn't be resting."

"You really should be resting," Falman said.

Fury poked his head out from behind the taller man. In his hands was a vase of wildflowers. He smiled and set them on the table next to the bed. "The shops are closed this late but I thought these were pretty."

Hawkeye smiled but it made her face hurt. "Thank you."

A loud sneeze rang out from the hall. She strained slightly and saw Breda out in the corridor as another loud sneeze echoed through the room.

"Allergic to wildflowers," Havoc said.

"I see." She looked up and saw only looks of concern. "The Colonel—"

"We're taking bets," Havoc interrupted as he leaned up against the wall, "to see who can guess the closest to when the Colonel checks himself out of the hospital. You want in on it?"

Hawkeye just looked at the blond haired man.

"I'm figuring 36 hours. He'll sleep the rest of the night and if we're lucky part of tomorrow, but he'll be itching to get out. You know him."

"He's okay?"

A smile tugged at the corners of Havoc's mouth. That alone told Hawkeye she should not worry.

"I guess he was bleeding pretty bad, but the wounds themselves aren't that deep." Softer. "It would take a lot more to kill him." With a shrug, he raised his voice again. "He's going to hurt. His side and arm are pretty torn up. The docs will probably want to keep him through the weekend, and keep him on medical leave for a while to rest and recover, but somehow, I don't see the Colonel doing that. Are you sure you don't want in on the bet?"

"Probably be grouchier than usual too," Breda said from the hallway before sneezing again.

Fury sighed.

"Mustang grouchy?" Falman mocked.

"It'll be like Monday mornings all day, everyday," Havoc said as he folded his arms across his chest.

"I think I have some vacation time," Fury softly mused but yelped when Falman slapped him across the back of the head.

"Suffer with everyone else," the grey haired man said.

The news did not ease Hawkeye's inner turmoil. While the four seemed rather cavalier, even she could see the underlying concern.

As if knowing the progression of her thoughts, Havoc said, "A gun against an alchemist. Not exactly a winning move, especially when we are talking about one that can tear up the Colonel like she did."

"He wounded her," Falman pointed out.

"And between he and Hawkeye, they must have killed eight of her henchmen. Half of Eastern is scouring the city for them."

"Ma'am. Ma'am," Breda said as he backed up, waving his arms in surrender as he passed by the open door. "Ma'am."

"Uh oh," Havoc whispered, pulling the cigarette from his mouth.

"What are all you men doing in here?" a stout nurse with sharp features demanded as she stood in the middle of the wide doorway.

"It's okay," Hawkeye said. "They're my—"

"No, it's not. You are supposed to be resting," the nurse said sternly as she grabbed Falman and Fury by the sleeves and pulled them toward the door. "The doctor's orders—"

Havoc stepped close to Hawkeye's bed. "They already threw us out of surgical waiting. The Lt. Colonel is there. We'll be around. You just rest." Pain lit his features. "Ouch! Ouch!"

The nurse had him by the ear and pulled him out of the room, closing the door behind her. The sound of muffled yelps could be heard.

Hawkeye smiled, but it quickly faded when she found herself alone again. At least, the Colonel would be all right. She would never have forgiven herself otherwise.