During the eight month of her pregnancy, Riza had to fight to keep herself in bed. A week earlier, she had seen Doctor Ballard—the weekly visits now accounted for nearly all of the time she spent out of bed—who had been pleased to say that the baby's head was in the proper position and prepared to drop into place.

Try as he might to be more than available to ease Riza's discomfort, Roy found that she had taken to talking to Gracia about such motherly problems. More disconcerting was the fact that she avoided mentioning the topic all together.

"I think it's just part of…I don't know, Roy…of being a female. Gracia talked to me, at least a little bit, but she talked to her cousin who had had a baby already more. You shouldn't take it personally." Maes sighed, sipping at his coffee. "You're lucky you're a pretty heavy sleeper, though."

Roy ran his fingers through his hair, stretching, his back cracking and the sound slightly audible over the chatter of the lunch room. "Why do you say that?" It was only at his lunch break that Roy allowed himself to actively worry about Riza. This certainly wasn't to say that the thoughts did not intrude upon other parts of his work day; it just meant that he was making a concerted effort to restrain his concern to a specific hour of time.

"Riza's been up a lot the past few nights. I didn't really think much of it 'till Gracia scolded me for not telling her straightaway. I slept alone last night, you know! Gracia abandoned me!" Sighing dramatically, Maes removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes with a yawn.

"I didn't know she wasn't sleeping," Roy replied, swallowing hard. Though his hands remained calmly folded on the table, his face betrayed his true demeanor.

"Relax! She is. Sleeping, I mean. Just not through the whole night. Gracia wasn't really either, and she hasn't made a big fuss over it. I think she's just keeping Riza company; especially since she's supposed to be in bed all the time." Maes slid his glasses back on and swallowed another indecent gulp of coffee. "But their talking has kept me awake."

"Life's tough." Roy took a dejected bite of his sandwich and fiddled with the rim of his cup. "Why hasn't she said anything to me?"

"I told you," Maes repeated, "I think it's a female thing, that nesting sort of instinct. Just wanting to share important information for the furthering of our species! Like how you didn't go to ask Havoc or someone from that lot of people for advise on handling a pregnant woman. I think it's natural for people to gravitate to people with experience in the area at hand."

"Thank you for that insight, Hughes," the alchemist mumbled, resting his head against his palm. "Since you are getting inside information from Gracia, has she said anything else?"

"Who? Gracia?" The nod from Roy's general direction affirmed that this was the inside source of whom he was referring to. "Not much. She's been trying to give her tips on how to be more comfortable. I think that's part of why she's not sleeping; since the baby's head has dropped lower or whatever it is that babies do before they are born."

"So she's not sleeping and she's in pain?" Frustrated, Roy planted his hands firmly against the table and pushed himself to his feet, grabbing his tray. By the time Maes even had the chance to get to his feet, Roy had already thrown the remainder of his half-eaten sandwich into the trash and was now headed for the door at a pace that very much resembled a man on a mission.

"Where are you headed off to in such a rush?" Maes asked, picking up the pace to attempt to match his disgruntled friend's.

"To talk to Riza."

"But I told you, Roy. Her not saying anything is a female thing and it's really nothing against you—"

"I know, but I don't really care!" Brushing past Maes, Roy stormed down the hall, hands stuff in his pockets. Standing alone in the hallway, Maes swallowed and turned to head back to his own office, considering telephoning his house to give proper warning of the infuriated Roy Mustang headed in that direction.

"Fine then…just don't say I didn't warn you."

It truly took a substantial amount of effort to do as Doctor Ballard had ordered. For almost a week, then, Riza found that—though her breathing had gotten easier as the weight of the baby shifted, she was feeling worse in other capacities. The constant, throbbing ache in her lower back made it increasingly difficult to sit still, let alone lay in bed. Even Gracia's suggestion of lying on her left side had done nothing to help. Thankfully, Riza's subtle complaints had not fallen on deaf ears, and Ballard allowed her to walk around a bit to try and ease the discomfort.

Pacing around the house was how that snowy afternoon had found her. Gracia and Elysia had left to do some grocery shopping, an absence that she had to admit she greatly appreciated. For all of her sweetness, the child-gone-nurse was beginning to grate on her final nerve, and Heaven forbid Elysia see Riza walking around. She was supposed to be in bed, of course, and walking around did not count as being in bed. On this deduction, Elysia was correct. The only way to walk around the house, then, was to do it when the pint-sized nurse was not present.

Riza was standing in the kitchen; trying to decide why she had taken the trip all the way downstairs and contemplating if she wanted a cup of tea when there was a harsh knock on the front door. She padded quietly into the foyer, wondering if Gracia had finished her shopping faster than she had anticipated. Peering through the peephole, however, she saw that it was Roy standing at the Hughes' front door, shivering slightly in the snow.

Opening the door, Riza instinctively jumped back at the blast of cold air. Roy stepped in quickly without a word, slamming the door behind him and shedding his coat. With a heavy sigh, he hung the black coat on the coat rack, now facing her.

"What's the matter? You seem angry." Riza had taken another step back at the clear sight of Roy's very irritated grimace.

"What's the matter is that you haven't been sleeping according to Hughes and something is clearly bothering you. Yet somehow, you refuse to make mention of it! Do you realize you have hardly spoken to me for a week?" Roy was unknowingly advancing towards her, gradually getting closer to her. She backed away.

The blonde, now backed into a wall, considered his statement, a hand holding herself steady, amber eyes focused on the floor. Frozen in position, Roy swallowed—hard. She was trembling.

"I'm sorry," she finally murmured. "I didn't want to worry you and Gracia has been very helpful as far as telling me what sorts of things are normal and what things are not." She rubbed her palms over her arms to generate warmth though she wasn't feeling cold.

Roy was trying desperately to calm himself down. Her slightly hurt tone of voice alerted him to the truth of her statements, and it suddenly seemed cruel to have confronted her the way he had. Just as Maes had said, the instinct to talk to other women about her current situation was—obviously—a 'female thing'. And quite normal, at that. Finally, he managed to place together a sentence. "Are you all right? You're shaking."

Again, she involuntarily ran her hands over her arms once, feeling the slight tremble in her muscles. "What? No, it's nothing…I'm all right. It's one of those things Gracia said was normal. It comes and goes."

"Oh."

The two stood awkwardly in the foyer for a moment; Roy was still pinning her to the wall, both hands pressed directly above her shoulders. Riza had pressed her back against the wall, letting her eyes droop slightly. The heavy silence was stifling. Finally, Roy sighed. "I thought you were still supposed to be on bed rest?"

"Doctor Ballard told me I could walk around a little." At the look of confusion on Roy's features, she continued. "To help my back. It's been bothering me a bit." Riza nudged her way out from behind Roy, heading silently for the stairs. Roy watched her hobble towards the steps, her gait uneven. Brows furrowed, he leaned closer to her, a hand now against her shoulder to stop her. "You're sure you all right?"
She hesitated, the hand she had placed on the banister now tightening around it. "Ah…it's because the baby's head had dropped."

"But…" the dark-haired man sputtered, trying to piece together his comment. "but the baby isn't due for almost another month."

Bracing one hand on either side of the banisters, she lowered herself to sit on the steps, disregarding the fact that it would be a monumental task to get to her feet in a few moments. "I know. Doctor Ballard things the baby may be a little bit early."

Notes: Hey guys sorry for such a long time without an update. School has been soo hectic.