"Lieutenant Hawkeye!" called Colonel Roy Mustang from the end of the hall "Where are you going?"
It was 3'oclock at Central Headquarters and Riza was exiting the building, in her civilian clothes.
"I was going to see Edward today." She replied
"Oh. I almost forgot he wasn't here today" said Roy "How is Fullmetal doing anyway?"
"He's out of his coma. Alphonse and Winry are over there now. Alphonse called and asked if I wanted to come by and see Edward. Of course, my reply was 'yes' so I'm going down to the hospital right now."
"Do you mind if I go with you?" Roy asked "I want to see how he's doing."
"I would love company going down to the hospital." She said, buttoning her coat "Let's go."
At the hospital, Edward was sleeping and Winry and Alphonse were sitting on the couch, playing checkers. Doctor Richards had come by earlier to see how Ed was doing and confirmed he was making a huge improvement. They had attached the automail earlier and it was functioning properly. But to make sure he could monitor him better he had a heart monitor placed in the room and attached to Ed. The two stopped their game momentarily look up and see how he was holding up.
"He seems so peaceful when he's sleeping." Said Winry
"I know." Replied Al "He always looks peaceful when he's asleep except for-"
"Except for the nightmares?" asked Winry
"Except for the nightmares. Winry, how many of them have you seen?"
"He had one during his automail recovery and Granny Pinako and I didn't know what was going to happen." She said "All we could hear was him scream 'No! I'm sorry! Al! Mom! Please No!' I got so worried that night I still think about it. I can picture him now waking up in a cold sweat, silently crying. What happens if he has one here?"
"We do what we usually." Replied Alphonse "We….We wait for him to wake him up."
"If he has one, I'm not leaving him alone." She said "I can't leave him…..I have to stay. I love him too much to let him suffer like this alone."
"I know Winry. I'll stay too. He is my brother after all."
"Then it's settled. We both stay." She said
Twenty minutes later, after Alphonse had lost the game of checkers, Riza stepped into the room, silently, followed by Roy close behind her.
"Good evening First Lieutenant Hawkeye, Colonel Mustang." Greeted Winry, rising from the couch, Alphonse followed suite.
"Hello Winry," Riza said "How's Ed doing?"
"Better. Much better." Winry looked at Roy "I was only expecting you Lieutenant. Did the Colonel decide to tag along?"
"Hmph," Roy said " I only came to see if my dog is well enough to work again."
"Colonel, would you like to say that again?" asked Riza, silencing the room with the sound of the safety on her gun being disengaged. Her cinnamon eyes glared widely into Roy's onyx eyes.
"Ummmm….What I mean to say is," said Roy flustered "is that I'm worried about my EXTREMELY faithful and reliable subordinate. And I also came to offer my condolences through this crisis. HAPPY LIEUTENANT!?"
"Yes but be quiet!" she said in a low, sharp voice reactivating the safety on her gun "You'll wake him up!"
They all looked over at Ed simultaneously and saw he was beginning to stir.
"Great, he's waking up." Said Winry
"Thanks a lot Colonel, he needs his sleep." Said Al
"Excellent work sir." Chimed in Riza
"Okay! I get it!" said Roy, trying to be quiet "I'm VERY sorry that- wait, what's wrong with him?"
They all turned to Ed with horror. He was shaking rapidly, and whimpering in some sort of invisible pain. He broke out into a sweat and was murmuring the four couldn't make out. His breathing became heavy and the heart monitor shot up to a high level.
"Is he having a nightmare?" asked Riza in fear
"Yes," Alphonse replied "But he's never had one when he was hurt this bad."
"Fullmetal………" said Roy finally hitting the quiet level and turning to Al "Should we get Doctor Richards?"
"He can't help us." Replied Al "He can't be woken until it's completed. We have to let him do this."
"Well I'm not leaving him alone!" declared Winry, positioning herself in the seat beside Edward's hospital bed "He shouldn't have to wake up with no one with him! And…I'm going to try and help him out of it!"
"But it won't work!" Al said "I've tried before, the best thing is to leave until it's finished."
"But I haven't!" Winry said forcefully "I can't leave him….I love him! He shouldn't have to go through this alone!" she looked at the three "And we, the people who want the best for him, need to realize that and help him through it!"
"But-" started Al
"Shut up Al! Unless you want my wrench going through your head!"
Alphonse wanted to speak again but Riza put her hand up to stop him.
"This is what happens when you love someone Al," she explained "You want to help the one you love anyway you can. You'll understand that when you're older."
"Good pep talk Lieutenant." Said Roy with a smirk.
"Glad you liked it. Maybe you should follow the Morale, Colonel Womanizer" she said coldly.
Winry, not paying any attention to the three, focused on Edward. He had turned very pale and his murmuring became loud enough for her to hear.
He found himself inside a dark room, covered in his blood pouring out from where his arm and leg used to be. But Alphonse was nowhere. In the distance he could make out the deformed shape of his mother, whom he and Alphonse tried to resurrect.
"Edward," The creature spoke, wheezing with every word "Look at what you've done. You're a fool."
"No! I'm sorry! I really am!...I can fix it!" he said hastily "Don't worry!"
"You're worthless," she said "I should have known you'd do this to me."
"No! I'm sorry!" screamed Ed so loud it made Al, Riza and Roy stop arguing and stare at Edward in fear.
"Ed!" Winry said calmly "It's me Winry! You don't have to do this by yourself anymore! Please Ed, come back to us!"
"You will pay for what you have done." Came the voice of Alphonse from behind. Edward turned to see he had brandishing a knife.
"You don't love us." His mother said harshly "If you did you wouldn't have done this. You are a disgrace."
"No! It was a mistake! I'm sorry! So sorry! Please!" Ed screamed, now in a sitting position, holding his head.
"Ed, it will be okay." Winry said soothingly, placing her hands on his arms "We're here for you. You don't have to worry."
He wanted to move away, to try and push the left hand of Al away from him but he couldn't do it without his lost limbs. He wasn't strong enough. Al lifted him up by the neck of his shirt.
"You took everything from me and now the same is going to happen to you." He said coldly "A perfect example of equivalent exchange, wouldn't you say so, brother?"
"NO!" Ed screamed, shaking even more, tears rolling down his cheeks.
"ED!" Winry screamed placing her arms around his and whispered "It's okay. I love you and I want you to come back to me."
A bright ray of light pierced through his armour brother making him scream just before dissolving into the air, knife and all. Ed dropped to the ground in disbelief. His mother stared in horror and screamed as she dissolved into air. He looked into the light as he woke up.
He wrapped his arms weakly around her, making her jump. The heart monitor lowered its number again.
"Thank-you Winry!" he whispered sobbing "You saved me! I don't think I can keep doing this!"
"Ed…It's okay. You don't have to do this alone anymore." She smiled softly and rubbed his back. She held him tighter as though never to let go but he managed to get a lock on her eyes with his in confusion.
"What do you mean by not doing this alone anymore?" he asked softly.
"I'm going to help you stop the nightmares, just like now. I'm here for you." she said flatly. He cried into her shoulder and silently let out his emotion.
Alphonse, Roy and Riza just stared blankly.
"That's the very first time anyone has ever woken him up from his nightmares." Al said
"The connection between those two must be so strong." Said Riza
"That is so…touching." Said Roy, who almost looked like he was going to cry.
Ed was still shivering in Winry's arms as she sat there with her horrified friend, he was extremely pale.
"Are you cold?" She asked. He was able to give a shaky nod. Everyone saw how pale he turned and as Winry reached for a spare blanket, Roy reached into his pocket.
"I can help better than any old blanket." He said pulling on his pair of special gloves with transmutation circles that made him a hero in the Ishbalan war. He snapped his fingers, creating a flame that encircled Edward and Winry. After thirty seconds, the flame died down and Winry, who had broken into a sweat pulled the spare blanket over Edward, with the colour returning into his face.
"Thank-you sir." Said Ed softly, snuggling into the blanket.
"Consider it my get well present to you, Fullmetal." Roy said as he put the gloves back in his pocket. "Just come back to us soon okay? We all miss you at HQ."
"Yes, sir!" Ed said.
"See Ed? People do care about you enough to help you get through any problem." Riza said with a smile on her face. "Oh! Speaking of people who care that reminds me!" she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a get well card with her signature and a paw print on it.
"Black Hayate sends his best wishes." She said, placing the card on a nightstand close to the bed.
"Thank-you, Lieutenant. And say thanks to Black Hayate for me too!" he said, looking at the card.
"Brother, I'm happy you're okay." Alphonse said.
"Thank-you Al," he said, turning to Winry "And thank-you, Winry, for helping me with the nightmare."
"I love you Ed." She said kindly, creating the light in their eyes again.
"I love you to-" but before Edward could finish, he yelled in pain making everyone in the room jump and Roy calling for Doctor Richards. Winry looked as though she was in a nightmare as the rapid flow of crimson flooded the bed sheets, her hands and Ed. Doctor Richards came in rapidly with his needle quickly injecting Ed with the sedation drug. The nurse moved everyone out of the room while she moved a small table with bandages into the room.
"This is the alleyway all over again." She said grimly
"It will be okay" Riza said calmly but even she couldn't deny the resemblance. Ed was covered in blood in Winry's arms and nothing she could do could help him. Doctor Richards came out with bloody bandages.
"It's alright now," he said "A few of your friends wounds just reopened. We re-bandaged them, changed his sheets and sedated him. I think the best thing for him is to give him rest for now."
"Umm…Doctor, can I stay with Ed?" asked Winry "I don't want him to be alone when he wakes up."
"That seems fine but you need to be quiet." He said.
"Okay," she turned to Roy, Riza and Alphonse "Thanks for heating Ed Colonel. I'll see you soon Lieutenant. Al, I'm staying the night."
"I'm going back to the dormitory." He said
"What? Why" she asked, puzzled. Roy and Riza looked as well.
"Because you and brother need some time by yourselves, you do love each other." Al said. Roy and Riza seemed to have gotten the picture.
"Thank-you, Goodnight everyone." She headed back into the room to stay with Ed. He looked better, no blood, his heart beating at a safe rate and asleep due to the sedation drug. She pulled up in the seat and got close to Ed. She ran her fingers through her hair and moved his head closer. She fell asleep before noticing that Ed subconsciously wrapped his arms around her.
