A few months shortly after Shamballa, Ed and Al had left Munich and traveled all the way to Berlin in order to start their new lives in this new world, together. They both got jobs in order to pay for a small place to live, an apartment over a little furniture store. And they were happy together in this new land leading their new lives, and they knew they would always be happy, wherever they would go, so long as they were together.
'I promise Al, never ever to leave you… dad left us, mom left us, but I will always be with you, by your side, no matter what, as long as I live, we'll be there for each other. So help me God, Al…'
"I'm home." Ed droned tiredly as he walked in the apartment door.
"Hey brother." Al smiled, looking over from the radio as he turned it off.
"Man I'm beat." Ed flopped into his favorite chair. "One of the new guys spilled a tank of oil and the boss made ME clean it all up during MY break! Talk about a sticky situation."
"Oh like you can complain. Today I had to stock all of the produce AND pack the meat into the freezer, I nearly froze and I was so sore afterwards I could barely move!"
"Bah, that's nothing. You're just not used to it yet, I mean you've been working the counter the whole time you've been at the shop. And it's not like you have a big strong metallic body anymore. But hey, at least you're not surrounded by the stench of gasoline all day."
"Hahah. Look at us brother…"
"Huh?"
"We're starting to talk and bicker like an old married couple."
"Heh, yeah." Ed relaxed back, then sat up. "Hey! How about we go out and get something to eat!"
"Hey yeah, that's a great idea brother!"
Ed shrugged arrogantly, "Meh well yeah, I mean I AM prone to have them."
"Rarely often." Al got up and headed for the door, walking arrogantly to mock him.
"Huh what?" Ed sat up quickly and growled. "Hey you come back here and say that again to my face why don't you….!"
Ed and Al walked down the street as dusk began to darken into night, some of the street lamps had already turned on and the sun was setting off in the distance. They were headed to their favorite restaurant, and luckily it was close enough to walk to.
"You know it's been a while since we've gone out, brother. So what are you going to have, do you already know?" Al asked as they strolled.
"Yup!" Ed beamed and patted his stomach. "Gonna get a nice big juicy mutton and some pie!"
"Ew, brother." Al turned up his nose with amusement. "How can you eat that meat? It's so tough it tastes horrible."
"Yeah well I could say the same for you Al." Ed smirked, winking one eye at his younger brother. "I don't know how you can stand to drink milk. It makes me sick!"
"Oh, not this again." Al groaned and Ed just laughed, Al laughed too. 'And that was the last time I can remember, that we were both happy together….'
Ed was in bed, he clenched the sheets tightly as he drew in another sharp, uneasy breath deep within his feverish dreams. His face was flush and dotted with sweat as he breathed short and quickly. Al looked up with worry as the British doctor took the stethoscope out of his ears and draped it around his neck.
"Well?" Al choked out, hesitant to ask. "What's wrong with… is my brother going to be alright?"
The doctor sighed and shut his eyes in thought, "I, I'm not sure, I… I don't know." Ed coughed harshly and cringed in his sleep, his face tight as his body twisted and turned under the blanket as he moaned and groaned, his breathing sharp and desperate. "I can't seem to find what's causing his illness, it seems to be some sort of contamination for all we know, or even irritation from his work around rockets motor fuel or diesel gasoline."
"What?" Al gasped loudly as he flashed back to a memory of a conversation he'd had with Ed not too long ago….
"Yeah." Ed was laughing. "So what else did you want to know about this world?"
"Well, hmm…" Al began to think. He stopped, he had a good question. "You said there was another brother, another me… tell me, what the Alphonse of this world was like."
Ed smiled a bit seriously at that question, "Well, he was just so much like you… it was hard to believe he wasn't really you. He was very smart, we met through a university project of a rocket ship, and we just started work on it together. I moved in with him, we worked together, but, over a while after some time I noticed he was starting to get kinda sick, and as time went on it progressively got worse until he started to cough up blood. He admitted the doctors couldn't help fix what was wrong with him, no matter how often he'd gone to go see them, and he didn't have much time to live… but ultimately it wasn't that which killed him, as you may remember, he died to help me, and save our home…." Ed stopped, Al looked at him as he was dazed off in serious thought. Ed finally snapped out of it and wore a smile as he looked at Al, "Would you listen to me? The way I'm telling the story really is bringing to mood into a real downer." He began to laugh. "I'm sorry Al."
"No, really, it's alright." Al smiled slightly back.
"Yeah, he was really a great guy…" Ed smiled and let out a sigh as he looked back off into the distance, staring away in his thoughts, and Al just watched him…
Back in reality, Al was shaking slightly, "So you don't mean, you don't think he could DIE now could he?"
"Now that…?" The doctor gave Al a sympathetic look. "I don't know…" Al sighed with disappointment and uncertain fear. "I'm sorry." The doctor patted his shoulder and closed the door behind him as he left. Ed let out a whimpering cry of pain in his sleep as he writhed in agony, almost as if he were desperately pleading to the lord to spare him and save him.
Al slowly knelt down beside his brother's bedside, his eyes shaking with tears of pain as he could do nothing but helplessly watch as his brother struggled for survival, "No brother, no… you can't die, you just can't! You told me Ed, you told me… and you promised… You said that you'd never leave me!"
Only a few days had passed that week since Ed had become incapacitated, Al continued to remain vigil by his bedside. It was now the weekend, and Ed hadn't been conscious very much other than his moaning and groaning and tossing and turning in his sleep. Finally though, Ed's eyes opened.
"Al…?" Came the meek voice, sounding tired and weak.
"Brother!" Al gasped and rushed up quickly to be beside him.
Ed coughed, "Al. How long was I out?"
"Don't scare me like that." Al's eyes shook, he was still terrified. "It's only been a few days. Are you hungry, you haven't eaten much at all since you passed out."
"Nah." Ed shook his head slightly, still speaking quietly. "My stomach is killing me, I feel all bloated and messed up. Sides, I'd probably just vomit it all back up."
"Well, the doctor didn't give me any medicine for you, he said there wouldn't really be anything much to help." Al put the damp cloth on his older brother's forehead.
"Thanks." Ed blinked in acknowledgement, then moved his eyes back to Al. "Hey Al?"
"Yeah?"
"Do we have any aspirin, my head feels a mess and my whole body is killing me."
"Sure." Al stood up and walked off out of the room. Ed watched him go and as soon as he left he let out a writhing gasp and cringed as he keeled at the waist, clenching his stomach tightly in pain. Finally the spell passed and he could loosen back up, he panted slightly as he cough his breath.
"That was weird…" Ed sighed. "But they're getting worse… it hurts like murder."
"I'm back." Al returned and handed Ed some pills and a water. "Here."
"Thanks." Ed took them without complaint and drank all of the water. "I hope these don't go and shred up my stomach."
"Does it hurt, bad?"
"Yeah, but, I'm strong… And besides, I've been through worse." Ed forced a grin.
"Right, well, I'm going to take a nap, I'm tired. But just holler if you need me, I'll be right in the other room." Al stood up and walked off.
"Alright then, thanks Al." Ed smiled and watched him go. He sighed and lay out strait on his back, putting one arm behind his head as he thought to himself. "What is wrong with me? This has to be more than just what Alphonse had. I've never been in such pain." He put his other hand on his upset stomach. "I don't know what it is, what's going on or what's wrong with me, but, it feels like my stomach is imploding and exploding, and the sharp pains are so unbearable I can't even breathe until after the spell ends and my muscles aren't tensed up like my abs are in a vice." He frowned and closed his eyes. "And the doctor said nothing…" Ed fell asleep, he and all both slept that night. But Al was awaken late that evening when he heard Ed. He went over to his brother and saw that he was still asleep but he was yelling and crying out in pain. Al noticed that Ed was curled up tightly in a ball holding his stomach, every time he felt that sharp pain hit his stomach like a boulder punching him right deep in the gut, drilling out all of the air and refusing to let any back in to fill his lungs. He cried out and continued to gasp and pant in his delusion. "Please God I'm begging you…" Ed whimpered in his sleep, wincing and shaking from the pain. "Don't let me die, you just can't take me yet. Why me, why me, what did I ever do to you?"
"Ed…" Al's eyes shook as Ed continued to choke out for air in his dreams.
"Don't leave Alphonse all alone in this world…!"
The next day…
"Too bad it's not food poisoning, huh?" Al smirked slightly at his brother.
"Nah, cause then I'd have to get a shot." Ed laughed but winced at the stabbing pain in his gut.
Al sighed and became serious again, "Ed, the doctor called." Ed looked up at him when he said that. "He said he wanted to come over and check up on you with a follow up exam."
"Great..." Ed's grin was more of a forced mocking grimace, he was more than less than enthusiastic. "More poking and prodding from fingers and probes." He rolled his eyes away. "God this guy is worse than Mustang…"
"Come on brother, seriously, something really bad is wrong with you."
"And?"
"And?" Al scoffed at his brother's somewhat arrogant remark. "And I'm scared brother!" Ed turned to his Al who was growing upset again. "I don't want to loose you, I don't want you to die." Al was sniffing, all choked up now.
"Al..." Ed sighed, upset with himself now. About an hour and a half later the doctor showed up and took a look at his, not to patient, patient.
"Well so how has he been fairing?" He asked Al once Ed had fallen asleep, he'd given him some more powerful aspirin to try and take care of the pain he was suffering.
"I don't know, no better no worse I guess." Al spoke somewhat quietly. "He's not really eating much anything at all, and when he does it's only a little, like soup broth. But I give him plenty to drink though. But he's just always so worn out and weary."
"Well the fever is making him very tired, but the fever is the least of my concerns."
"It's what?"
"His lungs are getting worse, I can tell it pains him more and more when he coughs, it's getting harder for him to breathe. And then there's his stomach." The doctor closed his eyes and folded his arms to think. "Al." Al looked up at the question of his name. "I'd like for you to bring him to the hospital, I'd like to run some tests on him, maybe we can pin point the problem and at least get a better answer over these regular house calls."
"Right, I understand." Al nodded.
"How does Wednesday sound? I'm booked up solid tight Tuesday I'm afraid."
"That's fine sir, I'll be there I'll make sure of it."
The doctor smiled, "You're a good brother Al, to take care of your brother like that."
"Well I know that, he'd do the same for me..." Al turned to his brother wearing a slight smile. The doctor once again patted his shoulder before leaving. Al knelt on the floor, resting his head on his arms on the bed. His eyes went wide for a second as he got a horrible flashback, a picture of his mind of his and Ed's mother, as she lay dying on the bed in their old home... "No." Al buried his face into his arms. "I wont let that happen to you brother, and I know... I know you do the same for me." Ed continued to sleep peacefully.
Al was able to bring Ed to the hospital, and it was easy only because Ed was mainly passed out the whole time, the only hard part was going to be getting him to the actual facility across town. Luckily enough for them, the kind hearted old man who owned the furniture store below their apartment had a vehicle and was able to drop them off. Ed was awake once Al got him situated in a waiting room.
"Man I don't wanna be here..." Ed growled quietly in disgust.
"I know you hate hospitals, but you have to do what the doctor tells you."
"I hope he tells me to call him a jerk and that this place smells like cat pee..."
"Brother!"
"What?" Ed sniffed the air noticeably. "Well it does...!"
"You don't have to tell it like it is, brother." Al muttered and made a face. Ed just smirked, but the smirk faded once the door opened and the doctor stepped in.
"Ah Edward, Alphonse, welcome. I'm glad you were both able to make it."
"Of course." Al smiled politely.
"Smells like cat pee..." Ed muttered quietly to himself.
"Now Ed, I want to run some tests on you, but first in order to get a more accurate reading, I'm going to have to have you get everything out of your system."
Ed sighed and paused, "Alright then here it goes... this place smells like..."
"Brother!"
"What?"
"Uh, I'm not sure what you meant, but, I mean to get everything out of your digestive system..." The doctor was somewhat blank in shock.
"Oh..." Ed put a hand on his stomach. "You're not gonna shoot me up with medicine are you?" He made a face.
"Well you could always just stick your finger down your throat..." Al shrugged the suggestion.
"Ah, oh yeah..." Ed blinked and looked at his index finger, then he went to open his mouth.
"No, now that's not necessary." The doctor halted them both.
"Eh?" They both turned to him, Ed still posed with his finger ready in his mouth.
"When it comes to children..." The doctor went on, and at the mention of him being a 'child' Ed made a dark angry X face, but the doctor was smiling. "We have a somewhat more of a better alternative."
"Hmm?" Ed and Al both turned to each other and blinked with confusion.
"Oh wow, yeah!" Ed was wearing a big smile.
"Are you sure that wont make him even MORE sick?" Al asked cautiously.
"Well we need him to get everything out, and sometimes really sweet ice cream works just as good as any medicine, plus it tastes better for children."
"Call me whatever you want, I can dig it!" Ed grinned, holding a big spoon ready.
"Chocolate syrup?"
"Oh yes of course, please." At Ed's request the doctor slopped some on. "Ah, yeah now that's good eats... sure you don't want any Al?"
"No thanks... and there's something I don't get brother, you hate milk and its white, vanilla ice cream is white and is pretty much just milk."
"But it doesn't taste like vomit." Ed snorted at his brother, figuring he was just jealous.
"Aren't you going to say your grace?" Al asked.
"Ugh, alright fine... GRACE!" Ed got ready to dig in.
"Brother!"
"Ah, okay!" Ed cleared his throat. "Rub-a dub-dub, thanks for the grub!" He placed his hands together, deja vu. "Good food, good drink, good God...!"
"Just eat." Al sighed, giving up.
"Thank you." Ed smiled and took the first big spoonful and raised it to his mouth. "Ah..." But then he paused. "Eh, hey wait a sec... all this ice cream, how do I know this isn't just some ploy to have at my tonsils now?"
"I assure you, I'm not interested in sticking anything your mouth." The doctor smiled.
"Alright then!" Ed opened wide for the first bite.
"Except this!" The doctor once again caused Ed to pause as he held up a thermometer.
"Spoil sport..." Ed growled and made a sour face.
"Well at least I got you before you ate it, otherwise your mouth would be cold and give me a false reading, then I'd have to..."
"Not in the but..." Ed whimpered quietly, ducking back.
"In the but..." The doctor nodded and Ed quickly put down the spoon of ice cream and put the thermometer in his mouth. The doctor smiled over at Al who just shrugged with a slight grin back. Later... "Well it usually takes about thirty minutes to an hour to go through you, so just wait it out. I have some forms and paperwork to do on you but I'll be back."
"Great, great." Ed smiled him off and lay back against the wall as he sat on the examining table.
"Well, how do you feel?" Al asked.
"Nothing yet..." Ed shrugged and closed his eyes.
Al sighed and closed his eyes too, "A nap sounds like a good idea..." So Al fell asleep, Ed just lay away staring off into space alone with his thoughts.
He looked over at his sleeping brother and blinked his thoughts quietly, "Al..." Just then something hit him inside and his face turned blue. "Oh Al..."
"Huh?" Al asked groggily, still half out.
"Outa the way!" Ed rushed past him, out the door and rushed down the hall to the bathroom. Ed sat on the toilet with tears in his eyes, "It feels like it's on fire...!"
"Well now that that's all out of the way." The doctor was saying, they were now in a hospital room so Ed could have the tests done and he was looking very angry, literally fuming with the steaming billowing clouds of smoke were churning into a storm over his head. "I can administer the test."
"Test? As in, not plural? Alright." Ed smiled. "This is gonna be a cake walk."
"Nurse?" The doctor turned to see the nurse bring in a needle.
"Ah not a shot!" Ed cried.
"Brother no!" Al lunged onto him. "Ugh, not this again."
"It's not an injection, look it's empty." The doctor wore a sweat drop, not another syringe cringer.
"Eh?" Ed paused and looked over. "Oh yeah, so is that a fact..." He loosened up so Al let go.
"Now roll back up your sleeve, I need to draw a blood sample."
"AH no you liar, you tricked me!" Ed wailed.
"Stop it Ed, stop!" Al held him down.
"How could you Al, you traitor, stabbing my back like this." Ed sobbed. Luckily Al held him down and the doctor drew the blood sample. Ed's veins were all over his head with anger.
"We'll run the tests now, it should take about half a day, but we're requiring you to stay in the hospital for observation." The doctor explained.
"Great, so now I'm a guinea pig too, all locked up in a cage." Ed grimaced.
"Brother..."
"I'll come back with the results tonight, until then I have others to tend to on my rounds. You can call the nurse with that button on the bed there if you need anything else." The doctor left and closed the door behind them for privacy.
"Humph." Ed flopped down on the bed.
"Well, at least you're not having to wear one of those hospital gowns." Al smiled as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Yeah I guess..." Ed sighed and closed his eyes, still annoyed by all this. "But I don't feel any better. And I hate that doctor, he's still such a liar."
"About the shot?"
"Yeah, but that's not all..."
"Oh, what else now?"
Ed rubbed his chin, "Now my tonsils are starting to hurt."
Al wore a long face, "Ed..."
That night…
"Alright everyone, the results are in." The doctor came into the room, a file on his clip board.
"Great, did I pass?" Ed sat up on the bed, Al woke up from sleeping in the chair.
"Well…" The doctor opened it and read it once more before answering. "I'm afraid this is a great deal more serious than I figured…"
"Huh?" Ed didn't know how else to respond. "Hey wait…. So now are you going after my appendix? You greedy butcher!" Ed held tight fast onto his stomach.
"Your appendix is fine…" The doctor sighed.
"So are my tonsils, you can't have any of them."
"I don't want them." The doctor was getting tired of this.
"Brother please!" Al asked almost desperately.
"Huh? Al?" Ed blinked over at him.
"Tell us doctor." Al spoke seriously, his voice shaking. "If it's not his appendix, and it's serious, then tell us what is wrong with him!"
"Gladly." The doctor put on his glasses. "I'm not going to coat it, so I'll just be blunt."
"That's fine." Ed growled quietly. "The sooner I get my answer, the sooner we can leave."
"Not quiet I'm afraid."
"Huh?" The brothers both looked intently up at the doctor.
"I'm afraid, he's not suffering from any illness per se. I'm afraid the problem with him is located within his vital organs."
"Vital… organs?" Ed choked.
"Namely, your liver, and possible kidney failure."
"W…what?" Ed stammered dryly in shock. "But, how?"
"Ed, when you were working with Alphonse with the rockets, what exactly were you doing?"
"Well…" Ed folded his arms to remember. "Alphonse mainly worked towards the back with the engines and was around smoke and fumes for most of the time. I was too but not so much as him, maybe that's why my lungs aren't what's killing me. I was working with the motor, and with the R&D systems. And since he was more mechanical and I was more scientific…"
"He was working with gasoline and diesel while you were working with chemicals."
"Exactly. But…"
"Ed, there's something you have to tell me. It's known that the organization you were both once working for was making these for a certain higher militia power. But you have to tell me, were you working with any kind of dangerous substances, namely anything that could omit chemical radiation?"
"Well, yeah, I guess… but I don't see how…."
"Ed, radiation has a way of changing things, and I'm afraid in this case it contaminated two of your most vital organs. If they fail, you could die."
"But…" Ed held onto his stomach. "What can we do?"
"Our only hope is a transplant, but not only are the waiting lists long, but you have a very rare blood type."
"Can't he take on of my kidneys? I'm his brother, maybe we have…"
"We thought of that." The doctor cut Al off. "You have a different blood type. And even if we gave him a kidney he'd still need a liver to replace the one infected by mutation. Not only that, but the operations cost a great deal of money."
"And that's something we don't have a lot of…." Ed spoke quietly, lowering his head.
"So, what does that mean…?" Al was almost afraid to ask.
"It means that…" Ed answered. "It means that…" He couldn't speak, his voice was choking on him. "Al, I'm…. I…"
"No brother, no!" Al began to tear up.
"I'm sorry Al."
"No wait, this doesn't have to stop with this ending. Remember teacher? She..."
"I'm not teacher, Al... and this isn't our world. Things are different now, different here."
"But no, you can't, you can't leave me!"
"We can't help it Al, it's not like I want to!"
"No, no! You can't. You promised me!"
"Al, we can't change this…. It's my fate. We can't change our destiny and we can't create life. If I die, that's the end of me, but the world keeps on moving. Come on Al, have you already forgotten?"
"All is one and one is all, yes I know, but, without you… if not for you there'd be no ME! Brother, I owe you my life! The least I can do is help save yours! If not for you…. Ed, if not for you. You made a promise to me Ed!"
"I know. I know I promised, and I know how you feel, but, there are times in your life when you know you have to stop, call it quits…"
"So you'll just, you're just going to give it all up like that?"
"This choice is not up to me Al." Ed sighed quietly and looked away.
"But, but brother…. Maybe we can get a loan, we can get somebody to help us!"
"That kind of money? So what if I end up dying, what if all of this pain and surgery and money doesn't PAY OFF? You're left alone with my debt to pay. And I'm sorry Al but I just can't do that to you, I can't let you carry my burden. Not again… not anymore."
"But Ed…!"
" No Al, I'm sorry." Ed closed his eyes and turned to the doctor. "What do we owe you, for all of this?"
"So…" The doctor finally spoke up, he chose not to get into their conversation because frankly he had no idea what they were talking about. "If that's your decision…"
"What else can I do?" Ed stood up, the medicine was wearing off and the pain was starting to return, now he had to deal with both the physical, and mental emotional pain.
"Then follow me, we'll go to the front desk and get your bill." The doctor sighed. "I'm sorry." He let Ed go out the door first, then looked back at Al, and left.
Al was crying, he was trying to sniff back the tears but he was all choked up, "No brother. You promised me. I owe you my life… I can't just sit by here and let you die and leave me here all alone. It's like the past all over again… I can't let you do this to me. We're all we have, if you admit defeat and die, what's left for me in this world? I can't make it. I can't go on alone. I had to be with you Ed, I thought you knew that, I thought you figured it out when I stowed away and even came to this world! It was all for you Ed, to be with you!" He wiped his eyes and stood up. "If you've given up Ed, then I will just have to go fight for you. After all… you'd do the same for me." Al walked out of the room. "Or have you forgotten brother… about equivalent exchange…?"