Ed and Al stood outside the door to the lab room, the hall was empty other then their selves. Ed stood a few inches from the door, staring down at the knob. Al was a few feet behind him watching his every move with a face slightly tensed with worry.
"Are you alright brother?" Al asked but got no reply. "Are you ready?"
"I'm... nervous." Ed spoke quietly, his voice shaking with fear a little bit.
"It's okay to be scared, brother. I'm scared too." Al stepped forward and stood beside him, following his similar motion of staring downwards in thought. "But I know everything will end up being alright, as long as we're here in this together."
"But Al, what if it doesn't work, and after all this I still..."
"But what if not Ed?" Al cut him off quickly, not wanting to hear him say the last word in that thought. Al sighed and turned back away from his brother. "If we don't try, we'll never know. Trying is the first step towards victory and success."
"Yes, but also to failure..."
"You're a winner Ed, with you fighting we can't loose."
Ed made a face mixed between a smirk and a grimace but turned up to Al, "I dunno really how else to respond to that remark, other than, thanks Al."
Al smiled, "You're welcome Ed."
"So. Are you boys going to be going inside anytime soon?"
"Ah!" Al and Ed gasped and whirled around to see the head nurse in charge of the study.
She blinked but smiled with a warm chuckle down at them and went in between the two to open the door, "Now shall we begin?"
"Uh, yeah, sure..." Al nodded and took a step after her. "Hey, you coming brother? ...Ed?" Al turned back to him a little worried, but this time Ed was smirking to himself.
"Funny Al, this is gonna be interesting."
"Huh, what? Why do you say that?"
"Did you get a good look at her face?" Ed smirked up at Al who blinked back his response. "She looks just, like teacher."
"Ah." Al gasped and turned back around to see her talking with one of the assistant doctors. "Wow Ed yeah, you're right!" He smiled.
Ed put his hands in his pockets and stepped through the doorway, "Just hope she doesn't hit as hard..."
"Brother..." Al followed.
"Well Ed." The nurse put her hand down on the exam table. "Are you ready to begin?"
Ed took a deep breath and hopped up, sitting down to face her, "Well, I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
"Good then." She snapped on a glove and the sound of it made Ed cringe as it shot through his ears. She blinked and looked at him, "You alright?"
"Yeah, sure." Ed smirked. "I just really hate that sound."
She laughed slightly, "It's alright, I get that a lot so I understand. Oh, by the way, I didn't introduce myself properly last night." She smiled warmly and stuck out her hand. "I'm Nurse Shelly Rosemary."
Ed extended his hand with a warm smile back, "Nice to meet you. Well let's get this over with then."
Shelly picked up the clip board, "Couldn't have said it better myself. Oh wait, here." She pulled out a bottle and handed it to Ed.
He took it and read the label, "What's this?"
"The pain medication, you might want to take the first dose right now before we begin."
"Ah I see." Ed lowered his brow and followed her directions, swallowing them without hesitation to complain. In the back of the room Al was watching, he knew what Ed was thinking, would it be so bad that he had to take the pain pills right now at the start? "Alright." Ed closed his eyes and nodded, looking back up at her again. "I'm ready now."
"Good then." She nodded with a grin. "Then let's begin. Now, once we begin you know everything's going to be different."
"My life has already forever changed... many times." Ed replied quietly.
Nurse Rosemary didn't really quite know how to respond, "Oh, I see then. Well, alright, get ready."
"Okay." Ed nodded and scooted over on the exam table and laid down on his back, staring up at the ugly off white ceiling above.
"I'm going to begin now, so please relax Mr. Elrick."
"Sorry." Ed released his clench on the plastic sheet underneath his tense body.
"Don't worry." Nurse Rosemary took out a thermometer and shook it. "I'm the best when it comes to this, and I'm going to do all I can to ensure that you will win and live." She smiled at him, but all Ed's reply was opening his mouth in awaiting the thermometer. She sighed a bit but went ahead and began procedures. "I'm going to give you some drugs to knock you out, so just stay calm." She picked up an IV and Al saw Ed's eyes get wide, but he noticed Al glancing at him and so he calmed down, closed his eyes and allowed the needle to find it's way pricked into his arm. "Good job Ed."
"Thanks." Ed said muffled behind closed lips around the thermometer.
"Brother..." Al grew nervous now in watching, he sat down and waited as they began to work on his older brother.
As the days went by, and the procedures went on, the tests became more strenuous and more in depth. But Shelly believed they were making great progress, the cancer in his stomach was still malignant and active, but when it had moved to other, more vital organs, and starting into his intestines it became benign so was easier to take care of with treatment. Ed became a lot quieter a person, Al noticed a lot of changes in his personality. And also in his appearance. They'd given him a new, strict diet to improve his health and maintain his body as they would apply the chemo radiation in later weeks. But Ed's body tone changed as well, and most notable to Al was his hair, it had become much shorter (much like how he had it in London once he'd gone onto the other side of the gate in the television series) and he seemed to do things with a lot more care and a lot less energy. Al felt a little guilty, for he knew that every time Ed looked at him he was reminded of his cause, the purpose to keep on going to try and live. Al began to wonder, with all that was happening to Ed now, if it was really worth it, if they'd come to far, and if it was all for nothing...? A few months had passed, and amazingly enough the treatment was working, the doctors finally believed the cancer had been removed from his body without surgery, so it was time to do a follow up exam. Nurse Rosemary came to Ed once the results of the physical examination were complete. (I didn't wanna go into the whole ordeal, I want to move on with the story so I spared the details so I can continue.)
"Well Ed I have good news for you." She was smiling. Ed looked up at her, hope returning to his almost lifelessly dull eyes. "The procedure was a success, the cancer in your vital organs and intestines have been completely dissolved and the cancer in your stomach is almost gone, all that remains is the active ulcer which we can treat easily with medication and you continuing your new diet."
"So you mean then, that..." Ed gasped, it seemed so long, he'd gone through so much, so was he really now going to be...
"Everything will be just fine." She wore a big grin.
"Brother!" Al gasped happily. "You see, you did it! You won, you're going to live!"
"Yeah, alright!" Ed jumped up and down. Nurse Rosemary watched and smiled as the two brothers hugged and jumped up and down together. But their excitement was short lived as Ed broke down into a very harsh coughing fit, keeling at the waist and backing up against the wall for support.
"Brother...?" Al gasped, a bit more nervous now again.
"Are you alright, what's wrong?" One of the doctors asked.
Nurse Rosemary frowned and readied the stethoscope from around her neck and placed it on Ed's chest as he finished the fit, "Take a deep breath Ed, please." Ed took a deep breath and let it out, it helped to end the fit. "This is bad, something's wrong."
"Is it the cancer?" Al asked, worried.
"No, I don't think so." She fumbled in her coat pockets and pulled out a plastic stick. "Ed, open your mouth."
"Ah." Ed obeyed and let her examine down his throat.
"This is what I thought..." She studied him carefully and noticed small traces of blood down his throat. "I didn't think this was possible, but..."
"Aht...?" Ed tried to ask with his tongue pressed.
Nurse Rosemary sighed and stood up, letting Ed get free, "I'm afraid during the chemo radiation therapy your body becomes more susceptible to things with your immune system weakened."
"So what's wrong with me now Shelly?"
"I think, it's the same lung ailment you say Alphonse had..."
"What?" Ed froze, his eyes wide.
"I didn't think it would progress, upon initial examination I saw that you had a light case of it, but I didn't think anything of it. I never realized that it would get worse after treatment, but..."
"But, he said..." Ed flashed back.
Alphonse and Ed were arguing, Alphonse coughed harshly and spat up blood, much to Ed's horror, "I don't have much time left to live, Edward..."
Ed shook his head back in reality, "So then, all of this pain and suffering, all of this for a tainted victory... IT WAS ALL FOR NOTHING!?" Ed yelled but coughed.
"No Edward." Nurse Rosemary spoke shakily from his tone. "We can..."
"SHUT UP!" Ed's roar startled her to freeze.
"Brother, no..." Al's eyes shook.
"Screw this!" Ed jumped up and ran out of the room.
"Wait! No ED! Come back!" Al rushed to the door, but Ed had already left the sight of the hall. "No, no brother, no... don't do this... we've come so far, we were so close... don't give up on it now Ed, please... I'M BEGGING YOU!!!"