:When Time is Limited:

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA, but I do own the experience Roy had in the waiting room of the hospital… damn kids.

The screeching sounded again. That horrible screech that haunted him. Those glaring red eyes that haunted him from the one who inhabited it. He looked around in terror, his mind going out of focus and back in. Continuing his walk he saw colors move past him at incredible speeds. Nothing was familiar and he sensed that something else must have been wrong. He walked down a narrow hallway. The screech sounded again. That vile sound. Everything seemed to be speeding up, even the movements around him. He struggled to keep focus and quickly turned into a doorway. He wanted everything to slow back down again, as he held his head. His eyes hurt from all the fast movements and thoughts that popped up in his head.

What was happening? Stop it! Why did I go through this door? Why won't the noise stop! It hurts damnit! Stop it STOP IT! STOP-

"Edward?"

His eyes flashed open and his vision came into focus from a blur. He looked around quite flustered.

"Huh…what?" he replied. He was in a different room, but obviously still in the hospital.

"Edward? Is that you?" a familiar voice spoke out to him. He squinted his eyes in the darkness of the room until he backed up in shock from who he saw.

" A-Aunt Pinako?"

The face smiled back slightly and nodded.

"W-What are you doing here?" Edward's voice slightly squeaked. It was finally beginning to change with his age.

"That's what I would like to ask you."

Edward's eyes hit the floor and he looked down.

"But of course I'm just glad to see you're alright. It doesn't matter why you're here now, as long as you're better."

He nodded at her words and looked up at her smiling slightly.

" so why are you here?"

The room suddenly felt like it had frozen over as he saw her grim expression and regretted the words he just spoke. Edward's smile faltered and quickly died.

"I want you to take care of Winry, alright?"

"No…" He said realizing what her words meant.

"And Den and your brother too."

He flinched at hearing the word 'brother', but shook his head and walked closer to her.

"Don't be silly, you'll get better and well leave this place and go back to Resenbol."

She shook her head silently and looked off into the distance of the room.

Edward watched her for a while until she spoke again. He looked down.

"You'll promise me right?"

"Yea..." his voice cracked.

"Don't worry alright?" Pinako smiled kindly at him. He looked up making a falsie attempt to return the smile.

"I'll come to see you in the morning than."

"Alright." She said and watched Edward leave. That was probably the last person she would see.

Edward stumbled to the door slightly and shut it silently behind him before walking away through the hall. 'I better get back to his room before the nurses noticed that he had gotten out.' He thought without a backwards glance of doctors running in panic to the room he had just left.

Roy looked up towards the radio in the waiting room absolutely agonizing over the children's songs that played on it, and the small children who danced around singing horribly off tune. This was worse than the punishments when he was a solider who disobeyed orders. Now he was a colonel, and is still being punished. His eyes rolled to the clock. It was 10 in the morning. He had stayed the night; his back was cricked in the chair he slept in, and unpleasantly awoken at 5 am for the news, than from 6am to present, the children's songs played. Damn the radio stations and there Saturday morning music. He stood up and stretched yawning loudly to drown out the sound of the music. One of the little girls that he thought looked a lot like Riza came up and kicked him in the shin. He yelped and jumped back in his chair.

"You be quite." She said in her small and demanding voice that reminded him of Riza once again.

He nodded and the child seeing she got her point across smiled and ran off giggling to play. Roy watched the children for a while before he stood up again and left to the cafeteria.

"I never want to have children." He muttered a little traumatized. "I wonder if the food here is any better than H.Q.'s"

His stomach growled in reply. He would have to report to Riza to smooth things over too, but first he would eat.

Edward woke up the next morning groggy and with a headache. He rolled over in bed to see a small menu on the table, and checked off the food he wanted. He also checked off orange juice as the drink, and yet they always gave him milk. He found that annoying. He rolled on his back again and stared at the ceiling. 'What happened last night?' he thought dully. Suddenly remembering he sat up in bed with a shock. He climbed out and tried to run to the door until the IV in his arm tugged and made him flinch, he grabbed the pole that the IV suspended from and dragged it with him. He looked down the hallway trying to remember his trip from the night before, finding that it wasn't as easy as he had hoped. Finally in the correct direction he found himself looking at the door he had entered the night before. He put his hand on the doorknob and entered the room. The smell of cleaner hit his nose as he noticed the bed empty and sheets stripped from the mattress as the floor was freshly mopped and cleansed glistened through the light of the window. He rechecked his surroundings thinking he entered the wrong room.

Doctor Thomas appeared from behind him, his eyes glazed over from an evident lack of sleep. Edward turned around and looked up at him. The doctor held out a piece of paper and Edward took it hesitantly and watched the doctor walk away.

He slowly unfolded the piece of paper. It was a note, he read:

Dear Edward,

I will probably be gone by the time you read this. I hope you remember our promise. I leave you in charge of Winry and to take care of her. Please tell her that if I am gone, not to be sad and find herself a good husband. Tell her to keep pursuing her dream of making the best auto mail in the world too. Tell your brother not to worry either. I'm sure we'll meet again someday. Thank you for being like a son to me, and more importantly take care of yourself.

Love,

Pinako Rockbell.

Edward dropped the letter in shock and fell to his knees in anguished sobs. His head began to hurt even more as he mourned for the one who was like a mother to him when his real mother had passed away. Now another had.

Doctor Thomas walked around a corner when he heard the anguished screams. Shaking his head as he quietly mourned in his own guilt, feeling his heart being stabbed with pain for not being able to save the patient. He was too young for this job, he could tell he was as he went into his office locking the door and sunk in his chair at his desk sobbing silently to himself so no other workers could hear him in his locked office.

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((AWSOME! Poor Pinako.. poor Doctor… poor Edward. OH WELL! FEAR MY HEARTLESS SELF! Anyways, Roy's experience in the waiting room is actually based on one of mine at one point. I mean it's the real deal there man. I had cut my hand open really bad once and needed stitches so we waited in the emergency waiting room while I'm nearly bleeding to death for 11 hours, and the only source of entertainment was children's books and a marathon of fosters home for imaginary friends on television. TALK ABOUT AGONY! AGHHH! Oh well please review! REVIEW! If you do this, I'll give you a virtual cookie! A NICE BIG ONE! -

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