"No! No, he-he can't! Y-you're wrong!" Al did not realize how much his voice was increasing.
"Be quiet!" She hissed, "Someone will hear you! Hold him still."
She touched Edward with both hands this time, forcing herself to stay a few more seconds. When she pulled away, she wiped her hands on her cloak as if they were soiled. "Grace Goodness and Light! We can't let anyone see him. Come on."
Al could not move. "Why?"
"We don't want to start a panic, do we?" She gave the armor a shove, "Move! Follow me and keep quiet!"
Al followed her and he kept quiet. He held Edward close and did not feel his body trembling, or the heat from the fever. He followed her down streets and thru allies, until they came to a small house. Even in the dark Al could see the yard was grown over with weeds and a bare tree.
She opened the door, "Inside. Quick."
The door was slammed shut. She slid a bolt closed and three other locks clicked. A candle was lit. "There's a bedroom. Last door on the left. Strip him down to his skin and wait for me!" She ordered.
"Who are you?" Al demanded, "Do you know what's wrong with my brother? Can you help him?" He tried to sound assertive, but there was still an edge of fright to his voice.
She tossed her cloak aside, "Do as you are told, Alphonse Elric, If you wish him to live!"
Al recognized that tone of voice, it reminded him of Teacher, of Winry, of several other very scarey females, "Y-yes, Ma'am." He hurried down the hall.
The last door on the left wasn't really a door, but a beaded curtain. There was a dresser, night table, all covered with papers books, bits of feminine clothing. The floor was fairly cluttered, too, but a narrow path led from the door to the bed. There were clean white sheets on the bed and several pillows. Al gently laid Edward on the bed. His clothing was wet with sweat and blood and vomit and now Al could see he was trembling violently.
"Oh, Brother, please don't die." Al whispered as he pulled his brother's red coat off, discarding it on the floor. "Please." Next the leather jacket, "Don't leave me." Boots. "Alone." Belt and pants. "I'm scared, Brother." Until Edward lay pale and naked and trembling
She burst thru the beaded curtain minutes later, sending them clattering against the wall. Her long black hair was tied back and in her arms a large bowl, towels and fresh sheets, all of which she dropped onto the bed.
"Ana, his breathing sounds horrible." Al worried, "Like-like Brother's drowning."
"I hear it." She started rummaging around in a drawer.
Al had been watching his brother so intently, he did not realize right away that he had called her 'Ana'. Was that her name?
Ana yanked out another drawer and dumped it on the floor, falling to her knees to dig thru the debris. "Hurry. Hurry. Where where where is it...got it!" She sprang up again holding a laundry marker, then crawled onto the bed.
Al watched helplessly as she started drawing on Ed's chest with the marker. He recognized that it was an alchemic array , but not one he'd seen before.
"What are you going to do?" Al asked, voice tight with fear.
Ana did not answer the question, just, "Up! Hold him up, Alphonse!"
She started drawing the same array on Ed's back. When she was done, she positioned the bowl between Ed's knees, "Hold his head over the bowl, but keep him upright. Ready?"
"Ready for what?" Al squeaked.
Ana rubbed her hands together and placed them on Ed's back. A brief flash of purple light and...
Nothing.
Ana shook her head, angry, "No! Shit! Shit! Shit! Come on!" She pressed her hands onto Ed's back again, "I'm not losing you!"
This time the flash was bright red. It shot straight thru Ed's body and lit the whole room in an eerie glow. Ed's head, which had been hanging , suddenly shot up, his eyes wide with shock.