A/N: And so with this chapter we conclude the story. So sad. Give it an amazing send off with LOTS of reviews! Only one review for the last chapter, so sad :( Aaaanyways, read and enjoy!

All About the Jell-O

Roy Mustang walked through the hospital leaving the room of James Patterson finally being relieved of that burden by the soldiers he'd called in to guard him. Patterson's burns were bad enough to permanently cripple him but not kill him. Mustang felt no sympathy. It was a better fate than he deserved. The atmosphere was calm and quiet now that they were here and the sudden shift from anxious, tense, and angry was so great it left him feeling a little lightheaded. His next stop was Falman's room. He chuckled slightly shaking his head. That man was definitely in for some intensive sparring as soon as he healed. With the whole team. He was sure to moan and beg for mercy. He wouldn't get it.

Alphonse and Edward were the two extremes of the group when it came to sparring. Alphonse would teach more than fight, except when with Edward, and Edward would mercilessly kick butt and expect Falman to rise to the occasion or suffer. The rest of his team landed at varying degrees between the two. He popped his head into the room to find his subordinate complaining that he'd been given blue Jell-O when he'd asked for green. Vato spotted his commander and gave him a high-as-a-kite grin, the pain killers hard at work, then went back to poking the offensively wrong dessert with his spoon. Mustang smiled and moved on towards the next room. Falman was pretty banged up, his leg and wrist both broken and in casts, several shallow cuts, a large bump on the back of his head, and a handful of stitches for the knife wound that had been extremely lucky and didn't hit any arteries or organs. The doctor said that he could leave the next morning if he was under constant supervision and bed rest.

Next was Maes room. His condition was still considered critical considering his throat was swollen so that he could barely breathe even with the air mask. There was talk of intubating but they were trying to hold off on that to avoid further aggravation to this throat. He still needed blood transfusions after losing so much of his own, the stab wound having sliced an artery. He had a hairline fracture to his jaw, moderate concussion, three bones broken in one hand and two cracked in the other, and several cracked ribs. Barring complications his prognosis was good but he would be in the hospital for several days at least. He poked

He poked his head in quietly to see the man still horribly pale but sleeping comfortably the lines of pain finally melted away. He had a cloth, near frozen, laid softly over his neck to help reduce the swelling. Hawkeye sat with him in peaceful silence no longer a mess with blood. She looked up gave him an acknowledging nod and he returned it then moved on. He didn't want to disturb his friend's rest and knew he was in good hands with Hawkeye by his side. He was about to enter Elric's room, noting the light was off, when he heard a pained groan and paused to listen.

"Head hurts" he could hear Full Metal faintly. Roy swallowed harshly. He sounded so frail. He never sounded frail.

"I know, the doc said they couldn't give you anymore meds for the pain with the other drug still in your system and the concussion, I've got an ice pack though, maybe it will help" Mustang heard Havoc. He figured this was where he'd find the man. If Havoc was anything he was fiercely protective and loyal. It was no surprise that he'd developed a soft spot for the kid.

"Wanna go home" Elric moaned clearly in misery judging by how he sounded alone. Patterson had been real rough on him.

A mess of broken ribs, the port of his auto mail arm was damaged some and had done a bit of bleeding, his head had to be rest itched and his jaw was covered in butterfly bandages, his wrist had a hairline fracture and was shredded from the wire. His ankle had fared better but was pretty torn up too. The drugs had started to wear off a few hours ago which had left him as alert as his concussion allowed, thankfully without skull fractures, and in total misery. Roy found himself wanting to slip on his little white glove and pay another visit to Patterson, though he would never show Elric just how much it hurt to see him like this.

"I know, go back to sleep I'll see if I can get the doctor to release you. You can stay at my place" if Ed answered the Colonel didn't hear as the door in front of him swung open and he was suddenly nose to nose with Jean. Roy moved out of the way as Havoc stepped out pulling the door shut softly.

"How is he?" Stupid question but he asked anyways.

"Awful, but he'll feel better with some sleep and going home" Havoc explained running a hand roughly through his hair. He looked exhausted.

"What about the drug in his system?" he already knew most of the answers having gotten a quick summary of the kid's, and everyone else's, condition as soon as they'd been treated but it eased the last of his tension to discuss it for some reason.

"He was slightly overdosed but is out of danger from it now. They said they're mostly keeping him here for observation as none of his injuries were critical. Broken bones, some bruising on his internal organs, painful but not life threatening apparently so I figure I'll spring him and he can be miserable at my place instead of a hospital" Havoc shoved his hands in his pockets. He could really use a cigarette right now. Stupid hospital rules.

"Did Patterson-" It was the one thing he hadn't been told yet.

"No, no he didn't get that far, we saw the worst of it" Havoc interrupted. It had been the greatest relief of the night knowing that Patterson hadn't gotten what he was after. Mustang abruptly changed course veering away from Havoc and rounding on Feury who sat cross legged in a chair looking like he were in heaven as he held a small dish of wobbly-wobbly blue goodness.

"Isn't that Falman's Jell-O?" Roy demanded arms crossing his chest, eyebrow arched accusingly, as he towered over the Sergeant who suddenly looked like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Havoc grinned at the two as he made his way to the nurse's station. The woman at the desk held up a finger for him to wait a moment while she was on the phone. He leaned against the counter and waited patiently watching the older woman with grey hair idly and without any particular interest. The original plan had been to get everyone here and their conditions stabilized, this was the closest hospital after all, then get a transfer to another hospital but had arrived to find the shift changed and a whole new competent staff had replaced the previous so they abandon their plan.

"Thanks for waiting, what can I do for you young man?" she smiled pleasantly. Havoc thought she must be bout the same age as General Grumman.

"I'm here to get discharge papers for Edward Elric" the staff may be competent now but if Ed didn't want to be here he certainly wasn't going to make him stay.

"Elric huh? Well let's see," she murmured to herself looking through the files quickly pulling his out and glancing it over, "Sorry but no" she replied snapping the file shut as she put it back in its place.

"Um no? What do you mean no?" Havoc grumbled starting to get wound up again like he had with the first nurse.

"I mean no, you can't have discharge papers because you can't take Elric yet" she wasn't even looking at him as she flipped through a large stack of papers.

"Now you listen to me! I'm a 2nd Lieutenant in the milit-" he began whipping out the same spiel as he had with the first nurse. It worked so well that time after all.

"And I am a Brigadier General, retired, and I can guarantee my gun is bigger than yours" she interrupted calmly whipping out a gun, so fast that Havoc never saw her arm move, that was so big it threw him completely in shadow. Havoc's eyes bugged out as he gaped then suddenly tucked tail and ran.

"Colonel Mustang Colonel Mustang!" he squawked grabbing his superior by the shoulders and whipping him around so he was between himself and the gun like a shield being pushed towards the station with the Lieutenant cowering behind him. Feury took the distraction as opportunity to slink away to safety with Falman's Jell-O.

"Havoc! What the heck are you doing? What'd you do to make her pull a gun!" Mustang growled still being pushed forcefully.

"I just asked for Ed's discharge papers! How can such a dainty woman even lift that gun!" he stammered utterly intimidated.

"Get off me! Stop it! Go sit with Elric. Go!" Roy yanked himself free shoving Havoc towards the hall and gave him a commanding do or die stare. Havoc scowled and went off looking like a dog kicked out of the house for being bad.

"You really got your hands full with that one eh?" the nurse chuckled putting away her gun.

"Don't I know it! So, what's this mess he's made me have to straighten out for him?" roy asked rubbing his temple feeling a headache coming on.

"Oh nothing really, he was trying to get Elric discharged and didn't like getting a no and tried to pull his military rank on me. I found from personal experience that it saves a lot of time to pull a big gun at that point" she explained her demeanor chipper and pleasant.

"Ah, so what can we do about springing him? From what I hear he's down to just close observation and bed rest. Can't he do that somewhere more comfortable than a hospital?" might as well see what he could do to make Havoc and Elric happy now that he was in the middle of it.

"Yes he could but with the bruising to his internal organs, which could become lacerations if he's not careful, and the quantity of that drug in his system we want to observe him longer than the few hours he's been here" she explained glancing at the clock. Almost midnight.

"So when's the soonest he can leave?" have at least a time estimate for Havoc or suffer. He knew it.

"Hmmmm," she glanced at his chart again, "let's say tomorrow afternoon and that's a big maybe given his condition."

"Alright thank you, my apologies about my subordinate. Sometimes I feel more like a high school principal than a Colonel in the military"

0o0o0o0o0o0

As it turned out the hospital was willing to release Ed around the early evening though with some reluctance. His condition was stable, the possible complications didn't occur, and the drugs that Patterson had administered were now out of his system. Havoc sat next to his bed, Elric still deeply asleep, as the doctor explained how he had to have complete bed rest and only be allowed up when in need of the bathroom. Even then he was to be supported and supervised. He was given a handful of medications to prevent infection, respiratory complications from the little debris that made it to his lungs, and a few pain killers that he definitely needed. He repeated it all back to the fussy doctor to prove he understood the instructions sighing with relief when the man left.

He began to pack up Ed's things, which wasn't much, pocketing the silver watch which had been recovered from Patterson, and once finished gazed at the young alchemist. The dark circles under his eyes attested to his level of exhaustion and he didn't really want to disturb the boy. He managed to wake him enough to give him his first of many pain pills then waited for it to kick in before helping him to get dressed to leave. He ended up doing most of the work since Ed had sat up, rubbed his eyes blearily then stared into space his capacity to function severely reduced between the pills and the concussion. Havoc did his best to maintain Ed's dignity as he dressed him, grateful that the hospital had let him wear his boxers under the pathetic paper gown, and ended up doing the task as quickly as possible instead since the boy probably wouldn't remember this anyways.

"Alright Ed, you gotta wake up again, it's time to go, Hawkeye is waiting for us in the car" Ed nodded rubbing the sleep from his eyes again, unsuccessfully, and managed to get to his feet only to way, head hung low with exhaustion, legs threatening to collapse. Havoc just shook his head having expected this and scooped him up into his arms, head resting on one shoulder, arm slung over the other, draped a coat over him to prevent a chill and went out to meet Hawkeye.

"You certainly seem to be enjoying" she commented with a wistful smile starting the car once he got settled in the passenger seat with Ed still laying against him, asleep, the lines of pain softened greatly compared to the previous night.

"I can't deny it. I'm enjoying having someone I can treat like a little brother"

0o0o0o0o0o0

The next several days were a blur for Ed. A series of moments waking then drifting away again with the pain as a dull aching constant. The first time he woke it was to a blur with Havoc telling him to go back to sleep, that he was home and safe then placing a blessedly cold damp cloth over his sore and slipping away again. The next time it was to a sound that he couldn't identify at first then realized it was the sound of Falman, propped up in a recliner, bandaged and bearing a few casts, snoring loudly. There was a blur of vague memories of Havoc giving him pills and holding a bowl of some broth for him to sip at but he couldn't be sure. Maybe they were strange dreams.

Then he woke, knowing it wasn't a dream this time, to see Hughes tucked in and asleep on the second couch looking pale and watching as Falman leaned over the side of his recliner dangerously far and unbalanced trying to reach for a plate cookies. Freshly baked by the wafting scent of them, then going tumbling to the floor with a loud crash. Riza Hawkeye seemed to materialize out of thin air lecturing Vato sharply as she gently, for her at least, propped him back in his chair, ordered him to stay put and walked off in a huff taking the plate of cookies with her. Ed drifted off to sleep thinking the man looked like he was about to cry.

Some time later, he didn't know how much, Colonel Mustang was there sitting befor ehim asking what he remembered of what happened, which was hardly anything, then explaining how he'd been attacked and kidnapped from the nearby park and in the rescue attempt Hughes and Falman had been injured but everyone would be ok. He didn't ask any details about it not finding it worth the energy and never suspected the story had been somewhat edited. There moments where he woke to Hughes waving at him with a tired smile while eating blue Jell-O, Falman eating green Jell-O, Alphonse, whom he'd sorely missed, appearing and venting his worries in the form of a lecture about safety. Then Winry came, also lecturing him, more gently than usual and without the bashing of a wrench no less, promising to reattach his auto mail arm when he felt up to it.

Finally he awoke to the sight of a plate of red Jell-O feeling sore and achy yet rested. He stared at it for a while listening to the sounds of laughter and conversation realizing for the first time that he was at Havoc's house. His gaze traveled the room slowly finding Maes Hughes first. He was propped up on the couch, thick warm blanket stucked all around him, a small meal and glass of orange juice on a food tray next to him, still looking too pale with a good book in hand and was fast asleep. The sight made Ed smile a bit. Then he found the rest of the crowd at the table, Havoc, Mustang, Winry, Hawkeye, Alphonse, Feury, and even Falman with his clunky casts all holding up cards deep in a game of poker. He pulled himself to sit up with a groan immediately wrapping his arm around his ribs once he was upright attracting the attention of the others.

There was a rush of hellos and inquiries about how he felt which eventually settled into them trying to keep him included in the general conversation, though he wasn't allowed to join the card game or get off the couch, but he found he didn't have the energy and contented himself with watching quietly as he pulled the red jiggly temptation to his lap and began to devour it. He grinned enjoying watching them play their game, Feury surprisingly wiping the floor with them, suddenly remembering why the Colonel's hair was that embarrassing shade of pink. As he sat there watching he realized that they may squabble, bicker, play cruel pranks, and argue, especially with the Colonel and himself, but they were a team and that he was part of the team now. And as he sat there savoring his wiggly red delight he realized something more.

They'd always be there to pull him out of the fire.

A/N: Well? Didn't feel like I rushed the end at all did it? It shouldn't because I was in no hurry for this to end. I really hope you liked it and keep your eyes peeled because I have another story to post very soon. It's for all you Fuery lovers!