I don't own FMA, but I do own the various original characters and plot line of z story.
la la la late by almost six hours, I'm sure it will be six by the time I finish editing.
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Time passed in its regular fashion for the next week. Riza spent the night at Roy's reading her book or doing her paperwork. Roy woke up early breakfast and his morning showers. Jean spent his free time with Schiezka. What people would take note of later was Schiezka's illness. She came down with a horrible strain of the flu the day after being served by the runny-nosed, glassy-eyed, scratchy-voiced waiter. Jean didn't let that stop him for seeing her, and regularly visited her after he switched off with Riza.
Schiezka stopped trying to reason him away when he gave her information about the interactions between Roy and Riza. Once, he had walked in to find Riza doubled over in laughter from something Roy had said. Another day, while he ate his plate of scrambled eggs she had saved for him, he watched her pretending to read her newspaper while she was watching Roy play tug-of-war with Hayate. Jean didn't miss the smile that crept onto her face during the event. Sometime during the week Roy had made it a habit to help her into her coat before she left. Jean even grumbled to Schiezka about being dragged out to the market on Roy's day off—he insisted on buying a new shower curtain.
The day Schiezka returned to work Jean stepped into Roy's apartment without the usual cigarette in his mouth. He found it hard to keep in place when he was coughing every few minutes. The smell of breakfast made him turn green. Riza held her hand to his forehead and gave him a scowl. "Go home, you won't be of any use today," she told him.
Roy held the towel in his hand a little tighter than usual. "Why's he going home?" he asked.
"He's sick, let me call HQ and find out what they want us to do." The next thing Roy heard was her question to the officer she was speaking with, "Two days, Sir?"
"Yes, it seems the assignment has caused a shortage of officers here in Central, but we'll get someone to replace him as soon as we can," the voice on the other end of the line told her.
"Thank you, Sir," Riza said and hung up.
Both Roy and Riza were suddenly glad for the red shower curtains that now hung in Roy's bathroom. Riza leaned against the wall outside his bathroom and listened to the running water of the shower. Her mind wandered to the downsides of the turn of events. One, she would have to take a shower at one point or another. Two, was her laundry. She hadn't had time to take her uniforms into the cleaners, and she was wearing her last clean one. She had planned on dropping them off when Jean replaced her, and picking them up the day after. At least Roy's days off were coming up—she wouldn't have to go in the office after today, so she could get away with wearing civilian clothing.
Kain, Heymans, Julie, and Vato were more than surprised when the smell of Jean's cigarettes didn't reach them before Roy entered the office, but they were shocked to find the blond that entered the room behind Roy was a female-was Riza.
Riza knew the glances they sent to each other, and she proceeded to answer their question, "Havoc is out sick. Second Lieutenant Mrow will take over his paperwork while I am present." Hayate barked to emphasize her orders. Heymans willed himself to become invisible to the little creature that was sniffing at Kain's feet.
Riza waited for Julie to change desks, but she didn't move. "Second Lieutenant, my desk, please," she said pulling rank on the raven-haired officer.
Julie turned her sub-polar blue eyes on the blonde only to find a fiercer glare in the fiery eyes. She gathered her bag and some pens, and then marched over to Jean's desk in a huff.
Riza closed her book with a tired sigh—it was even better the second time around. Joseph and Elizabeth had finally reunited and made it back to Elizabeth's grandfather, but now they faced the wrath of the Armestrian government—Drachma claimed the treaty had been violated and declared war.
Roy looked over at her when he heard the sigh escape her lips. He couldn't believe that hey hadn't sent a replacement yet. Soldiers in war even got a decent night's sleep every other day. He took a deep breath to prepare himself for trying to talk reason into her. From the way her head drooped forward and then jerked back up he wondered if her would have to try at all. "Riza?"
"Hmm," was her hummed response, like she was too tired to form actual words.
"Everyone needs some sleep at one point or another. You've been on the clock for over seventy-two hours now. I'll be awake—don't worry about me for a few hours. Besides, how could you protect me in that condition? It took you fifteen minutes to read those last two pages."
"I'm fine," she mumbled, rapidly blinking her eyes to keep them from slipping out of focus. Each blink burned her dried out eyes. Hayate nuzzled at her hands folded in her lap, as if coaxing her to listen to Roy. "They'll send someone soon," she tried reassuring herself, but the words were mumbled, and she could hardly understand herself.
"They should have sent someone the first day Havoc got sick," Roy protested.
"I'll be fine." Riza snapped, and then frowned at her outburst.
Roy held back a laugh. He'd seen many sides of Riza Hawkeye over the years, but this was the only time he could ever truly classify her mood as grumpy. He took a seat on the couch beside her. "I'm not commanding you to rest, but asking you. Consider it a request from a friend concerned about your health," he said, smiling at her—his hand itched to hold hers.
She slowly turned her heavy head in his direction He understood her inquisitive glance. "I promise I won't move from this spot, and if I hear anything suspicious I'll wake you," he said.
It only took a moment for her to fall asleep. He recognized the breathing pattern of her sleep as easily as she did his. He let her head rest on his shoulder. His flesh crawled—in a good way—at her warm breath creeping down his chest. The first time she shifted into a more comfortable position he realized she would be very sore when she work up. "I guess I'll have to move," he said to nobody in particular, maybe he had been talking to the black and white dog staring at him. Roy slowly moved away from Riza and stood from the couch. He stared at her for a second before gently picking her up in his arms and carrying her to his room.
He placed her on his bed with as much care as he would have given a newborn. Hayate curled up at her feet like usual. He licked the bottom of her boots—the only military issued apparel she was wearing—and Roy considered removing them, but knew she would need them on if anything happened.
He decided he would demand a replacement as soon as they got to the office in the morning, so Riza could go home and get a proper sleep.
If Riza had been awake she would have been able to feel the murderous intent focused on Roy's dimly-lit bedroom window.
In a vacant apartment on the second floor of the building directly across the street a tattooed right arm pulled binoculars away from a scarred, dark-skinned face. The softer glow alerted him to the fact that at least one of the officers was asleep. He didn't mind waking either of them—one was a state alchemist, and the other had shot at him before—they were his enemies. His right arm pulsed in anticipation. "Just a few hours more," he told himself.
Riza woke at the first gentle shake he gave her shoulder. When Roy saw her eyes blink open he put a finger to his lips fro quiet and gestured for her to listen. It had been Hayate's ears pricking up that had alerted him to the soft scraping noise of the lock on his apartment door being picked. Roy wondered if he had locked the dead bolt, but the sound of footsteps in his apartment informed him that he hadn't.
Riza whispered for Hayate to stay, and she got to her feet pulling out both of her guns from her thigh holsters. Roy's gloves looked out of place on his hands with the rest of his dressed for bed. He stood with confidence in his thin flannel pants and white t-shirt—his fingers were already forming a snap. They put their backs to the wall next to the window.
A bullet dug into Scar's left shoulder the second he stepped into the room. Despite the pain, he raised the gun in his left hand and took a shot. He didn't see where it ended up, because a wall of flame cut him off from the pair. He smiled when he didn't hear the bullet connect with drywall. He listened to their officer's voices.
"Are you okay?" Roy asked, examining the blood flowing down her boot creating a puddle on his grey carpet.
"Yeah," she reassured him through gritted teeth. "It was just a lucky shot. I don't think it got the bone." She slowly hitched up her skirt to reveal the bulge in her calf where the bullet had buried itself.
Hayate growled along with Roy. He wouldn't stand for someone hurting his mistress.
Riza fired a round of shots through the fire.
Scar was surprised by her blind accuracy and barely had the chance to duck out of the room. He knew when to retreat.
Roy and Riza were both on edge until the flames died and revealed that Scar had vanished. Hayate trotted out of the room to inspect the apartment.
"What happened Mr. Mustang?" Roy's neighbor called into the open apartment. Roy recognized the voice.
"Call a doctor," Roy shouted back.
A head poked into the room a few minutes later. "Was that the Ishbalan that was in the papers a couple weeks ago that was booking it out of the building?"
"Yes. How long until the doctor gets here Jeff?" Roy asked as he finished tying a strip of one of his shirts around her wound. He saw the way her knuckles went white from the force she was gripping the arms of the chair with.
"'Bout ten minutes," Jeff said, watching Roy slip the boot and sock off of her right foot, and then use the rest of the shirt he had torn to wipe the blood off her leg.
"Do you need anything Riza?" Roy asked. He never was one for waiting.
She shook her head, unwilling to use her voice—lest it give away the pain she was actually feeling.
She noted his gloves soaked in her blood, useless, they wouldn't be helpful if Scar came back. "New gloves, Sir," she told him, her tongue slipping back into military formalities.
Roy's face took on a look of bewilderment. Why did she want gloves? She wasn't even wearing any to begin with. He looked from her hands to her face ready to voice his question, but he followed her pointed gaze to his own hands and scowled at his own stupidity. She hadn't wanted gloves—she was telling him to get a new pair. In the Riza Hawkeye fashion, she was still thinking about work when she should have been worrying about herself. He pulled off the gloves, discarded them on the carpet, and pushed himself up off the ground.
Riza looked from the partial red handprint left on the carpet to Roy wiping his hands off on his white t-shirt. He pulled a pair of the sigil-marked gloves from the top drawer of his bedside table and tugged them on.
Roy's brain was finally catching up to the actions that needed to be taken. It seemed that her blood on his hands had slowed his thought process. Now that they were clean, he knew what else to do.
He hung up the phone just as Jeff led the doctor into the room. Roy cast a brief glance at Hayate—the dog sure had taken a liking to the coffee shop clerk.
Riza didn't pay attention to the doctor's name. She just listened to his commentary as he removed Roy's tourniquet from her leg. Roy looked away as the wound was revealed—he really didn't enjoy looking at bullet wounds. Instead, he looked to her face. She grimaced as the doctor applied pressure around the swollen entry wound. A steady trickle of blood made its way down her leg and added to the stain on the carpet.
The doctor took a rubber strip from his bag. He wrapped it around her leg and tied it tightly just below her knee, so that the skin on the sides of it lost what little color it had.
"This should slow the blood flow. You got lucky tonight Ms. Hawkeye," the doctor said. Riza wondered when they had exchanged names. She couldn't remember his. The doctor continued when neither one explained what had happened, "The bullet seems to have barely missed the fibula and tibia. As a matter-of-fact it might just be planted in the small space between the two bones. Can you move your foot?" He watched her rotate her foot a full circle at the ankle. It was slow, but she was able to. "Good, there doesn't seem to be any damage of tendons. The bullet needs to be removed as soon as possible. I have all the proper equipment, but we need to get you on that bed first."
Roy nodded and began to remove the blankets, stripping his bed down to the layer of sheets. He blinked as Jeff handed him some towels. "What's the dog's name?" Jeff asked motioning to Hayate. Roy answered and asked what the towels were for. "To elevate her leg, and so the blood doesn't soak through the sheets to your mattress.
Roy thanked him and watched as he walked out of the room with Hayate in following behind him. Riza must have commanded the dog to stay out of the room at one point.
Riza heaved her self up from the chair with a sharp intake of breath. Roy dumped the towels on the bed and supported her with his arm wrapped around her back—his hand rested just under her left breast. His mind briefly registered how strange it felt to have her on his left side. If it had been more than a couple steps he would have picked her up. He busied himself digging through the bottom drawer of his bedside table while she got as comfortable as she could for the impromptu surgery. He let out a cry of triumph that gained him the attention of the doctor and Riza when his had met the smooth edge of a cold glass bottle. There was no way he was going to let her be sober through the operation. Hell, he didn't want to be sober.
"What's that?" Riza asked when she saw him hold up the bottle of clear liquid. The doctor shook his head in amusement and sighed. He pulled out his own bottle of clear liquid. His was a sterilizer.
"Vodka, I'll be back in just a minute," he said and left the room before she could protest.
"Is that okay for me to drink?" she asked the doctor.
"I wouldn't over do it, but it wouldn't hurt to have some. It might take your mind off the pain," he answered. He poured some of the sterilizer into a metal bowl and stuck his tools in it—one could never be too careful. Next he pulled on rubber gloves. He waited for the man to come back.
Roy entered with three glasses and poured some vodka into each one. "No thank you," the doctor said when Roy presented him with a glass.
"Not for now, for afterwards," Roy explained and downed the contents of his cup. He let it burn down his throat without the exhale of breath non-drinkers would emit at the sensation. He heard Riza make the very sound behind him, and he turned back around to fill her glass up again. She downed the second glass, by the third glass was used to the burning sensation, and her thoughts got fuzzier. Roy slipped the bottle back into its place ad set the empty glasses on the floor beneath the bed. He quickly pulled the chair up to the bed, and took her hand in his. She'd need something to take the pain out on. Riza squeezed her eyes closed as the doctor cut into her leg with the scalpel. Her leg had become semi-numb from the poor circulation the rubber tie caused, but she didn't want to see what was happening.
General Andrew Sierra entered the room as the doctor discarded the bullet into the bowl of alcohol where it fizzled. "Now, I'll just sew it up real quick, and we're done," the doctor told Roy and Riza, but he was more than sure the comment was lost on the latter.
"What is the situation Colonel?" Andrew asked. Roy gave him a half-hearted salute and explained. Andrew tucked his cap under his arm and dug a hand into his silvered hair. "I see. We'll let her rest here until the morning, and then she'll have to take medical leave at least until the stitches come out. I'll stay here for the night. We can't have you without a guard."
"Yes, yes, have the bill sent to us. Here, take my card. You can have it sent directly to my office. Thank you for your help. We'll make sure to call you in the future. Would you like an escort home?" Andrew asked as he shook hands with the doctor.
"No thank you, Sir. I live just down the street. Make sure she stays off her leg as much as possible until the stitches come out."
"Nonsense, Son. I've got my car here. Have the driver take you home. He's one of my subordinates. Mustang, I'm going to walk him out to my car, don't get into any trouble," Sierra said.
Roy nodded in response. While Sierra was gone Roy threw the bloodied towels into the corner of his room. He picked up the discarded blankets and covered Riza with a light one. She closed her glassed over eyes and tried to thank him. He shushed her and told her to sleep. She complied with his request and let herself fall into a semi-drunk sleep.
After changing into a clean shirt, Roy left the room and found Jeff sitting on the couch. "Thanks for keeping Hayate occupied and everything else. If you ever need anything don't hesitate to come by," Roy told him.
"Is she okay?" Jeff asked.
"She will be, she's asleep now. Did you hear that Hayate, she's okay," he said looking down at the anxious ball of fur.
Hayate licked Roy's bare feet and scampered down the hall to his mistress. Jeff shook Roy's hand and left. Roy waited for Sierra to get back, and then went back to his seat beside his bed. Sierra brought another chair into the room, and the book he found on the couch. His wife had read the first one, and then she made him read it. He didn't know the second volume was out. He turned to the first page, watching Roy fall asleep slumped over on the bed over the top of the book.
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A.N.-Gah, done!! So, I sat outside in the sun for less than an hour-with sunblock on-and my right arm is now red from my elbow up to my shoulder. Okay on to info about this chapter. I didn't feel like naming the doctor-so I conveniently made Riza not remember his name. Uhm, when typing out the chapter I was really conscious of showing and not telling, so if I've told too much insteading of showing let me know. That's probably the second most important thing I have taken from my creative writing class. Things will really start moving on from this point. Oh, by the way WinglessFairy25 pointed out to me that I had Julie Mrow as a non-comissioned officer-but I've changed her into a Second Liuetenant. And, I know flu's don't usually contain symptoms of coughing/runny nose, but lets just say thiw was an unusual strain of the flu.
Thanks for reviewing: Dailenna, Jennlyn78, Bizzy. UnheardGoodConscience, Your Favorite Plushie, Yun Min, WinglessFairy25, OTP, AAR, Animeluvr8, OneMoreBite, SmokerBabe, BlueRose.xoxo, MoonStarDutchess, Last.Alchemist.Standing, RizaHawkeye9, OblivionEclipse, Mirage992, Breion, Anne Packrat.