Disclaimer in previous chapters. Please see Author's Notes at the end.

And no, this isn't the last chapter either. ; )

- x -

Winry wasn't going to make this any easier than Pinako was.

He had no plans to tell either of them until nii-san, and more importantly the Tringums, confirmed it was worth the risk to her. Pinako was no longer stable enough to transfer or she would have already been taken back to Resembool by now, as had been originally planned. Obviously there was some deterioration of her condition that had occurred even in the hospital that meant Winry could not adequately care for her at the Rockbell home.

And that might have been deterioration that Patterson didn't know about when he'd written down his thoughts.

Alphonse Elric arranged a pleasant look on his face, climbing the stairs two at a time and nodding to the two corporals stationed outside the main door. They weren't the soldiers assigned to him, but he was certain they reported when he came and went, and he had made the decision immediately to make it as easy on them as possible. He always acknowledged them politely and used the same door when entering or leaving. Hakuro allowed him a remarkable amount of free rein in the hospital and he knew as long as he cooperated, there would be no need for the soldiers that did keep an eye on him to follow more closely than they already were.

He wasn't sure what else his cooperation would earn him, if anything, but at least it meant nii-san had one less thing to worry about.

Al got a nod in return and crossed the main lobby, greeting the squat and business-like woman who ran the admissions and information desk with a smile. He took the stairs to the second floor, where post-surgery and the more intensive care patients were kept, and it was habit that made him glance down the north wing, even as his feet carried him to the south.

Amestrian blue was everywhere; first and foremost this was the HQ hospital, but the number of them, and where they were gathered caught his eye, and after two steps he stopped dead, then immediately changed course. There was pink there, beside the blue, and golden blonde hair. Despite the soldiers' presence she looked quite calm, save her fists, firmly at her sides, and he was able to touch her shoulder before she knew he was there.

"Winry?"

She glanced up at him, concealed anger in her eyes that quickly shifted to chagrin. Her lips were turned down in a frown and she put her hand over his, practically dragging him away from the curious-looking enlisted that was preventing either of them from entering Pinako Rockbell's room.

"I swear you have the worst timing of any man alive, Alphonse-"

"Is this about the automail?" He kept his voice hushed, and was careful to mask his anger as well. They'd known Hakuro was too wrapped up with the others to worry about Ed, but now that the trials were in full swing - that son of a bitch, he was bothering them about the automail at a time like this-

"I don't know. I think so," she added quickly, grabbing his wrist as he started to move back towards the door.

"Is he in there right now?" The hell with cooperation-

"The general already left. They're drawing blood." Her voice held no accusation, only question, and it was enough to derail Al for a few seconds. Drawing blood . . . ?

He turned, allowing himself to be pulled to the opposite side of the hallway, and Winry continued frowning - at him? - and stationed herself in a position to watch both of them. "I know you can't tell me everything, but what did Ed say to the military?"

"Nothing that would . . ." Alphonse trailed off. Drawing blood. "What did they say? Why aren't you in there?"

"I was in there until Hakuro left. They chased me out, but Ackernath is in there now and probably giving them a harder time than I ever could. I don't know if they're trying to confirm her condition because Ed claimed he healed himself or what, but it's pointless since she's receiving transfused blood." It was a half-muttered growl. "The general asked for receipts and the figures from Ed's last automail checkup." Her hand strayed to her back pocket, where Al knew she kept her little black book of customers and their most recent numbers. Something they'd both counted on her having, and asked about just yesterday evening.

Though it was odd that Hakuro wouldn't have taken the entire thing as evidence. "And you showed him, and he just left?"

A scowl. "Pretty much. One of his lackeys copied down the pertinent stuff and then returned it. He asked after granny, polite as pie, and then walked out like he had somewhere more important to be." Her tone became a little less biting. "Please don't tell Ed. He'll have a fit."

Al was considering doing it in his stead. No matter Hakuro's justifications, he'd done it to get to them and it was working. "So you weren't going to tell us that Hakuro was hassling you."

"Nope." She didn't look even remotely apologetic. "If you hadn't needed me to back up the story you wouldn't have told me that Ed was officially ditching the 'automail.' And you're still not telling me something, I can see it all over your face."

She did have a point, and Al sighed loudly, angling so that he could watch Pinako's door as well. How long did it take to draw some blood? Though with Ackernath in there it was extremely unlikely anything like Murly's last stunt would be permitted. "I shouldn't be telling you this either, but he . . . hesitated. He didn't want to give up the armor, I think because it's an excuse for him to see you."

"He's an idiot," she replied, almost automatically. "He'll just have to admit that he wants to see me because he wants to see me."

That was true, and Al gave her a measuring look. "He was also afraid you'd think he was rejecting your work."

That got a smile out of her. "He always rejected my work. No matter how unbelievably awesome the automail I made for him was, I knew it was always second choice to him. It was what he put up with until he got his body back. And half the time he was just saying that for you, you know. You were so hell-bent on making it not just about you, but for him it always was."

Al blinked at her, and she gave him a withering look. "Oh, grow up, Al. We all knew what was going on back then. Or are you giving me that wide-eyed look because we're having this conversation in the hallway?"

"Yes," he said, then cleared his throat. She was right. It wasn't news. He had always insisted on getting Ed's body back because Ed had lost so much just to tie him to that armor. He took so much responsibility for what they did. But also because he felt uncomfortable that Ed was in so much pain, trying so hard, for him. "I've just never heard it put like that. You make it sound like you were . . . second to me."

"Everyone was second to you. But that's okay," she added, the same wistful smile on her face. "That was the price for being close to both of you, and we were all happy to pay it." She still had his wrist, and she slipped her hand down into his. "And I'm not trying to change that."

It was his turn to smile. "I'm sure it'll be an adjustment, but I'll live." The last thing he wanted her to worry about was any possible resentment. She had enough on her plate as it was.

"Great. So tell me whatever it was you weren't going to tell me."

"Forget it," he replied, as Pinako's door opened. Thankfully it wasn't Murly that stepped out, or rather was chased out by the jerky, fast pace of Ackernath, who looked thoroughly disgusted. Neither said a word as they stormed by, and the soldiers glanced at each other before scuttling after them. Al hesitated, hoping at least Ackernath would give him something, but Winry headed immediately back into the room.

"Excuse me, what-"

"Idiocy," Ackernath growled, not even bothering to turn his head as they marched quickly down the hall. "Lunacy. Take your pick, son."

They turned the corner and Al thought about pursuing, but his chances of getting anything more out of either the soldiers or the cranky old man were slimmer than getting them out of Pinako, and so he headed there instead. By the time he entered and closed the door behind him, Winry was sitting on the edge of the mattress.

Pinako looked as she always had, unbelievably tiny in the white bed, not particularly pale nor particularly sick-looking. Just somehow . . . fragile. Her expression hadn't changed at all, though; amusement at theirs, and a bit long-suffering at the questions rolling off Winry's tongue.

"What was the point? Did they tell you? Why'd it take so long? Did they do or ask anything else, or look at your chart, or-"

"I see you collected Alphonse."

Winry huffed. "What can I say, they both like to interfere."

Al waved, trying to look less worried than he felt. "Good morning, Aunt Pinako."

"Good morning, Alphonse. Would you be a dear and hand me my pipe?"

He did as he was asked, despite the fact that Winry was closer and she seemed almost hurt she wasn't asked instead. Once it was tamped and lit he opened the window a crack, and Pinako took a long pull. "It's fine, dears. I'm sure it was to rattle your cage, Alphonse."

"Yeah, well, it did," Al grumbled. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"As alright as I'm going to be," she responded, blowing the silver smoke thoughtfully away from Winry. "A visit from the military to ask about a soldier's automail is nothing new. They do it all the time, to ensure that their soldiers aren't mutilating themselves just for an excuse to get automail. I don't know why you two complain so much about General Hakuro. He was a proper gentleman."

"He better have been."

"Did they tell you why they needed some blood?"

The old eyes cut knowingly to her granddaughter, and Pinako puffed again before replying. "To run a test, I imagine."

"What test could they possibly run on someone getting a transfusion? Surely Ackernath told them-"

"Repeatedly." She said it very fondly, and Al smiled despite himself. At least she was still having fun, even in these circumstances. And maybe they could do something about that, very soon. He picked up her chart, glancing through the history as Winry watched him critically.

"So, you gonna spill or do I need to beat it out of you?"

She was still anemic, even with the transfusions. That was why they'd delayed her release. So she was bleeding out more than they thought, or the bleeding out was still uncontrolled. That was definitely a problem. "They're testing for something that would be in her blood anyway, that wouldn't be affected by the transfusion." Which meant they weren't looking for red cell counts, iron, levels of chemicals or hormones in her blood. They were looking for something else entirely.

They were looking for the virus. Because Patterson had mentioned her in the document. Because he'd taken an interest in her and Hakuro was either using it as an excuse to further worry them or because he was honestly concerned that Patterson would have infected other people near them on Blane's orders, to use as further or future leverage.

And he had no worries that test would come back negative. Patterson would have lied to Avram before he'd have infected Pinako.

"That's obvious, genius. You know what, don't you."

"Well, it's probably classified, but it won't stay a secret forever." The townsfolk still being kept in Central in the dorms would be notified, if they hadn't already, that they were carrying a sleeping virus. "Avram Blane infected the town of Jannai with a virus, inert," he added quickly, as Winry's eyes widened. "Since Patterson was working for him, they're probably taking a sample from any of his patients, or any patients he might have come in contact with, to ensure that virus wasn't given to any of them."

Winry was silent a moment, clearly shocked, and Pinako puffed on her pipe. "But that's ridiculous," Winry finally replied, her tone angry and getting angrier by the second. "He would never have-"

"I know." He hesitated. "Pinako was mentioned by name in a document Patterson left. No, I don't have all the details yet," he said, cutting off Winry's half-formed question. "I just think it might mean they wanted to check, just to make sure, since it was obvious Patterson was thinking of her."

"What kind of document? He never treated her," Winry protested. "He gave her to Ackernath and that was that-"

"That's why I'm sure the test will be negative." Al tried for soothing. "And when I know more about what kind of document, I'll tell you. Since I don't know much I wasn't going to say anything at all, since it's always a zillion questions with you."

Winry closed her mouth but her eyes were narrow, and Al wondered if she could tell he was still holding something back. He was pretty sure the anemia would make them all hesitate, but it would be up to the Tringums to tell them their limits, and even if they were willing to try it at all. Pinako would be able to take that information and not get her hopes up, but Winry would be devastated if it turned out it was still impossible.

"Are you sure you're okay with this, Aunt Pinako? I'd be more than happy to drag Hakuro back in here and make him apologize."

Pinako shifted her pipe. "It's fine, dear. Thank you for thinking of me."

"It's not fine," Winry grumbled, and Pinako shook her head, the pillow crinkling beneath her.

"If you're upset, you've given him something," she reminded them. "Don't you both have anything better to do?"

Al gave her a long look, but eventually took the hint, pulling out his watch. "Nii-san's water therapy should be done by now. I should probably go torment him for a while."

Winry ignored the hint utterly. "I think I'll wait to see if anyone else is stupid enough to come in here to run 'tests.'"

Al swooped in to hug Pinako, who accepted it as she always did. "Are you sure you're all right?" She was probably correct on all counts, but it didn't help his anger one bit. She was only unbothered because she was Pinako Rockbell, if she'd been anyone else she'd be wringing her hands and worrying herself to death over it.

She patted his cheek. "You're developing quite the beard. Hohenheim would approve, I think."

It was a ridiculous answer to point out his ridiculous question. Al gave her a kiss on the cheek and leaned up, dodging Winry as she swung half-heartedly at him.

"Let the lunkhead sleep. And don't say a word."

"Who, me?" She was right; Ed would blow a gasket. Al closed the door quietly behind him as Winry started in on Pinako again and headed to the other wing, carefully filing everything away. If Hakuro had done it to make him worry about the virus, or to undercut Patterson's support, if it was for any reason other than Pinako's welfare, he was going to have a hard time forgiving this. The general already had them both, why involve the Rockbells? He had nothing to gain. Mustang's popularity was going to skyrocket after this, probably in Parliament as well as with the people. He had no hope of proving anything that Mustang had shared with him during their brief period of cooperation, unless one of them gave it to him. Was he really that desperate?

One of Ed's therapists was standing outside his door, and she gave him a smile but didn't move aside as he approached.

"Good morning, Alphonse," she said in a soft voice, gesturing for him to wait, and he did, lowering his voice as well.

"He's sleeping?"

She shook her head. "Dr. Dalyell is administering a test. You can go inside when they're finished." She still said it quietly, as if she didn't want the occupant of the room to hear, and Al gave her a curious look. He knew this was supposedly the last day Ed was going to be confined to his room and he would be allowed to use the wheelchair unrestricted . . . this was probably the evaluation to confirm that, but they hadn't required this level of quiet for any of the other resting heart rate tests-

The nurse hesitated. "The doctor will want to speak to you after the completion of the test. Will you have time?"

- x -

There was a sharp yet distant tug on his arms, and Edward Elric stifled a groan as his body was roughly jostled. Nausea was his close and familiar companion, and he opened his eyes more to get a bearing on which way was up than to figure out what was happening to him.

Blinking didn't help the sea of white come into focus, so he stared instead, unable to make sense of it as it shifted quite close to his face. He felt his arms being pulled tighter, above his head, and there was the not unpleasant sound of metal on metal, and then something tightening around his tingling wrists. The associated ratcheting sound reminded him a bit of handcuffs, and a shot of adrenaline flooded through him.

The white sea moved aside, or really actually away, and only then did he realize it was a person. A monster of a person, someone as big as Sig Curtis, and in a spotless white orderly's uniform that took up his entire field of vision. The mammoth was uncomfortably close, his eyes tiny in his huge skull, and they glared down at him without blinking.

Slightly unnerved, Ed tried to move his arms. They were attached quite firmly to whatever it was - wait, was he still in the hospital? Edward broke their staring contest to glance up, finding the shining silver handcuffs were indeed looped around the bars that made up the head of his bed. And it was a hospital bed, in a hospital room; his IVs were still attached.

"You have to be kidding me," he heard himself grate, and he swallowed some moisture into his dry, sticky throat. The adrenaline had done wonders for his grogginess but it was still lingering, he must have been drugged-

Dalyell seriously had had him chained to the bed? Patterson had threatened but never really carried through . . . Ed lowered his chin, once again eye to eye with the other man, and significantly more annoyed. What the hell had he done? His memory was foggy, he knew where he was but didn't remember anything he might have done that would have led to this . . . furthermore, and slightly more pressing, the orderly wasn't moving. He remained quite close, looming even, and everything about him was threatening. Or trying to be.

After another moment of silence, Ed graced the other man with a glare. "You gonna kiss me or what?"

When he started to speak, his barrel of a chest was so resonate Edward could hear the rumble before the words left his thick lips. "You shoved Dr. Lise."

Dr. Lise . . . Dalyell, his mind offered up foggily. Shoved? He could barely get out of bed, let alone-

Hakuro.

Fear gripped him; all grogginess faded, and he jerked on the bed, struggling to bring his hands together. He couldn't; the orderly had done his work well and they were too far apart. His throat felt tight, like the last time, and he forced a deep breath. Panic wasn't going to help.

"Ah, did I? How rude of me. How about you let me up so I can apologize-"

In reply, the orderly leaned in closer, almost nose to nose with him. He could smell the other man's aftershave. "The general arrested your lady friend."

His pulse was thudding in his ears, and to his right, he heard a machine start beeping. The orderly leapt away far too lightly for someone his size, and with his field of vision slightly cleared, Ed could see Dr. Lise Dalyell hurrying around the foot of his bed, pen trapped between her teeth and a clipboard in hand. She scribbled down something as she made it to his right side, twisted a knob that silenced the machine, and dropped the clipboard, rooting around in her coat.

"She's fine, Elric, she wasn't arrested. It was a test. Calm down."

"Test!?" What the fuck kind of test was this?! He gave another yank on his arms, but of course the bedframe held, he was far too weak for that. "Where is she, where's the-"

Dalyell came up with a syringe, holding his gaze the entire time. "Winry's with her grandmother. Edward, bring down your heart rate or I will. Calm down. There's no danger."

Even as she was speaking the orderly was nimbly at work on the handcuffs, and Ed blinked several times, gulping air. No matter what he did, he couldn't shake the band of ice that seemed to cinch around his chest, couldn't get his lungs as inflated as they wanted to be.

Hyperventilation. Icy extremities. He was having a panic attack.

Knowing what it was and stopping it were two entirely different things, and only concentrated breathing exercises - what had been recommended by doctors for a long time, what he'd instinctively used as a kid to handle pain - seemed to help. The level of adrenaline in his system kept his heart rate artificially elevated despite it, but once his wrists were freed and the worst he did was bring them back down to his chest, the doctor seemed to realize that he was fully in control of himself.

"Thank you, Marcus. That will be all."

The mammoth withdrew to the door but didn't leave, and Dalyell ignored him, sitting on the mattress for the first time since she'd started treating him, holding his gaze intently. "You're doing very well, Elric. Keep breathing."

He did as he was told until some of the tightness in his chest had eased and her glances at the machines were less frequent. "The general, what happened-"

"The Rockbells are perfectly safe, Dr. Ackernath is in attendance as we speak. They did not appear distressed last I saw them."

"What about Hakuro-"

"He's long gone. He asked a few brief questions and left them alone. They're fine." She kept her voice steady and soothing, and he scowled. He had it together now and didn't need the baby talk, of course he'd freaked waking up like that -

As if reading his thoughts, she gave him a small smile. "Marcus gave you an immobilizing cocktail, it affects only voluntary muscle systems. You panicked and I was forced to sedate you to head off any cardiac damage. Your heart is fine," she added, as the machine blipped. "There was no cardiac event."

Panicked. More like irrational terror. Even looking back he couldn't figure out why, it wasn't like Hakuro would have actually hurt them-

Yet even the memory made his chest tighten again, and he deepened his breathing lest the machine give him away. Dalyell took his silence as interest.

"I couldn't be sure what had triggered the attack, whether it was your response to the general or your response to being essentially bound against your will, as I imagine you were while in enemy hands." There was no sugarcoating. "Torture victims often have extreme reactions to being placed into positions that make them feel helpless. I wanted to test that reaction before it happened in an uncontrolled environment."

There was no doubt she hadn't let it get as out of hand as the last one, and Edward swallowed, breaking eye contact and staring at the ceiling a moment. This . . . wasn't from that, was it? He'd been restrained before, the Germans had kept him a lot longer than the Cretians. He knew the difference, it wasn't like-

"Your reaction to Marcus was well within acceptable parameters for several moments, but then something happened after he told you that you shoved me. What was it?"

He hesitated, then faced her squarely. "I remembered that the general had been here, threatening Winry and Aunt Pinako." Then hearing that Winry had been arrested-

Her eyes were a dull shade of brown, lacking much sparkle but making up for it in sheer intensity. "And when we prevented you from stopping him, you were afraid he'd make good on those threats?"

". . . yeah." It wasn't like Hakuro really could hurt them, hearing that he'd only briefly questioned them meant he'd been going through the motions instead of seriously shaking them down. "I-" What was it about the idea that bothered him so much? He knew what Hakuro would and would not stoop to, but even so they didn't deserve it-

But the doctor was already scribbling in her chart. "You said he threatened them. Did he threaten to harm them physically?"

It was easier to answer her than he thought it'd be. "Emotionally. They're protecting me and I don't want to endanger them."

She made another notation. "We haven't discussed your experience."

Remarkably, he felt calmer than he had since he'd first woken. "Nothing to discuss."

"Dr. Patterson left detailed psychological notes in your file, but it appears he never discussed it directly with you."

It made him smile, just a little. "I guess he didn't feel I needed it."

"He didn't feel qualified." Her tone was blisteringly dry. "Did you recognize the soldier that shot you?"

It was painfully obvious where this was going. "Yes. I thought he was on the firing squad to create a diversion."

"Did you really." It was a drawl. "No fear that he was there to put you down gently?"

Ed suppressed a sudden urge to bristle. She made it sound like he was a dog. "Didn't really think about it."

Dalyell's smile wasn't much of one. "Lie to me, but don't lie to yourself. How aware of your situation were you?"

A lie. Maybe it was. He remembered pain, bucketloads of it. He remembered hitting the ground, knowing he had to get up, to fight, and a roar in his ears that drowned everything out. The grass came into focus when he tried to get his legs under him, but he was so damn heavy, and stretched out. His arms were twice as long as they'd been before, and his legs twice as flexible. He'd retched but it hadn't made him feel any better, and he'd struggled to his feet to look upon an ocean.

Maybe a part of him had realized, when he made eye contact with that last soldier, that there was no diversion Havoc could have successfully pulled off that would have gotten him out of there. His hands had been behind his back, transmuting shelter for himself had been out. Even if the entire Amestrian army had topped that other hill, even if Al and Mustang had been ready and waiting, one of those thousands of faceless shapes would have shot him.

But he'd gotten ready just the same. Just in case. If Havoc hadn't given up on him, even in those circumstances, it was stupid to give up on himself.

Al would never have forgiven him.

"I figured it out near the end."

"You were dizzy, nauseous, short of breath, had blurred vision, lack of balance, lack of muscular control and elasticity. All signs your brain would recognize as impending death. Even if you did believe you were going to get out of there, which frankly you're too seasoned a soldier for, your subconscious would not have been fooled."

Ed watched her steadily, and she frowned at him. "Even in your unconscious state you were screaming so consistently I initially thought it was caused by poor pain management. You flinched at loud noises and voices, something your brother said he'd never seen you do before. You thought you were going to die and you didn't know better until you woke up here. Admit it."

"Do all psychiatrists badger their patients?"

"You're supposed to be a genius. We're taking the quick route to see if you can handle it."

Apparently badgering and baiting were on the table. "So what?"

"You won't deal with it here. Not enough time has passed, and as far as repressors go, you have more stamina than most. Just bear in mind, one day you're going to find yourself breaking down emotionally for no apparent reason, and this will be the reason. Let it happen."

Ed blinked at her. This was the weirdest psych eval he'd ever had. Not that he'd had that many, and not that the Germans really had a better understanding of the human psyche . . .

"I see."

Dr. Dalyell snorted, quietly. "I really doubt you do." She made one more notation, then got to her feet. "Your first reaction was pretty violent. If it repeats in the next few weeks, you stand a good chance of giving yourself a mild heart attack. With that in mind, I'm delaying your release-"

"What-"

"-until I have a better feeling of what happened to you out there," she continued. "You may move about the hospital freely in a wheelchair, and your water therapy will continue. Immediately after we will have sessions, where I will evaluate your mental health, and make my recommendation to your superior officer. Give it some thought, Elric. Your life has changed a great deal in a short amount of time. It's necessary to give yourself a chance to get settled in."

She was staring at his sunburned hand, and he frowned at her. "The automail's been gone for a while-"

Another bitter smile. "Has it?"

- x -

Author's Notes: I intended to have another part here, but I figured if I made you folks wait any longer to find out what happened to Ed I'd be doomed. ; ) I don't even think forty's gonna cut it anymore, as far as chapters go. Just think, if I could cram all the chapters together it'd still be a one-shot . . .

Standard typo disclaimer - posted without a beta. If you see anything please let me know! Next up we have . . . well, damn, we still have the Tringums to consult, the trial to finish, Al to kill Hakuro, Mustang to bail him out . . . lots to do!