Kristy's Not Okay
Chapter Two
"Ed, I'm worried about Kristy," Winry said when the two had left for a dinner out. They had planned a family dinner after a long day at the beach, but Kristy only said she didn't feel well and was planning on staying in.
"Me too," Edward responded. "She's been acting strange lately. Almost…"
"Like you did?" Winry asked. Her husband nodded. "Do you think she could…she could have what you had?"
"I hope not, but it's a possibility," Ed said. "When I was in the hospital my doctors told me that Bulimia was genetic. Do you think we should have a talk with her?"
"Well…what did you want everyone to do when they found out?" Winry asked.
"Win, I didn't want anyone to do anything when they found out. I wanted everyone to pretend it wasn't happening and let me do my thing," Edward answered. "It's not about what she wants, it's about what she needs."
"You're right," Winry said. "So…What should we do?"
"I don't think we should come outright and attack her with accusations," Ed said. "Maybe we can get her in to a doctor to see if something's wrong. Tell them what to look for and see what they think about it without letting her know. If she knows what we're looking for, she'll get defensive and try to hide it even more."
"Good idea," Winry said. "I'll call her Paninya and make an appointment with her when we get back home."
"Paninya?" Ed asked with a groan. Paninya, a longtime friend of Winry's, had become a doctor when she had been given the chance. It gave her the opportunity to help patients by referring them to automail engineers like Dominic, the man she had been living under, and Winry. "How about a real doctor?"
"Paninya is a good friend and would understand," Winry said. "I trust her more than anyone, and she read on eating disorders when she was in medical school."
"Do you think she's really qualified to examine our daughter for an eating disorder just because she's read a few books on the subject in school?" Edward asked.
"All right, fine; I'll find a doctor here in Central. Do you have any suggestions?" WInry asked.
"I actually do."
Doctor Warren walked out of her office on a busy day of work when she was handed her appointment schedule, seeing the last name Elric. Her eyes widened a bit at the name; she had recognized it from the young State Alchemist that was brought into her care many years ago, who finished his treatment after his second try at it.
"Elizabeth?" Doctor Warren asked her assistant. "Do we have an Edward Elric coming in today?" There were no first names on the appointment schedule, so the doctor couldn't see if this was truly Edward Elric. Elizabeth was the one who received the phone calls.
"I remember speaking to an Elric, but I think it was a woman," Elizabeth responded. "I guess you'll just have to wait and see."
"All right, thank you," Doctor Warren said before returning to her office with the schedule on hand. She was probably just being paranoid that the young man she had watched leave with his former colonel would return for another round of treatment.
When it finally came time for the Elric's appointment, Doctor Warren left her office and made her way to the waiting room, scouring the area for the long golden blonde hair. She did see Edward. He was much taller, and kept his golden hair in a ponytail. He was truly a man now, sitting beside a blonde woman with blue eyes and a teenager who looked just like the woman she sat beside.
"Elric?" Warren called, and the family of three looked up at their name being called. Edward stood with the woman, speaking hushed tones to the teenager before walking to Doctor Warren, leaving the young girl behind.
"Hey, Doctor Warren," Edward greeted. "This is my wife, Winry."
"You must be who my assistant spoke with on the phone; it's nice to meet you, Winry," Doctor Warren said. "It's been a long time, Edward. Are you here for treatment?"
"Actually, I was hoping we could talk about that in my office," Ed said.
"Follow me." The doctor turned, leading the couple to her office where two chairs sat in front of her desk. The group sat down. "So, what's this about?"
"It's about my daughter," Edward answered. "We've been worried about her and think she might…"
"We think she might have what Ed used to have," Winry finished for her husband, who seemed to be stuck on his sentence. "We're very worried about her. She just hasn't been herself lately and she looks like she's been losing weight."
"So you want me to do an examination on her and see if she really does have Bulimia?" Doctor Warren asked.
"Without having her know what's going on," Edward said. "She thinks she's just here for a physical. We don't want her to know that we suspect anything if there really is a problem."
"Well, coming to me was a good step," Doctor Warren said. "I'll personally give her a thorough examination and I'll let you know. What's her name?"
"Her name is Kristina," Winry answered.
"You two are more than welcome to stay here while we do this," Doctor Warren said, standing from her desk and preparing to leave the room. "I'll come back and let you know if anything is wrong. Don't worry; you two can trust me."
"Thank you, Doctor Warren," Ed thanked. "I knew I could count on you."
"Always, Edward." The doctor then walked out of the room and to the waiting room, where she saw the teenage girl twiddling her thumbs in her chair. "Kristina?" Doctor Warren called. The girl looked up. "Why don't you come with me and we can get this over with, huh? I know you'd like to enjoy the rest of your week without these silly doctor things."
"It's just Kristy," the girl said as she stood from her chair and walked with Doctor Warren. "I thought nurses were supposed to do all this examination stuff?"
"Well, luckily for you, your father and I are old friends and he trusted me to do this examination myself," Doctor Warren said. "He was a very entertaining kid. I think it's a little funny that he became a father." The two then reached the examination room. "Why don't you change into the gown while I get some supplies? I'll be back in a moment."
When Doctor Warren walked out of the room, Kristy took the opportunity to quickly change into a gown as fast as she could. She could tell the gown was three sizes too big, even though it was labeled as a one-size fits all. Kristy then sat down on the examination bed and waited.
"All right, Kristy, let's get this show on the road," Doctor Warren said when she returned. "Can you step on this scale for me?" Kristy knew this was coming. She stepped on the scale and waited for the number to come on. 138 pounds. While this was a completely normal weight for someone at Kristy's height of five feet and three inches, she had come down for 162 pounds. "Thank you; you can step off now," Doctor Warren said as she wrote down what had been weighed on the chart she carried.
The doctor went through the final examination of going over Kristy's heartbeat and looking inside her ears like a normal physical. She didn't want Kristy to become suspicious.
"So, Kristy, tell me how you've been feeling," Doctor Warren instructed. "Is there anything you're worried about?"
"Not really," Kristy answered with a shrug. "I don't suppose you know how to pass my exams in school?"
"Well, I'd try studying and getting plenty of sleep with a well-balanced breakfast before you take your exam," Doctor Warren suggested. "I'm going to go back to my office and to return this equipment. I'll be back in a few moments, but you can get dressed." Doctor Warren then walked out of the room.
Kristy let out a sigh of relief. She knew the doctor had found nothing wrong with her, judging by her expression. She was worried that something horrible could have happened. Sure, Kristy had lost a lot of weight, but she was still in a healthy weight range. Nothing could be wrong…could it?
Doctor Warren frowned as she looked over her charts after returning the medical equipment to be disposed of, but before she returned to the Elrics to report her diagnosis. Kristina Elric appeared perfectly healthy to the average person, even to some average doctors. Doctor Warren, however, specialized in eating disorders. She had seen girls like Kristy go unreported and end up in her hospital, and even some never given the chance to begin treatment.
Kristy Elric was thin, but she wasn't underweight. Doctor Warren knew if left untreated, Kristy would end up coming into her office later appearing emaciated. She had made sure to check Kristy's hands and could see there were no marks on them. There were also no lacerations on her throat. Doctor Warren could only think of one diagnosis.
"What did you find?" Edward asked when Doctor Warren walked back into her office. His expression was that of a worried parent going out of his mind. His expression was the same as the men who had brought him in that office years ago.
"You were right to bring your daughter in to me, Edward," Doctor Warren said as she sat down in her chair. "I examined Kristy and her weight was completely normal for a girl her age, but that's not completely abnormal for those with eating disorders. People with eating disorders are that of all shapes and sizes. You should know, Edward, you were at a healthy weight too."
"Does she have Bulimia?" Winry asked. She wasn't sure how to handle someone with this problem. When Edward suffered from Bulimia, he just pushed her away until he was better. He didn't even want Winry visiting him when he was in the hospital.
"No," Doctor Warren said. Both Ed and Winry breathed a sigh of relief. "She has Anorexia." The doctor could hear them both breath in again.
"Anorexia?" Edward asked. "How? I thought only people with Bulimia could be at a healthy weight."
"She could have dropped weight and stayed at a healthy weight, but she obviously wasn't finished with what she started," Doctor Warren explained. "Do you two know of her last weight?"
"She was 162 pounds," Winry said. "I suppose it was a little husky for someone of her size, but I did notice that she's lost some weight."
"She's 138 pounds now," Doctor Warren said. "She's almost lost thirty pounds, but she's still healthy weight."
"How did we not notice that much weight lost?" Ed asked. "I mean…I noticed that she lost some weight, but that's a lot."
"She could've been wearing baggy clothes to hide it," Doctor Warren said. "I'm sure you knew how to hide it, Edward."
"I never lost any weight," Ed said. "I mean, maybe a little when I was younger, but I gained some weight back and everyone thought that's just how I was. I never really lost or gained until I got better as an adult."
"I see…" Doctor Warren trailed off. "Well, you'll need to keep on your toes with her. You know some of the ways of someone with Bulimia, and Anorexia, while not entirely different, has some different indicators."
"Tell me how to help my daughter," Edward said.
"She'll try to avoid meals," Doctor Warren said. "I wouldn't be surprised if you went home and found a sandwich or some other type of food in her closet or drawers. She's obviously been at this for a while. She could also develop Bulimia if we aren't careful, so you can't force her to eat something. She might do it and purge."
"How are we supposed to make her eat?" Winry asked.
"You'll need to give her the food and hope she eats it. If she does manage to eat it, you can't let her go. You need to sit with her and make sure she doesn't do anything to disrupt digestion," Doctor Warren explained.
"So, what you would do at this hospital?" Ed asked. The doctor nodded. "And if she refuses to eat?"
"If she refuses to eat for too long, she'll need to be hospitalized," Doctor Warren said. "We'd try to get her to eat, and if she refuses, we'll need your consent to administer a feeding tube. If it comes to that, she won't have a choice. Once she's provided the nutrients she needs, it would be removed and she'd be given the option to eat again. Of course, if she offers to eat before she's given the nutrients, we would give her the option to go through with this."
"We'll discuss hospitalization," Edward said. He knew Winry wouldn't want to go through with it, and even while he didn't want to go through with it, Ed couldn't deny that it might be the best option for his daughter. "Will you bring her in here so we can tell her what you found?"
"Of course," Doctor Warren said. She returned to the examination room where she found Kristy twiddling her thumbs again after dressing. "Your parents are in my office and they'd like to speak to you."
"You didn't tell them I was pregnant or something, did you?" Kristy joked. Doctor Warren cracked a smile, though said nothing else, only gesturing toward her office. Kristy hopped off the examination table and was led by the doctor to the office, where she could see her parents sitting beside each other holding hands. "What's going on?" Kristy asked.
"We need to talk to you," Edward said. "Sit down."
"Is there something serious going on?" Kristy asked as she sat beside her parents.
"First, we want you to know that we didn't just bring you here for a physical," Winry said softly. "We were worried because you weren't eating and you looked like you lost weight, so…we brought you here to be checked out for an eating disorder."
"What?!" Kristy exclaimed. She wouldn't be able to hide anything from a doctor who specialized in eating disorders. She remembered that a girl in school had been sent away for it.
"We had every right to be worried," Ed said. "Doctor Warren said you have Anorexia."
"Anorexia?!" Kristy shouted. "That's ridiculous!"
"It's not," Doctor Warren interjected. "I've seen all the signs, and I know for a fact that you have Anorexia."
"I'm not even underweight," Kristy protested.
"That doesn't matter," Ed said. "You don't need to be underweight to have an eating disorder."
"You guys are just upset that I wouldn't go with you out to dinner over the weekend," Kristy said. "Look, I'll go out to dinner with you if that'll make you happier, but I don't have an eating disorder."
"We'll work on getting her to admit it," Winry said. "Thank you so much, Doctor Warren."
"I can set up her therapy to be done with me, if you'd like," Doctor Warren suggested.
"Yes," Edward said quickly. Winry gave a small nod. She knew Ed trusted this doctor. After they set up a therapy session with Doctor Warren, they made their leave for home.
"I don't have an eating disorder," Kristy repeated when the three were on their way out of the hospital.
So, I completely forgot I had a chapter to post on Halloween. Anyway, happy late Halloween! What were you this year (if you dressed up)? I was Mario and my little brother was Luigi on Halloween, but my little sister was Luigi when we went to a party the Wednesday before Halloween.