Hello again everyone! I was supposed to get this done yesterday, but I was too busy. Why? Because it was my birthday! Now I'm eighteen years old and officially an adult!
Thank you for all your amazing reviews: kate, Dzem, Romani-chan, Shikaate, Hyperthia, baconinthesoup64 and Fullmetal Muffins.
By the way, baconinthesoup64 gave me critic and I was thrilled to answer: I tried to reflect that Edward is only fourteen and that he trusts Hughes with all his heart. The man has always been kind to him, as we can see in the series, so hitting would be very unlike Hughes. For that Edward would be scared.
Everyone always describe Ed as angry teen and wanted to show the other side of the boy.
That was pretty much what I wrote.
There is a new poll in my Author's page. Go and vote!
Enjoy!
...
...
...
Chapter 6
...
...
A fourteen-year old boy knelt down in front of a blue, plastic box that contained various files, each keeping papers for separate cases in their proper order. He took a few of them and stood up opening one of the boxes in the big, wooden chest of drawers. He pushed the name part of each file in the box a bit forward and tried to find the right place for all of the pieces of carriage resting against his automail arm.
Suddenly he started to hymn to himself as quietly as possible. Still, the only occupant in the room raised his gaze from the documents he was signing, and smiled.
"What is that song?" Havoc set down his pen and leaned back against the chair, putting his hands behind his neck to complete the laid-back look.
Edward turned around at the voice and smiled sheepishly.
"I don't know," he tried to push his bangs behind his ear but failed. His hair was way too tick and soft to get it to stay in order without some special products. "I heard it in the radio last night."
The man nodded his head couple of times understanding. "Oh, so that is where all that noise came from! I thought you were speaking to yourself!"
"I don't do that; I may be a bit crazy but not like that."'
"Whatever," Havoc waved his hand to end the starting fight. Then he frowned. "Why were you up last night anyway?"
At that, the boy immediately turned around and started to organize the files.
"I couldn't sleep," he said as if it was not a big deal. He took another file from his arm and started to look for a place for it.
Havoc investigated the sight for a moment, worry slinking into his mind and voice.
"Is it about Hughes? Is he worse?"'
"No," Edward shook his head when his father-figure was now being discussed. It had already been three days since he had been allowed to visit the man for the first time. Since then, he had visited every day after work. The hospital had strict rules about visiting hours: three hours in the morning and same in the evening. Gracia and Elysia visited during mornings so Edward had gotten the evenings almost all for himself.
He and Hughes had talked a lot about the past and the future; the man was feeling better and better very day and could even take short strolls in the hospital garden. Mostly they stayed inside because of the poor weather and discussed everything from news to their holiday plans. It felt like they were trying to make up for the time they had been apart.
All the harsh feelings Edward had had for Hughes were now completely gone; he was too grateful that the man was going to be fine to remember old things.
"He is actually better, he should be able to go home day after tomorrow."
Havoc drew his hands away from behind his neck and crossed his arms across his chest.
"Edward," he said using as much authority in his voice as he could. The boy turned around sensing he had to listen. "If you are not feeling well, you have to tell me. I can help you if you get sick or hurt yourself. I'm here for you, kiddo, you'll just have to ask me, okay? If you lock me out, you'll just hurt yourself more."
Edward nodded looking at the man, and Havoc was sure there was something wrong in the kid's gaze. It was like energy had been drained out of him. He leaned over the table, putting his hands on to the said piece of furniture.
"Remember: if you don't tell the people who care about you that are in need of help, you'll just make yourself feel worse."
Now the authority in his voice had been turned into softness; he wanted to make the boy understand he was not alone in life.
Edward's face was unreadable for a moment but when he started speaking, a stubborn look came to his eyes and his voice was strong.
"I have not locked you out of my life, Havoc. If I had, I hadn't come to you when I needed someone."
The boy breathed in, fisting his automail arm which was hanging against his body. It was clear he didn't like the conversation.
"I can ask for help!" Edward turned around, spitting the words out of his mouth like they were poison. Havoc couldn't remember the last time he had heard Edward speak so heavily without having to shout.
They were quiet for a moment.
"That song is quite popular, I'm sure you have heard it too."¨
Havoc was afraid he was pushing his luck when saying: "Do you remember any words?"
"No," the boy shook his head while still working. "The man who sang it had a rough voice. I never remember words, only the tune. If I ever heart it again, I'll recognize it."
Suddenly the boy put a hand onto his forehead and swayed when standing.
"Ed," Havoc stood up immediately, afraid the boy would fall and hurt himself. He put an arm around the child's shoulders, supporting him.
"Sorry," Edward shook his head while leaning into the man's touch. "I just felt dizzy."
"You have been up and going since dawn," the man took the files from the boy and guided him to sit on a chair. "No wonder if you feel weak."
As soon as the boy had steady wood under him, Havoc put his hand gently onto Edward's hair and guided the head downwards slowly, not to harass the circulation any further. At the same time, the man kneLT next to the boy examining his face with his eyes; the usually peachy skin was pale and the child was breathing heavily.
"Maybe you should take a break," he suggested as he touched the boy's forehead with his knuckles: he couldn't feel any change in the temperature but the skin was covered in sweat. "It's lunch time already."
"Okay," Edward nodded but swallowed heavily and made no move to stand up. He hadn't left the position Havoc had guided him into. The said man rubbed the boy's back trying to make the younger one feel better; Edward was still obviously feeling weak.
"I'll bring you something to eat. Stay here and rest, got it?"
"Roger that," the boy lifted his thumb and the man left, smirking at the gesture.
...
...
Not even two minutes after Havoc had left, Edward stood up carefully, taking support of the back of the chair. Dizziness had already gone away; there was no point in staying put. He knew Havoc was going to scold him later but the man would too relieved when seeing him feeling better to take things further. Besides, if he would just lie down every time he felt a bit woozy, he would have to stay in bed all the time! Adults always worked even when having various aches, why should he be any different.
The boy took one last breath to gather his strength and walked back to his current workplace. Taking new files from the box since he didn't feel like sorting the ones laying on the table just yet, he read the names printed on the top of the cover.
He managed to put half of his load in order when he suddenly felt nauseous. His eyes widened and he held his breath, and then began to breath in and out deeply; nausea was one of the symptoms of a panic attack so the advice he had been given by the doctors came in handy in these kinds of situations. The most important thing was to try to think of something else instead of the worst.
Edward swallowed frantically, trying to push the feeling away. He leaned against the chest of drawers ; the piece of furniture helped him stay upright. He experienced nausea occasionally but he never actually threw up, unless he ate those eggs served in the cafeteria. Aunt Pinako had warned him that the body with automails didn't react the same way aa a 'complete' body did. The boy had noticed the difference between those two: when he was a child, he didn't suffer from such a many health problems. Nowadays, if he didn't eat often enough, his body started to give up. Summers were the worst season; the heat caused even more stress to his body.
Then, to Edward's great shock, the world began to spin. His body fell forward but he got support from the open drawer box. His limbs, artificial and flesh ones were shaking and his head felt heavy. He gasped for air, trying to regain full consciousness. Edward knew he had to open the window to get some fresh air. If he only could get to the other side of the room, everything would be okay.
He let go of his support and began to take baby steps. Then, all of a sudden, his vision blurred and turned into a white mess. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and his body went limp with a one last sigh. The boy fell to the floor onto his stomach, his head hitting the hard material. The only sound heard came from the clock that counted the time before someone would find the unresponsive child. Nothing in the place had changed although the youngest State Alchemist was laying on the ground, out of the surrounding world.
After ten minutes of waiting in the line, Havoc finally could get lunch for both of them. He opened the office room's door, the food resting against his left arm.
"I brought you some apple juice and chicken salad," He said lowering the food onto the table and lifted his gaze to look at the boy. "No need to pay back-"
Edward was not sitting in the chair. Instead, he saw a pair of feet behind the table.
"Oh no," the man whispered and wound the table to get closer to the body. He kneeled next to the child: Edward was laying on his stomach, his head turned to his right side. The face held a peaceful look, as if the boy was only sleeping. And in a way he was.
Havoc took a hold of the boy's dark clothed shoulders and turned the boy onto his back. He was all dead weight, in a horrible kind of way.
"Edward," the man called and slapped the boy's cheek. "Ed, can you hear me?"
When the boy didn't wake up, Havoc opened the boy's black jacket and lowered his ear onto the small chest. He could clearly hear the young heart force blood into the boy's veins, and feel his head lower and rise in the rhythm of Edward's steady breathing.
The man felt a bit more confident as he straightened up and leaned over the unmoving body again.
"Edward," Havoc called like he had when trying to wake the boy up in the morning, and shook the boy's shoulders. "C'mon, wake up!"
He drew the same chair that Edward had sat on closer, and put the flesh leg onto his lap. He kept talking while pulling off the boy's shoe carefully, hoping it would help the boy regain consciousness. He lifted Edward's feet onto the chair to get blood flow to the brain and help the boy wake up. He didn't care to pull of the other shoe; automail leg was metal only up to the knee, the rest was normal. Still, the boy had less blood than normal humans did.
"C'mon, Edo," Havoc muttered and removed the white sock. He tapped the foot a couple of times; he knew it was a good way to find out if a baby was responsive. He also knew that it wouldn't do any good, but at this time, he was ready to try anything.
Havoc adjusted the feet better and rubbed the flesh leg to get blood flow better. "Wake up and open those beautiful eyes of yours."
For a moment, Edward gave no reaction. The boy just lay there limply, completely out of consciousness. Havoc moved a bit closer and took the pale face between his hands, slapping the cheek carefully.
"Edo," he repeated the boy's name numerous times in a soft, but loud tone. "Time to wake up."
It was only when Havoc was about to call an ambulance that Edward started to revive. The boy let out a soft sound; the man recognized it to be the same Edward gave every time he woke him up. That only was enough to send a jolt of relief through his heart.
Edward lifted his left hand clumsily and tried to get it onto his forehead, but failed miserably.
"Does your head hurt?" Havoc asked quietly, touching the said part of the body with his own hand. Edward stirred his eyes, and moved a bit as he nodded weakly.
The man petted the boy's hair carefully, and waited patiently that Edward would open his eyes. He didn't dare to move the boy from the floor until he was sure there was no further damage.
Finally, after what seemed like ten minutes, Edward's eyes were completely open, and his gaze diverted around the ceiling.
"Okay," Havoc muttered to himself as he took the boy's face into his hands again, and fixed the boy's orbs to look straight into his own.
"What is your name?" He started the questioning. In those First Aid Courses that were obligatory, they had been taught that whenever a head was hit onto anything, there was always a risk of amnesia or concussion. Neither was something Havoc wanted to deal with.
Edward though for a moment, his gaze on his side as his memory went through its various lockers in search of the needed information.
"Edward Elric," the boy returned his gaze to the man's eyes, answering in a weak tone like he had just been woken up from a deep sleep.
"Very good. Your age?"
"14."
"What day is it today?"
"Um…
"Okay, good enough," Havoc nodded, and slipped his left arm under the boy's knees and the right under his back. Edward grabbed his head again as he was being lifted to the couch.
"Ow…" He muttered while Havoc lowered him down and put a pillow under his head, supporting him from the back all the time.
"What happened?" The man asked as he laid the boy down again slowly to prevent him from passing out again.
"I don't know," Edward whispered rubbing his face. He was pale and sweating slightly. "I just started to feel dizzy."
That alarmed Havoc; by every standard, Edward should have been conscious when he had returned. Sitting was always a good solution for feeling faint. Maybe something was seriously wrong with the boy… Maybe the lack of air he had experienced in the elevator had injured his brain and that had caused the fainting. If so, he had to get Edward to a hospital as soon as possible.
Then, as Havoc stood up and began to massage his hair worriedly, thinking of the best solution his eye laid upon the spot Edward had been lying on. For a moment, he could only stare at it stunned, then, his eyes began to fill with fury and he fisted his hands.
"You began working again, didn't you?" His voice was quiet but it held a accusing tone; he had to be sure before going further.
"Yes…"
"I told you to stay still!" The man yelled turning around to face Edward; the boy jumped on the couch at Havoc's expression and the volume of his voice. "You were not well, it was showing miles away!"
"I'm sorry," The boy began, trying to calm his friend down, but Havoc took none of it.
"Do you enjoy this? Is it fun to make everyone worried?"
Edward couldn't answer. The boy bowed his head in shame, in an attempt to make Havoc less angry with him.
The man shook his head, not knowing what to say after he had lost his temper. He had to admit, Edward looked so guilty his anger burned out instantly. The boy must feel awful in a lot of ways; it wasn't every day he fainted. He had seen Edward faint only once before today; it had been summer and one of the hottest days of that season. It had also happened in the office room but otherwise it had been completely different. He had caught the boy before he had crashed onto the floor and it had taken nothing but a couple of slaps to the cheek to wake him.
How he needed a cigarette. He had thrown his old one away in the cafeteria, and now his nerves needed calming down.
His hands travelled to the inside pocket of his jacket but he forgot about it when the boy shivered slightly.
"Are you cold?" He asked. Edward lifted his gaze and looked into the man's eyes, but didn't get the chance to answer before a large hand came to rest onto his forehead.
Havoc kept it there for a moment, and then lowered his hand to the boy's cheek.
"You have a fever," The man sighed defeated. The one thing he had been trying to avoid had become reality.
"I'm sorry."
"Stop repeating that!" Havoc couldn't help a frustrated outburst as he stood up and walked to the table. He took the plastic bottle from the table and opened it.
"Here," he said in a much softer tone as he knelt down beside the piece of furniture and offered the drink. "This isn't as effective as water would be but it'll do."
Edward nodded wearily and took a tiny sip. His eyes were gleaming without their usual brightness. A shadow seemed to be looming over the boy; he could barely hold himself up as he sat while trying to drink.
Havoc shook his head worried while watching the pathetic sight in front of him; Edward wasn't himself at all.
"You can't stay here like this," He finally let out, voicing his thoughts and stood up, looking down at the small figure. "Can you stand?"
"I think so," The boy threw his legs carefully over the edge of the couch, still clutching the bottle in his hands. He took support of the couch with his automail hand while Havoc placed his own hands underneath his armpits and held him until the boy found his balance. Edward took a couple of baby steps and then widened them to normal.
Havoc, meanwhile, kept his eyes on the boy, but yet took a sheet of unused paper and a pencil.
"I'll write Mustang a note so he knows where we are," Havoc said from between writing words onto a white sheet of paper. After finishing, he folded it up, wrote something again, and then put a book onto one corner to keep the paper on the table.
"Okay," The man walked to the coat rack and took Edward's red winter jacket which was much warmer than the original one. The boy offered his hands and got the jacket onto himself with a bit of Havoc's help. Once his other outdoor clothes: hat, scarf and mittens were in place Havoc grabbed his own green jacket but didn't put it on. "Let's go now."
...
...
...
Havoc knew Edward was a tough kid; very stubborn and determined. Yet, those qualities didn't include good immune system.
He wasn't sure if it was the automails and their habit of gathering warmth and cold that made the boy so weak. At summer, Edward always got sunstroke, and the parts of his body in which the automails connected with the skin got painfully burned. Winter was even worse; the boy was small and skinny for his age which made it easy for him to catch a flue. During that time of the year it was impossible to see the kid without him having a cold or just otherwise sneezing and coughing. Yes, Edward being sick was not uncommon.
While sitting there on the edge of his bed, drawing the covers onto the boy who lay on the mattress, it came to Havoc's mind this was the first time he actually been in charge of a sick child. His little sister had been his parents' responsibility, and Edward was always at Hughes's when being under the weather. Now there was no one else to help him.
"Just rest, okay," Havoc whispered to the boy, stroking his hair. Edward had gotten very tired and had nearly fallen asleep in the car but had somehow managed to stay awake. It was only when his head hit the pillow that sleep had taken him over. "I'll get you something to drink."
Kid didn't answer; he was laying on his left side wearing his blue pajamas, eyes closed, breathing evenly. The man stood up and noticed a bit of scarlet appear to the boy's face.
Whenever Edward had a fever, it usually rose up to 40 degrees in no time. That was why he had made sure the boy wore enough clothes and didn't go out when it was raining. Yet, the damp weather was difficult to avoid.
Havoc left the room and went to make some tea. He could only hope that everything would go smoothly.
...
...
...
Next morning, Havoc was working in the kitchen, buttering numerous slices of bread and putting ham and cheese onto them. He made sure not to get his light-blue button up shirt smeared with the greasy ingredients, and had even left his working suit's jacket onto the couch.
When the simple but still delicious meal was done, the man put the sandwiches into a plastic box and closed it. He opened the fridge and found easily a spot for the food; he had to run by market after work.
Taking a white cup from the table, Havoc walked to the counter board to his brand new coffee maker. He had to admit, it was definitely worth all the trouble and money. However, there was a tiny suspicion triggering in the back of his mind that the gadget would break sooner or later; it was a wonderful excuse for him to use the machine every single day and try all those lattes and cappuccinos the directions praised.
He took the glass bottle and poured the energy-filled liquid into the cup and sipped. His tongue and cheeks, even gums felt to be enjoying the moment. This was maybe what his Mom meant with ´'the meaning of life'.
Loud coughing came from the bedroom.
Havoc rolled his eyes and sighed: "Yeah, the meaning of life, definitely."
Yet, he went to the direction of the noise and looked at the boy sitting on the bed.
"Didn't you take the medicine?" He asked, leaning to the frame and sipped his coffee. Edward fiddled with the blanket that was covering his pajama clad figure.
"It just came out of the blue," the boy said, trying to look as innocent as possible. Havoc made a mental note that the child's voice was slightly deeper than usually. He shrugged his shoulders and walked to the bedside table.
"That's not working, Ed," he put down the cup and opened the bottle on the table. It was made of dark, brownish glass and held a white etiquette telling the information about the use. As the can was removed, a strong smell forced its way into Edward's nostrils and he, by reaction, crawled closer to the edge of the bed.
"Alright then," Havoc took the spoon and filled it with the liquid; it was deep brown but shone in many shades of orange when meeting light. The man leaned closer to the child, making sure his hand didn't shake and pour all the medicine onto the sheets. Doing laundry wasn't exactly his favorite chore.
Edward's back met the wall and the boy shook his head.
"I don't need it."
"Edward. I understand your fear for doctors but medicine is not going to hurt you," The man explained calmly, not willing to give up.
"But it tastes ugly," The boy stated as if it would change everything. He pulled his legs closer to his body. "They always do!"
Havoc smiled; he was winning this fight. "This tastes like liquorice."
That was not enough to convince the boy; he just looked up at the man at the exact same way he always did when things didn't go as he wanted them to. : "You are lying. Hughes told me once that it tastes like pineapples and chocolate mixed together."
"Edward, I promise you this tastes wonderful. I can even take it myself, one sip will never hurt."
The boy pondered about it for a while and finally nodded and moved a bit closer.
"There you go," Havoc put the spoon into the boy's open mouth and waited for the reaction. There was no usual shutting of eyes and grimaces; what he met was surprised licking of lips. Edward seemed to have lost his ability to speak.
"I'm not the kind to lie, huh?" Second Lieutenant couldn't help smiling at the adorable sight and closed the bottle with a simple hand movement. He ruffled the boy's hair playfully with his right hand and went back to the kitchen; all he needed to do anymore was to put the medicine back into fridge and set his coffee cup to the dish basin.
"Okay," Havoc finally took his jacket from the couch and put it onto himself walking back to the bedroom.
"I made some sandwiches, they're in the fridge. And there's juice there too. Just heat up some water, okay? Take the medicine if you need it."
Edward laid back onto the bed and tried to put the covers better onto himself but Havoc signaled him to stay still and striped to the bedside. His hands took a hold of the edges of the cloth and he walked to the bed and stroked the boy's hair.
"I'll call you some time. Answer it, no matter how tired you are. I'll come by in the lunch hour. Call me if you start feeling worse."
"How can I call if I'm worse? What if I'm unconscious?" Edward joked but earned nothing but the man pinching his nose and twisting it slightly from side and side.
"Very funny," Havoc commented as the child smiled mischievously. He couldn't believe his luck; Edward was feeling much better already. All the horror stories he had heard hadn't come true. It seemed like he had to be doing something right. Maybe all that the boy had needed was a good night's sleep and some chicken-noodle soup for the breakfast.
Yeah, Havoc thought as he ruffled the boy's hair for the last time before leaving. It was all going just fine.
...
...
...
When the evening came, Havoc was mentally slapping himself. Edward's fever had risen up during the day and when he came back home, the boy was again in the border of unconsciousness. When he put a thermometer into the boy's mouth, he had to help the boy hold it in its place. Fever was even higher than it had been last night:
"39.5," Havoc had read the number quietly to himself and felt anxiety as a heavy burden in his chest.
The best way he could think to get the fever lower had been cold wrappings. The man had brought a bucket of cold water next to the spot where Edward laid, and wetted some cloths in the substance. Then he had wrapped one onto the boy's forehead, and covered his limbs with others. Havoc felt like it wasn't enough; a bathtub was probably the best way to bring the body temperature down but since he didn't own one, wrappings were the only option.
He took the cloths off when he decided to go to bed. Edward had already fallen asleep during the first process, obviously by the calming effect of the cold water. The boy was sleeping on his back, his head turned to his left side. He wasn't wearing any clothes besides his blue boxers.
Havoc drew the covers onto the top of the boy; the radio's weather forecast had estimated that the night would be cold. He didn't Edward to get any worse ill than he was now.
"Good night, kiddo," the man whispered and set a kiss onto the boy's temple.
...
The beginning of the night went smoothly for Havoc; he laid down next to the boy and was in sleep within minutes.
Then when the night was beginning to turn into morning, there was a loud noise of something shattering.
The man rubbed his eyes and then looked at the clock on his bedside table: 2.54.
He sighed and stretched his arms wide but then got alarmed when he didn't feel the usual figure on his left side. The man snapped his eyes open and turned to watch; Edward wasn't in the bed.
Havoc cursed under his breath and rose up quickly thinking of the worst possible options that could happen when the boy was in his state; he might be sleepwalking and have hit something or have collapsed when going to the bathroom.
All those worries flew away when he saw Edward on his knees half-naked on the kitchen floor. There were sharp and glittering objects in front of him: glass, Havoc noticed.
"I got thirsty," Edward said apologetically and looked up to the man's eyes.
Havoc kneeled to the boy's eye level, he felt now much calmer than when waking up, and put a hand onto the child's forehead; the fever had risen again.
"Go to rest," He sat a hand onto the bare shoulder. "I'll get you that drink."
"No, I'll clean this up," and with that, Edward clapped his hands together. A flash of blue light later, a glass was standing there as if nothing had happened.
Then, a shadow fell over Edward's eyes and the boy began to slip out of consciousness. He would have crashed right to the floor if Havoc hadn't caught him against himself.
"You moron," he swore as he gathered the boy into his arms. "You are in no condition to perform alchemy!"
But only his words were harsh. The man held the out-cold child gently against his body; one hand under the boy's thighs, the other around the back. Edward's hands were pressed against his chest, folded in two; they had never leaved the alchemy position. The skin was burning with fever.
Sighing heavily, Havoc stood up and began his way to the bedroom. He lowered the boy onto the bed and sat down next to the body. Havoc took a hold of the boy's wrist and felt for a pulse; it was quick but not life threatening. The whole arm itself was completely limp. Apparently the boy was unconscious.
Edward's face held scarlet color and he was sweating slightly. Breathing happened through soft inhales.
Havoc sighed deeply and took a rag from the bowl, wetting it with water. He could already feel weariness seek into his limbs: This was going to be a long night.
...
...
...
At the morning Edward was well again. Soon enough Havoc noticed the pattern; after sleeping, the fever was down and the boy was cheerful but as the hours went by, the temperature rose again.
Havoc felt himself become more and more tired all the time, and he knew the reason. Of course he like and cared about Edward a lot but he hadn't even thought the boy would stay with him for so long. Edward had a temper, but he usually calmed down very easily.
The boy had told him Hughes had already gotten out of the hospital. That had given the man some peace for a moment, but then remembered that the Major was still on a sick-leave for some time. Taking care of a child with variable fever was not something the man needed.
The nights were the worst because, at that time, the boy suffered from a high fever and hallucinations. The man had found no way to calm the boy down; cold bandages and soothing voices were in vain.
The only good thing about Edward at the moment was that the boy had no demands; he was happy with some sandwiches, juice and soup.
But the biggest reason his toleration of Edward went down to zero came through a telephone. He had been washing the dishes when the phone rang. Quickly, he dried his hand into a towel and hurried to the machine and quieted the sound.
"Havoc," he answered, trying to peek to the bedroom to make sure Edward was still sleeping.
"Hello, Jean," a female voice came through the receiver. "Do you still remember me?"
He nearly fell over at sound of the familiar tone his name had been spoken in.
"Mary?" Havoc said quietly, remembering the charming woman with an amazing body. They had met in a bar in the summer, and the female had promised to call him. "I thought you had forgotten about me?"
The laughter he heard sounded like jingle bells, the ones people used at their weddings.
"Of course I haven't! You remember I told you about the job I got?"
"Yes," The man nodded, leaning against the wall while going through his memory. "The salary was very high."
"Indeed, but all the press conferences and that sort of things took so much time. I would have never had a chance to meet you again if I hadn't taken my old job back."
"Yeah, that's tricky- Wait! What?"
Now Havoc needed the wall for support, not for acting cool like had been his original plan.
"You- you gave up your job for me?"
"I-umm…was thinking that… "
The hesitation in Mary's voice was the encouragement for his next move. The man put on his best date look, and said: "Would you like to come to a restaurant with me to- shit!"
"What?" The woman asked quickly, thinking the man had hurt himself. Havoc rubbed his forehead, trying to come up with the best idea to explain the situation.
"Listen, Mary, I'm very glad you called me and I would love to go out with you instantly but it isn't possible, for some time that is."
"I understand. Well, call me when you're ready."
The man finished the call and rubbed his face hard as if to punish himself.
"Is something wrong?"
Havoc turned his head to the direction of bedroom; Edward was standing by the door looking at him puzzled. The boy's hair was a mess and the part of his face, nose and cheeks, which was not pale, held a scarlet color.
"No," he walked to the child, forcing his face neutral. There was no need to make the boy feel even worse than he did already. Yet, his expression changed tragically when he put his hand onto the boy's forehead and felt the heat.
"You're burning up," Havoc sighed frustrated and guided the boy to the couch.
"I'm sorry I'm such a burden," The boy's voice was rash and coughing followed the sentence. The man laid the child carefully down and drew a blanket over his form. He didn't say anything: Edward was a lot of trouble, he had to admit it, but there was no way he was going to admit it to Edward. The boy was feeling bad enough already even without being blamed for him staying single.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Followed by Edward's surprised gaze, Havoc stood up and walked to the door. His imagination took him over and he had all kinds of fantasies about Mary looking up his address and coming to visit him. Yet, in the back of his mind, the man knew it was not likely to happen.
But the person he saw when he opened the wooden door, was a pleasant surprise.
"Hey, you're up already!"
Hughes just nodded smiling, hands in his pockets. He was wearing black jeans, and a long, also black overcoat, and brown shoes.
"Yeah," the man confirmed, looking a lot better than the last time Havoc had seen him. "Got out yesterday, decided to come and see the little apple of my eye."
The younger man waved his head to the direction of the couch. Hughes opened his jacket a bit, revealing a well-fitting, black long-sleeved shirt. Whole man seemed to be more serious underneath that kind smile he wore; Havoc assumed that unexpected illness tend to do that to people.
As soon as Hughes saw Edward curled up on the couch, he quickened his pace and knelt next to the child.
"You poor thing," the man whispered checking temperature from forehead, neck and cheeks. "You must be feeling awful."
Edward nodded which was very unlike him; usually he hid his feelings and moods from everyone around him. Havoc decided to make himself useful and walked past the pair to the kitchen and took out three cups.
"Would you like some coffee?"
"Tea rather, please," Hughes lifted his gaze. "The doctor said I should avoid caffeine for some time."
He opened the cupboard and chose vanilla flavor for them. After filling silver colored pot with water and positioning it onto the stove, he glanced from the corner of his eye to the man and the boy behind him.
Hughes was telling something to the boy who was listening carefully, like fever had weakened his hearing and he had to be more concentrated than usually. The dark-haired man lifted the blanket off the boy and then put it better around the form; more tightly so that the patient wouldn't be affected by the cold September air.
Watching the scene, Havoc couldn't help feeling jealous; Hughes got so well along with Edward and the boy told him everything, it seemed. That man didn't get tired of the boy, nor did he blame him for anything. Of course, Edward got onto his nerves occasionally, Havoc was sure of that; the boy was a teenager after all, and those were always rebelling against authorities and older people. But Hughes had Gracia, and together they were able to keep Edward in control.
Loud coughing got him startled; Edward was still laying curled up, making a high-pitched, dry sound from his throat. The boy began to sit up with the help of his arms and Hughes, probably out of pity and instincts, supported him from his back.
"I think we could use that drink now," The man managed a humored smile and then turned to the boy, rubbing his small back while he kept coughing, flesh hand covering his mouth. After a minute, his breathing started to even and he swallowed frantically to get his throat damp again.
"There you go," Havoc offered him a blue mug full of white substance. Edward took it into his hands carefully, shaking a bit for the sudden weight. He managed to get the drink to his lips and some of it down his throat but then the heat forced him to lower the extra weight. He coughed again and placed the mug to the floor, where Hughes took it and placed onto the living room table.
"You should drink with that kind of a fever," the man couldn't help scolding as the child lay down again. Watching the scene for a minute, Hughes rolled his eyes and sighed deeply.
"How has he been?" The older man rubbed his forehead like he was having a headache.
Havoc shrugged and sat onto the end of the couch and looked at Hughes down to the floor.
"All in all, he has been unusually quiet and well behaving."
That got a laugh out of the older man: "My, that's new! I wish he was like that more often."
"It's not funny."
"Yeah," Hughes waved his right hand while the other held the mug. "I know."
Dark haired man sipped his drink again, savoring the sweet taste, and enjoyed the quiet moment. It was clear he was in peace and at that phase in his life, he didn't need much to feel like that. Even being without all the concerned gazes looking down at him was enough for him.
"Has he had any ghost-pains?"
Havoc was surprised by that kind of a question. He looked at the older man yearning for explanation, but Hughes was concentrated looking down to his drink. He thought for a moment of the past few weeks and then had to shake his head.
"No, or at least I have not noticed."
Something in Hughes's eyes changed; pity seemed to fill them but Second Lieutenant just couldn't understand the reason why.
"You would have unless you completely ignored him."
"I have not-"
"I'm not blaming you for anything, okay. I'm just worried and-"
Major rested his right elbow against his drawn up knees and massaged his forehead with his hand. His whole expression was filled with concern and isolation.
"Sorry," Jean whispered although he knew no reason why he should say it. The other man just waved the same hand and sipped his drink again; this time the cup went empty.
"Well," Hughes said all too brightly considering his previous state. The man stood up with the same enthusiasm that lingered around him all the time. "I guess I better be going; Gracia promised to make pork cribs and I just love those!"
Edward, who had been quiet and seemingly asleep during the whole conversation, opened his eyes at the sentence and sat up hurriedly. Hughes noticed this and turned his attention to the child.
"Hughes," the boy started; his voice was rough and he coughed a bit to make it clearer. "Can I go home with you?"
The next moment Edward felt two pairs of eyes staring at him but all he could see was the dark haired man in front of him. He didn't blink his eyes and so water filled them and made him look even more miserable; he had learned that it was a perfect way to get what he wanted. His Mom had almost never fallen for that but many Military Personals, mostly women, just couldn't stand a child looking at them with big, beautiful eyes. It had given him many privileges, at least until Hughes and Mustang had found out about it and forbad him from doing so anymore.
Havoc turned his gaze from the boy to Hughes who seemed to be in loss for words. Then, his face melted into a soft smile.
"Of course you can, anytime you want. It's nicer to be sick at home anyway."
Edward's face lit up but the boy didn't do any move to get up.
"You know what," Havoc said to Hughes who turned his gaze into the younger man. "I'll pack his things, I know where they are, and you put some warm clothes onto him."
"Serves me fine," Hughes shrugged but couldn't hide his happiness.
Soon enough Havoc had found a pair of jeans and a sweater to put onto Edward, and as he organized the boy's few belongings, Hughes helped the boy dress. The black sweater was very soft and easy to put on but the lower part didn't agree with wearing anything other than pajama pants. The boy complained his feet hurt and that the insides of his bones seemed to have turned into ice.
"I know," Hughes nodded while putting white socks onto the boy's feet. "Just try to hold on until we get home, okay."
"I think here is everything," Havoc walked to the pair carrying a brown suitcase with him.
"Even his medicines?" The older man inquired. "It's usually the most important things that tend to be forgotten."
"They're on top," The Second Lieutenant answered feeling emotionally hurt. How dumb did the man think he was? Who had successfully taken care of Edward because of Hughes's own mistake?
But all those thoughts were soon being thrown away from his mind as his eyes fixated onto the boy who was trying to stand up. Hughes took a hold of the boy's left arm and right shoulder, supporting him from behind. Edward didn't even step before he let out a half sigh, more like a pant, and grabbed his head, eyes half-open.
"I feel dizzy."
"It's no wonder," Hughes said softly. "C'mon, lean onto me, I'll help you."
To Havoc's great surprise, it didn't take long for the boy to get his outdoor clothes on. Hughes did everything else besides putting on jacket; he fastened the black scarf and tucked it inside the jacket and put an also black hat onto the yellow haired head.
Once they got out of the door to the empty corridor, there came a problem.
"He can't walk down all the stairs," Hughes pointed out, supporting Edward by his shoulders. The boy seemed to have lost all of his energy, and nearly fell down but the man's hold was steady. Havoc kept his eyes on the boy's face almost asleep figure and kept thinking about options.
"Elevator is out of the question also."
"Har har," Hughes mocked.
"Well," Havoc picked the boy up to his arms not caring about the older man's protests. "Stairs are excellent training."
They started their journey, Havoc first carrying Edward like bridal, the boy's head resting against his chest, and Hughes following him, carrying the suitcase.
"So," Havoc looked up to the older man as they had gotten down the first set of stairs and were once again in a corridor. "How are you doing?"
The question seemed to frustrate Hughes to no end.
"Jeez, why does everyone ask that? I'm fine; really, it was just a little fainting!"
"Sorry, but I don't think that spending a week in a hospital can be considered as a "little fainting"."
Havoc would have made the quotation marks if he weren't in charge of the boy. Now he could only express them within his voice; how he loved to see that usually such a calm guy annoyed.
They made their way to the parking lot and soon Hughes's black car was visible.
"I'm amazed you are driving," Havoc commented when walking to the driver's side of the car.
"Do not start that. You can never understand how I feel; everyone expect me to drop dead!"
"My, you must feel awful," The younger man grinned as Hughes unlocked the doors. He placed Edward onto the backseat and made sure the boy wouldn't fall off. The child went on sleeping , not waking up during the process.
"Edo," Hughes leaned to the car through an open door. "I'll run by the Pharmacy, it's right on the route, okay?"
"Are you in need of medicines?"
Hughes could feel unease in Havoc's voice and smiled while shaking his head.
"Not me, they're for Ed. About those ghost pains. He used to have pretty tough, and the medicine a doctor gave him was not effective enough. It was horrible during those days. Then I wrote to that Aunt Pinako of his since there is a little boy who can't tell his family about his worries," Hughes said the last part of the sentence to the boy, his eyes on the figure which laying on the dark clothed bench.
Edward didn't answer but curled up a bit, trying to warm himself up. The dark haired man squinted his eyes with worry.
"I think we better go now," the man opened the driver's door and turned to look to Havoc. "I'll call you sometime, okay. Thanks for everything."
The addressed man waved his hand as the driver's door closed and the engine started. When the vehicle had driven to the road and was out of the sight, Havoc lowered his hand and remained standing looking into the horizon. Had it just been half an hour ago that Mary had called? Then he would have given anything to get a chance to meet the woman but now as it was possible... His thoughts were all about Edward; whether the kid was okay, and whether he was sad or just happy to be with his family again.
Havoc had to admit that the boy had been a good company and that his home would seem much emptier for some time. For a moment, he could really understand what it meant to be a parent. He had experienced the constant worrying and the feeling of helplessness but he had also been proud of the boy and enjoyed the time they had spent together; whether it had been talking or just hanging around.
Yeah, this whole thing had proved that he had what was needed to be responsible of a child and that he was ready for a permanent relationship that could even lead to marriage.
It was time to call Mary.
...
...
...
Here is some Havoc/Edward brotherly moments for Dzem (by the way, go see her story Consolidated).
I used Celsius in this because we don't use Fahrenheit in my country. Let's just say 40 degrees is a very high fever while 37 is the border.
And that medicine is actually something I used to drink when I was a kid, and it tasted good!
Also, Mary name is in the honor of Mary Ingalls from The little house on the Prairie. She is such a beautiful girl.
I have actually seen a person faint once in my life, but two girls lifted her feet and she came to quickly. An hour later she was singing in front of a crowd.
Now I would be glad if you wold give me ideas for the next chaptr which is going to be pure Hughes/Ed parental (yeah, like you couldn't have guessed it already). Anything goes! And if you want, try to suggest the song that Edward was referring to. All I will say is that it is internationally famous and sung by a man. And I'm about to take my matriculation exam this September in Psychology and English. If anyone can give me hints of good studying techniques, I would be grateful!
Reviews are always welcome!
Goodbye for now!