Three pairs of questioning eyes had greeted Havoc and Hawkeye as they rounded the corner into the room in which the rest of team Mustang worked.
Riza decided to leave the details of the infirmary visit to the second lieutenant. He was more than capable of explaining the matter. Furthermore, she had other things to take care of. She walked briskly past the men toward the colonel's office.
"So what happened?" Furey ventured to ask, adjusting his glasses.
"The doctor says the colonel's got a case of influenza." Havoc stated after a moment, crossing his arms.
Furey, Falman, and Breda all exchanged worried glances.
With a soft click, Riza shut Mustang's office doors behind her. She surveyed the room, deciding she probably ought to wipe down his desk in order to prevent the virus' spread. First, however, she had documents to deal with, particularly filing away Edward's report and locating the forms for the colonel's sick leave.
Neither task proved to be very difficult. Hawkeye knew from years of working with Mustang- or in this case, motivating him to complete his paperwork- where everything was filed. Now that Roy was most definitely not returning to work for at least a few days, she saw no harm in getting the report into its proper place.
The forms she was looking for were in a manila folder in his bottom desk drawer, fifteen folders from the front to be exact. She pulled a few pristine sheets from their resting place and looked them over, nodding to herself. Yes, these were the forms alright. She was sure of it.
She was about to set them aside on the small office table, when the colonel's uniform caught her eye. She'd have to remember to gather it and her own uniform up later before driving Mustang home. Both uniforms could do with a cleaning. However, his in particular could use a good wash. If not for the mud stains the rain had so graciously assisted in painting upon the blue fabric, then certainly for the germs that were without a doubt thriving on it.
The thought struck her that she might want to start washing her hands with increased frequency. She didn't want to catch the flu, after all. Furthermore, she might want to caution the rest of the colonel's subordinates to do the same… She shook her head, "Really, Riza? You aren't their mother. They should have enough sense to wash their hands." She berated herself.
She set the forms down on the table, less than a foot from where the colonel's uniform lay sloppily on the sofa. She resisted the urge to fold it presently, before leaving the office in search of some cleaning supplies. She figured she might as well wipe down the colonel's desk while she was thinking of it.
As she walked by the others once more, she caught bits of their conversation. They had returned to their work stations, but were still discussing their commander's misfortune.
"I sure hope the colonel will be alright." Furey said frowning.
"The colonel lived through the Ishvalan civil war; I think he can handle a little virus." Havoc attempted to comfort the younger man, taking a puff from a freshly lit cigarette.
"Yeah, like you're not worried about the colonel too." Breda stated flatly.
"The doctor said with rest and medicine he'd be fine, right?" Falman attempted, "Well then… I suppose he'll be just fine."
Hawkeye smiled slightly to herself as she continued down the hall, the rest of their conversation fading as she moved further away. There was just something slightly heartwarming about the way Mustang's men displayed their concern for him. She faintly wondered if the colonel truly knew just how much his men did care. She shrugged. That was something only Mustang himself could answer.
Locating a janitorial closet further down the hall, Riza procured a bucket and some cleaning rags she could use for her endeavor. Making a mental note to return the supplies when she was through, Riza stopped into the lavatory to fill the bucket with warm water and soap. Then, careful not to spill the contents, she carried the bucket back up the hall as she headed for Roy's office once more.
"What's the bucket for, Lieutenant Hawkeye?" Havoc felt compelled to ask as she walked by yet again.
Riza stopped in mid-stride, turning to face the other four.
Havoc was regarding her calmly, taking another drag from his cigarette whilst the others appeared to be working diligently… even if they were listening in.
"I'm going to wipe down the colonel's desk, and possibly a few other surfaces in his office." Riza explained easily, "We don't need anyone else getting sick due to the lingering germs."
"Ah. Good idea." The second lieutenant nodded approvingly, turning his attention back to his own work.
Riza nodded to Havoc and proceeded back inside Mustang's office to begin wiping things down.
She set the bucket on the floor by Roy's desk and plunged one of the cleaning cloths into the warm, sudsy water. Wringing out the excess moisture, she proceeded to slap the wet rag down on his desk and began moving her wrist in gentle, circular motions. She didn't intend to miss an inch of potentially infected surface. Influenza was serious business, after all.
She was so intent on cleaning, so focused was she, that when a sudden ringing noise broke the silence, she felt her heart jump a little in her chest. She glanced incredulously to the colonel's private line. Who could be calling him?
She contemplated a moment on just letting it ring. She really wasn't supposed to answer Mustang's phone…
BRRRRIIIIINNNGGG!
Then again, if it was something important she really ought to answer. She lifted the phone to her ear, listening carefully for a clue as to who the mystery caller could possibly be.
"Roy!" an all too cheerful voice exclaimed.
She blinked. There was only one person she knew who could put so much enthusiasm into a single word…
Clearly undeterred by the lack of reply, the voice continued on, "Guess what? You won't believe it! My daughter Elicia was pretending to be a little bunny rabbit this morning! She was hopping around and asking for carrots… I took a picture!"
Riza sighed. Yes, it was him alright…
"Elicia's just so cute I can't stand it!" the voice gushed, "Oh and Gracia-"
"Lieutenant colonel Hughes." Riza cut him off abruptly.
There was a pause on the other end of the line as Maes Hughes was clearly caught off guard, "Wait. Lieutenant Hawkeye? Where's Roy?" he asked confusedly. "Or am I interrupting something?" he added teasingly.
Riza frowned, resisting the urge to shout into the phone at his misplaced remark, "I'm sure I don't know what you're insinuating, Lieutenant colonel." She said evenly. She heaved a sigh and continued in a softer tone, "Colonel Mustang is currently resting in the infirmary, sir. He seems to have come down with influenza."
"…How bad is it?" Hughes' tone had taken on a bit more of a serious quality.
"To put it simply, he was running a fever of thirty-nine and a half degrees Celsius and seemed really out of sorts." Hawkeye proceeded to give him a brief rundown of the colonel's symptoms, "…By the time we got him down to the infirmary, he barely seemed capable of following a conversation." She stated flatly.
"Poor Roy." The lieutenant colonel sympathized, "You'll have to make sure he gets plenty of rest, lieutenant."
"Well, I intend to enforce the idea if necessary." Riza said mildly, hand tracing over her gun holster, "Though he seems to have 'surrendered' presently… The doctor says he should be fine."
She could almost see the lieutenant colonel smiling on the other side, "Well that's good to hear at least." Hughes said, "How many days is he taking off?"
"Most probably a week, if not more." Riza replied thoughtfully, "Influenza spreads easily and is nothing to sneeze at… I'm sure the higher ups will understand."
"… 'Nothing to sneeze at', huh? That's one dark sense of humor you've got there, lieutenant." Hughes laughed lightly.
"Pardon?" Hawkeye returned calmly.
"Nothing, lieutenant." Hughes was definitely grinning now; she was sure, "Listen. Tell Roy I hope he gets better soon, alright?"
"I'll be sure to let him know, sir." Riza returned.
"Alright. I'll let you get back to your work now." Hughes said.
"Farewell, sir." Riza replied in closing, hanging up the private line.
She got the nagging feeling that Hughes would somehow try to pass his well wishes onto Roy personally, but that wasn't any of her business. She resumed wiping down the desk and anything else she deemed worthy of meeting with the soap and water.
As she worked, the first lieutenant found herself worrying about Roy's well-being. After she drove him home that night, he'd essentially be on his own. She frowned. Would he even be capable of taking proper care of himself? A small part of her was convinced that after a few hours rest, the colonel would be trying to force his way back into work… insisting he was fine… On the other hand, the majority of her thoughts seemed to concur that he was too sick to even attempt something of that nature.
So that begged the question: what would he do? Would he make sure he ate and kept up his fluids or would he starve himself? She could all too easily picture her commander slumped in a chair… deciding he wasn't hungry and that getting up to get anything wasn't worth the effort. Her forehead creased.
"Maybe someone ought to take care of him… if even for a couple days…" Riza thought, "Maybe even just one day… to make sure he's alright."
She contemplated for a moment calling lieutenant colonel Hughes back. She knew he'd be all too eager to catch a train down to East city to help a friend in need. Hawkeye quickly ruled that possibility out, however. Hughes had a wife and daughter to care for and he certainly didn't need to risk bringing the influenza virus into their home.
As far as she knew, she and second lieutenant Havoc were the only members of team Mustang to have come in direct contact with the colonel that day. Therefore, there wasn't much point in asking Furey, Falman, or Breda to expose themselves to the virus. Even the doctor had made sure to point out that Mustang really ought to keep a distance from most people until he was well.
So that left her and second lieutenant Havoc. She frowned. Dancing on the line that was the anti-fraternizing policy was never an easy task. Certainly gossip would circulate if either one of them took off more than a couple days coinciding with the colonel's absence. Especially if she were to take time off. She still remembered the strict warnings as if they were yesterday.
"You are to guard him and see to it that he completes his duties. At no point does this include involving yourself in his personal life…" she reminded herself wordlessly.
Still, a sick Mustang was bound to be next to defenseless. If Scar should try to show up and eliminate the weakened alchemist, he was bound to need some protection. What's more, Riza decided, he was nowhere near capable of completing his duties. Not right now, at least.
She weighed her options. Even if she or the second lieutenant were able to find a way to get by with taking care of the colonel, she wondered if he would accept the help. Sure, he'd allowed them to support him down the hallway, but there was a big difference between that and providing him with basic needs like food and water. What if his pride wouldn't allow him to be, for lack of a better term, coddled? Furthermore, Hawkeye wasn't even sure just how far the alibi of protecting a sick man would get her.
By the time she'd finished wiping things down, the office seemed to have grown darker. It had been about an hour since Hughes's call. She supposed her own whirring thoughts were to blame. She dropped the used cleaning rags into the bucket and headed back out of the office. She really ought to bring the colonel those sick leave forms before it got much later, she decided.
After dumping out the soapy water in the restroom and returning the supplies to the janitor's closet, Riza made her way back the way she'd come. She retrieved the forms from the office table, pocketing a pen as an afterthought.
"Taking those to the colonel?" Havoc surmised as she passed him by.
"That's right." She nodded calmly.
"Tell him to get well soon, okay?" Breda interjected.
"Of course, lieutenant Breda." Hawkeye nodded and continued on her way down the hall. She faintly wondered if her superior had managed to fall asleep.
As she neared the infirmary, the sound of something shattering caught her ear. Was that glass? She picked up her pace a bit, pausing when she heard voices coming from inside the room in which Roy had been resting.
"P-Please, sir," a nurse was stammering, "D-Don't worry about it."
"Doh…it's by fauld." The flame alchemist's voice came dully followed by a shiver.
Riza stepped into the doorway.
Shards of glass and water were splayed out across the floor beside the cot. She could only conclude that the shards had once resembled a cup and that, full of water, that cup had been inadvertently dropped by one Roy Mustang.
"I'll go get a broom." The nurse said quietly, brushing by Riza on her way out of the room.
The lieutenant chose to approach the other side of the cot as Roy glanced up at her slowly. She had to admit, he looked just as miserable as he had a little over an hour ago.
"Lieutenant Breda asks you to get better soon, sir." She stated as a form of greeting.
His onyx eyes blinked slowly as he processed that, "…Does he?"
"Yes sir." Hawkeye stated, "As does lieutenant colonel Hughes."
His eyes widened slightly in confusion, "L-Lieutedadt..." his breathing hitched before he could continue.
"Hehhh…Hhpt'CHUuu!" Roy turned his head as he lurched forward, sneezing into his arm.
"He called your private line, sir." Riza clarified, "I simply told him what I knew."
Roy sniffled and allowed himself a small sigh, "I see."
The nurse returned with a broom and dustpan and began sweeping up the mess silently, not wishing to interrupt the conversation.
"More importantly, sir," Riza continued, "I've brought those forms for you to fill out."
Author's Note:
Hello again, dear readers! I'll bet you weren't expecting an update out of me just yet, were you? *grins* What can I say? I'm really enjoying writing this fic. Though I really ought to stockpile chapters at some point… Anyway… HUGHES! Yes, I just had to put him in this. And this may not be his only appearance either! (spoilers?)
Believe it or not, Roy initially wasn't going to appear in this chapter, but he managed to worm his way in somehow…
I get the feeling this chapter is particularly boring in comparison to the others so far, but maybe that's just me… Hopefully Hughes makes up for it! *nervous laugh*
Reviews make me happy and inspire me! See you in chapter 6!