A/N: thanks everyone for the reviews. this is the last prewritten chapter that i have. because of the great response, i am starting it up again. i hope that the chapters coming up are as good as these.
*~*MAES*~*
After I talk with the boys, I go to bed and snuggle next to Gracia.
"How did your talk with the boys go?"
"I think there may be something that can be done about Fuery. They say that if they study up on what's called bio-alchemy then they might have a slim shot at it. But I really don't know… Ed thinks it's close to impossible. They know better than most what messing with alchemy can do. I also think that Ed has given up a little, considering they couldn't even save Tucker's daughter and now they have to give their all for Fuery?"
"They are still children, as smart as they seem…" Gracia says with a sigh, holding my hand that is wrapped around her torso. "Give them a bit of time, Maes. Remember, their superiors have just had something traumatic happen to them and they found it. Plus, he and Alphonse seemed to be very close to that little girl. I can understand why Edward is a little apprehensive about helping Fuery. I'm sure Alphonse will make him see the big picture soon."
I nod, snuggling my nose into my wife's soft brown hair.
"Yeah… You're right… Sometimes, Gracia, I wonder if you shouldn't just come to the office with me and be a part of the military. You're so smart…"
Gracia giggles. "Well, I don't think Elysia would be happy about that."
"Yeah. Thank you…"
"You're welcome, sweetheart. Now, go to sleep. I'm sure the Fuhrer will have you doing more paperwork tomorrow and you need to be bright and alert."
I smile and drift off into sleep.
The sound of the phone ringing wakes me up and I groggily turn over to grab the phone.
"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes here…" I mumble in the receiver.
"Lieutenant Colonel, this is Dr. Chase at Central hospital."
"Oh, hello doctor, is there something wrong?"
"Well… there seems to be a bit of an… an incident."
I wake up and sit up a little, pulling my knee to my body.
"An incident? Like what? Is the colonel alright?"
"He's fine but… In all honesty, sir, it would be a lot easier if you came to the hospital yourself and saw what we were talking about. The colonel isn't in any danger as of yet but it's just hard to explain on the phone."
"Alright. I'll be there shortly. Thank you, doctor."
"We'll be waiting for you sir."
I put the phone up and turn the light on to get my uniform on.
"Maes? What are you doing?"
"Duty calls, honey. I have to go and check on Roy. The hospital called and they said something happened."
"You should probably take Ed with you then."
"Nah, I'll just see what happened. If it's anything serious, I think we can wait for tomorrow to show him. No need to make him worry now."
Gracia nods and turns away from me, sleep catching up to her again. I finish getting my clothes on and head to the hospital.
As I get up the second floor, the nurse meets me and she goes to get the doctor. Dr. Chase walks up to me, his graying hair looking astray.
"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, thank you for coming."
"You sounded very flustered on the phone, doctor, what's the trouble?"
The doctor still looks a little flustered and he motions for me to follow him.
"When we did the x-rays when the colonel came in, we saw something in his stomach. We've been monitoring him for the time being since he hadn't really been responding to anyone. A couple of hours ago, his blood pressure spiked, sending an alarm to the nurses. When they went to check on him… well, there was something that happened that we can't explain."
I wait for him to explain but he seems determined to show me rather than explain it to me. As soon as we get to Roy's door he looks back at me.
"We don't know what it is yet and we don't know if it will kill him or not… Please be calm."
The last sentence makes my hairs stand up and I walk inside.
Roy is laying sideways, his back to me. The heart monitor is going off at a slightly higher speed than yesterday, which is a good sign to me and I walk over to him. I put my hand on his shoulder and shake him just a little.
"Roy? Hey, you awake?"
I see Roy's eyes flutter open and he moans a little bit.
"Hey, bud, it's me, Maes. Your good ole friend from Central. You awake?"
He turns his head a little to look at me and then tries to turn his whole body. I grab his hand and his shoulder, helping him turn when I see it. If the sheet hadn't moved, I don't think I would have even seen it.
"Oh my god… what is that?"
Where Roy's stomach is, there is a bulge that looks like he is about three months pregnant. It's enough of a bulge to show that it's not normal. Roy looks weak anyway as I turn him over and I don't think he's ready to talk to anyone. But it doesn't keep me from asking.
"Roy, what is that?"
He says nothing as I thought he wouldn't but I get him on his back and look back down at the bulge. I can't understand if it is what I think it is. I mean, I remember when Gracia first told me she was pregnant with Elysia and her stomach started growing. It looked almost exactly like this one now but Roy was a man! For God's sake!
A feel his hand suddenly clench on my uniform and he shivers, seeming ot have a pain go through him. I hold him and he shakes almost violently in my arms.
"Hey, don't go all lax on me, Colonel. We have a lot of work to do and you being like this is not going to help this country."
The door opens and the doctor walks in.
"You… you saw it?" he asks, looking cautiously at Roy as I set him down on his back.
"Yes, I did."
"Do you have any idea what it might be? Something alchemical?"
"I honestly don't know. The only two people that can answer that are the colonel and Tucker. Both of which aren't available right now… How long will he be like this?" I ask, looking at Roy as he drifts back into sleep.
"Who knows how long trauma lasts in different people. I should say that he should be able to walk around within the week with help."
I nod and look back at the thing on his stomach. What the hell is that thing?
I get back home and find that Edward and Alphonse are awake, Gracia as well and she is making breakfast.
"Mr. Hughes, what are you doing up so early?" Alphonse says, setting the table and looking at me as I put my coat on the back of my chair.
"I got a call from the hospital and I had to go check up on Roy."
Ed and Al look at each other, apprehensiveness in Ed's eyes.
"I-is he alright?"
"He's fine… well… except that there's something wrong with his stomach. There's something in it and it looks like…" I have to laugh at the preposterous idea and the comparison. "It looks almost like he's pregnant."
"Pregnant?" all three of them say, Gracia looking especially surprised.
"Yes. We don't know exactly what it is but from the outside, that's what it looks like. Like when you were pregnant with Elysia at three months."
"Th-three months?! Maes, he was only rescued yesterday!" Gracia says, worry in her voice.
"I know, I know… The doctors are going to work on trying to see what it is but… If it is what I think it is…"
"Lieutenant Colonel, I don't think that's possible. The only way to create a human is with a philosopher's stone. Every one that we've run across has been a fake and can't do anything to that extent." Ed says, his hand to his chin as he thinks. "It must have something to do with bio-alchemy. If it really is a person, then we need to know how he did it. Was the colonel responsive?"
"No… the doctor said it may take a long time before he's ready to talk."
"That's a problem then…"
"Brother?" Alphonse says, sitting down with the pancakes Gracia has made.
"Tucker is very skilled at his sort of alchemy. Just like Mustang is very good at flame alchemy, Tucker's expertise is beyond expectations. In fact, he's almost as good as me and Al. If he didn't have a philosopher's stone, then he must have used something and since he's a bio-alchemist, I bet it had something to do with that. The body… If the colonel could tell us what he saw when it happening, then maybe we can get deeper clues."
"Whenever he gets enough strength, he'll have to be in someone's care. Maybe you boys can look after him a little and get him to talk?" I ask.
Ed looks suddenly frightened and Gracia smiles at him.
"I don't think my husband would ask something like this of you if he didn't have a reason. I think it's because he knows he sometimes smothers. Roy needs someone who is calm and collected, not nagging him all the time." She says in that tone that shows it's fact but she's still playing.
"Yeah. I'll get too excited about him being home and bombard him too much. He needs someone like you, Ed, who is a lot like him. I think he'll appreciate it."
"Yeah, sure…" he says, looking at his hands for a moment.
I can see the apprehension on his face so I put my hand on his shoulder and squeeze.
"I know that it's a bit of a daunting task, but until all this stuff if sorted out, I can't really look after him. Plus, I want him to recuperate without distraction. Leaving him to himself will make him feel independent and I know, being a father, that I can't give him that independence. You're a smart kid, Ed, and I know that you'll do what you have to. Plus, I know that it will be right, no matter what."
Ed looks at me, his golden eyes full of renewed determination. He nods his head once.
"Yeah, you're right. I'll make him get well so fast he won't even know it. In fact, he'll never figure out he's sick…" he says with a glint in his eyes.
"Brother, that's mean." Alphonse says with a laugh. He then turns to me. "Mr. Hughes, is there a way to get Sergeant Fuery out of that facility you told us about?"
"We can but he'd have to be taken care of by someone. No one that is close is out of the hospital yet and I think, like you said Al, that it would be best if he stayed with someone he knew. I think Jean is the closest to being released… I dunno… I'll make sure he's safe, Alphonse."
"Mm." he says with a nod.
The sound of tiny footsteps coming into the kitchen catches my ears and I turn to see Elysia with her blanket.
"Mommy, I'm hungry." She says as she rubs her little eyes.
"Daw, is my little honey bear hungwy! Mommy, make food for my little princess!" I say, scooping her up and she giggles.