A slight pain woke Ed from his slumber. It was coming from his right shoulder and he brought his other hand over to rub the soreness where his automail connected. It felt like pins and needles which caused a muscle spasm between his collar bone and neck. It was an unsettling feeling that he didn't like. Glancing around, he noticed Al still hadn't returned. The cold room was empty and quiet except for the constant beeping of the hear monitor. The sound was irritating and he reached up, yanking the wires off his chest.

'Well if Al isn't here then there's no one stopping me from leaving.' Shifted to the edge, he tried to stand up, forgetting about his missing automail. Being off balance, he went down fast. Grabbing onto the bed didn't help much either. Next to the door was a single wheelchair and he let out a groan, knowing he wasn't about to crawl all the way over to it. Clapping his hands, he pressed his palms to the ground. The floor rippled from alchemy towards the chair. The movement caused the chair to roll in his direction. It took several frustrating minutes to get up in the seat, but he finally managed.

The effort made him tired and he was breathing heavy again. Regardless though, he couldn't stay here. Any time he got injured and ended up in the hospital, it made him feel helpless, just like his attempted human transmutation. It reminded him of those past days when he would have no other option but to sit in bed for hours a day, trying to figure out what went wrong. It was a heavy feeling that was difficult to brush off especially being here alone. The same unnerving pain flared up even more now, causing him to grit his teeth. 'This has to be one of the lamest escapes ever,' he told himself as he realized he almost wanted to get back in bed. Before he could go any further with his plan, the door opened and the doctor along with one of the nurses came in.

"Fullmetal, sir you shouldn't be up."

oOoOo

Alphonse walked down the street at a slow pace. His mind was a million miles away, trying to come up with some way to help Ed. Rivers hadn't told him anything useful which only made the situation feel even more hopeless. He stopped by the alchemist's house again, looking through his research. All he found was a journal which mentioned the use of steel weapons and transmuting them into other substances, mainly liquid. Considering the man's perspective of the military, it made some sense. If the military went into an area with weapons, you could easily stop them by transmuting anything made of steel into water. The theories could work but there was nothing mentioned about using liquid as a weapon. If anyone would be able to figure out the connection, it was Ed. He was the one who specialized in metal components. Al's knowledge was on a broader scale, not focused on one specific material.

With this lack of information, it made his soul feel weighed down. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the military hospital once more. Releasing a vocal huff, he walked up to the entrance. Trying to still be optimistic, he wondered if the doctor had figured anything out. As he got closer to the quarantined area, he could hear the doctor's raised voice and he slouched his large frame, already having a pretty good idea what was going on. Again.

"Guess he's awake."

If ever there was a point that Edward wanted his automail, it was now. By this point, the doctor had called in two orderlys. Even though the two men were much bigger then Ed, it didn't stop him from thrashing with all his strength. It didn't matter if it was wasted effort, he wasn't going to cooperate. He was desperately trying to bring his palms together, in order to make it an even fight.

"I said let me go!" He yanked his one arm but to no avail.

"You don't seem to understand how sick you are. Please just let us help." The doctor was trying his best to remain calm and not get annoyed with his patient. But despite his efforts, Ed just kept shaking his head. It could have been the fever but the doctor wondered if the infection was affecting Ed's thought process. Finally getting the leverage he needed, he got his hands together and the blue electric light of alchemy danced around the room. From Al's point of view, he could have sworn that Edward was intending to destroy the whole room as spiked shot out from the ceiling, walls, and floor. Two large hands came up on either side of the bed, forcing the two large men away from him. Alphonse couldn't sit still anymore as he pushed the door open.

"Brother, quit it! You're gonna hurt someone!" The older Elric still sitting up in the bed brought his worn out gaze to the door. Hands still together, he looked dumbfounded, as though he wasn't sure what he had down. The throbbing pain in his shoulder got worse and he let out a stifled breath. Al clapped and placed his one hand on the wall, turning everything back to the way it was. Ed didn't even have a chance to say anything as he fell limply back on the pillow. The doctor made eye contact with Alphonse.

"Did he do that on purpose?"