Authors note: Wow! Thanks for all the support it is greatly appriciated! I would love to put an ed scene in this at some point but unfortuantly he wouldn't be in Amestris at this point in time :( Anyway, on with the story...
Disclaimer: I don't own FMA
Things had returned back to being relatively normal at the office at Central headquarters. The guys found excuses to avoid their paperwork, leaving Riza to scold them and fire warning shots into the ceiling. She slotted back into normal routine, retrieving paperwork, scolding her subordinates, shooting practise at the range and maintaining her persona as Central's ice queen. She almost forgot Roy was no longer there. Almost.
She was sat at her desk late one evening finishing up some last signatures and timetables. She'd taken on a new programme to train some of the younger snipers. Hayate whined next to her desk wanting to go home and have dinner. She sighed and scratched behind his ear, "not long now, boy." The she felt an odd sensation in her stomach, she rested her hand on the slight swell of her belly and took a deep breath, it happened again.
"You OK, Hawkeye?"
She glanced up to see Jean Havoc in the door way staring at her with a concerned expression, the cigarette hanging loosely from his twisted lips. She nodded and swallowed, turning her eyes back to the sheets of paper in front of her, "I think I just felt the baby kick, that's all."
His eyes widened slightly, "really? How old is it now?" He walked over and sat next to her, she didn't look up from her signatures. His gaze drifted down to the small bulge beneath her loose uniform.
"Lieutenant Havoc, I really don't think that's an appropriate way to look at a superior officer," she said sternly but her voice remained at its usual calm volume. He looked back up at her and removed the unlit fag from his mouth, tucking it behind his ear. She sighed and looked at him, her glance checking the door was shut to make sure no-one would hear them talking. "Just over 12 weeks now," she said more softly.
He grinned, "you got any of those black and white fuzzy photos yet?"
"No, my first scan is tomorrow," she turned back to the paper work, "I trust you guys can cover the morning for me while I visit the doctor?"
"Course we can, just leave it to me and the guys," then he paused slightly, watching her, "we're here for you, just like we promised."
She turned to face him again, her eyes going moist from unshed tears. She really was an emotional wreck at the moment, "it means a lot, Jean." His lips twigged in a grin as she used his first name. Then he saw her brow furrow slightly, "why are you here so late anyway? I thought you all went down the local pub when work was over?"
Havoc shrugged and leaned around the side of her desk to his, he awkwardly pulled open a drawer and withdrew a small, shiny silver lighter. "Forgot Sally" He said raising the lighter slightly.
"Sally?" she said with a slight tug of her eyebrow.
"Ex-girlfriend," he clarified, "Real hot head." She grinned slightly at the pun but then her face faltered and her hand cupped her stomach again. Havoc stopped smiling and was concerned again,
"You alright? Should I call a doctor?"
"No, Jean I'm fine," she smiled reassuringly and stood up, "It's just getting used to the baby moving."
He stood up beside her, "Here," he took some keys from the office cabinet, "I'll drive you home."
"That's not necessary, I'm pregnant not incapacitated," she growled.
He smirked, "I never said you were but it's late, dark, you live a good half hour walk away and, as you said, you're pregnant. It is my gentlemanly duty and my duty as one of your subordinates to look out for you." She opened her mouth to argue but then thought a speedy drive home would get her out of her uniform, off her feet and in a hot bath quicker.
"Fine," she picked up her satchel and they left the office.
Riza Hawkeye marched through central head quarters, Black Hayate at her side. She was making her way to the range for shooting practise before she resigned herself to the office for the rest of the afternoon. She walked into the locker room and placed her satchel in one of the grey steel lockers, she slumped the duffel bag on the bench next to her, in front of the locker, and began to get out her shooting clothes so she wouldn't mark her uniform.
"Have you seen Lieutenant Hawkeye?" came a female voice from the other side of the lockers. Riza's face shot up. Her hands stilled in mid air with a black t-shirt.
"What do you mean?" Came a slightly deeper, but no less feminine voice.
"The woman's putting on her pounds. You think she's lost it because Colonel Mustang's gone?"
There was a slight pause as her friend thought, "Maybe, the two were obviously very close. It is a shame that after everything she went through the guy just picks up and leaves." There was a creak as a locker door was pried open and then the sound of zips being torn apart.
"Yeah, must be tough," another pause, "you think she's eating because she doesn't have a purpose anymore?"
That was it, Riza couldn't take it anymore. She pulled the t-shirt roughly over her head, through the bag into the locker and slapped the door shut. Hayate yelped. She yanked the key to the quarter past position and then tugged it free of the lock. She beckoned for Hayate to follow and walked out the locker room.
She marched onto the range and pulled a rifle from the armoury and a small wooden block of extra bullets. She found a booth at the end of the range and pulled on a set of safety ear defenders. She pushed the button to send out the target, loaded her gun and began firing. Hayate had taken his usual spot, sitting quietly at the top of the range.
She fired off several rounds. Each one hitting the mark perfectly. She fired more. Again a straight shot of perfect marks. Yet it wasn't good enough. Yes, he had fucking pissed off! Yes, he'd left her without a second word. Yes, he'd put her through hell and back and then the fucker and fucking gone to the fucking north, leaving her with a fucking baby!
The gun stopped firing. She glanced at it and saw that the magazine was out of bullets. The gun had a few splotches from where her tears had fallen on it. She sucked in a deep breath and laid it on the shelf in front of her. She braced herself and concentrated on her breathing. She needed to calm down. She didn't mean those thoughts, she was just angry. Angry at him for leaving, angry at the situation, angry at her hormones...the list went on. She heaved a heavy sigh and stood up straight.
She knew this anger would pass eventually. She also knew that it was one of the various emotions that would wrack her mind over Roy's departure for the rest of the day. Ranging from guilt and anger to pure unadulterated sorrow ,as she stood in her shower at the end of the day, alone in her apartment.
She picked the gun up and walked it back to the armoury. Locking it up securely and turning towards black Hayate who was stood with his head slightly to one side, she could tell he was worried. Riza knelt in front of him and rubbed his face on either side, making his tail wag and licking her face. She laughed, "just looks like it's you and me," she sighed, "we best get back." She stood and the dog obediently followed her back to the locker rooms and then up to the office.
The new colonel was, quite frankly, absolutely lovely. He was a friend to all his subordinates whilst still commanding more respect and authority that Mustang ever did. Yes, Colonel Reynolds would smile and joke with them before encouraging them on with the 'battle against paperwork' as he called it. For Riza, this made it all the more difficult to hate him for taking Mustang's position.
It was coming up to eight thirty when she and Hayate entered the office that morning. She was beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable in her uniform. It was hot, itchy and the waist band was starting to chafe at her growing abdomen. It had been 20 weeks, so she was starting to really show her condition even through the baggy uniform. Rumours had lit up around headquarters as to who the father was, most people were guessing Mustang, even though neither she nor her peers had said anything. She waddled walked, slightly awkwardly to her desk, and let out a huge sigh of relief when she thumped down into the chair at her desk.
"Ah, lieutenant Hawkeye!" came a cheery voice from behind her. Riza's eyes shot open and she stood up, briskly saluting.
"Good morning colonel!" She fought the urge to cringe from her sudden movement, her feet ached a little and she still felt queasy from breakfast.
"At ease, soldier," he grinned kindly and then moved over to sit in Havoc's chair, facing her, "I came in early so we could have a little chat."
Riza paused and frowned slightly, she moved to sit back down, "yes, sir..." she said hesitantly.
Colonel Reynolds cleared his throat and laid out some paperwork on the desk between them, "It's about your condition, lieutenant." Riza's breath hitched, oh god, what now? Her head began creating multiple scenarios; being decommissioned or having to put the child in care because they didn't deem her 'mothering material'. Without realising, her hand instinctively cupped her belly, the colonel noticed and smiled reassuringly, "how far are you along now? four months?"
"Um...about 20 weeks...so yes sir, about four months."
"Right, lieutenant," he picked a pen up from the pot on Havoc's desk and scribbled something on the forms. "I want to discuss your future here, if that's alright. Nothing to be worried about but, for obvious reasons, the military needs to know what you plan on doing." He gave her another grin, trying to keep her calm.
Riza nodded, taking a deep breath, "well, I'm going to keep the baby if that's what you mean," she retorted defensively. No one was taking her baby away.
"As I said Lieutenant, we just want to know your plans," he reiterated, as if reading her panicked thoughts, "Do you plan on remaining in the military after the baby is born?"
Riza sat slight stunned, she honestly hadn't considered what she'd do after the baby was born. It hadn't occurred to her whether she'd be leaving or staying in the military. All at once it hit her. How was she going to financially support a child on her own? She couldn't work AND have a career, not alone at least, maybe if she had the father to help with child care. With that thought her jaw set. Great, Mustang had fucked her up again.
Colonel Reynolds saw some of the things fly briefly through her eyes as she stared at the desk. He looked at the papaers and then back at his subordiante, deciding to take a different approach, "I know, I'll outline your options with the military and then you tell me you plans, OK?"
She nodded.
"Right," he started, "You are entitled to take paid maternity leave from eleven weeks before your official due date. In the mean time the military does have maternity uniform that we can order for you since you may not fit into the standard uniform much longer. You can have up to 52 weeks should you fell that is necessary and headquarters has a new crèche that your child can attend while you work."
Riza was shocked, she hadn't realised the military provided this kind of support for pregnant soldiers. The colonel smiled, "times are changing, lieutenant. The new government thought the military should be adapting to suit more of its female soldier's needs, since we do have quite a few of them." That was true, she could name five women off the top of her head.
She looked up at the colonel, "Thank you, sir. I would like to remain in the military after giving birth."
Riza had a long red maxi dress on and black cardigan on, and a pair of beige sandles that kept peeking out under her dress. She rarely wore dresses normally but the long loose fitting dress felt so good in the hot sun and cascading over her swollen abdomen. It was a relatively hot day in central and the park was teeming with screaming children, exasperated mothers, bees and blooming flowers. She smiled to herself as Hayate came sprinting back to her with a chewed up ball in his mouth. He dropped it at her feet and stepped back panting and wagging his tail violently.
She peered over her bump at the ball. Damn Hayate, I'm never going to reach that. She sighed, held her tummy and tried to lean over for it. Before she could reach it a foreign hand gripped the ball and picked it up, Hayate pranced around waiting for the stranger to fling it for him. She stood back up straight with a groan, placing her hands on her lower back. "Looked like you needed some help there," said an all to familiar voice.
Riza's lips quirked in a smile, "Thank you, Havoc. I'm not sure I would have got back up again."
Havoc chuckled and threw the ball, Hayate running off as if chasing a pot of gold across the park. He was wearing a casual red chequered shirt and a pair of jeans, his trademark cigarette in the corner of his mouth. "How have you been, we haven't seen you since you took maternity leave."
His eyes rested on her stomach and he grinned, "wow, you're getting really big."
"You saying I'm fat, Havoc?" She gave him a mock frown and narrowed her eyes.
Havoc let out a hearty laugh and gave her arm a playful punch, "still our Hawkeye I see." She smiled along with him and they began to walk back through the park together. Laughing as he told her all the antics the guys had been getting up to since she'd been gone. When he'd finished he looked over at her, she'd gone quiet and that's when he saw the tear on her cheek.
"Riza?" he sounded concerned, "are you alright?"
Riza nodded, "fine just...I'm lonely all by myself in my apartment, I struggle to get up the all the stairs to my floor and I can no longer carry all my shopping properly and ..." she sighed, "I miss everyone."
Havoc looked down, feeling guilty. It wasn't that they didn't care about Riza but things had been really busy at work. No one had had time to check on her. The colonel had them sorting out a murder investigation and there was the new recruits coming through this time of year. Hayate ran back up to them and neither of them could stop laughing at what he brought. The mutt was carrying a stick over a meter in length. This head was lopsided with the weight and he looked so proud of himself. "Oh Hayate, you stupid dog," said Riza, affectionately scratching his ear. She then looked over at Havoc, "I bought a new place."
Havoc was shocked for a moment, "really? Where abouts?"
"Near Gracia and Elysia's neighbourhood. Figured I could do with some people I knew near me and somewhere with not so many stairs."
"That sounds great," He paused and suddenly lightening struck him, "I know! When you move in we'll get all the guys around. Help prepare the place for you!"
Riza looked shocked at him and then slightly worried, "Prepare?"
"Yeah! Like Fuery can use his technical skills to baby proof the place, Breda and I will assemble the furniture, like the cot and things. I'm sure I can convince Denny and Falman to paint the nursery and Maria and Gracia can be on stand bye for aesthetic consultation!"
Riza laughed, "aesthetic consultation?"
"yeah, you know, what colors and where everything should be. Oh and for food of course, we could even have a barbecue, what you say?"
"ummm..."
"C'mon Riza, you were just complaining about being lonely! Plus in your condition, no offense, but it's going to be tough preparing all that on your own."
Riza smiled, it would be nice to have everyone around. The help would also be greatly appreciated, she wasn't about to start constructing baby furniture alone in this state, "Alright then, I move in next friday."
So I felt this chapter wasn't particularly great so I'm going to upload to next chapter pretty soon :D