Okay everybody! Time for the neck chapter! Don't forget to read, review, and enjoy!

Two days passed. I now had Bea, Harry, and Havoc to take care of, all in the same room. Bea was steadily getting worse. It had elevated to the point that Bea couldn't sit up and I had to help her hold Harry. Meanwhile Havoc was being a big help. He would spend the time Bea was awake talking with her, while I worked on finding a cure for Havoc. When Bea was asleep or I was busy he kept Harry close to his bed and took care of the baby. I was especially surprised to find out that Havoc knew how to change a diaper.

I loved sharing a room with the three of them despite the many wake up calls of Harry and the way Havoc and Bea bickered about political issues. Sometimes I would stay up late just to have the peace and quiet to think. I was enjoying one of those nights when I finally hit the end of any path I could think of for Havoc. I leaned back against the wall, letting the book I'd been reading make a slapping noise on my cot. My head hurt.

"Why?" I asked the silence, "Why won't you let me find a way to fix him?"

"Fix who?"

I fell off the cot. Bea had scared me, I'd thought she'd been asleep. I blinked at her a few times, "How long have you been awake?"

She smiled, "Only a little while. What's wrong?"

I ran my fingers through my hair, "I'm trying to help Havoc."

"I figured that much."

I cleared my throat and gave the frail looking woman a look, "He has sever spinal damage. According to all the work I've done and what I've observed, Havoc will never walk again. But if I do one thing… One horrible thing, I can give him back his legs."

Bea looked at me, "You're an alchemist aren't you?"

I went from studying my socks, to looking at her in shock, "How did you know?"

She gave a small shrug, "Harold was a soldier. He worked with some of the more ethical Alchemists. He use to write me letters, told me about how good some of them actually were. He told me sometimes they'd fight their morals about what they were doing. That's what you seem to be doing."

My jaw dropped, she'd guessed and I'd fallen right into it.

"Also you use an accent when any of the doctors or nurses are around, but when Miss Riza is outside you don't hesitate to use this accent and You act more stiff when you use that odd accent," She said, "You're obviously hiding something, or from something."

I laughed, "I see why the government doesn't want you Ishbalans to get any power." I scrubbed my hair again, "I can give Havoc his legs back to him if I can find a spine to replace his. The problem is I have to find a healthy living spine. The spine of a dead man won't work, because from the moment you die you're body starts breaking down and the connections of the spine are typically the first to go. I can transmute the spine from one living person to another- ideally Havoc- but that could, most likely would, kill the donor. I don't think I could ask anyone to do that… I don't know if I could do that at all." I clinched my hands together tightly, my fingers laced together, holding them under my nose.

Bea had pushed herself into an upright position, and looked at me now calmly, "So you need the spine from a living person? A person who is breathing? Someone who's never had any back problems?"

"Ideally, yes. All they would require is to have a healthy spine and a good reaction time," I said looking at her surprised.

"Use mine."

I stopped breathing for a moment and just stared at her. My heart was in my ears and the room tilted. I couldn't hurt Bea. She had a son, a three month old baby that needed her, "No"

"Why not?"

I forced myself to breath again, "Because Harry needs you."

Bea smiled at me that same sad smile she'd had the first day I'd met her, "I'm dying, Conradine." She laughed lightly, " If that is your real name. How many more days do you think I have? I might die tomorrow, I might die next week. Harry is going to loose me anyway. Why shouldn't I give up my life doing something for someone else? That's how Harold died, I was never more proud of him. I was able to give birth to Harold's son that was my joy. Now let me have pride in my death. Conradine let me help Havoc."

I shook my head slowly, "No. I can't. I can't live knowing I killed one of my friends."

"I don't want to die slowly… Every day the pain in my stomach gets worse. I know this illness is eating me alive. Let me have honor in my death. I know its coming soon anyway, let my death serve a purpose." Bea was begging me now, "Please."

"No," I was shaking my head, my hands gripping tighter and tighter trying to stop their shaking from being evident, "No, no, no. You aren't going to die." My voice quivered, I knew I was lying, "I'll be able to fix you before you die. You are going to grow old and take care of Harry, and raise him to be brilliant. You'll live to be a hundred, and die of old age. I won't let you die. Doctors are supposed to save people not doom them." I blinked rapidly trying to prevent the tears that were coming.

"Conradine…" Her voice drew my eyes to her face. I saw so many things in those eyes. "I'm dying," and she'd accepted it. "Soon, Harry won't have anyone to take care of him," she was afraid for him. "I don't want him to go to a home, I want someone who will love him to take care of him," she pleaded with me. "I want to be useful in my last moments," she really wanted to help. "Let me help save Havoc, I know you can give him back his legs," She trusted me.

I gritted my teeth, regretting what I was about to say, "In the morning we'll fill out the paperwork to make me Harry's guardian. He can stay with one of my friends until I finish in the Battle Field. If you still want to do this I'll make the transplant tomorrow night after Havoc's fallen asleep. I don't want him to know… the sins I commit in the dark of night."

Bea watched me silently for a moment, "It'll be alright. You will help him."

I nodded, my brain screaming, Yeah but is the price for fixing one life worth another? I pulled off my tie and stockings, and rolled into my bed, "Go to sleep, Harry's probably going to wake us up in an hour. We may as well get what sleep we can."

I reached up and switched off the light, happy not to have to see her face any more. She was asleep within minutes, I however never truly slept that night. I'd get up and pace, or take care of Harry before he had a chance to start crying. I was up and moving when the sun came up, but I let the others sleep. I sat in the window as I watched the sun rise above the other buildings in the city. Do all of Alchemists have to face death this often? I asked the sun. I always felt so close to my grandfather early in the morning, I felt like I could ask a question and he'd come up with an answer. I leaned my cheek against the cool glass, I want to save people, not kill them. Someone make the sun go back down. I don't want the day to be here already.

Sad moment... Okay, so do you guys want the next chapter? Then Review!