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Games without Frontiers

Chapter 45: Beautiful Surprise

Rating T

Soundtrack: Beautiful Surprise –

Okay, it was time for some subterfuge, Roy thought. He was a military man, wasn't he? Wasn't he learned in the ways of strategy? He could tell that the conversation was taking a turn that it didn't need to take at this point, not with Riza in the throes of labor. However, if he didn't steer it elsewhere, she would worry about it until she did herself harm.

"You will be at my back, Hawkeye," he told her, congratulating himself on the level of calm in his voice. He could feel the contractions beneath his hand, so he knew that they had to be painful in the extreme. "But, I don't believe we should be talking about these things right now."

Riza was silent. Roy couldn't see her face, but he could tell what she had to be doing. "Fine," she finally said. "But don't think I'm going to forget. After... after this," she said the last through gritted teeth, "we are going to discuss this... move of yours."

"Agreed." Roy unclipped her hair for her and ran his fingers through it. Yes, she had to be having a hard time if she just let him unclip her hair. "Now. Are you getting tired of being the big, brave Captain?"

She turned her head to look at him. "What?" She said.

Roy kept the surprise inside. He'd seen the look on her face before. Her face was flushed, her lips compressed, tight. Her eyes had a brightness to them that he really didn't like. Yes, he'd seen that look before. On a battlefield.

He took a deep breath. "Riza. It's just the two of us here. There is no need for you to keep whatever you're feeling inside."

"I'm fine. This is something that multitudes of women have endured throughout the ages." She nodded, as if to herself. "I can do this."

Damn, but the woman was mutinous! "Look! No, look at me!" When she turned back, he took her chin in his hand. "This is not your commanding officer you're talking to, Riza." He kept his voice level, almost stern. "This is your lover, the father of this child. Now, if you don't stop being a militant hard-head, I'm going to think you don't trust me and take that as an insult of the highest order."

She stared at him for so long, he wondered if she even heard him. Then, suddenly, he felt her whole body... loosen, like the bands of tension holding her tight suddenly went limp. Then, with his arms around her, he could feel the deep tremble, the one that always accompanied Riza when she felt something deep inside of her. "Roy... damn it, I'm scared."

"Of course you're scared," he told her. "I suppose I would be terrified. I may not be able to empathize, but still... tell me."

"I'm afraid that no one is going to come–no doctor, no one–and we're going to have to deliver this baby ourselves, and I'm positive right now that I won't be able to do that, and–hell, Roy–how in the hell is a baby this big going to come out? I know how physics work, Roy. There's something they must not be telling us about this kind of-,"

Roy paled as the image of that stupendous event crossed his mind. Maes, you'd better get your ass here with some help and now. "Look, the two of us have had military training. That included some rudimentary medical–,"

"Yes, Roy, I can stitch up a wound nice and tight if I have to," Riza said sarcastically. "I can also amputate a limb if need be, and tie a tourniquet when circumstances warrant. But did your military training include delivering a baby on the battlefield?"

"Um... no."

"Then, shut up."

Roy contemplated doing just that for a moment; after all, he had heard that it was the better part of valor to obey the command of a woman in labor, but he had to try once more to get her calmed. "I do know that you have a way to go with this," he said, again in the same voice he would use to calm a hysterical soldier. "Babies don't just pop out in two or three hours–,"

"Thanks for the reminder, Colonel," Riza spat, sarcasm thick in her trembling voice.

"What I'm trying to say is... perhaps between pains you could..." he shrugged. " Rest." He started to rub her temples, the only thing he could think of. "Close your eyes. Conserve your strength. Help is going to come soon, I promise. It's warm here, and there really is nothing else we can do but... wait." He felt her relax, albeit only minutely, and continued. "You're the one who needs to keep hold of as much endurance as you can."

He could actually hear her thinking about it. "You know what?"

"What?"

"I hate when you're right. Time my pains."

Roy smiled, squirmed in his pocket for his watch, and then made himself comfortable.

She surprisingly managed to doze between serious contractions. By the time her pains were exactly seven minutes apart, he started getting nervous himself, a few hours passed, and they both managed quick catnaps. He had no way of knowing if that was a good thing or not, but he really wanted help to come and to come now.

"Maes has left us high and dry," Riza said in a sleepy voice. "You know that? Your buddy choked. Bloomed like a dandelion and floated away. He isn't coming back, is he?"

"Hush, Riza. He'll be here." If he didn't show up, Roy would make sure that he wouldn't have the ability to sire another child again.

Some higher power who had a need for Maes Hughes to continue his plan of procreation must have heard him, for the next thing that came to his ears was the sound of urgent banging on the door. Gently untangling himself from around Riza, he propped her up as best as he could with pillows and moved toward the door. "Who is it?" he yelled.

"Who the hell do you think it is, stupid?" came Maes' muffled voice.

Roy snatched open the door and stood there looking at the Hughes', never more happy to see two people in his entire life.

"Thought we'd pop by for dinner, folks!" Maes said in a bright voice, pushing Roy out of his way and making room for Gracia to precede him into the house. "Yes, I know the weather is terrible, but Gracia just baked this wonderful pie and..." As the door shut, he leaned against it and heaved a sigh of relief.

"Were you followed?" Roy asked, watching Gracia move into the front room, large basket in both hands.

"I was on the way home, but not now, not in this foul weather," Maes said. "Never can be sure, though," He looked around his friend at the woman bundled in front of the fire, then back at Roy. "How is she?" He mouthed.

"Okay for now," Roy mouthed back. "Probably better now that you two are here." The two of them watched Gracia kneel beside Riza, and tried as hard as they could to hear what she was saying to her. Unsuccessful, they moved closer, cautiously.

Gracia turned back to them. "How far apart are her pains, Roy?" She asked in a business-like voice.

Roy started, and then looked at his watch. "Ah, last time I checked, they were seven minutes apart."

Gracia nodded. "She needs to be moved to a bed." She looked around the house. "Very nice," she commented. "You have a third bedroom, of course?"

"Of course."

"Right. Take her there." When they stood there staring, she clapped her hands. "Now. Move it."

Roy and Maes snapped into action and got Riza to the other room quickly and gently. When she was reluctantly situated in the bed, Gracia pointed at the door. "Now, out. Both of you."

"Ah, no offense, Gracia," Roy said carefully. "But, do you actually know how to deliver a baby?"

Gracia turned to him. "Of course I do, simpleton. I'm a military wife. There are things that we have to learn in order to help our fellow sisters when they are in need." She took a smaller basket out of the large one and placed the items inside on the table beside the bed.

Roy's eyes widened when he saw the wicked, little knife. "What in all hell is that for?" He exclaimed.

"To cut the cord. That is to sew up any tears. And that–,"

"Never mind." Roy felt himself turning green at all of the things dancing behind his eyes. He was now heartily glad he was being banished to the other room.

Then Gracia plucked up some of the most offending items and deposited them in his hands. "You are going to take care of these things. I need them sterilized."

Roy blinked dumbly at her, waiting for guidance on that one.

Gracia looked at him for a second, and then rolled her eyes. "Go into that kitchen that I helped you stock so efficiently–say thank you, Gracia–and find two large pans. Fill them both with water." When she was sure he was following her, she continued. "Heat one to boiling–and I know you're capable of doing that. Heat the other one hot enough to make sure these all the soap is out of these linens I brought with me."

Roy nodded.

"I want you to put those things into the boiling pan of water. Leave them in there long enough to sterilize them. Wipe them with a clean, white cloth and bring them back–no, scratch that. Have Maes bring them back to me."

He nodded again, and listened to the rest of her instructions. Lastly, reached into the large basket and pulled a bottle of scotch from the bottom. She handed it over. "What's this?" he asked. "For more sterilization?"

"No. That's for you and my husband. You'll need it."

Roy did all of the things she asked him, taking the instruments (what did she need with scissors? He wanted to ask) back to Gracia himself. Opening the door, he handed them over, looking at Riza.

The pains had to be coming closer, because when she turned to him, he could see the fires of hell in her eyes. He beat a hasty retreat into the front room with his friend and that nice bottle of scotch.

They made it halfway through the before the first yells were heard. Maes had to help Roy unclench his hand from the armrest of the couch three times.

"It can't be that painful, can it?" He asked Maes, and shook his head to still the swimming in his vision. He stood and walked toward the bedroom, shaking off Maes' hand and opening the door. He stepped in and walked up to the bed, thinking that he could give Riza some comfort in her travail. He managed to put his hand on her brow and stroked once before she looked at him and growled. He snatched his hand back and looked at Gracia and repeated the same question he posed to her husband.

"Painful?" Riza growled at him. He jumped about three steps back and looked at her horrified. "Try spitting a cannon ball out of your ass, Roy! That's how pain-painful this is!"

He backed toward the door. "Um... okay. I'll just... wait out here."

"Good idea," Riza spat, her eyes dark and dangerous.

He shut the door and leaned against it.

"Not a good idea to go in there, old friend," Maes told him.

Roy looked at him. "Now you tell me."

They passed the next few hours huddled around the bottle of scotch and listening to the foul things coming from the other room. Roy had never heard such language pass Riza's lips in all of the time he'd known her. But, he did learn that she was a true soldier at heart, and had learned the best curses the military life had to offer. He winced and swallowed scotch with each yell and scream, and as they grew in intensity, Maes fell to simply filling his glass and standing back while Roy got up and began to pace.

"God-damned-son-of-a-bitch-part-time-cock-sucker!"

He stared. That was the best one he'd heard to date. Part-time cocksucker?

There were more growls, cries and pleas for release. He fell back to wearing a hole in the floor.

"I'm not going to be able to do this, Gracia!" She yelled once.

"Of course you are!" Gracia yelled back. "Women have been doing this since the beginning of time."

"Yeah, well those women are insane!" A pause where Roy heard groaning. "You are insane, Gracia. How did you do this?"

"The same way you are doing it. Now I'm going to need you..." The voice faded away as Gracia stopped trying to speak louder than her patient did.

"I'm never going to touch her again, Maes," Roy promised, weaving on his feet. He looked over at Maes, who was holding an empty scotch bottle and staring at his feet. "You hear me? Never."

"I had such a nice weekend planned," Maes said mournfully. "Now it's ruined. Ruined, I tell you."

"It's his fault!" Riza yelled at the top of her lungs. "Your fault, Roy Mustang! You hear me! I'm being ripped in half and it's your fault! Come here, bastard, so I can–,"

"Push, Riza, now!"

Roy moaned to himself. Never. Not a finger, not a hand. He wouldn't even look in her direction. He would never make this happen to her ever again.

Riza screamed. All of the hairs rose on the back of Roy's neck. "He should have bitten your cock off in the Academy, you bastard!"

His jaw hit the floor. He turned and stared at Maes, who looked equally shocked. "Do you tell your wife every damned thing, Maes?"

Maes gave him a weak smile and went back to staring at the floor and moaning about his ruined weekend.

"Riza, if you push this can be over soon!" Gracia said.

"How about I push that son-of-a-bitch's head up his own ass?"

Gracia laughed at that. Actually laughed. "That might make you feel better, but it won't get the baby out any faster. Now give me everything you have."

There was more invective. Much more. Roy was about to run out into the rain and bury his head in the front yard and pray that lightning would strike him square in his ass, when he heard something that stopped his heart in his chest.

He listened to it for a full minute before moving like a freight train toward the door. He was stopped only by Maes grabbing him around the waist. In a tangle of half-drunk limbs, they both fell to the floor.

"I wouldn't go in there yet, if I were you," Maes whispered juicily in his ear.

They lay there, unable to really figure out how to untangle themselves, until the door opened.

Roy kicked and squirmed, ignoring Maes' yelps of pain, and stood.

Gracia moved toward him, a beatific smile on her face and a bundle in her arms. Roy tried to look around her into the door, but could see nothing in the half-light of the room. Gracia took away his attention by simply placing the bundle in his arms. He trembled, afraid he would drop it.

"Here," she said without much preamble. "Hold your daughter while I go and take care of her mother."

A daughter. Roy couldn't move, for fear that he would drop the precious bundle in his arms. He did manage to gently move back the cover and look into her face for the first time.

She was red and looked about as angry as her mother sounded a moment ago. Her eyes, however, were open and clear, a shiny color that was an odd shade of blue. When the cool air hit her face, she suddenly shut those eyes, balled up two tiny little fists and let out a wail that almost split his eardrums.

It was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard.

Maes peeked over his shoulder. "You two make one hell of a beautiful baby, Roy," he said quietly.

Roy grinned from ear to ear and pushed back the blanket from her head a bit more. "Hey," he said, staring. "Where is her hair?"

Maes laughed, and clapped Roy on the back. "Elysia was the same way. Armstrong had more hair than she did. It'll grow in." Maes said at Roy's dubious look. "Trust me."

The door to the room opened once more. Gracia peeked out. "Riza wants to see her daughter," she announced. "And her daughter's father."

Roy was still rooted to his spot, unable to move. Maes gave him a little push to get him going.

He stepped through the door, thinking he'd be encountering the same monster he'd heard growling from the other room in the past few... had it really been ten hours? Instead, he saw a tired Riza, lying propped against a pile of pillows. Her hair was lank and sweaty, and there was a little bruise near her right eye. Her lips were raw from being bitten, and he would swear until he died that he saw nail marks in the headboard.

But she was smiling. And that was a good sign. He moved closer, until he could sit in the chair quickly vacated by Gracia. He stared at Riza until he heard the door shut behind him.

"She's beautiful," were the first words he could think to say.

Riza leaned over and looked. Roy started and managed to hand over his daughter to her mother. Riza took the bundle and stared at the girl for an eternity. When she looked back up at him, her eyes were suspiciously shining. "Okay," she said in a hoarse, weak voice. "Perhaps I'm glad that he didn't bite your cock off in the Academy."

Roy laughed and grinned until his face hurt. In the back of his mind, he resolved then and there that he was going to be successful in his coup. He had to be, if for no other reason than to protect the two people lying in the bed in front of him.

Then, the second words that he could think to say came flying out of his mouth before he could think to stop them. "You'll marry me, of course, Hawkeye."

Riza looked up at him, perfectly serious. "Of course I will, sir."