Sirens began to wail in the hospital before Roy realized what he had done by burning that... thing to a crisp. He'd killed Alphonse at the same time. Physically murdered his only chance to return to this world. It wasn't like he would want to anyways, since his brother... Roy stood abruptly, siphoning the flames away from the hospital room by changing the composition of the air and moving the oxygen out the window and up into the sky. The fires flared out and he turned back to his Col., who stood resolutely by his side.
"Find a doctor, stat."
"Yes, Sir!" she saluted briefly and ran, feeling the weight of Edward's life on her shoulders. If she couldn't find anyone... Then Roy would be devastated as well. She ran faster and grabbed the first surgeon she saw.
"The Fullmetal Alchemist is in cardiac arrest!" the doctor scrambled to the nurses' station, hitting all sorts of switches and sanitizing before running after Col. Hawkeye to where Roy and Edward were waiting. When he saw Edward, it was a flurry of activity to get him into an operation room that left Roy and Riza alone outside said room for three hours.
"It's all my fault Riza..." Roy started, "If I hadn't burnt that... thing, then Edward would be-"
"Beyond help," Riza cut in, "It's not your fault Roy. If you hadn't stepped in, then Edward would be dead and that thing would still be on the loose. Where would we be then?"
"We'd be one alchemist short and on the edge of war..." Roy answered after a brief moment, "Hopefully Edward will be able to tell us what that thing did while it was loose. Never thought I'd be so grateful for the stereotypical bad guy speech." Riza smiled at his joke but frowned as he bowed his head. He put his face in his hands and merely sat there, silent as the full reality of the situation hit him again.
"Edward will pull through, Roy, you know that. He's got people waiting on him. He won't leave us behind. I promise."
"Winry, what are you doing?" Pinako asked her grand-daughter, watching the mechanic through all sorts of things into the suitcases on the bed.
"I'm packing Grandma," she replied, lugging her set of wrenches to the bed.
"I can see that Winry, but why?"
"My rehabilitation is finished Granny, where do you think I'm going?"
"You're going after Edward again."
"That's right," Winry answered, eyes flashing like her automail arms, "I'm going after Edward. I promised him that I would support him until he got their bodies back. And Edward may have gotten Al's body back, but he hasn't gotten Alphonse back." she choked up for a moment before continuing, "And I'm going to be right there with him when he does."
"I know I can't say anything that will stop you from going," Pinako sighed, tapping her pipe, "But make sure that you stay safe. That boy handed himself over to the wolves. Who knows where they'll send him...?" Winry shook her head at her grandmother's words and frowned again.
"I still have to go after him Granny," she answered, "Because... Well, he's Edward. And I've made mistakes that I need to fix."
"Well, at least your heart's in the right place," Pinako grumbled, tapping her pipe one more, "Just promise me the last thing I see of you and those boys will be your smiling faces and not... Not your backs, as you walk away." Winry stopped in her rapid-fire packing and walked over to her granny, kneeling down when she got there.
"I promise Granny," she whispered, hugging the small woman for all she was worth, "I promise." But what Pinako didn't see where the crossed fingers and a tear dripping down her granddaughter's cheek.
"You better, Young Lady!" Pinako chastised, squeezing her granddaughter tightly back, "You better! Now, don't forget the wrench set I gave you last week. And I think that the new alloy is finished, so go ahead and take that as well." For the next half hour, Pinako helped the young mechanic pack everything that she would need, plus a little extra, for a month long stay in central.
As soon as the pair finished packing the bags, Winry stood at the door with her grandmother watching carefully. A tear ran down her cheek and she squeezed her eyes shut before turning and walking away. Just before she left Pinako's line of sight, she turned back and smiled.
"Goodbye! I'll be back!" Winry then turned and made the long walk to the train station where she would be leaving for Central in the morning.
"The operation was a success," were the first words to greet Roy's ears as the surgeon stepped out of the operating room, "He'll be in recovery for a few hours to come out of the sedative induced sleep and then you can see him."
"I hope you have a sedative that actually works," Roy growled back, "I don't want him in more pain than he has to be."
"Not to worry," the surgeon answered, "He will be fine. It looks like he'll make a full recovery, if given enough time."
"Good. Thank you, Doctor."
"I'd suggest getting some rest, Fuhrer Mustang, a man can't run a country on will power alone."
"Of course, Doctor. Just as soon as I'm sure that my subordinate is safe." The surgeon gave him a look, but let it pass. That sort of promise was the most anyone could ever pull out of Fuhrer Roy Mustang, but that was just typical of a military man.
Roy sat back on the bench as the surgeon left and breathed a sigh of relief.
"He'll be okay..." Riza gave him another small smile and let out a small "eep!" of surprise as he turned and suddenly embraced her. "Thank you Riza," he breathed out quietly, "Thank you!"
The next few hours were spent in a private hospital waiting room with Roy laying down on the couch and Riza guarding the door, tucked into a light sleep of her own. Men stood at either end of the corridor, looking out for anyone suspicious or any person without authority to be in the general area. Still, the Fuhrer and the Colonel kept their weapons and gloves close, so as to not be caught unaware. Roy began to shift in his sleep, a frown creasing his brow and a small moan echoing into the room. Riza's head snapped up, wine colored eyes searching briefly, fingers tightening over the safety to cock her gun before her eyes rested upon her superior. She stood and made her way over to the man she had pledged her support to.
"Sir," she called, shaking his shoulder gently, "Sir!" Roy jolted awake, panting heavily. His hands flew up towards his head and he buried his face in them, letting his breathing slow down and the utter terror fade from his system. After several long moments, he looked up and leaned against his Col.'s still form.
"I was back there," he murmured, "But so was Edward... And so many more were dying... But I held puppet strings over Edward and I... I..." Roy took a deep breath and Riza slowly wrapped her arms around her superior.
"It's okay," she whispered to him, "Edward wasn't there... That was before we knew him Roy; it's okay..." After a few more moments, they separated and Roy let out a deep breath.
"How long has it been?" Riza looked at the clock over Roy's couch before responding to the inquiry.
"About three hours, Sir."
"Good..." he answered, "Maybe I can..." Roy shook his head and stood up from the couch before striding into the hall. A doctor was standing just outside the doorway and appeared startled by Roy's sudden appearance.
"How is he? What is the status of Fullmetal?"
"He's a-aw-wake now," the man stuttered, "H-he's a-asking for y-you n-now..."
"Lead the way," Mustang replied, gesturing for the man to do just that. The timid man turned around and lead Mustang, closely followed by Hawkeye, down the hall and around a few corners until he finally stopped at the end of one hallway.
"I-I have to w-warn you..." the doctor started, "H-he's in s-somew-what o-of a b-bad m-m-" the man was cut off by a loud shout down the hallway and Hawkeye took the lead in the dash for the disturbed room. She burst in to find Edward, with only his flesh limbs she noted, struggling for all he was worth against not one, not two, but three orderlies. He was being restrained one limb each by two and he was still thrashing to avoid the sedative that the third orderly was attempting to administer.
"Stop!" Hawkeye commanded, "Release Brig. Gen. Elric immeadiately!" The three orderlies backed off abruptly and Edward managed to throw himself off of his bed.
"Hello Fullmetal," Mustang greeted as he strode into the room, "How hard you are to spot today!"
"I'm not little!" he screamed, "Say that again and I'll break your feet off and stick them in your ears! I'll... I'll...! ..." He paused for a moment, debating what to do to Mustang before speaking again. "...Can you get me off of the floor? I don't want those guys touching me again."
"You're a grown man, Fullmetal, things won't always go your way. Surely you must know that." He gestured for the orderlies to lift Edward off of the floor and let a small smile slide onto his face in relief. Edward wasn't dead. He didn't have that subordinate's death on his shoulders. Instead, he had the brush with death on his shoulders.
Riza watched her superior out of the corner of her eyes and let a small amount of pride fill her as the tension drained out of him. He knew that there wasn't another burden to pile onto his shoulders and that everything would be okay. The Col. watched as Edward was lifted back onto the bed and she frowned at the pale sheen to his face. He had just woken up from a massive surgery and should, by all accounts, not have this much energy. She kept both men in her sight while peering out the door as the orderlies left the room.
"What... What happened to..." Edward trailed off, his voice catching in his throat on the name tugging at his heart.
"I killed Truth." Mustang answered flatly, surprising both himself and Edward.
"You burned... You burned the... You burned the body?" Edward's both trailed off and wavered as he asked the painful question. Mustang gave a tight nod and closed his eyes as he dropped into the chair next to Edward's bedside. He rubbed his temples for a moment and when he looked up, Edward looked as if he were going to cry and rage and kick and lie there doing nothing all at the same time.
"Was there anything left?" the younger alchemist forced out, a strange tone quality to his voice.
"No." Mustang watched his subordinate's face, slightly scared as it grew paler and showed less emotion.
"Good," Edward murmured, "That means that Truth is back where he belongs." A cough interrupted the beginning of his next statement and Edward turned away from Mustang when the hacking began.
Edward coughed and coughed until drops of blood splattered the wall beside him, not bothering to get his one arm dirty since he wouldn't be able to wash it off himself anyways. He was useless, but at least he'd be able to get Al back. Al... His baby brother who had been stuck by the Gate, as the guardian, for almost two years. The coughing finally ceased and Edward closed his eyes and leaned back against his pillow. Alphonse was alone and it was all his fault. He was the big brother; he was supposed to take the fall; he was supposed to defend Al, even if it cost him his life. That was why... That was why he couldn't tell Mustang, or Hawkeye, or anyone else about what he was planning.
Winry finally pulled her sore body off of the train almost a full day later and made her way towards Central Command. To her surprise, no one stopped her at the Gate as she made her way through towards the building where Fuhrer Mustang worked.
Do they recognize me or is something going on? she thought to herself. She frowned, but continued the last leg of her long journey. The door to the high command was the first place that Winry ran into any soldiers.
"Halt, Miss! Identify yourself and your purpose!"
"I'm Winry Rockbell, Brig. Gen. Edward Elric's automail mechanic. I'm here to replace his automail."
"Oh. I see that you haven't heard yet."
"Heard what?" Winry tilted her head and shifted her bags, all the while making sure that her sleeves still covered her wrist.
"The Brig. Gen.'s in the hospital right now. He suffered from an electric shock that caused cardiac arrest."
"You mean that Edward is..." Winry dropped her case to the ground with a loud clang. Tears built in the corners of her eyes and her gloved hands clenched into fists.
"I think that the doctors said he'll make a full recovery given enough time Miss. Rockbell," the soldier tried to comfort her, at a loss of what to do with her. To his surprise, when she looked up, she was shaking furiously.
"I've told that idiot that he needs to stay HEALTHY! Time after time, I tell him not to break his automail, I tell him be careful, don't make the last thing I see be your back, don't be stupid! Does he listen to me?! NO! NOt a single word!" Winry continued to rant for a few more moments while the soldier awkwardly stared, unsure of what to do. "THAT BAKA!" Winry finally finished her rant and stormed off after grabbing her bag and case.
Winry made her way to the military hospital once more with a heavy heart. She stopped about halfway there and sat on her case, rubbing her left shoulder, then her right. Her ports ached and she wondered for a moment.
How is Edward so strong? ...I'm nothing compared to him. He's lived with his limbs for so long and he hasn't really complained about them, or if he did, he was just trying to cheer me up... Her head fell forward and she clenched her automail into fists once more before pulling herself from her depression and into action. She picked up her luggage again and stormed towards the hospital.
When Winry came in the door, it was to find Fuhrer Mustang about to leave.
"Winry," he murmured, surprised by her sudden appearance, "I didn't know that you were in Central!"
"Well, I finished new limbs for Ed and I wanted to see how they fit..." she trailed off, tugging at her sleeves again. She scrambled for something to say internally, but then someone grabbed her wrist, interrupting her train of thought. Her initial reaction was to pull back, but then she saw that it was Col. Hawkeye and resigned herself to her fate.
The Col. pulled up her sleeves and examined the automail wrist before letting go of the engineer's arm.
"Did you make them yourself?" Riza asked gently.
"Yeah... Granny had to help me with the first set though."
"Do you have somewhere to stay?" Roy inquired, ready to offer his hospitality.
"No," Winry replied, "I was just planning on a hotel for a few days..."
"Why don't you just come stay with me?" Riza cut in before Roy, knowing that it would likely make the woman uncomfortable if her superior offered a place in his home.
"Don't you live in the dorms?"
"Yes, but I also have an apartment here in Central. It wouldn't be an issue to put you up for a while."
"Are you sure?" Winry asked, hesitating at the kind offer. She didn't want to be a burden on the woman who had helped Ed and Al as well as herself so much.
"Like I said, Winry, it won't be a problem." Winry waited just a moment longer before nodding.
"Okay, thank you."
"You said that you were here to visit Edward, right?" Roy asked.
"Yeah, I wanted to measure the estimations against his actual growth."
"We'll walk you back up."
"You don't have to do that, I mean, you're busy and you were just leaving, weren't you? I can walk myself up!"
"Don't worry about it."
With that, the trio walked back towards the elevator and onwards to Edward's hospital room. Along the way, they ran into several pair of guards, which worried Winry. Riza noticed the other woman's discomfort, but did nothing to alleviate it because if Winry knew why they were there, she would be even more worried.
Thankfully, they made it to Edward's hospital room without many issues. Winry was the first to enter this time with the Col. behind her while Mustang followed behind her.
"What are you back for this time Bastard?" Edward greeted without turning around. He figured that Mustang had forgotten to ask him something or had returned to make fun of his height.
"You might want to turn and see who your visitor is this time, Edward." Riza calmly suggested as Winry pulled a wrench from her waist band. The mechanic waited until Ed started to roll over and then hit the wall immediately next to Edward's head, ignoring the blood that had stained the wall there.
"Winry!" Edward exclaimed, face going pale, "I swear, it wasn't my fault-" Winry stormed across the room, one hand raised as if she was going to slap him. He flinched back, but before he knew it, Winry was embracing him with sobs racking her frame.
"...You baka..." she managed through her sudden onset of tears, "I thought I told you to be careful..."
After a few moments, Winry managed to pull herself together and get her tools together to measure Edward's ports. The rest of her visit passed without incident and she marked down a few things she would need to change for the limbs to fit the other blonde.
"Are they hurting you?" Edward asked towards the end of the visit. Winry stared at him for a moment before looking down to see her right arm was exposed because her sleeve had drifted up while she was making notes.
"...Not as badly as they used to..." she answered before packing up all of her things as rapidly as she could manage. When she indicated that she was ready to go, the Fuhrer lead the way while the Col. walked next to Winry.
"Are you alright?" the older woman asked Winry softly when they exited the building.
"No." Winry admitted without saying anything more.
No more conversation was had as Riza drove and Winry sat in the back seat, gazing out the window at the world as they passed it by. Sometimes, it was hard to remember how things got to be so convuluted, but other times it was plain as day.
Her parents were dead. Alphonse was dead. Edward was dying. And sometimes, she felt like she was dying too. But she couldn't give in because that would leave Edward all alone, carrying all that guilt on his shoulders and unable to move forward. Not that he was managing to go anywhere right now anyways.
Alphonse watched his brother's plans and frowned as best as he could.
"He can't give himself up for me..." Alphonse murmured, "Because if that happens..." Alphonse shook his head and sighed as he watched Winry with the same amount of scrutiny. He wondered if it had been him instead of Truth who had been there when they returned. Would they still be together? Or would she have realized her love for Edward sooner? Al thought back to when Truth had attacked her, a long two years ago...
"What's going on?" Winry murmured, pulling herself to her feet. She walked back into the house to start breakfast and just as she was starting to heat the skillet on her gas stove, the phone rang.
No, Winry... Don't... He's waiting for you Winry; don't you understand?!
"Hello?" she aksed.
"Is this Winry Rockbell?"
"Is that you Major Havoc?"
"Yeah." The sound of several people shuffling around came through the line, followed by a loud moan, one that she recognized without a doubt.
"Is that Edward?!"
"Yes. That's… Part of why I called. We were attacked a few days ago. Ed got hurt pretty badly and-"
"He didn't break his automail again, did he?" She put fury into her voice and clenched her wrench tightly in one hand, but she was shaking.
Brother will be fine Winry! Just LOOK BEHIND YOU!
"Yes, both of his limbs were destroyed-" A loud shout came from the other end and Winry recognized it as Edward without a doubt.
"Is he unconscious?" That kind of shout was only the kind of shout that Winry knew him to make when he was in a great deal of pain.
"Shit, sorry, somebody got behind on the sedation. We need you to come out here with materials, Chief's not in any condition to be moved." More shouts came through the line and Winry heard them escalate into pure screams of terror.
"Edward?! What's going on there Major-" the phone in her hand went dead as footsteps came down the stairs behind her. She turned and saw what should be her fiancée standing there in his duck patterned pajamas. Something was wrong with his smile. A moment later, she was screaming.
YOU BASTARD! GET OFF OF WINRY! Al raged and did his best to escape his prison, but nothing could stop Truth because no one knew. No one knew and Winry had to pay the price for Alphonse's failure. He wouldn't let his brother blame himself again. This time, it truly was Alphonse's fault. If only he had said something all those years ago. Then... His brother would've listened if he'd told him to stop flat out. But he hadn't. Because he was even more selfish in his want then his brother.
"And now Nii-san is trying to sacrifice himself again. But that's not what the price is..." Al looked at his brother again sadly. "You'll only get us back when you admit defeat, Nii-san. That's all the Truth wants..."