The Waters of Lethe
Disclaimer: I don't own FMA, I just like to play around in it's world and torture Ed for awhile
Author's note: post series and very AU, some movie events will happen, but differently
Warning: May contain movie spoilers, has and will contain violence, death and maybe sex
40 To Sleep, Perchance (Zu schafen, vielleicht)
Edward didn't remember much of that night after he got shakily out of the car. He dimly recalled mouthing greetings to the children, and "nice doggy" - in Arabic - to the dogs who nearly knocked him down when they jumped on him. Dr. Forbes somehow rescued him from the general bedlam and introduced him to his wife, Khadija. She was a buxom woman who practically exuded love and affection from every pore, and for a brief, mad moment, Edward wished she was his mother. Still in a weariness-induced fog, he murmured a greeting and tried to bow to her, but his knees trembled and he nearly fell on his face in the dirt. He settled for a slight incline of his head, and hoped she wasn't insulted.
Not sure if he was awake, or just dreaming he was awake, he let Dr. Forbes guide him into the house where the noise level was even higher. He must have dozed off on his feet because he suddenly came to to find himself sitting at a table. Someone set a bowl of steaming hot beef stew in front of him, but Dr. Forbes chose that moment to stick a thermometer under his tongue so he couldn't eat. He couldn't even pick up the spoon next to the bowl because the doctor had also claimed the left wrist to take his pulse.
Edward glared, Dr. Forbes ignored the look.
The stew was loaded with chunks of beef and vegetables in a savory brown gravy, and it was absolutely delicious. Edward was so hungry he barely tasted the first bowl, but he took his time with the second, and the third. In a blissful satiated state, he was using a piece of home-baked bread to mop up the rest of the gravy when he finally and irrevocably hit the wall. He managed to chew and swallow the last piece, but couldn't keep his head up any longer. Edward heard Dr. Forbes say as if from a long distance, "It's past your bedtime, I think."
Edward assumed he passed out about then because he pried his eyelids open a few minutes later to discover he was being carried by a dark-skinned man with a lined face, white hair, and fierce eyes. They passed through a doorway and crossed a smaller courtyard which smelled of flowers. Edward could hear water trickling nearby. It was fully dark outside, and vivid stars glittered through the chilly air. Steam puffed from his nose and he shivered involuntarily, Dr. Forbes was right, he never would have made it. He heard hinges creak, and the man carrying him turned right before they crossed the threshold of a small room.
Edward was set on the edge of a narrow bed and he swayed somnabulently while his shoes were removed. Then he was gently lifted up and back until his head sunk into a soft pillow. Edward sighed with pleasure as starched white sheets and a quilt in a colorful block pattern were pulled up to his neck. The sound of trickling water was the last thing he heard before sleep finally won the war and claimed him.
Something inching across his face woke Edward up. Maybe it was the bright sunlight, or maybe it was the feather tickling just under his nose. His face twitched and he sneezed loudly, the sound bringing a high-pitched giggle from somewhere on his left side. He sniffed, yawned, and stretched before he looked over at a pair of bright brown eyes which danced with mischief.
"Good morning," he murmured in Arabic, and the child's eyes widened briefly.
"Morning!" the girl yelped with surprise. "It's just past noon, you sleepyhead! I've been awake for hours, and it's time you got up too!" She put her hands on her hips and tried to fix him with a fierce glare which didn't look very scary on that innocent face. Edward blinked and used his left hand to knuckle the sleep from his eyes. The room seemed to be full of children. Besides the bossy girl who had just told him to get up, almost a dozen more crowded into the room, and several more pairs of eyes were peeking around the door frame.
Edward did a quick count and came up with a total of: twenty-two. He sat up in the bed and bowed his head before solemnly greeting them with "Good afternoon!" in Arabic. The girls all giggled and the boys grinned. The clothes they wore were simple - shift dresses on the girls - the boys in the robes called galabeeyahs. But the clothes were clean and the children looked well fed and happy. Until a woman's voice rang out in the courtyard, then fear briefly flashed across their faces. As one, they turned and bolted from the room.
Edward's stomach growled loudly and he looked down to see he was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday, all rumpled and dusty. Time to get up and see if there was anything to be had for lunch. Unless those children had eaten it all. He pushed back the covers and swung his feet over the edge of the bed. Edward was on the verge of setting them down on the floor when he jumped as a stern female voice ordered him back into bed.