Death 23 Matters of the Heart

"We've done all we can sir. The medications are having no effect and his systems are weakening. The doctor thinks that perhaps he should be taken off the machines, since at the moment…they're only prolonging the inevitable…"

"That option is out of the question and you know it, isn't there anything else?"

"A transplant would most likely solve all his problems for good, but his blood type is so rare and there are so many patients waiting for hearts since the war. There is little to no chance of finding a match in time before he shuts down completely."

"Well, why don't you try looking first?"

click

"Y-yes, sir!"

Edward sat slumped over in his chair beside his little brother's hospital bed where he had been ever since they had found the younger boy collapsed by the stairs a week before. Alphonse had been almost catatonic since then, slowly drifting in and out of consciousness, because the blood and oxygen he needed wasn't getting to his brain. Heart failure, the doctors had called it. Apparently, he has been suffering with it for awhile and never said anything about it, a trait he picked up from their late mother. Edward snorted to himself, heart failure? How was it possible that a heart so large and pure would fail? Was it because it was so filled with love that it burst at the seams or was it that the hearts around it paid so little mind to it that it slowly crumbled to dust? He didn't know. All he knew was that every moment the monitor that tracked the slow pulse of his little brother beeped off time, his own heart skipped.

"Nii-sanwhat's wrong with me? Am I...huff...going to die?"

"Of course not, you idiot, don't even think like that, you're just sick, that bastard Colonel of ours and I are going to get you to a good doctor and you'll be fine!"

"Nii-san...I'm scared..."

"Don't be, I promise I'll take care of you and make you right again. No matter what it takes I will..."

"I know… you always do…"

Edward ran a comforting hand through Alphonse's soft hair as he leaned over and pressed his lips to the suffering boys forehead.

"Nii-san...I'm scared"

"I know…"

The door opened and shut behind the two, and the young alchemist did not bother to acknowledge the presence of the man behind him. He had heard the outside conversation clearly and although he truly appreciated what the Colonel was doing, it did not stop the irritation and bitterness from swelling in his chest. "There's nothing left to do, right?" He whispered, unnervingly calm even to his own ears, as Roy moved to sit in the seat beside him. The Colonel ran a flustered hand through his own dark locks and sighed, sparing a glance towards the boy who was not really looking at him at all. He wanted to tell the kid it would be fine, that he had everything under control and the child lying before them with the oxygen mask over his face wasn't dying… wasn't fading away with no chance of salvation, but that would be a lie and the man had swore to his young subordinate that he would never again with hold the truth from him. So he nodded briefly and with a shielded face added. "but…there's still always a way, even if we don't believe it Hawkeye is…ah…persuading the doctor to run more tests on Alphonse as we speak." Roy smiled in a sad attempt to lighten the atmosphere. It, of course, had no effect and the man let his face fall slack, turning away from the older brother to the younger who still lay in a slightly drug induced sleep. The room returned to its bleak state of silence as they both watched the dying boy's chest rise and fall as he struggled to breathe. Roy was contemplating getting up and leaving, go back into the hall where he had been pacing for the past week now, and leave the brothers alone, but before he could rise, a small, yet determined voice reached his ears.

"I'm a match."

Roy frowned and turned back to the small alchemist, who still did not raise his head to look at him. "What?" He replied, utterly confused for a moment. Edward finally moved, fixing him with a deep golden stare that spoke of desperation and conviction. "I took the test and our blood, it's a perfect match. We never knew that…" Realization struck him hard and the man bit back the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, forcing a teasing grin on to his face. "That's interesting Fullmetal, but it won't do us any good. Alphonse needs a transplant not an infusion, and you don't have an extra heart to spare." The boy nodded sullenly and turned away once more, shoulders tensing, and what sounded suspiciously like a sob, escaped his lips. Not knowing what else to say, Roy left the room.

It was an hour later when he heard the scream.

He and Hawkeye had been in the lounge trying their best to regain their countenance over a cup of coffee, when the sound echoed down the hallway, and without hesitation they ran. Both the Colonel and the Lieutenant stood in shock at the entrance to Alphonse's ward room. Inside, the doctor that had been treating Alphonse all this time stood, hands raised in the air as he gazed nervously down at the barrel of the small hand gun Edward pointed at him. The boy was trembling, his face crazed and twitching, but the hand holding the gun was steady. "Mr. Elric I just can't do this! You have to understand, it goes against all protocol!" The doctor wailed trying to placate the distraught blonde, as the two outside attempted to open the glass door to find it welded shut. Roy banged the clear surface, willing it to budge, all logic lost to the fear of seeing the boy there, holding a weapon that was slowly changing its target from the frantic doctor to himself. "You can and you will." Edward stated firmly, stepping back so he was in a vacated corner. "You'll take my heart and you'll fix him! As long as I'm a match it should be enough."

Hawkeye ran to get someone, anyone who could open the door before it was too late as Roy continued to slam his fists against it, this time screaming. "No, Edward, No! You can't do this! Think of Alphonse, you of all people should know the terror of being alone! You can't do this to him!" The boy fixed him with a sad smile. "He won't be alone…this…this is the only way we can be together…" Before anyone could stop him, he pulled the trigger. The Colonel turned away as blood splattered against the glass, and the timed Alchemy that Edward had placed on the door ran out and it swung opened to clearly reveal the mess that had once been the Fullmetal Alchemist. Immediately the doctor moved into action and before Roy could process it a number of nurses and surgeons pushed pass him as they entered the room, some telling him that he could no longer be there and must head back to the waiting room.

But he stood there frozen and wondered how this whole matter of hearts ended this way, as he clutched his chest.

The most heart breaking thing by far was after hours of surgery, Alphonse woke up….

And the first thing he asked for was his brother, not knowing he was right there with him all along.

Yum….I love the smell of updates in the morning. Don't you? I know I said updates wouldn't happen so soon, but it seems the moment I posted that note I felt like writing again. Ha-ha….In other news WE HAVE HIT 100 REVIEWS! I feel so special, and send out thanks to DMWM our 100th reviewer as well to all my other faithful reviewers as well. Next chapter we'll have a party in Celebration of the holidays, 100 reviews and the coming of our 25th chapter! We're a quarter ways through [Damn…my baby's getting so big]. I don't know if I will actually post the Christmas carol story after all, but there definitely will be at least a Christmas one-shot. So keep a look out for that. The picture for my one-shot contest is now linked to my profile, so if you are interested you can find it there. Again thank you and don't forget to stop by and spread the love.

-Peace Out