Oh my gosh, I'm sorry this took me so long. I've been studying and taking finals for the past two weeks. I managed to write a bit, but it was put on pause for a while (In my free time I edited the previous chapters…), then when I went back to the story, I erased over half of it, (because I'm incredibly picky and I had BAD writers block) then re-wrote it. Anyways, the long awaited chapter is here!
Disclaimer: I don't own FMA.
Chapter 15
Ed pulled the straps over his shoulders adjusting the weight of the backpack. He slipped on his shoes. "Hey… be careful alright… for my peace of mind." Roy whispered from where he sat on the edge of the bed.
"Of course…" Ed smiled. He looked at their sleeping kids.
Ollie and Milo both lay ungracefully with their mouths open, snoring slightly. Lulu laid on her back, her face stoic, she didn't seem to share in Ed's sleeping mannerism with her siblings.
Roy stood up now, towering over his blonde husband, "What time will you be back?"
Ed didn't look up to meet his gaze, "Maybe around noon? Depends how long of a trek I have in front of me…"
Roy pulled a weird face, one that was clearly covered in anxiety and nerves.
"Geez… what' wrong with you, you look more worried than when I went into labor with the girls…"
"We had a doctor to help then… There's no telling what trouble you'll get yourself into…"
"I'll be fine," Ed replied casually.
"You are notorious for returning from your little adventures beaten up…" He sighed, "Ed… just please… remember this little guy in here… I mean… I almost wish you hadn't told me if I didn't know I wouldn't be as nervous…" He rubbed Ed's stomach gently.
"We'll be fine…" Ed pulled his hand from his belly. "I promise…"
Roy wrapped his arms around Ed's shoulders, pulling him close. He stooped down to kiss him. "I love you…"
"Mmmm… love you too." Ed's face was pink with blush. He cleared his throat. "I'll see you when I get back…" With that, he quietly stepped out of their room and into the long hallway.
Roy sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed again. His pulse was racing in his ears and his heart throbbed, thumping hard against his chest. He took a deep breath to calm himself. He grabbed the hotel pamphlet and began to leaf through pages, searching for something he and the kids could do together. Searching for a distraction.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The hike ahead of Ed was a long one. The cave with the inscriptions he needed was said to be near the top of the tallest mountain by the Inn. As the history books went; a long while back, someone had been studying the transmutation of space, they had stowed themselves away, living a life of complete solitude while trying to unravel the mysteries of teleportation and how it worked. They had carved their research into the cave walls.
At this point, Ed was at a stand-still in his work, he wasn't sure if this would even help him, or if the story was even true, but it was better to try than to sit idly. He stared ahead at the steep path—well, it was more like an overgrown trail. He could hardly walk without having to push brush and foliage out of his way with every step.
Ed couldn't tell how long he had been hiking for, all he knew is that it was dark when he started, and it was now light out.
Birds tittered back and forth to each other, leaves rustled, as unseen animals jumped from bush to bush. He walked on. The air began to get noticeably thinner, his breaths got shorter. He was getting tired, but the thought of his kids and husband urged him to march on. He wanted to get back to them as soon as possible. As he walked he only wondered what they were doing.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Roy sat around the room, hanging up wet towels and bathing suits. He tidied up the room, trying to busy himself until the kids woke up.
Milo was the first to get up.
He sat up in bed, whimpering slightly, pink streams of dawn streaked in through the windows, causing him to rub his eyes. "Mahma?" He called.
Roy moved quickly to his side. "Mommy is busy right now sweetie…" He picked him up and Milo curled around his father. The curly head rested on his daddy's shoulder.
"Daaaddeee." Milo grumbled, "foo."
"I'll get you a snack sweetie, don't worry…" Roy kneeled down digging through the diaper bag until he found a baggie of cheerios. He opened them and gave them to Milo who grumbled something inaudible into his father's shoulder.
Roy sighed, rubbing his son's back comfortingly.
"Mommy hee?"
"Mommy won't be here for a while," Roy replied, stroking Milo's bouncy curls.
"go him?" Milo asked, lifting his head to look at Roy.
Roy was silent in consideration "…no we can't… go find him…." Roy said.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ed was leaning against a rock. He was drinking water out of his canteen. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
He didn't move, he sat resting for a few minutes, trying to catch his breath in the thinned air. From where he sat, he could see the Inn nestled against the mountains, it was maybe a few miles off… The pink sun peaked above the nearby mountains, giving off some of the first light of the morning.
Ed ended up sitting there unmoving for a good half hour. He was exhausted already, he didn't realize how out of shape he'd become. Having three kids, pregnant with a fourth. Now he really realized how much of a toll it had taken on him. He had lost the baby weight easily enough, but he knew now of the psychological toll as well, he was mentally exhausted and worn down. All he could think of, was taking a nice long nap.
So that's what he did. He spread his bag down on some slightly level ground and rested his head on it. Very quickly he fell asleep.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Roy had been up for at least two hours now. Milo had been up for one. He played on the floor with the blue puppy dog Trisha had given him, which he had named Tiss (No doubt after his cousin).
"Daddy! Iss mommy!"
Roy sat in the large chair in the corner of the room tying different articles of clothing in knots. "I know baby… just wait a little bit okay?"
"Da!"
"Okay…" Roy said tugging on the sleeves of a shirt which were now tied in a loop. There was quiet fussing and gurgling coming from the bed.
He placed the knotted clothing down on his chair. He looked over at the bed and saw Ollie sucking on her hand, gurgling and cooing, rolling around looking at her sister, still asleep next to her.
As soon as Oliver saw her daddy hovering over the bed she kicked excitedly, a smile broke across her features. Roy picked her up smiling and cooed to her lovingly. He went to the diaper bag and dug around looking for baby mush for the girls and snacks for Milo.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ed ended up sleeping way longer than he originally intended, of course he couldn't be exactly sure how long he had slept, but the sun looked to be around two hours higher in the sky. He sat up stretching and yawning. Oddly enough that had been one of the most restful naps he had taken, as of recent.
He slipped his bag back on and began again his ascent up the mountain.
He must've been walking for an hour, he turned around on an overhang looking down over where he had just come from. He caught his breath and looked over the hills rolling below, the adjacent mountains poking not too far overhead. A small river trickled a few miles past the inn.
He turned around and continued his walk. He had a lot of time to make up for if he wanted to get back to the Inn at noon. In fact, he had no time to waste. As hours passed, he steadily rose higher and higher, he saw a large dark gap in the rock. It must've been the cave. Excitedly now, Ed rushed up the side of the mountain towards his destination.
At an uphill sprint, Ed's legs burned and ached, as he reached the bluff he pulled himself up before collapsing on his back. He laid still and limp, which wasn't particularly comfortable, since he was at a downhill slant.
He felt the fire tingle in his calves, his nose was runny, and his feet ached, and this time, it wasn't due to pregnancy. He couldn't help but smile as he realized it'd been a long time since he'd felt such a rush of energy.
He pushed himself up shakily, his legs felt like rubber but he didn't care anymore. He pulled himself up onto the jut of the cave—no easy feat, but a manageable one nonetheless. He stood up again, his legs buckling beneath him, his muscles felt stiff.
Ed stretched and walked into the cave cautiously. Every surface was covered with a carving. Words, equations, symbols, and transmutation circles covered the floor, walls, and ceiling.
Some looked familiar to Ed, but most of it was things he hadn't seen before. He stared in awe, then dropped to the floor examining the markings by his feet. He stood up again and continued to look around.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Roy tried to manage the three of his kids at once, he now knew first-hand what Ed dealt with every day.
"Milo, no… don't chew on that!" he said frantically. He rocked a screaming Lulu in one arm, as he yanked a bar of soap from Milo's hands.
He tossed it away then placed Lulu back down on the bed. Ollie laid there already. She gurgled and chewed on her fingers contently.
Lulu continued to scream as Roy hurriedly rushed to change her diaper and re-dress her in a clean onesie.
"DAAAHDEEE!" Milo called
"Hu-h?" Roy replied distractedly, still trying to wrestle a diaper onto Louisa.
"Daadee! Ook!"
"I can't look right now Milo… I'm busy with your sister."
Milo stood beside Roy now, tugging on his pant leg. "Dadddeeey!" he whimpered. "Daadd-heeee!"
Roy glanced down at his son. He was clutching a paper tightly in one fist, while simultaneously trying to wipe tears from his golden eyes.
He quickly fastened the diaper around Lulu's waist and knelt down beside his son, "What is it you have here?" He tugged the drawing gently from Milo's hands. Milo rubbed his eyes while watching his father expectantly, waiting for his reaction.
There were five scribbled blue blobs on the page, "Oh look at the pretty clouds you drew!" Roy said with a smile.
A frown slowly spread across Milo's lips. Large tears pooled in his eyes, "Maaaahhhmmm—EEEEEE" he wailed, tossing his head back as tears began to drip down his face.
"Oh. No, Milo no…" Roy grabbed the boy's shoulders, "Shh. Sweetie it's alright… you don't need to cry." Roy wrapped his arms around Milo in a hug.
The boy quieted, but still sobbed. Roy pulled away and brushed Milo's thick curls from his face. He kissed him on either cheek.
"You're alright baby…" Roy stood up, checking on the girls. They gurgled at their father, smiling as his face appeared above them.
"Dahh….d-deee" Milo said through choked breaths. He sniffled, snot and tears dripping down his face.
"Give me a second Milo…" Roy said, he spread a blanket down on the floor then placed the girls on their tummies.
Milo got down on his knees and pressed his head to the floor. "G-g'mooooin!" He chirped excitedly to his sisters.
Roy dug through their luggage, finally finding a small bag full of bandages, tweezers, and hair ties. It was Ed's. He dug through their luggage a little more, and pulled out a brush.
"Milo c'mere…" Roy said, standing up and sitting in the arm chair.
The boy toddled over to his daddy. He put his hands on Roy's knees. "Dadeee?" He whimpered. Roy picked him up and pulled him onto his lap.
He ran his fingers through Milo's hair gently, then he ran the brush through it. No reaction from Milo. With caution Roy continued to brush Milo's hair. He gathered it in his fist in one hand. After a few failed attempts, Roy awkwardly managed to manipulate the tie around his son's hair in a tight ponytail.
"There Milo… Now you can see." Roy said, admiring his handiwork. Milo's tiny ponytail was more like a curly poof ball on his head. His hair was a little short, one strand in particular curled at his part on the edge of his hairline.
"Oh you look so cute…" Roy said as his son turned to face him. Roy stared at Milo' s uncovered face. He leaned in and placed a kiss right in the middle of his forehead.
Milo smiled and gurgled at his daddy, saying something Roy couldn't quite understand.
The little boy's hands flew to the back of his head, he felt the curled poof and a smile spread across his lips.
"You like it?" Roy asked happily.
Milo smiled at his daddy, and Roy stared at his son completely transfixed by his shiny gold orbs.
He shook his head, braking out of his daze, "So what should we do today do you think?" Roy asked, looking at Milo.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ed traced his fingers in and out of the grooves. He pulled his bag off his back and dug through, pulling out a long roll of paper. Her stood up and unfurled it with a flourish. He placed it across the floor.
He turned to rifle through his bag once more. He pulled out a long piece of charcoal. He began to rub it against the paper, copying all the carvings. After working for what felt like hours, Ed's knees were aching against the rock floor.
He stood up and stretched. Taking a small break, he looked around the walls at the transmutation circles. He traced one gently with his finger. Curiously he placed his palm against the circle. First it tingled and then there was a bright flash of white light.
Ed blinked, trying to figure out what just happened. As he slowly pulled his hand off the circle, he felt the tingle spread to his whole body.
His knees buckled and slowly Ed crumbled onto the floor, he lay flat on his stomach. He couldn't move anything, and as he lay on the floor he felt his eyelids closing, slowly, before he was engulfed in total darkness.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
It was late afternoon, "he should've been back by now." Roy mumbled as he paced back and forth in their room.
"Mommy?!" Milo asked excitedly. He sat on the floor beside his sisters, playing with a toy car. He ran it up their legs, imitating engine noises.
"Yes. Mommy should be back now…" Roy said. He sat down in the arm chair. He couldn't stop his mind from racing to terrible conclusions. He stared at his kids, who sat on the floor playing. He rubbed his face and sighed.
In that moment, Roy made a split decision. It now being around five, they only had so much sunlight left in the day.
He stood up and grabbed the clothing he had tied together earlier. He placed it across his chest diagonally, then another one going the opposite way. He took a deep breath, "I can't believe I'm doing this…" He grumbled.
He bent down next to where his kids were playing. "C'mere Ollie," He said scooping her up in his arms. He slipped her into the makeshift sling on his chest. She smiled up at her father, content with his contraption. "Okay, Lulu… your turn…" He pulled his daughter closer and struggled to slip her into the other sling, strapped across his chest.
Once both the girls sat comfortably, snuggled up against their father, Roy started to dig through the luggage, searching for some clothes for Milo.
"Daddy?" He asked, tugging on Roy's pant leg. He gazed up at his father. Roy stared down at him.
"What is it Milo?" He asked, pulling out one of the little boy's coats. "it's a good thing your mommy packs so thoroughly…" Roy mumbled absently.
" 's mommy 'kay?"
Roy was silent. He flopped back into the chair. Lulu and Ollie were still strapped to his chest in their slings. He dropped his head in his hands. "Oh... I don't know what to do…" He mumbled to himself.
Milo saw how distressed his father was. The curly headed boy placed his head on Roy's knees. "'s mommy….'kay?" He asked again.
Roy looked at his son, "Yeah… Mommy is okay… I'm sure of it…" Roy wanted with all his being to go and find Ed… but he couldn't risk injuring the kids, or getting lost.
With an exasperated sigh, he slipped the slings off his shoulders,
"Daddy?" Milo watched him curiously.
"Hmm?" Roy asked, cradling Ollie and Lulu in his arms. The girls stared at their brother. "Hey… I know what we should do…" Roy said looking at Milo.
"'At Daddy! 'At?!" Milo asked excitedly..
"Let's go and get some ice-cream…"
Milo squealed and jumped up and down. Roy placed his hand gently on the top of his head, "Shh. Milo." Holding the girls comfortably now, they left their room and headed out to the small dining hall in search of Ice cream.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
When Ed finally came to, his head was throbbing. His vision was blurry and he felt like he was going to vomit. When he felt he'd mustered enough strength, he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. "Wha-?" Before he could ask any question, he hurled. Threw up everything he'd eaten in the past day.
He shivered, as the sick settled in his body. Ed wrapped his arms around his shoulders, sitting up on his knees. Gently, he placed a hand on his stomach, unsure of whether or not this child was still even there.
After sitting for a few minutes, Ed stood up, leaning against the wall for support. He groaned as he felt the pit of stomach swell with nausea again. He leaned over and threw up again. He wiped his mouth. Right now he didn't care about any of this research. He need to get back to his kids and husband.
The sky was darkening, so Ed must've been passed out for quite a while. Stars shimmered faintly, showing for the first time that night. Ed stumbled clumsily to the edge, he left his bag in the cave, he didn't care anymore, he only had one objective: Get back alive. He got down on his knees and clumsily dropped down from the cave's overhang.
As his feet hit the ground, his knees buckled and fell onto his hands for support. Shakily, he pushed himself back up and started to descend the mountain, rather quickly, which unfortunately left Ed more battered and teared.
The faster he went, the more he tripped and stumbled, causing further injury, but the pain was numb to Ed. He was tired and he hurt all over, he just pushed through the pain.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Roy sat in their room, the girls were asleep on the bed and Milo played on the floor. It was past his bedtime, but Roy didn't want to be awake, alone. His mind would go to terrible dark places, and he couldn't bear to think what might've been happening to his husband.
He was on the edge of his seat. With every creak of the Inn, his spine tingled, he kept glancing at the screen door, waiting for any sign of Ed.
Milo stood in front of his father. He yawned, "Daddy…" He mumbled quietly, "bed… b-edd…"
Roy pulled his son into his lap, "I'm tired too baby…" He rocked back and forth, holding Milo tightly in his arms. Roy pulled the ponytail out of Milo's hair, curls tumbled down, framing his face.
He couldn't make Milo stay up any longer. His son was tired, and Roy knew it was selfish and wrong of him to try and force his child to stay up.
Roy continued to rock, he kept his eyes closed, resting his chin on the top of Milo's head. He felt his son slowly go limp beneath him. He held Milo in his arms and placed him on the bed, pulling the covers to his shoulders.
With a soft smile, Roy leaned down and kissed each of his kids. He sat back down in his chair where he'd made his post. He dropped his head back and sighed, rubbing his eyes.
"R… R-Roy…"
He shot up, focusing on the door. Ed leaned against the frame, he was covered in mud, his hair was mangled, his face was dirty, and he was pale as a ghost.
"You're alright…" Roy said breathlessly. Ed started to limp towards him tiredly. He fell into Roy's arms, relieved to be back with his family. Ed closed his eyes and buried his head in Roy's chest.
"What happened to you?" Roy asked wrapping his arms around Ed tightly. "I was so worried…"
Ed shook his head, "I don't know…. I don't know what happened…" He clenched Roy's shirt in his hands tightly.
Roy stroked Ed's head gently, relieved to see him and hold him. He pulled Ed's chin upwards so he was looking at him. "Are you hurt at all?"
Ed shook his head, "I'm sore… I need a bath…"
"We can go in the hot spring," Roy suggested.
"It's too hot…" Ed mumbled, hiding his face back in Roy's shirt.
"We'll use the cooler one…" Roy turned Ed and helped him to sit down in the chair. "Relax… let me help you…" Roy leaned in and kissed Ed, before getting to his knees. He pulled off Ed's dirty clothes piece by piece, until he was completely stripped down.
"Oh Ed…" Roy said running his hand gently over Ed's torso. He was badly beaten up. He had bruises on his abdomen and chest. A few were on his thighs and arms. Larger ones peppered his back. Roy cupped his hand over Ed's scar. He looked up at Ed, who was avoiding his eyes.
"You didn't lose the baby…" Roy said reassuringly.
Tears spilled over Ed's eyes, he dropped his head in his hands, "how can you be sure of that?" Ed asked through sniffles.
"I just know… You're strong… So are our children… including this one…" Roy said with a smile.
Ed leaned into his husband and wrapped his arms around Roy's back, burying his face in Roy's neck. They stayed snuggled like that for a few minutes before Roy pulled away, "Let's go get in the hot spring…" Roy said, gently pulling Ed to his feet, "You'll feel better…"
Ed looked at the bed where their kids lay sleeping. He let Roy lead him to the shallow pool of warm water. Roy helped him into the pool and then slid in after him. Ed leaned into Roy, trying to relax. Roy wrapped an arm around Ed's back as he rested his blonde head on his shoulder.
"So… what happened?" Roy asked, staring at Ed curiously.
"Well…" Ed began, "I climbed the mountain for a while, then I stopped to take a nap…"
"A nap?"
"I was just really tired… when I got to the cave, I started work, but, when I took a break from copying the inscriptions, I found a strange looking transmutation circle and I was compelled to touch it…"
"…and…?" Roy asked running his fingers through Ed's bangs.
"…and it made me pass out… when I came to, it was dark out, my body ached and I had a headache."
"Do you remember what the circle looked like?"
"I think… I think I could draw it, but I don't want to talk about this anymore…"
Roy leaned down and kissed Ed, he held his chin as he gently pushed his tongue into Ed's mouth. They broke apart.
Ed sunk down into the water a little more, his face flushed. He rested his head against Roy's side. "How was your day with the kids?"
"I don't know how you manage the three of them by yourself all day…" Roy said with exasperation.
Ed shrugged, "I manage… hardly…"
"I know what you mean…" Roy said, "Milo's getting a bit needy… it's difficult to manage him and the girls at the same time…"
"Mmm." Ed replied, "I usually give him special attention. I let him stay up a bit longer, after the girls go down for their nap, so he knows that's his special time with mommy."
"He really missed you today…" Roy said.
"Oh yeah?" Ed asked, circling the pad of his finger over Roy's chest.
"Mmm… I can't do anything right in his eyes… I always mess it up and he ends up calling for you…"
"Oh don't say that…" Ed said. "You never get to see how excited he is, when he hears you come home."
Roy chuckled, "He's a sweet kid."
Ed nodded, "he really is…"
They both fell silent. Roy wrapped his arm around Ed's waist, pulling him closer.
"How are you feeling?"
"Relaxed, calm…"
"Good…" Roy's finger gently traced the line of Ed's scar before resting on his belly.
Ed twitched nervously as he felt Roy's hand.
"I'm sorry…" Roy said
Ed shook his head, placing his hands over Roy's, "I-It's alright-t" he shuddered. Even though he said he was fine, he continued to tremble under Roy's touch. Carefully Roy tried to pull his hand away, Ed grabbed onto his fingers, and looked up at his husband.
"You're shaking…" Roy said. He entwined his fingers with Ed's. As soon as his hand left Ed's belly, he stopped quivering.
"Yeah… my muscles are still tense…" Ed replied. He flicked the water with his fingers.
Roy watched intently. "So…" Roy paused, "Are you done with your research then?"
Ed shook his head, "No… but I'm not going back, I'm never going to go back…." He shuddered.
Roy rubbed his back comfortingly, Ed cupped his hands together and dipped them in the hot spring. He splashed water in his face, rubbing off the dirt and grime of the day. Ed yawned tiredly and curled into his husband.
"Do you want to get out now?"
Ed nodded and very slowly moved to crawl out of the hot spring. Roy crawled out effortlessly and reached for Ed's arm to help him.
"I got it…" Ed said, standing. He groaned and rubbed his back. Roy held his towel out for him. "Thanks…" Ed said, wrapping the towel around his waist.
Roy's arm curled around Ed's hips and he kissed his temple gently. "I love you… and I'm glad you're safe…"
Ed took a deep breath, relieved to be back with his family where he felt safe. "I love you too…" Ed replied as they stepped into their hotel room. He closed the screen door behind him.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Roy and Ed had fallen asleep snuggled close on the arm chair. Ed was sitting on his lap, his head nestled into Roy's neck. Roy's arms were wrapped around Ed's waist and he slept with his chin resting on Ed's shoulder.
"Mommee!" Milo squealed excitedly.
Ed sat up, suddenly alert at hearing one of his children. "Huh?" He looked around through bleary eyes. He saw Milo sitting on the edge of the bed. "Milo don't move honey." He said frantically. He crawled off Roy's lap and pulled Milo off the bed and into his arms.
"Mommy!" He hugged Ed tightly.
"Hi sweetie…" Ed said, stroking Milo's curls. "I missed you."
"Iss oo Mommy!"
Ed smiled, "Yeah? Daddy said you missed me…"
Milo nodded his head. "Ooh!" He hooted excitedly and crawled off his mother's lap. He walked across the room and returned to Ed with a piece of paper in his hands.
Ed yawned, "What's that baby?" Milo handed him the paper, his drawing with the blue blobs. "Oh! Look at your beautiful drawing…" Ed pointed "There's me, and Daddy… and Milo, oh and-"
"Oh-lee 'n Luhloo!" He squealed happily.
Ed nodded his head, "Milo sweetie, you need to quiet down… your daddy and sisters are still sleeping."
"I thought those were clouds…" Roy mumbled from his seat. "It made… him upset." He added.
Ed looked at Milo, then back at Roy who still sat in the armchair, his eyes closed, "well, it's clearly our family… I mean this one looks just like you Roy…" No response from the sleeping colonel.
As Ed began to wake up little by little, he felt yesterday's aches and pains returning.
"Milo are you hungry?" Ed asked, a grimace spreading across his face as he stood up. Pain flared up in his back and legs. He rifled through the bag, searching for a snack. "Roy? Do we have any more snacks for the kids?"
"Mmmm…." He was silent for a minute, as though he'd fallen back asleep.
Ed huffed, "Roy, honey, you were saying…?"
"Mnn, no… I think Milo ate them all... yes-terday…" he let out a deep breath and seemingly went back to sleep.
"Your daddy's no help in the mornings, is he baby?" Ed rose to his feet, as he did his body thrummed with pain. He groaned.
Milo clutched tightly to his mother's shirt, afraid that if he let go, he would disappear again.
Ed stared at his still sleeping daughters. He smiled and leaned down, placing kisses on each of their cheeks. He stroked their soft dark hair ever so slightly, so as not to wake them.
Ed knelt down beside Milo so he was eye level, "We need some breakfast, huh?"
Milo nodded, his curls bouncing. Ed smiled and walked across the room; Milo tottering behind him. Very gently he shook Roy. His husband groaned still half-asleep. "Roy?" No response. Ed leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.
Roy's eyes fluttered open, though they were still heavy with sleep. "You should wake me up like that every morning…" he said with a smirk.
"Mmm, if I did you wouldn't get up… you sleep like a log."
Roy chuckled and pecked Ed on the lips again, "are you feeling better today?"
"I guess… I mean, I'm still sore… but I can manage… I think."
"Good…" Roy nodded. He gently placed the palm of his hand against Ed's stomach, making the blonde jump and recoil.
"What's wrong?" Roy asked, worried. He was sitting up now, alert.
Ed shook his head, "nothing… sorry… I'm just… jumpy."
"Well does it hurt?"
Ed shook his head.
"Mommy aw be'er!" Milo squealed happily, holding tightly to Ed.
"Mommy's almost all better…" Roy said, pulling his son into his lap. "We still have to be gentle with him…"
Milo nodded his head, in understanding.
"Roy, he needs breakfast… so do the girls…"
"They still asleep?" Roy asked, as he gathered Milo's hair into his fist again.
"Yeah…" Ed replied, glancing at the girls. He saw Roy holding onto Milo's hair, "He needs a haircut…"
"Or we could just tie it up…" Roy said. "Can you get me a hair tie from your bag… please?"
Ed did what was asked of him. He stood watching Milo, who sat happily on his daddy's lap as he got his hair done.
Roy clumsily tried to wrap the hair band around the gathered hair, "This is where I always have problems…"
Ed pulled the hair tie from his hand and then wrapped it around Milo's hair with ease. "There…" he smiled at his handiwork, "Oh Milo… you look adorable…" One of his curls stuck out awkwardly, the same as it had yesterday. Ed tugged on it gently, "This piece doesn't want to cooperate."
Milo giggled and slid off his father's lap, "mat Mommy!"
"What?" Ed asked, unsure of what his son had said.
"Mack…" Milo tried again, "mat… m-mat… matk…" his face started to turn red with frustration. He was a smart boy, but he still developed at a normal rate, making it hard for him to communicate his thoughts, he still couldn't speak most words. Tears pooled in the little boy's eyes.
"Oh Milo…" Ed said, kneeling down in front of him, "You don't have to cry…" Ed wiped away his tears with his sleeve. Milo sniffled and reached for his mother's hair. He gently pulled the braid over Ed's shoulder, "Macked! Matd!"
Ed's face was contorted into a look of focus as he tried to unscramble to word, "Oh! Match! We do match, don't we?" Ed said with a smile. He put his hand on the puff-ball of a ponytail his son had resting atop his head.
Milo nodded excitedly, knowing his parents understood what he was trying to say. Ed twirled the curl that stuck out around his finger.
Roy smiled, watching his son and husband, just relieved, so relieved to have him back, safe and sound. A cry erupted in the quiet room, then another. The girls were awake.
Ed rose to his feet with a look of pain across his features. Roy pulled himself out of the chair and stretched. He and Ed both headed towards the bed, Milo toddled behind them.
Ed scooped Louisa into his arms, trying to quiet her. Roy picked up Oliver and cooed to her sweetly.
"Now that the girls are awake we should get ready for breakfast."
Ed and Roy changed the girls and Milo, then worked quickly to get the three of them dressed.
Ed held Lulu in his arms, which was rather hard, considering he felt like he had no strength in his body. Roy must've noticed his struggle because he grabbed Louisa, and held each of his daughters in one of his arms.
"As soon as we get back home you're going to the doctors…" Roy said.
Ed didn't argue, he just accepted his fate, plus, he knew for the sake of the baby he needed to go, if for nothing else but peace of mind.
The family left the room, and headed towards the small Inn lobby
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Okay, so, this was an eventful chapter. I actually don't have much to say, (because if I say much I'll spoil it for you all). Anyways, I'm sorry again it took me so long to update, but in other news, I'm on summer break now, so you can expect a lot of updates! Oh, another thing, I'm not quite sure on the gender of the baby, send me your thoughts? Love you all, thanks for reading! I'll see all you lovelies next chapter!