Dedication: For Ryan, because you wanted me to write you into one of my stories as a beaver pelt salesman. Why I agreed to this, I will never understand. =)
—-
Roy Mustang groaned at the ringing of his alarm clock. He removed his arms from around his wife and rolled over in bed, snuggling deeper into the covers. When the ringing didn't immediately cease, he groaned again.
"Riza," he whined. The alarm was on her side of the bed because she was always the first to rise in the mornings.
Still, the annoying ringing continued, so Roy groaned a final time as he sat up and leaned across his wife's inert body to disable the clock. He fumbled with it for a moment before finding the switch to shut it off.
He smiled sleepily as he looked over at his still slumbering wife. If it wasn't so out of character for her, he wouldn't have been surprised at her sleeping through the alarm after the night they'd had. There were definitely some benefits to be had from the honeymoon stage of a marriage.
"Ria," he murmured, wrapping an arm around her. "It's time to get up."
She groaned slightly and tried to pull away from him.
"No, come on," Roy insisted, holding her tightly. "I'm giving you the courtesy of waking you up gently and everything. You never do that for me, so the least you can do is wake up when I ask," he chuckled. Riza was almost always a little grumpy in the mornings, so it wasn't uncommon for her to wake him up with a pillow over the head or by clicking the safety off on one of her guns.
Riza finally opened her eyes and looked up at him blearily.
"What time is it?" she asked, her voice heavy with sleep.
"Five o'clock," Roy replied. "Same time we wake up every morning." He looked questioningly at her. Something was off.
"Okay, I'm awake," Riza said, shifting out of his arms and sitting up in bed. She raised a hand to her head and sat still for several moments.
"What's wrong?" Roy asked, eyebrows furrowing as he observed her unusual behavior.
"Just a headache. I'll get some aspirin, it's fine," Riza said, starting to rise from the bed. She stumbled slightly when she tried to stand and sat quickly back down.
"Are you okay?" Roy said slowly, surprised.
Riza shook her head, still facing away from him.
"I think I'm getting a cold," she muttered. Roy frowned and crawled over the bed to sit next to her. He raised his hand to her forehead.
"You don't feel like you have a fever," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
"I'm fine," Riza said firmly. "We have a busy day today; I can't afford to be sick."
Roy turned his head to the side, looking curiously at her as if he had no idea what she was talking about.
"Roy," Riza groaned in frustration, pulling away from his embrace. "Think about it. You are not confused. Today is Monday." He continued to stare blankly at her. "Roy, why are we sitting in the desert instead of our nice, warm, comfortable house in Central?"
"Because we're building an Amestrian Embassy in Ishbal," Roy replied easily.
"Exactly." She stared at him for a full minute, waiting for her husband to catch on, before Roy spoke again.
"Riza, you're confusing the hell out of me."
She groaned again, putting her face in her hands.
"I don't know how you got to be fuhrer. Hell, I don't know how you lived past the age of twelve with brains like that," she snapped, irritably.
"I probably wouldn't have if it weren't for you," Roy joked. "Now, will you please tell me what is so important about today?"
"Roy! We break ground on the Embassy building today! It's the reason we're out here!"
"Oh, that," Roy smirked. "I thought you were talking about some other pressing engagement."
He loved teasing his wife early in the morning when she was at her grumpiest. Riza groaned yet again and flopped back against the pillows.
"I'm sorry," Roy said, reaching out to stroke her cheek. "I really did forget for a minute, but then you look so cute when you're frustrated with me."
During the years of Grumman's reign, Roy had been placed in charge of helping rebuild the Ishbalan nation. He'd been supervisor of the entire Eastern region, and his team had been instrumental in helping the people of Ishbal return to their ancient homeland. They'd helped establish agriculture, trade lines with Amestris and other countries, and had personally assisted in laying stones for the foundation of the new Ishballan temple.
There was still political dissent on both sides. Some factions within the new Ishbalan government could never forgive Amestris, could never forgive Roy personally for the damage that had been wrought. There were those inside the Amestrian government who believed that using their resources to help the Ishbalans was unnecessary and wasteful.
After the elections, when the people of both Ishbal and Amestris had voted against conducting war crimes tribunals for the Ishbalan War, the dissent had only grown. Establishing an Embassy was a way to continue to strengthen the tenuous relationship between their two countries. Those that had voted for the war crimes tribunals, although a minority, were infuriated at what they considered Mustang's backhanded dealings and false promises. They had believed him when he said he would submit to justice, and they felt he was now getting away far too lightly.
Roy believed this was the only way forward, for their countries, and for themselves. The Ishbalan religion practiced a form of restorative justice, which he'd been fascinated to learn about. He and Riza both still knew that nothing excused their crimes, but the process of moving forward, rebuilding, sewing peace instead of discord….Well, it wasn't an equivalent exchange, but it was something.
Roy wasn't really surprised that his wife was feeling poorly, considering all of the stress she'd been through recently. They'd received threats, and as head of his security, she'd been running down as many as possible, tightening and double checking security.
"Roy, please, I'm not in the mood to put up with you being stupid. Security for the groundbreaking ceremony is going to be a nightmare as it is, and I'm really not feeling very well. Can you please at least pretend to be the intelligent and charming man I married instead of a bumbling idiot? Just for a few hours?"
Roy was taken aback by her tone. Riza was normally a little cranky in the mornings, but today she clearly wasn't herself.
"I'm sorry," he apologized in earnest, moving to lay next to her and wrapping his arm around her waist. "I didn't realize how badly you were feeling, or I wouldn't have teased you. I'll send Bad Roy away and be nice, I promise." He nuzzled her neck and was rewarded with a small smile and her hand running through his hair.
"Thank you." Riza suddenly started to cough. She sat up, pushing Roy away and covering her mouth, and Roy sat, too, rubbing her back lightly.
"You okay?" He asked. "That doesn't sound good."
Riza sighed.
"It's probably just a cold like I said," she insisted. "I just want to curl up in bed and go back to sleep. I feel terrible."
"Then why don't you lie down for a few more hours?" Roy suggested, frowning. "The ceremony doesn't start until two this afternoon."
"No, I have a lot of work to do," Riza insisted. "The final plans for your security today need to be put into effect, I said I'd review the final draft of your speech, and there's still some paperwork that needs to be filed." She sighed. "I really can't afford to be sick today," she repeated.
"Maybe your body is just telling you that you need to take it easy," Roy insisted, gently caressing her stomach with one hand.
Riza understood his veiled meaning. They'd been trying for about six months, but, so far, they'd been unable to conceive a child. Roy was suggesting that perhaps it would be easier if she was a bit gentler with herself.
Riza still wasn't sure how she felt about being a mother. She was a little older than most Amestrian mothers trying for a first child, and there were risks. Riza's own mother had died in childbirth. Her age also reduced their chances of being able to conceive. At first, she had been hesitant to even try, afraid that she would get her hopes up, only to be disappointed. But Roy had finally talked her into trying for a baby of their own. They'd agreed to try for a year or so and, if they weren't blessed with a child, they'd look into adoption.
"Come on, humor me," Roy insisted. "I'm honestly a little bit worried about you. I'll have Ross look over the speech, Havoc can handle the security. You could just sleep until around noon and still be there in plenty of time for the ceremony. It's only five, now."
"Maybe," Riza hesitated. She did have a lot to do in order to finalize security measures. One could never be too careful in the Ishbal desert.
Roy rested his forehead against hers for a moment, then gently nuzzled her cheek with his nose.
"Please?" he said.
Riza sighed.
"Fine, I'll sleep until eight, but then I need to get up and get some work done. And you need to get up and get ready to go, because you have a lot to do today, too. And let Havoc know what's going on, because he's going to have to pick up some slack for me. Also-,"
Roy cut her off by gently kissing her lips.
"I can handle things on my own for a couple of hours, Ria," he said. "I'll be the charming and intelligent man you married. You just get some rest, and I'll see you later, okay?"
She cuddled back down under the covers, and Roy took care to tuck her in. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, causing her to smile sleepily up at him, then went to shower before he reported for work.
—-
When Riza's alarm clock rang at eight o'clock, she had to resist the temptation to slam it against a wall. She sat up in bed and very nearly decided to lie back down and sleep for the rest of the day. She felt terrible. Her head was pounding; her throat hurt; she was congested; her entire body was achy; and she was fairly certain she was starting to run a fever.
Still, her job as Roy's bodyguard hadn't ended simply because he'd been elected fuhrer-president. In fact, if anything, the position had become more important than ever.
Riza threw off the warm bedclothes and stood slowly. She still felt slightly dizzy, but it wasn't enough that she couldn't work. She walked slowly to the bathroom, unsteady on her feet, in search of aspirin.
After medicating herself and taking a quick shower, Riza dressed in her uniform and made her way to the encampment of tents that the Amestrian party had been using as headquarters. Hers and Roy's private quarters were about a half-mile walk away, and the wind was blowing ferociously around her, picking up sand which stung as it hit her skin.
It wasn't bad enough to be considered a sand storm, but it wasn't particularly pleasant weather for a long walk, either, especially considering that Riza already felt ill.
When she spotted a lone figure making its way toward her through the sand, Riza was instantly suspicious. With all of the tension in the region coming to a head, she felt that she could never be too careful, so she clicked off the safety of her side arm as the stranger drew nearer, just in case.
Finally, she was close enough to realize that she knew the man and that he posed no threat whatsoever.
"Hello, Ryan," she said pleasantly when he was only a few feet away.
"Oh, hi," the taller man said with a smile. "I didn't see you there for a minute."
Ryan had come to the region as a foreign liaison between the Amestrians and the Ishbalans. He was Amestrian, but he had a passion for political affairs, and he'd proved to be quite an asset to Roy's campaign to win the allegiance of the Ishbalan people. Ryan also ran a trade business of sorts, buying and selling local artifacts in his spare time. Riza had purchased several beautiful carpets from him the previous week.
"How are you?" she said, trying to stay polite, even though her head was still pounding and her nose was still stuffy.
"Doing pretty well," Ryan said. "I've got some new products, if you're interested," he added, clearly hoping to make a sale.
"I'm not sure that I'm looking for anything at the moment, but thank you again for the carpets. You were right, they are perfect in our bedroom."
"Not a problem at all. Seriously, though, you should take a look at these." He rummaged in his coat pocket for a moment before pulling out a strange looking brown cloth.
"What is it?" Riza said skeptically.
"It's a beaver fur pelt," Ryan replied. "They're really useful, because their fur repels water. I can sell you one for-".
"Ryan?" Riza interrupted him, one eyebrow raised in mild annoyance.
"Yeah?"
"What exactly do I need with a pelt that repels water in the middle of a desert?"
He gaped at her for a moment, then hastily stowed the beaver pelt in his pocket once more.
"So," he said quickly, changing the subject. "I was actually coming to look for you."
"Really? Why?" Riza asked, instantly on alert.
"Well, the president said that you had taken the morning off, so I wanted to let you know that there's been some funny things flying around the local marketplaces."
"Like what?" Riza questioned, eyes narrowing.
"Just some pretty serious political unrest regarding the groundbreaking. There are plenty of people who don't understand what we're trying to do here. They think we're just trying to keep Amestrian control over the region, they don't see that we are actually trying to help."
"Yes, I know. It's been really frustrating for Roy," Riza said softly.
"Just," Ryan hesitated, "I guess what I'm trying to say is just to make sure that your security is well-managed, especially for the ceremony today."
"Why?" Riza said sharply, always alert for a sign of trouble.
"Nothing specific," Ryan answered with a shrug. "Just a gut feeling, I suppose."
Riza nodded slowly, understanding. Gut feelings were something she could understand, and she'd been having a bad feeling for days, herself.
"Alright, thanks for the tip," she said, smiling.
"Anytime," Ryan smiled. "I think what Fuhrer-President King Mustang is trying to do for the Ishbalan people is wonderful, so I'm just trying to help out wherever I can."
"Well, we definitely appreciate all the help we can get," Riza replied. "I'd better be off, though. I've got a lot to do this morning."
—-
When Riza finally reached headquarters, she could see that chaos reigned in her absence. Everyone was running from tent to tent, attempting to ensure that things were perfectly in order for the groundbreaking ceremony and for the work that would follow as the Embassy took shape.
She quickly made her way to her own makeshift office and found Havoc and Breda poring over plans for final security details.
"Morning," she said tiredly.
They both looked up and gave her a casual salute before returning to the plans.
"What are you looking at?" Riza asked, moving to her desk and looking over their shoulders.
"Nothing important," Havoc said quickly, taking the plans and rushing them out of sight.
"It better be important," Riza growled. "We've got a lot of important work to do before the ceremony."
"We got it under control, Hawkeye," Havoc said easily, handing the plans off to Breda who left the room.
The name Hawkeye stuck with her, even though she legally changed her last name when she married. Roy said he didn't mind when people used her maiden name, because it suited her so well.
However, she realized the game her friends and subordinates were playing, and she didn't care for it.
"Did Roy come in here this morning and tell you guys to keep me from doing my job?" she asked bluntly.
From the stunned look on Havoc's face, Riza knew her suspicion was correct.
"Jean, I have a cold. I'm not dying," she snapped. "Now, we need to finalize plans for-," she broke off suddenly, covering her mouth as her lungs expelled air in a violent cough. "Excuse me," she muttered, annoyed with her body for its weakness.
"Are you sure you shouldn't sit down and take it easy today?" Havoc asked, looking concerned. "I mean, I can handle things. You know I can."
Riza sighed.
"It's not that I don't trust you to take care of things, Jean, honestly. I just... I have a bad feeling about today for some reason. And I think we both know that my bad feelings aren't things that should be ignored."
Jean nodded in agreement. He knew her well enough to know that Hawkeye's intuition was something to be trusted.
"Alright," he said, pulling out a chair and sitting in front of her desk. "Let's go over everything again, then, make sure we got our bases covered."
—-
Riza had grown pale. She was shaking with fever by the time the ceremony was due to start. She was thankful that she hadn't seen Roy all morning. She knew that he would have tried to force her into going home. She wasn't entirely sure why, but she had a terrible feeling that things weren't going to go well at this ceremony. Perhaps it had something to do with Ryan's warning, perhaps it was merely the fact that she felt as if she'd been trampled by a herd of Xingese elephants, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go dreadfully wrong.
She finally saw Roy when she arrived at his office-tent as part of the security detail who was to accompany him to the site of the ceremony. She entered, alone, to let him know it was time to leave. The moment he clapped eyes on her, Roy's face changed.
At first, she saw his worry, then a glimmer of fear, before he seemed to settle on anger as an appropriate emotion.
"Why didn't you stay at home in bed?" he snapped at her without preamble.
"Because," Riza said, and her voice came out strained because of a sore throat. "Today's an important day for you, for both of us. I need to be here to be certain that everything goes smoothly."
"Someone else could have handled it," Roy replied, his eyes softening. "You look terrible."
Riza sighed.
"I feel terrible, but now is not the time for you to be worrying about me. You have more important things to concern yourself with. Please, sir, just focus on your speech, and let's get this ceremony over with."
He recognized the slight pleading lilt to her voice, and Roy knew that there was something she wasn't telling him. The fact that she addressed him as "sir" when they were alone also let him know that she was trying to gain some emotional distance from him, and he understood. Riza hated feeling weakness of any kind, and sickness was included in that definition of weakness. There was a part of her that wanted to go home and crawl into bed with him, to let him comfort her, but she knew that they both had more important things to do that day.
He blew out a slow breath, still perturbed with her for not taking better care of herself. Now that his goal was accomplished, that he actually had the authority to make the changes they had planned together for so long, Riza was having trouble letting go of her role as the supporter who constantly worked to push him to the top. It bothered him, sometimes, that she seemed so unwilling to let him be strong for her, to make decisions for both of them. She was his wife, now, and he wanted to take care of her, but Riza was so used to doing everything for him that she was still having trouble adjusting to their marriage, to thinking of herself as an equal partner to him.
"Let's go," he said finally, deciding that she was right, that it was more important, at the moment, to attend to his duty. They would have plenty of time to discuss it later, in private. Besides, there were plenty of reporters lurking around because of the important event, and Roy knew well that his relationship with his wife needed no extra publicity. Their rather unorthodox and clandestine wedding on the night of his election had already been named the "Fairy-Tale Wedding of the Century". It was difficult enough, at times, to keep the news on their political messages instead of their personal lives.
He rose, but couldn't help reaching out to touch her shoulder briefly as he passed, though, and he was startled by how warm Riza was. He could feel the flush of her skin even through the thick material of her uniform.
"As soon as the ceremony is over, I want you to go home and rest," Roy said lowly. "Promise me you will, please." Riza acquiesced to give him a slight smile and a tiny nod of submission, and then they left the tent together, becoming quickly surrounded by Roy's entourage of key political players, assistants, press, and security.
—-
The site chosen for the Embassy was one that held a special significance for Roy and Riza, the city of Rhiannh. It was here, in a border town not too far from the Amestrian border, that Roy had burned the flame alchemy tattoo from Riza's back more than ten years ago. The hot desert sun glinted off the ruins around them, as they stood on a podium Roy had used alchemy to erect for the event.
The Ishbalan people didn't approve of the use of alchemy for building purposes, however, so the rest of the work on the Embassy would be done by hand. Roy ceremonially hammered the first nail in what would soon become the framework of the main building, and then stood at the front of the podium to deliver his speech.
Riza couldn't deny, even to herself, that she should have been at home in bed. Her vision was blurry, and she was certain that if Roy, or any of the others on their team, knew exactly how high her fever was, they'd have her taken straight to the medical tent.
Still, Riza had a duty, and she knew where she belonged, so she kept her hand on the handle of her pistol as she continued to scan the horizon and surrounding ruins for any sign of trouble. She wasn't really listening to Roy's speech, but she'd proofread it many times over the last week, so she supposed it was alright for her mind to wander.
When she first caught sight of a flash of movement on the remains of a nearby rooftop, she convinced herself that she was seeing things as a result of her fever. She blinked hard and looked again, only to discover that the figure hadn't disappeared. Someone was actually on the rooftop, and Riza knew that those buildings had been swept and cleared out before the ceremony started.
Something was seriously wrong, which meant that her intuition had been spot on. Riza couldn't help but feel a momentary flash of pride. Her instincts were still good.
Now, she had to discreetly let the rest of her team know that there was a security breach without letting the person on the rooftop know that she knew.
It would have been a far easier task if she thought she was able to move without fainting.
Riza tried to catch Havoc's eye, but the Major seemed intent on his own task, scanning the horizon in the opposite direction. Riza slowly took a small step to her left, testing just how steady she was on her feet. She wasn't sure how long she had before the potential assassin chose to take action.
Unfortunately, she wasn't steady on her feet at all, and Riza quickly found herself slumping to the ground.
Her last thought before she completely blacked out was that she sincerely hoped Roy had remembered to wear ignition cloth gloves.
—-
"Hawkeye!" Havoc's alarmed shout drew nearly every eye in the vicinity, especially Roy's. The fuhrer stopped in the middle of his important speech, and, upon seeing his wife's inert body on the ground, he leapt down from the podium and rushed to her, his face twisted with fear and concern.
Of course, the insurgent on the nearby rooftop was quite annoyed by the fuhrer's sudden movement, because it put the man just out of range. He supposed it would be up to his two comrades in the crowd below to take care of the problem. The insurgent decided to remain where he was, confident that he was safely hidden on his ruin of a rooftop.
The others in the crowd quickly made their way to the front, both reaching for the concealed weapons.
"What happened?" Roy demanded, bending over his wife.
"I dunno, chief," Havoc responded from his position, kneeling at Riza's head. "She just fainted. We should get her to the medical tent, though. She's burning up."
"I'll take her myself," Roy said, starting to lift her into his arms.
"Sir," Havoc said softly. "Wouldn't she prefer for you to finish out the ceremony and meet her there later?"
Roy sighed.
"Yeah, I guess you're-"
He broke off at a shout from someone in the crowd behind him, whirling around to see what the trouble was.
Two Ishbalan men had emerged from the crowd, taking two military officers hostage, guns held at the officers heads.
"Lower your weapons! Or these two and your fuhrer will die!"
There was a clatter as every armed officer in the area dropped his or her firearm to the ground. Riza Mustang's orders were very clear. In a hostage situation, strive to de-escalate and wait for backup to arrive. Don't engage.
"You, Mustang, over here!" The man gestured with his gun, indicating that he wished for Roy to move closer.
Mustang sighed, standing and rubbing a gloved hand over his eyes.
"Let me get this straight," he said tiredly. "You actually think that you can come in here and just assassinate me in the middle of a major political ceremony? I mean, I've been working toward the establishment of this Embassy for over three years, to assist your people, I might add. I've been writing the speech for two months, and I didn't even get to finish. Plus, as you can probably see, my wife's feeling a bit ill, so I really don't have time for these sorts of distractions. I'm having a pretty crappy day, here."
He glared at the men and, despite his light tone, there was no denying the menace in his eye.
"I suggest, gentleman, that you lower your weapons and let those officers go."
The two men stared at Roy, dumbfounded. Then, they turned to each other and began to laugh uproariously.
"You think we will just surrender? When we have gotten this far? You underestimate our determination, Mustang."
Roy sighed theatrically.
"No, no, no underestimation involved at all. I was just hoping you'd see your foolishness and decide to come along peacefully, but I can see that those hopes were fruitless. I suppose we'll be doing this the difficult way."
"You're unarmed! You think you can take on two armed men with hostages with only your bare hands!" one of the men sneered at Roy.
"Well, not exactly bare hands, no," Roy replied, raising a white-gloved hand in front of him. "I'm guessing that you didn't do your homework if you're not already running in fear." It was amazing to him how many idiotic people refused to consider the basics of alchemy. In any attempt to attack of subdue Roy Mustang, one would have to ensure the man wasn't wearing gloves- and his wife's security plans ensured he was never in public without them. Even if you could divest him of the gloves, his ability to transmute without a circle made him an undoubtedly formidable opponent.
"Relax, Lieutenant Howle, Major Russel," Roy added, addressing the two hostage officers. "I'm good at what I do. I don't miss."
He snapped.
—-
Riza hated the smell of antiseptic. It made her nose itch. She wrinkled said nose as it took offense at the unpleasant scent.
Her head ached, but that didn't seem to be a very good reason to open her eyes, so she kept them closed. She was warm and comfortable. There was no reason to wake up.
"So, the fuhrer just fried them?"
"Well, they'll live, but they're going to be in some pretty serious pain."
"Wow, I wish I could have been there. I mean, I think he's great. He completely diffused the situation with no loss of life on either side. It must be amazing to watch him in action like that."
Riza frowned. Something tugged at the back of her mind, but she wasn't sure what it was. The ache in her head was growing stronger, pulling her towards full consciousness, but she didn't want to wake just yet.
"It's impressive to see him in action, yeah, but it's not something you want to get used to, trust me. I've seen him use his alchemy enough to know that it's more than a neat parlor trick. It's deadly stuff."
"Of course, sir. I wasn't implying that…."
"Relax, Doc. I know what you meant, I'm only sayin'."
Riza realized that she recognized one of the voices, and she knew that it was important to speak to him as soon as possible. She just wasn't sure why.
"Well, I for one think that President-King Roy Mustang is probably the best fuhrer this country has ever had. I totally support what he's doing out here with the Embassy and all he's done for the people of both countries."
Riza felt a stirring at the name and pulled herself to consciousness with difficulty.
"Roy?" she groaned, her throat dry as the memory of what had happened came to mind. There was an insurgent on the roof. She had to warn Roy, to get him to safety. "Where's Roy?"
"Relax, Hawkeye," a deep, soothing voice said at her ear.
"It's alright, Colonel Hawkeye. The president's secure."
"I didn't ask if he was secure. I asked where he was!" Riza felt a rising sense of panic as she looked around the room.
Her vision was still blurry, and she wasn't sure exactly where she was. Her head was pounding, and she needed to know where her husband was, needed to see for herself that he was safe. He'd been put in danger because of her inability to stay well, to keep from passing out in the middle of impressive press conferences, and she needed to know.
"Hawkeye," the soothing voice spoke again, and this time Riza turned her head towards the sound.
"Jean," she said. "Where's Roy? What happened? There's an assassin on the roof, I saw him, I couldn't-"
"Shush," Havoc said softly. "Roy's fine. He's finishing up a press conference as we speak, and he should be here any minute. We know about the insurgents. I can't believe you saw their guy on the roof. He was well-camouflaged."
Riza shook her head.
"I just saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I couldn't get anyone's attention, and I couldn't do anything about it. I knew I was about to pass out."
"You just about gave the Chief a heart attack," Havoc chuckled. "But you're in the hospital now. Doctor Vash here has been taking care of you, and he says you're going to be fine. It's just a touch of the Desert Fever. Lots of people have picked it up out here. Well, that and a bang on the head."
Riza sighed. The hospital in Rhiannh….That certainly brings back unpleasant memories.
"Listen, can you go and find Roy and escort him here? I want him surrounded by security at all times until we're sure we've gotten to the bottom of this."
"No need," said a deep voice from the door. "I'm here."
Riza tried to sit up quickly, but the pain in her head was too much for her, and she quickly lay back down.
"Take it easy," Roy said, concerned, taking Havoc's place at her bedside and picking up her hand.
"Thanks, Jean," he added, nodding in Havoc's direction.
"No problem, chief. I'll guard the exit." Havoc ushered the other personnel in the room towards the door. Roy focused his attention on his wife.
"Are you okay?"
"Are you okay?"
They spoke the same words at the same time, then both smiled.
"I'm fine," Roy said. "I'm worried about you, though. What did they say was wrong?"
"It's just Desert Fever. I'm fine. Roy, I'm sorry. I saw them on the roof before I passed out, but I couldn't get anyone's attention, and I just-"
"Shush," Roy replied. "It's fine. I took care of it, and there were no casualties."
"How?" Riza asked. "How did you even know they were there?"
Roy rolled his eyes.
"We're lucky that we get stupid assassins around here," he said grimly. "Two of them were in the crowd, posing as press. I haven't figured out how they got weapons in, but they rushed forward after you went down and took two officers hostage. They didn't realize that taking the guns away doesn't leave me unarmed. We found the third guy on top of that rooftop, after we interrogated the other two. The situation's been mostly diffused."
Riza let out a sigh of relief.
"It's thanks to your security plans that it all turned out okay. Not sure I'd have been wearing my gloves if your protocol didn't insist on it."
"I'm going to shoot whoever let them in with weapons," she seethed.
Roy gave a little chuckle and squeezed her hand in his.
"I was… I was afraid when I lost consciousness," Riza admitted. "I thought that I would wake up, and they would tell me that you were…gone."
Roy raised her hand to his lips and kissed it softly.
"I was afraid, too," he admitted. "When I first saw you on the ground, I thought you'd been shot. I didn't know I could be so afraid." Roy chuckled. "I can deal with assassins pointing guns at my face, but when there's something wrong with you, I feel like I'm about to piss myself."
Riza smiled grimly.
"I know what you mean," she said. She winced slightly, raising her free hand to the back of her head, feeling a bandage there. "Why is my head killing me?" she groaned.
Roy frowned.
"I don't know. Where's the doctor?"
At that moment, a young man in Ishbalan military uniform entered the room.
"Fuhrer, sir!" he saluted, clicking his heels together. "I'm Doctor Vash, and I've been placed in charge of the Colonel's care."
Roy nodded.
"At ease," he said.
"Why do I have a bandage on my head, and why does it feel like someone's beating me with a sharp rock?" Riza asked.
"Colonel Mustang, you suffered a concussion when you fell. It's not serious, and you should be fine in a couple of days, but I recommend that you take the rest of the week off to rest."
Riza started to shake her head, but quickly decided against it. Moving her head hurt.
"That's impossible," she said. "We've got a security nightmare on our hands here. I need to get back to work this evening. Can you just give me something for the pain, please?"
Roy ignored her, instead addressing Doctor Vash as if Riza hadn't spoken.
"Is it alright to take her back to our local residence this evening? I'll see that any medicine she needs is administered and that she gets plenty of rest and fluids."
"Excuse me," Riza snapped, annoyed. "I'm the patient here, and I asked a question."
The poor Doctor looked extremely confused and nervous. He had no idea what to do. On one hand, Colonel Mustang was his patient, and he was supposed to attend to her. On the other, her husband was the Fuhrer of Amestris, and he was acting as though Colonel Mustang's opinions and requests bore no mention whatsoever. This could become an international incident!
"Uh… yes, Fuhrer, sir, Colonel Mustang will be released shortly. And we'll send some pain medication with you," he added, trying to answer both questions at the same time.
"Can you please rush those release papers?" Riza asked. "I need to get to wherever they're holding these men to conduct interrogations and-"
The Fuhrer-President King Mustang cut her off by leaning down and gently kissing her lips, much to the embarrassed Doctor's surprise.
"Stop!" Riza exclaimed, pushing him away with what little strength she had. "The last thing we need is for you to get sick, too."
"I've already had Desert Fever," Roy replied, his irritation with her clearly growing. "You can't get it twice. But I know how terrible you feel, and I know that you're going to be feeling ten times worse this time tomorrow afternoon, so I'm ordering you to take a short leave of absence until you recover. At least a week, no arguments."
The fire in the young Colonel's eyes at this statement was enough to send Doctor Vash sprinting from the room, mumbling that he would see about the release papers.
"Roy," Riza began as soon as the doctor left.
"No," Roy interrupted her. "I don't want to hear it. You're sick, and because of that, you nearly got yourself, me and at least a dozen other people killed today. So you're going to rest, and you're going to shut up about it. I said I don't want to hear any more arguments, so we'll discuss it further when we get out of here."
Riza tried to interrupt, but he cut her off, now angry.
"No! We're in uniform, I'm your commanding officer, and I am giving you a direct order to keep your mouth closed. I'm focused on making sure that you're well enough to get out of this fucking hospital. I'm going to go see about those release papers."
With that, Roy stood and walked from the room, leaving Riza fuming in her bed behind him.
He's got no right to be so angry with me! Riza knew her limitations, and she knew, better than he did, that her health didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. It was Roy's well-being that was important. Her job was to do whatever she had to do to ensure that he was safe, encouraged, confident, well-loved, and happy. At this particular moment, Riza's only desire was to double, triple, and quadruple check that the security threat against him was taken care of. She felt that she had failed him, let him down by getting ill, and she was furious with herself.
This couldn't have happened in a worse place. The hospital at Rhiannh…. We're both going to be triggered after this.
Roy returned moments later and surveyed his wife as she lay in bed. She was still paler than usual, and that bothered him, but he knew that she would probably be miserable for the next week with Desert Fever. He wished he had the luxury to take the whole week off and care for her, but he couldn't afford it. He planned to be sure that someone was in their residence at all times, though, so she wouldn't be alone while she was feeling poorly.
"Ready to go?" he asked, shortly.
"Back to work?" Riza returned. "Yes, let's go."
Roy crossed his arms over his chest.
"You aren't going to be working this week. You're going to stay in bed and take care of yourself for once if I have to tie you down," he growled.
"I don't see why you're so angry with me," she snapped.
Realizing how he sounded, Roy rubbed his eyes tiredly with one hand.
"I'm not angry, Riza. I understand why you're upset, and I'm just frustrated. Can we just go back to the residence and talk about it there? Being in this place, seeing you in a hospital bed, here, again…. I can't think straight, I'm just seeing red," he admitted, and Riza's own ire vanished.
"I'm unsettled, too," she said quietly, and they shared a sad smile as their eyes met.
"We can't talk about this here," Roy said.
There were still press lingering around, hoping to get the inside scoop on the whole strange series of events. They both knew that they didn't need the gossip columns reporting an argument between the fuhrer and his wife on top of everything else.
Riza sighed and nodded, and Roy walked closer to the bed.
"Do you think you can stand?" he asked.
"Of course I can," Riza replied, throwing the blankets off the bed back and sitting up quickly. A moment later, she rested her hand against her head and started to lie back down, feeling lightheaded.
"Easy," Roy said, quickly wrapping one arm around her back to support her. "You'd be feeling woozy enough from Desert Fever alone even without having hit your head. Just let me help you, alright?"
Riza nodded blearily at him. She knew her limits, and she realized that there was no way she would make it back to their residence without his help.
Roy tightened his grip around her waist and offered his other hand to her, supporting her weight as she sat up straight, then slowly stood, leaning on him heavily.
"You can't walk, can you?" Roy asked.
"Yes I can," Riza replied, instantly, trying to push away from him and nearly falling.
"Riza," Roy groaned in annoyance as he caught her. "That wasn't a challenge. I'm just trying to help you. Please stop fighting me." She looked up at him, and their eyes met.
Riza could see in his gaze that he was tired and upset, that he wanted to get away from this place where such bad memories lingered. Roy saw Riza's constant determination to prove to everyone around her, including herself, that she wasn't weak.
"Fhurer-President, Sir? Ma'am?" Doctor Vash re-entered the room hesitantly. Even he could see that the emotions flying between them were intense. "I-I brought a wheelchair."
"There's no need for that," Roy and Riza spoke together, then frowned at each other.
"Thank you. I can walk on my own," Riza said.
"No, I think you just proved that you can't. I was intending to carry you."
"No!" Riza fought hard against the feminine part of her that wanted nothing more at that moment than to be wrapped up in his arms, snuggled against his strong chest. "I'm sure the press is waiting outside. We don't want to give them more reason than usual to focus on our relationship in the news and ignore the politics, do we?"
"Actually," Roy responded grimly, "I had thought it might distract them from printing too many stories about the insurgent attacks. And then there's the fact that I really want to hold you right now."
His eyes burned into hers as she spoke, and Roy felt her body sag slightly against his as she gave up to his request.
Doctor Vash couldn't help but blush miserably as he witnessed the incredibly private moment between the Fuhrer and First Lady.
Roy placed one arm under Riza's knees and used the other to brace her back as he lifted her into his arms easily. She hardly weighed a thing, even despite the hard muscle that covered most of her body. Riza wrapped her arms instinctively around his neck and resisted the urge to bury her face in her favorite warm space between his neck and shoulder.
"Thank you for your service, Doctor," Roy smiled grimly. "I'll put in a good word for you."
"Thank you very much, Fuhrer-President King Mustang, sir!" The man replied and quickly snapped a salute.
—-
Roy wasn't surprised by the torrent of flashbulbs that went off in his face as he exited the medical tent. In fact, he'd been counting on it. The press loved a good story, and he and Riza had given them more than their fair share of excitement.
Havoc walked before them, clearing a path, and Roy noted that the rest of his security team had fallen into formation around him. Riza finally gave in to the temptation to snuggle against him and closed her eyes against the bright lights making her head pound, pretending to sleep so she wouldn't have to deal with the reporters surrounding them.
Roy adopted a small, slightly chagrined smile for the cameras.
"Not to worry," he called to the reporters. "Colonel Mustang has a touch of Dessert Fever, nothing that a few days of rest won't cure. Excuse me, I need to bring her back to our local residence, she needs rest."
Roy placed Riza in the car, then slipped in after her, and a security officer closed the door. Havoc slid into the driver's seat, and Roy confirmed with him that additional security officers were assigned to keep watch through the night so that he and Riza could rest at ease.
"Thanks very much, Major," Roy said as their vehicle neared the front of the small house that served as the President and First Lady's temporary residence in the desert.
"You got it, Chief." Havoc glanced back at Riza, who still seemed to be snoozing lightly in Mustang's arms. "She's really gotta learn to slow down, sometimes."
Roy sighed.
"Do you think it might make a difference if you tell her instead of just me?" he asked. Havoc chuckled, tipping his hat in a lazy salute as another security officer, emerging from the car behind them, opened the car door. The Fuhrer stepped out and started to lift his wife into his arms again.
"I think I can make it to the bedroom," Riza said softly, opening her eyes. Roy smiled slightly down at her.
"I thought you'd actually fallen asleep," he said, "when you didn't chime in while I was talking to Havoc about security for the rest of the night."
Riza shrugged.
"I would have if you hadn't had everything under control." Roy gently helped her to her feet, keeping one arm around her waist to steady her.
"Thanks for carrying me," Riza said softly. "I needed that more than I was willing to admit."
Roy smiled grimly.
"I know. Let's go lie down in the bedroom. I'll get your pain medication, and then we need to talk."
Riza nodded and let him support her.
She virtually collapsed into their warm, comfortable bed. It amazed her that the short walk from the front of the house to the bedroom at the back had exhausted her so quickly.
Roy returned to the kitchen to get her a glass of water, then returned with it and the pain medication, which he handed to her. Riza sat up slowly and took the pills without complaint and drank the rest of the water.
Roy sat down next to her, taking the empty glass and placing it on the bedside.
"Feeling better?" he asked softly. He knew that if she was willing to take pain medication, which would dull her senses, without complaint, after a day like today, she was truly wretched.
"Not really," Riza replied. "But I'm sure the pills will help soon."
Roy nodded and kicked off his boots, then moved to remove Riza's as well.
"Would you mind getting me some pajamas?" she asked. Roy could tell that she was trying to delay the inevitable conversation, but he let her. He rose from the bed again and walked to her bureau. Ignoring some of his favorite silky clothing he found an old t-shirt that he knew would be comfortable for his wife. Roy handed it to her along with a pair of sweatpants and began pulling off his own formal uniform in favor of more comfortable clothes as she changed.
When they were both suitably clothed, Roy joined her on the bed again. He lay down and started to pull her close to him, but Riza tensed up and moved away.
"Maybe I should sleep on the sofa," she suggested. "I know they say that you can't get Desert Fever twice, but I don't want to risk it, and, besides, I'm sure I would keep you up all night…" She trailed off when she saw the intense look in her husband's eye.
"Riza," he said with mock sternness. "If you don't get over here and let me hold you, I'm going to have you court-martialed."
She smiled slightly and gave in, cuddling under the covers and letting Roy pull her close, spooning behind her. Riza sighed as she felt the familiar presence of his frame pressed against hers and his hands on her waist; she realized that this was the first moment she'd felt truly calm since she'd woken up that morning.
"I love you," Roy said softly. "You know that, don't you?"
Riza frowned.
"Of course I do. And I love you, too," she said.
Roy pressed a kiss to the back of her head, nodding.
"I know. I'm sorry that I was so on edge at the hospital." He feels her breath catch.
"I was, too," she said quietly, and he squeezed her tightly. "I didn't expect to see that place again, even when we chose Rhiannh for the Embassy."
"No." Roy sighed. "Even after everything," he said slowly, "we've never talked much about that night."
"What's to discuss?" Riza responded dully.
They'd both taken leave and gotten a hotel room in Rhiannh. Roy had agreed to burn the flame alchemy tattoo, but he hadn't been happy about it, and he'd tried to back out at the last moment. They'd made love in that stuffy, cheap hotel room, and then he'd done it. They'd planned in advance that he would bring her to the local hospital, claiming an attack on the road and crashing the vehicle he'd been commissioned during his leave.
Riza would never forget the agony she'd felt as the skin on her back bubbled, and the smell of her own fat burning filled her nostrils.
Roy would never forget the sound of her screaming.
He'd left her alone at the hospital, which hadn't been the plan at all, and they hadn't seen each other for over a year, until he'd summoned her to Central with a head full of big, impossible dreams that she couldn't share. Not then.
"I'm sorry I left you," Roy said quietly. "I've never forgiven myself for that."
"I forgave you a long time ago," she said, equally quiet. She turned over to face him, hating the blank look in his eyes. "And I know what it did to you, to burn the array."
"What it did to me?" Roy asked, meeting her gaze. "I can't believe what I did to you. I was so stupid."
Her father's skill with flame alchemy had been such that he had used it to effectively tattoo the secrets to Riza's back. When she'd asked Roy to remove it, she hadn't realized what precision it would take, hadn't understood the wound he would inflict on her without that precision.
She hesitated, but now that they were finally having this conversation, she'd learned that holding things in only made them worse.
"I wondered, at the time, if it was an accident… Or if you'd done it on purpose," she whispered the last part, and his reaction was so strong, she knew right away she'd been wrong.
"On purpose?! Never! Riza- fuck. Never, never, ever." He crushed her against him, and she could feel the shudder that wracked his body. Roy closed his eyes tightly as he gripped her, then remembered her injury, and pulled back to look into her eyes. "Sweetheart… Never," he said quietly.
"I know, Roy. I know that now," she said, soothingly, working a hand into his hair. "I thought…maybe you wanted to punish me for following you out here. Or for becoming a killer, like you."
"Never," he croaked, pulling her close again, tears stinging his eyes.
"Okay," she said quietly. "It's okay, Roy, I know."
"It wasn't an accident, either," he admitted, swallowing hard, and her brow creased in confusion. "It was arrogance. I-I thought I could do it, the way Sensei did, just… to just barely glance the flame off the skin, and-." He broke off, shaking his head. "I was so stupid. I was so inexperienced, and I didn't know how to tell you. How could I tell you that after everything, I still hadn't even mastered it? I was such a coward, I maimed you for no other reason than my own stupid pride."
"'Maimed' is a strong word," Riza said tacitly. He buried his face in her hair. "I- well, after I moved to Central, I assumed it was an accident." She sighed. "Roy, it sounds like it was an accident. You didn't mean to hurt me."
"It's one of the worst atrocities committed in this desert, hurting you that way," he said quietly. "Not because it's you, that's bad enough, but because of the betrayal. I betrayed your trust so many times, in so many ways."
"It was a long time ago," she tried to soothe him. "You were- we were both so young."
"That excuse doesn't hold water anymore," Roy said curtly, and this she knew, because they'd said it before.
"No," she agreed. "No, age is no excuse, not when you compare yourself to people like Edward and Alphonse."
The long silences that passed between them in conversations like this were familiar now. Finally, Riza spoke again.
"What I meant is that I know how it affected you, why you couldn't seek me out, afterwards. Maes told me."
"What? What did he say? When? He never knew."
"He did. When I moved to Central, after we broke up. He was afraid for you, afraid that you'd slide back after all the progress you made. He came to my apartment that night, he was so angry, and he told me."
Roy shook his head.
"Told you what?" He asked again, and Riza bit her lower lip before answering.
"He told me that at the end of the war you'd taken leave in Rhiannh. Something happened while you were away, an attack of some kind, and it changed you. He said you swore when you got back to camp that you'd never take another innocent life." She paused and took a deep breath. "He also told me that you lost your nerve. You couldn't fight, and you were depressed… He told me he used to make you surrender your service weapon to him at the end of the day, to make sure you wouldn't-". She broke off when Roy took a sharp breath.
"I can't believe he told you that. All this time, I didn't think you knew….Did you tell him? About the array?"
Riza nodded. "I showed him. He couldn't understand why," she gulped. "Why I felt the need to atone for my crimes alone, why I felt guilty for your crimes as well as my own, why I couldn't support you, not-not in that way, not then. So I showed him."
"Why you couldn't marry me," Roy said quietly, and she nodded. "That's why he got you on Hakuro's staff, why you were passing information through him." Riza nodded again, and Roy rolled onto his back away from her. "Goddamn, Hughes," he muttered. "You really kept everyone's secrets."
Riza smiled a sad smile.
"He was certainly the best spy out of all of us," she said. They were both silent for a long time. Riza could feel the effects of the pain medication starting to work on her.
"Roy," she said quietly. "I don't blame you for the array, even now, okay?"
He shook his head.
"It doesn't matter. I blame myself." He exhaled harshly. "I blame Sensei."
They don't talk often about the man who was a teacher to one of them, a father to the other, a hero in his eyes, a monster in hers.
"I can agree with that," Riza said quietly. "Berthold can carry the blame." Roy held her tightly, his hands riding up under the sides of her old t-shirt so she could feel his skin on hers, the way she liked. His fingers studiously avoided touching the scars.
When he closed his eyes, he could almost see the flames flickering over her skin.
"I'm sorry," he said again.
"I forgive you, Roy," she whispered. As though he'd needed her permission, his hands moved, then, tracing over the scars he knew so well. She shivered under his touch. They'd always been sensitive, and Roy had always seemed to revel in her reactions when he touched them. She understood why, now, in a new light. It was like a penance, trading pleasure for all the pain he'd caused her.
"You scared me today," Roy said after several minutes had passed. Usually eloquent, he was having difficulty bringing this topic up with her, which was why he'd avoided it so long. "I've been noticing- been wanting to talk to you about it. I need you to realize something."
"Hmm?"
"That I've accomplished my goal, now."
"I know you have. I was there, I think I remember," Riza said, lightly
"That's not what I mean," Roy replied, feeling frustrated by his sudden lack of ability to communicate.
"Then what do you mean?" Riza asked.
"That you're still acting like my bodyguard instead of my wife," he said, a bit more sharply than he'd intended.
"I am your bodyguard, Roy. I'm still your head of security," she mumbled.
"I know that. And I'm glad that I have you as my head of security, truly, but… there are times, like today, when I wish that you would see your job as my wife as your first priority."
Riza wasn't sure how to respond to this statement, so she stayed silent.
"You're not the only one protecting me anymore, Ria," Roy said, nuzzling of her neck gently with his nose. "We've got a whole security team who would lay down their lives to protect both me and you. I still need you as my head of security, because you strategize better than anyone I've ever known, and because you know me best, so you can predict my habits and my actions, which is something that no one else could do. But I need you to realize that things are different than they used to be. I don't-," Roy hesitated, reluctant to say the next words, as he was unsure of her reaction. "I don't want you to put your life on the line for mine. Not ever again."
At these words, Riza turned to face him, and he was startled to see tears forming in her eyes.
"I don't understand," Riza mumbled. "Are you saying that you don't trust your back to me anymore? I know I screwed up today, Roy, but, I-"
"No!" Roy said emphatically, pressing her tightly against him, burying his face in her neck. "I trust you with everything that's in me, and I don't think that you screwed up today. I think you made an error in judgment, but I understand where it came from, and I don't blame you for it. I'm just…. I'm trying to get you to realize- to stop thinking that my life is more valuable than yours."
Riza was genuinely confused.
"But you are more valuable," she said finally. "You're the fuhrer, the one we're all counting on to keep these changes coming, to keep the country on the right path. You're far more valuable to this country than I am."
Roy shook his head.
"But you're more valuable to me," he said. "You keep me on the right path. You're my life, Ria. You know that. What do you think that I would do without you?"
The question unnerved her, because she didn't see it as relevant, but she answered honestly anyway.
"You would grieve," she said. "You would probably drink yourself into a stupor every night for a year or so, and Havoc and the others would handle most of your duties for a while. But you'd come out of it, and you'd find someone to replace me, both professionally and personally. You'd finally marry the trophy wife that everyone expected you to have, you'd have children with her, and you'd be happy again. You might miss me. I hope you would, but you would go on."
Roy stared down at her in horror.
"No," he said. "No, I wouldn't. If I lost you, it would destroy me. Nothing else would matter. I'd probably follow you in a matter of days, if not hours."
That statement startled her, because she felt the same way about him. But Roy wasn't supposed to feel that sort of devotion for her! She was his subordinate, not the other way around.
"Riza, you are the most important thing in my life. Yes, I mean that exactly as it sounds. You're more important than the government, than the country, than building this Embassy, than anything. That's why I don't want you to risk your life for mine. Your life is mine. I allowed you to make that promise all those years ago, because I was refusing to love you, because I didn't think that we would ever make it here, but now that we are here, I don't want you to keep that pledge. I need you to realize that you are not dispensable. Things are different now."
Riza was crying freely by the time he finished speaking.
"I-I actually m-mean that much to you?" she said. "I mean, I know y-you love me, but… you actually feel that my life is as important as yours? You actually-," she broke off, overcome by emotion.
"Yes, Riza," Roy said firmly. "I can't believe you didn't see it before. I'm sorry I never said it before."
He squeezed her tightly, and Riza clung to his shirt, her tears flowing down her cheeks. "It's not just about me anymore," Roy said. "It's about us. We made it here, and we've got the rest of our lives to live out together. Don't rob me of that by being reckless like you were today. Take care of yourself. Don't ruin the happy ending, fairy-tale thing we've got going here," he finished on a lighter note, and elicited the desired chuckle from his distraught wife.
"I'm sorry," she murmured.
"You don't have to be sorry," Roy replied softly, cradling her close. "Just stop trying to live your life for me and live it with me now, please, Riza."
She nodded and sniffled, still clinging to him.
Roy frowned at her tears and bent his head to lightly kiss each of her eyelids.
"I'm sorry," he murmured, resting his forehead against hers. "I didn't mean to make you cry, to make you feel any worse than you already do. But, damn it, Ria, you really scared me today." He sighed deeply. "I just didn't feel like I could let this go any longer."
Riza nodded.
"I know what you mean," she said softly. "I'd thought about it myself, a little, but I guess I just…. I was just so used to the way things have been between us all these years. There's a part of me that's afraid to give up the structure of the officer and subordinate relationship because I just…. I worry about what would be left of us without it."
Roy shook his head.
"We are us," he said emphatically. "The rest of it… it's been a mask, all these years. We just have to learn how to pull off the masks, now. We don't need them anymore; we can finally stop hiding from each other, from the rest of the world."
Riza nodded.
She could see the wisdom in his words, and she knew that he was right. Ever since their wedding, since he'd been elected fuhrer, she'd allowed herself to fall back into the position of his subordinate instead of his partner, splitting herself into two separate people: Riza, the woman and Hawkeye, the soldier. She was trying to learn to merge those two personalities, because they were both her, but she had trouble, so her sense of duty took over, leaving the woman, Riza, lost and afraid.
"Hey," Roy said softly, pulling her from her thoughts.
"Hm?" Riza replied, looking up at him.
He pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss that seemed to spread warmth throughout her entire body.
"I love you," he said simply when he pulled away. Riza blinked, unsure if the sudden dizziness she felt was from the fever, the concussion, or the kiss.
"I love you," Roy repeated, looking deeply into her eyes. He grinned when he saw her slow smile spread all the way up to her eyes. He loved that smile.
"I love you, too."
Her stomach growled at that exact moment, causing them both to laugh.
"Well, since I love you so much, I suppose I'd better feed you," Roy teased, moving to rise from the bed. "It's no wonder you're weepy with pain meds on an empty stomach."
—-
Riza finally agreed to take the rest of the week off, much to her husband's satisfaction. She still had paperwork and reports brought to her at their residence, but she stayed there, reviewing it all from her own bed.
On the third day of her leave, Riza received a phone call from the medical department.
"Colonel, we have some interesting news," Doctor Vash said from the other end of the line.
"Yes, Doctor?" Riza replied, slightly impatiently.
"Well, we took some of your blood for testing, just to be sure that there were no irregularities."
"And were there?" Riza asked, slightly alarmed.
"Yes, actually," The doctor replied, sounding entirely too happy about the situation. "Madame First Lady, may I be the first to officially congratulate you on your expected delivery?"
"My what?"
"Ma'am, you're going to have a baby."