Chapter 30- What he Left Behind

(Roy's POV)

Three Months, Three Weeks and a Day (January)

"All of it!" Roy wailed from the other side of the closed door to Ed and Al's hospital room.

"Yes. There is no evidence of there ever being animal DNA in his system. Not even removal marks or residue." Doctor Yin assured.

"But... But that's... How?"

"A miracle... It happens once or twice in a doctor's career. And now is mine. His body, which seems to include his mind, seems to have reversed back to before his trauma. It just isn't logical. He's been whipped clean. Like nothing even happened to him. No evidence at all of the past trauma. Mentally or physically. Like I said... It's a miracle." She opened the door. Ed sat in his hospital bed, four pillows keeping him vertical. His face still pale, but with extra colour from the procedure. His arms folded.

"You really can talk quietly." Rolling his eyes. "Now do you want to tell me what animal DNA and trauma have to do with all of this?"

Roy turned to Doctor Yin, "I'll deal with this. Thank you, Doctor Yin." She simply nodded and turned and left.

Roy pulling up a chair next to his bed.

"Ed-"

"Don't call me that! I have already told you this! I'm Fullmetal. You've never called me Ed before and don't you dare start now." Ed glared at Roy. Ed's eyes trailing to where Al slept on his bed. Not sure if Ed had really woke him with the noise. But Al was a deep sleeper.

Roy became reluctant to start again, "Fullmetal. This situation that we have found ourselves in... it's simply a miracle..."

"I don't care about that crap. Why is animal DNA important?" Stern and direct.

Roy sighed. "You will either take this very well, deny it completely or take it very badly... What date do you think it is, Fullmetal?"

"Well... Sometime in March. Look why is that important?"

"Ed-Fullmetal... It's January..."

"No." Bluntly replying. "No. It's late March 1914." Denial was the road Ed was taking.

"Fullmetal. It's the 19th of January, 1915..."

"Tell me once more." His tone too calm for what storm played in his eyes. "What date is it?!" Ed on the brink of cracking

"19th of January, 1915. You went missing on the 23rd of March, 1914. Not to be found 6 months later on the 17th of September, 1914... You were turned into a... a chimera, Ed. You... You..." Roy's eyes locking onto Ed's. He stopped. He had said enough for the moment. He had to let it sink in.

"6... 6 months... January..." The teen muttered. "Roy?..." Ed quiet and using his first name.

"Yes."

"How... I mean... If I was a chimera... how...?" The kid now as dumbfounded as they were.

"That's the miracle."

"No trace?..."

"None."

Ed's eyes trailed to Al. Then he smiled.

"Isn't that good?"

"Well..." Roy stunned by his reaction. He was accepting it. "I guess... So are you alright with all of this? If you need to ask anything-"

"No. I'm alright." He paused and thought for a second. "Wait. One. What were in those sacks you took back?"

"Do you really want to know?" Roy not sure that he wanted Ed knowing. But in the end, it was the kid choice.

"Yes."

"They were the animals that you were fused with. A cat and a hawk. The hawk passed away. But the cat... He's still alive."

"She."

"What?"

"The cat. It's a she."

"How do you even know."

"Sam's a she. I just know... I don't even know where the gender or name came from. The cat's a she and the cat's name is Sam."

"I guess you retain some sort of memory." Roy pondered, looking away from Ed.

"Can... Can I see her?..." Roy turned back to Ed and gave him a questioning look. Ed's head now tucked into the crook of his now raised knees, he started turning defensive, "I just want to see what I was fused with for nine months! Geez... Don't need to make a big deal out of it... Just forget about it then..."

Roy stumbled over words for a moment, ending up with, "...No, I'll go get Sam... I'll see what I can do. Stay put."

Ed wrapped his arms around his knees and settled his head back down. "I'm not a child..." He mumbled as Roy left the room.

Roy took his time reaching the storage area. He hated this cat. This cat, Sam as Ed called him, had attacked everyone that tried to touch it. The cat was biologically a male. Yet Ed was adamant it was a she... and it was Sam further more. But he thought, everyone thought, she was dead. She died at the Charles incident.

But the funny thing is. Three days after the incident, Charles corpse was found almost ten kilometres from the area they shot him. He died from blood loss. He was a pain resistant creature... But nothing can survive losing too much blood. They told Ed and he acted so much more relaxed after that. They were all glad really.

But this cat... He was going to try something with him... her... Sam.

Giving a wave to the women who was on duty. "I'm checking out, 176."

She flicked through the papers on her table. "He's an aggressive one. I suggest gloves... or just not touching the little bugger at all." She said bubbly, holding out the papers to him.

Roy scanned them, mostly just a recovery report. The cat needed painkillers, antibiotics, needed to have changed bandages twice a day... This cat was going to be the death of him.

He put the paper down and bobbed in front of the cage labelled '176'. "Hey, Sam." He said sweetly and calmly, "I've come to get you." He still looked into the semi-dark cage waiting for movement. "Sam? Can you come out for me?" Movement. A swipe of a paw. Roy was on his ass in seconds.

"I warned you!" The women yelled, between laughter.

Roy took a deep breath, Getting back to the cages level. "I'm here to get you and take you to Ed. Would you like that? I'm taking you right now. So do you want to cooperate and come nicely?" The cats slowly came to the door of the cage and sat calmly. Sam then let out a happy meow and rubbed the cage door, near the latch to open it.

The women behind him was dumbfounded. "H-h-how... How did you do that?!"

"Just told her what she wanted to hear." He said as he opened the cage and let the cat jump into his arms without a fuss of any kind. "Let's go, Sam."

With the cat over his shoulder, bottom supported by his non-dominant hand, he signed some paper, grabbed the supplies and headed back to Ed and Al.

Roy made it back to the room. Took a deep breath as the cat dug its claws into his back. "Calm down." The cat meowed happily. "Yes... He's behind this door. Now do you mind letting go of me so I can open the door? I can't turn my back when you do that." The cat let go of him. "Thank you." He shuffled his cargo and opened the door.

Instantly the cat was off his shoulder and leaping across the room to where Ed was still sitting, looking at the book in his lap. As the cat leapt onto the bed, Ed gasped in surprise as the cat tackled him backwards into the mattress, his book becoming discarded on the floor.

"There you go. One cat."

Al shot up in his bed. "Did you say cat?!" His eyes wide at the cat that landed on top of Ed. "Why do we have a cat?!"

"Ed says it's Sam. Plus, they would kill it if we did nothing and if it is Sam in any way... And let's not forget Ed was bound with it for 9 months." Roy trailed off at the silence of Ed and the stillness of the cat. "Ed? Are you okay? Ed?" Roy stepped closer to Ed. "Ed?"

The kid's face came into view. He was crying... The cat was crying... They were just lying there, crying.

Roy's hand met with Ed's shoulder and his eyes blinked in surprise. "W-why... why am I crying?" He whispered.

"You're happy. Long story short... You thought Sam was dead, She was very close to you and you thought she died protecting you."

Ed began petting the cat, "Well, thanks, Sam." Smiling goofily at the cat. "I guess we get a cat, Alphonse."

"Really?! I knew you would come around some day!" Al bobbing excited on his bed, still weak, but still a child full of energy.

"Sam's your responsibility. You better not let her die. I'm not cat sitting." Roy stated right out.

"But animals aren't allowed in the hospital, Colonel. Where is she gonna go?" Al giving him puppy eyes. A tactic he had perfected, quite quickly.

"No. I am not keeping her." Roy taking a step back.

"Why did I agree to take her?" Roy mumbled to Maes as he rubbed his hand where a fresh scratch laid on his skin.

"Because you want Ed to like you again and-" Roy stepping on his foot before he could continue. "Oi! I was gonna say something nice." Roy raising his eyebrow. "And you want to feel like a father." Roy stepped on his foot again. "Ouch!"

Roy just rolled his eyes as he continued down the hall to the boy's room.

(Victoria's POV)

"Have you seen enough?" Truths echoed voice asked the women.

"Yes. Yes, I have. A deal is a deal. And he won't remember a thing? The wall will stay up forever?" She extended her hand out to the Truth.

"Yes. Your entirety for theirs, Mrs Alchemist. You will take on his mental burden in addition. You do have an understanding that there is no turning back from a deal like this? Nothing can undo this."

She just nodded as she was sucked into the gate, a tear rolling down her face.

"I told you I would protect you, Ed... Not the other way 'round."

(Roy's POV)

"Yo!" Maes pronounced as he entered the room.

"Oh. Hello, Mr Hughes, Colonel." Alphonse said from over his book.

Roy's eyes drifting to Ed who was completely engrossed in his book, not noticing them enter. "Is all you two do is read?" Roy said jokingly.

"What else really is there to do. I can't really move very far." Al laughed slightly nervously

"Don't sweat it, Kid. You'll be up and moving in no time." Maes said bubbly as he moved over to where Ed was. Slapping him n the back, making him jump slightly.

"Ah! Geez. What was that for!" Ed complained. "Oh... when did you get in here?"

"About five minutes ago." Roy replied bluntly

"Whoops..." Ed rubbed the back of his neck as he sat up. "Aren't visiting hours over? Why are you still here?"

"That doesn't matter. We're here to give you boys something. We know it's more than a little early but..." Hughes started pulling a black book from his bag. "Since you're both feeling unwell... Roy's team and I thought it would be better to give this to you both now instead of for your birthdays." The black book was fully out of the bag the title reading 'The memories of the unforgettable Elric's' in white writing.

"Happy Early Birthday, Edward, Alphonse!" Maes praised.

Ed took the book and flipped it to it's back the words in the same ink read 'From Maes, Roy, Riza, Brenda, Kain, Jean and Vato. We could never forget the Elric's'

"Thanks." Ed looked and sounded overwhelmed

He hoisted himself up with some grunts through clenched teeth and made his way towards Al's bed and took a seat on the edge of it. Placing the book between the two and opened the first page.

(Ed's POV)

Ed really didn't know what to say. They had made a photo book. And it would contain photos of him as a chimera. It would have to do... He felt very overwhelmed, very quickly. Al would help, he always helped.

After sitting down next to Al the first photo was not one he would have expected.

His eyes widened and he ripped the photo out of its slip. "What is this?!" Waving the photo in Hughes' face. "When-WHO-WHY... This can't of happened!"

The photo gripped in Ed's hand was of when he fell asleep with Roy at the hospital.

"I think you looked cute, Nii-san," Al said from behind

"Well, I don't!" Ed flung the photo and it landed in the bin not far from where he sat. "And that is the end of that!"

Ed looked over to where Roy was. "How could you let... them..." His fury quickly leaving as he saw the look on his face, hurt, as he looked at the bin across the room, "Mustang?..."

He quickly looked up replacing his look with his stern default. "What? I wasn't listening."

"Never... never mind..." Ed stumbled as he turned to the next page. Yet another photo of him sleeping in Roy's arms. "Now this is just ridiculous! Roy give me your gloves!" Sticking out his hand.

"NO! Nii-san! They worked hard on this I'm sure!"

Ed sighed, "Fine... but later we're going through this and getting rid of all of the incriminating ones." Glaring at Maes. Who nervously looked down at his watch.

"We should get going. Our lunch break only can be stretched so much. We'll see you boys another day. And you have to stop in for dinner... And come and see my cutie-"

"Have a nice afternoon, Fullmetal, Alphonse," Roy spoke sternly as he dragged his ranting friend out of the door.

Ed just looked at the bin again. Al still flicking through the photo book.

He got up and got to the bin. "Nii-san? What are you doing?"

Ed didn't reply, he just fished the photo out of the almost empty bin. Bring it back to the photo book and inserting it back into its place.

He just looked back down at the book he threatened to burn with the Bastards gloves.

Maybe if life wasn't that bad back then, he sure looked happy a lot then anyway, then maybe the future would be so much brighter.

He just smiled as he turned the page and saw photo's from a time he was yet to remember, which he now hoped was his future to come.

Epilogue

Is was all something of the past.

Al became stronger, married a nice woman from Resembool who was around when they were kids, and had one kid, Hope.

Ed healed at a fast rate, married Winry and had two kids, Samantha and Victoria.

Sam healed at the same fast rate, lives with Ed and Winry in Resembool.

And Roy...

Although he was heartbroken that Ed had left him behind, he was glad that he was one of Ed's best men at his wedding. Alphonse, of course, being his best man, but Roy was touched that Ed even considered him as a choice.

Roy moved on, married Riza, and replaced Ed with two kids of his own, Eliza and Maes.

With Charles dead, Taboo in the past and no chimera for miles, Ed moved on with his life, though he would never remember those 9 months... The impact that was created was the most valuable he could ever have. And no matter how much he has lost, in mind, memory or muscle, Ed will always have something to never leave behind.

Family.

Special mentions!

I want to give a big thank you to everyone who reviewed my stuff! Love'ya! *Gives cake*

And a special thank you to:

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