UPDATING AT LONG FRIGGIN' LAST!!!!
Thanks to anyone who's reading this! You're the best!
I've fixed Nina's age in this, she's 5, not 7. Skitty pointed out an error in the math there. Thanks! Enjoy!
Denial is easier to cope with than the truth. That was the motto Edward chose to live with over the next few days. Upon hearing from Rose in Ishballa, Edward had sent as many under cover soldiers as he could. However, Sauvage was as elusive as ever and slipped from his hands yet again. The damage was already done as well. Several of his soldiers were attatcked by angry citizens, mobs if you will, with a total of three near-fatal injuries, 7 men hospitalized, and one woman dead. Things were not looking up. Upon his insistance, Rose had returned to Leor, as well as a bone-crushing hug from Armstrong.
It was the eve of his birthday, and the blonde had chosen to walk home from work that day. A light, peaceful snow was falling, draping the unbrearably grey city with a soft white sheet. He had chosen to walk to Gracia's house first, to deliver Elisia's birthday gift. He smiled at her, remembering how Nina, Alphonse and himself had paniced Elisia's delivery.
Edward pulled a nicely wrapped gift out from under his arm as he approached the door to his house, dusting the small flakes gently from the paper. He scraped off the snow from his boots while simultaniously unlocking the door, only to have it pulled open and being suddenly 'attacked' by his own little Nina.
"Daddy!" She buried her little blonde head happily into the man's stomach while her grip tightened. "Yay! Daddy's home Mummy! He's home!"
"Nina! I love you too, but can you let your old man come in? I'm freezing!" His daughter relinquished her grip and pulled him inside. "That's better! Now, I believe it's someone's birthday today..."
"Me Daddy! Me!" she cried, jumping all around him. Edward scanned the room jokingly, pretending to not see Nina when Winry came into the hall.
"Ah! There she is!" He grabbed Winry into a ferocious hug and planted a kiss firmly on her cheek. "Happy Birthday honey!"
"No no no!" Nina stomped her way up to her father and poked his as hard as her little digits would allow. "It's MY birthday Daddy!" Edward feigned surprise.
"No way! My little girl is turning four?"
"Seven Daddy! I'm five!" Edward couldn't help but laugh as Nina crossed her arms defiantly in front of them. Winry dutifully elbowed his ribs.
"Enough! Don't make me pull out my wrench!" The blonde man pretended to cower in fear as he scooped his little girl up and sat her down on his lap.
"For you, I believe!" he smiled, handing the gift to his daughter. Nina happily took the gift and, in her strangely careful manner, removed the ribbon and the paper, making sure none of it ripped. She gasped in delight as she pulled a beautiful china doll from the box. Most parents wouldn't give their young girl something like that for their seventh birthday, but Nina was uncannily careful for a girl her age. Neither Ed nor Winry knew where she got it from...
"Oh Daddy! She's so beautiful!"
"What are you going to call her?" Winry asked as she sat next to her daughter. Nina's brows were knitted together for a time as she thought.
"Selene!" she cried triumphantly. She ran her fingers through the doll's fine hair from a few moments before she placed her gently down and bounced to her feet. "Cake! Can we have cake now?"
"Now yet dear, we have to have dinner before we can have dessert. Those are the rules." Edward reminded his child softly.
"But Da-ad!" she crossed her arms before her chest and poutes "YOU'RE the one who's always saying that life's too short and to eat the cake first! Come on, just this once?" Her pupils dilated in an adorable way that only children know how to do.
"Alright, alright. Just this once..."
"YAY!!!!" she cried, hugging her father. "I love you Daddy! And not only because you give me cake."
Edward chuckled. "Good! I was getting a little worried there." The family sat down to a huge chocolate cake. Nina chatted on about her day to Winry, Edward only partially listening. He looked up at his family, and wondering how many other people were as luck as he was, to have a wonderful wife and child like he did. Then, he thought of how many people didn't. How many people didn't have happy families, or didn't have families at all? How many orphaned children wandered the streets or were stuck in orphanages, how many parents had to bury their children? And how many of them had been lost to war? Edward knew that a war with the Romajin was almost inevitable. How many more would suffer from this battle? All because of him?
"Daddy, are you okay?" Edward blinked a few times before he realized that he had drifted off for quite some time. Nina was already on her second piece of cake and he had hardly touched his own.
"Yes, sorry Nina. Just lost in thought," Winry shot him a worried glance, to which he responded with a small smile and took a bite of his cake.
"Now Ed, where are your manners?" Edward frowned. Usually, Winry usually scolded him for his poor table manners (which frequently sent crumbs flying everywhere). But he was pretty sure he was doing no such thing.
"Your gloved Daddy! You've got to take them off at the table, silly! Rules are rules," Edward tried not to let his panic show as he set his untensils down carefully. I can't let them see me like ... this. Oh God, especially not Nina, not on her birthday... Edward mumbled that he needed to use the bathroom and excused himself from the table.
He closed the door to the washroom gently, not wanting to alarm either of the women at the table. He didn't bother locking the door either. He took off his gloves and stared at his hands. They were alarmingly red and has several unsighlty blemishes on them, making him thankful for the thickness of his gloves. He clenched and unclenched his fists, unable to feel anything, even as he dug his nails into his palm with enough force to make them bleed.
Edward was not one to be frightened easily, especially not when it came to his own life. He only feared for others. Even now, he wasn't afraid that this infection would no doubt kill him slowly, but rather he feared for Nina and Winry. He feared how his child would fare.
The blond slowly removed all of his clothing, being sure that he saw every blemish and warped in of skin on himself. How would Al fare? Oh God, should he tell Al? He couldn't leave him in the dark...
But what if it's contagious? Panic seized the acting-Fuhrer's heart. He could not, would not allow for this to spred to Nina, to Al, to Winry. He turned on the shower and quickly stepped in. Edward didn't know how long he stood there in the blisteringly hot water. He could feel it sting roughly on his head and on some of his shoulders and chest, in his upper thighs and some of his back. But that was it. The rest of his nerves were oblivious to the water pounding on his flesh, never mind the physically unbearable temperature.
The alchemist stood there until he felt the warm water being replaced by icy drops. Only then did he leave, because he knew Winry would want some hot water by morning. He got out and started to put on his clothes again, not bothering to dry off. He had just pulled on his pants when he heard a knock on the door.
"Edward, are you alright?" Winry asked gently. Edward could tell that she was nervous. He sighed.
"I'm fine Winry, just getting out of the shower."
"May I come in?" The door started to open. Damn, why didn't I lock the door? The alchemist paniced as Winry stuck her blonde head into the bathroom, still without a shirt and his hands and arms in plain view.
"Oh my God, Edward!"
"It's nothing," he growled, pulling his shirt on and not meeting her eyes.
"Ed! What are you talking about?! What's wrong with your hands?"
"Nothing..."Winry pulled his hands towards her.
"My God, Edward, what is this?"
"I DON'T KNOW WINRY!! I...I just don't know..." The blonde immediately regretted shouting, and continued getting dressed, ignoring as best he could the worried glances his wife was giving him.
"Is it bad?" Ed sighed for what must have been the tenth time that evening.
"I...I can't feel my hands anymore, Winry. My legs, me arms...when I was on the other side of the Gate, there was a disease like this called leprocy."
"Is it fatal?"
"..."
"Edward..."
"Yes...and, I don't know whether or not it's contagious." Edward took a deep breath to stady himself. "I have to leave. I can't risk you or Nina getting this."
"Edward no! There must be a way! The doctors might know something..."
"The doctors don't know anything, I've already asked. There's nothing they can do." Edward froze as he saw Nina's small head poke into the door.
"Daddy, are you okay?" Edward's heart broke at the sight of his daughter worried for him. He lowered his head and collapsed onto the side of the tub, his head in his hands.
"Nina, honey, your Dad's not feeling too well. He's sick," Nina looked almost frantic.
"Sick? Well, is he okay? Does he need to lie down? Does he need to go to the hospital?" Winry saw that Edward's shoulders had begun to shake a bit. She guided Nina to the kitchen.
"The doctors can't help Dad, sweetheart."
"But he'll be alright, won't he?"
Edward was glad that Winry closed the door as they left. He didn't want Nina to see him like this, sobs wracking his body.
OH MAH GOODNESS!!! I HAVE FINALLY UPDATED!!!! Sorry to my lovely beta, I forgot you can't copy and paste from the 'documents' page. Whoops! Feel free to point out any time you see an error! Thanks for reading. Let me know what you guys think!