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A/N: Rating may change later during future chapters. Please review and let me know how it is.
Fugue State: a state in which the patient denies memory of activities for a period of hours to weeks.
*~Chapter One~*
"Get right back over here young missy, you are supposed to be in your room!"
Blinking, Roy bit back a groan feeling a headache come on. It was cold and he couldn't seem to remember being in a place where there were white walls with multiple corridors. He felt like he had been in a damn hospital. Never again he thought. He let out a surprised yelp seeing a little kid in a gown wondering what the hell she was doing here. Calm down Roy, he told himself. You're going to wake up and find that you are in your office sleeping again. Hawkeye is going to be so mad because even with picking up rank, you still hate doing your paperwork.
Shaking off the previous thought he watched her look at him with more curiosity than he felt was extremely healthy. She tilted her head sideways, her little brown locks falling down around the nape of her neck. He surmised that she was at least three and seeing as how she was in the hospital he wondered what was wrong with her. He stayed away from these words as much as he could and seeing her here, he didn't want to think about the kids that didn't make it out of here.
"Mr It snowing," Her giggling was not what caused his eyes to widen. It had better damn well not be snowing, he scowled. If it was snowing than he minus well start writing up his will since Hawkeye would kill him.
"Oh mister, I'm glad you're okay. You acted like you were lost and seemed to like playing with all the children in the ward." He just eyed the nurse as she talked with relish of what he supposedly did. He looked down and noticed that he was already wearing a jacket and that he had a scarf securely wrapped around his neck. His gloves, it appeared, were stuck in the pocket of his jacket for later use.
"I did huh? Did I seem different?"
The nurse laughed and seemed to nod after a moment of thought. Roy didn't know what to think of it but glancing out of the window he could only gape. It was snowing and he didn't know how it got to be this month. Please tell me I'm still in Central at least, he thought with exasperation. He turned to her as she looked at him thoughtfully before nodding her head a couple of times.
"Yes I remember now. You weren't as serious as you are now. In fact you were pretty goofy. And the kids loved you as well. What am I forgetting?" She tapped some papers rolled up on her head as though she was trying to delve into the memory that was only an arm's length away. Suddenly she snapped her fingers ignoring the little girl's cries to play outside in order to tell him. "You were wandering around and we decided to just let you stay here. You of course went away for periods of times. We figured you just went to sleep. Of course you always came back to the kids but what struck me as odd was that you couldn't tell me your name."
"Great, I'm going to be yelled at. I think I'm even going to get yelled at by the president." His shoulders were slumped just thinking about the bitching he was going to get at by those two alone. Thank God Fullmetal was benefitting from his retirement from the army. He didn't need to get it from him as well. He would obliterate him far worse than he had done when it came to the short jokes. "Where is here exactly?"
"East Bend hospital where else would it be? You know the hospital just about twenty minutes east of East city." She had added thinking he was truly lost again.
Instead Roy seemed distressed further. Never mind hurting or even killing him. He knew Hawkeye was going to annihilate him. He didn't notice the people gathering around at the sight of the "strange man" on the floor. He stood up and dusted himself off and instead turned to the nurse that had been nice enough to provide him the amount of information that she had.
"Can I borrow a phone?" The nurse nodded and explained that there were phone booths outside just five minutes from the front exit. They were on the fourth floor but she was sure that he would be able to handle going alone. He paused long enough with a small frown forming on his lips. "Before I go, what type of ward is this?"
The nurse sighed.
"It's the pediatrics trauma ward. Kids from one year old all the way up to eighteen come here for near drowning incidents, assault, abuse, and all sorts than I could ever possibly imagine. I've worked here for fifteen years and the one that got me the most was the little girl that was brought in about five to six years ago. Bless the little angel's heart; she couldn't survive long enough to even turn three. Her birthday was the very next day and she was gone. I couldn't imagine being that little girl's parents-"
Roy didn't know why he wanted to avoid hearing more about the child but quickly nodded before waving and heading off. The nurse just smiled and shouted back to him.
"If you ever find yourself here again then you could ask for Nurse Carolina Dunn. I will most certainly be interested in talking to you again."
He didn't show that he heard although he knew the woman wasn't an idiot and probably knew herself. He gulped thinking instead on what Hawkeye would say when she found out where he was in the middle of winter no less. He could have sworn that it was still autumn though. The last thing he remembered was going home from another tedious day at work. Scar had said that the building of Ishbal was going great over the phone. He gulped wondering if that man would put his two cents in. He had since forgiven the alchemists for their involvement in the Ishbal rebellion but he knew that he would still be mad if he missed anything important. He didn't have his calendar with him to see the dates at the moment.
He dialled the number to the office, quickly double checking the time to make sure it was really only two thirty in the afternoon. He never remembered blanking out like this that was for sure. He couldn't have blanked out for so long either. He shook his head not understanding how something like that could happen. Shaking his head, he was happy when it wasn't Hawkeye that answered the phone.
"This is Havoc, your friendly neighbourhood lieutenant."
On second thought, he hoped that Hawkeye put him out of his misery right now because that was just disturbing.
"What the hell Havoc, I'm gone for I don't know how many days and you're already tying the lines to flirt at work!"
He heard the distinct gasp and Havoc was back on the phone after a minute's pause although he sounded as if he was relieved.
"Good to hear from you sir. Do you have to scare us by randomly disappearing for two full months? Hawkeye almost went insane and do you even know how worried she's been? Well I know it's increased since Hughes's death because it sent you into brief insanity and all but-"
"Havoc I don't have the time to entertain all of your thoughts. I need to get back there before I end up in a heap of my own blood and I know Hawkeye would love to practice with her gun on me."
He could tell that Havoc was fighting not to laugh on the phone.
"Of course Chief although I don't think she would do so this time around. She sounded rather worried."
"Worried? Are we talking about the same Hawkeye? She's the one that shoots at me nearly every day when I don't get paperwork done and nearly banged my head when I went on and on about how Brosh should stop going on and on about his wife being five months pregnant. She would be about seven months now though right? Well I'm glad I missed that. I wouldn't want to be near him when he is a daddy-"
"Sir Hawkeye is asking who it is, what should I say?" Roy froze knowing what was coming but chose to try to delay for at least a few hours.
"Tell her it's the President wanting to discuss your inept ways of dating."
"Like she'd believe-HEY WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY DATING IS INEPT!"
"Give me the phone lieutenant. I believe I have a score to settle with our brigadier general." Havoc nodded and Roy hesitantly accepted his fate. He should have known that he wouldn't be able to trick the newly appointed captain for long. Sighing, he tried to remain cool but as soon as he went to open his mouth, she started in.
"SIR WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU! DON'T YOU CARE THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORRIED FOR THE PAST TWO MONTHS? WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU WERE SENT TO THE HOSPITAL FOR FROST BITE OR SOMETHING!"
Roy pulled the phone away from his ears until she was finished and even though he complained about how overbearing she often was, he was silently touched. He knew that she didn't mean to sound off or even mean, she was just worried about his wellbeing. Not many were and most only had it in to get promoted in the long run. Not his people though and that was why he kept them for so long, they were devoted and loyal, especially Hawkeye.
"Start explaining sir."
So Roy did.
He told her about the suddenly coming aware of in a hospital after only just remembering going home from work two months back. He had no recollection of how he got here. He had everything on him and didn't lose anything important or at least he didn't think so. He was now panicking slightly since he had never once remembered an instance of this happening before. It took Hawkeye shouting to shut him up though.
"SIR, YOU ARE GOING TO BE THIRTY FOUR SO GET A GRIP OF YOURSELF AND SHUT UP!"
As harsh as that was, Roy needed that. He was happy thinking about how his Captain cared this much in order to make sure he wasn't suffering a major breakdown. He heard her sigh and couldn't really blame her. He wondered when the next train would come. He knew he had enough to get back but bringing that up, she quickly shot that idea down. Raising an eyebrow, he listened as she told him that she and Havoc would come and get him. She explained how she didn't want to risk him having another attack and then not being able to locate him for another two additional months. The first two made them stress enough. She even called Ed and asked if he had seen their wayward brigadier general. Roy wasn't too happy about that one but Hawkeye didn't seem to care.
"You don't want certain people to know, then don't go missing for more than five hours." Roy gritted his teeth at that.
"It's not like I told myself one day to lose my mind and go away for two whole months! Hawkeye! You think you're the only one worried here? Why is this happening Hawkeye? I never had this happen before but suddenly it happened on the anniversary of Hughes's death and I can't tell if it was related to that or because my best friend isn't here anymore. Please tell me I'm not going crazy! I don't want to be considered that-"
"Sir, you aren't crazy. Please stay there and wait. You said South Bend right? We'll be there soon."
After they hung up though the only thing Hawkeye could think was;
Hughes you are such a fool.