The life you missed - Chapter 20
Chapter 20 - Surprise!!
10 months later
It was June and the day was warm, but not too warm. A soft wind blew through the trees. Ed, Riza and Nina sat under one particularly large tree in the Central Park. It was Riza’s last day of vacation and she came back the day before from her journey to the south. The little dark-haired girl sat between them chattering in her light voice already able to say a lot of things and able to phrase her wishes.
“Dada. Want eat ice.” He smiled down and let her lick on the white cold fluid. She giggled and smeared some of the crème around her mouth. Ed reached into the bag hanging on the pushchair and took a handkerchief out of it. He sighed and whipped her mouth that it wouldn’t be too gluey later on. The blond woman next to them watched the endearing scene and smiled.
“I never took you for the caring type of men.” The blond young man looked up but smiled.
“Kids can change the personality. You should see Roy at home, you wouldn’t recognise him.” He snickered and put the soiled handkerchief back into the bag. The blonde stroked over the tiny head. Nina’s hair was long enough to braid it and normally two pigtails were hanging down her back. The little girl was nearly two and Ed was twenty. Time went fast and Riza often missed the time when the young man had still been a teenager with lot of anger floating through his veins and a crush on his superior who was now his husband and the second father to the child sitting between them. She sighed and held her left hand over her stomach.
“Are you alright? You seem a bit pale.” Two golden orbs looked into her rusty brown ones and she smiled sadly. She thought a bit over his question. She really felt different for the last week when she was still in Southern Valley - an important centre for honeymoon and weddings. She didn’t remember why she actually had taken the offer to go there. She sighed.
“The heat is coming to me. I’m not a summer person.” Ed quirked an eyebrow. It wasn’t that hot and he would now. He still has his auto mail and on hot days it was rather painful to walk on the heated metal leg. He sighed and leaned back against the backrest of the branch. The little girl looked up to her daddy and leaned against him letting her head rest on his lap.
“You know, Riza, we’re equal. We don’t tell our problems until it’s nearly too late. I did it for years and sometimes I still do it. Roy often scolds me for this but I can’t help it.” He looked to her and smiled. “Tell me and you will feel better.” She smiled and leaned back as well closing her eyes.
“Is it a phrase Roy uses to get you to talk?”
“Yes.” He waited for her to go on. She smiled again and sat up.
“I think I’m pregnant.” The blond woman looked into two large golden eyes. “Don’t look so shocked, you wanted to know it.” He still wasn’t able to speak. The blond young man had considered a lot of answers she may give him, but that was not one of them.
“Are you sure?” She nodded once and let her head fall back. “Who is the father?” She closed her eyes and showed him her left hand.
“My husband. We married while I was on holiday.” Now Ed’s mouth was hanging open and his eyes were huge as saucers.
“Congratulation, I think.” He blinked a few times and looked to his lap where his daughter was sleeping peacefully.
“Does he know that you’re pregnant?” He looked over to her and she let her legs swing freely.
“No we don’t live together yet and, well, the whole wedding was kind of overhasty.” She bit her bottom lip.
“But you want to keep it?” Those honest golden eyes searched for an answer in hers and again she nodded once.
“I want it and he will want this child as well. “ Her eyes sparkled and Ed snickered to her confession.
“Good to know. Hope he makes you happy.” She nodded and hugged the blonde. She still hadn’t figured out how to tell the father.
Roy was sitting behind his desk. Havoc was pacing through the room, glancing at him once in a while and twirling a toothpick in his mouth. The Brigadier General just wished that Riza would have come to work early but she insisted on her full vacation time and preferred to meet with Ed in the park. The blond lieutenant walked up and down until Roy couldn’t bear it any longer. He looked up at Havoc and glared at him.
“What is it that you pace around this room like a hurt animal? Don’t you have anything to do? You are here the first day after your vacation and you disturb me while I’m working. I’ll give you two options. Number one: You tell me why you’re walking around like this and look at me OR number two: You make your way out into the hall and leave me alone for the rest of the day.” The dark-haired man waited for the blonde to think. The taller man made his way to the desk and sat on one of the chairs, standing in front of it.
“Well, boss, how did you know that Ed was pregnant?” Roy quirked his visible eyebrow and starred dumbfounded at the other man.
“You knocked someone up?” The blonde swallowed and twirled the toothpick.
“I didn’t say that. I’m just curious.” The dark-haired man leaned back and watched Havoc squirming in his seat.
“He was ill for several weeks and after he fainted in the lab we went to the doctor.” He observed the other man. Was Havoc sweating? “But I thought you already knew.” He laced his fingers and leaned his chin on it. “Are you going to marry her?” Havoc looked up biting his bottom lip.
“Well, boss, we already are.” He looked down and Roy’s chin hit the marbled top of his desk. Did he just hear what he thought he had heard?
“Let me repeat that. You are married and impregnate your wife but you don’t know if she really is pregnant. Where’s the problem? Go and ask her.” The other man swallowed again.
“Is there no other way? I mean we are just married for about one and a half week and well, you know, we don’t live together yet.” He swallowed again. “And she actually scares me.” Roy was really speechless.
“And why did you marry her?” Havoc looked up and smiled.
“She was different like a different person, so lovely and female.” He sighed and closed his eyes. Roy shook his head.
“Go home and ask her. When she was so lovely you married her she won’t kill you for asking if she is pregnant. Believe me children make a marriage more exiting.” He stretched. Havoc was still daydreaming on his chair and Roy shook his head again making a note to himself to tell Ed this ridiculous story.
It dawned as Roy made his way back home. His neck was stiff and all he wanted was to get out of his uniform, bringing his little girl to bed and then telling Ed the story about Havoc marrying a woman who scares him. He opened the door and called for his family.
“I’m home.” He hung his jacket on the rack as little footsteps made their way to the den.
“Papa! Take me up!” The girl hugged his knees and he got her into his arms.
“Hello my little princess. How was your day?” He kissed her cheek and Nina giggled in his arms.
“Eat ice with dada and aunt Risha.” He tickled her belly and sat her down next to her daddy who had still the book, they were reading, lying over his lap. He bent down and kissed the blonde.
“Hello my love.”
“Hello to you, too. I have news for you.” Roy opened the first buttons of his shirt and sat next to his husband and his daughter.
“Really? Tell me, I’m curious and afterwards I tell a wonderful story about Havoc.” He laughed lightly and leaned his head over to Ed to rest it on the young man’s shoulder.
“You know that I met with Riza today. We talked about a lot of stuff and well she didn’t look healthy and I asked her what was wrong with her and well what do you think she answered?” Roy had closed his eyes and smiled.
“Don’t know. Tell me.” Ed nodded once.
“She’s pregnant but her husband doesn’t know anything yet and she’s going to tell him tonight.” Roy’s head jerked up and he looked to Ed. “That’s the way I looked at first, too. I was kind of shocked but on the other hand I’m happy she found someone and that he’s not scared of her like the rest of your office.” Roy swallowed. His eye was still huge.
“I think he is scared as well.” Ed arched an eyebrow to his husband’s statement.
“How would you know? You don’t know her husband yet.” Roy snickered and leaned his head back.
“Oh my love we both know him very well.” The dark-haired man still snickered and Ed had the fear that in the end Roy had gone mad. After some moments the taller man had calmed down a bit. “Well today came Havoc to me. He was pacing through the room and after I made him choose between telling me what is wrong and leaving he asked me how we found out that you were pregnant. I thought it was ridiculous but now it makes all sense.” Ed looked at him and gasped.
“You mean Riza and Havoc?” Roy nodded.
“I think so.” The blonde looked to his lap where two dark golden eyes looked up at him.
“What’sh with aunt Risha and uncle Shoan?” Ed smiled and sat her into his lap.
“Uncle Jean not Shoan.” He kissed her cheek. “They are married like your papa and I are.” She nodded as if she would understand the concept of marriage and hugged her daddy.
“Sleepy dada. Want to go to bed.” He nodded and stood up with her in his arms. He made his way upstairs and sat her on her bed getting the pyjama from under the blankets. He helped her getting dressed and laid her down.
“Nighty night little love. I’ll call your papa that he can read the story to you.” She nodded and yawned waiting for her other parent. The older man got one of the books from the shelf and sat next to her on the bed reading the children’s story about ferries and princesses to her. Ed was still leaning at the doorframe watching the whole scene. The little girl was asleep in mere minutes and both fathers gave her a kiss and left the room. On their way to their own bedroom, Ed was still thinking about the other couple.
“What do we do know about Riza and Havoc? Do you think they will come to a conclusion?” Roy took his husband’s hand in his and kissed it.
“They are adults. They should be able to think about it themselves. They got married alone and they got pregnant without help and now they will talk over it together.” Ed just nodded and sighed. Really it couldn’t be that hard for them, could it be? He closed his eyes as he entered the bedroom. With him and Roy it had been different. He didn’t know if it would have gone so well between the lovers if they had been more hesitant with their feelings. He let himself fall on the mattress and sighed heavily. Roy joined him on the bed and kissed him lovingly.
“Don’t think about it anymore. We will know in the morning. It’s Riza’s first day after vacation and I will interrogate them personally about the matter.” The kissed him again. “Now let’s sleep. The day was long and the paperwork was too much.” Ed smirked up at his husband.
“The paperwork is always too much for you even if you don’t have to do it.” Roy pouted but kissed Ed again.
“Come on. I’m tired. You’re tired.” He stroked over on cheek and stood up to get his nightwear. Ed undressed as well and got himself the dress shirt Roy had been wearing this day. “But it’s sweaty love.” Ed just buttoned it and lay under the linen sheets.
“But it has your scent on it and that’s what I want.” Roy just sighed and joined his younger lover in the bed. Ed got the patch from Roy’s face and laid it on the nightstand. They laid in each others arms for a while before mismatched feet made their way over to their door. The door opened and their little girl made her way over to the large bed. She climbed on it and Ed helped her to lie between them. Nina rubbed her eyes and was asleep again. The blonde shrugged and cuddled next to her closing his eyes as well. He felt Roy’s arm moving over his waist and the three of them slept through the night.
The phone rang twice before Ed could walk over to answer it. He just hoped it wasn’t one of those calls where nobody spoke to them. The calls came in irregular intervals and every time the line went silent when one of them answered. He sighed.
“Elric-Mustang household. Edward Elric-Mustang speaking.”
“Hello my love.”
Ed let out a breath he wasn’t sure he was holding.
“It’s untypical for you to call. Did something happen?”
“Nope. I just wanted to inform you that Riza and Havoc are moving together and they asked for our help.”
Ed smiled. Problem solved.
“I hope you agreed. We still owe them for our moving and for driving me to the appointments.”
“Of course I did. I’ll see you tonight. Bye my love.”
“Bye, Roy.”
He hung up and sighed. He stood there for a while, before he recognised that Roy hadn’t told him how the confrontation went at all. He smirked and was sure to interrogate his husband tonight as well. He hadn’t been a Major for nothing.
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Omake One of Nina’s first words
It was a Sunday morning and the three of them were sitting in the living room together. Ed had laid his head on Roy’s lap and they watched their daughter play with her stuffed animals and some other toys. Suddenly the little girl made a noise which sounded like a word. Ed jerked his head up and looked into Roy’s eye.
“Did you hear that?”
“Yes. But I’m not sure if it was what I think it was.”
Ed nodded and stood up. He walked over to their daughter and kneed next to her. The little girl was absorbed by her play and didn’t notice her daddy by her side.
“..sard…”
Ed blinked and waited for Roy to come over as well. Both parents sat next to her and listened.
“Basard.”
Ed’s eyes got huge and he swallowed. They stood up and walked back over to the couch and sat down again.
“I told you, you shouldn’t call me that.” Roy leaned back on the backrest of the couch and sighed.
“I didn’t know that she would say that as her first word, okay?” He pouted and crossed his arms over his chest. After some moments of silence he looked down. “We don’t have to tell anyone of this, right? I mean we could practise until she doesn’t say it any longer.” His puppy eyes looked up to his husband how just sighed.
“We don’t tell anyone and you make sure you don’t say it any longer.” Ed mock saluted to his husband.
“Aye aye Sir.” Roy shook his head.
Ed had to practise two weeks until his daughter forgot ‘Basard’.