Fullmetal Alchemist: The Way To The Top

Chapter 30: New plans

"Sir, I came as soon as I could. I got the message from you only ten minutes ago." Roy watched the man in a white cloak, who stood in front of him. The man seemed to be nervous. Obviously, he has never been in charge on a military operation. But he has worked in the military hospital for years, and he was claimed to be one of the best surgeons military had on the time.

Roy gave the man an encouraging smile. "That's alright. I have sent the message only short ago." The doctor nodded. "I would like to know, how are the Captain and the Lieutenant now." They brought them to the hospital tent yesterday in the night. Roy and the rest of the team spent a lot of time in Roy's tent, thinking about the recent events and planning the future. All of them hoped that Riza and Havoc didn't suffer from severe injuries. But Roy knew, that there was no point in asking the doctor before today. And if he would have come to the hospital tent yesterday, everyone would give Roy more attention then the injured. That was the bad thing in the military. It did not matter, what state the officers were in. The rank mattered more.

The doctor answered: "Both of them are after a surgery. Their injuries were not severe. But both of them got some bones broken and they were dehydrated. I can imagine they were beaten a lot, based on their bruises. I think there are no serious injuries hiding, but I would like to leave them in the hospital tent to make sure, that there is no inner bleeding. So far, I did what I could. For the Captain, I had to fix her right thumb. The bones were broken and they were not in the correct position. I could fix it, but I fear she got some nerves broken, too. But the regeneration should go without problems. For the Lieutenant, I had to put a broken rib back in place. Luckily, it didn't hit the lungs. He should not run very much until his bones heal. If he would start to breath heavily, the rib could exit its place and hit the lungs."

Roy nodded. "I see their injuries are not as bad as I feared. You did a great job, doctor. Thank you." The doctor watched Roy with surprise. "I just did my job. I am very happy that I could help them. My only concern was, how they will be after the surgery. This is the first time I work on an operation, away from the hospital. In the hospital, I would heave used much stronger anesthesia and also some pain killers. It is not that easy on the battlefield. We have only very basic drugs here. But I have to say I was surprised, how good they could handle the pain." Roy smiled sadly. "They have been through much worse already." The doctor nodded. "Yes, Sir. Actually, I have performed surgeries on both of them before. I tried to fix the spine of the Lieutenant, when he got injured. I also performed the surgery on the Captain, when she got shot in her lung."

Roy looked surprised on him. "So you are the one, who saved their lives back then. Thank you very much." The doctor stood there, not able to speak. He hasn't spoken to many officers so far, but Roy was the first one, who was nice to him. "I- I just did my job, Sir. I am very happy I could save them. And they did a great job, too. They are fighters and they did really fight for their lives during the surgeries." Roy nodded slowly. He liked the man in front of him. He seemed to be a very nice person. He did not realize his qualities, though. "Their fighting spirits were a help for sure, but that would do nothing, if you were not an excellent surgeon." The doctor was very happy.

"How are the patients now?" "They are at full consciousness, Sir." "Are they feeling good enough to accept visits?" The doctor hesitated for a moment. "I think yes, Sir. But they should rest a lot. Actually, they asked for you yesterday." Roy smiled. "Then, it is time to go. I am going to visit them now."

They walked together through the camp. The doctor gave Roy detailed information: "The Captain should be very careful now. I could fix her finger only from one side, because I have to check on her surgery wound often. The Lieutenant should move very carefully, so that the broken rib will stay at the right position until it heals completely." "Do you think they will be back in charge soon?" "Yes, I think so. Give them a few days, then I will discharge them from the hospital. I am not sure if it is a good idea for them to continue in the fight here, but I know that it is very important. I think they should be able to fight without making their injuries worse, but as a doctor, I can't recommend taking part in it, of course."