To Be A Child

Chapter 9

"Yo, Roy! Can you believe what my darling little Elysia did this morning? She helped her mommy wash the dishes! She was up to her elbows in soap suds and looked so adorable with that perfect little grin on her face! She posed so nicely for the camera too! And after that – "

"Hughes!"

Roy pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation and let out a sigh through the phone. "Spare me the details Maes, I feel like I'm in over my head here with Edward. Do you have any leads?"

Maes got serious immediately. "No, and worse, Alphonse has gone missing. He said that he would only be out for a short while, but he has been out all day and Elysia misses the perfect gentleman she used to have tea with!"

Roy glanced out the window. Night had fallen long ago, and he could understand why Maes would be worried about Alphonse being out at this time, but the boy could take care of himself.

"Alphonse is very capable Maes, and you have to remember that he doesn't need to sleep. It would only bore him to be stuck inside your house all night long."

"But he's only twelve! And he promised to be back in time for dinner! You know how responsible Al is, he would have at least called if he was going to be late!"

"Well, what do you want me to do about it? Tell Edward?"

Roy already had his own problems with the older brother; he didn't need to be worrying about the younger one too!

Maes seemed to sense his stress, for he calmed down considerably. "It's okay, don't worry about it Roy. I'll look for Alphonse in the morning if he isn't home by then." Maes' voice had gone from whining to somewhat soothing. "So, tell me about Edward. How have things been going?"

"I honestly don't know." Roy leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees and used one hand to support his head. "Yesterday and the day before he seemed to be fine, but today he literally ran away from me! He collapsed outside and I had to carry him back home. When I confronted him he started being very self-degrading and when I tried to reassure him he called me a liar. Then he just broke down and started crying!"

Roy's eyes widened as he heard Maes' laughter echo through the phone. "That's completely natural Roy; he is a teenager after all! I have a parenting book you can borrow that covers – "

"He fell asleep afterwards and when he woke up he didn't remember anything!"

Maes' laughter died down and silence ensued on both ends. "How much did he forget?" Maes asked.

"I don't know," Roy replied. "He acted as if nothing happened and I didn't want to bring it up, so I didn't do anything."

"Dammit Roy!" Maes' sharp tone cut through the phone like a whip, startling Roy into sitting up straight. "How can you expect to make any progress with Ed if you don't talk to him?! You've been leaving him to stew about everything on his own, and we have no idea how the drug is making him think right now!"

Roy could only sit there dumbfounded as Maes ranted at him. "You need to support him and get to the bottom of this, not just let everything slide by! This is the reason he's with you in the first place; so you can be there for him!"

Roy flinched as if he had been struck. Hadn't he been there for Ed all along? Was being there for someone more than just feeding them, amusing them, and spending time with them? Did supporting someone mean pushing them hard enough so that their burdens fell off, so that you could pick them up and shoulder them as well?

Oh gosh, he really was an uncaring bastard.

"Roy? Roy, are you listening to me?"

Roy was jolted out of his thoughts. "I'm listening Maes, and I heard you loud and clear." He clenched his fist in determination. "Don't worry, I promise that I'll get to the bottom of this."