Chapter 13

A Chapter by Keevan

I ended up calling Colonel Mustang.

"Yes, what is it?" he asked as if he was bored. The operator who connected the lines didn't tell him it was me.

"Colonel," I said. "I--"

"Lucy!" he shouted. "Why did you call? What happened?"

"I, uh, almost got shot," I said, surprised that it sounded like he cared. "I

guess you're technically my legal guardian, so you have a medical bill to take care of."

"How hurt are you? I'll pay it!" he shouted.

"Why the hell do you care so much?!" I shouted without thinking. He never cared before, but then again, I'd never called him before while I was on an assignment, especially an assassination. Usually, it was the target who got hurt, not the other way around.

"I, uh, can't have my best assassin dying on me, can I?" he said with a cough, trying to sound as if his climb to power was all he cared about.

"So, you DON'T care that I got hurt and could've bled to death," I said, trying to wriggle some truth out of him. "you just don't want a broken peg on the ladder of your climb to Fuhrer?"

"That's not the point!" he shouted. I smirked; it was fun toying with him like that.

"I'm not that hurt, just a little stiff and stingy," I said. "Let me read you the bill..." Dr. Marcoh, who was standing next to me in the lobby of the inn, handed me the paper. I read out the number.

"Are you sure you read it right?!" he shouted. "Why am I putting this in the hands of a dyslexic teen who can't read?"

"I can read just fine!" I shouted back, annoyed. That was a touchy subject for me. "You wanna talk to the doctor? She's right here." I handed Dr. Marcoh the phone, and waited patiently as she chatted about it with the colonel.

I put my hands in my pockets and froze, not feeling my pocket watch.

I remembered that it was in my sweatshirt pocket, which I took off after I got grazed with that bullet.

I gave up on alchemy, but I kept the watch just for military proof. Without it, it would make my job a lot more like Hell because of the non-believers.

Dr. Marcoh handed the phone back to me.

"Lucy, just come back the day after tomorrow," he said. "and bring Fullmetal and Alphonse with you. Has he written the report yet?"

"He said that it's taken care of," I said. Thinking of Edward made my mind flash back to his AutoMail, and then the AutoMail of The Bad Man. I shivered, and felt a little dizzy.

"I...have to go, Colonel," I said. "I'm feeling a little light-headed." Spots started to swim in my vision.

"Fine," he said as he yawned. "See you when you get back, Stealth."

"Don't call me that, Pops." I hung up the phone with a loud CLANK and looked at Dr. Marcoh.

"I'm leaving for Central tomorrow so Mr. Mustang can pay me," she said. "How is he your legal guardian, anyway?"

"He's...the closest thing to a dad that I've ever had," I said, my vision still spotty and a bit fuzzy. "Can...Lucy go night-night now?" Dr. Marcoh started laughing, and she said something about some medicine kicking in.

The only question I had was when I took medicine.

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