Title: The Last Four Months

Author: S J Smith

Rating: Teen

Summary: It's the roughest pregnancy they've ever been through together.

Disclaimer: No, no, I'm just a fangirl.

X X X

The stabbing pain caught Winry in the middle of grinding down a rough area on what would eventually be installed as an air grill on an automail arm. It hit, far too sudden, her gasp even louder than the whirr of the grinder against the metal. Winry gritted her teeth, setting down the grill and turning off the grinder before she grabbed her swelling stomach, trying to breath through the agony. A knife thrust up through her uterus and out past her spine. A part of her tried to analyze what was happening – this was her third pregnancy, and the others hadn't been this way, not, at least, until –

"No," she breathed, rubbing her stomach fitfully. "It's too early." It wasn't a contraction. It couldn't be. She was only five months into the pregnancy. Another stab, and Winry inhaled sharply, her eyes watering. "Ed." Her voice quavered, and she knew he couldn't have heard her. "Edward!" she screamed, as another contraction made the muscles in her belly ripple. "Edward Elric, I need you right now!" Groaning, she slid off the stool to the floor, clutching her stomach. "Stay in there, baby, stay in there. It's way too soon!" Winry took another shallow breath. "Edward!" It hurt so much. "Call Dr. Pettijean! I need her!"

X X X

Edward wanted to pace. Instead, he sat on the bed next to Winry, her hands laced so tight around his, he wasn't sure he still had circulation. She'd looked so pale when he'd skidded into the workroom, and her stomach had been doing some sort of horrifying shimmy beneath her canvas coveralls. He'd managed to get her upstairs to their bedroom, even though Winry had tried to insist she could wait on the workroom floor until after he'd called Dr. Pettijean. Edward's second call had been to Paninya, begging her to come over and watch the kids while the doctor looked at Winry. Eyes wide, Simon and Becca hovered in the hall outside the bedroom with Paninya. He wished he could've sent them somewhere, so they wouldn't have to listen to their mommy screaming in pain, but they refused to go anywhere, wanting to stay home, too worried to leave. She'd tried, but she couldn't even shoo them out of the hall.

Dr. Pettijean didn't see a problem with that, telling Edward that they might understand better if they heard her talking with Winry and him. When she concluded her examination, she smiled reassuringly, wiping her hands. "You're not going to like this, Winry," she said, "but you're right, you were having contractions."

"But it's too soon," she protested, and Edward clenched his jaw to keep from yelping when her grasp on his hands tightened even more.

"Yes, and the baby most likely wouldn't survive if you had him now. I know," Dr. Pettijean held up a hand, palm up, "that's got to be scary."

Edward thought she had no idea how scary it was. Next to him, Winry panted, and he pried one of his hands free to rub her back soothingly with fingers that prickled as the blood started moving through them again. "Yeah," he said, tightly.

"But it'll be okay. It's just going to be…tiresome." She glanced toward the hallway, and raised her voice a little bit. "Because you have to stay in bed for the rest of your pregnancy."

"What?" Edward wasn't sure whether he said it or Winry said it first. Maybe they said it together.

"But I've got commissions!" Winry said.

"You'll have to give them to someone else to finish. You can't work on automail, Winry, you can't even cook dinner right now. You need to rest. Stay off your feet. I know how hard that's going to be for you, and how hard it's going to be for Ed and Simon and Becca, but if you want this baby to stay inside you until it's safe for it to come out, you have to be on bed rest." Dr. Pettijean smiled ruefully. "I know how difficult it is to contemplate."

"No," Winry said, looking down at her stomach, "I can do it." She raised her head, and Edward could read the determination on her face.

"Sadly, that means no chasing after the kids, and they shouldn't climb on you, either," Dr. Pettijean said, moving closer to the door and peering out into the hall. "You understand, don't you, Simon? Becca? You can't crawl on your mommy's belly, because the baby inside won't like it."

Edward heard some soft responses from the kids, and then Becca piped up with, "Mommy's not gonna die, is she?"

His stomach clenched and Edward wrapped his arm tightly around Winry's shoulders as Dr. Pettijean said, "Oh, honey," and squatted in the bedroom doorway. "Your Mom's a really strong woman. It's just the baby's really fragile – do you know what that means?"

"Like, break-breakable?" Simon asked tentatively.

Winry shuddered against Edward and he kissed her temple. "You heard what Dr. Pettijean said," he whispered in her ear. "You're strong. Hell, you're stronger than I am. The baby's going to be fine."

Dr. Pettijean was still talking in that soothing way she had, "…careful, and you kids have to be careful with her, too. But it won't be for long, just a few months, and then you'll have a little sister or brother!" She smiled at them; Edward could just see her profile, and Paninya leaning against the wall, frowning, and Simon's nose and chin, though Becca must've been farther down the hallway, because she wasn't visible at all.

"See, Winry? You're gonna be fine, and so is the baby," Edward murmured.

"Uh, huh," Winry mumbled back, leaning her head against his shoulder, maybe a little harder than normal.

"…okay? But your Mom's gonna be fine," Dr. Pettijean said. "Oh!" She came back into the bedroom and rummaged around in her medical bag, pulling out a trio of lollipops. "Here you go, kids. You can have those while I talk to your Mom and Dad. Make sure Paninya gets hers, too!" At the kids' chorus of 'thank yous,' she gently pushed the door to as she turned to the bed, smiling a little. "I think they'll be okay, if maybe a little bit worried."

"Maybe worried isn't so bad," Edward said, making himself sound calmer than he really felt, "might keep them from acting out."

Winry nudged him with her elbow, making him grunt. "Dr. Pettijean, what are the odds on me carrying this baby to term? I need to know." Her voice quavered, but she wasn't freaking out, at least. She wasn't even crying. Edward hoped he could keep himself together as well as she was doing.

"Well, I can't say it's going to be easy, Winry. It's possible that you'll carry to term, or at least to a point when the baby can be born and survive. I'm unable to give you any odds, though. I can just tell you it's for the best if you stay off your feet except for trips to the W.C. I understand how hard it's going to be, but the more you stay calm and in bed, preferably prone, the better it is for the baby."

"For four months," Winry murmured. Her eyes drifted to the corner of the room, where the bassinettes always sat in the past, at least for the first few months, until first Simon, then Becca, were moved into their own rooms.

Taking a deep breath, Edward hugged her, kissing her cheek. "We can do this."

"Oh, just one more thing, Ed?" Dr. Pettijean gave him a sweet but apologetic smile. "No sex."

He frowned at Winry. "Are you sure we can do this?"

Winry elbowed him even harder this time.

X X X

It took about an hour before Winry got bored. All right, so it was longer than that, she told herself, because she had to have Edward run back and forth to her shop to get her appointment book so she could review who needed work done immediately, and who could be put off for a while yet; see what commissions needed to be completed that she wouldn't be able to finish; contact other mechanics in the area and explain what was happening and why she wouldn't be able to work over the next few months.

Granny was the first person Winry called, and she offered to come to Rush Valley immediately to help out. Though Winry was, at first, inclined to tell her to stay home, she realized she wanted her grandmother with her throughout this, and agreed to her coming. Besides, Granny could help with the kids and some of the customers, not to mention maybe keeping Edward and her from freaking out.

Next, she had to contact her customers, which took a while, and explain to them why she wouldn't be able to fulfill their needs. Some took it graciously, but there were a couple who were upset she wouldn't be able to work with them – and those customers got a mark next to their names – and one, in particular, Miss Edith Kramer, literally threw a fit and insisted that Winry complete the work she'd previously started, and that it needed to be done immediately. Winry finally hung up on her, and, when Miss Kramer called back and tried to yell at her some more, Winry had Edward unplug the shop phone.

X X X

"I'm so bored." Winry thumped her hands on the bed, flexing her fingers. "My back hurts. My feet are so swollen!"

Edward sat down on the floor next to the bed, adjusting something. "I know. Which is why I brought you this."

"What is it?" She twisted her shoulders and head, peering at him over the edge of the mattress. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the machine he'd smuggled in under a blanket. "Is that a movie projector? I've never seen one up close! Where did you find it? How did you get it?"

He plastered what he thought had to be a mysterious expression on his face. "I have my ways."

"Gah!" Flapping her hands, Winry glared.

"Look, you'll like it." Promise made, Edward threaded the celluloid film the way the movie man had taught him. Once that was done, he pulled the curtains to. "Come on, everyone! Hurry up!" The kids rushed in with Pinako and everyone arranged themselves on the furniture. Edward stood next to the bed for a few seconds until everyone settled. He flipped a switch on the projector, unaware his self-congratulatory grin looked so predatory. The projector whirred and crackled to life, the wall opposite the bed lighting up with a string of numbers going backwards.

"Five, four, three, two, one!" Simon and Becca chanted together, and applauded wildly when the movie started.

Edward settled onto the bed, offering Winry a shoulder to prop herself against. "Better?" he asked, as she arranged herself.

"Yeah." She smiled, kissing him in thanks, "except you forgot the popcorn."

X X X

Rush Valley temperatures had started climbing for the summer, making the upstairs of the Rockbell-Elric household miserable. The master bedroom had a ceiling fan, as well as a small rotating fan that pointed directly at the bed where Winry lay, wallowing in the lightweight sheets. Her face ruddied by the heat, she stirred the hot air even more by using an advertisement that had come in one of her automail magazines. Her hair clung to her head greasily; her thin cotton nightgown stuck to her damp skin.

"Here," Pinako came through the doorway, carrying a pitcher of lemonade and two glasses of ice.

"If I drink that, I'll have to pee," Winry whined.

"It's not all for you," Pinako told her, "some of it's to put on your body." She wrapped a few pieces of ice in a cloth and put it on Winry's stomach, shaking out a few more to wrap in a bandanna to go around Winry's neck. "Ed's working on something to help cool down the house. You should've installed an attic fan, that would help a little bit, but he's got another idea."

"What is it?" Winry tried to rouse some interest in what he was doing, but the heat sapped at her ability to care about anything much but it. It was like a persistent, annoying, would-be lover who wouldn't let her alone.

"He didn't want me to tell you. It's a surprise." Pinako snorted and poured some lemonade for Winry.

She took the slick, cool glass and pressed it against her forehead, letting out a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry I'm so grouchy, Granny."

Pinako patted her knee. "You've got some reason to be, child. This kind of pregnancy is hard on everyone. But you have to think of the reward, too; a healthy baby is a good thing."

Scratching her neck through the icy bandanna, Winry sighed. "I keep wondering if the reason I started having contractions might be because there's…there's something wrong with the baby. Maybe it's not supposed to live, Granny. Maybe there's something really wrong with it, and trying to keep it alive is – is wrong." She bit her lip then went on before Pinako could speak. "Then I think that's horrible, that even if there could be something wrong, the baby deserves a chance, and what if I'm working myself up over nothing, because the baby will be fine when it comes, anyway?"

Pinako sat on the bed next to her, smoothing Winry's bangs with her gnarled hand. "Honey, you're thinking the same thing every mother thinks. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Do your best, because that's what we Rockbells do, and things will work out the way they're supposed to."

Sighing, Winry leaned into the caress. "I hope so, Granny. I really do."

X X X

Crouching next to the big piece of machinery, Edward wiped his face with one of Winry's bandannas. "So, it's ready?" he asked Nelson, the engineer who'd come up with the idea for this thing.

"Sure thing. You're good to go, Mr. Elric." Nelson smiled brilliantly, his moustache bristling. "Just go inside and set the thermostat to the temperature you want."

Winry would be the one really excited about this thing, a new piece of machinery designed to cool entire buildings. The fact it sat on the roof and circulated the cool air down into their house meant the upstairs got cooler first, but since cold air fell, it'd make its way downstairs pretty quickly, too. The new ventilation system would help with that, and the blower inside the machine – 'air cooler', Nelson called it – pushed the cool air around the house through the vents. Edward asked for Nelson's schematics, and, hearing why, Nelson gave them over, pleased that 'Mrs. Elric' would be thrilled to look them over. "Don't be surprised if she doesn't offer up some ideas of her own on how to improve this, or want to talk to you about it in depth," Edward warned him when Nelson handed him the blueprints.

"Mrs. Rockbell has earned her name here in Rush Valley," Nelson had replied, "I'm honored to install a unit for her. And if she wants to talk about the mechanics, I'm up for a good discussion!"

Now, though, Edward climbed through Becca's bedroom window and trotted downstairs to the thermostat, newly placed on the wall of the living room area. Taking a deep breath, he turned the dial to a temperature that would make the house bearable. Glancing at the two vents in opposite corners of the room, he took a deep breath and waited. He caught the sound of a new engine rumbling away, and heard a delighted shriek upstairs. "Ed! The air's cool!" Winry yelled.

He grinned, and went back upstairs to congratulate Nelson on a job well done.

X X X

Edward's huge grin scared her sometimes, and today was one of those times. "What is it?" Winry asked warily.

"Well, you know how you've been complaining the pillows aren't big enough?" His smile was almost maniacal.

Still wary, she asked, "Uh, huh?"

"I had something made for you." Edward came into the bedroom, something behind his back. He whipped it around, holding it out for her. "See?" It looked like a fabric tube, a huge tube, longer than her torso. Winry tilted her head at the sight of it until Edward laid it on the mattress next to her. "Here," he said, and ran his hand over it. "It's stuffed with goose down, and it's pretty firm, but it does give." He pressed down, leaving an indentation. "Try it out, Winry!"

Well, at least she wouldn't be begging for more pillows, Winry thought, and rolled halfway onto the tube. It held up the weight of her stomach, and, when she threw her leg over it, offered her even more support. "Oh, god," she moaned. "Ed, this is perfect!"

"Yeah," Edward said, walking around the bed to sit down behind her. He rubbed her back, right in the small of it, where the muscles were always so tight. "I thought you might like it."

Winry snuggled against it. "It's not quite as good as you," she said, "but it doesn't complain when I'm so hot, either."

Leaning over, Edward kissed her cheek. "I'm glad you like it."

X X X

"Becca, you can't keep taking your Mom's pillow!" Pinako said sharply. "She needs it!"

Becca scowled, still straddling the pillow. From the trail on the wooden floor, she'd been scooting it up and down the hall. "But it's my horse!"

"You can't have it right now. Your Mom needs it more." Pinako beckoned at Becca. "Come on, hand it over."

Furious, she folded her arms, reminding Pinako all too much of both her parents. "It's my horse! I was ridin' cross the desert to Xing!"

"Give it over," Pinako said, "or face the consequences." She leaned down over Becca. "Now."

The stand-off lasted for about twenty seconds, then Becca snorted, and got off the pillow. She kicked it before stomping away, sounding like a whole herd of draft horses.

Pinako picked up the pillow, thumping it to dust it off, and carried it back to Winry's room. "Here you go, Winry. Your pillow."

Wrinkling her nose, Winry punched it up again, making more dust fly. "Ed's got to get that seamstress to make a few more of these, so Becca and Simon can have their own."

Well, it could possibly stop the ongoing thefts. "I'll get him on that," Pinako promised.

X X X

Winry's eyes snapped open and she stared up at the ceiling, following the cracks in the paint. Something didn't feel right, and she took a slow, steady breath, trying to figure out why she woke up so abruptly. "Ed?"

He snorted, his hand flapping in the air.

Pain sliced through her uterus and Winry groaned, nearly doubling up. "Ed!"

"Hnn?"

"Ed, the baby! It's coming!"

He rolled over, crashing onto the floor and picking himself up, his elbows on the mattress. Huge eyes met hers, and his mouth dropped open.

"Don't just sit there, call Dr. Pettijean!" Winry said through gritted teeth.

"Yeah! Yeah!" Scrambling up, Edward ran out of the room, his automail foot clunking on the floor.

Winry tried to breathe normally, running her hands over her stomach. Oh god, it hurt so much. Why did she keep agreeing to more kids, anyway? Two had been enough, one boy, one girl, but then there was Edward, and he was so damned sexy, and…groaning, Winry glared at her stomach. "You're a pain," she moaned, as another contraction rippled through her body.

X X X

Edward hated watching what Winry went through. Helpless against it, he could only do what she wanted, and that wasn't very much – give her ice chips to suck on; wipe her face and her neck; hold her hand and offer verbal encouragement; get the dirtied linens out of the way and replace them with fresh as he could. The contractions meant pretty much everything was expelled from Winry's body, and there wasn't always time to get her to the commode. The plastic they'd put under the sheets meant the mattress wouldn't get ruined, at least. Edward shook his head, irritated he'd drifted into thinking about the mattress rather than his wife. He put his arm around her shoulders, holding her up as Winry let out a string of curses that startled even him.

Letting out a long groan, she settled back on the bed. He wiped her forehead again, kissing her temple afterward. "You're doing so well," he said.

"If you say that again, I'll rip off your lips," she growled at him, her eyes blazing through her sweat-sticky bangs.

"Winry, I need you to concentrate, all right?" Dr. Pettijean said, distracting them both. She smiled at Winry. "You're really close. I can see the baby's head. It's going to crown with the next push, and then, it's not going to be much longer. With the next contraction, I need you to bear down, as hard as you can."

"No more kids after this," Winry panted, still glaring.

"Uh, oka-aaay!" Edward yelped as she grabbed his hand, squeezing so hard he thought she was going to break something.

"You're crowning, Winry!" Dr. Pettijean cheered. "It's not going to be much more. Push hard!"

"Nnnn," she grunted, her face twisted in a pained rictus.

"Come on, Winry," Edward cheered, "it's almost over."

"I'm so tired."

"But the baby's almost out," Dr. Pettijean said encouragingly.

"Bear down, girl!" Pinako snapped, making Winry jerk in reaction. "That's my next great-grandchild, and I want to hold him!"

Groaning, Winry forced her muscles into obedience again, straining with the contraction to push the head out of the canal. Edward couldn't see anything through the sheet draped over Winry's knees, but he could hear a chirp of delight from Dr. Pettijean. "Hello there, little one," she crooned, "just one more push, Winry! The shoulders are out – yes! Good girl!"

Everything else was a whirlwind for a few minutes, Edward wanting to see the newest baby, to know if it was all right, but Dr. Pettijean was reminding Winry about the afterbirth that still needed to be expelled. Winry slumped against his shoulder, crying in exhaustion, but she obeyed Dr. Pettijean's urgings, and finally, she could get cleaned up.

"My baby," she said, fingers finally unlocking from Edward's hand, "how's my baby?"

There was a faint whine, then a wail that sounded like an elbow hinge needing to be oiled to Edward, who wondered just how much automail had infiltrated his life at the analogy. He straightened up, seeing Pinako with a bundle of cloth, a little red face screeching in the middle of it. Afterbirth and goo clung to its skin as she carried it over, gently laying the baby on Winry's chest. "You've got another little girl," she said proudly, "she's fine."

"A girl," Winry said, dazed, petting the slimy head carefully.

"A girl," Edward repeated, and kissed Winry's sweaty cheek. "We've got a baby girl."

"Better go tell the kids," Pinako said, "we'll get everything cleaned up in here." She all but pushed Edward out the door, but he didn't even realize it, his head still spinning. All of the trials they'd gone through, and the baby was okay. She was fine, and she'd grow up to be as beautiful as her Mom, and her grandmothers. Stumbling down the hall to Simon's room, he pushed open the door, grinning in at Paninya and the kids. "You've got a baby sister!"

"Ew, send it back, I wanted a brother!" Simon whined.

"Can we see her?" Becca asked.

"How's Winry?"

"We're not sending her back, you can see her in a little while, and she's fine," Edward answered each of them in turn. His eyes stung and blurred, and he swiped his forearm over them. He wished, for a minute, that Alphonse was here to meet his latest niece. Xing was too far away.

"Mom's really okay?" Simon asked, suspicious, "really, really?"

"Really, really. And so is the baby." Edward reached over and hugged his son, hard. "Everything's just great."

X X X

It was quiet in the bedroom when Edward finally returned. Dr. Pettijean smiled at him, closing up her bag. "You've got a very healthy baby, Ed, even if she is a little early."

"Thanks, Doctor." He offered her his hand, and she shook it. "You're a lifesaver."

"Well, maybe not this time," she laughed softly, "but I'll keep that in mind." Patting his shoulder, she left the room to go talk to Simon and Becca and probably give them each another lollipop.

Pinako slid off the bed, beaming. "S'good to see you two still make pretty babies."

"Yeah, well." Edward scrubbed the back of his neck, catching Winry's tender smile. The baby was at her breast, nursing hungrily. Her hair looked like the finest spider webs, still dark, even after being washed, so maybe she'd take after Trisha. "Winry had all the hard work."

Slapping his back, Pinako said, "And she'll never let you forget it." Cackling, she left the room, too, closing the door behind her.

Winry looked up from the baby, holding out a hand, and Edward drifted over, settling next to her. He put his arm around her shoulder, cradling her against his chest. "She's eating good?"

"Yeah, she's got a strong – ouch – mouth." Winry leaned her cheek against Edward's neck.

He stroked the baby's cheek with a feather touch. "She's so soft."

"And squishy," Winry chuckled softly at the wrinkles still in place from the birth process. "Dr. Pettijean said she was okay, though."

"How about you?" Edward kissed her temple, stroking her arm.

"Tired. Once she's fed, I think I need a long nap." Winry yawned for emphasis, nearly making Edward yawn, too, but he fought it.

"In this bed?" he teased, "That you wanted so badly to be out of?"

"You try pushing a baby out of your body for ten hours," Winry told him without any rancor, "and you tell me how perky you feel."

The baby stopped sucking, turning her face away from Winry's nipple. She handed the baby to Edward to fasten her top back in place, sighing. "Bassinette's not in here, is it?"

"I think Granny's making sure it's sterile." He vaguely remembered seeing her carrying it somewhere, but Edward couldn't even remember when that had happened. Yesterday? Two days ago? Earlier this week? He couldn't remember much, staring down at the wrinkled face and the deep blue eyes staring up at him. Would her eyes change to gold, like Simon's? Would she keep her blue eyes, like Becca and her mom, or would they maybe go green? So many questions, waiting on answers.

"Good, she can take care of Allie for us, then," Winry yawned again.

Edward gathered the baby against his chest, glancing at Winry. "Allie?"

"Mmhmm," she said sleepily, "Allie."

Edward nodded in agreement. "Okay. I'll take her to the old hag."

"'n come back afterward," Winry reminded him, her eyes drifting closed. "I need my pillow."

"You've got – oh. Right." Edward watched as she wriggled into the bedding. "Hey, just so you know?"

Winry opened one eye. "Hmm?"

He leaned over and kissed her softly. "You're awesome."

End