A/N: I'm so incredibly sorry for the long wait! I got busy with school, and I've been trying to earn a few bucks from my online store as well, so I hadn't had much time to update Small Mishap. I'm also very sorry that this chapter is so short, but I thought I'd post something at least.
If any of my readers wants to help me out, my profile has my Tumblr account which lists my Redbubble, donations, and account where you can request fanfiction! Thank you guys for all your support!
Small Mishap - Part 7
"Peridot! Peridot!" Ronaldo frantically shook her shoulders as Peridot wheezed painfully. "W-What's going on?" Ronaldo's voice was quivering. Peridot opened her mouth to speak, but only coughed up more blood as pain raked her body.
"Ronaldo! Up here!" Steven shouted from the balcony, quickly grabbing some pillows and towels. Ronaldo rushed up the steps with Peridot in his arms, his shirt now splattered with her blood and sweat. The Fryman gently set her in the guest bed, making sure she was relatively comfortable.
"What happened?" Jasper turned to Garnet with sincere worry.
"You stay down here." Garnet snapped. She didn't want to point fingers, but she couldn't help but blame Jasper for all of this. Something was very wrong, and Garnet's future vision was not foreshadowing anything good.
"Peridot? Can you hear me? Peridot!" Ronaldo gently rubbed his thumb across the back of her shaking feverish hands.
"R-Ronal…" Peridot strained. Her chest rose and fell irregularly with each breath. "I…ca-can't…"
"You can't? What do you mean, Peri?" Ronaldo asked with worry. He looked at her trembling hand and his face paled when he noticed what was happening. Her hands were growing colder, and to put it bluntly, greener. It was as if she was going back to her default gem form.
"She can't keep her form much longer." Garnet finally voiced.
"What?" Everyone chimed with shock and turned to their leader.
"Gems are only supposed to sustain a simple projection of their bodies. Of course, we can shapeshift organs, but a gem can only handle so much. Peridot almost replicated an entire human's structure. I was surprised that she could hold it up for so long, but I can see now that my suspicions were correct." Garnet clenched her teeth as if she was angry.
"Garnet? What do you mean 'suspicions?'?" Pearl put a hand over her mouth in shock.
"I had confronted Peridot about this before, but she refused to admit that anything was wrong. She was determined to go through with this even if it meant-"Garnet trailed off.
"She knew this was going to happen?" Ronaldo gasped, feeling slight betrayal. How could Peridot not tell him about her possibly not making it?
"I…I'm s-sorr…" Peridot tried to apologize, but she couldn't even focus on her words. She was too focused on trying to stay conscious through the pain. She didn't know what hurt more, her gem or the contractions ripping through her midsection.
"Peridot can't keep her form much longer. The sooner she delivers the baby the sooner she can retreat into her gem to regenerate." Garnet quickly said, noticing Peridot's distress.
"W-what? Now? Deliver the baby now?"Ronaldo panicked. "It's too early!"
"We don't have a choice." Garnet stated bluntly.
"But-!" Ronaldo started to argue when he felt a quivering hand on his sleeve. He looked down to see Peridot looking at him with pain and desperation in her eyes. She didn't say anything, but the pleading look in her eyes was enough to convince him. Ronaldo gulped nervously. "Okay."
"Steven, call Connie. We need her here." Connie was the only one who knew anything medical since she was a doctor and was probably the most qualified to help right now. "Amethyst, go get some warm water, and Pearl, get as many towels as you can find."
"Hang in there, Peri." Ronaldo squeezed her hand tightly, as if he was afraid she would disappear if he let go of her, but in this situation, that was a very real possibility.
A/N: Sorry for such a long wait! With the holidays coming up, I have to make a few extra bucks! Thanks for your patience, and as always, leave a review!