We Protect Each Other 12

A/N: And here we are! Back to this story! As I write this Author's Note, an idea has popped right into my head. As you an already figure out, this story has diverged from canon, so it's not like I have to say when I uploaded this chapter. But anyway, when I wrote this, the leaks for those new episodes with SPOILERS Lapis and Malachite in them have been released. Well, let's just get to the chapter shall we?

Oh, and I think I need a new font format thing. For singing, it will look like this: "Singing stuff" So it will look like thoughts, but it will have quotation marks.

Steven laid in his hospital bed. He would be able to leave this place soon. Today, he hoped. His dad said that the gems were working it out with the medical staff, and of course, Pearl was arguing because she refused to let her little Steven sit in a bed with a pink cast on his arm and pink tubes in him.

He had only been at the hospital for a few days now, but Steven was starting to believe Pearl. Did the doctors and nurses know how to treat him? He was a half-gem after all. Steven didn't know if he would react normally to the medicine. The doctors gave him a pink bottle of medicine every day. Steven didn't like it, the taste was terrible.

He was also starting to get sick of the hospital room. He wanted to be outside. He wanted to help the gems! Not just watch these pinkish lights flicker all day. Steven looked out the window. It was sunrise, it seemed. The clouds had a pink tint.

Connie was next to him, but she hadn't said anything to him for days!

But, on the contraire, that was quite the opposite. Connie was on his side, reading him a story. Steven wasn't paying attention, he was too lost in his own thoughts. Connie looked up from the older book and saw that Steven was looking out into the middle of nowhere.

Her attempts to try and get him to respond to something were futile. It seemed it was just getting worse. And it wasn't Steven's health either! Steven was perfectly fine, at least that's how the doctor's put it. But it was like Steven was in his own little world. Connie had tried to talk to hi on multiple occasions, and Steven wouldn't say a word and wouldn't even spare her a glance. Was Steven doing this on purpose? Connie dreaded to think so, but she didn't have many other choices.

Steven was too silent for her tastes. Something must have been wrong with him. What was wrong with Steven? Connie couldn't believe she kept this from the gems, but she wasn't going to any longer. She was going to tell them that there was something wrong with Steven. Hopefully they wouldn't get mad… Connie winced at the idea.

S:S:S:S:S:

"He hasn't been responding at all?" Pearl asks. She sits down and places her finger to her chin.

Connie nods, "That's right. I don't know if he's even been listening! It just wouldn't seem like Steven to not make any attempt at communication."

"That's weird." Amethyst looks over at Steven. "Yo Steven! Time to stop playing around!"

Again, no answer from Steven.

"Aw man." Amethyst mumbles.

"Gems, I don't like where this is going." Garnet states. Pearl thinks for a second longer, and a look of worry plasters on her face.

"Everyone, I think I know what's wrong with Steven." Pearl exclaims. She stands up.

"Well what is it P? Spill." Amethyst demands. Pearl rolls her eyes.

Pearl looks at Connie, "Well first, Connie, has Steven said anything, mumbled anything, made any gestures!"

"Well, um… he did mumble gem one or two times, and he kept putting his hands close to his gem. I thought he was dreaming. B-but, I guess he wasn't. Sorry, I should have said earlier." Connie grabs her arm.

"Don't sweat it." Amethyst states. She pats Connie on the back. A little too hard, since Connie had bruises, but Connie didn't mind.

"Well this just further proves by theory." Pearl points out.

"Pearl, what do suppose happened to Steven?" Garnet asks.

"Just think about it. Wouldn't Steven have gone into his gem from that injury?" Pearl questions.

"Well yeah, I guess, but he didn't, so what's the problem?" Amethyst asks.

"The problem is, Amethyst, that Steven might think he is in his gem. He is locked in some sort of stasis in his mind. He believes that he is regenerating, while he isn't actually." Pearl explains.

Garnet thinks to herself, then speaks up, "How will we get him out of it?"

"Well, there's two possibilities I am thinking of," Pearl walks over to Steven and examines him, "Firstly, he could finish his made up regeneration, and just wake up. Or…" Pearl starts to trail off. She looks down.

"Pearl." Garnet brings Pearl back to focus.

Pearl shudders, "Or he could be trapped. Steven might not know how to stop his mind regeneration cycle. Or something else could be stopping him. With no knowledge of this happening, I'm afraid I don't know how to help Steven."

Connie looks at Steven worriedly, "S-so there's a chance… he might never wake up?!"

"Y-yes." Pearl stutters. "But maybe there's a way we could get him out of it!" Pearl fakes a smile.

Connie walks over to Steven. 'Well, maybe the first thing Pearl said will happen. Like, it's only been a few days. Steven said that when Pearl regenerated, it took her a whole two weeks!'

"Gems. We'll need to call Greg." Garnet states. Everyone looks at each other.

S:S:S:S:S:S:

Turns out Garnet was the one to call Greg. The general consensus was that Amethyst wouldn't sound serious, Pearl would get too emotional, and Greg didn't have that many ties to Connie. Little did the Crystal Gems know that that little fact wasn't true.

Greg bursts in the hospital room, "Steven! Oh thank goodness!" Greg looks at Steven. Steven's eyes were closed, and it just looked like he was sleeping, as everything else was in order.

"We will be taking him back to the Temple. Today." Garnet informs Greg.

"Today? Are you sure? I mean, has the hospital even finis-" Greg is cut off by Pearl.

"Yes. The hospital has done all of their simple tests. We'll be able to do a more thorough check on Steven when we take him back to the Temple." Pearl explains.

"Yeah, nothing against the hospital or whatever, but Steven is a gem like us. I don't think this place knows how to treat him." Amethyst adds. The Gems start to talk amongst themselves about Steven. They walk out of the room. Connie is sitting in the chair beside Steven's bed. She reads the book she brought. She reads it out loud, but quietly. She knew Steven wouldn't react, and there was no use making any more noise.

Greg notices her, and he steps over to her.

"How you holdin' up?" He asks. Connie looks up. She figures he is talking about Steven.

"As well as I can be. All I want is for Steven to be okay." Connie answers. Greg doesn't say anything else. He just sits down on the chair on the other side of Steven. He tunes the ukulele he brought with him.

"I don't know if Steven will be able to hear this, but I think I'll play a little song for him anyway." Greg states. Once the ukulele is tuned, he starts to strum. Connie sets her book down, and pays attention to Greg.

"I guess she was right when she said you'd be new,

But I didn't know it end up hurting you.

Trapped inside, your own mind,

What's it like? What's it like?

Oh Steven, Steven,

It'll be okay,

Oh Steven, Steven,

You'll be able to face another day~

So why don't you wake up for me?

Wake up for the gems and Connie~

Shot in the arm, it just ain't right,

But you're Steven, and I know you'll put up a fight.

We have faith in you,

Oh we have faith in you~

So why don't you wake up for me?

Wake up for the gems and Connie~

Oh Steven I know you can!

You're different, I know that, and,

I know you'll be fine~

So why don't you wake up for me?

Wake up for the gems and Connie~

Oh why'd it have to turn out this way?

Couldn't this have been another normal day?

But I suppose things aren't perfect,

And I suppose that it was worth… it~"

Greg puts down the guitar. He mumbled to himself, saying that the song wasn't that great. He stands up, and walks out of the room himself.

Connie thought it was a great song. She looked at Steven. Her eyes lit up with joy when she saw Steven was moving. She tried saying something to him, but he didn't answer. But it was like he was responding to the song. Does that mean he is almost done regenerating?

Connie sighed. Steven had stopped moving. Connie had more confidence that Steven would wake up though. He must have been close. He must have.

The Next Day…

Connie had returned from the Temple to the hospital. The gems had to take her to the Temple so she could sleep and eat. But soon enough the next day came, and she was at the hospital by Steven's side again.

The gems thought her dedication was touching. Well, except for Amethyst. She thought it was nice, but it reminded her of Pearl and Rose. Something she didn't really want to think about.

Steven was actually moving slightly that day. Twitching his eyes, moving some of his fingers slightly. And this was constant, so it was improvement. The gems were optimistic. Pearl said that it was more likely that he would just finish his mind regeneration like any normal gem would. Then hopefully everything would be back to normal.

The gems were at the Temple, leaving only Connie and Steven. Greg wouldn't be able to make it until later that day, so Connie sat alone.

She looked at the bandage on her hand, 'Just another reminder of that terrible day.' She thought. Connie had another book with her, but she just didn't have the will to read it. Would Steven even hear her? Was Connie doing what she could to help?

Connie wasn't sure. She wanted to do all she can, but what if there was more she could do?

Connie looked down at the book, maybe Steven would hear it. It was an adaptation of Dogcopter. It was a little more adult than the movies were. Connie supposed she'd read it out loud for Steven.

"Dogcopter opened his eyes. He realised that he was in an unfamiliar place, taken there by an unfamiliar person…"

A Few Hours Later…

"Dogcopter knew that his only choice would be to make this place blow, even if it meant obliterating himself in the process."

Connie looked up from the book. She had gotten so caught up in it that she wasn't looking at Steven very often. Connie stood up quickly as she checked on Steven. Steven wasn't doing those mini moves anymore, and something seemed to be wrong with him! The tubes that were on him had fallen off, did he jerk them off? And his heart rate was all wrong! Connie had to get the gems. But how?

Connie ran to the nearest phone to call them. They had a phone there, right? Wait, even if they did, she didn't know it!

"Um… um… aha!" Connie thought of an idea. She called Steven's phone. She hoped as hard as she could that his phone was in the Temple. Connie waited on the phone to be picked up. She didn't hear it in the room, so it was hopefully at the Temple. Soon enough the phone had been answered. "Hello?"

"Hey Connie. It's Amethyst. What's up?" Amethyst answers.

"It's Steven! You guys have to get down here quick. Something's wrong with him!" Connie practically shouts into the phone.

There was a pause on the line, until Pearl picked up, "Steven! What's wrong with him? What happened?"

"I don't know. I was reading this book to him, and then when I check on him, everything was wrong! All of his tubes were off, and his heart rate was on the fritz!"

"We'll be there immediately." Garnet states. Even though she was trying to sound as emotionless and urgent as possible, the panic in her voice was audible. The line went dead, and Connie was stuck pacing back in forth in the hospital room.

Not even 5 minutes later, the gems arrived. Garnet burst open the door, breaking it. And before the doctors came in to reprimand her, they saw Steven's condition and started going to take him to the emergency room.

"You can't take Steven! Not now!" Pearl shouts. The doctors disagreed. "You don't understand! He isn't like you!"

The doctors didn't listen and started to put Steven on a gurney. Amethyst, who had already had enough, grabbed Steven with her whip. An impulsive move, but enough to get Steven away from the human doctors.

"Amethyst! What are you doing? Steven is in a fragile state right now!" Pearl argues.

"Are we going to have to go through this now? We have to go!" Amethyst retorts.

"Amethyst is right. Come on gems, we need to get Steven to the Temple. Now. Amethyst, you take Connie back. Pearl and I will take Steven and we'll gather up some of the healing water from Rose's fountain." Garnet orders. Amethyst nods. The gems dash off, Garnet carrying Steven. Amethyst goes with Connie, but at a slower pace.

"Do you think Steven will be okay?" Connie asked.

Amethyst was normally going to be honest, like usual, but she saw the fear in Connie's eyes, and she couldn't bear to tell her that Steven has a 50/50 chance of not waking up ever again. "Yeah, pfft, he's Steven! He'll be fine."

Connie puts on a slight smile as they run off towards the Temple.

Minutes Later…

Connie slams the beach door open. She is panting, nearly about to faint, but she doesn't once she sees Steven laying on his bed. Garnet and Pearl were hunched over him, and they had Rose's tears in a cup.

"Okay Pearl, you know the plan." Garnet tells Pearl. Connie runs up the stairs to see what was happening. Pearl carefully pours the tears into Steven's mouth. Garnet lifts Steven up so the water could go down his throat.

Amethyst comes up the stairs to see what was happening as well. Steven didn't have any response. Greg eventually comes in as well.

'They must've called him.' Connie thought, as Greg had some soap bubbles in his hair. They looked like the normal car wash ones. Greg looks at Steven as though he were dead. He looked devastated. He thought that he was failure of a parent, and that he had failed Rose if he couldn't keep his only son alive for more than 14 years.

"Pearl, check his heart rate." Garnet orders. Pearl nods. She slowly moves her shaking hand over to Steven's heart. Pearl was on the verge of tears before she put her hand on his heart. She counts for a minute and then stands up.

"It's normal again." Pearl sighs in relief.

"Oh thank goodness!" Greg exclaims. Amethyst smiles. Steven wasn't awake yet, but this was an improvement. To everyone except for Connie. Steven still didn't move. All he had was a normal heart rate. And he had that before!

Connie thought this was her fault. If she hadn't read to Steven, he would still be on the road to recovery! Connie started to cry. She leaped over and hugged Steven, crying into his shoulder even though he wasn't awake.

"Steven, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't want to hurt you like this!" Connie whispers to him. To Connie's-and everyone else's-surprise, Connie felt a hand on her back. It wasn't Greg or any of the gems. She felt Steven's shoulder move, and Connie felt embraced. Her hug was being returned.

"Hey, it's not your fault. Heh, maybe I should've listened… to Pearl."

"Steven?" Connie pulled back. She looked and saw that Steven's eyes were open. How? He was in the middle of is regeneration! "But-but, you were just lying there, how are you awake?"

"I don't know, actually. I can't remember." Steven looks down and away, as if he were ashamed.

"How about we figure all that out later. We're glad to have you back schtoo-ball." Greg states. Everyone gets in a group hug. Steven and Connie look at each other, blush and look away.

All was right in the world. For now.

A/N: I swear my chapters are looking like the end of stories! This isn't though! Oh no, I plan on making these drabbles for a while! They're fun to make! This chapter wasn't prompted. Oh, and since nearly everything is covered from this Connie arc, I need some new prompts! Seriously, I love doing those!

So send your requests in! They can be AU requests if you want. I really don't care, I'll just have to say that they are AUs. Because remember, this is just a collection of drabbles that are tied together. Unless they are different AUs, then they are separate.

Oh, and did you enjoy my little song? Yeah, I'll do those from time to time too. If I feel like it anyway. I would suggest a tune to put the song to, but I seriously had different tunes for it when I was making the song, so whichever tune you put the song to works for you, just do it.

Well, sorry to keep you guys waiting too! I've been so busy, and it's not letting up anytime soon :(

I hope you like my fic so far!