This fanfic contains a lot of swearing, smoking, violence and various other mature themes.
All characters are the property of Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network, except for Erica and Parker.
This fanfic is written from the perspective of E. K. Brooks.
Chapter 36: Make a wish
In my opinion, Sunday mornings were for sleeping in, late breakfasts and long luxurious showers. Waking up in a hospital bed and having dead skin removed from your blistered arms was not a proper substitution. A perky looking young doctor named Cordelia Brown was chit chatting with me about pickling vegetables of all things as she saw to my wounds. Jasper looked a little green and excused herself to go get some fresh clothes, feed Cake and get our presents for Connie.
"Oh shit, I put the book in a high place in the kitchen somewhere, darling"
"Little-monster-high-place or beastie-high-place?" Jasper asked with a smile.
"Little-monster-high-place" I grinned back.
"I'll bring some proper breakfast, babe. See you in a bit" she pressed two fingers to her lips in what might be some gem way of blowing a kiss.
"See you"
Brown finished up and was kind enough to wheel me outside. The late summer morning was a little damp and chilly, but the sun was breaking through the clouds. It had rained heavily during the night and there were puddles on the roof. My hands were a bit more mobile today and I managed to light my cigarette by myself on the tenth try. It was a small but important victory on my way back to autonomy. I sat back in my chair and relaxed. I really hoped Connie would have a great birthday and that she'd like the gifts Jasper and I would give her. I realized I still hadn't read what Myers had written to Connie in the book and decided to check as soon as Jasper came back.
Back in my room I brushed my teeth clumsily and then lay down in bed again to watch some cartoons.
Jasper woke me up with breakfast and coffee and we spent a lovely hour or so watching the first few episodes of Gravity Falls and a quick tubetube video with the Happy Birthday song.
In the early afternoon we got ready to go to Connie's party. Jasper was getting a little nervous and kept raking her hands through her hair.
"What is going on darling?" I asked as I struggled into a clean t-shirt.
"What if Connie doesn't like my present?" she stopped fussing with her hair and looked at me with knitted eyebrows.
"Sweetheart, she'll like it, don't worry. The little lady in the candy shop said she'd love them, remember?"
"But what if she doesn't?"
"Then we blame the candy shop lady" I said simply and Jasper looked at me uncertainly. "Sorry, that was in poor taste. Connie will like your present, I'm one hundred percent sure of it"
"Really?" oh my gods she was being so adorable right now.
"Yes, darling" I said with a smile. Brown came in and gave me slow release pain medication that would last a little longer than the intravenous version and we went to meet up with Greg and Steven outside.
"Don't you look fancy" I said to Steven. He was wearing a pink shirt and a bowtie with his jeans today. "And you too, Greg"
Greg was wearing whole jeans and a new looking Hawaii shirt over a Queen t-shirt. "Thanks, so do you" he said with a smile.
"Thanks Erica" Steven seemed a little nervous. He was clutching his ukulele tightly in one hand and sweating slightly.
"Are you going to play at the party?" Jasper asked.
"M-yeah" Steven's voice cracked a little.
"Look at my boy, getting the pre-show nerves" Greg said happily.
"Dad…" Steven whined at him. "You're embarrassing me…"
"Sorry son, it's just… I can remember the first song I wrote for your mom, boy I didn't half sweat through my cardigan that day" he chuckled happily at the memory.
"It's supposed to be a surprise, dad! Shhh!"
"OK, OK" Greg held up his hands in surrender. "Are we ready to go?"
We headed to the van and left the wheelchair at the hospital entrance. I hadn't walked around a lot in the last few days so I felt a bit unsteady. Jasper offered me her arm and I accepted it with slightly pink cheeks. We climbed into the van, Jasper sitting very uncomfortably in the back.
"It's not that far" Steven said with an apologetic smile.
"It's fine" Jasper grumbled in a slightly strangulated voice.
Around ten minutes later we pulled up to a terrace house. We all got out of the van and Jasper stretched out for a minute. I couldn't help but stare at her then. Gods, she was so gorgeous. I let out a happy sigh, producing a few pink and orange butterflies. Jasper saw them and grinned at me crookedly, then did an extraordinarily extravagant stretch which somehow involved the flexing of a massive bicep.
"Show off!" Amethyst's voice came from behind us.
"Hello everyone" Garnet greeted and we said hello back. Jasper straightened up a little rosy cheeked and strode over to offer me her arm again. We went to ring the doorbell. After a few seconds Connie opened the door.
"Hi guys!" she said happily.
"Happy birthday Connie!" we said more or less together and walked inside, both Jasper and Garnet had to stoop to get through the door.
"We're set up in the garden, come on!" she waved at us to follow her and we walked slowly through the house. It was spotless and cozy with lots of pictures on the wall.
"Welcome everyone" Mister Maheswaran greeted us with a slightly strained smile. Priyanka was over in the corner of the garden, on the phone.
"Thank you for having us" Garnet said calmly.
"You have a lovely home" I smiled as I shook Mister Maheswaran's hand. "Where should we put the presents?"
"On the table please" he gestured toward a beautifully decorated table where there was an area with a little note that said 'presents here please'. "Please help yourselves to punch"
The garden was small but well kept, the lawn was perfectly manicured and the flowers planted in neat rows. There was a bright red and yellow bounce house in the shape of a castle behind the table. Steven and Connie were over there with Garnet. Amethyst was standing by the punch bowl, looking slightly uncomfortable. Me and Jasper put our presents on the designated spot and headed toward Amethyst as Greg struck up an awkward sounding conversation with Mister Maheswaran.
"Sheesh" the purple gem said as we drew closer to her. "I don't think this even has sugar in it" she put down the cup she had been drinking from. "This place is a little too… perfect, isn't it?" she gestured around to indicate, well, everything.
"Not everyone is as messy as you, Amethyst" Jasper said with a snigger and grabbed two cups and filled them with punch. She handed one to me and I took a sip.
"Oh my gods" I said after I had swallowed. This drink definitely didn't have any sugar in it.
"Bet Pearl would love it…" Amethyst leaned against the fence with a little sigh.
"You doing OK?" I asked her with slightly raised eyebrows. It really didn't sound like her.
"Yeah, fine. The temple just feels a bit empty is all, with Steven at the hospital and Pearl, you know, poofed"
"She's still not back then?" I asked.
"You see her around here?" Amethyst said, shrugging her shoulders sarcastically. "She would be ecstatic to be in a perfect place like this, walking around on her stupid legs, all giggly and… Pearly"
"You miss her!" Jasper said and punched her on the shoulder. "Isn't that cute" Amethyst blushed and rubbed her arm.
"Pff! As if! I've finally been able to get my stereo back now! And no one's been nagging me to clean up after myself, it's been great!" she crossed her arms and flipped her hair. Obviously she was missing Pearl quite a bit.
"I hope she'll come back soon" I said and put my hand on Jasper's arm. "Do you think she'll take two weeks to reform this time too?"
"No idea" Amethyst said sulkily. I remembered Echo saying Amethyst needed a kiss and a cuddle and it seemed even more accurate today. But maybe the one she needed a kiss and a cuddle from was currently regenerating in her gem… Where was Pearl's gem? Did Connie still have it?
I saw Priyanka hang up the phone and rub her temple with one hand before going over to greet Garnet and Steven. It made me both happy and sad to see Connie leaning on her mother's hip as she did so. Connie pointed to the little pile of presents and she and Steven started to head over there at a run, but both Garnet and Priyanka called out to them to slow down.
"Hello Erica, Jasper, Amethyst" Priyanka greeted as she put a hand on my shoulder and shook my hand carefully. "Anderson and Brown working out for you?"
"Yes, they're really nice" I smiled. Priyanka nodded with a pleased and relieved look on her face and then shook Jasper's and Amethyst's hands as well.
"Mom, can we start with the cupcakes now?" Connie asked Priyanka excitedly.
"Sure, honey. We'll go get it set up" the Maheswarans stepped into the kitchen and came out one by one carrying cupcake supplies. They set it all up neatly on a side table.
"Everyone, look! Take a cupcake, put some frosting on it and then choose a topping" Connie pointed at the little bowls of sprinkles and berries. She and Steven threw themselves into making them as flamboyant as possible. I tried my hand at it too, making a vanilla one with blue frosting and topping it with rainbow sprinkles. I bit into it, expecting to be overwhelmed with sugar, but it was only subtly sweet. Once I got used to it I found it very tasty.
"You've got frosting on your cheek" Garnet said as she sat down next to me. I wiped my face with a napkin.
"Nksh" I swallowed. "Thanks" I looked at her a little apprehensively and then glanced around. No one else was close by. Our last interaction still confused me, but this was Connie's party. I hitched a smile on my face and said; "They are so cute, the two of them" Garnet smiled at me. "What's their fusion like… Stevonnie, wasn't it?"
"They are wonderful. I was so happy Steven could fuse with Connie"
"Do Connie's parents or Greg know about that? I wouldn't want to… reveal something accidentally"
"Greg has met Stevonnie, but I don't think Doctor or Mister Maheswaran know about them. I have a feeling they would have a hard time understanding fusion"
"Shouldn't they be happy? Steven and Connie are such great kids and so sweet toward each other"
Garnet let out breath through her nose. "They might not see it as quite so innocent"
I raised my eyebrows at her. Then I realized what she meant. "But… they're just kids?"
"I know. But soon they won't be"
A picture of a slightly taller Steven and Connie entered my mind and I sighed happily. "They've got so many supportive people around them" I said quietly. That made me glad to know. "I'm sure both of them will grow up to stay great people" Garnet smiled at me.
"Yes. Yes they will" she said softly, looking over at the two of them still by the cupcake table.
"Do you think it'd be OK for me to smoke here?"
Garnet adjusted her shades. "Yes. But ask for an ashtray"
"Oh, right. Thanks Garnet" she stood up when I did and headed over to Amethyst and Greg. I approached the Maheswarans who had joined Steven and Connie. I decided it'd probably be better to ask for permission rather than just go 'Hey, gimme an ashtray'.
"Priyanka? Would it be alright if I smoked here?" Mister Maheswaran looked at me with slightly widened eyes, but Priyanka put a hand on his arm. Had he reacted to my request or the fact that I had used his wife's first name?
"Sure. Let me get you an ashtray" she said and I followed her into the neat kitchen.
"Your house is lovely" I pointed to the pictures hanging everywhere. "Are these all of your family?"
Priyanka handed me a little pot with a lid. "Thank you and yes. I have two sisters and a brother and Doug has two brothers. My youngest sister just had a baby" she smiled and pointed to a new looking frame.
"Ah, yes. Benjamin, right? Connie showed me a picture on her phone. He's adorable, just look at those eyes…" the baby in the picture was lying on his arms and looking quizzically into the camera. The image of Jasper caressing my big belly flashed across my mind again and I put my hand there unconsciously.
"Yes, it's Benjamin... Are your pain killers wearing off already?" she frowned and looked at her watch.
"What? Oh, no it's fine, I just…" my eyes were drawn back to Benjamin's. They were big and brown and full of curiosity, like he was saying 'what's that thing pointing at me?'
"Oh, I see" Priyanka said with a knowing smile. I felt my cheeks flush a little and I shoved my hand in my pocket instead. "Are you and Jasper…?"
"M-maybe in the future…" I said with a little nervous laugh. "I would appreciate if you kept that to yourself, if-if-if you don't mind" she patted me on the shoulder and gave me a big smile. I took that as a yes and we went outside again. I sat down on a chair by the fence and fished out a cigarette and lit it on the seventh try – progress! There were thuds and laughter coming from the bounce house now, Steven was standing outside it with Jasper. By process of elimination I concluded that Connie and Amethyst must be in there. I smiled to myself. Now Connie had someone to bounce with and Amethyst might be a bit cheered up by the fun activity. I really wanted to get in there too if I were to be completely honest. But that probably wasn't a good idea. My phone started to ring and I took it out of my pocket with difficulty. It was the unknown number again. I stared at the screen and then pressed ignore. I had forgotten to ask Parker to look into it, hadn't I? I told myself I'd email her after the party. Just as I was about to put it away it started to ring again. I hit ignore again and then turned it off.
"I think it's about time we get the cake!" Mister Maheswaran said as he walked up to stand next to his wife. They both went into the kitchen and came out about a minute later carrying a beautifully made chocolate cake with thirteen candles on top.
"Haaaappy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Connie, Happy Birthday to you" we all sang together as Connie stood and twisted on the spot, a little embarrassed but also pleased.
"And many moooore" Amethyst and Steven added, posing and doing jazz hands. Mister Maheswaran put the cake down on the table in front of her.
"Make a wish!" Steven reminded her and she closed her eyes for a second, smiled and then blew them all out in one go. The cake was cut up into pieces and we all sat down and began to eat. I felt I made rather a mess of myself and Jasper smiled at me fondly before wiping my cheek with her thumb and put it in her mouth with a sultry look. I felt my ears heat up and Amethyst grinned and shook her head at us.
"This first present is from me and your mother" Mister Maheswaran said when everyone's plates were relatively empty. He held out a large square package. Connie opened it slowly and carefully not to damage the paper and I thought that both Priyanka and Pearl would be proud of her performance.
"A new bicycle helmet!" Connie said excitedly and held it up. It was pale blue and had reflective bands around the rim.
"This one is from your aunt Aisha" Priyanka held out another package which when opened was revealed to contain a yellow hand knitted sweater with a white flower on the front.
"It's so soft…" Connie rubbed her cheek against it and then held it out to Steven so he could touch it too.
"It's so pretty! Man, that must have taken a long time to make" he said, sounding impressed.
"Aisha is very good at knitting, she gives me a sweater like this every year and they're always amazing" Connie smiled and put it on over her dress. She opened a few smaller gifts; some new notepads and pens, drawing supplies, a CD, a book on violins and a pair of pink bunny slippers.
"This one is from Pearl, Amethyst and me" Garnet handed Connie a beautifully wrapped gift with an extravagant bow on top. "We hope you'll like it" Connie smiled broadly as she unwrapped the sunhat and put it on immediately. It was a little too big on her, but Garnet smiled and said; "You'll grow into it before you know it"
"Pearl picked it out" Amethyst said with a little smile. "She said it'd look great with your hair… and it does"
"Oh it's beautiful, thank you!" Connie smiled back happily. Jasper handed her the little brown package she had brought.
"Here" she blushed a little and stepped back, clasping her hands behind her. I leaned my head on her arm. Connie opened the paper and looked down at the shiny red and green boxes. "The lady said to have the red box first, and to keep them in the fridge until you want to eat them and if there's onions, to put them in a sealed plastic bag" Jasper rambled a little nervously.
"Oh, it's from that candy store by the square isn't it?" Steven said excitedly. "It's so good!"
"Wow, thanks Jasper!" Connie smiled up at her and Jasper grinned back, her shoulders relaxing.
"This one's from me" Greg said and held out a present wrapped in rainbow wrapping paper. It was a box of water colors and Connie thanked him cheerily.
I held out my gift to her with a smile, feeling a bit nervous myself. Connie opened it and gave a little gasp.
"Is this a first edition?!" she asked me, sounding amazed. I nodded, my smile broadening. "How did you even get this? I thought they stopped making them?"
"I have my ways" I said mysteriously and sent a yet another mental thank you to Parker. Connie opened the book reverentially and folded out the map. Then she let it drop as she read the first page. She looked from it to me and then back at the book. Steven leaned over her shoulder and read aloud;
"'Dear Connie, I was so sad to hear about how you lost your book, so here is a new one. I hope you have a magical birthday, your friend… Evelyn… Myers'… Oh my gosh" Connie handed the book to Steven and gave me a very tight hug.
"Thank you so much!" she said breathlessly. "I don't know how you did it but thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Y-you're welcome, sweetheart" I said a little flustered and patted her back. She let me go and beamed up at me and I couldn't help but smile – the look of happiness on her face was so innocent. Jasper's hand found mine and I felt my blush deepen. Connie got the book back from Steven and went to show her parents. After a minute Steven cleared his throat and everyone turned to look at him.
"Connie, I thought a lot about what to get you, and I couldn't think of anything good enough, so I wrote you a song…" he strummed his ukulele and smiled a little nervously. I thought I might just explode with the cuteness and Connie's cheeks flushed as he began to sing. "What's the definition of friendship? It is caring and sweetness and joy. All of those words describe you, and with you I'm the world's happiest boy. Battle bots and gems and swords, books and cheeky guitar chords, with you it's all so much better, when we share it all together. Because when I'm sad you're there, and when you are down I am here, right here next to you, my friend, my very best friend in the world. Monsters, donuts, sand and sun, jam and biscuits, so much fun, with you it's all so much better, when we share it all together. Take my hand we'll make a stand, united in this friendship band. Ukulele, violin, harmony when we both sing. Gems and crying breakfast friends, this thrilling ride will never end, with you it's all so much better, when we share it all together. When we share it all together, you and me…"*
The first one to start clapping was Greg, followed closely by Garnet and then the rest of us. My cheeks were hurting from smiling so much – holy crap that was the cutest thing I'd ever heard.
"Wow, Steven…" Connie said, looking flushed and stunned. Steven put the ukulele down and smiled, his face bright red too.
"Did… did you like it?" he asked nervously.
"Like it? I loved it, Steven, oh my gosh!" Connie threw her arms around his neck and hugged him for a long time. "I can't believe you wrote me a song!" they both started laughing and I felt distinctly teary eyed and started to dig around in my pocket for my handkerchief. I wiped my eyes and looked around at the others. Greg was blowing his nose, Garnet brushed away a tear, Amethyst was smiling broadly and Jasper looked like she had been hit over the head with a hammer. Priyanka and Mister Maheswaran looked a little uncomfortable, Mister Maheswaran more so than his wife.
"You OK darling?" I asked quietly.
"Yeah, fine… Wow. That Steven has carats…" she looked down at me with a dazed smile. "Singing like that in front of so many people"
"That's just Steven being Steven" Amethyst said nonchalantly and put her hands behind her head.
"It was fantastic" I said with a broad smile. The afternoon wore on and after a while we were served coffee – which was wonderful. As the sun began to set I started to feel very tired. We had only been there three or so hours, but I felt it was right to go now – if we stayed any longer we would run into the Maheswarans dinner-time and that hadn't been included in the invitation. I walked up to Greg.
"Hey… Would you guys be OK with leaving soon?"
"Oh, sure. Jeez, look at the time! Steven, we should start getting back to the hospital – Doctor Maheswaran said a few hours would be OK, but I think we're stretching it now"
"Aww, what? Already?" Steven said disappointedly.
"Yeah, son. Remember you need your rest" Greg said with a firm nod.
"I could come by tomorrow and we could play some more games" Connie said sweetly, to soften the blow.
"Yeah, that'd be fun" Steven smiled at her.
"We should be getting home too" Garnet said and stood up.
"Thank you so much for inviting us" I said as I gave Connie a hug.
"Yeah thanks, kid" Jasper said and received a hug too, to her great pleasure.
"Thank you for the wonderful gifts, you guys" Connie smiled broadly and then hugged Garnet and Amethyst goodbye too.
We waved to Garnet and Amethyst as they started walking toward the temple in the setting sun. Jasper clambered in the back of the van and the rest of us in the front. I yawned hugely as I buckled myself in.
"Wasn't that nice?" Steven turned around in his seat.
"Yeah, it was. And holy donkey ba- buckets your song, Steven! It was amazing" I smiled at him tiredly.
He laughed and blushed slightly.
"Yeah, it was great. Very brave" Jasper nodded from the back.
"Told you she'd like it" Greg ruffled his son's hair affectionately.
"And your gifts were great too!" Steven said happily. "It made me so happy to see Connie enjoying herself so much. Erica, how did you pull that book signing off?! Evelyn freaking Myers!" I chuckled lightly and waved a bandaged hand.
"We're signed by the same publisher, so Parker just contacted her executive assistant and there you are. It was lucky she was in Londinium though, otherwise I would have had to come up with something else"
"'Publisher'?" Greg asked. "Are you a journalist?"
"Journalist? Me? Hah, no!" I snorted with laughter. "I'd be the world's worst journalist!"
"Dad, she's an author!" Steven said excitedly. "She writes books!"
"One book" I said automatically.
"Oh, really? Which book? Maybe I've read it?" Greg asked politely.
"You have, dad! It's 'Relentless'!"
"You're that Erica Brooks?!" Greg looked in the rear view mirror at me.
"Yes?" I said a little wearily.
"But you're really famous!" Greg exclaimed. "What on earth are you doing in Beach City hanging around with us?!"
"She's here because of me" Jasper said a little smugly from the back. I turned around to smile at her and she scooted closer to the front.
"Yes, I am" I said with a smile and kissed her. I drew in a breath, hoping to inhale Jasper's wonderful scent, but got a lungful of stink instead and broke the kiss just as Steven shouted;
"Dad! Stop the car! Stop the car!" Greg slammed on the breaks and Jasper braced herself on the walls of the van not to smash into the seats.
"What? What?" Greg asked in a panic. "Did I hit something?!"
"No, dad, look!" Steven pointed out the window. I ducked my head to see and gasped – on the right side of the road was a small field with a few trees and wrapped around one of them – an overturned and smoking car.
"Oh my gosh! I'll call an ambulance!" Greg fumbled with his phone and Steven unbuckled himself and opened the van door. "No, Steven, wait! Stop him!" I stared for a moment and then unbuckled my own seatbelt and followed him, heart suddenly racing. I heard Jasper clamber out of the back of the van too. Steven had a head start and screamed over his shoulder;
"There's someone in there!" he put on a burst of speed and sprinted over the grassy field. There was a woosh and Jasper sped past me, hair streaming out behind her.
"Hello! Do you need help!?" Steven shouted as he reached the wreck. Jasper arrived half a second later and bent down to check the interior. There was a cry from inside and my blood turned to ice.
"There's a baby in there!" I said as I reached them.
"And a grown up!" Steven said and tried to wrench the driver door open.
"There's three that I can see" Jasper said. "Stand back, Steven" she grabbed the door he had tried to open and ripped it off with a squeal of metal. She began to reach inside but I grabbed her arm.
"Wait, Jasper, let me check – it might not be a good idea to move them" I kneeled down and stuck my head in the door. A man was buckled to the driver's seat, hanging upside down and apparently unconscious – he had a head laceration that was covered in glass and several jagged shards stuck in his torso. I swallowed before reaching out to check his pulse. It was faint, but it was there.
"OK, pull him out very carefully! He's got a lot of glass in him!" I moved to the back window and looked inside. There was an overturned baby carrier – that's where the crying was coming from. And behind that… A pair of terrified eyes met mine and for a moment I thought it was Charlie staring back at me – but it couldn't be… I blinked hard – it was a girl, maybe six or seven – my eyes slid over her quickly and I felt my breath catch in my throat. Her hands were clamped over her stomach and I could see blood pulse out of a deep wound there. She was very pale and her mouth was opening and shutting soundlessly. A piece of glass was in her hand. She must have pulled it out of herself… She's bleeding out. Holy fuck she's bleeding out!
"Steven, get in there right now and heal that girl! Don't look at anything else, just get in there now!" I shouted forcefully, purple sparks flying out of me. I grabbed the baby carrier and dragged it out, then moved hurriedly aside so he could get in. I looked down at the wailing baby – they had a scrape across the cheek and were covered in splintered glass. Their arms and legs were waving all over the place, so they weren't broken. Looked like the baby carrier had done its job. I fumbled with the straps and unbuckled the baby carefully, looking for cuts or any other wounds, but found none.
"How's it going in there?!" I shouted at Steven as Greg skidded to a halt next to me.
"Steven's in there!?" Greg gasped and looked at me with panic in his eyes.
"There was a little girl! She was bleeding a lot!" Jasper was extracting the man from the front seat very gently and carried him a little way away from the car.
"Steven! What's happening!?" Greg shouted through the window as I picked up the squalling baby carefully to check their back.
"Quiet!" Steven shouted from inside and both me and Greg fell silent, looking at each other with apprehension. Then from inside came a soothing voice. "It's OK, I'm Steven. I'm going to help you. Just hold still… Mwah… Please work, please, please, please work!" there was a burst of white light from inside and a whoop of triumph from Steven, then he started moving backwards out of the car. Greg and I exchanged a relieved look and moved back so he could get out. Steven was leading the little girl out by her hand and Greg reached down to pick her up immediately.
"Hey, sweetie, I'm Greg. Tell me quickly – were there any more of you in the car?" the little girl shook her head slightly from side to side. "Good, OK! We should move" Greg said quickly and we jogged toward Jasper and the man, Steven picking up the baby carrier.
"How's he doing?" I asked Jasper as we reached her.
"I don't know, he tried to say something and then he went quiet" I knelt down with the baby clutched to me tightly and took his pulse but couldn't find it.
"I can't feel a pulse!" I said with mounting panic, spraying the air with purple sparks. I looked at his chest – if you tried to do CPR on him you might as well call it right now – he had more holes than a Swiss cheese! Steven knelt down beside him and licked his palm and put it on the man's shoulder.
"Daddy!" the little girl in Greg's arms called out to the man and Greg turned hastily so she wouldn't see him. She began to cry just as I heard sirens approaching in the distance.
"It's not working" Steven said with fear in his voice.
"Try again!" Greg hissed.
"You can do it, Steven… Come on, try again" I rocked the baby and held them close to me, supporting their little head. The sounds the children made were heart wrenching.
"I want my daddy!" the little girl wailed and Greg received a kick to the stomach.
"I can't concentrate!" Steven shouted, panic in his voice. Jasper knelt down by him and started to whisper to him in her low voice.
"Hey, little girl, hi… I know you're scared, but I'm gonna need you to be quiet for just a little while, OK?" Greg said soothingly to the child in his arms. "Just a little while, so we can help your dad, alright? Can you do that for your dad? Can you calm down? What's your name, sweetie?"
"K-katie! I want – I want my daddy!"
"I know, kiddo, I know, he's right there and my son is going to help him, but he needs to concentrate for a moment, so can we be quiet as little mice? There you go, there you go, such a good girl, Katie…"
At the same time as Greg was soothing Katie, I rocked the baby slowly, trying to calm them just as much as myself. I started to sing and closed my eyes and rubbed their little back trying to quiet them. I sang the first two verses of the wolf song before a flare of light caught my eye.
"It worked!" Steven shouted with relief evident in his voice, then fell to his knees and panted hard. Greg ran over to him and handed the girl to Jasper who was just getting up.
"Son?" Greg said quietly. Steven rolled over onto his side in the grass and threw an arm up and let out a little whoop.
I walked up to them and was astonished to see the shards of glass in the man's torso be pushed out as his skin knitted together. I could see his chest rise and fall steadily. I breathed out a sigh of relief and looked up at Jasper with a smile. Jasper was holding the crying girl to her chest with one arm, then lowered herself to the ground and murmured something to her. Katie quieted a little and began to suck her thumb. The ambulances were getting close now and the sound was agitating the baby again and I continued the wolf song, rocking back and forth. Some people came running toward us with gurneys and red and white bags.
"You got them all out?" the first man to arrive asked breathlessly.
"Yes" Greg panted and patted Steven's shoulder. "They're OK now, I think"
More ambulance people arrived and they moved the man onto a gurney and carried him off quickly, and we followed them back to the road. A middle aged man who looked to be in charge reached out for the baby and I handed them over reluctantly. A woman held her arms out for the girl and Jasper looked uncertain about giving her up.
"We have to check her out" the woman said sternly and Jasper frowned and transferred Katie to her. The little family was split up into two ambulances and they peeled out with lights and sirens blaring. I leaned forward on my knees and felt a wave of nausea grip me. Jasper's hand came to steady me as I swayed and I splattered the ground with semi-digested birthday cake.
"I-is everyone OK?" Greg asked and looked around at us. Steven was sitting with his back against the road rail, looking pale and sweaty. I vomited again but held up a thumb.
"Fine" Jasper said and rubbed my back.
"I think I have some water in the van" Greg said and hurried round to the back. He returned seconds later and handed us a bottle of water each. I rinsed out my mouth and then drank deeply.
"Holy shit" I breathed. "Holy shit!" then I began to laugh. Steven joined in and then Jasper and lastly Greg.
"We just saved three people's lives!" Greg snorted and held his stomach.
"Yeah we did!" Steven got to his feet and high fived his dad. "Woo!"
"Well done everyone" I sniggered. I was feeling pretty light headed and looked at my arms – they were covered in dirt and maybe a bit of vomit too. "Oh fuck me sideways… Priyanka's not gonna be happy with me"
"Oh! We should get you two back to the hospital pronto!" Greg said quickly and headed to the van. We all piled in and just as we were about to drive off, a lone car sped past us – it was the Maheswaran's sedan.
"Do you have a plastic bag somewhere, if I need to barf again?" I asked as Greg started driving. Steven handed me one from the front seat and I held it at the ready. We arrived at the hospital a few minutes later, Jasper went to get the wheelchair and I sat down in it gratefully.
"Should we maybe swing by the emergency room and get checked out?" Greg pondered aloud as we entered the lobby.
"I think it'd be quicker if we just went upstairs" Steven said a little hoarsely. He looked pale and unsteady on his feet and I looked around for a second wheelchair, but saw none.
"Come sit in my lap, Steven, you look as if you're gonna fall over" he came over and plopped down with a sigh. We made our way up to the ward and were immediately swarmed with nurses and both Brown and Andersen. They fussed over us for a long time, taking all sorts of readings and tests as Greg described what had happened. When we were done being poked and prodded I had new crisp bandages on my arms and Steven had had his scrapes cleaned. We were told everything was fine, except that Steven was running a low grade fever and should go to bed.
"Hey, would it be possible to get updated about how they're doing?" Greg asked as the last nurse was just about to leave.
"I'm sure that could be arranged" she said with a smile and a little wink that left Greg's cheeks glowing.
"Is it just me that's feeling exhausted and starving?" I asked, looking around at them all.
"I could eat" Steven said with a weak smile.
"I'll run down to the cafeteria and get us something" Jasper said and kissed me on the cheek before striding off. Greg pushed me into my room and I brushed my teeth to get rid of the unpleasant taste in my mouth. Jasper returned shortly with a mountain of sandwiches of varying degrees of freshness and we ate our fill. Afterwards Steven and Greg bade us goodnight and headed off to Steven's room. Jasper and I went outside for a smoke. The air outside was chilly, but I felt warm and snug in my blanket. I remembered holding the baby in my arms… so tiny, yet so heavy. Not heavy weight wise, but in importance. In responsibility. The feel of their little chest expanding and contracting against mine, and their cry, so heart wrenchingly sad. But they had responded to me, calmed a little as I sang… It made my chest fill with some sort of fierce pride – I had calmed a crying baby. Well, for a little while before the ambulances showed up and scared them again. And that little girl… Katie. I shivered as the image of her terrified eyes flashed across my inner vision. The fear I had felt then, seeing life slipping away from her right in front of me, one treacherous heartbeat at a time. And then Steven, talking to her so softly and leading her out… And Greg soothing her and then Jasper – that image would forever be etched in my mind – of Jasper holding Katie, her head bent low to whisper to the crying girl, and how Katie had calmed and begun to suck her thumb. It had been hard for the both of us to hand the children over to the ambulance people, I knew for my sake it was because I wanted to keep the baby in my arms, to protect them – and also, even though it was a little hard to admit to myself – the baby was also comforting me. Why had Jasper hesitated?
"What did you tell Steven to help him calm down?" I asked her. She was leaning against the wall and looking straight ahead.
"What?" she said distractedly and I repeated my question. "Oh… I told him to breathe… And then I remembered what you said about Connie in the forest, when she couldn't sleep – that all she needed were to hear calm words. So I just told him the first thing that popped into my mind; how I wanted to experiment with making my own waffle mix. Try powdered sugar on top instead of syrup and stuff…"
I looked up at her, my heart swelling with affection. "Really?"
"Yeah" Jasper grinned a little and scratched her neck. "I told Katie the same thing, basically. And that everything was going to be OK, because Steven had fixed her dad"
"Beastie…" I reached out for her hand. "That's so kind of you" she squatted down next to me.
"We made a nice team, didn't we? You, me, Greg and Steven" she smiled crookedly.
"Mmm" I hummed happily. "And the way you ripped that door off… very impressive"
Jasper snorted and shook her head slightly. "Oh, honey you have no idea…"
"Honey? I like it…" I smiled and blushed, a little puff of orange and pink leaving me. Jasper smirked cheekily.
"When you get out of here you should come see what me and Amethyst can do. You wanted to see, right?"
"Oh, yes! I'd love to!"
"Good" she leant in and kissed me softly.
When we came back inside we went by Steven's room and Jasper threw an eye in there and stopped suddenly. I looked over too and gasped. There were a bunch of people in there, Greg stood against the wall, holding Steven's ukulele and looking terrified.
"Wh-what's going on?" Jasper said in a strangled voice. I stood up with difficulty and stumbled in through the door.
"Greg?!" I called out and he turned his head to look at me. "What's going –" I glanced over at Steven and stopped dead. He was having a seizure! "Oh my fucking gods…"
There was a doctor I didn't know and three nurses all talking over each other, the doctor was studying the readout of a machine that beeped and whined rapidly. Greg reached out for my hand and I took it, feeling him trembling. Jasper came up behind me and stared at Steven too. We stood in silence as the seconds crawled by. Jaspers hand found my free one. After an eternity Steven stopped shaking and the nurses descended to check on him.
"What happened?" Greg asked hoarsely.
"Mister Universe, your son had a seizure. We will take him for an MRI in a moment to see if there is a physical reason why" I felt a lance of ice pierce my heart.
"Wh… what?" the color drained from Greg's face.
"We will know more after that, excuse us" they started rolling Steven's bed out of the room. One nurse remained behind.
"Mister Universe, come with me and I'll take you to the waiting room" Greg looked beseechingly at me and Jasper.
"We'll come too" Jasper said reassuringly and Greg followed the nurse out of the room. I felt my knees want to buckle and grabbed Jasper's arm tightly.
"An MRI… " I mumbled as we walked slowly to the wheelchair.
"Shit. I forgot – I'm sorry" Jasper grimaced and shook her head. "We don't have to go"
"Of course we do…" I said quietly. "Greg shouldn't be alone" Jasper pushed me toward the elevator. As the doors closed there was a little metallic grinding noise.
As the elevator doors closed there was a little metallic grinding noise. We walked toward the same waiting area as I had been in yesterday. A nurse came to meet us and told us we'd have to wait, because an ambulance had just come in with a patient that needed to go in the machine before me. I was holding on so tight not to break down. So tight. I didn't want them to see. I didn't want them here. I didn't want to be here. I couldn't sit still. I had to do something to keep the screaming in my head down. I started to walk in a figure eight around the room. Round and round, endlessly. Maybe it was an infinity symbol, not an eight. It felt as if I was balancing on the edge of a ravine full of screams and darkness. Round and round. My parents didn't speak. I didn't speak. I just walked. Then finally the nurse came back and I changed into a hospital gown again and removed my earrings. My father wanted to come with me, but the nurse told him he couldn't and I felt relieved. She took me into the big room. A tray was in front of the big white tunnel. I lay down and the nurse said it would be very loud and gave me some earplugs. They put a grey plastic cage over my head and told me to keep still, absolutely still. I asked how long it would take and they said forty five minutes at least. The screaming inside rose to a peak but I remained silent. The tray slid into the machine. The roof was barely five inches from my face. I stared at the pattern on the surface of the tunnel, trying and failing to keep my eyes focused. They told me over the intercom that they would begin and the machine started up. The noise was deafening and I could finally cry. But I had to keep still. The screams and the whirring, clicking, thunderous pounding echoed in my head. My infested head. The tears spilled down my cheeks and ran into my ears and wet my collar but I couldn't wipe them away, there was no space. No space for me.
My head snapped up as the elevator dinged and the doors slid open. I breathed out a flickering black cloud that buzzed like a swarm of flies and I heard Jasper gasp behind me. My chest rose and fell quickly and I clamped both hands across my scar as it seared and twitched. I hissed out black and red in a swirling stream.
"Another bad memory?" Jasper asked worriedly as she steered around the clouds out of the elevator. They hung in the air and remained for much longer than usual. She knelt in front of me and pulled me into a hug. "Babe…" she murmured soothingly as I began to shake with suppressed sobs. I clung to her shirt, my hands seizing up. "Sometimes, some crimes, go slipping through the cracks, but these two, gumshoes, are picking up the slack…" her chest vibrated as she sang me the calm down song without missing one word. I felt such warmth coming from her, such caring… "Want me to sing it again?" she asked softly and I nodded against her, and she started over, this time I sang along shakily. When we were done I leaned back in the chair and wiped my eyes on my handkerchief. Jasper had sat down on the floor and had put her hands on my knees. "Tell me what happened" she said. I took a deep breath.
"It was the day after I had found out about the tumor… I came to the hospital with my parents for an MRI and I didn't want to cry in front of them so I forced myself to wait and when I was in the machine and…"
"You could finally let go" Jasper nodded slowly. "I remember… That moment in Echo…"
I was about to apologize when I remembered that they had both told me not to. I dabbed at my eyes instead. The memory of being Echo made me feel better and my shoulders sagged.
"We should go to Greg" I said hoarsely.
"Are you sure?" Jasper asked with a concerned look on her face.
"Yes… He must be so afraid… Oh, man" I felt a stab of guilt. How long had he been sitting there alone? "Let's hurry" Jasper got up and dusted herself off before she pushed my chair through the corridors to the waiting area. When we arrived Greg was sitting on a chair in the otherwise empty waiting room, head leaning against the wall and looking into the ceiling.
"Sorry we took so long" I said with an apologetic half smile. "Have you heard anything?"
"Only that it'd be a while…" Greg said in a hollow voice.
"Do you want us to call someone? Do you need anything?"
"Garnet and Amethyst would want to know…" he said slowly and reached into his pocket and handed his phone to me. "Would you mind…? I… I can't… can't…" he trailed off. I exchanged a worried look with Jasper, then scrolled through Greg's contacts and pressed the one named STEVEN HOME. Several signals went through before it connected.
"Hello" Garnet's calm voice answered.
"Garnet? Hi, it's Erica. Um" I had no idea how to phrase myself. "You… you should come to the hospital, Steven's… Steven had a seizure and now he's getting an MRI. We found a car wreck on the way to the hospital – he healed a little girl and her father, saved their lives…"
"We'll be right there" she said shortly and hung up. I stared at the phone.
"They're on their way" I said and gave it back to Greg, then took him by the hand. "Steven will be OK, Greg, I'm absolutely sure" he looked at me worriedly.
"You really think so?" he asked in a very small voice. I nodded silently and he began to cry, squeezing my hand fiercely.
"He's a quartz" Jasper said reassuringly. "It takes more than a bump on the head to take us down"
It was agonizing to wait. I had never been on this end of the equation before. I knew I had reassured Greg that Steven would be OK, but the worry gnawed at me as I thought about all the things that could be wrong with him. Had he hit his head again when we helped the people out of the car? Had it all just been too strenuous and this was a reaction to the concussion? Did he have a brain bleed? Would he be in a coma? What if he never woke up again?
After what felt like half a century the door opened and Steven was rolled out on his bed by one of the nurses from upstairs. Greg was on his feet in an instant.
"How's he doing? What did the MRI tell you? Is he going to be OK?" he rambled as he stroked his son's head nervously.
"The doctors are looking at the images as we speak. We have the best neurologist in Delmarva visiting us for a conference, Doctor Johansen. She'll be by to give you the result in just a few minutes time. We'll take him back to his room" we followed the nurse back to the elevator, Greg walking next to the gurney to hold Steven's little hand. When we arrived back on our floor we found a distraught looking Amethyst pacing back and forth behind a fuming Garnet arguing with a harassed looking nurse.
"Garnet!" Amethyst shouted as she saw us approaching. "There they are!"
The two of them came to meet us, the nurse looking very relieved to be left alone.
"How's he doing? What happened?" Amethyst asked worriedly.
"We don't really know" Greg said weakly. "The doctor is looking at the MRI pictures right now"
The nurse pushed Steven's bed back into his room and hooked him up to a heart monitor and took a blood pressure measurement and his temperature, scribbled the results down on his chart and then left without saying anything.
Garnet sat down with her head in her hands and removed her shades and started to rub her eyes.
"Can't you tell how he's doing?" I asked her worriedly. "See what's gonna happen?"
"I can't concentrate" she said weakly. "Tell me what happened after you drove off from the Maheswarans" to my surprise, Jasper took the initiative and retold the events in detail, as if she was giving a report.
"He healed two people?" Amethyst asked, looking at Garnet worriedly.
"Is… is that why it happened? Was it too much for him?" my eyebrows knit together. Is that why she asked me to refuse his offer to heal me? She knew it could hurt him after the concussion? Garnet met my gaze and I knew it was true before she opened her mouth.
"Most likely" she said slowly.
There was a knock at the door and a tall woman came inside, accompanied by a nurse.
"Good evening" she said in a business like voice and swept over our group with a steely gaze.
"H-hello" Greg said as he stood up to shake her hand. "Are you Doctor Johansen?"
"Yes, I am. And I have good news" it felt like two metric tons of pressure had been lifted from the room and suddenly it was so much easier to breathe.
"Yes?" Greg asked hopefully.
"Your son's MRI was clear – no bleeding, no swelling, no fractures. In my opinion, the seizure was the result of him over extending himself too soon after sustaining a concussion, and the fever helped things along as well"
"So he's OK?" Greg asked.
"He will be. He will need to remain in the hospital for observation for at least a week and he needs a lot of rest. And when I say rest I mean bed rest. Minimal cognitive activity, which means little to no technological interaction and no homework. And not too many people visiting him at once" she looked around at all of us sternly.
Greg sat down in a chair with a relieved sigh. "He's going to be OK… Thank you Doctor Johansen, thank you so much"
Doctor Johansen signed Steven's chart, gave it to the nurse, nodded at us and then left.
"Thank the gods…" I said, feeling the air go out of me. Amethyst went over to Greg and hugged him and Garnet patted him on the shoulder.
"He's going to be fine" Garnet said softly to him and then smiled.
"Oh, my heart can't take much more of this…" Greg mumbled and put his hand on his chest.
Amethyst sat down by Steven's feet and patted him on the leg. "You've got to stop scaring us like this, little man. I'm getting worry wrinkles…"
"They look good on you though" Garnet said with a grin and Amethyst blew a raspberry at her. The conversation became lighter and after a few minutes Greg had fallen asleep in his chair. Garnet draped a blanket over him, then went to kiss Steven on the forehead.
"We should let both of them rest" she said quietly and all of us moved out into the hallway. I felt absolutely exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep in my own bed, wrapped up in Jasper's wonderful scent. It wasn't even nine in the evening.
"We'll come by tomorrow around lunch; will you tell Greg if you see him before then?" Garnet asked me and Jasper and we both nodded.
"Hey Amethyst" Jasper said tiredly. "Could you feed Cake again? I'm gonna stay here"
"Sure thing, Jayster…" we waved goodbye.
Back in my room Jasper sat down on my bed with her legs either side of it and I smiled as she patted her belly for me to come lay down. I climbed up and leaned against her with a sigh.
"Do you think the people from the car are OK?" she asked me softly.
"They'd better be after all this" I yawned hugely and Jasper chuckled and put her hand on my stomach and rubbed it slightly. "Mmm, that feels nice" I mumbled and patted her thigh sleepily. "Are you OK?"
"Me? Yeah… How are you?"
"Tired"
"You should sleep then, honey" she whispered with a smile in her voice.
"You have such good ideas, beastie" I snuggled into her shirt and closed my eyes.
*I made it into a little song lol (I can't really sing, but I gave it a go) – search YouTube for: "When we share it all together Connie's birthday song"
Please review! It helps me out a lot! (And it makes me really happy :))