Disclaimer: Characters, settings, names from the cartoon television show 'Steven Universe' are creations and property of Rebecca sugar and Cartoon network. Any non-steven universe characters, settings, names, Gems, Gem powers, beliefs, mythology are my own creation.

Author's Note: Sorry for the late update my fellow authors, followers and fans. I was busy with other business. With Connie in the hospital, Connie lets Steven know about what happened to her and about her condition. All the while, Pearl and Carlos contemplate a relationship together.

Tags: Steven Universe, Connie Maheswaran, Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet, OC's Beach City, Gem Powers, Romance, Adventure, Comfort, Destiny.

Music Inspiration for Chapter: "Better for You" By:Said The Whale.

Chapter 5: Get Well Soon

Saturday

2, May 2016, 2:30 [Afternoon]

Palmyra Hospital, Room 7

"I was looking for the shining glint that I noticed in my peripheral vision. Steven's pet lion tried to stop me, but I just went on towards looking for what was causing that glint. When I found out it was a Gem stone, I listened to the vocal message and then went back to rejoin Steven at camp. When I went to show Steven, it had vanished. Only now I think it had fused with me in the time between when I found the gem and when I reached the camp. That's what happened, I swear."

Connie's father who was sitting next to her, kept his arms crossed and a scowl on his face while his daughter explained what had happened to her.

"By the sound of your story Connie, it sounds like this was all your fault. If you hadn't decided to go and hang out with Steven and his odd ball family, you wouldn't be in this predicament."

Connie didn't take her father's insult of Steven and The crystal gems lightly. She responded in a manner that shocked her mother and father.

"Don't ever insult Steven or The crystal gems in front of me again, dad. You don't know the kind of life he's had or what he's gone through without his mom. He's a lot more closer to the gems and his dad than I feel to you two right now."

"Connie!" her mother interjected.

"I like Steven! Mom...Dad. And he likes me back. If this gem fused into my chest just over my heart is destiny, then I embrace it. It means i'll be closer to the power, if any this gem has, and that means i'll be just like Steven."

Mr. Mehaswaran uncrossed his arms and stood up from his chair in a heartbeat.

"You and Steven can remain friends, but anything further than that is Prohibited. Do you hear me Connie?... I said did you hear me!"

"I hear you dad. Mom give me my phone, I want to text Steven."

Mrs. Maheswaran searched inside of Connie's bag that she brought with her when she went out for a bike ride. She handed the phone over to Connie. Connie turned her phone on and swiped her finger across the screen to search for Steven in the contacts app.

Crystal Temple, Beach City

3:10 [Afternoon]

Lying down on a pool chair eating from a bag of potato chips. Amethyst wore a black one piece bikini and sunglasses. She kept her white hair in a ponytail. Standing on the beach shore training not to far from her, was Steven who was currently under the watch and mentor-ship of Amethyst. But as of right now, Amethyst only seemed preoccupied with finishing her bag of chips.

"What was Garnet teaching you Steven, from there just keep working on that."

"She was teaching me how to create wooden and plant dummies. But It's more difficult to...make and even more harder to control."

"Well it sounds like it's all about trial and error. Mmm, these potato chips really taste amazing. I gotta get more" Amethyst said.

Amethyst jumped out of her pool chair and ran back to the temple to grab some more chips. Steven removed his shirt and placed his hands together. Due to all the training he underwent with Garnet and Pearl, Steven's small but developing body showed signs of muscles in his arms, chest, back and abdomen. Concentrating his mind on the power of his gem, Steven balled up his hands and pressed his hands down on the sand below him.

Several vines snaked out of the sand and coiled around to form a clone of himself. Pushing his power to it's current control limit, Steven covered the Plant clone of himself in wood that grew out from the sand and attached itself on to the Steven dummy.

The level of concentration Steven put to create one dummy took its toll on him, but not to the point where he lost control. Steven ordered his wooden dummy to face him, and face him it did. Steven held his right hand up over his head.

"High five wooden Steven!" Steven told his clone.

Wooden Steven raised his left hand over his head and smacked it against Steven's raised hand.

"Yeah!...Ow, that kind of hurt."

"Steven!" Steven heard Garnet calling him.

Garnet had jumped up from the stairs of The beach house and landed near Steven's location on the beach. Steven undid wooden Steven and waved goodbye at his clone. He turned around and watched Garnet hand him his phone.

"Hey Garnet, what's wrong."

"Connie sent you a text. She's sent you several actually. I think that means she wants to talk to you."

"Oh! Thank you garnet."

"How's the wooden dummy technique coming along Steven."

"It's coming along alright. I'm trying to create wooden lions. The idea is to pin down corrupted gems and hold them in place before I can encase them in one of my bubbles."

"Sounds like it's going to be an amazing technique Steven." Garnet told him.

Steven unlocked his phone and took a seat on Amethyst's Pool chair. He relaxed back and checked out the messages Connie had sent him.

[Connie's Text Messages]

"Hey Steven, you weren't answering your phone. I figured I send you a text. Text me back when you get this message."

"You still aren't picking up your phone, maybe you're busy. I'll try you later"

Connie's messages weren't long, but they sounded more needy the more Steven read them. Steven connected to Connie and texted away.

"Connie, you there?"

"Steven, it's so good to chat with you. I wanted to tell you that I'm here in the hospital. I blacked out while I was riding outside in the park on my bike earlier."

"Are you Ok Connie? Do you want me to visit you?"

"No, you don't have to do that. Besides, my parents won't allow visitors to come see me. Not that I have anyone else but you Steven."

"That's good to hear. What caused you to black out Connie?"

"I was watching the memories of Smoky Quartz, the previous owner of the gem embedded on my chest. Steven, you're not going to believe just how powerful Smoky was. He spoke to your mother Steven."

"What!? How do you know this? You're not pulling my leg are you?"

"No. there was a large battle on Mars thousands of years ago Steven. And when Commander Smoky defeated the last of the bad gems, he left for Earth to help your mother fight off the few gems who got around The Mars defense line and landed on earth. But his injuries were to grave and he landed in the emerald hills forest and left this message."

"What message Connie." Steven replied.

"My name is commander Smoky Quartz. The enemies came from their Jupiter outpost. We managed to hold them off at Mars. The armies of the mad Goddess Taaffeite have been repelled. Word is there are Rebel Gem armies on earth who have sided with the rebellion. May The Great Red Beryl watch over all of her children...Steven, that rebel army that he was talking about was your mother. She took up the defense of the earth."

Steven took his time to fully grasp the news he heard from Connie. Coming right back to lay down on the pool chair, Amethyst saw Steven lying down and staring at the screen of his phone.

"Hey Shrimp, you're on my chair, get off." Amethyst told Steven.

But Steven was to focused on his screen and in his own thoughts to hear anything around him. Only when Amethyst straddled him and slowly took the phone from his hands. She turned the phone around and read everything Steven and Connie have been texting about.

"No way! Connie's also a half gem like you. Aww steven."

"Give me my phone back Amethyst, I have to tell Connie something."

Amethyst jumped off of Steven and shape shifted into a hawk and flew towards the Beach house, laughing. Steven turned serious long enough for his gem to glow brightly. He placed his hands down on the ground and summoned long wooden hands to sprout out of the sand and grab Amethyst out of the sky.

"Whoa! What the?" Amethyst felt herself descending back down and shapeshift back into her normal form.

"Did I just shape-shift without my control? Steven..." Steven brought Amethyst back down and dissolved the wooden hand.

Steven took his phone back and went walking off on his own. Leaving Amethyst confused and curious about what just happened.

Beach City Boardwalk, Beach City

3:30 [Afternoon]

Walking down the boardwalk of Beach City Funland. Pearl and Carlos walked together side by side, but Pearl still so unfamiliar with Human affections and relationships, naturally kept her distance. Pearl's choice of clothing for today was something she hasn't wore since Rose was alive. Purple pastel shorts, a green top with a white see through pancho like tutu around it. Green flats on her feet and pink leg warmers.

Carlos wore khaki cargo shorts, white running shoes. A green and black long sleeved flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a black tank top underneath. He wore sunglasses as he walked next to Pearl. The topic of their conversations were something Pearl definitely would not Steven to be around until he was older.

"I understand that you love me Carlos. But I still don't know what that means for me. That small uum... kiss that you gave me. I don't know why, but I couldn't stop...thinking about it."

"You couldn't stop thinking about it...or me? Or is it both of them."

"I feel the need to want to be closer to you, but my knowledge of human life spans and the many issues your species go through keeps me from returning your feelings."

"Let's see, I'm human with a limited life span. I might fall to sickness, old age, might get killed. I suffer from many common things as do people and animals all around the world. Life is not meant to go on forever, that's why it's important for even seemingly immortal beings like yourself to at least connect to someone, even just one person."

"And that someone is you?"

"I told you how I felt about you. When I said I fell in love with you pearl, I meant that I fell in love with not just how you looked. You're pale skin is beautiful, your eyes ensnared me and your overall personality is found attractive. Think of relationships like this, the meeting of two personalities can be a lot like two different chemicals coming into contact. If there is any reaction, then both are transformed."

"When you put It into that kind of context, I can see why Rose and Greg's relationship seemed to work for them."

Carlos stopped walking and approached the rail and grabbed it. He looked out towards the sea and waited for pearl to stop and realize he had stopped following her.

"You know Carlos, even though I'm a little apprehensive about this whole thing-" Pearl turned around and saw that Carlos stopped following her.

She saw him looking out towards the sea. Pearl walked over to him and stopped next to him, Carlos noticed her and chuckled.

"What's so funny Carlos."

"Nothing. Well, I was just thinking about where I would take you if we ever were to become boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Boyfriend and Girlfriend?"

"Yeah."

"Do you do anything special when you're boyfriend and girlfriend." Pearl asked him.

Carlos took his shades off and hung them on the pocket of his flannel shirt. He stood before Pearl who blushed and looked away. Pearl felt Carlo's arm wrapping around her back and slowly pulling her closer to him. Carlos blushed and smiled seeing pearl's cheeks turning bluer and bluer. Pearl's uncertainty gave way a smile.

"No, you don't really do anything special when you're boyfriend and girlfriend. But you can make days, events and get togethers...special. Pearl, I have a question for you."

"What is it?"

"Will you, be my girlfriend."

Pearl was in an uncomfortable spot, how will she respond to Carlos's wish.

Crystal Temple, Beach House

3:40 [Afternoon]

Lying down on his bed and giggling. Steven had been speaking, or rather texting Connie for almost an hour. He had kept his phone connected to its charger so it wouldn't die out on him. Garnet came walking out of of the crystal temple door and looked around and saw Steven pressing away on his phone, or as Pearl called it; communication device.

Garnet went walking up the steps leading up to his bed. She stopped in front of Steven's bed, adjusted her shades and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Eh hum." Garnet uttered.

Steven continued to giggle, completely oblivious that Garnet was staring right at him.

"Steven...Steven!" Garnet said a little louder.

"Oh, Yes Garnet."

"You've been on that phone for almost an hour, reaching the second hour. Have you been training in your spare time as much as you have been chatting with Connie."

"I decided to cut my training in half today. Connie is in the hospital because of that deal with the gem in her chest. She said that she saw memories of Smoky Quartz and that he and my mom had kept in contact before he died. Why have you never told me."

"I was unaware of that piece of Information Steven. Your mother was entitled to her own set of secrets like anyone else. If Smoky and Rose communicated with each other, then only Connie and Smoky know. Now, say goodbye to Connie and turn off the phone. I want to see how far you've gotten with your gem powers."

"Why?"

"Because I have plans to take you on future missions. But that's only if you have improved."

"Alright." Steven grudgingly replied. He texted one last thing to Connie before turning off his phone.

Palmyra Hospital, Room 7

3:45 [Afternoon]

Lying down on her bed waiting for Steven's next text message. Connie perked up on her bed when she saw Steven's message for her.

"Garnet wants me to show her how far i've gotten in my training. I have to go Connie, but I promise I'll send you something before the day is done. See you later Connie."

Connie sent a reply almost as quickly as she received Steven's message. "Ok, make sure to give it your best Steven. And I'll be leaving the hospital tomorrow, i'll see you later. Bye."

Connie turned her phone off and placed it off to her side. She placed her hands on her chest and closed her eyes. Chatting with Steven was just what she needed to make her forget about the things her parents said about him earlier.

7:00 [Evening]

Later on in the day while Connie was asleep and her parents gone for the day. A Pink pigeon landed on the edge of Connie's window and pecked itself under it's pink wings. He looked left to right and phased right through the window. It flew around Connie's hospital room and landed on her night stand. It glowed with a faint light that made Connie turn and open her eyes.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Her eyes noticed a pink faint glow to her side. She turned and saw a small glowing pink pigeon. It stared at her and started to speak.

"Hi Connie, it's me Steven. If you're getting this message then that means my ability to create energy constructs and keep them stable for hours was successful. I wanted to wish you a speedy recovery, I hope that when you leave the hospital we can hang out together. So um, yeah. I hope you get better and I'll be waiting for you. See ya later Connie."

The pink pigeon landed on Connie's open hand and gave her a kiss on her cheek. Connie blushed and got out of her bed to release Steven's pigeon construct out the window. She pulled the window up and stuck her hand out. Steven's pigeon flapped it's wings and flew away.

As it flew further away, it disintegrated, leaving a pink trail of sparkles.

"Wow...Steven." she said his name tenderly.

- Continued in Chapter 6