Broken 💔

Chapter 16

Another week had passed with continued therapy sessions. It was very rough at first and Steven cried a few times. But Pearl joined him for a couple sessions which provided him with comfort and security. Eventually it got easier and Steven opened up more. He still has nightmares and panic attacks, but he's definitely made progress 

Besides, he was more focused on Connie's birthday party. Her whole family showed up, as well as Steven's entire family. There was a huge spread of snacks and a delicious vanilla cake to top it off. Steven went with a Unfamiliar Familiar theme, which they frequently bonded over

Connie put on a special red dress for the occasion. While Steven pranced around in a suit. Although he was going through a lot, he still wanted to look presentable in public. Especially with it being Connie's special day

He was enjoying everyone's company, until those sharp pains in his side came back. Steven didn't want to ruin her birthday so he put on a brave face and tried to hide it until he got home

Connie came up to him and gave a hug. He winced a bit from the pain but continued to push. "Thank you so much for the party Steven. This is probably the best birthday I've ever had. Uh are you okay Steven?"

He noticed he was sweating a lot. The pain gradually became worse. "Oh, yeah I'm fine."

Connie became increasingly worried. "Are you sure? You look a little pale." Steven tried so hard to keep it together. He began panting and felt really hot. "I'll get you a drink. Be right back." Connie sprinted towards a table to grab a water bottle 

Steven had to squat a bit and continued panting. Suddenly he felt light headed and dizzy. By the time Connie turned around, Steven had blacked out and fainted on the floor. "Steven!" She immediately ran to his side and called for help

"Mr Universe! Pearl! Help please!" Connie's eyes welled up with tears. The parental figures acted on instinct and rushed to their son. Greg carefully scooped him up in his arms

"We need to get him to the emergency room. Don't worry Connie, he'll be okay." Even though the girl was crying, she placed her trust in Greg to keep Steven safe

They rushed the boy into the van and headed towards the nearest emergency room. Pearl offered to drive after having experienced it when she chased that mysterious lady. They arrived within 5 minutes 

45 minutes later, Steven finally came to. He found himself in a hospital room wearing an IV. He looked over to see Pearl sitting at his bedside. "Pearl? What happened?" His vision was a tad blurry 

"Hey Steven. Everything is okay. You are just really ill. You gotta rest for a while." Pearl noticed that her baby was crying. "Honey what's wrong?"

"I ruined Connie's birthday. She probably hates me now." She felt so bad for Steven. She gave him a sympathetic look

"Oh Steven, she doesn't hate you. She was worried sick about you. All she wanted was for you to be safe." Pearl kissed him gently on the forehead. A minute later, the doctor walked in. They took off Steven's IV and instructed to routinely put a cold rag on him to help relieve his 103 degree fever. They eventually handed over the discharge papers and sent some pain medication. Pearl told Greg and he arrived within a few minutes 

With being so sick, Steven was very lethargic. Everything was hazy and felt like a dream. He was awake but tired at the same time

Pearl helped him out to the van as the doctor released them. Once they got home, she sent Steven straight to bed to his reluctance. However as soon as he layed down and took the med the doctor prescribed him for his body pains, he was out like a light. Pearl placed a cold rag on his forehead per the doctor's request and went back downstairs 

With contemplating on what to do next, she decided to pay Lapis a visit. Hopefully she could provide a different insight