Templeschool

28. Making Things Better

Priyanka sighed as she watched Greg run up the stairs. "Dr. Maheswaran! Steven called me while you were with Twoie. Is he okay? I figured it was just a cold or something."

She held her hands out in a placating manner. "Everything is fine. I was called because Twoie had some unusual bruising on his hand that didn't seem to go away. It looks like a normal bruise, but I don't know what to make of it, so I'm going to keep an eye on him. His fever was from exhaustion and stress. I've already scolded the gems for their role in his condition, but you have some explaining yourself to do."

Greg raised a brow in confusion. "Okay? Go ahead. I'll answer the best I can, but any gem stuff is probably better waiting until you talk to the gems again."

She blinked at his wording. "You mean you don't keep up with everything your son does if it involves the gems?"

The worried father nodded. "Steven tells me about his adventures, but I'm generally not involved in them. I don't understand any of that magic stuff, and I do my best to keep out of it. It's why Steven lives with the gems. Since he's half gem, I figured they would be able to help him with his powers." The weary lady sat down on the porch chair again. Greg looked startled as she rubbed her eyes with her hand. "Uh, are you okay? You seem really stressed out."

Priyanka just gestured to the empty chair across from her. "Why do you all have to be so difficult?" The man wasn't sure what to make of her statement. With a deep sigh, Priyanka steeled herself for the headache-inducing discussion. "Okay. The first issue I want to talk with you about is Steven's medical record."

The dad smiled, "Oh, there must be a mistake. Steven's never been to the doctors. I'm not sure who's record you saw, but it wasn't Steven's." He flinched when the doctor glared at him.

"That's exactly the problem! Why have you never taken Steven to the doctors? Children need to be given check-ups, physicals, vaccinations! Necessary medical details that depict if Steven has allergies to any foods, medications, or supplies. Do you at least remember the hospital he was born in?" She was doing her best to reign in her anger. Unlike the gems, Greg knew about human health and should've known better.

Greg nervously rubbed his arm. "Uh, actually... Steven wasn't born in a hospital." He brushed a hand through his hair when he saw her hands clench into fists. "I couldn't just take him to the doctors when his mom was an alien! Do you know how hard it would've been to explain the large glowing woman who disappeared and left behind a baby with a gem in his stomach? Who knows how they would've treated him?"

Priyanka wanted to yell at him, but she it was hard when she understood his thought process. Greg wanted to protect his son, so he did what he thought was right. "You could have brought Steven to the doctors as a baby who was born at home. They could've made sure he was healthy for a baby. You took a big risk, Greg. What if there had been any complications with being part gem? Or if he got sick because he'd never been vaccinated?" She froze, then facepalmed. A sudden realization made her even more stressed. "He doesn't have a birth certificate... does he..." Her companion's silence was only the confirmation she needed.

"Greg! This is serious! Your son is missing important documentation! He doesn't have a social security number, no birth certificate, he won't be able to get a license or get a job or anything without it!" She stood up and opened the door to the house. "Your son has a laptop. We are going inside right now, and you are going to fill out all of the necessary forms for him to get the documents he needs. And in the future, he will be getting seen regularly by me at the hospital I work at." The man nodded and followed her inside.

When Priyanka entered the beach house, the first thing she did was check on Steven and Twoie. The older brother was still asleep while the younger was chatting quietly with Peridot and Connie. They all turned to face her when she climbed up the stairs. "Hi, Dr. Maheswaran!" Steven jumped off the bed so she could see Twoie better. She nodded a thank you to him as she gently placed the back of her hand on his head. Twoie was still a little warm, but it seemed like his fever was getting better.