I combed my pompadour hair to a top as I fixed my wrinkled shirt so that I wouldn't look like a careless person. I put on some refreshing cologne on my neck and slightly on my shirt. I stared at my reflection and realized how handsome look. It never came to my intuition of this fact. I must've forgotten a lot of my features.
I checked the time on my watch and it was only a minute to eight o'clock—we're already late for his appointment.
I knocked on the bathroom door to check what he's doing. "Steven," I called. "Uh, it's already eight and we're supposed to go. I have to do the laundry when we get back." But he didn't respond. It almost felt as though something's going on inside that I couldn't guess. I worried me, which was a bad thing.
"Steven, are you okay in there?" I knocked again.
"J-Just a minute."
I sighed, relieved. "Okay, but you need to hurry; I called Dr. O'Connell and told him that we're on our way."
I waited patiently as I decided to fix his bed which was a mess, not gonna lie. I distracted myself by doing it, but I kept my focus on what he's doing in the bathroom. I couldn't help myself but wonder what he might be doing: Is he preventing himself from going to his appointment? Why does he have to lock himself from it?
What is he doing in there?
I finished cleaning up his bed and he still hasn't come out of the bathroom, unless something might've happened to him. I banged my door in the most aggressive way. "Steven, it's been long enough what're you doing in there?"
There was no response. Something's not right and I don't like the sound of it.
I took a few steps back and with full strength, I punched the door open. I reached for the doorknob and clicked the lock. When I swung the door open forcibly, Steven was fixing his sweater looking at the mirror.
He looked at me with a questionable expression. "What?"
I furrowed my brow in confusion. He was only fixing his sweater, what took him so long? I snapped out of the awkward silence. "Nothing, I was...checking on what's happening."
"I'm fine, Pink, nothing to worry about," Steven assured. "Grab the keys and let's go, we don't wanna lose our appointment." He stepped out of the bathroom normally as if everything's fine. A quick glance I made, I became curious when I noticed a red smudge on his other sleeve.
"What's that on your sleeve?" I asked.
He looked at his stained sleeve. "Oh, this? It's just toothpaste. You already know my toothpaste is colored red, right? It kinda' accidentally caused a stain when I tried putting on the toothbrush and it fell on top of it."
I tried to catch a glimpse of his expression, but he intended to look away. "Are you lying to me?"
He looked at me with his brow furrowed. "No, why would I lie to you?"
I didn't respond.
He left me behind as he got out. I picked up his bag and took the car keys above the cabinet. We hopped inside the Dondai and made our way to Dr. O'Connell's Therapy Center.
I kept checking on Steven from time to time and I couldn't get the thought off of that red smudge on his sleeves. For some reason, I couldn't be so certain if it was blood, but partially, I'm very much into that possibility. It may be his red toothpaste like he said, but I felt skeptical. Not that I don't believe him, but because he probably was trying to hide something from me, in a way. I could sense that he might be, based on what I've observed so far: his eyes was nervous, almost like he's panicking. Although that's all I could ever prove, I'm not even remotely confident with it.
What are you hiding, Steven?
I pulled to a stop in front of Dr. O'Connell's Therapy Center. We got out and headed toward the front door. It automatically opened when we stepped on the front mattress. A nurse approached us as soon as we entered.
The nurse gave us a smile. "Steven, how can I help you?"
"We're looking for Dr. O'Connell?" Steven asked.
"Ah, yes," said the Nurse. "He's been waiting for you in his office."
We returned it with a smile as well. We shifted toward the stairs, heading at the third floor. At a long corridor with lights beaming as nurses and doctors passed by us, they kept looking at us, me specifically. Their stare was intimidating to watch, I daresay. A few patients did the same thing in an unusual stare which was uncomfortable.
The last door at the end of the corridor with Dr. O'Connell's name plated on the wall, we knocked. He responded from the inside, saying that we should enter. I swung the door open and he was taking a book out of his shelf.
He spoke, "Ah! Steven, just in time. I just finished my favorite morning coffee and egg pie from my wife, she made it for me and I'm completely obsessed with it."
"I, uh, I'm sorry that I didn't visit you for five sessions already. I'm a bit off on schedule," he replied.
"No worries, my dear. In fact, those days when you were gone, I've been in one heck of a ride of patients too." He turned to face us and was entirely surprised when he saw me. It almost seemed like he saw a ghost. "Oh my goodness—what is going on?"
Steven introduced me, "Oh, this is my gem, Pink."
"Hello," I greeted.
He made a weird wave of his hand with a weird expression coated on his face. "Well, uh, nice to meet you." He put the book down and went in front. "Now, Steven, go ahead and sit down."
Steven sat on the cushion as Dr. O'Connell sat across another cushion with a document in his hand. I went over to the side.
"Okay, what I'm going to do is, I'm going to perform EMDR; I'm going to ask you some questions and you're going to answer them. You need to focus on me, okay?"
Steven nodded.
Dr. O'Connell showed both his index finger and middle finger and moved it from left-to-right in a moderate tempo. Steven kept looking at his fingers occasionally which it shouldn't be done.
"Focus on me, not my fingers."
He stopped seconds later and then questioned him, "Now tell me: what have you been doing recently?"
"Well, I've closed myself for days, not eating normally, not going to work, haven't been socializing to anyone—I've kinda' been depressed lately."
Dr. O'Connell leaned a bit closer. "What causes you to feel depressed?"
Steven couldn't respond.
"Okay, look at me, Steven." Dr. O'Connell performed EMDR again, he stopped a few seconds after.
"It's, uh..." Steven slightly furrowed his brow as he heaved a sigh.
"Take your time."
Steven began weeping, accompanied with frequent sniffs. "I...I've been in a horrible breakup with my girlfriend. She cheated on me and ghosted me just like that. Worst part is, they had sex. There was this...person, who tried to warn me about her actions and sent me a video of her and the other guy in his bedroom doing that.
He grabbed a tissue from his side and wiped off the tears and his running nose. "It shattered me—I felt like, I'm completely scattered as I ran out of hope. I feel...scared, anxious, angry, sad—the list goes on. I don't know what to feel anymore. Then all of a sudden, I felt totally nothing, like literally nothing."
"How long have you been depressed?"
"Two weeks and a day, perhaps."
"Any other things that bother you?"
Steven looked at me with a plain and serious look. "My gem, Pink."
"You mean him?" He pointed at me.
Steven explained, "I took him off of my belly for a while because of the pain I felt beforehand. A few hours later, I gained so much weakness and my skins turned sensitive. It's like I'm draining all the energy inside of my body every single day, and I couldn't seem to avoid not doing so."
"Can I see it?" requested Dr. O'Connell. "Your belly button?"
Steven sighed again. He lifted up his sweater and revealed a horrific, gross version of his belly button. A bit of blood was popping out of it and it was swollen, turning into red. So that's why he took so long in the bathroom. He didn't want to tell me about it, he didn't want to worry about it.
Dr. O'Connell jolted in disgust, along with a grunt. "My goodness! Your belly button, it's—"
"Getting worse? Yes, it is."
"You need to get checked out by a doctor fast!"
"No need. It's more like of a gem condition."
"Gem condition or not, you still need to be examined at once," insisted he. "You have a human body, and it'll be much better if it is being treated while it's still a minor damage with some prescribed medicines like Loperamide and also for neuropathic pain, such as Amitriptyline and Acetaminophens. I do suggest you go talk to my friend Dr. Luis Freeman, he's a doctor and surgeon at the Medical Center."
"Alright, I will," responded Steven.
"Happy to help. But may I talk to your, uh, gem, is that okay?"
He nodded as he got out of the room to give us some privacy to talk. I sat on the cushion where Steven was, Dr. O'Connell didn't leave his place. He made several checks and notes on his documents and put it on top of his table the instant he finished it.
He crossed his legs. "He is suffering from a normal stress response. It triggered him somehow due to the breakup he had undergone."
"Is it a bad thing?"
"Well, this is a mild type of PTSD and can be treated within a few weeks. Just give him time to do something different so that he could forget that traumatic event he had experienced. Also, I will see him next time so that we could perform the CBT, the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy."
I trailed my eyes off, thinking about Steven's condition. It's sad to see and realize that in that state, how insane it is that he's trying to handle and carry that predicament for almost every day.
I just want him to feel better and get better at some point.
"Luis," started Dr. O'Connell. "He's a great doctor here in Overland Park Regional Medical Center. We've been friends since high school and our passion for being a Doctor, was strong, although we ended up in different types of being a doctor and not being in the same rank. He's more advanced than I am but still, our friendship is bonded. I've seen him do surgeries and I am totally confident he can make Steven better.
"I have hope for that kid, you know? He had suffered so much when he was twelve. He's a brave boy when he talked to me all of his problems. Honestly, he feels like a son to me; it reminded me of my son who passed away because of...suicide. That pushed me out of my comfort zone to be a therapist. I can see the parallel of his and Steven's traits, like he's still alive, waiting for me to come home. I don't want him to feel what he felt, and I feared that with his depression and his belly button that was undeniably swelling...it's just life-threatening, even at his age. Critical, if that's the right word."
"I understand."
His words hit me to the core. Both he and I worried for Steven's sake, and we don't want something bad to happen.
We got out of the Therapy Center. I hopped inside the Dondai, but Steven remained still. I lowered the car window and looked at him. "Is there a problem?"
"No, nothing," Steven said. "So, uh, where we heading now?"
"To the Medical Center. We need your belly button to be checked out, like Dr. O'Connell told us to do."
"Okay." He hopped in the back seat and put on his seatbelt.
"You don't like it here?"
"I just want to try sitting in the back. Also, because I want to extend my feet."
I produced a soft smirk and started the ignition. I stepped on the clutch and drove all the way to the Overland Park Regional Medical Center. I opened the radio and listened to some music while driving.
Steven called me after a minute or two and asked, "Aren't you supposed to be mad, or at least, upset of me for not telling you the truth?"
"What's the point of madness when it doesn't make you feel better?" I smiled at him through the mirror. "What matters is you. I'm worried about you, Steven. I don't know what I would do if you leave me behind."
I looked at him through the mirror and his face was red. "Are you blushing again?"
"Nope! I'm reading a magazine." He pulled a magazine instantly and covered his face. He made whistling sounds. By and by, he kept peering from behind the magazine. I tend not to look away for I enjoyed observing him being so denial.
It made me...happy.
I pulled to a stop as both of us went inside the hospital. Afar a distance was a nurse, scanning the documents in front on her. We sprinted toward her.
"We're looking for Dr. Luis Freeman?" I asked.
"He's right behind you." He pointed someone from behind us as we turned to face it.
A man in his 40s wearing a coat, white as a bath soap. Underneath was a blue checkered polo, ironed to perfection. A stethoscope wrapped around his neck, half-moon specs like Dumbledore's, pens in his chest pocket, aligned by color, and a nametag of his name.
Dr. Luis Tucker Freeman.
He looked at us with his brow furrowed, seemingly wondering to why we were staring at him in a curious manner. He walked over to us and asked, "Can I help you?"
Steven returned it with a question, "Dr. Freeman, right?"
He nodded.
"Uh, Dr. O'Connell sent me to get my belly button checked? He told me that I should have an acquaintance with you."
His brow now raised in realization. "So, you're Steven Universe?"
Steven nodded with a smile as his response.
"I just talked to him a few seconds ago and he said I was going to expect you today." He turned to face his side. "Follow me, we need to run some tests on you. You have to undergo a CT scan."
We entered the elevator all the way up to the fourth floor where a CT scan is being performed. We entered the first room as soon as we got out. Dr. Freeman went over to the cabinets and took one hospital gown.
He lent the gown to Steven. "Can I see that belly button of yours?"
Steven lifted his shirt up.
He examined his belly button, leaning toward it with narrowed eyes. "This looks like a minor swelling, but we need to scan you first. Now, go change."
Steven went over to the bathroom to get changed. A minute later, he got out and gave me his clothes. He tried to cover his back by stretching the gown, but his butt cheeks were still revealing. I looked away.
He lay down on the table as he was rolled inside to be scanned. While in the process of the examination, I asked Dr. Freeman if Steven will be okay or will he be cured or not, all he responded was—
"I cannot give you the assurance because we haven't determined yet what his problem is. Once I found got the results, I might give you the answer to that question."
After a short pause, he asked me a question due to curiosity. He stared at the monitor in front of him. "Don't mind me asking but, what exactly is the cause of this?"
"He pulled me out," I said. "I'm his gem."
He looked at me with a confused countenance. "His what?"
"His gemstone. Steven is a gem-human hybrid, it might be confusing to comprehend, but it's fine. He's the first human who has this kind of feature. Half of his energy is stored from me. Without me in him, he couldn't fully move or work. He said it was an extreme pain he felt, but I wasn't aware of that. I just knew when he finally told me after I got out."
"I'll be sure to add that to my notes, along with his final result in the CT scan." He looked back at the monitor. "It would be difficult for me to figure out what proper treatments to give him if the condition in question can or can't be medically cured. Let's just hope it wouldn't be that severe."
I didn't respond, but I put what he said in my mind.
I do hope so.
Steven and I waited outside of the room, sitting on a bench in an empty hallway. An hour of running tests, Dr. Freeman finally had a result of the symptom. Steven and I stood in unison.
He sighed. "Unfortunately, based on the results that came out, you're not going to last long."
"What?" I stepped toward him.
Steven inserted himself. "What do you mean?"
"His body is growing weaker and weaker each day. The more your strength decreases, your brain will most likely to have a hard time coping, similar to your muscles. In another medical test result, you have Umbilical Hernia—a bulge in the belly button. In babies, when a fatty tissue pokes through an area close to the navel, the swelling and bleeding is commonly occurred. For adults, it can be due to being overweight and or lifting heavy objects. As for you, Steven, I can't really determine what the major cause is. Yours, however, is in a minor state of swelling, which is red, but that doesn't mean it's good. This is the lowest stage of the swelling process, it may turn into other colors, such as yellow or purple, if not treated well." Dr. Freeman turned to face me. "Since you've mentioned that you're half of him, you're going to think of a way to, I don't know, get back inside of him, I guess. Do you have any ideas on how to solve this?"
"Fusing," I said as I looked at Steven. I looked back at Dr. Freeman. "But he needs to feel some emotion. After his horrible breakup, he slowly turned numb."
"Then, use your time to make him happy, at least that's the most visceral component in honing an emotion, the most common emotion he or any of us will feel. You better do it fast, you don't have much time," he suggested.