The Doctor's Office

(Originally by: pinkven enjoy)

It had been a while since Steven had last gone to the hospital, but here he was again. Connie had insisted that he should at the very least have a check-up from her mom and, although reluctant, he agreed to it.

The waiting room chairs were uncomfortable. Steven had to shift every few moments just so he wouldn’t be in any type of pain. The air smelled like hand sanitizer and other chemicals of the same kind, burning his nose and making him not want to breathe at all. At least he had Connie and Greg there with him this time around.

A nurse stepped into the room. The hybrid didn’t recognize her at all, of course, but she had led him to Priyanka’s office the last time around. With a small smile, she called out, “The doctor will now see Steven Universe.”

His heart pounded and he stood up. Admittedly, Steven still had anxiety whenever he went to the doctor. Everything that had happened here last time didn’t help his nervousness at all. Connie shot him a reassuring smile and the three of them walked to the nurse.

They were led to a familiar room, although Steven couldn’t be so sure if this was the room he had gotten last time or not. Greg and Connie sat down in the seats. The hybrid sat down on the uncomfortable mix of a bed and a chair and fidgeted.

“It’s going to be alright, kiddo,” Greg said, seeming to recognize his son’s uneasiness, “Priyanka is just going to make sure you’re doing okay and that you won’t need anything else to help you stay healthy. It’ll be done in no time!”

Steven just shrugged at his father’s words and took a shaky breath. He had to focus on calming his nerves, although it wasn’t easy for him to do so at all. He had done much worse than go to the doctor’s office, such as taking down an entire empire! He wasn’t anxious then, was he? Connie spoke up then, shooting him another radiant grin, “You’re going to be okay!”

They waited a few more minutes before the door opened and Priyanka walked into the room, muttering a greeting to the others before looking over some notes on a clipboard. 

“You’re lucky I had an available time slot, I’m sure the other doctors wouldn’t know how to help you,” Priyanka said, voice smooth as she set down the clipboard and turned to Steven, “We’re going to run a few tests on you and see if there’s been any improvement, whether mentally or physically.”

Greg sounded concerned, “Tests? Like what? He’s part gem, they may not even work on him!” Quite honestly, the hybrid’s father hadn’t been to the doctor’s office for a few years either. 

Priyanka started to grab a few tools from the cabinets, “Part gem or not, he still has a human body. The tests can provide information about the things we can be able to know. It’s important to know what’s going on with him, even if the results may not be as clear as they may be for a human.”

“May not be as clear as they may be for a human?” Connie spoke up. Priyanka nodded and her daughter paused, glancing over to her best friend. Steven had tensed by now, probably knowing what she was going to say.

Steven tried his hardest not to look nervous. He stared down at his feet, hands covering his gem protectively. Priyanka stepped forward after she had grabbed a thermometer.

“Mom, Steven’s able to unfuse,” Connie looked over Steven with a concerned expression, “He’s able to separate his gem half from his human half.”

Priyanka, although confused by the description, took another step back and turned to look at her patient, “Steven, if you’re able to separate into your human half the test results will be much more accurate than they would be if you stayed fused. Along with this, we would be able to learn more about your body and further improve chances of being helped.”