A/N: Hello everyone! First, very thankful shout out to all my readers so far! It's very encoruaging for me to see more reviews and follows and favs and whatnot so thank you! :) Next, a little word about this chapter- It's going to be a 2 parter. So this chapter is part 1. I'm sorry, this first half should be pretty slow, but it's too long for one. I already have part two half way done so that should come out tomorrow or maybe monday. We'll see. Anyways, please enjoy

A flower doesn't love you or hate you, it just exists. - Mike White

"About three days ago, 21 year old Patrick Foster was found more dead than alive…"

"Patrick Foster, a homosexual young man, was beaten and tortured…"

"Sources say the college student Patrick Foster was severely beaten and tied to a fence as a LGBT hate crime…"

"The town of Beach City was shocked to find one resident, the young Patrick Foster, was hospitalized because he was gay…"

"And from all of us here at channel 5 news, we hope Patrick will make a swift recovery. Back to you, Ron."

It didn't take long at all for the rest of the world to hear about the incident that occurred in Beach City. And it didn't take long for the reporters to catch the "latest scoop" on the story either. The so-called tourist town soon had hundreds of news anchors and reporters in it. They were everywhere. Down on the beach, in town, a lot even went to the fence where Patrick was tied up. However, most of the TV anchors went to the hospital where Patrick was treated. The same one Connie's mom, Dr. Maheswaran, worked at. In fact, Dr. Maheswaran was Patrick's Doctor. She helped perform surgery on him when he first arrived in critical condition, she's been keeping an eye on his condition for the past couple of days, and now she has to do the hardest part. Inform the public. Patrick was too much of a tragic hero in the public eye to not attract attention and publicity. And with over fifty reporters standing outside 24/7 with their cameras and microphones ready, she has to be the one to tell the whole nation about how Patrick is.

Connie was happy and worried for her mom. Although seeing your mom on TV is pretty cool (circumstantially), she knew her mom wasn't particularly comfortable being on everyone's television because of one of her patients. That's why Connie asked if Steven would let her watch the news at his house to support her. Steven couldn't say no.

So that day, the two of them sat in front of the TV watching the local news channel, waiting for the speech to air. The atmosphere was tense between the two. They both realized they hadn't hung out since their last mission. A.k.a the day of the attack.

"...Did your mom say anything about this beforehand?" Steven asked Connie after a few moments of silence. Connie shook her head. "No. When it first made the news, she said she was his doctor, but that's it. I think she wanted to keep doctor-patient confidentiality."

"Wait- But now she's going to be announcing his condition on the news?"

"This is different. If the family agrees or has something they want to announce to the public, the confidentiality agreement is compromised."

Steven nodded. For some reason, he felt just as nervous as Connie did for her mom. He was really was worried about what had happened, and it's not like anyone could answer many questions. No one is even certain who the criminal is yet.

Connie twiddled her thumbs, thinking of what to say. "So… Where are the gems?"

"On another mission I guess." Steven shrugged.

"And you're not going with them?"

Steven shook his head. "Wasn't feeling up to it. Besides, I'd rather hang out with you."

Connie smiled a little. Even though she didn't think waiting for her mom's speech on Patrick was "hanging out", she was glad Steven said that. She had been a bit worried abut Steven. She noticed that ever since this whole incident, Steven hasn't really been himself. He's been more quiet, distant, and constantly brooding. It was sad to say the least. She wished she knew how to help him, but in troubled times like this there's not much you can do.

Soon enough, the commercial break was over and a woman news anchor appeared on the screen. "Oh, I think this is it!" Connie said. Steven grabbed the remote and turned up the volume a little. He didn't want to miss a word.

"As most are aware, earlier this week a college freshman by the name of Patrick Foster was beaten and tied to a fence in the town of Beach City. This has been one of the first major hate crimes against the LGBT community in a long time, not only in that town, but in this country."

A photo of a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes appeared on the screen. The man in the picture was smiling happily. Under the photo in a small text was "picture provided by Foster family." So this is what Patrick looked like.

"Patrick was admitted into the hospital after being tied to the fence over night, and is still being treated. For more information on his condition, we go live to our lead reporter, Anne Johnson. Anne?"

The TV cut to another woman with curly brown hair standing outside the Beach City hospital. The woman, Anne Johnson apparently, had a big smile on her face, despite the fact that the topic she was covering wasn't happy at all. Although who knows? This story could be a breakthrough in her career. At least in her mind it could be.

"Thanks Becky! I'm outside the Beach City hospital now. Patrick was admitted in here about three days ago, and right now his doctor is going to come out and give a report on how he's doing. I think I speak for all of us here, but we all are hoping for some good news! Oh, here she comes! Patrick's doctor, Dr. Maheswaran!"

The camera zoomed in on Mrs. Maheswaran. She was in her doctor's attire. White coat, light blue scrubs, and her hair was pulled back. She had papers in her hand, most likely the Patrick Foster statements. She walked confidently up some steps and up to a podium that was set up for her previously. She adjusted a stand up microphone and cleared her throat, organizing her papers in the process. The crowd of people hushed as she began to speak.

"This last Thursday, Patrick Foster was brought into the clinic at 5:46 p.m. in critical condition. His face was covered with blood, except for two trails down his face where his own tears washed away the blood stains. After careful examination and several CAT scans, we found his skull was broken in several places and his brain stem was crushed, along with other severe bruises and cuts on his body. Undergoing surgery, we did our best to repair what was left of his skull, and now Patrick is still in a coma, with assisted breathing, and hasn't shown sign of responsiveness yet. The Foster family would like to say that their privacy is crucial for them during this hard time, and they'd appreciate it if their wishes were to be taken seriously. They would also like thank the people for their well wishes and support for Patrick, as it is giving them some hope for Patrick's eventual recovery. That is all we have on Patrick's case. Thank you."

Before Dr. Maheswaran could be asked any more questions, she strode off into the hospital, away from the flashing cameras and invasive microphones. Steven and Connie were silent, completely stunned from what they had just heard.

"I… I had no idea it was…" Connie stammered.

"That bad? Me neither." Steven replied.

"Patrick is in a coma now with assisted breathing... how did they even do that? Must've been one horrible beating..."

Steve's guilt over this situation didn't subside one bit. In fact, it became worse at this news. He felt as if he had a huge weight on his shoulders that kept getting heavier and heavier with each breath. He tried to look for some comfort in this ordeal. "I don't suppose that he'll survive, will he?" He asked, trying to find some hope.

Connie sighed. "I'm not a doctor. Just the daughter of one. But that really doesn't sound good. I mean, his attacker damaged his brain stem!"

Steven didn't know enough about the human brain to know exactly how serious that fact was, but he knew it must've been pretty bad. "But… He could still live through this, can't he?"

"I don't think so Steven..." Connie saw that that was probably the wrong thing to say. Steven's face fell, and tears started to form in his eyes. He covered his face with his hands in distress. Connie knew he must've felt terrible about this. Steven probably never knew what a hate crime was until this week. She felt awful for saying such a negative thing already. She put a hand on his shoulder, and tried to find that Steven-y optimism in herself. "Don't worry Steven. You heard what my mom said! They've done everything. My mom's a very talented and well-practiced doctor. Patrick could be fine! Miracles do happen."

Steven lifted his head. "Really?" he asked.

"Really. Let's just wait and see. Who know what could happen?"

Steven offered a small smile and wiped the corners of his eyes. "I know. You're right, I just-"

Before he could continue, a News Flash popped up on the TV. The previous News Anchor, Becky announced it.

"We just got the call. Apparently they have arrested the perpetrator responsible for the beating of Patrick Foster. Or should we say, perpetrators?"

"Wait, there was more than one of them?" Steven asked, shocked.

Mug shots of two twenty-something young men appeared on the screen. One had a short haircut and green eyes, with a cut just above his lip. The other had shaggy brown hair, and a shadow of a beard. They looked like regular college students. These… these kids didn't seem like heartless criminals like Steven was imagining. They looked like normal people.

"Isaac Peterson was arrested a few hours ago with his friend, Nathaniel McKinley. The police found some evidence in Isaac's car. Items like Patrick's wallet, Patrick's debit card with his name on it, and Patrick's shoes. Nathaniel was also found with a gun on him. Although it did not seem to be fired, it did have dried blood all over the butt of the pistol. Police confirm it is Patrick's blood and they suspect Nathanial or Isaac may have used it to beat Patrick. Both are going to court, and they refuse to speak without lawyers present. We'll keep you updated, but until then it seems we've run out of time for today. Until next time, this is Becky Phillips, signing off."

Steven shut off the TV, having seen enough. There was a long and tense silence. Neither of them knew how to feel about this new information. Should they feel happy that the criminals were captured? Should they be glad that they were able to get Patrick's wallet, debit card, and shoes back? Would Patrick even need them anymore? And what would happen to the boys anyway? Jail for the rest of their lives? Or worse?

Connie was the first to speak. "I should head home soon. My parents will be worried." Steven nodded understanding. "Okay. We could go on Lion. That way you can get home faster."

"Alright." Conniestood up from Steven's bed and they walked outside. Luckily for them, Lion was lying under the porch taking a nap. At least they didn't have to wait for Lion, or go searching for him. Steven put two fingers in his mouth and whistled, loudly. Lion woke up immediately and yawned. Slowly standing up, he walked over to Steven and kneeled down, allowing for the kids to hop on his back.

"Neat trick. How'd you teach that to Lion?" Connie asked.

"Dunno. Just figured it out one day. Guess he doesn't like loud noises." Steven shrugged, grabbing hold of Lion's mane. "Anyways, back to your house!" Lion roared and opened the familiar pink vortex. Lion jumped through it, and in no time at all they were in Connie's neighborhood. Usually Steven and Connie would be cheering in delight, but it felt wrong to even think of yelling for joy at the moment. Lion skidded to a stop in front of Connie's house. Connie carefully hopped off. "Thanks Lion." she said, petting his mane. Lion responded with a huff of acknowledgement. Steven was hesitant to say goodbye to his best friend, but he knew she had to go. "So… I guess I'll see you around, okay?"

"Okay. Bye Steven. Say hi to the gems for me!" Connie waved goodbye as she walked inside the house. Steven waved back and sighed. "Let's go back Lion. Then you can finish your nap." Lion perked up and opened the vortex again.

Back at the temple, Steven walked in the door just in time to see the gems returning from their mission.

"Hey Stev-o!" Amethyst called.

"Hey guys." Steven greeted half heartedly as he sat on the couch. Pearl and Amethyst exchanged a look, and Garnet adjusted her shades apprehensively. Something was definitely wrong with their favorite little man.

"Steven, is everything alright? You aren't sick are you?" Pearl asked.

"No. I'm not sick..." Steven then thought of something he wanted to ask the gem. If anyone could answer this honestly, she could. "Pearl, how much do you know about the brain?"

Pearl was caught off-guard by this question, but thought about it. "Well… When it comes to the human brain, I know only a little." She moved to sit on the couch next to Steven. "I know it has the right and left hemispheres. It has the frontal lobe, the temporal lobe, the cerebellum and a brain stem. It's also all protected by the skull. Let's see there's also-"

"NERD!" Amethyst yelled. Pearl turned to her and grunted in annoyance, and Steven wanted to know more. "Okay okay, but the skull, if it's crushed, can you still live?" Steven interrupted.

"It's possible. Why? What happened?" Pearl asked, concerned.

"Nothing. And what about the stem part? Can you still live if that's crushed?"

"Well, that's more complicated. The stem performs many automatic functions such as breathing, heart rate, body temperature, sleep cycles, digestion, sneezing, coughing, and swallowing… Wait why are you asking... Oh my stars did you crack your skull?!" Pearl started prodded and poking Steven's head to look for any dents or fractures. Amethyst laughed. "Do you really think he'd be conscious if he cracked his head open?"

"You never know with humans now a days. Steven is your vision blurry? How many fingers am I holding up?" Pearl held up two fingers in front of Steven's face. Steven pushed her hand away. "I'm fine. I just want to know, can you survive if both these things happen to you?"

Pearl looked at him very confused, but shook her head anyway. "Chances are highly unlikely. Near impossible if they happened simultaneously. Although if you were to say-"

"That's fine. I'm going bed. Goodnight." Steven said, abruptly getting up from his spot. Amethyst and Pearl looked surprised. "Steven are you sure you didn't hit your head-" Pearl started to ask.

"I'm sure." Steven grabbed his pajamas from his room and walked briskly to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

Amethyst looked at Pearl and Garnet, bewildered. "Umm, what just happened?"

A/N: Thus ending part one! Again, I apologize it's a little slow. The next chapter I'm excited about though! I'll upload it ASAP. Please let me know what you think so far! Review, PM, or even hit that fav button. Thanks again and I'll see you in the next chpater. Buh-bye!