"Thanks so much, babe. I really owe you one." Amethyst thanked Pearl, hugging her tightly. "Yeah, you better. You three are such pains sometimes." Pearl replied, slightly blushing. Everyone was standing at the front of the police station, at the front counter as I received my phone back. "But I do need to fini-" "I have to go! I HAVE TO GO!" I shouted, wasting no time as I ran straight for the front doors. "Wait, Peridot!" Amethyst shouted behind me, but it did not stop me one bit.

"What are you doing?!" Jasper yelled, and I slammed open the doors. "HOSPITAL!" I hollered back, running outside, feeling the cold air hit me like a truck. "TAXI! TAXI! TAAAAXI!!" I screamed loudly, waving my arms maniacally as cars rushed by. I was not about to let those three take me to the hospital. I needed to see Lapis on my fucking own. I then spotted a taxi cab driving down the road at a moderate speed, so I dashed forward impulsively.

"PERIDOT!!" I heard Jasper and Amethyst scream in unison as I ran straight in front of the vehicle. The cab's tires screeched as the driver slammed the brakes, halting at nearly inches away from impact with my body. The driver looked mortified, and I quickly ran to the side of the car. I opened the door, then immediately froze as I realized I forgot something. MONEY. "PEARL! PEARL! STAY RIGHT FUCKING HERE I WILL BE RIGHT BACK!" I growled at the taxi driver. He nodded quickly.

I ran back up the steps to the entrance, and Pearl stood there in confusion. "Pearl, I need cash! CASH! I PROMISE I'LL PAY YOU BACK!" I begged, holding my hands out. "Peridot, I-" "PEARL PLEASE!" my voice was strained. She stared at me for a long moment, before sighing quietly and reaching into her pocket. "You better pay me back, Peridot. I just bailed you o-" "YEAH YEAH THANKS SO MUCH!!" I snapped as I snatched the money from her hand.

I ran back to the cab, swinging the door back open noticing how the vehicle hadn't moved from its spot. Perfect. I hopped into the backseat, and slammed the door shut. "TAKE ME TO THE FLORIST! DO IT NOW!" I threw cash through the window thingy, and didn't even give him a chance to respond.

. . . .

I burst out of the florist's shop, hopping back into the cab after yelling at the driver to stay put once again. I hopped back into the car, and panted harshly. "Beach City Hospital. It's the only hospital here for miles." I explained, giving him more cash. I was tightly gripping a bouquet of roses as I pulled out my phone. I had received a crap ton of messages from both Amethyst and Jasper who put me into a group chat.

Jasper: PERIDOT! WE NEED YOU TO COME BACK HERE!

Amethyst: yeah dude its serious.

Jasper: Hello???? This is IMPORTANT

Amethyst: Peridot Peridot Peridot Peridot Peridot Peridot Peridot Peridot Peridot Peridot Peridot Peridot Peridot Peridot Peridot Peridot Peridot Peridot Peridot Peridot

Jasper: PLS ANSWER PERIDOT!

Peridot: Guys, I have higher priorities right now. I will come back LATER. Right now Lapis needs me.

I texted back furiously, then angrily shoved my phone back into my pocket. My phone continued to buzz repeatedly, but I didn't care. Lapis's name just kept repeating in my head over and over again, and my fingers uncontrollably tapped against my leg. My sweaty palms tightened around the wrapping of the flower assortment, and my heart was beating rapidly. Before I knew it, the cab pulled up to the front of the Beach City Hospital. I took a deep breath, before exiting the car. "Thanks," I muttered, before shutting the door.

I stared up at the sign for a moment, then sprinted in through the entrance. My phone was STILL buzzing after all of this time, and I groaned loudly. I held onto the flowers, and rushed up to the counter. There was no one up there, and I huffed loudly. I was tempted to just search through the hundreds of rooms in this building, but I figured that'd probably take much longer than actually waiting for someone to come back. I just felt urgent, and I needed to see Lapis Lazuli as soon as possible.

I cleared my throat, and anxiously tapped my foot. The seconds turned into hours, though in reality it had only been about a full minute. I could hear my own heart beat, and the buzzing of my phone became louder, the began to echo. I wanted to shut off the notifications altogether, and I furiously stomped my foot. My breathing became heavier, and I yanked my phone back out. I stared down at the caller ID, which read Jasper.

I gritted my teeth, but my heart nearly stopped as I spotted a drop of blood splash onto my screen. I whimpered in confusion, then tipped my head back to look at the ceiling. Nothing. I raised an eyebrow, but was startled as I felt a draining sensation through my sinuses. I immediately lowered my head once again, and coughed once as it sort of burned. My eyes pricked with tears, and I pressed my wrist against my nose. I removed it, and there was in fact blood displayed on it now. Nosebleed. I huffed, placing the flowers and my phone down on the counter for a moment, cursing to myself.

The buzzing noise intensified on my cell phone since it was now placed on a hard surface. People waiting in the office began to look at me, and I felt my face heat up. I grabbed a tissue from a tissue box placed on the counter as well, and held it to my nose. I left the bouquet on the counter, but picked up my phone. The drop of blood on the screen was drying, and I cringed. However, it was still ringing. Jasper was still calling. I removed the tissue from my face, and raised another eyebrow in confusion as I noticed only a few drops of blood on the tissue. The nosebleed had gone as soon as it came. "Are you alright, young lady?" I then heard a random man ask from a chair. "Fine." I deadpanned, not even looking up at the man.

There still wasn't anyone at the counter, so I decided to answer the call finally. I stared down at my slightly bloody tissue as Jasper nearly picked up immediately.

"OH MY GOD PERIDOT!!!"

"Quit calling me! Just gimme some time! A LITTLE TIME! AN HOUR FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!"

"Peridot, you don't understand. You needa come back to the police station."

My heart then lifted as soon as I spotted a nurse approach behind the counter. "Hold on!" I hissed into the phone. I then lowered the device quickly to my chest. I noticed the nurse's eyes trail down to the tissue in my hand, then back up at me. "Are you hurt?" she then asked. Yes. "N-no, I'm actually here to see someone!" I urgently replied. I could hear Jasper's voice shouting through the phone, so I pressed it harder against my chest.

"Oh, I see. Can I get a last name?" she asked. "Uh yes, Lazuli. Her name's Lapis Lazuli, I need to see her." I stated. I tossed the tissue into the trash can, and picked up the flowers off of the counter. The nurse suddenly halted as soon as she heard me say Lapis' name. Her eyebrows scrunched up, and she suddenly looked incredibly awkward. "I-I'm so sorry, ma'am...b-but...she was discharged about two hours ago..." she said, and my heart sunk a little.

"Wait...wh-what do you mean? You moved her somewhere else?! Where did you move her?! I don't have much time!" I demanded, feeling more distressed. Jasper's voice STILL screamed through the phone, and it was now vibrating against me. The nurse stared at me for a good ten seconds, before her lips curled into a frown. "I am so, so sorry. We didn't move her to another hospital. Lapis Lazuli has been...proclaimed dead. She just couldn't make it." she explained, and her words echoed in my mind.

My blood ran cold, my throat felt like it closed up, and my jaw dropped. I released the flowers in my hand, and the whole bouquet hit the floor. Tears were now spilling down my cheeks, and it felt like I couldn't breathe. My chest tightened. My heart ached. The nurse looked at me afraid, and it felt as though I was gonna go into cardiac arrest. I stared blankly at the nurse, and her expression was extremely apologetic. "A-are you okay, ma'am? D-do you need help?" she asked urgently. I remained silent, and my gaze slowly moved down to the floor.

"Th-thank you." I stated in the most firm voice I could muster up. I slowly turned to the side, and looked back at the entrance of the building. I hunched over, and picked up the bouquet of slightly messed up roses. I swallowed dryly, and sniffled. I held the phone back up to my ear shakily, and began trudging back to the entrance. I could feel the pairs of eyes following me as I exited the building sorrowfully.

"I-I'm h-here."

"Peridot, god finally. We need you to come back to the police department. We need you to see something."