Steven Universe: Broken Peridot.

"JAMIE~!"

A furious scream echoed through the spacious office.

"Hi!!"

Jamie hid under his desk, his hands shielding his head. He was so terrified he forgot to breathe.

Tap...! Tap...! Tap...!

Footsteps approached slowly but with a weight that made Jamie feel his soul leaving his body.

Tuk.

A massive hand grabbed his tie dangerously.

When Jamie opened his trembling eyes, he saw a demon with a huge scar on his face and a muscular build.

"You can't even handle a simple task?! Lazy bastard!"

The man's face was as red as a tomato.

Jamie knew he was doomed.

He could only pray his boss had a heart attack and didn't haunt his dreams after his death.

Jamie began to pray, his face oddly calm.

It was the face of someone who had accepted his fate.

"Two fucking weeks! Do you even know what 'urgent' means!? Do I need to teach it to you? Huh?!"

His boss attacked him with facts.

Jamie had a lot of work but produced the worst results.

The reason? Every person he interviewed seemed to have a screw loose.

Jamie recalled the old woman who haunted him with a cane and her husband covered in animal blood.

You can't imagine how much he suffered.

His luck was abysmal. He was sure there was a conspiracy, with his coworkers dumping all the crap work on him!

Ah~! What a poor man he was~! Now, he had to suffer at the hands of this brute ogre?

The world was certainly unfair to him.

"Hey, are you listening, you dramatic bastard?!"

"I'm listening! I'm listening to everything!!" he said, his face drenched in sweat.

His boss's face finally began to calm down a little.

"Ha... Jamie, what do I do with you?"

The man massaged his temples, trying to relieve his stress.

"I- I can do anything, boss! I've just been busy lately!"

His boss stared at him with suspicious and disbelieving eyes.

"You have the least work here. Why do you think I gave you this task?"

His voice was as cold and strong as a storm.

"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!!"

"Shut up."

Thump.

He dropped Jamie's tie, and Jamie pitifully fell to the ground, staring at his boss with a dramatic and devoted face.

"I don't care about your excuses. Forget all other work and focus on this."

A paper appeared in front of Jamie's face. It depicted a sickly girl.

Jamie calmed down and started to analyze the case.

"Is it real?"

"What do you think, you bastard?"

That morning his boss received the latest news about the unknown girl's case.

Signs of severe trauma were escalating beyond what the hospital could handle.

He remembered the doctor's angry face when showing the drawings.

His boss was also frustrated by his department's incompetence, which is why he couldn't help but yell at Jamie.

"If you don't resolve this in three days, you're fired."

His words were cold and direct.

Gulp.

Jamie swallowed hard. Why did he choose to be a businessman instead of an actor?

What a waste of potential.

"I will! Thanks for the opportunity, boss!" He hid his true feelings behind kind words.

His boss's face remained uninterested. Flattery never worked on him.

"Don't betray my trust any more than you already have."

With those words, his boss left the room.

Jamie was alone in the small office.

"I survived?"

*

"We received news from social services~! Someone's in the administration room!"

Said the man from the hospital administration team.

"Ha... Finally!"

Liam felt relieved that the child would finally get justice.

"..."

Priyanka remained silent.

Blegh!

A nurse behind them spat out her coffee, her eyes lifeless.

"I'll bring her."

Priyanka said, quickly standing up.

Her sudden action left Liam unable to react.

And Maria... she didn't seem in the right mind to interject.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Priyanka's steps were slow and hesitant. She couldn't understand herself these days.

Dark circles were prominent on her face.

She hadn't slept for three days, her worries consuming her. As if things couldn't get worse, she got her period.

Her emotions were unstable and sensitive.

Despite all the inconvenience, she suppressed her feelings.

The image of the girl was always on her mind.

The girl's drawings, exams, smell, smile, and pitiful past hidden by amnesia.

Priyanka tightly clenched her fist.

She had reported directly to social services, but her worries wouldn't subside.

'Will she adapt well?'

Based on her observations, the child barely interacted with anyone. She barely responded to Maria, one of the kindest nurses.

Priyanka felt she was lucky to save the girl first. Without that, she might not have penetrated the girl's heart.

Seeing her condition, Priyanka couldn't hide her feelings.

She felt responsible. How could she not?

The time spent with the child passed in her mind like flashbacks.

Their walks, the gifts she brought, the girl's occasional cute stares, and the sensation of her little fingers gripping her coat.

Badhump!

The thought of this child being sent away made her heart race with anxiety.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

She kept moving, reducing her steps as much as possible but still arriving at her destination.

A door to a patient's room stood before her.

Creek.

[A walk?]

When she approached, the girl naturally wrote in her notebook.

[Yes, today is a bit special.]

Priyanka wrote, lifting the girl's body gently.

A light, sweet smell welcomed her.

Smelling her, Priyanka held her even tighter.

She didn't want to let go.

With a serious face, she placed the girl in a wheelchair and quickly, yet anxiously, walked with her.

Her vision blurred, and her body felt heavy.

If she closed her eyes now, she might collapse.

But she suppressed these feelings and walked with the girl. Her worries and anxiety fueled her.

Tap.

Priyanka stopped in front of a door.

Beyond this door was the man who would take her child away.

Badump! Badump.

[Why are we here?]

The girl wrote, staring at Priyanka with innocent, empty eyes.

Priyanka couldn't react. Her breath became short and labored.

The girl held her coat as usual and wrote in her notebook again.

[Are you okay?]

Her words concerned Priyanka's condition.

The child seemed more worried about her than herself.

Even now, Priyanka felt the child's kind nature.

She held back tears.

Priyanka felt like she was being destroyed little by little.

She tried to breathe slowly, not wanting to worry the child.

Priyanka's face returned to its usual expressionless self.

She was an adult, and it was her role to alleviate the child's worries.

[Don't worry about me. It's social services; they will ask you some questions. Just answer honestly. I'll be waiting here.]

The child stared at her words without moving.

Priyanka knew the child was smart and understood the meaning behind her words.

How many times had she observed the girl? It was natural she knew.

Priyanka felt the girl's aura becoming fragile. Her hands hadn't moved.

She was expressionless.

[Okay.]

It was a typical answer, but Priyanka thought about how much courage it took for the child to write it.

She clenched her fists tightly, the smell of blood filling the air.

Creek.

The door opened, revealing a young man in a black suit with a professional demeanor.

Smug...

Priyanka felt an unusual grip on her coat. The girl's pupils trembled wildly.

It was the first time Priyanka saw her like that. She was confused by the child's unusual behavior, but understanding dawned.

A thought she had dismissed before made sense...

A bloodshot aura was directed at the man.

He started to sweat under her gaze and approached professionally.

[Hi, I'm Jamie. I'm here to help you; you don't need to be scared.]

"..."

Priyanka stared at him, analyzing every word for suspicion.

[Hi]

[I noticed you like Doctor Priyanka. Do you want her to stay with us while we talk?]

The man glanced at her, his legs shaking.

[Yes]

Priyanka didn't hide her bloodshot eyes.

The man uncomfortably adjusted his tie and sat in a chair.

Priyanka and Jamie faced each other. Her presence exerted a palpable pressure.

All she could think of were the trembling hands still gripping her coat.

[How are you feeling? Is there something that makes you uncomfortable?]

[Black suit]

Badump!

Priyanka's heart raced.

Black suit, why black suit? A strong reaction to the man, quick recovery, and amnesia...

The pieces fell into place.

The man was a key figure.

[It's okay]

[I see you like Doctor Priyanka. Is there someone else you'd like to stay with us?]

The man asked about the child's connections and relationships.

[No]

He intrusively questioned the girl about various topics.

His words seemed simple, but Priyanka noticed each question revealed a private part of the child's mentality.

And her lack of memories and common sense.

[Is there something you need? How can I help you?]

More blood spread in Priyanka's hand. She glared coldly at the man.

[I want to be alone with Doctor Priyanka.]

Badhump! Badhump!

The girl's last words broke something inside Priyanka's mind.

The world slowed down.

Facts started to make sense.

The girl was extremely uncomfortable around the man. The timing of his visit was strange. His fake smile was noticeable.

The strange drawings in the notebook. The marks of bruises and self-harm. And the girl's occasional reactions.

She was avoiding the man, likely because she unconsciously sensed something wrong with him and his department.

The only person the girl could rely on was Priyanka.

She was fighting alone against the man trying to exploit her lack of social understanding.

If something happened and the girl left her care, Priyanka wasn't sure what would occur next.

Creek.

Priyanka opened the door.

Sniff.

A crying nurse waited outside. It was Maria, arriving just in time.

[I will talk with this gentleman. You go with Maria.]

Bam!

Without giving the girl time to respond, Priyanka shut the door forcefully.

"So... what was that nonsense?"

She said, containing her inner turmoil.

"Hi?"

The man stupidly opened his mouth in confusion.

Bam!!

"Do you think I'd just listen and nod to this shit?"

"Hi!!"

The man trembled at Priyanka's angry words.

"Do you think things will go your way just because she has no records?!"

Priyanka said, gripping the man's collar.

"M-Ma'am you're misunderstanding! I'm just doing my job-"

"Bullshit."

Slap!

Her cold words pierced Jamie's heart as harshly as her slap.

"I can't prove anything right now. Even I am confused."

She stared directly into his eyes like a broken machine.

"But my instincts have never lied to me."

Thump.

The man pitifully fell to the ground.

Priyanka calmly grabbed a nearby chair and sat, staring at the man with disgust.

"Give me the documents."

"What?"

"The adoption documents. Give them to me."

"Ma'am, I don't know what you're thinking, but there are processes... and this should be discussed with your family first..."

"..."

Thum~ Thum~

Priyanka slowly took out her cell phone and made a call.

"Doug, it's me. No, everything is fine."

Was it her husband? Jamie stared at the woman sitting on the ground without moving a finger.

"I want to adopt a child. Yes, the one from the photo. Connie? She'll love a new sister, won't she?"

"..."

Silence filled the room. Jamie was used to crazy situations, but this woman gave him more shivers than his boss.

Jamie prayed with his eyes closed.

"It's done. Now, give me the documents."

She looked at him as if she wouldn't accept any objections.

At that moment, one thought passed through Jamie's mind.

'I should have become an actor.'

When Jamie's boss checked his desk the next day, he found two things.

An adoption paper and a resignation letter.

***

Adoption paper.

[Request for Adoption of Asha Maheswaran, born on April 1, 20XX, 9 years old, gender Female...]

***

Jamie's Resignation Letter.

[Boss,

I realized life was too precious to waste in an office.

I decided to become an actor in Kansas, please don't ask for me.

There is a request for adoption on your desk, I left this case in your great brute hands.

With love, Jamie.]