I don't see too many of these out there. But I've always wondered what the rest of the crew's reaction would be if they found out what Jayne did on Ariel.

This is my version.

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Chapter 1

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“Weren’t my fault!” Jayne insisted as Mal stalked into infirmary and planted himself on the infirmary chair. Simon circled the man, ripped at his shirt, and began to take a look at the wound, poking and prodding to determine its severity.

“We’ll discuss it later, Jayne.” Mal grit through clenched teeth as Simon poured a generous amount of antiseptic over the wound to thoroughly irrigate it.

“Why delay the inevitable! You’re gonna yell so’s everyone can hear anyway. Might as well do it now.” Jayne crossed his arms and waited for the tongue lashing to begin.

Simon studiously ignored Jayne as he worked to extract the bullet out of Mal’s arm. Zoe sat in a nearby chair, waiting to have her much more minor injuries looked at and cleaned. Wash stood protectively over her, fussing in his normal, husbandly way.

Kaylee, Inara and Book waited outside the infirmary, concerned looks written all over their faces. River simply peered into the window, her eyes set firmly on Jayne.

Mal glanced at everyone in turn before his eyes settled back on Jayne. “I’m sure you don’t want to discuss this now.”

Jayne didn’t get the hint and pressed on, determined to make it clear that the job going south had not been his fault.

“I told you not to bring ‘em. But you didn’t listen. Again.” Mal declared, his annoyance evident. “Ow!” He shot a glare at Simon, who stopped his work and stared at the Captain.

No one messed with Simon while he was working. No one was allowed in the infirmary and absolutely no one was allowed to upset his patients. “If you don’t stop fidgeting I may shove this scalpel into your arm instead of using it to extract the bullet from it.” Simon then glared at Jayne. “You’re distracting him. Get out.”

Jayne scowled at Simon and instinctively clutched the knife sheathed on his thigh. No one told Jayne what to do. Certainly not the prissy doc.

Noticing the gesture, Zoe fingered her own weapon, set her jaw and said firmly. “Out Jayne. Now.”

“Whoa!” Kaylee raised her hands and stepped into the doorway. “What’s goin’ on? Jayne just wants to explain what happened. Why ain’t we lettin’ him?”

Jayne gave her a grateful nod, happy that someone was at least defending him. Upon further reflection though, Kaylee’s support probably wasn’t the best he could get, clouded as she always was with her ability to see the good in every little thing.

“I messed up. I did. Shouln’ta brought out the big guns. But they was gonna shoot ya, Mal!”

“They did shoot him, Jayne.”

Wash agreed with his wife after glancing over at the hole in Mal’s arm. “Yeah, looks like a bullet hole to me. Definitely shot.”

“Well if I hadn’t –“

“If you hadn’t been so trigger happy wantin’ ta kill somethin’, we’d be fine!” Mal growled through the haze of pain in his arm. Hadn’t the doc given him any pain medicine?

“But –“

Having heard enough of bickering, Simon slammed the scalpel onto the table and glared at each one of them in turn, including Kaylee. “All right. That’s enough. Get out. Every one of you.” He pointed at Zoe. “Except you. Stay.”

Mal raised his eyebrows as a little pout formed on his lips. The pain in his arm was growing. Nope. Simon hadn’t given him any pain medicine.

Simon rolled his eyes. “Yes, and you, Captain.”

“Somethin’ for the pain might be nice at some point soon, doc,” Mal hinted very strongly as Simon reached down to grab the hypo.

Filling it, he glared at Jayne, who still had not moved. “Jayne.” Simon’s tone left no room for argument.

Jayne sneered at the smaller man. “We’re gonna have words when you’re done, little man.”

Kaylee stared at Jayne. “Ain’t no need to be threatenin’ Simon, he’s just tryin’ ta help the –“

Jayne whirled on her and snapped, his temper frayed with the expectation that he would be getting a stern dressing down as soon as the Captain left the infirmary. Why was everything that went wrong lately his fault? “Girl, save your words for someone who’s wantin’ ta hear ‘em. Everyone on this ship knows you been tryin’ ta bed the doc for months. Gonna say anythin’ ta make him notice ya more.”

Kaylee’s eyes grew wide and Inara was at the mechanic’s side instantly, glaring daggers at Jayne.

Book, overhearing Jayne’s hurtful words, stepped forward. “That was uncalled for, Jayne.”

Simon set his scalpel down very, very carefully and turned toward Jayne, an angry fire burning in his eyes.

“That’s it,” Mal said as he tried to slide off the chair. Zoe stood too but Wash had inserted himself between his wife and the door.

Simon’s hand on his shoulder stopped him. “Your legs won’t hold you if you try to stand.”

Mal glared at Simon, who simply shrugged. “You wanted the pain medicine.”

“Tired a bein’ blamed for every little thing goin’ wrong on this boat!” Jayne admitted under the Shepherd’s close scrutiny. “Can’t do any legal jobs ‘cause a our fugies here an I can’t bring guns on jobs less than legit ‘cause we might offend someone’s delicate sensibilities! We’ll I ain’t here ta get dead! I’m gonna defend myself I get a gun shoved in my face”

“Apologize to Kaylee,” came Simon’s soft, but firm voice.

Jayne glared at Simon. Twice in as many minutes the little man had told him what to do and that didn’t sit well.

“You don’t tell me what to –“

“Do it, Jayne.” Mal ordered, his eyes narrowed, his hands clenched into fists. His arm was still bleeding but with the pain medication, it didn’t matter. Nothing hurt anymore – except his head from all this bickering.

Wash glanced down at Zoe, whose hand was clutched tightly around her gun. “Don’t go shootin’ anyone else, Zo. Doc’s got enough patients for the day.”

With one more sneer at Simon, Jayne turned to Kaylee, his eyes softening. “Sorry lil’ Kaylee. Didn’t mean nothin’ by it. Jus upset is all.”

Kaylee forced a bright smile to her lips, more worried about the anger circling the room than having her desires so blatantly voiced for all to hear. “People’s hurt right now. Let Simon take care of ‘em then everyone’ll listen. I’m sure of it.” She took his arm and led him away, casting a pining look over her shoulder at Simon standing in the doorway as tense as she’d ever seen him.

Book and Inara followed Kaylee and Jayne, while Simon turned back to his patients and efficiently took care of their wounds.

~*~

“You should tell her.” River stood in the doorway once everyone was gone, watching Simon return the infirmary to its formerly immaculate state.

“River, please.” Simon didn’t want to talk about this. Not now.

“Can’t keep things all bottled up.”

“And what do you want me to tell her?” Simon whirled on his sister faster than anyone would have thought possible. The pain and confusion in his eyes made River stagger backwards.

She knew why he never said anything. Because of her. He had his noble goal and he worked hard toward it. He wanted to save her. To cure her. But it wasn’t fair to him. Not fair to let his own life, and happiness, pass him by while he single-mindedly worked to fix something that may already be too irrevocably broken. “The truth,” River said gently, her eyes betraying her sadness at consigning her beloved brother to this fugitive fate.

“I can’t.” Simon turned back to his work angry with himself for being weak. He’d successfully kept Kaylee at a proper distance for a long time. He would just have to continue on that path. He had his very sick sister to care for.

“You won’t.” River said sharply. “There’s a difference.”

He watched over his shoulder as she walked out of the room, his heart heavy.

~*~

“I ‘spect you’ll listen to me next time I tell you not to bring your full arsenal of assault weaponry?”

“If I hadn’t, we’d all be dead!” Jayne didn’t understand why Mal didn’t get this little piece of fact.

“Ain’t true, Jayne. Deal was almost done, then you gotta drop that clip outta your pocket.” Dent an his boys deal with the Feds all the time. We needed to be clean on this one, Jayne.”

“They was gonna turn on us an you know it,” Jayne insisted, slamming his hands onto the table.

“Didn’t. And neither did you.”

“Weren’t gonna take no chances,” Jayne said stubbornly.

“I don’t like to take chances either. ‘Specially with two wanted fugitives on board.”

“Well, that we still got ‘em is your fault. Coulda been gone by now.”

Mal regarded the mercenary with a hard, skeptical look. “You really think remindin' me of that little stunt is a way to win this argument?" Scowling at the implication, Jayne grumbled, "I ain't implyin' I'd try an' turn the doc an moonbrain in again, Mal."

Having come to the galley for a cup of tea, Kaylee had stopped outside, not wanting to interrupt. But when she heard Jayne’s admission, she inhaled sharply and stepped into the room.

“Again?” Kaylee asked slowly, her eyes darting from Jayne to Mal, trying to understand what she’d just heard.

“We’re havin’ a private discussion, li’ Kaylee, I don’t think –“

Kaylee ignored the Captain and turned her full attention to Jayne. “You best start explainin’, Jayne Cobb.”

“Aw hell,” Jayne groaned.

Kaylee’s bottom lip trembled. “You did, didn’t you? You tried to turn ‘em in!”

Wash and Zoe stepped into the galley at the opposite end of the room and stopped when they heard Kaylee’s pained exclamation.

“Ain’t proud of it.” Jayne admitted, staring at the table.

“When?” Kaylee asked, resolutely trying to keep her voice steady. That one of the crew would go so far as to try to turn in Simon and River was unconscionable. She knew Jayne didn’t like the siblings, but she never thought he would try to turn them in for the reward. “When!?”

“On Ariel, okay?!” Jayne snapped, pushing himself to his feet.

Wash gaped and turned to Zoe. “You know about this?”

Zoe’s eyes never leaving Jayne. “Suspected.”

Kaylee didn’t notice Book standing behind her until she turned and ran smack into him. Mumbling an apology, she hurried out of the room, needing to be alone.

“If ya ain’t gonna trust me no more, let me off at the next stop.” Jayne said to no one in particular.

“You do make it rather difficult,” Zoe said, glancing at the Captain.

“It’s his winning personality,” Wash contributed, trying to lighten the mood. Things were much too tense for his comfort.

“I didn’t botch the job, Mal. You gotta believe me. Just had a feelin’ things would go bad.”

Mal nodded and glanced toward the passenger dorms, figuring Kaylee went to see Simon. “I want you to sit right here and take whatever he comes at you with, hear me?”

No one needed to question who he was going to be.

“He already knows, Mal.”

Zoe and Wash took their seats at the table and stared at Jayne, eyebrows raised.

“Knew when he patched me up on Bellerophon.”

TBC

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