Sign Up | Log In
BLUE SUN ROOM FAN FICTION - GENERAL
Honest Run?!? He's still writing this?!?!
CATEGORY: FICTION TIMES READ: 2591 RATING: 9 SERIES: FIREFLY
Honest Run: Derelict Honest Run: Door Honest Run: Distraction Honest Run: Delusions Honest Run: Deal Honest Run: Din Honest Run: Detail Honest Run: Detachment Honest Run: Diagnosis Honest Run: Dance Honest Run: Dignity Honest Run
Simon’s strength had almost been fanatical when he first attacked Mal. The confrontation had been quick and took the captain by surprise. Mal didn’t understand much of what the doctor was saying; he was to busy getting pinned to a tree. It had something to do with the doctor’s sister, River. That wasn’t unexpected, Simon hadn’t mentioned much in the way of his sister since they began this adventure of theirs, but Mal couldn’t imagine even with the doctor’s recent hardships, that she was far from his mind. If anything, it was probably that very responsibility that kept him going. Simon’s elbow had landed with snap across Mal’s chin, and a dribble of blood escaped the captain’s mouth from the earlier scrap at the bar. The captain wasn’t sure that Simon even meant to do it that way, but it had stunned him beyond the reflex that would have otherwise sent the doctor sprawling. As it went, Mal could only stare into eyes that were angry beyond measure but wide and distorted. The doc’s hands were white-knuckle where he gripped the captain’s borrowed and alcohol stenched coat. And then, Mal had spoke but a single phrase ending the episode abruptly. Simon released him. The doc’s eyes tightened their focus and he stumbled away, tripping over his own feet. There was shock there, embarrassment, certainly, “Captain?” he stammered. Trissa stared at the pair, “I thought you two were over this.” Simon shot her a confused look, “What?!?” he gasped. Mal ignored her and hunched down, “Figures that someone in there,” he pointed at Simon’s head, “Would have a stone or two to throw at me.” He tried to keep his tone light, but Mal could see that the damage was done. If possible, Simon seemed to mentally retreat from him, as if he could find some way of becoming smaller, “I’m… sorry… Captain…” the doctor replied, “There was no intention of…” “Throttling me?” Mal asked bluntly. He knelt down. Simon shrank, “Of course… not…” “You mean never… ever?” Mal asked him, “Then the Preacher should know that there’s some kind of saint in the works here,” he shook his head, “And I had such high hopes for you, doc. Life of crime. Thick as thieves. Stealing Jayne’s hat…” “You stole Jayne’s hat?” Simon asked suddenly. “Well, no…” Mal faltered, “I was thinking that could be our next little caper…” “Why would we…” Simon started, “Why would we steal Jayne’s hat? I mean, which one would we…. appropriate?” Mal smiled, “You know the one.” “I see.” Although it was clear that Simon did nothing of the sort. “But I was just sayin’ that there no sense in being ashamed of…” Mal flicked his hand, “Never mind,” he grabbed Simon’s own to pull the doctor up, “We’re all a little crazy doc, just ‘cause you’re letting yours out for a change…” Now up, Simon’s color faded, as if the high noon sun made him look even sicklier. A pang of guilt made Mal twitch. “If only I were letting it out,” Simon stammered. “Like you would,” Mal replied. Simon swung his head up tightly at the jibe. “What?” Mal asked, “Right. Sympathetic moment,” he said off the tongue, “Got it.” There were some incredibly manual facial tics that Mal went through to emulate a serious and sympathetic look. The anger passed from Simon into what Mal could see was mild annoyance, “Are you done?” the doctor asked after a moment. Mal shrugged, “Yeah,” he turned to the observing Trissa, “Are we there yet?” “Dentons’ claim most of this land here and abouts,” she replied, “But their canyon’s just ahead.” The lay of the land was getting drier with the trees fewer and twisted from drought. There was a redness peaking though the prairie grass. “That’s good then,” Mal pulled Simon standing, “Sooner we get there the better.” Trissa gave him a significant look, “This is going to be a little more involved than a bar brawl, Malcolm. Not many folks get this close at all to the Dentons’ place if they can help it…” “Thought you said they were of the bullying stripe,” Mal recalled, “Not much for nasty…” “But plenty for mean,” Trissa shot back, “Bobby’s crew is the one they let out the most. The others…” “Homebodies?” Mal asked tritely. “Hardly.” “Good,” he said, “I’d hate to break up a hillbilly cross-stitching match,” he turned to Simon, “Though them be the ones that we might have a good lot to revisit upon. I fancy that they’re the boys that did mine wrong. You up for it, Doc?” The address startled the young man, “Captain?” “If you wouldn’t mind doing some recruiting for us, we could use all the crazies you can muster.” Simon sighed, “I’m glad my condition is an opportunity for levity.” “Keep those educated phrases handy, doc,” Mal told him, “Don’t make me ask where your fun stick is…” “And innuendo…” Mal clapped an arm around Simon, “We do like to deliver the whole package.” Surprisingly, the doctor didn’t flinch from Mal’s grasp, “Keeping me aggravated?” Simon asked him. “Yeah,” Mal confessed closely. “Conventional wisdom would be against goading the crazy man,” Simon stated. “My only other option is to get ‘touchy-feely’,” Mal said. Simon’s eyes traced over to Mal’s hand on his far shoulder, “Ah.” “You see my dilemma.” “With frightening clarity,” Simon told him, “Goad away…” “S’not much longer, doc…” Mal reassured him. “Of that,” Simon said solemnly, “I’m sure.” That statement sent a cool shiver down Mal’s spine.
River took her brother’s clammy hand and pressed it against her cheek, “Simon.” As a point of fact, her brother had only ever rarely been ill. River had never considered that he would ever yet. But here he was, his body drenched in a feverish sweat and all the color drained from his youthful face. When it had started, River knew. But not before. That had been hours still before anyone else thought it was serious. Even Simon himself thought it little more than slight allergy. River knew it was not. She even told her parents that Simon was sick. They, of course, did not listen. They rarely did. Only when Simon collapsed, did they begin to call the doctors. As they called, River went to him with a cloth in hand to place on a raging and sudden fever. The expression on her face was serious, but never broken. As always, Simon tried to reassure her, but the sincerity wasn’t there. He was scared. And that should have put that fear into her, but it didn’t. As the doctors and the nurses arrived and took him to his room, she felt nothing but calm. A calm that she could not pass onto her parents, even if she had tried, in which she did not. There was a book in her father’s study. A book that was old and rare, even if its contents were a little more than trivial. It was a tome of poetry from Earth that Was, something that their mother would read from when they were much younger. Once, long ago, their mother had left the book out and both Simon and River read from it. There was a poem that Simon found that he and she memorized… Now, that he lay stricken, she could only repeat it to him as she laid that cool cloth upon his head. He smiled, of course. And recited it back to her as the doctors began their tests that were disturbingly short. In the hours that followed, more doctors came in, but all of them shook their heads despairingly. They thought nothing of the young girl that listened to their conversations. They naturally assumed that she wouldn’t understand. She did. Not only was Simon sick. He might die.
“Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black And the dark street winds and bends…”
A voice trumpeted near her father’s study just outside Simon’s room, “I don’t care how much it costs, I want you to fix my boy!” “It’s not a matter of money, Mr. Tam,” the family doctor, a young woman with a sharp voice and a penetrating mind, “It’s a matter of whether Simon will weather the symptoms…” “Weather the symptoms?!” Gabriel Tam rebuked the doctor, “These symptoms that you have described to me are unacceptable…” “Then call another doctor if you are unhappy with my services, Mr. Tam,” she replied.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
“Don’t think that I haven’t had the best advice that can be bought, Doctor.” There was a quiet. “Then they have told you the same then,” she replied. “You know that they did,” there was a sigh, “This shouldn’t be happening…” “You’re right, of course,” she said sympathetically, “It shouldn’t be. But that’s the nature of vaccines, Mr. Tam. Sometimes, every once in a great while, they…” she paused, “Go astray…”
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go To the place where the sidewalk ends.”
“Astray?” came a choked cry, “Astray?!? Have you seen him…” “You know that I have.” “And what about River, my daughter? Will she get the same…. Symptoms?” There was a sharp intake of breath from their mother, who was also outside in the hall with both of the adults. “No,” the doctor replied easily, “River would have already had them. And the vaccine is immediate if there are no…” “Symptoms…” River’s mother offered unassuredly. “Yes.”
Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow, And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
“What can we do?” the mother asked, “Obviously there are no medicines to give him or we would have done so. What can we do? There must be something…” Another sympathetic sigh, “As I told you before, Mrs. Tam, all you can do is wait for the fever to break.” “If,” Gabriel Tam interjected, “If it does.” “Gabriel.” “Unfortunately, Mrs. Tam,” the doctor said hesitantly, “He is quite right. The Quin malady is a very dangerous and debilitating illness, hence the vaccine. Usually, it’s something that affects soldiers returning from the border worlds…” “Deadly?” A quiet gasp. “Certainly.” “He was so healthy just days ago,” her mother recalled, “Not even hours ago, Gabriel… He had just passed his finals…” There was a sound that River could only suspect was her father crying softly. “I’m sorry.”
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know The place where the sidewalk ends.”
A few minutes passed before River heard the front doors slammed in the house, signaling the doctor’s exit. River could feel her mother’s silent gaze from the doorframe into Simon’s room. There was the creak of a mouth dry of words, a pause, and then quiet retreating footsteps. Before Simon’s door shut, River heard the study door close as well. She crawled into the sweat drenched bed. The calm that had held her finally relinquished and she felt the grief in her chest. River held his head to her breast, “One day, big brother, one day…” Tears ran down her face, her eyes seeing deeply into the distance, out a window that she had opened to let the cool night breeze in, “I can see it…” she pointed out to the stars, “There will be so much for us to see… Together…” The outer lights were off, and none were in the manicured garden below. The starlight twinkled, set off by a few fireflies passing in and out. “One day, one big day…” She said to him, “One of several that I’ll know but not share…”
COMMENTS
Sunday, October 8, 2006 5:31 PM
CASTIRONJACK
Monday, October 9, 2006 4:47 AM
NUTLUCK
Monday, October 9, 2006 5:30 AM
LEIASKY
Monday, October 9, 2006 6:05 AM
RCHD
Monday, October 9, 2006 10:07 AM
AMDOBELL
You must log in to post comments.
YOUR OPTIONS
OTHER FANFICS BY AUTHOR