Disclaimers: Everything belongs to Joss, except for one character of my creation ----------------------------- **Mousing over the Chinese should reveal the English translations on most browsers. If not, translations follow the story. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “We could be back on Paquin in two or three days,” Inara suggested as they tossed about ideas for finding a hospital. “I have contacts there.” Wash shook his head. “Two or three days at full burn. We can’t afford the fuel for another full burn.” “Too much risk of Alliance bein’ about anyway,” Mal said. “We need something closer and less risky.” “What about Haven, sir?” Zoë suggested. Mal hadn’t considered Haven; but it was close, and the people there were friends, fellow Browncoat friends from wartime. “Ain’t much there but the mine and a few shacks,” Jayne said doubtfully. “They must have a medical facility if there’s a mine,” Book said. “Mining’s dangerous work, people get hurt.” “Worth a try, I guess,” Mal agreed. “I can ‘wave Bernabe, see what he can tell us.” Zoë rose to her feet, her work as a blood donor finished. “I’ll do it, sir,” she said. She looked down at Alex. “Sit with her awhile.” The subject of Alex’s “condition” had not come up in the preceding conversation, but one look at Zoë’s face let Mal know exactly what she was thinking. In fact, looking around the room, it was clear to Mal what they were all thinking—except, mercifully, Inara, who still didn’t seem to have a clue about his possible role in the situation. And thank all the gods I don’t believe in for that. They all filed out, leaving Mal with just Simon and Alex. Simon was monitoring Alex’s temperature frequently and had begun the tedious task of cleaning out her many wounds. “Would you like to be alone with her for a little bit?” he offered Mal. Mal shook his head. “Won’t be necessary.” Simon had her swaddled in blankets, uncovering only what he needed to work on at any one time, trying to get her temperature up. Once the others left, he pulled the blankets back a section at a time to let Mal get a good look at her injuries. Mal’s eyes roamed down her body, taking in the slashes from the razor wire, the broken knife blade, the bruises and contusions...and came to rest on her belly. Simon was right; it was instantly and inarguably clear she was pregnant. Mal tucked the blankets around her again to keep her warm. “How in a thousand moons can a baby still be alive in there?” he asked Simon incredulously. “A pregnant woman’s body is remarkable,” Simon replied.” It’ll put everything into keeping the fetus sheltered and nourished.” He looked thoughtfully at Alex. “She may have run down faster because her body was trying so hard to keep the baby safe during the trauma she was experiencing.” Mal shook his head, still finding it hard to believe. He watched Simon go to work on one of her hands, badly shredded from the razor wire. Mal pulled up the chair that Zoë had been using, and sat down. He looked at her face, barely recognizable in its current state. Her nose was misshapen and purple. Both eyes were black and puffy. Her lip was split, and she had cuts and bruises everywhere. He had a sudden recollection of her, stretched out on a blanket on the lakeshore the day they had taken leave on Beylix. It was the day before they delivered her to Zargon. She had been lying, arms folded behind her head, face turned skyward, soaking up every last bit of the sun she could take in before beginning work at the prison, where it was perpetually cold and dark. She had looked so relaxed, so content that day. They had been together the night before. You had no idea just how cold and dark it was going to get, did you bao bei ? Mal thought. He ran a hand through her hair. “Let me help,” he said to Simon. “Help?” “Clean her up.” Simon showed Mal how to clean and disinfect the wounds. “You can start with her other hand and arm.” Mal picked up her limp hand and went to work, needing to do something constructive in the moment. The longer he could delay thinking about the bigger issue the better—because that was too overwhelming. He felt slightly queasy as he cleaned the wounds and got a good look at just how severe they were. This hand had the IV catheter and transfusion line in it. Mal marveled silently at Simon’s ability to find an intact vein when she was so torn up. The doc was good at his trade, there was no argument about that. The more he worked on her, the more he marveled at the fact that she was still alive, let alone carrying a child. It gave testament to her inner strength. Mal had gotten glimpses of it when she had been on board Serenity the first time, but it was much clearer to him now. He turned her hand over in his, studying it. Besides the wounds from the razor wire, her fingernails were torn and the fingertips bloody. He pulled something from beneath one of the torn nails and studied it closely. “Simon, is this skin?” He held the tiny fragment out for Simon to see. Simon nodded. “I found a bunch of it under the nails on this hand, too. She must’ve really fought her attackers.” Mal shook his head wonderingly. Fightin’ for two, he thought. Takin’ care of her family. Just like she was doin’ on that rock in the first place. Only— The feeling that he was being watched caused Mal to look up from studying Alex’s hand. River was standing in the entrance, silently observing them. “She skulks about, don’t she?” he breathed. Simon followed Mal’s gaze to the doorway. “River, go back to your room. Captain wants to spend some time in here without—“ “They’re home,” River said. She was smiling, her features serene. “Daddy’s got them back now. Everything’s fine.” She turned and walked away. Mal frowned after her. A thought occurred to him and he turned back to Simon. “All that ‘Daddy’ business...” he mused softly. “She wasn’t referrin’ to me bein’ her daddy at all, was she?” He looked down at Alex. “She was talkin’ about...this.” Simon raised an eyebrow and started to reply, but Zoë appeared in the doorway. “Sir, looks like Haven’s our place. They have a clinic, ain’t much, but it’s got what we need.” Mal nodded. “Good,” he said. “How far?” “Couple days,” Zoë replied. “Can she hang on that long?” Mal sighed and looked down at Alex. “Guess we’ll see.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHINESE: bao bei = sweetheart ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go to Chapter 16.

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