Disclaimers: Everything belongs to Joss, except for one character of my creation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mal’s mood was the gloomiest anyone had seen in a good long while. Once Serenity got off the ground, he sat silently on the bridge for a while, then went to his bunk and stayed there. He was conspicuously absent from the evening meal. “Where’s Inara?” Book asked. “She hasn’t been out and about this afternoon, either.” “Maybe Kaylee can tell us,” Jayne suggested. “She and ‘Nara come stormin’ in the bay this morning lookin’ like they was bein’ chased by killer bees.” Kaylee looked at Simon accusingly. Simon dropped his chopsticks in exasperation. “How many times do I have to say I’m sorry?” he demanded. “I was working on the papers—how was I supposed to know Inara was gonna walk over there and start reading?” The others all looked puzzled. “What’s going on?” Book asked. Kaylee shook her head and didn’t answer. “Let’s just say Inara saw something she shouldn’t have, and it’s apparently all my fault.” Simon glared at Kaylee. “You shouldn’ta been so careless, leavin’ stuff layin’ about like that,” Kaylee chided him. “Kaylee, it was my work space,” Simon shot back. “So what’s Inara got to do with Mal disappearin’?” Jayne asked. Wash snorted. “How long have you been on this ship? Don’t you see anything?” Then he looked around, frowning. “So, what is going on?” “Ripples,” River suddenly interjected. “Like tossing a pebble in a pond.” She looked around the table to make sure everyone was getting it. “You think it just sinks and goes away. But it doesn’t. It makes ripples...they go out, and pretty soon everything moves.” She looked from one uncomprehending face to the next. “He thought it wouldn’t mean anything...but it means everything.” River had been smiling, but the smile faded. “She knows what it means,” she continued, looking sad. “She knows it moved everything.” No one knew what to say after that, and they finished the meal in silence. -----------------

When Mal finally emerged from his bunk, it was late in the evening. He walked through the kitchen and past the lounge without a word to anyone, and headed down to the infirmary. Simon rose and followed him. “How is she?” he asked, staring in at Alex. “The same,” Simon said. “Vital signs are not what I’d like to be seeing by now.” Mal sighed. “I’ll ‘wave her mama.” He started up the stairs. “How long before the test is back?” he asked as an afterthought. “I’m having it sent to the doctor on Haven,” Simon said. “Seeing as how I’m a fugitive, I guessed it wouldn’t be a good idea to have it sent to me.” Mal nodded. “It’ll go to him first, and he’ll send it on to me. Shouldn’t take long, these things are fairly routine now...a day or two.” “Okay.” Mal headed for the bridge to send the ‘wave. Kaylee was descending the steps from the bay as Mal trudged up the other flight to the foredeck. She hesitated for an instant, watching his retreating form, then entered the infirmary. “Hey,” she said quietly to Simon. He looked up, surprised to see her there. “Hey yourself.” She looked down at Alex sadly. “This is all so awful,” she whispered. She stroked Alex’s arm. “She’s layin’ here in a coma...Inara’s devastated...Cap’n’s more down than I’ve ever seen him...and you and me are fightin’—“ “I don’t want to fight with you, Kaylee,” Simon said earnestly. “Please.” “I don’t wanna fight either,” Kaylee said. “It was just a shock, that’s all. For Inara ‘specially, but even for me.” She pulled the chair up and sat down, taking one of Alex’s bandaged hands in hers. “She ain’t gonna wake up, is she?” she murmured, looking into Alex’s face. “I mean, that’s why you did the test, right? ‘Cause, if she was gonna wake up, she could tell you what you wanna know.” Simon came to stand beside her. “Captain wanted the test done.” “But that’s why he wanted it done, right?” Simon gazed at Alex thoughtfully. “It doesn’t look good,” he admitted. “Between you and me, I think if she was going to come around she would have by now.” “Poor Cap’n,” Kaylee whispered. “Poor Inara. Poor Alex.” She let her eyes travel down Alex’s body. “Poor little baby, ain’t seen the light of day.” She looked up at Simon with glistening eyes. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and bent down, resting his cheek against her hair. “Let’s never fight again,” she said in a choked voice, letting the tears flow freely. Simon patted her arm and hugged her tighter. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go to Chapter 21.

Back to Chapter 19.