A/N: Well, whether for good or ill this chapter will end the debate over "which disease is it?" Enjoy!

Thanks to Leiasky for everything - you know I think you're great!

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A NEW DAY, ch. 29: Worst Case Scenario

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Simon had gathered all the adults in the kitchen even though it was very late. With tired eyes, they all sat at the table, looking to him expectantly. “Well, we’re up,” Jayne said gruffly, stifling a yawn. “What’s so ruttin’ important?”

Taking a deep breath, Simon reached for Kaylee’s hand and she took it gladly. Looking back to his friends, his family, he told them carefully, “I think there’s a very real chance that we have a measles outbreak.”

As everyone continued to look at him with confused and slightly annoyed expressions, Simon continued. “Measles is typically a childhood disease. It’s very contagious and normally not a danger as most children are immunized for it when they’re young.”

Starting to catch on, Mal sat forward and asked, “But?”

“But,” Simon said, his voice growing wearier by the minute. “From what I’ve managed to study from the medical records of my patients here on Aberdeen, I would say that vaccine either isn’t available this far out or just not administered.”

“Meanin’ we could get it?” Mal asked, trying to be sure he fully understood.

Shaking his head once, Simon said, “No, not all of us. Inara, River and I should be fine, we were raised in the Core. We would have received the shot.” Looking to Kaylee’s pained face, he said, “You, Kaylee and Jayne however, probably have not.”

With an audible gasp, Kaylee’s hand flew to her mouth. Turning to face her, Simon lowered his voice and said, “Kaylee, it’ll be all right.”

“The babies,” she murmured to him, her eyes darting up and then back to him. “Are they gonna be okay?”

“Yes,” Simon told her. “Yes, I made sure to immunize them when they were all born, including Mimi. They’ll be fine.”

“Well, thanks for that, doc,” Mal said, his arm wrapped tightly around Inara’s shoulders.

“How dangerous is it?” Inara asked softly, her eyes flitting to Simon’s face. “Could people die?”

With a sigh, Simon told her, “Normally, I’d say no, but a whole host of complications could arise and because people on Aberdeen already have low immunities to a few other things ….” Pausing, Simon finally said, “It could be very bad.”

As silence surrounded them, Simon caught his sister’s gaze. Rising from her seat, she asked him, “What do we do?”

Sighing heavily, Simon knew this would be the hardest part of the night. “First, we need to set up a clinic. Mine’s too small, I was thinking of the school, I’m guessing that that’s where this all started and I know it’ll be big enough to house everyone. But it’s going to take some time.” Looking back to Kaylee, Simon tried to ignore the fear in her eyes as he said, “And the second thing we need to do is make sure everyone who’s at risk, including you, Jayne and Mal, stay here, in the house. No going out, no nothing. Not until I’m sure I’ve got this contained.”

“What about the baby?” Inara asked quietly, her eyes never leaving the table top in front of her.

“The baby should be fine, Inara,” Simon assured. “Hopefully, by the time he or she is born, this will all have passed, but regardless, the baby will pick up its immunity from you.”

The room was silent for several minutes as everyone digested the new situation. Finally, once River had turned to regard Jayne, squeezing her hand in his, she turned back to her brother and said, “I want to help.”

Simon looked to her, ready to say no, ready to tell her to stay put, but the determination he saw in her eyes stilled his tongue. Nodding once, he said, “Thank you, mei mei, I’m going to need it.”

“Me too,” Inara said from her place at the table.

Turning her to face him, Mal said, “’Nara, I don’t want you anywhere near this.”

Placing a hand to his face, Inara said, “Mal, you heard Simon, I’m immune and so is the baby, and if you and Jayne and Kaylee are all going to have to stay cooped up in here, then Simon’s going to need help.”

Looking to Simon with a pure plea in his eyes, Mal was hoping the doctor would say no. And he did. “Thanks for the offer, Inara, but even if you are immune, I don’t think it’s the best thing right now for you to be up and around, taking care of people. It’s only going to serve to tire you.”

Shooting a look between her husband and her doctor, Inara bit out, “I’m pregnant, Simon, not dead.” Looking back to Mal, she said fiercely, “I’m going to do this, so get over it.”

Taking a deep breath, Mal decided to pick his battles and continue this particular one with his stubborn wife in private.

“Me too, I wanna help too.” Kaylee’s voice was full of desperation and as Simon again turned to regard her, he saw how truly distraught she was. “Please, Simon, please let me stay. I can’t be cooped up in here just waiting to find out if’n people are gonna die, if’n you’re gonna-“

“Kaylee, please.” Simon gave her his full attention, doing his best to give her a smile. “Bao bei, listen to me. I am not going to die. I’m going to be fine. But if you get sick, you very well could, and we haven’t been through the past five years together for that to happen.” Leaning close to her, he brought their foreheads together and whispered, “I expect you to be taking care of me when I’m old and gray, dong ma?”

Nodding once, Kaylee wrapped her arms around Simon and held him tight.

“Ah, hell, I ain’t runnin’ from some virus,” Jayne said, looking to River and then to Mal and Inara with pure stubbornness in his eyes.

Kneeling before him, River told him quietly, “Jayne, you have to. It’s not safe for you.”

“I ain’t gonna leave you out here with all them sickos,” he retorted, reaching down to place a hand to her cheek.

Smiling at him, River said, “I’ll be fine. But your body still isn’t healed from the gun shot wound. You’re in even more danger than the rest of us.”

Rolling his eyes, Jayne obviously didn’t think much of that assessment, but Simon confirmed it for him. “She’s right, Jayne. It’s not a good idea for you or Mal to stick around.”

“Yeah, but we’re gonna do it anyway,” Mal drawled. All eyes turning to him, he said, “Ya’ll know I wasn’t blessed with an overabundance o’ brains, so don’t look so surprised.” Rising he looked to Simon and asked, “Where do we start?”

***

“Inara, you know this ain’t a good idea,” Mal repeated for about the hundredth time, watching as his wife move about to straighten their things.

Not stopping her movements, she simply said, “Look, if you’re going to help, then so am I.”

Taking her by the arm, Mal turned her to look at him. “Gorramit woman, why you gotta be so stubborn?”

“Why do you?” she responded, meeting his fiery gaze with one of her own.

Husband and wife stared the other down for a full minute, before Mal quietly relented. “Listen, ‘Nara, I ain’t tryin’ to tell you what to do, but keeping Kaylee cooped up in this house with three toddlers and two babies is it’s own kind of epidemic.” Inara actually smiled at that comment, allowing Mal to release a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Reaching and placing a light hand to her stomach, he added, “And I jus’ want you an’ the lil’ guy to be safe.”

Cocking an eyebrow at him, Inara asked, “Guy?”

Leaning in to kiss her, Mal whispered, “Ah, hell, you know I don’t care, but I’m thinkin’ it’s a boy. I gotta feelin’.”

Kissing him back, Inara said, “Well, I don’t have a feeling. I know.”

His eyes going wide, Mal asked, “Hey, now that ain’t right. I thought we agreed no findin’ out ‘til the munchkin gets here.”

Walking away from him, Inara continued to straighten up although Mal couldn’t guess why. Shrugging, she said, “What can I say? A mother’s prerogative.”

“Prerogative my ass,” Mal muttered, folding his arms over his chest. But when Inara looked back to him she could see the question poised on his lips, his need to know and she could only smile at him.

“I’m not telling, so you can stop looking at me like that,” she told him, her eyes twinkling with joy at having a secret.

Moving towards her as she turned her back to him, Mal grabbed her from behind and placed a kiss to her neck. Murmuring against her skin, he said, “Well, when all this is over he or she’s gonna be here, so I can wait.”

Her smile even wider, Inara turned in his embrace and kissed him for as long as she could without needing air.

When they parted, it took Mal a minute to regain his ability to speak. “Jayne an’ I gotta go. Simon’s drawing us a map of where the folks are he needs to see back at the clinic.”

With a nod, Inara told him quietly, “I know, be safe.”

“You too,” he told her and then left the room quickly, knowing he would soon lose his nerve if he didn’t.

***

“Why does daddy have to go?” Daniel asked again. Kaylee had been trying to explain what was happening for the past few minutes, and unfortunately the five-year-old just wasn’t getting it.

Trying to keep the tremor from her voice, Kaylee told him, “’Cause baby, he’s gotta take care o’ folk, that’s his job.”

“But what about us? What if we need taking care of?” he asked, his big blue eyes, just like Simon’s staring back at her.

“You won’t, buddy. I promise,” Simon assured him from the door.

Jumping down off his bed, Daniel ran to his father who picked him up easily and hugged him tight. “How come we won’t?” he asked.

“Because when you were a baby, you got a shot and the medicine in that shot will keep you safe.”

Frowning at him, Daniel said, “I don’t remember getting a shot.”

Smiling at him, Simon kissed his cheek and said, “That’s because you were little.” Kissing him again, Simon watched Kaylee’s tense form as she rose. Placing Daniel down, he pushed him towards the door and said, “Go check on your sister, okay?”

Looking between his mom and his dad, Daniel said, “Okay,” and headed out of the room.

Standing in the doorway for a minute, Simon finally said, “Kaylee.” When she would not meet his gaze, he approached her and said softly, “It’s really going to be okay. You’re worrying for nothing.”

Snapping her eyes up to his, Kaylee asked breathlessly, “Nothin’? If’n it’s nothing, then why’re you lockin’ us up?”

Wrapping her tight to him, Simon told her, “Kaylee it’s a precaution, truly. Besides, I’ll be useless trying to help others if I’m worried about you or the kids. You know that’s true.”

Nodding once, Kaylee bit back a sob and said, “I know, I’m just scared. These folks, they’re our friends, Simon. We just met ‘em and …”

“It’ll be all right, Kaylee,” Simon assured her again, knowing he had no authority to make sure an assertion but doing it anyway. “It’ll be all right.”

***

By morning, Kaylee, Inara and the children had said goodbye to River and Simon who headed for the school to begin the slow and arduous process of turning it into a makeshift clinic. Meanwhile Mal and Jayne had started to collect the patients Simon wanted to see.

When the first ones started trickling in, most were already running the high tell-tale fever, while a few were showing the rash. Working as fast as he could, Simon was already tired by mid-afternoon, as he had gotten no sleep from the previous night and he knew that the next few days, if not weeks, would only bring less rest, not more.

Stretching, Simon rubbed his eyes tiredly, thinking of just the past twelve hours and how much had transpired. He probably would have mused on it more if Mal and Jayne had not returned, their latest batch of patients at their heels. “We got more, doc,” Mal said, wearily trudging up the steps. “I hope there’s room at the inn.”

Smiling slightly, Simon murmured, “Always,” and then ushered them inside. Mal moved to follow, but paused as he watched Jayne totter a bit on the lowest step. Peering at the man a bit more closely, he asked, “You all right?”

Nodding once, Jayne answered gruffly, “Yeah. Why?”

“Your eyes is all red, and I know you weren’t drinkin’ last night.” Mal’s expression was highly studious and Jayne did not like it.

“Ah, it’s prolly ‘cause’n I got no sleep,” he said easily, waving off the other man’s concern. “C’mon, let’s see what else we can do.”

Mal watched as the man walked with a slow gait back into the clinic and figuring there wasn’t much else to be said, followed him.

***

The first day inside for Inara, Kaylee and the kids was fine. The children were thrilled that they had full run of the place and Inara and Kaylee found themselves reminiscing about the good old days as they watched them play. But by the afternoon of the second day, the children had had enough. Kaylee and Inara had thought of every game, but Mimi, Daniel and Rylee still started complaining there was nothing to do.

Having finally silenced them with some drawing paper and crayons, Kaylee sat wearily on the couch next to her friend, watching as the three little ones drew.

Reaching out and covering her hand, Inara smiled to her friend and said, “You’re doing an excellent job with them, mei mei.”

Rolling her head to meet her friend’s warm gaze, Kaylee smiled tiredly and told her, “Yeah, well, that’s ‘cause I got help.”

Her smile even wider, Inara shifted to face her and amended her statement. “No, Kaylee, that’s not what I meant. I meant in general, as a mother, Daniel and Rylee are wonderful, well-behaved children and the twins are just beautiful. It doesn’t take a fool to see how happy they are.”

Smiling, Kaylee said softly, “Thanks, ‘Nara. That means a lot comin’ from you.” Glancing back to the kids, Kaylee added, “And you know I love Meems to death.”

Rolling her eyes, Inara turned her own gaze to her daughter, which quickly shifted from one of annoyance to deep love. “Oh, you don’t have to say that just to be polite. I know she’s too much like Mal for her own good.”

Chuckling lightly, Kaylee said, “Well, I wasn’t gonna say nothin’, but …”

Casting a glare to her friend with no real menace, Inara smiled and said, “But thank you, mei mei. Mimi loves you too. I’m so glad we could come and spend this time with all of you.”

“Even with the plague?” Kaylee asked dryly, watching as Daniel and Rylee colored side by side.

Smiling a bit, Inara murmured, “Even with the plague.”

Looking to her children for a minute more and then looking back to Inara, Kaylee suddenly felt the urge to unload a very weighty decision on her friend. Shifting on the couch so that their knees were almost touching, Kaylee asked, “Hey, ‘Nara, can I talk with you ‘bout somethin’?”

Noting her normally cheery friend’s serious expression, Inara shifted her full attention to her and said, “Of course, Kaylee, anything.”

Taking her hand, Kaylee lowered her voice and said, “Now, look, this is really ‘sposed to be a secret, so you can’t tell Mal or Simon or Jayne or anybody, dong ma?” Once Inara had nodded, Kaylee continued. “What do you know ‘bout surrogacy?”

Her eyebrows flying up, Inara knew her face held a look of complete dismay, because that was exactly what she felt. Out of all the topics she had ever thought to discuss with Kaylee, a mother of four, surrogacy had not been one of them.

Regaining her composure, Inara thought for a moment and said, “Well, honestly, not a lot. I know that a lot of retired companions choose it as option when they want to have children. They often feel they’re technically too old to have them naturally. I know it’s very expensive and it takes a very special doctor, but …” Trailing off, Inara again studied Kaylee’s serious expression and asked, “Why, mei mei?”

Dropping the woman’s gaze for a moment, Kaylee took a deep breath. She knew she shouldn’t be talking about this with Inara, it wasn’t fair. Simon had already said he’d need to think about it and River had already asked her not to, but how could she not tell her best friend? How could she not want her opinion?

Looking back into Inara’s open brown eyes, Kaylee said softly, “River asked me if I’d do it. If I’d help her and Jayne have a baby.”

“Oh,” Inara gasped, quickly covering her mouth with her hand. Her eyes wide, she stared at Kaylee for another moment and then breathed, “What did you say?”

Shrugging lightly, Kaylee said, “I told her that I’d have to talk with Simon an’ if he said no then we couldn’t do it.”

“But if he said yes?” Inara questioned.

“I told her I would.” Kaylee’s face and voice were so set, so determined that Inara felt an unbelievable swell of love for her compassionate friend. It would never cease to amaze the ex-companion how kind and generous just one person could be.

Reaching out and covering their joined hands, Inara inched closer to her and asked, “But, mei mei, are you sure? After everything that happened with Ethan and Emma?”

Nodding once, Kaylee averted her gaze so her friend would not see the sudden tears that formed in her eyes. “I’m sure, ‘Nara. I mean, it’s River, ya know?” Looking back to her, Kaylee added. “She’s had it so rough for so long an’ she wants to be a ma so bad she can practically taste it. And here I am, I got four. It seems only right if’n I can giver her one.”

Inara studied her friend’s face for another moment and then gently reached a hand to her cheek. “You are a wonder, Kaylee.” Pausing for a moment, she asked, “Have you talked with Simon about it yet?”

Nodding once, Kaylee answered quietly, “Yes was not his first answer, or his second or his third, but he tol’ me he’d think on it, so we’re gonna wait ‘til all this craziness passes an’ then see how we feel.”

As silence fell between them, Kaylee and Inara both allowed their eyes to drift back to the children, who had remained remarkably quiet for their entire discussion. Her heart filling with new love and appreciation for her little ones, Kaylee watched Daniel now, in awe as and lifted his sleeve to his face, preparing to rub his nose all along it.

Rising, Kaylee was already halfway to him as she said, “Daniel Simon Tam, do not wipe your nose on your sleeve. Who ya think ya are, your Uncle Jayne?”

Even as Mimi, Rylee and Inara’s giggles filled the room, Kaylee noted as she approached him how haggard his features were. How had she missed that before? Kneeling beside him, Kaylee immediately placed a hand to his forehead, her eyes widening as she felt how warm he was.

“Danny, baby?” Kaylee asked him. “You feelin’ okay, sweetie?”

Shrugging once, he said quietly, “I’m just kind of tired, is all.”

Gathering him quickly in her arms, Daniel immediately sagged against her chest, his head falling onto her shoulder as he sighed. “I’m really tired, mama,” he murmured, cuddling in to her embrace.

“Well, let’s get you t’bed, then, all right?” Kaylee took him upstairs, getting him into his pajamas and under the covers. Sitting with him for a bit, Kaylee ran a hand through his dark hair, marveling again at how much like his father he looked. Some days, Kaylee had often found herself caught off guard as she had looked up to speak with him or answer a question and the sight of him, so like his father had taken her breath away. Her two handsome men.

Noting her worried expression through his watery eyes, Daniel reached out and patted her knee, murmuring, “It’s okay, mama. I’ll be okay. Daddy said.”

Smiling to him and trying to swallow back unexpected tears, Kaylee leaned down and kissed him lightly. “I know, baby. You just get some rest, all right?”

He nodded once before his eyes again fluttered shut and he was out. Kaylee stayed at his side for a long while hoping that he was indeed going to be okay.

***

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