Disclaimers: Everything belongs to Joss, except for one character of my creation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alex had dreamed many dreams, and they had all seemed very real. The latest one certainly seemed the most real of all. She was in the infirmary on Serenity, surrounded by the crew, and she was the patient on the table instead of the one tending to the patient on the table. Well, at least she should have been on the table. She was actually on the floor beside the table. But she was bandaged and wearing a hospital gown, so she knew she had been on the table at some recent point in time. She had been in Serenity’s infirmary in a lot of her dreams. Most of the time, she was tending to the wounded during wartime, before the ship had been Serenity at all. Once or twice she had been going through the “hidey-hole” in the wall where she kept her notes, showing Simon her discovery. And, in one of them, she’d been kissing the captain. That was the one she liked the best. The latest one, she decided, she liked the least. Even though the captain was in it, and he certainly seemed happy enough to see her, she was on the wrong side of things. She wasn’t supposed to be the one in the bandages and gown, hooked up to oxygen and fluids and such. She wasn’t supposed to be the injured one. She wasn’t supposed to be the one in pain. But in pain she was, and it was because of the pain that Alex came fully awake with a start during the night and realized that her latest dream was no dream at all. The infirmary lights had been dimmed, and she instinctively tried to raise up to get her bearings. That was a mistake. The pain slammed her back down so fast it took her breath away. She let out a strangled yelp of surprise; and someone immediately materialized beside her. “Alex?” She blinked the figure into focus. “Kaylee?” The figure standing over her brought the lights up. Alex squinted against the sudden brightness. “Are you okay?” Kaylee asked anxiously. Alex really had no idea how she was, other than painful. “I’m not sure.” She strained to look down at herself. “I don’t know what happened to me. All I know is I hurt all over.” “Should I get Simon?” Alex looked at the clock. Three a.m. “Is he sleeping?” “Yeah,” Kaylee said. Alex recalled her brief conversation with Simon earlier, just before she had fallen asleep again. “He gave me a pain shot, but said it might not last. He was right.” Kaylee drew her chair up close. “So, what?” Alex said. “You pulled the short straw and got to babysit?” Kaylee smiled. “I took over for Simon when he went to sleep a couple hours ago.” She laughed softly. “Cap’n’s been in and out of here a bunch of times, too. I told him to go to sleep, but he don’t listen.” Alex closed her eyes and smiled at the thought. “He’s been really worried ‘bout you,” Kaylee said. Alex looked up sharply. “He has?” Kaylee nodded. “Yeah. He ain’t been thinkin’ ‘bout much of anything else.” Alex’s eyes stung all of a sudden. She swallowed hard. “How’d you know to come for me?” “Cap’n said you tried to ‘wave.” Alex was puzzled. “I did...but the power went out before I had a chance to send it. How—“ Kaylee shrugged. “Dunno. Said a ‘wave got cut off, but he knew it was you.” Alex’s throat tightened. She closed her eyes and swallowed again. “He told me to ‘wave if I ever got in trouble,” she murmured. “I didn’t want to, Kaylee. I didn’t want to involve you all in my ugly mess.” Kaylee squeezed her hand. “It’s prob’ly good you did,” she said, nodding toward Alex’s belly. Alex grimaced. “I told the captain—that’s not his...problem.” Kaylee frowned. “Alex—“ she began, and then stopped. “What?” Kaylee shook her head. “Nothin’.” Alex sighed. “I need to ‘wave my Mama. She prob’ly thinks I’m dead.” “Cap’n talked to her already.” Alex raised an eyebrow. “How’d he do that?” “She found us. They been talkin’ every day for ‘bout a week now.” Alex was relieved and touched. She blinked back the tears that seemed determined to make an appearance. Despite the pain, she suddenly felt exhausted again. “I sure don’t have much strength,” she commented. “You been through a lot,” Kaylee said. Alex was quiet for a moment, thinking. “I wish I could remember what happened to me. It almost comes to me, but then...it’s like...my mind just won’t let it in.” “You screamed when you woke up,” Kaylee offered. “Maybe it’s better you don’t remember. ‘Least ‘til you’re stronger.” “I remember the prison. I remember...working there...and I remember the riot starting...I couldn’t get in the shelter, my pass wouldn’t work...I remember trying to send the ‘wave...” She shook her head slowly. “And then...I was outside...in the cold. I was lying down, somewhere. Seems like I was sort of protected...but I don’t know how I got there or anything. And then I woke up here.” “You were out a long time,” Kaylee said. “You been with us more’n a week.” “Simon said I had a knife in me—I don’t remember getting stabbed.” She turned her hands over, looking at the bandages and the gouges she could see on the flesh that wasn’t wrapped. “I don’t know how I got all cut up like this...and my nose...feels like a clown nose.” “It was broke—Simon set it.” Alex rolled her eyes. “I must look a sight.” Kaylee smiled and squeezed her hand again. “You’ll be okay,” she said reassuringly. “You’re safe with us now, that’s what matters.” Sleepiness was coming over Alex, despite the pain. She closed her eyes. “Feels like I’m home,” she murmured softly. She opened her heavy eyes briefly. “If the captain comes in again, tell him I said thanks for bringing me back.” “You should tell him that yourself in the morning,” Kaylee said. Alex smiled groggily. “Maybe I’ll do that.” She relaxed then and concentrated on the gentle grip of Kaylee’s hand around hers as sleep overcame her once again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go to Chapter 27.

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