CHAPTER 1

Mal sent Zoë to check on Kaylee armed with Emma’s prescription of a big hug, then carried his daughter to the bridge. The ship on autopilot, River had tucked her knees to her chest and folded wistfully into her chair. Emma leaned down, trying to kiss River on the cheek without falling out of her daddy’s arms. When River didn’t react, Emma kissed again. “River,” Mal ventured, placing a hand on her shoulder. At his touch, River inhaled sharply, like a drowning woman just breaking the water’s surface. She looked around the bridge, confused a little as to why she was there, then found her best fake smile for Emma. Though Emma smiled back, Mal wasn’t fooled. “You want I should take over for awhile?” “Not now,” River said quickly. “Maybe later… it’ll hit me later.” “You look hit pretty hard now.” “I’m…” She smiled, abashedly. “I could be worse.”

*~*

Zoë waited for Simon to leave, the drugs to metabolize, and the angst on Kaylee’s face to fade to apathy before she entered. In stark contrast to Mal’s description, Kaylee looked up right away, her smile pure sunshine. “Hey, Zoë,” she greeted, a sparkle appearing in her eyes. “How are you feeling?” “Shiny as a new penny,” Kaylee lied, bravely. “Only now I can feel everything and it all hurts.” Zoë smiled back, pulling up a chair to sit next to the bed, watching as Kaylee wriggled her fingers and toes. “Doc will get you up and about in no time. I see you have him running through the ship doing your job again.” Kaylee had sent Simon on quite a few trips to the engine room to fix small problems, having trained him well over the course of their six year marriage. “Captain pushes Serenity, she pushes back. She’s not as young as she used to be.” “You’re not just trying to keep Simon out of your hair?” Zoë prodded, seeing right through Kaylee’s excuse. The mechanic averted her eyes and shifted uncomfortably, fingers still wriggling. “You want a ratchet or something,” Zoë asked quickly, switching topics. “Your fingers ain’t stopped twitching since I came in.” Kaylee stilled her fingers self-consciously. She then used her right hand to shift the position of her left arm, cringing slightly. “It’s hard to move. I can’t… you ever been tied down so tight you can’t move?” “I… yes,” Zoë answered, puzzled. In the time of war, Zoë had been through many horrific prisons, and just the mention of being tied down sent shivers through her spine. “But Kaylee, you’re just suffering some nerve damage. No one’s tying you down.” Kaylee looked at her gimped left side and nodded. Zoë searched her expression, trying to understand Kaylee’s question “Kaylee, did you…?” she began, uncertain how to finish the question. Kaylee interrupted with a brave smile, shrugging off the melancholy like a wet coat. “I’m just feeling useless is all.” Zoë nodded unbelieving, checking for any signs of… she wasn’t sure what, but her mother’s instinct was screaming bloody-murder. For her part, Kaylee smiled that cheerful, sparkling smile, concentrating on coaxing her left arm to move on its own. “Mommy, supper is ready,” Jackson interrupted breathlessly as he ran to the door. “I’ll be right there,” she told him, then turned back to Kaylee. “Did you want to come?” Kaylee smiled and shook her head. “I’m too tired to … sit,” she finished lamely. “Bring me something later?”

*~*

River picked at her food more than ate it. Inara wasn’t sure anyone else noticed, but she did. She watched as River swirled the multi-colored protein meal until it became a brown mesh, exiled to the edge of the plate so that the middle looked clear. Mal would be angry at her for wasting food, and with Cappy gone, there wasn’t really a scavenger around picking scraps off other people’s plates. Finally, River left the table and curled up on one of the couches in the lounge area. When the conversation waned, Inara could hear River humming softly, one of the songs Cappy used to play on the guitar. Emma ate her food slowly, methodically dividing the protein by color, and eating monochromatically around the plate. Accustomed to fresh food, Jackson picked at his meal and whispered his disapproval to Zoë, who calmly advised him to eat what was set before him. “Have you made contact with French?” Zoë asked. “Don’t want to send a wave this far out,” Mal answered, consuming his meal matter-of-factly. “Can’t afford to attract that kind of attention to ourselves.” “You really think they don’t know we’re here?” Simon asked. “I’m sure they know Serenity’s here. I’m just hopin’ they don’t know that you’re here, Doc.” “Daddy, why don’t you want them to know Doctor Simon is here?” Emma asked innocently, rotating her plate so that the blue food was before her. “Because they are bad men who want to take Doctor Simon away from us.” “Mal,” Inara chastised, putting a hand on her worried daughter. “Do they take kids?” the little girl asked, swallowing fearfully. “Only the –” “No, sweetie, they won’t take you away from us,” Inara assured, cutting Mal off before he could say something damaging. “Was Doctor Simon bad?” Jackson ventured, worry tracing his face as well. “He wasn’t bad at all,” Zoë said quickly. “That’s why we’re hidin’ him. Now finish up your food.” “How is Kaylee?” Inara asked, switching topics, wishing she’d found time between Emma’s lessons to visit. “She has some swelling in her joints, but she’ll recover,” Simon answered. “Seemed okay when I spoke to her,” Zoë added, exchanging a glance with Inara that plainly said she should speak to Kaylee herself. The conversation continued roaming around ship business, what to expect on Persephone, and the general need for rosemary to add flavor to their dinner. When Emma had finished her meal, she leaned over and whispered in Inara’s ear, requesting to be excused. Inara looked quizzically at her daughter. Ever the conversationalist, Emma rarely asked to leave the dinner table early. “Sure, sweetie,” she whispered back. With a little help, Emma slid gracefully from her chair, climbed onto the couch where River had curled up, and gave her a big hug. River broke into a grateful smile and hugged Emma back. “Hugs are the best medicine,” Emma informed River. “Hugs and strawberry ice cream,” River agreed.

*~*

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