“Frey, can I talk to you a moment?” Simon asked, sticking his head into the galley.

“Sure. I doubt anything you say is going to make this any better, but sure.”

“Make what?” He stepped to the floor, then saw she was stirring something on the stove. “Oh.”

“Yeah. My cooking really doesn‘t improve, does it?”

“Well, it looks … interesting.”

Freya laughed. “You, sir, are a gentleman.” She lifted the spoon. “Inara’s housekeeper, that Mrs Boden, gave me some recipes and a few bits. She said they were easy to follow.”

“Are they?”

“Probably. Except I seem to have something of a blind spot when it comes to preparing food.”

He smiled and came round the counter to stand next to her. “Well, let’s take a look and see what you’ve done.”

They studied the recipe together, heads almost touching.

“See, I did what she said. Only it doesn’t exactly look … well, look at it.”

“I’ll admit it leaves something to be desired, but maybe it improves from the slow cooking.”

“Simon, I think I could put this in the oven for a week and it would still taste terrible.”

He smiled. “I think we should do what the recipe says.” He covered the dish and placed it inside the hot oven.

“And if it still comes out looking like a dog’s dinner?”

“Well, thanks to your husband and Jayne, at least we’ve got the dogs to feed it to.”

The expression on his face made her laugh. “He was only doing what he thought best.”

“Really?”

“Well, okay, maybe not,” she conceded. “There may have been a little bit of winding up his good doctor too, but … Simon, Bethany had turned on the big eyes.”

He sighed. “I know. And I will admit the thought did cross my mind to go and get her a little dog for her birthday.” He glared at Freya. “But if you tell Mal that, I’ll hotly deny it.”

Freya grinned. “I won’t.” She wiped her hands on the cloth. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone look so happy as Bethie did.”

“I suppose I’m going to have to bone up on canine physiology now.”

“Probably a good idea.”

“While I’m checking out your scans.”

“My what?” Freya dropped the cloth on the counter then looked at him. “Oh. Mal spoke to you.”

“That he did. He’s worried about your limp.”

“I told him I’d talk to you about it.”

“You haven’t.”

“No, but …Simon, I’m not sure there’s anything you can do about it.”

“Freya, why don’t you let me decide that?”

“So, what do you want to do?”

“Some deep scans. If I can take a look at what’s happening on a lower level, I might be able to figure out why you’re still limping.”

“It isn’t that bad.”

“Does it hurt?”

“No, look, Simon -”

“Does it hurt?”

She glared at him, then nodded slowly. “Sometimes. First thing, mostly. Or when I’m tired.”

“Why didn’t you come and talk to be about it?”

“Because I can live with it.”

“Mal can’t.”

“It’s not his body.”

“He wants you well, Freya.”

“I am.”

“If you were well you’d be pain free and running around after everyone.”

“You know you’re a pain in the backside, don’t you?”

He smiled. “It’s only because I care.”

“Oh, hell.” She gave in.

“Good.” He stood up. “Come on, I’ll help you clear up, then we’ll get started.”

---

Mal watched Bethany playing with the dogs for one last time before bed, as happy as he’d ever seen her, and smiled.

“I think they were a success,” Zoe said, joining him on the top catwalk.

“Seems to be.” He glanced at his first mate. “Is it so bad to have dogs on board?”

“I know a lot of ships that do.”

“Bethie was pleased …”

“Hmn.” Her lips curled.

“What?” Mal turned to look at her. “What?”

“Nothing, sir.”

“It wasn’t nothing. You made a … that sound.”

“And what sound would that be, sir?”

“You know what sound. I remember that sound. Heard it a lot in the war. It means you think I’ve done something stupid. Or crazy. Or both.”

“Really sir.”

“Yes, really.” He crossed his arms. “Well?”

Zoe sighed. “Two dogs, sir?”

“Hey, I was only responsible for one.”

“And didn’t you say, just a day ago, that that was one too many?”

“Well, yeah, maybe.” He gave a little ground.

“And you only got this puppy because Bethany used the big eyes and guilt on you.”

“Zoe, I know what she did. Already spoken to Inara about it.” He humphed. “Damn feminine wiles.”

Zoe smiled and looked back at the puppies. “I have to admit, they are rather cute.”

“Cute?” Mal grinned. My first mate thinks these dogs are rather cute?”

“Anything wrong with that, sir?”

“No, no,” he said quickly. “Just never thought you knew the meaning of the word.” He leaned back on the railing. “That what you call Hank?”

“Never in his hearing.”

For a moment they just stood, enjoying each other’s company.

“So, how’s it going?” Mal finally asked. “The pregnancy.”

“Fine, sir.”

“You got a due date yet?”

“Yes.”

“Do I get to know it?”

“Would it make any difference if you did?”

“Well, I was just thinking we might be wanting to plan in some kind of planetfall around that time …”

“As long as the baby’s healthy, I don’t mind where he’s born, sir. Here on Lazarus or out in space.”

“Well, we’ve got Simon. He’s almost getting practiced at delivering.”

“Hank wants to help.”

“By doing what? Fainting?”

“I’m sure he’ll do good, sir.”

“You gonna marry him?”

“I don’t know.”

Mal smiled. “Well, at least it’s not a downright refusal.”

“Truth is, I don’t think I want to get married again. It doesn’t mean I don’t love Hank - I do. But there’s complications …”

“Like having been married to Wash.”

“It makes a difference.”

“Zoe, Wash would never forgive himself if you weren’t happy, you know that.”

“I know, sir.”

“Zoe, you’re pregnant. Something Wash never made you. This is Hank’s baby, and if he wants to get married, maybe you should think about it.”

“I am. I have.” She shook her head. “I’m just not ready.”

“Well, let me know when you are and we can plan it around your son’s twenty-first.”

Down below Kaylee popped her head out of the doorway to the common area.

“Honey, come on, it’s time to go to bed.”

Bethany got to her feet and climbed out of the pen. “Can the puppies come?”

“No, sweetheart. It’s time for them to go to sleep.”

“Okay, Momma.” She turned around and blew the puppies a kiss. “’Night,” she said softly. “I love you.” She smiled and hurried after her mother.

“Something in your eye, captain?” Zoe asked.

“’Bout as much as you’ve got something in your throat.” Mal stood up. “Well, I’m for my bed too.”

“Early night, sir?”

“Gotta sleep off that meal.”

“It wasn’t that bad.”

“Hey, no, never said it was. Least, not in Freya’s hearing.”

“She does try.”

Mal smiled. “Yep, I think you can say that.”

---

Simon sighed and switched off the lights in the infirmary. There was something about the deep scans he’d taken of Freya that was bothering him, but so far he couldn’t put his finger on it. Maybe a good night would do the trick. More than once in his career as a surgeon he’d been worrying about a particular problem, then after a few hours sleep the answer had lain out in front of him, fully formed.

He walked through the darkened common area towards the lower crew quarters, his mind still occupied. Mal was worried about Freya’s limp, and she obviously hadn’t told him about the discomfort she was still in. Still, if he could figure out what was causing it, he could make two people much happier at a stroke.

He slid the door open to check on Bethany one last time before turning in, but the bed was empty. “Kaylee, is Bethany in with you?” he asked.

Kaylee stuck her head out of their room. “Nope. Ain’t she in bed?”

“It looks like she was, but not right now.”

“Maybe she’s thirsty.”

“She’d have asked.”

“Then …” A smile crept across Kaylee’s face. “Come on.” She took Simon’s hand and led him out into the cargo bay.

“You think …”

“Yep.”

Kaylee was right. Bethany was curled up fast asleep in the pen, her cast supported by her hip, her head resting on her dog toy. In the hollow formed by her body lay the two puppies, twitching as they dreamed.

Simon went to open the gate to pick her up.

“No, don’t,” Kaylee said softly. “One night’s gonna be all right.”

“But they might have fleas or something.”

“Simon, she’s been all over ‘em since the Cap and Jayne brought them on board. Anything they’ve got’s been shared by now.”

“Still …”

“And you can deflea ‘em tomorrow. Or whatever you need to do.” She leaned on the pen. “She just looks so sweet.” She had to swallow back a tear or two.

“What happens if something happens to one of them?” Simon asked, watching his daughter sleep. “What will she do then?”

“Cope, like the rest of us.”

“She’s a baby, Kaylee.”

“I know, honey. But she’s gonna have to learn at some point that things happen to people. And dogs. I did.”

“You did?” He looked at her in surprise. “You never said you had a dog.”

“Didn’t ask.” She pushed her hair behind her ears. “Little thing, just a few weeks old when we got her. I was about six. Pa brought her home, said they was gonna drown her if we didn’t take her in.”

“That’s cruel.”

“It’s what happens. So there we were, family with a dog.”

“What did she look like?”

“Oh, kinda scruffy. Brown fur, sticking out every which way. Kinda like Hank.”

Simon smiled. “Sounds adorable.”

“She was. Only when she was three, there was this …” She stopped and stared down into the pen. “She got sick. Nothing anyone could do. Pa buried her in the back yard.” She sniffed. “Cried my eyes out for days.”

“I’m sorry, Kaylee.” He put his arm around her waist, pulling her close.

“I wish animals didn’t have to die. People too. But that’s the way of life.”

“That’s very philosophical.”

“’Sides, you’re a doctor.” She looked into his eyes. “Anything happens, you can make ‘em well again.”

“A doctor for people, Kaylee. Not dogs.”

“How different can they be?”

Simon sighed. “I think I’m going to be finding out,” he said resignedly.

to be continued