The Dr. Tam Journals – Part 18 – Epilogue

Kaylee was pregnant and nine months later Simon helped her delivered a healthy baby boy into the world. They called him Daniel and over the years Kaylee had four more boys and three girls until there were eight little children running around the Tam household. Kaylee just kept wanting more babies and Simon couldn’t say no to her and their brood grew and grew. It was a bigger house by the time the last baby, little Emma, came on a wintry day in January, a local carpenter adding on bits and pieces until there was a proper operating theater and five bedrooms, a storage room, and a horse stable. The children grew and went to school and their house and the town of Lancaster grew around them, expanding outward and becoming more prosperous.

The first year had been the hardest for Kaylee and Simon and River. Beauregard kept his end of the bargain and never told anyone who they really were and why they were suddenly here. They had to tell some tall tales to the locals and it soon became well-known that the new doctor, while from the Core, had decided to dedicate his life to helping the folk on the rim. For this he was looked at in awe and received a great measure of respect from all who knew the story. Of course, his wife supported him and his sister came out to help them settle in and then just decided to stay. After being on Boros a month River began to draw and paint more and her art work was bought by some locals. Some parents asked her to teach their children to paint and soon Beauregard offered her a job to teach dance and art at the local school. As the town grew bigger she opened her own private academy and River was glad she stayed, especially after she met a local man she took a shine to and after a few years River and Tom Wilkins were married.

Tom was a farmer and had his feet on the ground so Simon and River decided to tell him the truth about her “condition” and their situation before their wedding day. He took it well after the initial shock and he said he always knew something was odd about his girlfriend since she seemed to know what he was about to say and how he felt even before he did. He said he’d keep a gun by the bed but River told him that wouldn’t be necessary and after she flipped him on his back in one quick move he had to agree with her.

Little Kaylee/aka Serenity flew to the Lancaster townships several times that first year and often did the cargo run between Persephone and Boros for Harrow and his new agricultural business. Mal had hired two new crew members, a Chinese fellow who was an expert cook and Jayne’s new best friend and Bester, their former mechanic, who rejoined the crew after answering an ad for a mechanic on a ship called the Little Kaylee, a Firefly. He knew that name and thought, nah, it couldn’t be, but he showed up on Persephone and Mal decided that he’d rather have someone he knew than not. Bester had learned a few lessons over the years, and he was decidedly more mature and not the girl chaser he used to be after one too many fathers, brothers, and husbands chased him out of bedrooms.

Mal’s troubles with Badger came to a head a few months after Kaylee and the Tams left the ship. Two assassins came calling on Beaudmonde while Mal, Jayne and Zoe were having a friendly drink in a bar and one of the assassins met his end with a bullet in the brainpan thanks to Zoe’s quick reflexes and the other was dragged aboard the ship where Jayne beat the truth out of him after a few hours. Badger had hired them and after they sent this assassin for a space walk, without the suit, they decided to settle scores with Badger once and for all. Kaylee never knew the whole story but Badger and two of his henchmen were found face down with more than a few bullets in them in a back alley near the Eavesdown docks and not too many wept when he passed.

Things slowed down after the harvest that first year and that’s when trouble came calling for the first time to the Tam household. Kaylee was six months pregnant and home alone making dinner on a rainy day, River being at the school and Simon out tending to some folks who had come down with the flu. A man came to the doctor’s office and claimed he was from the central Boros government and was here to inspect the new doctor’s license and the facilities to make sure everything was on the up and up. Kaylee got immediately suspicious because he didn’t look like no government worker, his clothes more of a cowboy or laborer, with dirty fingernails, and a smell of whiskey. She got nervous, too nervous, and he sensed she was on to him. A gun came out and he was in the process of tying a very terrified Kaylee to a chair and asking where Simon and River Tam were when River flew through the door, knocked the gun out of his hand and broke the man’s neck in just a few seconds.

They dragged his body to the kitchen and sat there in fear, waiting for Simon to come home. Kaylee didn’t have to ask how River knew she was in danger, River just knew and nothing needed to be said. Simon was shocked to find a dead man in his kitchen and immediately called on Beauregard and told him to come alone. P.T. took one look through the man’s pockets and found the old Tam sibling wanted poster, which Simon quickly threw in the wood burning stove. There was no id and nothing to connect him to the Alliance and no way to know if he worked alone or had friends. Beauregard handed Simon the gun, told him to lock all the doors and let no one in except himself, and then he went for a walk around town. There was a strange horse hitched to the post in front of the bar and on inquiring the bar owner said a strange fellow had just been in and had a few shots of whisky. Was awful nervous too and looked like he was trying to calm himself. They waited for night and then Simon and Beauregard put the body on the dead man’s horse and took him up into the hills and buried him in as remote a place as they could find. They buried the saddle and gear with him and slapped the horse on the tail and sent it off. There was no brand or markings on the horse so some farmer found it the next morning and made it his own.

Fear filled their next weeks and they debated on whether to pack up and run but Kaylee said no, we run now we’ll never stop and this baby needs a home as much as we do. Simon finally agreed with her but took measures for their protection. Guns were bought and placed in every room and remained there till the children started crawling and Simon got a gun cabinet which he kept locked. In the evenings River showed them some defensive moves, and on off days the three went target shooting at tin cans and bottles up in the hills till Simon and Kaylee were almost as good as River with a gun. They never told Mal and the others what had happened. The children learned to shoot and ride but their parents and aunt never told them they were fugitives with a price on their heads.

They never knew who would come knocking in the middle of the night but gradually their fears subsided and life was as normal as it could be in their situation. Kaylee’s father Jonathan came to visit twice the first year and then decided he wanted to be close to the only family he had when the first baby came. He sold his factory and house on Taos and used the money to buy a small place and set up a repair shop in Lancaster. He had more than enough business and he and Kaylee, when she wasn’t expecting, which was quite often in those first years, earned a good living fixing tractors, appliances, and the few vehicles people had. They also kept the electrical generator station operating and by the time the last baby was born an electrical grid net was in operation on this part of Boros.

After nine months living on Boros, Simon and River finally decided it was time to tell their parents about what had happened and where they were. Simon asked Mal to visit Osiris and give a verbal message to Gabriel and Regan Tam, to tell them where they were and to ask them to come to visit. Afraid the Alliance was watching them, they left the Tam residence on a rainy night, disguised as their servants and made their way to Little Kaylee’s shuttle and then to the ship itself. The two week journey gave the Tams plenty of time to get caught up on what had happened to their children. There were some bad moments when Simon and his father finally were face to face after so long and with so much anger and bitterness on Simon’s part but Kaylee took the moment to fortuitously go into labor and eight hours later Daniel was born. Long talks and many tears were shared among the Tams as they sought to find a way to forgive each other for all that had passed. Kaylee was finally made to feel a part of the family as Simon’s parents thanked her for caring for their children and bringing them their new grandson.

Gabriel and Regan Tam left Boros ten days later determined to find a way to get the Alliance to drop the charges against their children. But it was futile and Gabriel had no power and no connections to the upper levels of the government. Four years passed and Kaylee had three more children and Tom and River got married and still they worried about the future. Then a tragedy set things moving in a new direction. A young man walked into a busy government office in the capital city on Londinium and in an all day siege that was broadcast galaxy wide killed 33 people and injured another 57, many of them Alliance soldiers. He used guns, knives, explosives, his hands and his feet and finally killed himself by leaping from the top of the building as hundreds of Alliance troopers closed in. The young man’s name was Adam Johansson and his parents were shocked to see their son on a vid screen waging combat against their government. An intrepid reporter reach the Johansson household before the Alliance Operatives could and they told the story of how their son entered an elite academy and then disappeared and hadn’t been seen in almost six years. He was only 20 years old.

The secret of the Athenian Island project came out over the next few months as member after member of Parliament and dozens of citizen groups set in motion a galaxy wide protest over what had happened to Adam Johansson. When an assassination attempt on the reporter failed, the hue and cry shook the walls of the parliament and the current leadership fell under the scandal. The new government did an investigation and those responsible were brought to justice. The children of the program were scattered across the galaxy, some in hiding like River, and others on assignments for the government. An amnesty was granted for all crimes committed while in the grip of the program and suddenly what Simon and River had wished for was theirs: freedom.

On a bright sunny day Kaylee walked down the streets of Osiris’ capital city with her handsome doctor on her arm and she didn’t need to look over her shoulder or worry about where they would have to run to next. They entered a courtroom and River and Simon stood before a judge and were granted amnesty for their crimes. All their friends were there, Mal, Zoe, and Jayne feeling a might uncomfortable being this close to an Alliance judge and after the ruling all beat a hasty retreat to the Tam residence. Kaylee spent hours wandering the halls and rooms as River and Simon told stories about their childhood. Simon was so relaxed and seemed at home and Kaylee feared he would want to stay. Finally, the day before the Little Kaylee was to leave Simon told her that Boros was their home now and that was where they would raise their children. There was no doubt that River was going back because Tom was waiting for her.

They returned a few weeks later and Kaylee’s father looked frazzled from spending almost a month with four young children and Kaylee promised she’d never leave him or her children alone again for so long. It wasn’t all bad as Jonathan had begged a local woman for some help and they took a shine to each other and before long were sharing the same house. They never got married but Kaylee always took to Mary like the mother she had long lost and the children always called her grandmother.

Over the years the planet advanced enough that Lancaster was incorporated with some other townships to make Lancaster province with Lancaster as capital and Beauregard as first governor. His wife heard he was a governor and came out from Beaumonde long enough to learn she hated farming life and went back and was never seen again. Beauregard took up with a woman and was soon divorced and remarried all in a single day. Boros soon had an Alliance representative and was granted two seats in the parliament. The second Tam son, James, took a liking to politics and when he was twenty- six was voted in the youngest member in parliament history.

The oldest son Daniel and the third son Robert followed their father’s footsteps and became doctors, both going to Osiris for their medical studies, and then both returning to Boros to practice. Joseph, the youngest son, went to university also and became a professor of history at the only college on Boros. Michael, number four of the Tam boys, became a merchant and opened a trading company in Lancaster. Little Emma was a grease monkey like her grandpa and momma and Kaylee was so proud of her. Jessie and Victoria went to college and Jessie became a lawyer and Victoria started in business with her brother Michael and then opened her own shop. All three girls and five boys were married and by the time she was in her forties Kaylee was a grandmother.

Two years after the Tams settled on Boros, Mal and Inara finally got married and settled on Shadow, Mal planning to use his legitimate business savings to buy a ranch. He didn’t quite have enough and Inara surprised him by accessing a credit account that had more than enough with plenty left over. Apparently, as she jokingly told Kaylee, all that time spent on her back was worthwhile. Mal hated to be reminded of his wife’s past and more than once he had to be restrained from shooting someone who recognized Inara from her previous life. They raised horses and cows and three children and stayed on Shadow and Mal finally found that little corner of the verse where he could find a little bit of peace.

The Little Kaylee was given to Zoe and she and Jayne, Bester and the other crew flew the verse doing what they always did. Zoe had a better head for business than anyone suspected and soon had a fleet of five old ships running cargo, making a fairly decent living, but she always stayed with the Little Kaylee. Zoe never did remarry or take up with someone on a permanent basis but Kaylee heard she had more than one lover in different ports of call. Many years later Kaylee was saddened to learn that Jayne Cobb was found dead in a whorehouse. He was almost 65 and was found in bed in the morning, dead of a heart attack apparently, with two naked women and a smile on his face.

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Simon Tam died on a cold Tuesday morning in March in his seventy-sixth year. He was found by his son Robert on his desk in his office in the practice they operated together. His death was ruled a stroke and Kaylee wept inconsolably for a day with River and her holding each other and then she pulled herself together for her children and grandchildren. She was 69 and was considered a matriarch in Lancaster and was expected to be brave no matter how much her heart was breaking inside. Daniel made the funeral arraignments and they waited several days for James to return from his parliamentary duties, where he was now in the inner circle of the government. Space travel was much faster than in her day Kaylee marveled and she was glad to have all her children again in the same house even under such tragic circumstances. Kaylee’s father had died seven years ago but Mary was there to help her with everything. Gabriel and Regan had also long passed on and the Tam property on Osiris sold and divided among Simon and River’s families. Mal, Inara and Zoe showed at the last minute and Kaylee was so happy to see her friends that she wept again uncontrollably until Mal, aged, with thin grey hair, and wearing glasses, slower in step, but still tall and strong, her Capt’n, held her in his arms and walked her into the church.

The eulogies were long and wonderful and many spoke on Simon’s dedication as a doctor, scarifying a career in the Core to help the people on the rim. His work in setting up the first medical school on Boros and his leadership of the physician’s council were also praised by the local governor. But the best eulogy came last and it was by Mal. He stood and walked to the podium next to Simon’s coffin, still wearing a long brown coat as usually. He fumbled in his pocket and brought out a piece of paper, looked at it and then just crumpled it and dropped it on the floor.

“Some of you know me and most of you don’t. Name’s Reynolds, Malcolm Reynolds and I was a sergeant in the 57th Brigade of Browncoats in the war.” That brought a few cheers and then a short round of applause from the mostly independent minded church crowd. “But war’s long past and don’t ever wish for another. Now, I ain’t much for words except if there’s some fighting to be done.” A few chuckles from the crowd and Kaylee remembered from the far distance past how he could inspire them before battle. “Anyways, we’re here to say goodbye to a good man, maybe best you’ll ever come across. Didn’t always feel that way about him. Fact is first time I met him I punched his lights out, twice in the same day.” Gasps from the crowd, with all her children and more than one town’s person looking toward Kaylee. “I was captain of a Firefly called Serenity and Simon and his sister were passengers. Threatened to throw him off my ship once or twice too. But he kinda grew on me, despite his pompous demeanor. And then he fell in love with my mechanic and, well, long story short, he stole my mechanic!” And he said this with such indignation that Inara, Zoe and Kaylee couldn’t help but laugh and Kaylee started to feel so much better. Her children and grandchildren kept looking at her and she knew it was time to tell them everything.

“Well, you can’t stop love and Simon did love her and made her his wife and came here to find some peace and raise a family. He was a good man and I’d like to have him at my side in a gunfight any day. Not carrying a gun mind you, but with his doctor’s bag in case I got shot!” And this time the whole church laughed and the dreaded air of a funeral was disappearing. “Cause he was a terrible shot, least when I knew him. Hear he got better since. I ain’t got much more to say so don’t fret none. I guess what I aim to say is that Simon was a good friend, a good neighbor, a good husband, father, grandfather and of course a good doctor. But in the end none of that matters less you’re a good man. And that’s what Simon Tam was: a good man, in his heart and in his deeds. Little Kaylee,” and he looked right at her as tears welled in her eyes “all our hearts are breaking but yours most of all. But don’t fret cause he’s in a good place now and will always be in our hearts.” And he came over as Kaylee slowly rose and he gave her a big warm hug and everyone surrounded them and tears flowed freely. After a long while they moved to the cemetery and in the biting wind they lay Simon to rest for the final time.

The house was jammed with people for hours and finally Mal took charge and ushered all except immediate family away so they could sit in peace together. Kaylee told everyone to gather in the living room and it was jammed with children and grandchildren, hers and River’s, and their children's spouses and River's husband Tom was there and Mary and of course Zoe and Inara and Mal. She went to Simon’s study with Daniel and both came back a few minutes later with the journal in Kaylee’s hands and Daniel holding a box with many more notebooks which he placed at Kaylee’s feet before he sat down.

Kaylee cleared her throat and took a sip of wine and then began to speak. “Your father and I kept many secrets from you.” And more than one head nodded. “Now Capt’n Reynolds has alluded to a few of them today but not all. This here notebook was your father’s journal when we first met. Now you know we met on a transport ship where I was mechanic and he was a passenger. But that’s just the beginning of the story. In this box are all his journals and notebooks over the years. Some from when he was a child, some from after we moved to Boros. But this one is the original one I read many years ago while on Serenity.”

And Mal and Zoe and Inara looked at each other in surprise. “Yes, he wrote it while he was on the ship. River knew of course, like she knows everything else, but I made a promise to him so long ago to never tell anyone else about it. Well, now I’m telling you. And you can read it all of you if you want, this one and all of the other Dr. Tam journals. It’s time you got to know just how strong and brave and loving and well, even pompous, your father and grandfather really was.”

With that Kaylee handed the journal to Daniel and he opened the first page and his eyes grew wide and then soon everyone wanted to hear what Simon wrote. Daniel looked at his mother and Kaylee nodded and so he spoke in a clear strong voice:

“This journal is a record of my attempts to free my sister, River Tam, from the people who are imprisoning her on Athenian Island at a scientific research center for human behavior modification. I am committing it to paper and ink to insure there is only one copy that cannot be breached as an electronic one can. If anyone finds this journal please send it to Gabriel and Regan Tam of 11 Chungjin Street, Sungsoo Suburb, Capital City, Osiris. You will be well paid for your efforts. My name is Dr. Simon Tam, River’s brother, and I have begun this journey in an attempt to free my sister and save her from whatever it is the Alliance government is doing to her.”

And in shocked silence, interrupted by questions and gasps of disbelief and interjections from Mal to correct certain points, which Inara, Kaylee, and Zoe didn’t feel needed correction at all, the gathering listened and everyone took turns reading, except certain parts that were a bit too private Kaylee felt, and long into the night and for many nights after they gathered and reminisced and remembered the good times and the bad but mostly they remembered the good and how they had all come together on a fateful day at the Eavesdown docks so long ago and what a long and, for the most part, wonderful life it had been.

THE END