The infirmary onboard Serenity was calm and neat, all the little pieces of equipment, bandages, tools, and gauze put away. The room had recently been disinfected, due to the dangerous mission that was about to end. The room’s resident always made sure things were clean, neat, and ready before a mission…just in case. Suddenly, the room burst into activity as six people rushed in; Mal, Zoe, Kaylee, Simon, and Jayne holding a bleeding River. The noise was almost deafening as two men started shouting orders. “Kaylee, get to the engine room now,” Mal said. “Get ready to take off. Zoe, go tell Inara I want my boat in the air in ten seconds.” Kaylee and Zoe rushed off to their activities, while the rest looked at the youngest of the crew. “Put her on the bed, stomach down,” Simon ordered, and Jayne carefully placed her on the clean surface trying desperately not to look at the blood pouring out of the bullet hole in her back. Simon wiped the sweat from his forehead, forcing himself to get a grip. He couldn’t be her brother right now…she needed him to be her doctor. The captain put a hand on his back. “Doctor,” he said, shaking him. “Tell us what you need.” Simon shook his head, and transitioned into surgeon mode. “Get the defibrillator and laser capillary, third drawer on the left,” he said, grabbing a pair of scissors out of another drawer and switching on the lights. Quickly, he cut away a part of River’s dress and briefly looked at the wound. Turning around and shoving a silent Jayne aside, he grabbed his gloves, put them on, and grabbed two metal instruments then returned to his patient. “How bad is it, doc?” Mal asked as Simon inspected the wound. He didn’t respond, but muttered under his breath at a few intervals. Suddenly, they all wavered as the ship raised from the ground and began it’s course out of atmo. Simon rounded on the Captain. “What are you doing?” he shouted. “I can’t operate on her until we’re out of atmo, and I need to do it now!” “Then do it!” the Captain shouted. “Or would you have preferred we stay there and let the Alliance men board us? ‘Cause either they would have arrested us and let her die, or she’d be on her way to that academy right now, dong ma?” They stood glaring at each other until a voice beside them spoke up…loudly. “What the hell you two think yer doin?” Jayne demanded, angrily. “This ain’t no gorram time to be arguin.” With another glare, Simon returned to his sister. “Get me a sedative,” he ordered. “I don’t want her waking during this.” ~~~~ Three hours later Serenity was safely in the black, with no sign of danger following. Exhausted, Simon stepped out of the infirmary and into the anxious looks of Mal, Inara, Zoe, Kaylee, and Jayne. Instantly, Kaylee rushed up and put an arm around him. “How is she?” she asked what was on everyone’s mind. Simon took a breath. “She’s stable,” he said to everyone. “I’ve removed the bullet and closed the wound. It didn’t hit any organs, but it did create quite a bit of tissue damage. She’ll have to be monitored for the rest of the night, but she mostly seems allright,” he said, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. “Mostly?” the Captain asked, picking up the clue. “There something you not telling us?” he asked and Kaylee looked up at him. Simon sighed. “I took her off the sedative, but she’s not responding to anything I’ve given her.” He took a breath before plunging in. “I think she’s in some sort of a coma, though it’s not like any I’ve ever seen. All her vitals are steady, and her brain waves don’t match that of a coma patient.” He shook his head. “It’s like she’s just…asleep.” “Think it has something to do with the Academy?” Zoe asked and he shrugged. “I’m not counting it out. She’s never showed any sign that anything’s wrong with her physically since the Academy, but then they did do things with her brain. And since the brain controls the body, it’s not a big leap that….” his voice trailed off, and Kaylee gave a supportive squeeze. They all were silent, not knowing exactly what to say. Mal and Inara shared a look. Finally, Jayne spoke up. “But she’s gonna be allright, yoeng se?” he asked, and Simon was too tired to catch the worry in the question. He shook his head. “I don’t know. I think so, but I don’t know.” ~~~ After everyone had returned to their bunks, Jayne sneaked back downstairs and entered the infirmary. He took in a breath when he saw her, laying on her side and the bed out flat. A thick blanket had been placed over her to keep her warm, but it still didn’t hide how small she was. He ran a hand through his hair, then stepped forward. He crouched down beside the bed so he was face-to-face with her. “Girl?” he said, soft but gruff. “Jus me, the big merc.” He paused to look at her, but she remained motionless. “Well…er…just wanted to…er…..check up on ya….make sure you was gonna live an all that….you are gonna live, ain’tcha?” he asked suddenly. “Cuz, ya gotta live…can’t go off and leave the Capt thinkin I was responsible er something…cause, well….i guess I was.” He stopped, his panic rising as she remained motionless and silent. “Gorramit girl, I’m sorry that ruttin piece of go se was able ter….just because I wasn’t payin enough gorram attention…” He took a breath and put a hand on her head, touching her pretty long hair. “Please live, baby girl….i’m sorry…so, so sorry…please don’t leave me….I don’t know what I’m feelin bout this whole thing with you, but I sure as hell know I don’t want it to end….please don’t die, baby girl…I hate dancin and I sure can’t do it, but I’d dance every day if it meant ya not leavin me. An hell, by now we all know at least a little sumin bout Serenity’s song….learnin to dance to it can’t be that hard,” he paused. “Please don’t leave me, baby girl,” he said then leaned in and, breaking with all his traditions, he kissed her softly on the lips. When he pulled back, her eyes were wide open like she had been awake the whole time. “Isn’t hard,” she said, softly. “Already know the first move.” They both grinned. “Yeah but I didn’t do so well,” Jayne grunted, but with a big smile. “Been a long time since I kissed a girl on the lips. Can you show me that first move again?” He leaned in, but then River’s smile disappeared as she looked up. Jayne turned around to see the Captain’s pants, then he felt a piece of metal connected with his head as everything went dark…