"Feelin' better there, doc?"

Simon opened one eye, then the other. "Didn't know you cared."

Jayne snorted, stepping into the infirmary. "Don't. Just wondering when you'll be back on your feet and pulling your weight around here, Cap'n has it in his head that we'll be ready to be moving on in a few days."

"And just how much weight are you pulling with that shoulder?" Simon asked.

"It's not so bad." Jayne grunted. "Those Alliance boys gave me some good stuff." With his back to the doctor, he started picking up some of the bottles that had been left on the counter, reading the labels and tossing them aside. "Hey, meant to tell you, that was some nice motivational speaking back there."

"What?"

"What you said to Kaylee, before the gorram Reavers interrupted that lovely little moment you two were having. 'Bout what you regretted not doing with her. Sure lit a fire under her."

"Oh God." Simon covered his face with both hands, wincing. "You heard that. Great. What are the odds of me ever living that one down?"

"I'm in a generous kind of mood. So long as you don't hurt Kaylee, 'cause if you do..."

Simon knew this speech by heart. When River had been thirteen, a neighbor boy had walked her home from school. Taking his role as the older brother to heart, Simon had sat the kid down and explained to him, in the sort of medical detail someone who would one day be in the top three percent at MedAcad would know, exactly what would happen if he ever caused River to shed a single tear.

"...and there won't even be enough left for a proper burial in anything bigger than a cigar box. Dong ma?" Jayne was wrapping up his speech, so Simon nodded.

"Absolutely." He agreed. "And you don't have to worry, my intentions towards Kaylee are-"

"Oh, I heard what your intentions towards her are." Jayne interrupted. "And I've gotten an earful of what her intentions towards you are. A word of advice, doc, you might be needin' a whole different kinda 'safeword' with her." At the look on Simon's face, he burst out laughing.

"Jayne!" Mal appeared in the doorway. "Any chance of you leaving the good doctor alone and helping me out with that gorram cannon sometime today?" He nodded in Simon's direction. "Mornin', doc. Did Jayne already give you the speech?"

"He has quite a way with words." Simon replied.

"I wanted to do the speech." Mal said to Jayne. "I'm the captain, I should be the one to do the speech."

"I got here first." Jayne shrugged.

"Well fine, but if he gets her in a family way, I'm holding the gun to his back at the wedding." Mal stated. "I think I'll borrow Vera for the occasion."

"Aw, come on, Mal..." Jayne's voice, already muffled by the pillow Simon had pulled over his face, trailed off as the two men left the infirmary. The small room was silent for a moment, then the pillow was pulled away.

"I don't see how smothering yourself will help you heal up any faster." Kaylee chirped brightly. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." Simon managed a smile. Her cheerfullness was always infectious, at least to him. He raised one hand up to the tiny pin-pricks on her throat. "How about you?"

"Just shiny." Kaylee placed her hand lightly over his. "That shot you told 'Nara to give me took care of whatever was in those darts real fast." Her smile faltered for a split second and she looked at the floor.

"What is it, Kaylee?" Simon asked, moving his hand to cup her cheek.

"I just...once the shot kicked in, that's when it actually hit me that you'd been...it scared the living daylights outta me." Kaylee admitted. "I really thought I was going to lose you, and I kept thinking back to what we'd said before, and I couldn't help but think we'd jinxed ourselves. I know that sounds stupid..."

"Not so stupid." Simon reassured her, placing his fingertips to her lips. It felt like the most natural thing in the 'verse. "I didn't really have a lot of time to think...but I was still afraid for you. I had no way of knowing what they'd done to you, or if I could do anything to help you. And then after I got shot, well, I couldn't think much other than 'ouch,' but I clearly remember thinking that I was going to die without being able to save you. Or..." He paused and gave her a sheepish grin. "Or kiss you."

"I'm right here." Kaylee reminded him, arching one eyebrow.

Simon grinned and slowly slid his hand around to the back of her neck. There was no trace of awkwardness as he gently guided her face down to his. Eight months on Serenity and probably even more near-death experiences had made him more sure of himself.

Kaylee let out a soft whimper as their lips finally met, but she was already too far gone to be embarassed. And if the way Simon's mouth was opening under hers, and his tongue was softly grazing her lips was any indication, he was as eager and bordering on desperate as she was.

He moaned as she parted her lips, as their tongues met and stroked languidly, and the sound made her knees buckle helplessly. She had always thought he would be a good kisser, thorough and gentle. Although all traces of gentleness were quickly disappearing as he tangled one hand in her hair and let the other slide up and down her back, holding her to him.

She had never wanted anything as much as she wanted him in that moment. She wanted to straddle him and slide down the length of him, and ride him until they were both satisfied. But the one rational brain cell she had left knew that she couldn't. He'd been shot in the gut, a kind of pain that she knew all too well, and besides...

"What?" Simon pulled back, confused, when Kaylee started laughing into his mouth.

"You can't feel a thing below your shoulders, can you?" She asked.

"Below my neck, actually." Simon admitted, chuckling.

"Well, that's for the best." Kaylee touched his face gently, pushing the thoughts of how close she had come to losing him to a far corner of her mind. "Besides, we've got time."

She immediately wished she hadn't said that. As much as she hated it, there was no denying that they might have less time than she cared to imagine.

Simon seemed to sense what she was thinking. "Well, Jayne and the Captain seem to think that we do. Got our whole future planned, apparently. An out-of-wedlock pregnancy, shotgun wedding..."

"I know." Kaylee giggled. "When I passed them on the stairs, they were debating which one of them we're going to name our illegitimate firstborn child after." She paused as the thought of what their offspring might look like crept into her head. It was jumping the gun, to say the least, they'd only just had their first kiss. But it made her smile all the same. "Well, I'll let you get some rest." She leaned down and gave him a quick, soft kiss. "You're going to need it."

"That a promise?" Simon asked, grinning and hoping that he wasn't blushing as much as he suspected he was.

Kaylee leaned in closer again. "As soon as you can feel anything other than pain below your neck, you're mine, Dr. Tam." With that, she turned to leave.

"That's some nice motivational speaking, Kaylee." Simon called after her.

She turned in the doorway and winked at him. "Sweet dreams, Simon."

Translation notes: dong ma? = understand?