Click.

Jayne knew that sound. It was the sound of a safety being pulled back.

Tzao gao.

He opened his eyes slowly. Refused to let himself look surprised.

The first thing he saw was the barrel of a gun. The second thing was Mal.

His eyes looked just as likely to shoot fire as the barrel did.

“I can’t decide whether to shoot you now or wait for the black to suck your brain out of your face while you try to scream. Reckon I’ll do both, you liou coe shway duh biao-tze huh hoe-tze fuh ur-tze.”

Mal was just starin’ down at him. His jaw was clenched. The gun was perfectly level.

Jayne kept his eyes on Mal as he slowly slid up the wall and sat up.

Jayne risked a glance around. His head was swimmin’. Still a little hungover.

River was sitting by the window, cryin’. The doc was holdin’ her. He had a look in his eyes to match Mal’s.

A murderin’ look.

What the gorram hell had just happened?

Jayne’s brain slowly started sliding in place. The bed was practically stripped bare after River’s thrasin’ last night. What sheets there were were smeared red.

Blood.

His blood. From his arms. Where River had clawed at him, tryin’ to get away.

His eyes went back to River. There was a purple bruise on her cheek where he had smacked her. Five dark, round bruises on her upper arms.

Shi. Shi. Shi. “Get your eyes off of her, you hwoon dahn.”

Mal lunged and Jayne jerked back, smacking his own head against the wall.

Mal had him by the throat. Had the barrel of the gun pressed between Jayne’s legs.

Shi.

“Is everythin’ o—oh! Oh my God, what happened?”

Kaylee. Fan-ruttin’-tastic.

Jayne couldn’t see nothin’ but Mal’s face. Burnin’ eyes.

“Cap’n!”

Gorram it, Kaylee. Don’t touch ‘im. Safety’s off.

Jayne tried not to choke. Tried to make due with the hair of breath he was gettin’ in an’ out.

“Cap’n! Cap’n, STOP!”

Kaylee. Jayne could barely see her through the red haze that was creepin’ in.

She pulled on Mal’s shoulder. Just a blur.

Jayne’s heart was poundin’ in his ears.

He heard Kaylee cry out. Mal had pushed her away. The gun was back a second later and his hand was tighter on Jayne’s throat.

Jayne tried not to thrash. Tried not to set the gun off. His hands went to the hand at his neck before he could stop them. Mal just pushed Jayne’s neck tighter between his hand and the wall.

Couldn’t hear a damn thing now.

Wished he’da known how ta pray.

***

They were all so angry. She’d been sitting by the window, watching the sun wake up while Jayne slept. A pile of Jayne on the bed.

She’d seen the blood as the sun came up. Seen the marks on his arms. Looked down and saw the blood on her hands.

“She goes wooly again, we’re gonna haveta put a bullet to her.” “The thought has crossed my mind.”

Oh, God. What had she done?

She had panicked. Tried to remember before she’d woken up to Jayne hovering over her looking angry and terrified.

Tried to remember. But the bile was rising in her throat and she couldn’t breathe.

Then Simon had opened the door. Seen her by the window. Jayne on the bed. The blood.

Shouting. Mal.

And now Jayne was fading and River still couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t remember if it was because of what she’d done or because Jayne was dying. Who she was frightened for.

Simon jerked toward Kaylee when Mal threw her off. But he stayed with River. Stayed with her because she was drowning. Drowning like Jayne.

They were killing him. She had blood on her hands and he was dying.

“STOP!!” The word tore out of her strangled throat. Burst it apart.

She couldn’t remember how she got to the bed. How she’d gotten a hold of Mal’s hand.

All she remembered was the gunshot.