Chapter 6

A/N: Disclaim to the power of a lot. I just took Joss’ characters and verse and played with ‘em a bit. Strictly for fun.

A/N: I would recommend going back and reading Chapter 5 again so that you’re in the right frame of mind for this one. I’ll even link it for you. http://www.fireflyfans.net/bluesun.aspx?bid=6576

Simon only had a single moment of shock and then he snapped back into his physician mentality. He pulled back her eyelids and checked her pupils as he very gently held her on the infirmary bed. Keeping her from falling off the cot was not difficult, however, her body convulsed and jerked rapidly and he needed to be sure she didn‘t injure herself further. “What can I do, Doc?” Zoe entered swiftly standing at the ready. “She’s seizing. Keep her still, but we’re going to have to turn her on her side and let it run its course.” When Zoe moved to take Simon’s position, turning Kaylee on her side, Simon shifted over to the cabinet to prepare some medication for Kaylee. “We cain’t do nothing’? the underlying mood in her voice was accusing. “We’d do more damage than aid.” Simon looked up at Zoe across Kaylee’s now wilting form. His facial expression was firm but sympathetic. He glanced at the screen to see her vitals every few seconds. They both carefully laid Kaylee on her back as she went completely limp and Simon indicated with his head to a tall metal cylinder standing in the corner. “Could you move that canister close to the bed, please?” Zoe quickly repositioned it with ease. “What’s goin’ on Doc?” “The brain needs constant Oxygen and this is the largest supply we have.” While he quickly and competently hooked Kaylee up to the Oxygen he gestured again to the counter of medicines. “Will you hand me that syringe and the small bottle marked Dilantin?” “So how’s our patient?” Wash’s voice died down from hopeful into concern when he saw the activity and faces in the room. Zoe just looked at her husband and he came over to her side immediately. They both looked to Simon with worried questions in their eyes. As Simon injected the medication into her IV he explained. “She’s had a seizure. That means that there is abnormal brain activity. And her brain isn’t getting the oxygen it needs, so she’ll need to stay hooked up to the ventilator. Her scans haven’t shown any intercerebral hecatomas and I see no signs of subdural either so-” “Sorry, Doc” Wash interrupted. “Intercelebrity whatee?” “Clotting. Either in the brain or between the brain and skull.” Simon stopped himself. He had a way of divulging too much information when he was nervous. Solid facts he could handle. It was just the idea that all these solid facts were happening to Kaylee that was unhinging his professionalism. “Will she keep having these…seizures?” that came from Zoe who was now tightly encircled in Wash’s arm. “I’ve given her some medication, which should stop them. However, I can’t stop administering, or it could increase her chances of seizing again.” Wash spoke up, “So what do we do now?” Simon swallowed and looked down at her. “Wait.”

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Inara shuffled around her shuttle trying to keep busy. All the guilt and frustration had taken its toll on her and now she was fit to be tied. She flung her belongings into a drawer, making a feeble attempt at cleaning when she was interrupted by a knock on the door. “Ching jin”, her voice was quivery and her emotion was radiating off of her. Mal walked in and stood uncomfortably. “’Till we get this mess all straightened out we ain’t gonna be makin’ any stops.” Inara just looked at him, confused and irritated. “So that means if you got any clientele waitin’ on you, you best be callin’ on ‘em and letting’ ‘em know that they’re gonna hafta do without your “noble” works for a bit.” Mal’s tone of voice just dripped with disdain and sarcasm. “Noble works? My line of work is far less paltry and involves not so many bullets!” Inara took a step forward and her whole body shook with her fury. Mal took another step and looked down at her so that now they stood nose to nose. “Well maybe if you were lookin’ after Kaylee like you shoulda been, ‘stead of off getting’ tyen shiao duh for them noble works ‘o yours, she wouldn’t be on that table right now.” Inara’s mouth fell open with shock and outrage and a silence so heavy it could have been tangible hung between them. Inara’s expression only remained like that for another second until her face fell and the most pained look appeared. Her eyes glistened and she took a slow ragged intake of breath as she whispered, “You’re right.” Mal blinked and his face contorted in confusion before it immediately displayed regret. “Inara. That’s not what I-” “No. No, you are right Mal. It’s my fault.” Inara struggled not to cry as she took several steps back and turned away from him. Mal reached out his hand to place it on her shoulder but when it was centimeters from her skin he hesitated and then slowly closed it into a fist, pulling it back to his side. Inara’s shoulders shook from the sobs she was holding in and as Mal turned and moved for the door he could hear her begin to weep.

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River sat at the dining room table with her sketch pad in front of her. Half the page was a very well done rendition of Serenity’s engine and the other half was covered in mathematical equations. She muttered to herself as she computed. “If the numerical values indicate a revenue then a campaign is probable.” River shook her head and scrunched her nose at the numbers and then leaned in close to the paper writing fervently. Jayne walked in the dining room and headed straight for his food locker. He opened it and flung around the contents finding nothing to his liking. He glanced at River and then opened the locker next to his, belonging to Zoe. He quickly shoved in his hand and pulled out a container holding the remains of a dinner that Shepherd Book had prepared a few nights back. He smiled wickedly as he spread it out on a plate. “Not yours.” River said, not even looking up at Jayne and still fussing over her paper. Jayne merely curled his upper lip and grunted as he moved to put the now empty container back into Zoe’s locker. “Won’t taste good when it’s dirty.” River added nonchalantly. Simon entered the room and went directly to River while Jayne searched for a fork. “River. You’re supposed to be with Inara.” Simon’s voice held that overly protective brotherly tone. River looked up from her work at an odd angle and with annoyance clearly in her voice she said, “She’s busy. Finding out’s gonna be a showstopper.” Simon’s brows netted together for a moment. “I’ll ask Wash and Zoe to check in on you. I’ll be with Kaylee if you need me though.” River rolled her eyes and went back to her work. As Simon turned around to go ask the couple to look in on River, he slammed right into Jayne who was on his way to the table, effectively knocking his plate right out of his hands and causing the food to spill all over the floor. Simon muttered an apology and hurried out the door. Jayne clenched his jaw and his nostrils flared. River let a tiny smile spread over her face as she heard several obscenities escape through his tightly clamped teeth.

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Mal stormed down the stairs and as soon as he hit the cargo bay floor and picked up a crate no bigger than a stool and harshly threw it against the bulkhead. He paced lividly back and forth when he saw someone out of the corner of his eye. Shepherd Book leaned up against the opposite wall with his Bible open in his hands. “Times like these sometimes make a man say things he oughtnt, make a man feel all kinds ’o wound up.” Book stood and closed his Bible. Mal ran his right hand through his hair and took all of five seconds to compose himself. “Preacher, you got awful timin’.” Mal walked over to the weight bench and sat down as if he had the weight ‘o the ‘verse on his shoulders. “I got quite the curiosity as ta how a man of the cloth, such as yourself, can take to meanings the way you do.” Book approached Mal and half smiled. “You’re not such a hard book to read, Captain. Mayhap a little more venturesome type genre than I lean to, but nonetheless charismatic.” As was his custom Mal tried to alleviate the situation with humor. “Well, you know me by now Shepherd. Violence first, all that questioning and ‘deep inner struggle’ song and dance later. Or never. I ain‘t never been one for dancing’.” Book took a step to leave the cargo bay but Mal stopped him, “Speakin’ of me not liking to dance. I’m gettin a jot weary of this sleight of hand thing you keep pullin’. Think it’s about time you made less with the sidesteppin’ and more with the talkin’.” Book considered this for a stretch and Mal stood to get his attention, raising his eyebrows. Book exhaled and complied. “Thayer wasn‘t very loose-lipped.” “Well, yeah. I kinda already knew that, preacher.” “I haven't always been a shepherd Mal. I hear certain names and the hair on my neck stands up. Catchin’ my meaning?” Mal dipped his head and waited for Book to continue. “Thayer lay bare exactly one of those names. Name of the man who hired him. Aldrich Seung.” Book stopped as if to let this sink in. Mal searched around in his head for some familiarity with the name but found none. He shrugged and shook his head. “Don’t know of him. Name ain’t striking any bells.” “That’s because Seung isn’t his birth name. His name is Aldrich Serra.” Mal’s eyes widened and his hand came up to rub his jaw as he thought. “That puts a lot more weight to the affair than I’d like.” Mal pinched the bridge of his nose and just then the proximity alert sounded. “Dang rahn!” Mal uttered sarcastically.

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Inara wiped her eyes again and sat in front of her mirror to apply her makeup. As she raised her eye color to her face she faltered and stared at her reflection. She couldn’t let her emotions overtake her. She was better than that. Emotions have their time and place and usually she could control them. Usually. But with Kaylee hurt and Mal…well, Mal had access to buttons she didn’t even know she had. She shook herself out of her reverie and finished applying her makeup and stood to leave. She promised Simon that she would watch River and time had slipped right through her fingers. As she closed her shuttle doors she heard Book and Mal talking down below. “…name of the man who hired him. Aldrich Seung.” “Don’t know of him. Name ain’t striking any bells.” “That’s because Seung isn’t his birth name. His name is Aldrich Serra.” Inara froze and gripped the railing of the catwalk till her knuckles turned stark white. To look on her you could tell she was definitely not on Serenity at the present moment. Even as the proximity alarm sounded she stood unmoving, her eyes glazed over and her mind racing.

To be continued in part 7

Comment guys….it’ll make me write faster…gypsy life waves ‘literary’ bone in front of readers.