“You never call me by name.”

She was standin’ there all spooky like, big brown eyes wide in her pale face.

Girl had been at it for the last week, followin’ him around, jumpin’ out at him. He ignored her, had plenty of practice at that.

“You never call me by name.” she repeated.

“Have so.” He growled

“Once.” She agreed, “In the bar at Beaumonde.”

“’N’ look how that turned out.” He complained. Ai ya he could still fell the pain in his balls and the humiliation of bein’ knocked out by a bitty girl.

She glared at him through her tangled hair. Gorram it, why didn’t the doc ever brush her hair? “There are 352 different ways of saying crazy in English and Chinese. You’ve utilised 150 different permutations.”

“Girl, crazy, moonbrain, all used, never my name.” She persisted “want to hear my name.”

“Well ya ain’t gonna.” He snarled. “Now go away and leave me alone.”

She gave him her kicked puppy look ‘n’ he almost felt sorry till he remembered what she were really like, a killer like him, better than him.

“I just wanted to hear you say my name.” her feet trailed away.

She weren’t goin’ to hear it. Cause if he started sayin’ her name that’d make her real. He didn’t need her to be real, too dangerous.

*************************

“River. River.” The insistent voice was pulling her back.

She had difficulty opening her weighted eyes, finally jerking them open to see Zoë’s concerned face bending over her.

“Girl’s a gorram reader ‘n’ didn’t know she was goin’ to be shot.” That was Jayne’s angry and irritated voice.

“Didn’t hear” she whispered “was listening.”

“Listening.’ Zoë was perplexed. The girl wasn’t supposed to be with them, hadn’t been included in the plan.

The first they knew she was there was when they heard the shot. Whirling to confront the danger, they’d turned in time to see her fall. Shot twice, once in the back, once in the shoulder.

“For Jayne” River was fading “need to hear him say it.”

Zoë glanced at the mercenary beside her and was surprised to see a devastated expression on his face.

There was no more time for explanations “Jayne, she’s bleeding bad.”

He nodded and slid his arms under her, lifting her easily.

*********************

Simon was worried about his sister. He’d stopped the bleeding and patched up her wounds. But she was very restless. Knowing her dislike of the infirmary he had moved River back to their quarters and this had calmed her a little.

He was hesitant to give her any more drugs and was wondering what to do next when Jayne appeared beside him.

“Need to talk to the girl doc.”

“Ah, I don’t think now is a good time,” Simon replied watching his sister’s restless hands plucking at her blankets.

“Gotta talk to her, it might help.” Jayne was insistent.

“Well I don’t know how you think you can help, but go ahead.” Simon resolved to watch Jayne closely.

Jayne walked into the room cautiously and sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Girl” he got no reaction

“River”

Brown eyes flew open and looked right at him. She held one hand out to him

Simon hovering in the doorway was surprised to see the gentle way the big man’s hand engulfed his sister’s smaller one. His other hand pushed the mass of hair out of her eyes.

“Girl’s name is River,” said Jayne.

River sighed, closed her eyes and still clutching his hand went to sleep.