Kaylee knew she was interrupting something, but she couldn’t help it. Mal had sent her down to swap places with Zoë. In short, the grown-ups needed to talk. She’d been mildly offended at first, but then it made sense. Kaylee already knew what was happening, Zoë didn’t. And in Mal’s eyes, Kaylee and Wash were closer then Zoë and Wash. He wanted Wash distracted while they discussed their options.

‘Well, he’s certainly distracted,’ Kaylee thought with a smile as she spied Zoë sitting close to him. They were holding hands and looked to be in deep conversation. ‘Doubt I could do a better job then that.’

“Uh hum,” she said, purposely hanging back and looking off to the side.

Zoë stood up, but she hadn’t moved deliberately, it hadn’t been like she’d been caught doing anything wrong. She just casually stood up and faced her. That was her way. Zoë never did anything she didn’t mean to. She wasn’t embarrassed by Kaylee’s entrance or by her seeing them like that.

“Came to see how you’re doing,” Kaylee smiled as walked over to Wash, “Obviously you’re fine.”

Wash laughed a little, a nervous laugh. He was embarrassed.

“I’ve been better,” he managed, the blush slowly leaking from his face.

“Here,” Zoë said to Kaylee, “help me lean the table up, at least part way. It’ll be easier for him to talk.”

The two of them did just that and it had helped.

“This is much better then looking at the ceiling. Thanks.”

“So, you’re going to have to get out of here soon.”

“I don’t see that happening,” he said flatly.

“Really? Jayne’s talking about flying Serenity.”

“What?” Wash said in disbelief. The animation had returned to his features. “No way he’s touching her. It’ll take weeks to fix whatever he’d manage to break.”

“I don’t know,” she said teasingly, “he sounded like he knew what he was doing. He even correctly identified the port side.”

“Oh man. Well, I don’t have to worry about this killing me. Jayne’s gonna drive us into a sun.”

“I’m kidding,” Kaylee laughed, “Cap’n put him in the hold if he even looked like he was going to touch anything up there.”

After a pause.

“Oh, hey Zoë,” Kaylee called to her, “Cap’n asked me to have you head up to the bridge. He needed to talk about buying those new reactors.”

“Now?” she asked. They had more important things to do right now.

“Yeah,” Kaylee said giving her a significant look, “now. He was using that tone too.”

Zoë understood. It was Kaylee’s turn to watch Wash. He must have found out something. Looking him over, he didn’t seem to have caught on. Not yet at least. Hopefully it was good news, Wash was looking worse by the minute. The fever was returning too.

“Okay then,” Zoë said filling a syringe and returning to the two of them, “just need to give you this before I go.”

“Not exactly what I’d want as a parting gift…”

“Well, I am sorry,” Zoë said with a small smile on her face, “but it’ll have to do.”

She administered the dose and turned to go.

“Check his temperature in about ten minutes. If it’s above 101 call me.”

“Will do,” Kaylee said.

They both watched as she left without another word.

“He’s really not trying to fly her is he?” Wash asked his voice sounding concerned.

Kaylee just laughed.

****

Mal quickly filled Zoë in on the new information. It was interesting, but it wasn’t helpful. In fact, it sounded hopeless.

“Maybe we should return to Medea,” Inara said, “If there is anything to be done for him, they’ll be able to do it there.”

“Zoë, what do you think?” Mal asked.

“I don’t know,” she said tersely, “he’s awake, he’s lucid, but he’s not really responding to the medicine I’ve given him. Medea is at least two days away, I’m not sure he’ll make it.”

“What are our options then?” he asked again.

“We know the only real cure is to get that thing out of him, and even that isn’t guaranteed.”

“Ha,” Jayne interrupted loudly, “that’s not a cure. Most folks get that done aren’t right again. Heck, where’d you say this thing dug in, his back. You’re likely to hit his spinal cord. Then what?”

“I hate to say it, but he has a point,” Zoë said after a pause, “I’m not a surgeon, I’m not even a doctor. Sir, if this thing is in deep enough…”

“Well, dead or paralyzed, which is worse?”

Zoë nodded her agreement.

“So we set a course back to Medea. In the mean time you keep tending to Wash and if it gets bad enough, we’ll take it from there. Pulling that bug out will be our last resort.”

No one had anything to add.

“Alright, let’s get going.”

“Now that’s what I wanted to hear,” Jayne said plopping down in front of the controls, “how do I turn this thing around.”

“Jayne,” Mal said stepping up behind him, “do we have to go over this again.”

“Zoë, wait a minute,” Inara said, gently pulling her aside as soon as they two of them had exited the bridge.

“Can this wait? I really should get back down there.”

“I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

“Why?” Zoë asked unaffected.

Inara didn’t know how to respond to that. It was the one answer she hadn’t been prepared to hear. She had been certain that over the last few weeks something had been developing between Zoë and Wash. Now, watching the woman before her so calm and collected made her rethink her ideas.

“I just thought… I know you’re close to him and this must be difficult.”

Zoë nodded her head slowly, the look in her eyes changed subtly reaffirming everything Inara had initially suspected.

“I’m fine. Really. I just need to keep doing something. I don’t have time to think about it right now.”

“Well when that time comes and you need someone to talk too, I’m always here.”

“Thank you,” Zoë said and meant it.

As Inara turned to go, Zoë called her back.

“It’s not what you think it is, between us. We’re just friends.”

“It doesn’t matter what I think,” Inara said, somewhat amused.

“I just don’t want you or anyone else getting the wrong idea,” Zoë paused. “The truth is, I don’t know what it is yet and I don’t want people jumping to conclusions.”

“I won’t say anything.”

“Good.”

”Zoë. Cap’n. I need you down here.” Kaylee’s voice echoed through the ship.

Inara and Zoë exchanged quick glances and headed towards the infirmary.

****

Somehow Mal had beaten them both there, but only by seconds. Zoë entered immediately, while Inara hung back at the door.

“What happened?” Mal asked perfectly calm.

“I was going to get the thermometer,” Kaylee began, still visibly upset, “and I had my back turned for maybe half a minute. I turned back and he was just out cold. I couldn’t wake him and then he was just shaking all over.”

Zoë had already begun checking him over. His blood pressure was low, to low. His eyes were dilated and his skin was clammy.

“Looks like shock,” she said taking a step back from him. She turned to Kaylee, “What was he like just before? How was he responding, moving, anything?”

“He seemed off,” Kaylee said, rubbing her head as if willing herself to remember, “He wasn’t really moving much, but he was still talking. But he kept talking about a box. And Demeter. He mentioned Demeter two or three times.”

“Demeter,” Inara said her voice registering some surprise, “that’s an interior planet. Almost at the heart of the Alliance, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is,” Mal affirmed, “Can’t see why he’d be…”

“He was born there,” Zoë supplied before he could finish, “still has some family left, his mother I think, but he hasn’t been back in years. Didn’t plan on ever going back.”

“He’s delirious,” she continued after a pause, somehow feeling the need to add that.

Mal just stared at her for a moment or two not sure what to think, to which she responded with perfect indifference.

“I didn’t know what that meant. I’m sorry, I should have called earlier,” Kaylee said quietly.

“Don’t worry about it,” Mal said reassuringly, “you did everything fine.”

Kaylee looked a little better for hearing that, but not much.

“Help me roll him,” Zoë said to Mal.

Together they moved Wash to his side. Zoë wanted another look at that point of entry. The poison web like marks that had once only been smaller then her palm had spread rapidly, practically tripled. Black lines were now shooting up nearly to his shoulder blades. Additionally the lines were wrapping around to his stomach and reaching down towards his legs. It had been nearly three hours since they first discovered them and it was spreading fast.

“Damn it,” she muttered under her breath.

“It’s your call,” Mal said looking her square in the eyes.

“We don’t have a choice. If it keeps moving this fast he’ll be dead in five or six hours. We have to operate.”

“Okay then,” Mal said, returning Wash to his original position, “What do you need from us?”

“A volunteer to take over,” she said flatly.

****

Inara and Kaylee went to reestablish communications with Eden Station Three on Medea to try and gain as much information as they could. They quickly went over things with the lead of Eden’s infirmary, a Dr. Kellerman, and Kaylee patched the feed to the infirmary so he and Zoë could talk one on one. Their hope was that Dr. Kellerman could lead her through it. A similar procedure had already been done on Lee and they were glad to hear that she had responded well.

“You must be Zoë,” the young doctor said as soon as the transmission began anew, “I’m told you’re not a doctor. Are you the most qualified person aboard? How much experience do you have?”

“Yes I am and I did some field medicine during the war,” she answered, choosing to ignore the condescending tone the man had taken with her.

“Listen,” Mal said unwilling and unable to ignore it. Anyone who took attitude with his crew was also taking attitude with him. “We don’t have time for a question and answer session. Zoë’s probably saved more lives then you have and in much worse conditions then this, so save it for another time. Right now we need your help. Her credentials don’t matter. Just talk her and me through this. A man is dying on the table behind us.”

Obviously Dr. Kellerman had never been talked to like that in his life. He stuttered and stumbled for a minute before finally regaining his composure.

“Alright then,” he said with a more courteous tone, “have you sedated the patient yet? He’ll need to be completely under before you begin.”

“We only have locals on board. We don’t have anything strong enough to keep him under,” Zoë answered.

The man immediately began to shake his head.

“No, that won’t do. You can’t give him a local. It’ll just desensitize the wound but will do nothing for the areas already infected by the poison.”

“I’m not sure I understand the difference. The poison is coming from the wound.”

“No you’re right, it is. But this particular parasite is very astute. Once it senses the intrusion, any intrusion, it will begin to shoot out shock waves of sorts to the surrounding nerves that it has reached through the poison it’s spread. I was told it’s already up his back, is that right?”

Zoë nodded, beginning to understand.

“The locals will just agitate the situation and in certain cases has been known to intensify the shock wave effect. It’s been tried before. We’re not sure why, no one is, but it does more harm then good. I’m afraid you won’t be able to use anything.”

“So he’s going to feel all of this?” Mal asked.

The doctor nodded his head slowly.

“You said he’s already out, he may stay that way. As a precaution I would definitely recommend the use of restraints and have one or two people standing by just in case. He needs to be completely immobile during the operation.”

“I’ll get Jayne,” Kaylee said quietly from the back of the room.

“One more thing, before we begin,” Dr. Kellerman said over the link, “you are positive he contracted this at the lab here on Medea?”

“No where else he could have,” Mal answered.

For a minute or two there was no communication. The doctor appeared to be talking quietly to someone just off screen.

“The cargo, you haven’t opened it?”

“No,” Mal said suspiciously, “why would we and why’d you want to know?”

“Just… just keep it sealed whatever you do. Keep it sealed tight.”

Mal tapped Zoë lightly on the shoulder and they both turned from the screen.

“What the hell are we carrying?” he whispered.

****