It was a beautiful planet. That was the first thing Kaylee had realized when they set down. Of course, the last time they had entered atmo and stayed for a while had been about three months ago, so Kaylee was fairly certain the ground could have been covered with hot lava and she would still have thought it beautiful.

But no, this planet was a jewel in the black. They had parked Serenity in an empty field, bordering a wood, and while the Captain and Zoe had gone into town to finish the job, Kaylee had decided wandering about was the best way to spend her down time. She walked near the tree line, the waist high grass tickling her hands as she held them, palms down, just over the blades. She had seen some wildflowers and a few bushes of some type of berry. Everything was a different color. There were reds and oranges, a ton of greens and yellows and every once in a while a shock of blue, as she noticed a short flowering bush, with buds the color of midnight.

Everything was so different than the ship. On Serenity, she knew every nook and cranny, every groan and sigh, every part and smell. She could listen to Serenity for less than a minute and be able to diagnose and often times fix any problem. She supposed her relationship with the ship, was similar to Simon’s with patients. He was so good at what he did. He could easily look some one up and down and have their illness and cure produced in the time it would take most folks to blink.

But while she and Simon both understood their own little worlds, this world was completely new to her. And different than anywhere she had ever been. Different than her home planet that was for sure. Kaylee had grown up on a border moon, one that had been terraformed shortly before the war in an effort to get settlers out of the air where they might be sitting targets. Also to get them off ships that could be used as mighty powerful weapons. The speed with which the planet was changed meant it wasn’t necessarily ready to support human life. As a result, the ground had stayed dirt brown, the sky had remained a pale blue. Those were the two colors Kaylee knew. Here, she saw them all.

She wished Simon were walking with her. It was romantic in a way, the way the sun shone through the trees, creating little pockets of light on the forest floor. The way the birds sang and the flowers smelled. It would have been nice to go running through this field with Simon beside her, maybe playing a game of tag. Heck, even River could come along, she wouldn’t mind. But unfortunately, Simon had been needed on this mission. Something about lending an air of respectability. With Inara gone, Simon was really the only one on board with any form of manners. In some circles, they came in awfully handy.

So, she had to be content to walk alone, taking in all the sights, and smelling all the smells. She tried to burn them all into her memory so she could recount her adventure with him later that night, when they would find a quiet corner on the ship and lay in each other’s arms and talk about the craziness of their lives, of the crew, of the ship. Kaylee treasured those moments with him, just the chance to be close was thrilling and calming all at once.

Stopping beside one of the blue-flowered bushes, Kaylee decided that maybe she should share some of this nature with the crew. Leaning down, she took in a whiff of the flower and its sweet smell filled her nostrils. Yes, a few bouquets of fresh flowers would be just what Serenity’s dinner table needed.

***

“When will the shipment be ready to load?”

Simon was trying to remember all the pertinent questions the captain had briefed him on earlier that day. And he was trying to not look like a complete fish out of water.

The bar they were in was seedy and smoky as most bars were. But while other establishments often fit into their surroundings, this bar was completely out of place in Hera’s capital city. The city itself was full of nature – plants and animals were everywhere, there was even a park near the city’s square. Simon believed it to be very similar to Earth-that-was, if his memory of those history book pictures could be trusted. He would have to ask River when he returned to the ship; she always seemed to have answers the books didn’t know.

Tuning back into the conversation that honestly bored him to tears, Simon heard the captain finishing up. “Fine then, we’ll meet you at our ship tomorrow morning at 0800.”

Rising, their contact, Marcus, extended a hand to Simon. “It was a pleasure doing business with you, young man.” He pumped Simon’s hand hard and the doctor had to do his best not to grimace, or worry about the surgeries he might never be able to perform if this brute damaged any of his nerves.

Marcus turned to the Captain and Zoe, acknowledged them with barely a nod of the head and walked out into the planet’s fading daylight. “Well, that was bracing,” Simon said, letting out a huge sigh of relief.

“I’ll say,” Mal said. Knocking back the rest of his drink, he threw some credits on the table and told them, “Let’s get back to the ship. I’m a might hungry.”

***

“What {in the name of all that is holy} happened in here?”

Poking her head out from around the corner of the galley, Kaylee met the captain’s annoyed gaze with a cheerful smile. “Do you like it,” she asked, bringing a plate of protein out to the table. “I picked them today.”

“Did you pick ‘em all,” Zoe asked.

Indeed the dining area looked like a small garden. Kaylee had filled every glass, bowl and water-holding vessel with blooms from the planet’s surface. And while the effect was beautiful, it was a little incongruous with both the ship and its crew.

“Kaylee, get these {ridiculous} buds off my boat,” the captain ordered and then stormed from the room.

Kaylee looked after him, frowning. Turning back to Zoe and Simon, she asked, “Does it really look that bad?”

***

Kaylee and Simon had just dumped the last vase of flowers onto the ground, near the forest’s edge. Heading back for the ship, Simon stopped and grabbed Kaylee’s hand. Pulling her to him, he brought his lips to hers. He could smell the sweet scent of the flowers on her. Releasing her from the kiss, he gently caressed her cheek and then reached up to pull the last remaining flower from behind her ear.

“I don’t care what the captain says,” Simon whispered. “It looked beautiful.”

Kaylee smiled at him and reached in for another kiss. Simon pulled her closer, his strong arms holding her tight. With no warning, he felt her go limp, her lips falling away as her head sank back from the loss of consciousness. The only thing that had kept her from falling to the ground had been Simon’s embrace and he tightened his hold on her. Trying to stand her up, he called, “Kaylee? Kaylee, can you hear me? Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

When he got no response, he scooped her up into his arms and hurried back toward the ship. Jogging up the ramp, Jayne and Mal were doing reps in the corner. Simon rushed past them, with Kaylee’s unconscious form close to his chest.

“What the –" The captain watched them leave the hold and then was on them, following close on the doctor’s heels. “What happened,” he asked as Simon made it into the infirmary. He gently placed Kaylee down on the bed and then set to work with his instruments and tests.

“I don’t know,” he answered, rushing about in a flurry of activity. “We were outside, getting rid of the flowers and the next thing I know …” Simon trailed off as he checked her vitals. Her heart rate was steady, but a little slow and that concerned him. Based on her last physical, her temperature was above average, but not alarmingly so. Looking at her closely, he noticed the beads of sweat on her forehead, indicating she was warm, but at first touch, her skin was clammy and cool. And pale, she had gone very pale since she had passed out in the field.

“It could just be the flu,” Simon told Mal and Jayne, who had also followed them. “But I need to wake her up to be sure.” Turning to face them both, he said, “Please, gentlemen, wait outside. As soon as I know anything, I’ll tell you.”

Mal and Jayne left reluctantly, letting the doctor do his work. Standing just outside the closed medbay doors, they were soon joined by both Zoe and River.

“What’s going on,” the first mate asked, looking at both men with a puzzled expression. Following their gaze into the medbay, she asked, “Is that Kaylee?”

“She’s in the garden with all the pretty flowers,” River’s small voice startled them all. She had pressed her nose to the glass of the infirmary’s window and was now studying her brother and the ship’s mechanic with a detached interest. “She likes them, very much, but she can’t see the thorns.” Turning to face the three adults, she fixed Mal with a quizzical gaze. “The thorns can hurt. Draw blood, rivers of it. Have you felt the thorns?”

Turning back to the scene in the medbay, River pressed her hand to the glass and whispered, “It’s always the thorns. No one ever sees them.”

*** When Simon emerged from the medbay, an hour later, he felt as though he had lived through three lifetimes. After using every instrument, every test, every diagnostic tool he could think of, Simon was still no closer to finding out what was wrong with Kaylee than he had been before. However, he was able to determine that her state, while not good was not awful. She was in no immediate danger. He just couldn’t wake her up.

Entering the common room, he was faced with the gazes of four very concerned individuals. Sighing heavily and rubbing his face to get the blood flowing again, he reported, “She’s in no immediate danger.”

“But what’s wrong with her,” Mal pressed, realizing the doctor was holding out.

“I don’t know,” Simon answered truthfully, casting a glance over his shoulder at her still form lying in the medbay. “It could be a really bad flu, maybe something she ate … for all I know she could be suffering from dehydration or exhaustion. Until she wakes up, I won’t know.”

“And when will that be,” Zoe asked.

“None of the stimulants I have on hand have done any good. I’m thinking in a few hours, once the sun comes up, I’ll head into town, speak with the doctor there. He may have some insights or some solutions, I haven’t tried.” Simon dropped his gaze to the floor hoping that none of them could read the fear in his eyes. He couldn’t lose Kaylee. She was the one good thing he had going for him. He had River to take care of, but in an odd way Kaylee took care of him and he loved her for it. For that and so much more.

“What’s really going on, Doc?” Mal knew there was more to the story. Rising from his seat, he brought himself to within inches of Simon’s face. “Is. She. All. Right?”

Simon met the captain’s gaze and saw his own concern reflected back at him. The captain cared for Kaylee something fierce; they all did. She was their light, the heart of this crew of thieves. “No, Mal,” Simon said quietly. “She’s not.”