BLUE SUN ROOM FAN FICTION - GENERAL

HISGOODGIRL

Leaps of Faith - 10
Monday, April 17, 2006

Hot lead and hell to pay.


CATEGORY: FICTION    TIMES READ: 2763    RATING: 9    SERIES: FIREFLY

Disclaimer: Not mine, no pay.

Thanks: To Jacqui, Josh and to Rion, my own personal BDH. You guys are the greatest.

Rating: PG-17, graphic violence

Remarks:Kaylee's been frettin' about Jayne and Mal's job is goin' to hell in a handbasket.

Set after “Objects in Space”. Inara has departed from Serenity and things on board ship are getting more difficult. Click on my name to read the backstory. They’re all backstory.

Feedback: It only takes a minute and is genuinely appreciated. What did you like? What doesn’t work? You can post below or email to Lumenea@aol.com

Leaps of Faith

Chapter Ten

Jayne’s been nailin’ away at Emerson’s gang fast as he can clear and chamber rounds, doin’ his best to give the Captain and Zoë the cover they need.

Mal’s voice over the radio jerks him out of his head, launches him into action. He slings the sniper rifle over his back, clambers over the boulders and goes sliding down the loose scree of the slope, blazin’ away with the Deckler and yelling like a banshee.

At the sight of the big merc scrambling downslope, sprayin’ lead, Emerson’s wagon driver yanks the team around and hightails it, figurin’ he’d rather survive and it’s likely his bossman won’t.

The slope’s so steep, it’s all Jayne can do to keep his feet under him. He’s just riding it down on adrenaline, wide open, scramblin’, balls to the wall.

Mal and Zoë continue to return fire, but the low pile of crates doesn’t make for much by way of cover and Zoë’s bleeding hard. Mal glances over at her and tells her “You need to get that arm tied off. Here. “ He tosses her his bandanna. “An’ Zoë, you aren’t allowed to die on me. That’s an order, you hear?”

She fumbles to bind off her arm one-handedly and grits her teeth. “Yes, Sir.”

The zip and crack of gunfire is all around. Mal peeks over the crates and fires again, trying to catch Emerson when he pops up over the dead horse to make a shot. Jayne’s hail of fire catches Emerson’s remaining shooter in the chest and head. The force of the impact knocks the man from his saddle and he’s down too fast to cry out.

Jayne slams another clip into the Deckler and rips off another burst, howling, “Hadley Emerson, you gorram mad-dog son of a whore!”

The gun runner raises up to see who's making all the rucus and Mal finally has a clear shot, hitting Emerson high in the chest and knocking him over backward. The rattle of gunfire falls silent and Mal turns to check on Zoë.

The merc carefully makes his way down to where Emerson lies behind the dead horse. He’s wary, thinkin, Even a dead snake can bite ya… The one-eyed man certainly looks dead, lies slack-faced and motionless, a flood of bright blood across his chest. Jayne edges up toward him, prepared to put a bullet in his brain just to make sure.

He crouches close, sees a faint rise and fall in Emerson’s chest, the bubbling froth in the blood indicating Mal’s bullet has pierced a lung. With a wound like that, man’s run out of time, the merc thinks. Jayne grabs the wad of cash he finds in Emerson’s pockets, then rises to go to Mal and Zoë. He’s only dropped his guard for the briefest second.

Two steps and there is the deafening crack of a pistol as white-hot agony sears through his thigh, throwing him onto his face in the dirt. Jayne rolls to look at the wound, sees the mass of ravaged flesh and pumping blood at the top of his thigh, and passes out.

++++ With the ceasing of gunfire, Mal takes a minute to be sure Zoë is okay.

“I’m holdin', Cap’n,” She grits out and nods at him.

As Mal stands, he can see Jayne bent over Hadley Emerson, going through his pockets. The big merc finishes up, takes one last look at the dying man and turns toward Mal.

Before the Captain can call warning, Emerson pulls his 45 from beneath him and fires it at Jayne. The report is deafening in the stillness and Mal watches as time slows to a crawl: the scarlet blossom of arterial blood bursting from the front of Jayne’s thigh and the shock and agony that distort Jayne’s features as the big man pitches to the ground.

++++

Mal puts a bullet through Emerson’s forehead and with a dozen long steps he kneels to assess Jayne’s injury. He’s no doc, but he knows it’s bad, real bad. As he rips Jayne’s pants leg off to clear the wound area and make a pad to apply pressure, he calls to Zoë, “Gou zao de! Dumb hundan’s gonna bleed to death if we can’t get him back to Serenity immediately. Gimme a hand here, Zoë!”

Through the years, Mal’s done a lot of field medic work by necessity and he knows the first order of business is keeping Jayne from bleeding out. He pulls Jayne’s belt free from his pant-loops and cinches it tight around the top of the merc’s thigh to help stem the pumping flow of blood from some large torn vessel. He rips a strip from the merc’s T-shirt and uses it to bind the pad of fabric tightly over the wound.

”We’ll come back for our gear later. Right now, help me get this heavy-ass tah mah de onto the shuttle.” He and Zoë grab the unconscious man under his arms and drag him the thirty-some feet to the bay of the shuttle. Every second counts.

“Zoë, can you fly this thing one-handed?” Mal’s face is grim as he holds pressure on Jayne’s wound. The merc’s still out, his skin sallow with the sheen of shock.

“I’ll manage, Sir.” She gets the shuttle airborne, headed for Serenity and then radios Wash to meet them.

“Baby, give the doc a head’s up. Incoming wounded. Jayne’s bad off.”

“Roger that. Are you okay, Zoë?” Wash’s voice is high and tight with anxiety.

“I’ll be fine. Don’t know about the big guy, though.”

(To be continued...)

COMMENTS

Monday, April 17, 2006 9:01 AM

HISGOODGIRL


Hey all you Anonymous Folks up there - I'm glad you're readin', but it sure would be nice to know who you are, especially if you're regulars. Can't say "Thank you" if I don't know who to wave to, dong ma?

And I did double-check my wound and med info with my buddy Josh the Paramedic, 'cause even I knew tourniquets are risky. Not like Mal had a lot of options here, ya know.

Keep readin' and keep flyin'.

Monday, April 17, 2006 12:13 PM

RAVENHAIR


Are you trying to make be crazy? You can't just leave it there!!

You just want everyone to fall at your feet begging, is that it?

*falls to knees and kisses hisgoodgirl's feet*

please, with a strawberry on top? Keep writing!

btw, you write action very well, the movement of the characters and everything is well described and keeps the momentum of the moment going, that said, keep writing...am becoming repetitive, I know...

Monday, April 17, 2006 4:00 PM

RINNYPJ


I've been reading all along, but I think these last few chapters have been your best yet! Very full, character wize, exciting and... I just love it! Great work!

Monday, April 17, 2006 4:59 PM

CANTONHEROINE


Whew! *wipes brow*

I haven't been neglecting you I swear. I've been out of town over Easter, so I haven't been able to comment on these last few chapters. I'm caught up now, though, and I just want to tell you how fantabulous they are. It's a wonderful adventuresome epic... Now write more! *grin*

Seriously, the amount of Jayne torture around here lately is astounding. I trust you'll have Simon repair him quick smart, and he and Kaylee will finally have that talk.

Oh, and have her smack him for goin' through Emerson's pockets without making sure he was dead first.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006 2:09 AM

BOOKADDICT


Oh no!

Love the action but am worried for Jayne. I like how Zoe & Mal react to each other during the battle and it's aftermath.

“An’ Zoë, you aren’t allowed to die on me. That’s an order, you hear?”


She fumbles to bind off her arm one-handedly and grits her teeth. “Yes, Sir.”

So cool!

Tuesday, April 18, 2006 7:06 AM

VENA


I was anonymous #1. I'm just too lazy to log in at the labs.

And Rinny is so right; your characterization has steadily been improving. I've always enjoyed your stories, however lately your characters have moved towards achieving that clear quality that rings true to the original characters we all fell in love with. You see, that is the gift I lack. I can write. I can come up with stories and dialog. Really I can…but whenever I do the characters just sounds like I’m talking to myself. The skill of characterization takes time to develop and some can never get the knack of it down pat. Joyfully you have, so I will continue to grovel and follow your stories like the little lost puppy I am.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006 5:30 PM

REENIE


I was afraid you were going to do that to Jayne, too! ARG! I'll be waiting in the med bay.

(I'm loving this, by the way)

Wednesday, June 28, 2006 7:06 AM

BELLONA


jayne will be okay. jayne will be fine. jayne will get better and marry kaylee and makes lots and lots of happy little space-babies.

b

Friday, August 19, 2011 11:36 AM

BARDOFSHADOW


*covers eyes* Can't look....
Holy cow, you got a real pageturner here!


POST YOUR COMMENTS

You must log in to post comments.

YOUR OPTIONS

OTHER FANFICS BY AUTHOR

A Different Point of View
Increasingly frustrated with her limited love life, Kaylee puts her creativity to good use and sneaks a peek at the big man across the hallway.


How A Gun Is Like A Woman
A late night gun cleaning session has Kaylee looking at Jayne Cobb in a new way.

Show and Tell
An unexpected change in circumstances on Serenity cause Mal to reconsider the concept of family. One-shot, post BDM.

Adventuresome
Growing up isn’t easy, and that first step to independence can be a big one. Just ask Kaylee Frye.

What’s to Understand?
A little one-shot snippit in which Simon learns that that love can manifest in unexpected ways.

Thankful
A thoughtful Jayne Cobb reflects on how his life has turned out.

Big Fella - 1/1
Jayne Cobb makes quite an impression on a “working girl” from Albion. Thought I’d post this over the weekend 'cause it’s most definitely NOT workplace safe.

Give and Take
A little scene from “Our Mrs. Reynolds” that we don’t get to see in the episode, wherein Jayne contemplates the fine art of barter.

Handle With Care
Jayne’s up late, cleaning his gun, and can’t help appreciating a late night visitor.


Taking Up Arms – Part 3 of 3

Jayne and Kaylee set out to establish a new life together when Mal joins the Rebellion that follows the Miranda announcement. The big man must reconsider his solemn vow to Kaylee to hang up his guns when Alliance raiders hit the rim world of Ezra.