Hey Folks, so sorry I got my chapter sequence out of whack. It's fixed now and I'll post more tomorrow.

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

Rating: PG-17, angst

Remarks: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.

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Leaps of Faith

Chapter Twelve

Mal wants to get well away from the Alliance arms they’ve dumped and the carnage left behind. They need to take on supplies, better antibiotics and fuel cells for the ship, so he has Wash move the ship to Brandemere, fair-sized town a couple hundred klicks north. It’s a place they can sit tight, rest up and nurse their wounds for a while. Mal looks down at his unconscious merc, thinkin’ Ai ya, he looks bad…“How’s he doing, doc? He’s been out a long time.” The young physician is hesitant. “Well, Captain, it’s a serious wound and we don’t have an especially comprehensive set of supplies and equipment here. I’ve been keeping him sedated to manage his pain and to reduce the stress on his body.”

Mal studies Simon’s expression, seeking the truth of the situation. “Will he be able to get around and function like he needs to?”

“If he can beat this infection, then, yes, I think so. But Captain, it’s going to be a long haul…”

++++

Confused images swirl through Jayne’s mind: beatings from his drunken father; his ma’s gentle touch; jobs he’s done; firefights and bar brawls; making love with Kaylee. He mumbles in his delirium, unaware of what he says. Periods of deep pain punctuate this fevered fugue, alternating with short moments of groggy consciousness. During these, he sees the changing faces of his crewmates, most often Kaylee, the doc, Shepherd Book.

Jayne looks up at the wavering blur of Book’s dark, kind face beside him and mumbles through parched lips, “Shepherd, I don’t… wanna… die. Got so much… to make right. I’m scared a… Would ya… pray… for me?”

Book lays his strong hand on the mercenary’s forehead and prays, “Heavenly Father, watch over this man and lend him Your strength and healing. Forgive him his sins and return him to us renewed… “

++++

Jayne awakens, sleeps again, his traumatized body struggling with infection and the toll of healing.

Simon changes the antibiotic combo going into Jayne’s IV, boosts the injured merc’s fluids to avert dehydration from his high fever, cleans and debrides the wound and re-bandages it.

As much as he loathes this man, he’s sworn an oath, promised Jayne that as his physician, he’ll never do him harm. He watches Kaylee hover over Jayne and realizes she expects him to save this thug she dumped him for. Simon wonders whether she knows that Jayne betrayed him and River back on Ariel.

++++

Mal stands over Jayne’s unconscious body and commands, “Jayne Cobb, you gorram fong luh hundan, listen to me! Damnit, Jayne, fight this like you’ve fought every other go se thing in your life… Don’t make me have to find some other merc to replace you, dong ma? You die on me and I’ll hunt your shade across the Black! You hear me?"

Mal, I was stupid. I’m sorry. Please believe me about Ariel…I swear, I just didn’t think…

++++

Oh lord, sweet Kaylee… I been such a fool…made so many mistakes…gotta tell you…was wrong an’ I’m so sorry…

“Shhh…bao bei. I’m here. Don’t fret so.” Kaylee keeps watch beside him, replacing the fever-dried cloths on his forehead with cool, moist ones, giving him sips of water when he can swallow, holding his scarred, calloused hand in hers.

So sorry about Simon and River…was so stupid…

“…Jayne, honey, you gotta get well. You been shot up before, hurt bad, but you pulled through. You’re a fighter, you’re stronger than this thing…” She leaves him reluctantly and only when Mal or Simon make her go rest, herself.

++++

The injured man slowly swims up to consciousness, drenched in sweat. His fever has broken and for the first time in several days, his eyes can focus and he realizes he’s alone in Serenity’s medlab. Any effort to sit up makes his head ache like a five-day bender and the inside of his left thigh, high up, hurts like hell.

How’d I get here? What happened? He remembers thundering down the hill, shooting at Emerson, pulling the gun-runner’s bankroll from his pocket and turning to walk away… That chùsheng xai-jiao de xiang huo shot me!

The effort makes him nauseous, but he pulls the sheet back to examine himself, his first gesture to make sure his manhood is intact. He wants to peel away the bandage and see how bad the wound is, but at that point, Simon returns to check on him.

“You’re all there, Jayne, at least all but a chunk of muscle. You can thank the Captain and Zoë for some impressive field care.” The doctor checks his monitors, pleased with his patient’s more normal pulse rate and temperature. “How’s your pain level? I can give you something to take the edge off, if you want.”

“I don’t want nothin’ to knock me down again. How long have I been out?”

“This is the fourth day.” Simon presses the aerosol injector to Jayne’s shoulder. “You should be more comfortable in a few minutes.”

“Doc, I…Well... I owe ya.”

“Yes, you certainly do. For quite a number of things." Simon looks at Jayne pointedly. "We’ll sort that out later. In the mean time, I’ll take the catheter out. You’ll need to stay off your leg for another day or two, then we need to get you up and moving around. You’re gonna need some re-hab, probably have to use a cane at first.”

It’s evident from Simon’s grimace that his patient is a little ripe. “I’ll let Mal and Kaylee know you’re awake and ask her to help get you cleaned up some.“

For just a brief moment the two men look at one another, both aware of all that stands between them.

++++

Kaylee hurries to the medlab, her flip-flops slapping down the corridor. She finds Jayne sitting up on the med table, sheet wrapped around his middle, drinking water like it’s going out of style.

“You’re awake!” She blurts out joyfully.

”Guess I am, huh?” He grins.

He looks like hell, but to Kaylee’s eyes he’s just plain beautiful. She wants to throw her arms around him, hesitates because she’s not sure how he’ll react.

“You weren’t supposed to get yourself all shot up, Jayne,” she scolds.

He laughs wryly. “Didn’t do it on purpose, girl.” He waves her over. “C’mere… “

“Seems like you spent an awful lot of time sittin’ there takin’ care of me.” He tucks her hair behind of her ear, gently traces her cheek. “Was mighty sweet of ya, Kaylee, especially since I been such a liou mahng to ya lately.”

Kaylee drops her head. “Yeah, ya were. You know, ya did a lot of talkin’ while your fever was so high.” She looks up into his steel-blue eyes. “Guess we got some stuff we gotta sort out later on, huh?”

Jayne just studies her face for a minute, wonders what he said, finds his courage and answers, “Yeah, Kaylee-girl, that we do.”

“We gotta get you cleaned up some, ya big skunk,” She teases. “Simon says you can’t shower yet, so I’ll just have to help wash you up as best I can… an’ don’t you go getting’ no ideas about anything else. You ain’t that well!”

Using several basins of warm water, soap and a washcloth, Kaylee gets the merc bathed as best she can. She dumps the final basin of dirty water down the medlab sink and has just gotten Jayne’s bandage changed when Mal stops by to look in on the big man.

Mal watches Kaylee fussin’ over the big merc and thinks, That girl’s been mighty attentive to him since he got shot. Something’s going on there I ain’t noticed before…

He shakes his head, “Glad to have you back amongst the living, Jayne. Wasn’t too sure there for a spell whether you were comin’ or goin’.”

“Sure as hell wasn’t gonna die and let you keep my share a that job, Cap’n.”

(To be continued...)