A NEW DAY, ch. 28: Situational Stress
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Set after A NEW BEGINNING. The Reynolds family settles in to await their next little one's birth, while River asks Simon for a HUGE favor. S/K, M/I, R/J
CATEGORY: FICTION TIMES READ: 3419 RATING: 9.0 (G) SERIES: FIREFLY
A/N: Okay folks, we are building to the grand finale here - and the 67-page denouement ... I hope you can handle it!
Thanks to all those who take in interest in what I write and how I build my stories (angst and all) in this wonderful 'verse Joss and Co. created. So glad to just have more stories for all of us to read and enjoy with some of our favorite characters.
And of course, as always, thanks to Leiasky!
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A NEW DAY, ch. 28: Situational Stress
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“Well, I would say everything is progressing along great,” Simon told Mal and Inara both as he stepped away from her exposed stomach and replaced his stethoscope around his neck.
Smiling at him, Inara said, “Good. So, when can we induce?”
“What?” Simon asked her, noting that Mal was sporting a similarly quizzical look.
“Simon,” Inara said, struggling to sit up even with Mal’s help. “Look at me, I’m huge. I wasn’t half this big with Mimi. I need to have this baby.”
Smiling at her and trying very hard not to say something that would get him slapped, Simon placed a hand to her shoulder and said calmly, “Inara, you still have two weeks to go. The baby will come when he or she is ready.”
Trying to be as patient as her hormones would allow, Inara returned his grin and bit out, “Well, that’s fine, Simon, but seeing as how I’m the baby’s mother, I say it’s ready.”
Noting her edgy tone, Simon stepped back as Mal circled the exam table. “’Nara, what’s gotten into you?”
With fresh tears welling in her eyes, Inara told him, “Mal, I’m fat.”
Throwing a look to Simon, the doctor only shook his head. Scowling at the man’s cowardice, Mal looked back to his wife and said, “’Nara, you ain’t fat, you’re pregnant.”
“Precisely, so if Simon induces labor and the baby comes, I won’t be pregnant anymore. Which means I won’t be fat anymore. Which means my ankles won’t be swollen, which means my back won’t hurt, which means I won’t have to pee every five minutes.” Fisting her hands into her husband’s shirt, her t
One comment about Simon's reaction to River's request. I knew he wouldn't react well and I understand his concerns with how rocky Kaylee's pregnancy with the twins was, but nothing beyond that should affect his decision. If Kaylee is healthy enough, and River and Jayne did all the leg work (finding the doctors, researching them, paying for it and pregnancy costs etc), Simon should logically agree. I guess what really bothered me was the River "being ready" part - it's none of his business/concern if she's ready to have a kid or not, he doesn't control her life and this entire series, but especially this story, has been about them separating their lives. That just *really* rubbed me the wrong way.
So, fever as a symptom. Methinks Jayne's sick from more than just the medications, no?
One mistake: when Simon's out walking the grounds you mention a tree on Millie's property... well, they ain't on Harvest anymore, so it's their property.
Intersted to see where this goes.
Pregant Inara is funny.
Simon may not control her life, but River is once again placing it in his hands. He moved to *another planet*, for God's sake. And here she comes again, manipulating him to get what she wants. It was no accident that River asked Kaylee first - she knew Kaylee would help her convince Simon. She could have asked Simon first; to get a frank answer with no outside pressure. Chances are good he would have said "no" if left to his own devices. So, instead, she chose to push every button he's got to try and force his hand.
To say that Kaylee's health is the only consideration isn't looking at everything. River risks nothing; at best it works, at worst Simon says "no" and it's no different - maybe she has to go find another surrogate and leave her brother alone. Meanwhile, Simon risks *his* wife and *his* medical skills and sanity - we all know Simon won't get one second of sleep for those nine months, just waiting for something bad to happen, with all the attendant neglect of his own family and kids.
I don't want to hate River so much, but she hasn't done a thing for non-selfish reasons yet, and each time she steals a little more sanity from her brother, and often enough ropes in his family to help do it.
Kudos to Kaylee for actually sticking to her promise to let him decide and standing with him. It's about time she supported him in something.
Can we start guessing on the disease? Assuming it's not a made-up one, I'm going with the plague (as in Bubonic, Black Death, etc). Yummy!
I'm thinking that it's Simon who makes the big damn sacrifice by the end of this medical emergency just so he gets some sleep. Of course, I had Kaylee pegged as the big damn sacrifice in the last chapter, so who knows who is going to get it in the end, or even what the big damn sacrifice is going to be!
Smallpox! Since it currently only exists in labs, it very well could have been "left behind" on Earth. Meaning most people aren't vaccinated against it anymore.
Simon would be for sure, and possibly River. Jayne and Kaylee? Not so much.
It's like an episode of House, only without the annoying Junior Doctors!
Or maybe it's something newer as most of the rare stuff would have been left behind on Earth and this is some mutated version of Tb?
Besides, I'm just making it up as things occur to me. I'm trying to think of something out there, since Simon can probably fight the more "common" diseases and infections (flu, measels, chickenpox, etc) with no problem and wouldn't be as worried.
If I was an author with illness as part of a storyline, my first choice would be to go with something like the plague or smallpox, but I'd probably go with some sort of killer influenza that hit the evacuation ships from Earth-that-was halfway on their journey. The plague and smallpox is something I can't see the evacation organizers allowing on board the ships, but it'd be hard to eliminate influenza, etc. Plus, a nice fictional influenza outbreak onboard the ships would tie in with real life news stories.
In Simon's day and age, just the possibility of Influenza X hitting his family would put fear into him, given the stories and legends that might told about it.
I will say that so far no one has guessed outright what the disease is, although someone has mentioned it in passing ... I can only hope that when it's revealed it won't disappoint!
Thanks for reading and commenting ... you guys are great!
On the surrogacy issues, I have a mixed-bag reaction. On the one hand, it ain't fair that River can never have children. That an important and desired bodily function has been interfered with for selfish purposes. So Simon's reaction to River's request is painful and frustrating in that he seems to want to keep playing God in River's life...
On the other hand, Kaylee only recently recovered from a touch-and-go pregnancy with preemie twins, the loss and recovery of her eldest daughter with the associated stress and pain, and she can't be totally sure that she wouldn't get upset later on down the road when it's time to give up the infant to River and Jayne. Plus...River's been playing the odds way too much during the last two storylines, and I gotta wonder if Simon's doesn't have a point in all his selfishness: can River really handle being a mother when she is constanly willing to risk family and friends on dangerous schemes just because she can seemingly see future outcomes and/or calculate actions taken based on complex math?
BEB
P.S. I wanna guess a form of MRSA viral infection, since those suckers are found in hospital settings and are stubbon mofos for treating. I should know, since my dad has had two instances related to knee surgeries:(
poking out from behind one of the big trees that dotted the edge of Millie’s yard. Dusk was rapidly approaching and the children had been chased inside a few minutes ago to get ready for bed and school the next day
~ I could have sworn they were at Simon's home on Aberdeen. I am so confused.
Whatever has infected the clinic is certainly scary as well, just more to pile on top of everything else that Simon already has to deal with. I have no guesses as to what it is though.
I'm glad Simon is having his doubts about saying yes to River's request. I think his concerns are very valid - especially with how River's been behaving as of late.
And a sickness is coming...wheeeee! More angst on the horizon!
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