He couldn’t sleep. No matter how much he tried, after that first night back in with Kaylee, he’d found himself waking just after midnight, and it was hours before he finally fell back into exhausted unconsciousness. It hadn’t improved his temper, either.

“What did you just say?” Kaylee asked, her eyes wide in disbelief.

He stared at her, honestly trying to remember. “I … what? What was that to say?”

“How could you?” she said, her face screwing up before she got awkwardly to her feet and ran out of the dining area.

Simon watched her go, then looked back at the rest of the crew. “What?” he asked.

Mal barely managed to contain himself. “Doctor, I know you’ve been through a lot, but that’s no excuse for saying that to little Kaylee.”

“Oh, Simon,” Inara agreed, shaking her head in saddened shock.

“I don’t … what did I say?” Simon glared at them. “I don’t understand why she’s so …”

“Simon, Kaylee may be under the influence of post-natal depression,” Zoe pointed out, not unkindly, “but you don’t have to make things so much worse.”

“I don’t understand,” he repeated.

Jayne pointed his table knife at him and growled. “If’n you weren’t needed right now, to tend to Frey, I’d throw you out the airlock myself, no matter what the Cap here said.” It was perfectly clear the big man would rather bury the knife in the younger man than not, right up to the hilt.

“No, look, I really don’t know –“

“I think you’d better go apologise,” Mal interrupted.

“For what?”

“Don’t go thinking that was a suggestion.”

Simon pushed his chair back and jumped to his feet. “I wish someone would tell me what the niou-se I’m supposed to have said!” He strode out of the galley.

“Sir, I really think he doesn’t know,” Zoe said, looking at her captain.

“I’m beginning to think you’re right,” Mal agreed. “Could be he’s under some stress at the moment, all he’s been through.”

“But to upset Kaylee like that? And not go after her straight away?”

Mal shrugged. “Maybe one of us should ta