"How long does it take for that man to dress?" Mal asked the room in general. Inara shot him a look that suggested he not do that again. He'd been awake nearly five full hours and in the last two Kaylee had explained that her folks were so glad to hear they were planetside they'd all been invited to stay with the Frye family for supper. He was not really in any condition to argue - not that he'd wanted to - so he had instructed everyone to shine up and be ready to leave soon.

He was sitting at the dining table and practicing not wincing every time he breathed. Inara sat to his right, helping River untangle the last few knots from her hair. Jayne twirled the makeshift crutch Simon had informed him he must use, his boredom beginning to make the twirling more intricate. Zoë watched quietly, her exhaustion evident in her eyes. She'd been awake a grand total of two hours longer than her captain and it was apparent to everyone that she was ready to go back to sleep for another few hours. Apparent to everyone, it seemed, except Simon.

Kaylee had let everyone sleep on the ship until morning, then slipped off with only a word to River about her destination. She had breakfasted with her parents and informed them of the need to rest, but at their insistence, had returned to extend her family's invitation for supper. She was excited about the evening and her excitement was the only thing that really convinced the recently wounded they should go. Simon had gone to "clean up" before meeting his in-laws...he was still nervous about the concept. At first, Mal found it amusing.

Now, it was downright aggravating.

Or it was the painkillers wearing off.

"I'll just go check on 'im," Kaylee murmured from Zoë's side. She stood and quickly made her way to the door.

"Kaylee, wait," Inara called after her. She looked to Mal with accusatory eyes. He shifted his gaze to avoid hers.

"That was unnecessary," she whispered to him. He didn't respond. "Simon is nervous about giving a good impression. You don'