“Get the Laser Capillary, third drawer,” Simon shouted from beside the infirmary bed. Mal, not minding being ordered this one time, opened the third drawer and pulled out some strange looking instrument, that seemed to resemble a gun all too much. He handed it over to the doc, who immediately switched it on and began using it on his unconscious sister. Inara, Kaylee, and Zoe stood watching from the doorway, while Jayne stood huddled in the quarter, his eyes not leaving River.

Kaylee barely noticed the tears coursing down her cheeks. Inara turned her eyes away from Mal’s worried face to the young mechanic, and put an arm around her.

“She’ll be fine, sweetie. Simon’ll fix her up nice.” She wished she was as confident as she sounded. Mal gave her a comforting look, then went back to watching the procedure. Inara guided Kaylee away from the sight. “Come on, let’s give that boyfriend of yours room to breathe.”

There was a sharp intake of breath as Simon pulled out the bullet from beneath the layers of tissue. He dropped it in a small bowl and went back to patching up his sister, trying his best not to feel emotion. Right now, he was the doctor, not the brother….and he couldn’t afford to be anything else. He turned back to Mal, as Zoe watched from the background.

“She should be fine. I’ll call you when she wakes up.” It was a not-so-subtle order, but Mal didn’t seem to notice. He gazed at his young pilot for a moment, then turned and walked out of the infirmary, and bounded up the stairs towards the helm. He didn’t look at Zoe as he passed, but she knew what he was feeling even without looking in his eyes. With a comforting smile at Simon, she turned and followed Mal. He was in the pilot’s seat, pressing buttons and flipping switches, and she felt the usual jerk of pain at not seeing Wash in that seat. His silent, but jerking movements confirmed what she thought he was thinking. She put a hand on his arm, and he didn’t jerk.

“All’s well, Capt’n?” she asked, and he knew what she rea