Chapter 3

“So, how long ya gonna stay here?” asked Kaylee, her legs swinging off the medical table in a slightly nervous fashion as Simon checked her blood for infection.

“I don’t know,” said Simon. “The captain may change his mind any day, so my plans are still fluid.”

“No, I mean how long ya gonna pretend like this infirmary’s the whole ship,” corrected Kaylee. “’S’like you want to be strangers to us.”

“You’re all clear,” said Simon, turning off the monitor. He glanced over to River, and reached over to take the box of hypodermic needles from her hands. “I don’t want River to have an episode in front of the crew,” he admitted.

“Wasn’t she gettin’ better?” asked Kaylee. “She jus’ seemed shy and kinda scared.”

“Hm, well, I think I know why that was,” said Simon. “I’ve found traces of various drugs in her blood samples, residual traces from the Academy; apparently they remained in circulation while she was in cryo. I don’t even know what some of them are,” he trailed off, eyes sadly fixed on River. He cleared his throat and continued. “From what I could deduce, the drugs that had the longest effect were those that suppressed some of the symptoms of her psychosis. After she recovered from the cryogenic shock, those drugs kept her somewhat level for another day or two, after which she reverted to her normal state, and perhaps even some withdrawal.”

“Ya know, I’ll have to tell the Cap’n that I know why he needs Captain Dummy Talk now,” said Kaylee with a hint of a grin.

Simon sighed. “In other words, she’ been subjected to a series of incredibly inhumane treatments, and we’re only now just seeing all the effects.”

“It all sounds more real when you say it like that,” said Kaylee, her face drooping.

“Don’t worry about it,” said Simon.

“Why, that’s your job?”

“Yes,” said Simon with a half-smile. “And that’s why we only come out for meals. I don’t know much now, and I don’t want her to be a danger to the crew.” He bit his lip.

“Danger?” said Kaylee incredulously. “She’s just differe