Archangel – Chapter Fourteen

Author owns no rights to Firefly, no copyright infringement is intended

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“What?” Mal asked, following. Everyone else followed as well.

Simon was trying to prepare a sedative as Jayne convulsed on the bed. It wasn’t easy with his hands shaking. He’d been in the room when Jayne started. . .keening, for want of a better term. He wished he hadn’t.

“No Simon!” River ran into the infirmary, Kaylee on her heels. “No drugs! He must fight if he is to live!”

“Mei mei, he’s going to re-injure himself, tear the stitches loose! I’ve got to sedate him!”

“No!” River yelled. “Not now! He’s fighting! He must be able to fight, or he will not survive. Only the demon will live! No. Drugs.”

“Demon?” Mal looked shocked. River turned to him.

“That is Jayne’s name for it,” she told him, eyeing Kaylee as she did so. For once Mal caught the hint, and shut up. Jayne continued to convulse sporadically, with the occasional howling sound.

Mal’s bones shook at the sound. If he wasn’t seeing it himself, he’d never have believed that such a sound could come from a man’s vocal chords.

“River, I’m going to sedate him!” Simon informed her. “He’s going to hurt himself!”

“NO!” River was around the table in a flash, grabbing the hypo and tossing it out the door. “You cannot drug him! He fights!” She looked to Inara.

“Tell him!” she demanded. Inara looked shocked for a moment, then nodded.

“He’s fighting his rage, Simon,” she said quietly, where only Simon could hear. “He has to overcome it, or when he wakes. . . .” She trailed off, her eyes telling him the rest.

“Oh,” Simon finally got it. He nodded, and stepped back, watching the monitors carefully. River sagged in relief.

“Thank you,” she told Inara. “Both of you,” she added to Simon. He nodded, absently. He was looking at Jayne’s temperature.

“His temp is over one hundred, and rising,” he murmured. “It must be an infection.”

“No, Simon,” River shook her head. “It is a burning. He