Archangel – Chapter Fifteen

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

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Incredibly, Jayne was on his feet the next morning. Simon walked into the infirmary, only to find him gone. Running from the infirmary, Simon hurried up the stairs where he nearly bumped into Jayne, coming from the shower.

“Jayne! Are you out of your mind?” Simon almost screeched. “You shouldn’t be up!”

“I’m fine, Simon,” Jayne assured him.

“You are most definitely not fine!” Simon shot back, trying to get a look at the incision.

“Simon,” Jayne said gently, “I’m fine. Take a look.” He raised his arm, and Simon gawked at the scar. It wasn’t completely healed, but it was far better looking than it should have been.

“Jayne, how. . .? That shouldn’t even be closed. It’s almost growing over the stitches I used!”

“I heal pretty quick, Doc,” Jayne told him, lowering his arm. “Always have.”

“Jayne, I’ve never seen anything like that,” Simon told him sincerely. “I should have noted it sooner, though. As often as you get hurt, I should have noticed it before now.”

“Ain’t like you ever wanted to spend any time with me you could avoid, Doc,” Jayne grinned. There was no malice in it, Simon noted, just wry humor.

“Well, why would I?” Simon asked, though not unkindly. “After what you did. . .”

“Be glad that’s all I did,” Jayne told him, nodding. “And be glad you showed me what had been done to your sister before they got there. Not for that, I would have left you.”

Simon blinked at that. Those were almost the exact same words that Inara had used.

“Why did you do it, Jayne?” Simon asked. “Aside from the money, I mean.”

“Money didn’t come into it,” Jayne shook his head. “I’d a took it, mind,” he grinned. “But it was just an excuse. I did it,” he looked at Simon with cold eyes, now, “because you were willing to let Kaylee bleed to death, knowing it was ‘cause o’ you she’d been shot, unless Mal agreed to help you first.”

“I was desperate, Jayne,” Simon said softly.

“That did