Chapter 4: History is Open to Interpretation or All the Facts do not a Life Story Make

“She’s awake and asking for Wash.”

Mal looked up from the seat he had been warming for the last thirty minutes, then sighed. “Alright. No use in putting this off then,” he said, more for his own benefit than for Simon’s. “Anything else I need to know before I see her?”

Simon shook his head. “No. We haven’t really told her anything other than that she had collapsed, but I’m pretty sure she already knows she lost the baby.”

“How can you know that?”

“She would have asked if her baby was OK. It’s the first thing a woman does if she thinks that her unborn is in danger.” The young doctor ran a hand through his hair and looked decidedly depressed. “Zoe didn’t ask, which means she knows that there isn’t any hope. That woman is as sharp as she is short on words.”

“That she is, doc.” Mal rubbed his eyes and tried to look less like he had spent hours in a hospital waiting room. Then he headed through the double doors and up the corridor to his second in command’s room.

Her eyes locked on his as soon as he entered. He moved quickly to her side and took her hand. “How are you feeling, ài rén?” he asked.

“Not good,” she whispered hoarsely. “Baby didn’t make it. I could tell as soon as I saw Simon’s face.”

“I know.” He was trying with little success not to show how saddened he was by that fact.

“Where’s Wash?”

“Don’t rightly know. He took off before we could even tell him you had collapsed. Kaylee knows where he was headed. She’ll bring him back.”

Zoe looked away from him, but not before he saw her trying to compose her expression. She was trying very hard not to give in to tears.

Mal dropped to his knees beside her bed and put his arms around her. Truth was that she was his best friend, that they rarely ever touched each other despite that, but there were times when you had to reach out to those you cared for, those you trusted, and this was one of them. She had to deal with what had happened.

He tightened his arms, huggi