Mal spent the evening sitting at Inara’s side, he ran a hand through his hair when she opened her eyes and sprang up vomiting. As her chest heaved with the violent explosions in her stomach, Mal manuvered himself behind her rubbing her back soothingly and holding her hair away from her pale face. When her stomach had finally emptied, he brought a wet cloth and patted on her face and neck but what shocked him most was the blank look Inara had – there wasn’t any light in them not even an emotion!

“Inara, it’s ok,” he soothed. “You’re home. He ain’t gonna hurt you no more.”

Inara looked at him for a moment. He could see the tears of anguish in her eyes before she tossed herself at his chest and let the intense sobs rack her small form.

“Oh Inara - Aww Christ ‘Nara…” he said wrapping her in his arms.

“He hit me!” she cried in his chest. “I didn’t do anything to him – he hit me!”

“I know honey,” he soothed, as he kept rubbing her back and stroking her raven curls, the endearment coming to him naturally.

“Why me?!” she cried out holding him tighter.

“He was a gorramn sick son of a bitch bastard,” he said, making the insults in English sound harsher than in Chinese. Seeing her like this made him so angry, he wished he could riddle that bastard with holes again. “None of it is your fault, darlin’. He won’t do it again.”

After crying her heart out, Inara fell asleep in his arms. Only then, Mal lowered her on the table gently and threw the covers she had vomited on in the laundry bag and replaced them with new ones, he covered her to her shoulders and after caressing her cheek with the back of his hand, he went to find Simon.

----------------------------

“You’re awake,” smiled Simon as he entered the infirmary, Mal in tow.

Inara gave a weak smile which almost brought Mal to tears.

Simon told Mal to wait outside the infirmary so that he could examine her and he was impressed when the captain obeyed his order without even saying a word.

“Did he really listen to me? I think I’m g