The infirmary onboard Serenity was calm and neat, all the little pieces of equipment, bandages, tools, and gauze put away. The room had recently been disinfected, due to the dangerous mission that was about to end. The room’s resident always made sure things were clean, neat, and ready before a mission…just in case.

Suddenly, the room burst into activity as six people rushed in; Mal, Zoe, Kaylee, Simon, and Jayne holding a bleeding River. The noise was almost deafening as two men started shouting orders.

“Kaylee, get to the engine room now,” Mal said. “Get ready to take off. Zoe, go tell Inara I want my boat in the air in ten seconds.” Kaylee and Zoe rushed off to their activities, while the rest looked at the youngest of the crew.

“Put her on the bed, stomach down,” Simon ordered, and Jayne carefully placed her on the clean surface trying desperately not to look at the blood pouring out of the bullet hole in her back. Simon wiped the sweat from his forehead, forcing himself to get a grip. He couldn’t be her brother right now…she needed him to be her doctor. The captain put a hand on his back.

“Doctor,” he said, shaking him. “Tell us what you need.” Simon shook his head, and transitioned into surgeon mode.

“Get the defibrillator and laser capillary, third drawer on the left,” he said, grabbing a pair of scissors out of another drawer and switching on the lights. Quickly, he cut away a part of River’s dress and briefly looked at the wound. Turning around and shoving a silent Jayne aside, he grabbed his gloves, put them on, and grabbed two metal instruments then returned to his patient.

“How bad is it, doc?” Mal asked as Simon inspected the wound. He didn’t respond, but muttered under his breath at a few intervals. Suddenly, they all wavered as the ship raised from the ground and began it’s course out of atmo. Simon rounded on the Captain.

“What are you doing?” he shouted. “I can’t operate on her until we’re out of atmo, and I need to do it now!”

“Then do it!” the Captain