E-Mail: browncoat.malcolm@gmail.com

Story Status: Completed 4/13/2008

Spoilers: Out of Gas

Categories: Angst, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Missing Scene/Episode Tag

Pairings: Hints at Mal/Inara, and Kaylee/Simon

Content Level: PG

Content Warnings: One bad word.

Summary: The pain just keeps getting worse and he can feel his life just leaking outta the hole in his stomach.

Archive Permission: Ask first. I'll probably say yes.

Disclaimer: Firefly and its characters belong to Joss Whedon, Fox, and whoever else has a claim to 'em. I, sadly, am not one of them.

Word Count: 3,224

Author's Note: I was watching the episode, "Out of Gas", again, when I got the idea for this. I started thinking that I would have liked to seen them finding Mal, and to have seen a little more of the crew's reactions to what was going on. Thanks, as always, to my beta reader, Cyn.

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Finally! The catalyzer is in. Now he can start up the hall toward the cockpit. Seems a whole lot longer now then it did a few hours ago, but he makes it. Just has to get up the stairs now. Easier said then done. But he does it.

Just a little bit further. Hurts so much. He can make it though. He has to. They'll die if he doesn't. So will he for that matter. It hurts so badly. Hurts to walk. Hurts to move at all. But he just has a few more feet to go. Damn, but that really hurts. What did the ruttin' BUN tyen-shung duh ee-DWAY-RO bastard have to go and shoot him for? He'd've given the man anything he'd wanted for that part. Anything to save his ship. To save his crew.

The pain just keeps getting worse and he can feel his life just leaking outta the hole in his stomach.

Been a while since he's been gut shot. Forgot just how much it hurts. He'll hit the button to call his people home then he can rest. Doc'll patch him up good and he can just sleep for a spell. Just . . .a few . . . more . . . feet.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Zoë opens her eyes slowly to see her husband's worried face.

"Hey." He whispers.

She