The Return Home – Part 17

Serenity was parked in an area of frozen tundra in northern Haven, sitting in a snowy featureless expanse, waiting for an Alliance fleet to arrive, waiting for Adam Cutter, and, they hoped, Shepherd Book and Kaylee’s father. Meanwhile, a Reaver fleet had arrived at Haven, destroyed the ten Alliance ships that were waiting for the main fleet, and were now bent on ravaging the planet. And if what the large Reaver Hopkins, former Colonel of the Alliance, said was true, they could expect the Reavers to come looking for them, looking for revenge on Hopkins and Serenity, Hopkins for his betrayal and Serenity for killing so many Reavers. More than one person on the ship thought as Jayne did: let’s just get the hell out of here! But Mal would hear none of it and anyone who broached the subject got a stern glare and a firm ‘no” from the captain. Thoughts of mutiny were on Jayne’s mind but if Book was with that fleet then Jayne was willing to stick around and see what happened. He just didn’t want to die in the process.

Nobody wanted to die but someone was dieing and there was nothing they could do for him and Simon felt this keenly, maybe as much as the Miranda people. Losing patients was never easy for a doctor and Simon had never really gotten used to it. It had happened and people had died while he cared for them and like he had said sometimes it was better to let them go. But that didn’t make it any easier.

Simon was standing by Drummond’s side in the infirmary, checking his vitals, when he final awoke, more then ten hours after surgery was over.

“Doctor,” he gasped and Simon quickly removed a ventilator so Drummond could talk more easily.

“I’m here, Professor.” He was all alone, Brenda finally leaving to get some food, while Simon had kept Angela sedated in a passenger room, for her sake as well as the crew’s, no one knowing if or when she’d turn back to a Reaver.

“Will I...live?”

“The bullet is out and you’re recovering but…Professor…I found…”

“Cancer,” Drummond sa