Disclaimer: Joss, Fox, Universal Own em’. I’m just playing. No money being made. The situations come from my own twisted mind as do my original characters.

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AN: This one is longer than my usual. Had to get it to a good stopping point.

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Quest - Chapter Twenty Two

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“I must warn you. Everyone looks worse than they really are,” stated the ER attending physician. The doctor glanced nervously at the group of heavily armed and upset parents, “You... you aren't going to... cause...”

Mal shook his head, “Sorry, Doc. Things are happenin beyond this. We thought it best to be prepared.”

The doctor nodded, “Very well. The nurses in the individual rooms can give more precise details. That said. No one has any life threatening injuries but what they have been through is very painful. The compartment they were in went to nearly vacuum. By tomorrow morning they all will have significant bruising from the ruptured blood vessels in their skin from the low pressure.”

“What regimen do you have them on?” Simon asked.

“And you are?” the doctor asked.

“Dr. Simon Tam. I'm director of the trauma service at New Edmonton General on Boros.”

“Tam... We have a med student running around here somewhere with that name.”

“That would be my son,” Simon replied.

The doctors eyebrows shot up, “Pardon me, Dr. Tam. I should have recognized you right off.”

“Can we get to seein our kids?” Jayne grumbled.

“Of course... right away.”

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Inara tried to stifle a gasp as she first laid eyes on her son. Jefferson was asleep, an IV running into his arm and an oxygen mask over his face. His right arm was in a sling. The young man's face was swollen as were his hands. Already purplish bruises were visible on his face.

Mal wrapped his arm around Inara's shoulder. His face was stony.

The nurse looked up from her paperwork, “He's resting. You can wake him if you wish. He'll be a little groggy from the pain meds...”

“Thank ya',” Mal said as the nurse picked up Jeff's chart to leave