three-elysian fields-choices

“If she don’t stop that gorram screamin, I’m going to give her something to scream about.”

“Go to your bunk, Jayne.”

Mal stood outside River’s room, not wanting to go in.

Whenever River paused for breath, Mal could hear Simon talking in his calmest doctor voice, but there was strain underneath.

Mal waited until the next pause and pounded on the door.

Simon, slid the door open, ready to blast whoever it was. Instead Mal grabbed him by the arm and hauled him out.

“You need to give her somethin to stop that.”

Simon pulled his arm free. “I’ve given her what I can, if I give her any more it could kill her.”

“Not workin?”

“No.”

Mal stepped into River’s room and shut the door. He held it shut with one hand while holding his walkie-talkie in the other.

“Zoe, please take the Doc and lock him in the Infirmary.”

“Yes sir.”

As soon as Zoe came and took Simon away, Mal let go of the door. He went and sat down opposite of River. She was sitting up, curled into a tight ball in the middle of the bed. She had her head down, so that all Mal could see was a mass of brown hair. The next time she paused he firmly took a hold of her chin and brought her eyes to his.

“Whatever you’re lookin at, I want you to quit it.”

River started to shake and tears began running down her face.

“He didn’t do what he did so that you’d suffer too.”

Mal came and sat next to her on the bed. As Mal gathered a blanket around her she settled into his shoulder.

“Kaylee’s right, you are nice.”

“Umph.”

“And grumpy.”

“Go to sleep.”

“Can I have”

“Go to sleep.”

All over Serenity the crew’s heads turned toward the noise, or rather the fact that there was no noise.

Wash looked at Zoe,

“You don’t think he,?”

Zoe gave him a look that made Wash decide to concentrate on his navigation. Simon stopped pacing and dropped down exhausted down into a chair. Jayne stopped polishing Vera. Inara and Book each thanked the gods they had been praying to. Kaylee turned down her recording of the waltz from the dance