Downtime

Mal woke up with a start, expecting to see the lights of battle, the blazing explosions of flashers flying low, of grenades and mortars hitting sand and rock. But his eyes fastened on the cool, comforting metal of the infirmary. He was on his ship. He was safe--Serenity had him.

"Ah, you're awake. How do you feel?" Simon walked over, pulling out some medicine from a drawer on his way.

"Don't be shooting me up with that before you even figure out what's wrong," Mal said, trying to pull away.

"Way ahead of you, captain. We're long past the diagnosis phase. Aren't we, Zoe?"

Mal turned his head, saw Zoe perched on the counter, legs dangling. She never did that unless she was bored to death.

"Been out a while, I guess?" He was hoping she'd hop on down and leave. Unconcerned Zoe was the way to go when wounds were the issue.

She didn't look unconcerned. "Sure were, Captain." Her smile was gentle, sharing a joke with him, then a different joke with Simon.

Mal must have been out for quite some time for these two to have forged a secret funny between them. "I don't know as I hold with this new closeness between you two. Wash approve?"

Zoe just laughed. "If it's helping you, Wash is fine with it."

"How long have I been out?"

"About ten hours." Simon put the monitor on Mal's finger, closing it so gently he barely felt the pinch. "I had to operate."

Mal started to sit up, but Simon's hand on his shoulder held him down. "The operation wasn't easy, Captain. I'd rather you didn't go and destroy all my good work."

"Man's not lying, sir. He worked a long time over you." Zoe finally hopped off the counter, looking as if she was ready to assist with the "keeping Mal still" operation. "And I helped, so I'm not real eager to see you tear yourself up trying to get out of that bed."

"Conspiracy of two. Someone else here who can weigh in?"

"I'm not supposed to be here." River's voice sounded from the doorway, but he couldn't see her. Then he realized