The Measure of a Jayne, Part 4

Kaylee tore through the kitchen in search of a meal fit to make up for the gropage she’d dealt Jayne under the guise of a friendly (and necessary) sponge bath.

A warmed up soft protein pseudo-meatloaf and a ramekin of rice/bread pudding from last night’s meal would do nicely, shouldn’t cause him no worries of the digestion kind. She spied a handful of raisins in a twist of paper, cadged a handful to toss on top of the pudding. Found some canned milk too, and heated it up with a little sorghum sweetener stirred in to help the taste.

‘Give the big bull moose some moo-juice,’ she thought with a smile.

Walking back toward Jayne’s cabin with the hastily but thoughtfully prepared nutrition on a tray, she worked on settling her mind onto safe topics she could air during a one-sided conversation so’s he could just grunt while he ate the peace offering.

Her pace sped up when she heard raised male voices coming from Jayne’s cabin.

The tray’s contents shifted, wet ingredients slopped over a little as she stopped short of beginning the awkward climb down into Jayne's place. Two paces inside stood Simon.

Angry Simon, angrier Jayne.

Didn’t look to be room for all three of them and a dinner tray in the cramped quarters so she stayed where she was, staring in. Focused her concern from face to face depending on which heated hating voice had the floor.

A’ course she’d come in mid-show, so she had a little catching up to do before she could log her own opinion or act as referee if the pissing contest would let up enough for her to try her hand.

At this point long into the 2nd quarter, Simon was busy haranguing Jayne for leaving the infirmary under his own steam when he should have at least had the modicum of intelligence necessary to realize he should have waited for help. He went on to accuse that such reckless behavior could have resulted in a spill, rupturing the work the doctor had wrought on the head and leg wounds.

Kaylee decided she'd best m