Disclaimer: Not mine. ‘Nuff said.

A/N: Feedback always appreciated. Sorry for any beta-type errors, it's late and I do my own beta.

****

Mal walked into the infirmary unannounced. Simon heard him enter, but didn’t say anything. Waited, until the Captain cut to the point.

“So, Supergenius was clearing her lungs again last night.” It wasn’t a question. Simon could hear the edge in Mal’s voice.

The doctor replied slowly, “Yes, she- she’s getting better, but it’ll take some time.”

“That’s great, but see, I got me a crack team who are at less than peak performance cuz they keep gettin’ woke up at 3 in the morning.”

Simon was a bit forceful in his reply. “I know, I’m sorry, but it’s not like I can just stopper it up with the right medication. She was TORTURED. Traumatized. And now she’s having nightmares. You would, too.”

Mal gave him an unreadable look before turning and heading back out. “You’d best come up with something, Doc. This is getting to be a real problem.”

He climbed down to his quarters, Simon’s words echoing in his head. “She’s having nightmares. You would, too.” How could he ignore the obvious, here? The irony, even. Anybody’d have nightmares, after all he’d seen.

**So what makes the girl all that different?** some inner voice nagged at him.

It’s different, cuz I ain’t screamin’ my guts out every night, he answered himself.

**No, cuz you’re so strong, so tough. She’s just a kid. A creepy, impressionable kid. And you got no right to fault her for still being innocent.**

The voice, oddly enough, sounded a bit like Inara.

Don’t matter. I gotta look out for my crew.

**But there’s no call for being insensitive.**

INSENSITIVE? Whose head are we in now? Don’t give a gorram Reaver’s ass for insensitive. We do the job, we keep flyin’. We don’t waste time coddlin’ the crazy-folk.

**Maybe, it’s time for that to change.**

~~

Mal walked into the dining area for something that resembled lunch, noting only Jayne and River in the room.

River was hunc