"Jayne, you should get some rest." Simon looked up from the tests he'd run on his still comatose sister to look at the roughened man. Kaylee had been bringing both men their meals upon request, and Jayne was now more than half finished with the bottle of sake he'd insisted Kaylee bring him.

"Ain't leavin', Doc. Said I wouldn't and I won't." He looked at River and sneered in an effort to keep control of his emotions. "Girl needs me."

Simon finished the last of the small meal Kaylee had brought, quietly placing his empty plate on top of Jayne's, which was barely touched. Simon checked the IV drip he'd given River, making sure the vitamins were timed correctly with the fluids to keep her from becoming dehydrated or malnutritioned.

It had been over ten hours since River had fallen unconscious after a particularly horrifying hallucination. Jayne had been with her when it happened. He was simultaneously cursing himself mentally for not understanding her, and cursing River for being so gorram cryptic that no one could understand a one of her moonbrain thoughts. Girl couldn't be blunt even if it meant savin' her life.

Jayne used all his will to keep from yelling at Simon to hurry up and figure out what was wrong with River. He knew the doc was doing everything he could, but his heart was, for the first time in a very long while, gripped with fear at being unable to help River. He cleared his throat and kept his eyes on River.

"It's pretty ruttin' weird. I ain't ever been worried about no one's life but my own." He held River's long slender hand in his own large palms. "But for some gorram reason I'm..." Jayne let out a ragged breath, unable to say something.

"Scared?" Simon looked back at Jayne, looking at every hint of emotion that ran through his face.

"I ain't fuckin' scared!" Jayne barked at Simon for a moment, then growled to himself before calming down. "Sorry. I ain't one to admit I got somethin' that near resembles a heart."

"You love her, Jayne. I know you well enough t