The job had gone south, and Zoë had been shot. She was thrown onto the ground, panic flashing through her mind. She refused to let go of her gun, pressing her free hand weakly against the wound in her chest. There was so much blood...
"Zoë!" she heard Mal in the back of her mind. Her vision blurred, and she could barely see her captain kneeling beside her. "Wash, get down here mashang. Land and get out here."
Zoë forced herself to remain awake as she heard Serenity's hum grow near, totally feeling every ounce of blood that escaped her breast. It wasn't long before Wash's quick, flat footsteps approached the scene.
"Wo de ma..." the pilot said breathily.
"Get her inside, dong ma?" Mal yelled. Zoë felt a sharp stab of pain in her torso as Wash shifted her arm over his shoulder, and then consciousness left her completely.
The first thing Zoë was aware of as she floated back into wakefulness was that she was definitely back on her ship. Shortly following this realization were several other discoveries: One, the bullet had been effectively removed from her chest. Two, she was bandaged tightly, so the bleeding had considerably lessened. Three, she was lying in the dimly lit infirmary, and four, someone sat at her side, holding her hand.
Sleepily turning her head, Zoë saw a tense-looking Wash hunched over in a tall chair, knees up by his ribs. The warrior's left hand was grasped tightly in both of the pilot's. He had them stacked strangely on top of his knees, his forehead leaned against his wrist. Zoë admired the awkward statue for a moment, but it crumbled when he raised his head, met her gaze, and relaxed, smiling.
"Wei. You're awake," Wash muttered, relieved. "You've been out for a long time; we were worried. Kaylee, too. How are you feeling?"
Zoë took a shallow breath before creaking, "I'm alright."
"That's good..." Wash seemed satisfied with her short answer. There was a minute of silence in which the two merely stared at each other. They were interrupted by Mal hanging in the doorway.
"Wash, do I have my first mate back?" he asked, perfectly aware that Zoë was awake.
"Yes, sir." she answered from the bed.
"Shiny," Mal said with a smirk. "Get better, Zoë, we need you up here."
"Yes, sir." she repeated, and Mal left.
"Mal fixed you up and bandaged you once we got you inside. He was really quick and clean about it. He's really jing cai. I wasn't able to do much... I've just been sitting here." Wash explained sheepishly. Zoë made a small 'mmm' in understanding.
Another long pause. In the light coming from the open door, Zoë could have sworn she saw Wash's cheeks grow a pink tinge. The lighting was dramatic, and it accentuated all of the pilot's features, making them sharp and very handsome. Zoë blamed the thought on sleepiness.
"Go back to sleep," Wash suggested, seemingly reading the woman's mind. "I'll stay." He put Zoë's arm back under her blanket and laid his hand on top of her covered one.
Zoë silently agreed, and as she let her eyes flutter shut, she decided that maybe Wash didn't bother her so much after all.
Chinese Translations:
1. Mashang - Now; Right away
2. Wo de ma - Mother of God
3. Dong ma? - Understand?
4. Wei - Hey
5. Jing cai - Brilliant
Author's Notes: Yes, I really did have fun with the Chinese in this one. XD Wash and Zoë are one of my favorite couples ever, and I wish they'd get more attention in fanfic. Naturally, they're gonna get loads from me. Whoo, canon! Hope you liked reading this as much as I did writing it. :D