"No."

River stares down Simon, no sign of retreat in her stance. He sighs, tries to reason with her. She cuts him off before he can begin.

"No," she says. "I'm not leaving him."

"River," says Simon. "He's in very critical condition. The next few hours are very important- There's a chance he may not-"

"No!" cries River. "Don't say it! You fix people, it's what you do, and you've fixed him, you've given him his sand back, turned the hourglass back."

"Mei mei." Simon's voice is gentle, and he reaches out to her, but River flinches away. He sighs again. "I did the best I could, but the next few hours-"

"You're the best," River tells him stubbornly. "So your best is the best in the 'verse. He'll be fine. And I'm not leaving him."

Simon decides then to stop arguing. He knows River isn't stupid, knows that she's telling herself he's the best, not telling him, and he also knows when to let well enough alone. If Simon hasn't "fixed him" like River so obviously and desperately wants her brother to have done, these could be the last few hours, the only few hours, she has with the man who is now...hers. They both made that plain when he arrived, medkit in hand.

"Alright, mei mei. Just be careful."

River narrows her eyes. "You're a boob," she says, but she hugs him and then flits over to the captain, gracefully situating herself next to Mal on the narrow infirmary bed.

Simon leaves the infirmary, closes the door behind himself, and tries not to think too hard about his baby sister and the captain as a couple.

River is silent until she hears her brother depart. She goes to speak, but Mal beats her to it.

"Albatross, you can be downright bossy when you've a mind to be."

She frowns against his shoulder, but smiles as well, nestling closer to him. "Not going to lose you," she says matter-of-factly. "Not when I've only just gotten you."

"River, if I don't-" He puts a finger on her lips before she can speak. "Hush now. Just listen. Alright?"

She swallows and then nods, squeezes her eyes shut as the tears begin to leak out, as Mal forces her to confront the worst possibility that she can imagine.

"River, if I don't make it through to tomorrow, I need you to know something." She's still quiet, and his words are slow and labored, and she knows they cost him energy that he shouldn't be spending. Mal takes a breath and then continues. "I love you, Albatross. I've loved you for a long time, don't rightly know how long, because it's as natural to me as anything. It's like I've always loved you, but just hadn't known it was you I was loving. And if- If I make it through to tomorrow, I promise you, bao bai, I'm going to make up for lost time. I won't be dancing around you anymore," he swears to her, his voice low and serious. "I'll be dancing with you- For as long as you'll have me."

Her tears are flowing more freely now, partly from fear and partly from joy, and it's hard for her to reconcile the two emotions. Mal's love flows through her, steady and almost warm, and it settles River enough to whisper.

"You'll make it through, Malcolm." River's words are a plea. Her throat closes and it takes her a moment to say the next words. "If you don't...If you don't, I can't...I can't let myself think about it. It's too terrible." She whimpers.

Mal raises a hand, runs a finger down her jaw.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow," he promises her gently. "How's that?"

"Yes," she says and closes her eyes. "Tomorrow."

And they do.