Bullets and god knows what else were racing past Kaylee and Simon's faces as they focused on each other, something which was becoming increasingly hard to do what with their eyes clouding over due to the bullet in his stomach and the puncture wound in her neck.
Trapped in this hell-hole with reavers pushing their way through at the front and no way out, the crew were becoming more and more desperate to survive their nightmarish predicament: aside from Kaylee and Simon's wounds, Zoe and Jayne were also both seriously injured.
River saw what she had to do immediately after her brother had been hit: he had always taken care of her, always looked out for her wellbeing. Now she had a chance to pay him back. Throwing herself into the chaos of savage creatures clawing at the gates, River managed to seize Simon's bag and toss it back before she permanently sealed the door off, leaving the rest of the crew open-mouthed at her bravery in what was surely a suicidal attempt at saving the lives of her friends.
Inara grabbed the bag urgently, being as she was the only member of the crew yet to become wounded, and unzipped it quickly before turning to Simon who was rapidly losing consciousness.
"Simon? Simon! Come on, stay with me! I need you to stay with me – I have your bag, but I can only help you if you tell me what to do" she pleaded, clutching his hand and wiping his forehead.
His eyelids fluttered and his body jolted irregularly. Inara was no medical expert but she knew that if she didn't help the doctor fast then he would be beyond saving.
"Simon!" At this point tears rolled down her cheeks without restraint as she surveyed the pitiful scene around her. Zoe lay on her front as the bandage in her back failed to hold in the frightening amounts of blood spurting from her wound; Jayne remained hunched in the corner ripping his trousers to form a makeshift dressing for the bottom half of his leg which was spattered with leaking bullet holes; Kaylee was to her right, drifting in and out of a seemingly peaceful sleep with an unsettlingly serene smile on her face.
Inara couldn't take it any longer. Searching through the bag she grasped a vial of pure adrenaline – the only thing which she recognised – and injected it into Simon's chest. His body stiffened before a series of spasms ran through it which, frightening as it was to watch miraculously seemed to shake the doctor awake. His eyes opened fully for the first time in several minutes and he lifted his head, looking around frantically.
"Kaylee? River? Where's River? Where are they?"
Exhausted from the effort of holding his head up in his dizzy state, Simon immediately slumped down again.
"Simon, it's Inara - Kaylee and River will be just fine if you can help me and tell me what to do. I need to know what to do, Simon. Kaylee was hit by some sort of dart … What should I give her?"
Simon guided her through the process of administering several different drugs to Kaylee and Inara's hands trembled as she looked on the face of a little girl who was dearer to her than anyone in the world. The pressure was immense as she prayed that she wouldn't mess this up. She couldn't. This, coupled with the screams and gunfire which could be heard beyond the gate and the notable absence of the captain, was almost enough to make Inara want to give up. The situation seemed so hopeless.
After almost ten minutes of this torture, Simon clutched her arm.
"Inara … all you can do now is wait. See if she responds."
He grimaced noticeably with pain but made a feeble attempt to hide it. Inara realised she had been so obsessed with treating Kaylee that she had almost forgotten that Simon himself was badly hurt. He gestured at a needle lying in the open bag, which she injected into the crook of his arm, causing the tension in his body to release its hold on him and allowed him to lie back down on the floor.
They were both startled to hear a small grunt from behind where Inara was crouched down. Kaylee had opened her eyes and was reaching out her hand to Simon. He returned the gesture and clutched her frail hand tightly in his own, smiling weakly as he pulled it up to his lips.
The feeling of that soft little kiss coupled with the immediate sound of the elevator crashing open behind her gave Kaylee the warmest, and strangest, sense of security she had ever known, despite her surroundings. She knew in that one moment that everything would be ok.
To be continued …. Hopefully.