Simon had given Jayne a smoother just before they loaded him into the infirmary, and the injured man sat uncomfortably on the reclining chair. Jayne knew that the Doc had promised never to intentionally harm him as he tended to his wounds...but that was before the uptight prude knew about him and River. Seeing your sister, naked, in the room of a man you despise is likely to cloud your judgment.

Watching the younger man warily, the Merc jerked back and narrowed his eyes as Simon swiveled, brandishing a scalpel.

Coldly, the doctor told him, "You are lucky that I need your help in finding my sister, or else I'd have finished the job your attacker began."

"Look, Doc--"

"You are also extremely fortunate that I take my hippocratic oath quite seriously, because I could have done a botch job--fixing you well enough to get the job done, and then..." he trailed off. "But I have more honor than that. Mal once told me that if he ever decided to kill me, I'd be awake, facing him, and armed. I'd be stupid to try that with you, though. You are one of the best, if not the best, shots that I've seen," Simon grudgingly admitted. "I have no intention of committing suicide by challenging you. So when this is over--"

"Simon..."

"...you and I are going to have to--" The young man paused upon hearing his name. Jayne NEVER called him by his name.

"What?" he asked, allowing the man to continue.

Wheezing as he spoke, and still under the effects of the smoother, Jayne told him, "I promised her I'd never let no one get her. But that no good hun dan did. I...I let her down. Again. The one ruttin' thing I ever promised to do, and meant it, and I didn't--couldn't do it. You ain't gotta worry none about your sis and me. I failed her--reckon she ain't liable to forgive me. Only gorram thing she ever asked of me..." he trailed off morosely.

"Her response remains to be seen. This is going to hurt," he told the Merc as he cut the already anesthetized area on his side and shoved in the tube to re-inflate his lung. "While I have to admit that I would dearly love that to be the case, you don't know her well enough if YOU believe that," Simon told him, defending his sister.

Jayne nodded miserably and admitted, "I guess I don't. Yet. That what's botherin' ya?" he asked then hissed as Simon liberally poured antiseptic on his sutured wounds.

"No. YOU bother me. Rutting untrained ape," he muttered the last bit under his breath as he placed gauze over his work.

The big man tried to laugh at that, but it hurt too much. Instead, he smiled and said, "Doc, ain't nobody gonna be good enough for your little sis. I know; I got one too. Hell, even I gotta admit I ain't the kinda man mothers want their baby-girls attatched to. And I ain't done nothin' to deserve her."

Simon had to agree with him and said as much, then added, "And I used to be considered one of the finest catches for any would-be debutant. And yet, here I am..."

"Little Kaylee thinks you are."

"But, she DOPED me! You might not have needed that transfusion from both Mal and Wash if she hadn't done that."

Proudly the Merc asked, "She did? HA! Can't say I'm surprised. You were rantin' on like a rabid beagle, prolly got on her nerves. Tend to have that effect on people."

Simon stared at him, then laughed as he finished covering the man's injuries. The two continued chatting amiably about nothing in particular, as the ship sped away from the approaching Alliance cruiser.

Standing outside the infirmary, Mal stood...shocked. Then, he looked around, half expecting to see that Hell had, indeed, frozen over.