Jayne grinned and gave a little chuckle.
Thayer hesitated for only a moment before regaining that haughty demeanor that grated on Mal's nerves. "I am a very busy man. I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific"
"A girl. My mechanic got snatched today, and Jayne here says you just recently happened to make a similar acquisition. So hows about you take that pretty nose outta the air and tell me where she's at"
"I'm afraid it's already out of my hands Captain Reynolds." Thayer looked at Mal coolly, ignoring the gun pointed now directly at his right eye.
Jayne stood upright, alarmed. "What do you mean out of your hands?" Mal probed.
Thayer, now tied to a chair, tried to ignore Jayne sitting comfortably, directly across from him staring holes right into him. Zoe, Wash, Book and Mal all stood in the room having tied the still unconscious men up and piled them up in a corner.
"Sir?" Zoe always had a way of making that one word mean dozens of things, sometimes even simultaneously, but right now it just meant one thing. How do you wanna go about this.
"Thayer said that transport is due to leave in bout an hours time, We're going back to Serenity so we can pick up a few necessities and then we're gonna go get Kaylee. Book,"
Book inched closer to Mal, more than willing to do anything to help out Kaylee.
"I need you to stay here and keep an eye on Thayer. Don't want him messin' up our little adventure"
"Mal, I think I might be of some use to you." Book leveled Mal with one look and Mal considered the possibility but shook his head.
He pointedly looked at Thayer and said, "S'man is a whole heap of trouble, preacher. We got a little out of him, but I'd still like to be knowledgeable about why.
I'd take a bit of ease out of the fact knowin' you was here with him, maybe you can get that little tidbit for us"
Book slowly nodded in agreement.
Mal led the way out of the building, Zoe and Jayne close on his heels.
Simon squatted in front of River in the Cargo bay while Inara just barely paced not five feet from them.
"Had one already." River said matter-of-factly. "Non-compulsory necessity for an additional. Men lining the walls and streets with sweat and tears"
Her brother stood and looked down on her with such concern before his mind focused in on their mechanic. Simon couldn't bear to think of where Kaylee must be. All that was important was that she return to the ship and that was inevitable because the others were retrieving her this very second…inevitable, right?
Simon doubted his own self-assurance before quickly squelching his disbelief. He couldn't allow himself to get emotional about this. Logic and judgment and facts; these were all things that had held him together thus far in life. And. presently, the fact at hand was that Mal was not going to come back aboard Serenity without Kaylee. 'Please come back Mal.' Simon thought without restraint.
If Inara had mentally berated herself once in the past few hours, she had done it dozens of times. It never once entered into her mind that if she had stayed with Kaylee she herself may have been harmed. Being well educated, cultured and refined was a significant part of Inara Serra. Albeit, that's certainly not all of who she is. Inara possessed an innate kind of confidence that came with more than just companion training. She rarely worried for herself, however, no vessel could contain all the worry emanating from her on this day.
Just then Mal, Zoe and Jayne came quickly up the ramp and into the cargo bay. Without Kaylee, Simon registered and his confusion was palpably painted on his face . Mal gathered weapons from the cargo bay while Jayne went to go fetch Vera and Zoe paid a visit to her own reserve.
"Mal-" Inara started but Mal cut her off by saying, "Don't have time to explain just yet. Might know exactly where she's at.
Came to gather up some gear and Kaylee will be back onboard 'fore long"
Inara noticed that by the tone in Mal's voice, he wasn't up to any questions or suggestions so, pushing her fears back down her throat she offered her help.
To which Mal simply looked at her guardedly and said, "No, we got this. Wash you have her ready to fly soon as we get back"
The three of them, Mal in the center, Zoe on his right and Jayne on his left, marched off of Serenity's ramp, guns in tow.
Mal said quietly to himself, "We won't be long."
Kaylee drifted in and out of consciousness, now numb to the cold the majority of the time. The blood coming from her head was slowed and begun to dry and harden on her face. Her mind was somewhat quieted now, because of her physical state. The few thoughts she did have ranged from that of her family back home and her family on Serenity. She remembered her pa's gentle and care worn face and smiled. He was the most important man in her life for so many years, and then she met Mal.
Mal brought her on the ship and made her part of his family, whether he cared to admit it or not. And then there was Simon. She had never labored for a guys attention the way she fought for Simon's. Contemplating the time on Canton and then dead Bessie, Kaylee came to the swift decision that if she made it out of this she was going to be more patient with Simon and not flee like she had the tendency to do.
Kaylee's subconscious musings were interrupted by the door sliding open and that horrible bright light intruding in the dark space. Kaylee tried to force her eyes open, but for some reason her body wouldn't comply.
As Kaylee lay there drifting back out of consciousness her less than hospitable captive came and lightly nudged her with his boot. All that generated from Kaylee was a groan.
"Come on, git. Time to go"
When he couldn't get her to rise on her own, he reached down and roughly grabbed her by the arms, hauling her up brutally. At the sudden rush to her head Kaylee went completely limp as she fainted.
"Ai ya, girl." he grunted as he bent and shoved her over his shoulder.
No sooner had he taken two steps than three people burst through the door, rushing him.
Mal, Zoe and Jayne adeptly came in, guns drawn, and all moved to surround the man holding Kaylee.
At the sight of Kaylee unconscious and slung over this guys' shoulder scared Mal more than he'd like to concede to himself. He quickly swallowed that feeling and said just one word, "Jayne"
Jayne moved to take Kaylee from the man and said, "Cap she's hurt pretty bad." as he cradled her tiny frame in his arms.
Mal clenched his jaw and his nostrils flared as her reared his gun hand back to pistol whip the man, but before he could get the chance Zoe came up and fiercely knocked the man out cold and on the floor in one punch.
Mal blinked.
"I was gonna do that." he wined.
"Sorry, sir." Zoe didn't sound in the least apologetic. "Couldn't help myself."
As the entourage rushed back up the ramp wheels were set into motion. Simon instantly morphed into doctor mode assessing Kaylee's condition. Mal hovered in the infirmary, while Zoe stood completely still gripping Wash's hand which rested on her shoulder just outside. River sat curled up on the stairs beside Jayne who stood leaning against the railings. Inara stayed as close to Kaylee as she could without getting in the doctor's way.
"She gonna be alright?" The amount of emotion in Jayne's voice as he appeared in the doorway caused Mal to do a double take.
"I'm not certain. The trauma to her head and the blood loss alone are severe." Simon opened his mouth to say something else, but then seemed to think better of it. He bent over her and tried to focus on each task at hand.
"Jayne." Mal called to him and Jayne walked over to him, leaning close. "Go fetch the shepherd. And be quick about it. I want off this rock"
Jayne nodded and moved from the doorway. One single tear rolled down Inara's face and Mal moved slightly behind and beside her, placing his hand on the small of her back. Simon continued to work unaware of anything except his patient and his hands.
Jayne entered the tiny musky back room of the bar and quickly took in his surroundings. Shepherd Book knelt leaning closely over Thayer whose body was now prostrate on the ground. He made a face, both confounded and questioning at the same time.
"Well now preacher, I always figured you for women folk"
After one of those 'feel the other person out' kind of silences, Book stood and went to where Jayne was standing.
"Kaylee?" Book possessed a way of just calming you with his voice, but right now Jayne wasn't too taken with the idea o' bein' calm around this man.
Jayne just nodded his head, "Hurt, though. Doc's workin' on her right now. Mal sent me to fetch you. You happen to get a why outta him, preacher?"
Book shook his head and waited for it.
"Then what in tarnation is he doin' on the floor?" Jayne cocked his head expectantly.
"Tried to escape." Book spoke softly and Jayne knew something was up.
"Hummh. That so"
"It is." then after a moment, Book said a little too sharply for Jayne's liking, "I think we might outta get back to Serenity and off this moon. Now."
Simon walked out of the infirmary drying his hands on a pristine white hand towel. All the occupants of the room stood and look at him expectantly.
"The trauma to her head is quite serious. She's unstable and we're going to have to keep a constant watch over her. She'll need her vitals to be checked every fifteen minutes among other things. The ICP caused by the cerebral edema is going"
Jayne cut him off with, "The IC-what"
Simon took a breath and started over. "Intracranial Pressure. The trauma to her brain has caused brain swelling, which in turn has caused excessive pressure to build up where it shouldn't." he took a deep breath which turned into a sigh.
Mal questioned, "Can you control the swelling? Make it go down"
"It's hard to say. I can administer drugs to keep it from swelling further, but…but if it doesn't go down on it's own…" his voice trailed off.
Inara took a step forward. "What happens if it doesn't go down"
Simon hesitated and then said very quietly, "She'll die"
Everyone in the room went speechless and the silence hung heavily in the air.
"Preacher, I believe you got a tale that needs accountn'." Mal's brows rose and he crossed his arms across his chest.
Mal and Book stood just inside the cargo bay doors, set apart from the others who were hovering over the infirmary.
"Not altogether sure what you mean, Captain"
"What I'm meaning, Shepherd is that Jayne tells me that he found Thayer getting' awful acquainted with the floor when he went to git you. I'd love a little narrative 'bout that"
Shepherd Book licked his lips and swallowed before looking directly into Mal's eyes.
"I think we might outta want to wait a spell 'fore we start dissecting this particular situation." Book made sure that his voice was laced with intonations of 'trust me.
Mal cocked his head to side as he asked, "Why would that be"
"Because they weren't after Kaylee"
"Shah muh?" Mal's arms fell down of their own accord.
"I think it best for now, if we concentrate on Kaylee and getting her better"
Mal opened his mouth to speak, but Simon poked his torso through the doorway.
"Captain"
Mal nodded to Simon and turned back to Book. "We ain't finished."
Simon looked up at Mal from Kaylee's side as he entered the infirmary. Mal watched Simon expectantly.
"Her condition is going to require around the clock observation"
"You said that before, Doc"
"Yes, but what I didn't say was that if she wakes up"
"When. When she wakes up." Mal said curtly.
Simon swallowed "Yes, yes. Of course. When she wakes up we have no way of knowing how she'll react to her situation. Victims of head trauma often are very disoriented and confused. Everyone will need to allow her to adjust slowly. Also, since we don't know what she experienced before she lost consciousness," Simon said that last bit more like a question. "she may be in an anxious and possibly even hysterical state. I'd like to be with her as much as possible."
Mal gave an affirmative nod and said, "Wouldn't 'spect you to do different"
Simon just looked at Mal, but Mal couldn't read what was in his face.
"There something' you not telling' me, doctor"
"I just…with a head wound, it's difficult…I can't do much, to-" Simon gave a helpless little sigh and then stood himself back up to full height, pushing his emotions back down.
There was a moment of understanding and cohesion between the two men that left them both a little more comfortable with the other.
Simon was looking over some of Kaylee's test results, hoping to find something he could work with, when he heard her.
"Simon." Her voice was so weak it nearly broke his heart. He turned to her and all doctor thoughts went out the window.
Even when examining his sister, Simon knew that there was something to be said for emotional detachment, but his brain and heart were certainly not connected at the moment.
"Kaylee? Kaylee can you hear me?" He bent over her, one hand stroking her forehead and hair while the other held her hand.
Her eyes still closed she moved her head back and forth as if she were trying to force herself awake.
"Simon…Simon…don't leave…please"
"I'm not going anywhere Kaylee. I'm right here."
At the sound of his voice, Kaylee struggled to open her eyes and saw a very blurry Simon, but it was nonetheless, Simon. She smiled very faintly and looked at him. "Hey, you."
"Hey, you too." Simon's smile was so broad Kaylee thought she was dreaming. "Missed you." he said.
Kaylee smiled a little bit more and started to close her eyes again.
"No, no, Kaylee. Kaylee? You have to stay with me. Stay with me Kaylee. You can't leave me."
Kaylee opened her eyes wider and looked at him with a little more coherency. "Aw, silly, I'm not leavin' you. I love you."
Simon's smile fell off of his face as he considered what she was saying. And then without hesitation he said, "I love you, too Kaylee."
She smiled broadly and then her whole frame went alarmingly rigid and her eyes rolled back into her head.