Mal watched as a thin trace of blood snaked it's way down her arm and felt himself swallow hard.
"Captain! I need you to hold this in place and give it pressure, we need to stop the bleeding. I've got to get her going on an I.V." Simon said pushing Mal's hand over the towel on Jordona Macleod's shoulder.
Mal nodded and watched Simon start pulling out needles and bags of fluid from the drawers around the med bay. He looked up as Kaylee came into the room. "Zoe says to tell you we just broke Atmo…Is there anything I can do?" She asked Simon.
The doctor glanced at Mal and saw him starring at the inert Jordona, "Take that from him and make sure you keep pressure on the wound, I need to get this going before I can get the bullet out. Once I'm done here I'll draw her blood and let you run a scan, remember how I showed you?" Kaylee nodded as she pushed Mal's hand away from the towel and took over as the captain stepped back, his gaze never leaving Jordona. Simon continued, "She's lost enough blood that she may need a transfusion."
Mal found his voice then, "I'm the same blood type as she is. You can take it from me."
Kaylee and Simon exchanged a quick and quiet glance before Simon answered, "Your certain of that? If your wrong she could die."
"Yeah, positive. We had to do blood tests for the marriage certificate."
Flashback 6 days prior on Persephone
"Sir your sure about this? You said the last time we dealt with Badger you where finished with him." Zoe said keeping pace beside Mal.
"The till's almost empty and the Alliance is still recovering from the Miranda news, Badger said this would net us a tidy sum and while he is truly Niou-fun he said he'd let me set the terms." Mal answered with a smile.
"So we're gonna drain him till he bleeds?" Jayne piped up from behind them.
"Something like that." Mal answered.
As they where escorted into Badgers tent Mal pulled his jacket back enough to let his gun show. He had instructed Zoe and Jayne to keep the peace unless Badger flinched first. He gave Badger a small smile and a nod as they entered. "Badger…always good to see you."
"Captain…so good to see you and yours in one piece, been a lot of rumors flying around how you got yourself dead."
"Those rumors where highly exaggerated."
"Then, I have a run I think you might be interested in, the seller will travel with the cargo and make the sale with your assistance. You'll bring the bounty back here and we'll settle up."
"Half the money up front Badger, you said you'd let me set terms and I want half down."
"The money isn't ours yet Captain…and I'm not the one extending credit, the seller is."
"Who are they then? I'll deal with them if your too LAN-dan to do it yourself."
Mal saw Badger stiffen but before he could say anything there was a rustling of murmured voices behind him and he turned as did Zoe and Jayne. Mal stared in mute horror as he spotted who had just stepped through the doorway.
Jordona Macleod stood five feet four inches, her long blonde hair, worn straight hung to just above her waist. She was dressed in light tan leather pants, a white cotton shirt and boots to her knees. "I think Captain Reynolds deserves to know where he'd be escorting me before we set terms Badger."
"Captain?" Zoe said quietly seeing the look on Mal's face.
"Deals off…get someone else." Mal said tightly before starting for the exit. He was passing her as she reached out and laid a light hand on his arm. "Mal? Won't you even listen?" She asked him quietly.
Her touch had stopped him cold and as he looked down at her with dead eyes he shook his head, "There's nothing to talk about. Get someone else to do the run, like I said, I'm not interested. Zoe, Jayne…let's go!" He barked as he shook off Jordona's hand and moved away.
Jordona made eye contact with Zoe as she too passed her by Jo looked away from the other girl with a sigh.
When they where gone Jordona turned to Badger, "I want him to do this run…no one else. Tell me where I can find his ship, I'll cut the deal with him and send you the contract."
"Darling, didn't you hear the man…he's not interested."
"He and his crew are shuh-muh gong tzwo do may yo, yes?"
"Yes, but…"
"He's also being a total HOE-tze duh PEE-goo. However that doesn't change the fact that he's perfect for this run…if he's hungry enough I might be able to talk some sense into him."
"And if your not?"
"I don't plan on failing…now tell me where he's docked his ship."
Jordona stood a good distance off as she watched Mal and his crew load supplies and do some shopping among the local venders. She sucked in a deep breath and picking up her duffle bag moved toward the ships entrance ramp. She dropped her bag and stood a few feet away from where Mal was loading boxes onboard. Zoe caught sight of her first.
"Captain?"
"Yeah…"
"Behind you sir." She said pointing at where Jordona stood.
As Mal turned Jordona bit her lip and stiffened her back. She stared at him in silence.
"Guess you didn't understand me the first time." He said, "I'm not interested."
"You see…" she said, "I don't think you understand…there's a very large amount of credits at stake…as too you also know damn well that you owe me in the least five minutes of your precious time." Jordona retorted hotly at his sharp rebuff.
The crew members present had stopped what they where doing to watch the confrontation between their Captain and this strange woman. Mal noticed how quiet it had gotten behind him and turned a heated glare on Kaylee, Zoe and Simon, "Inside all of you, start getting ready for lift off, this will only take a minute." He said as he descended the ramp in three quick long strides. He took a tight grip on Jordona's upper arm and half dragging her moved her to the left of the entrance ramp.
"I think it best if you listen to me right now and get it through your head that I'm NOT INTERESTED!"
"You Hwoon dahn!" She spat pulling her arm from his grip. "You left me, remember? You at least owe me five minutes of your time."
They stared at each other in angry silence for a full minute before she could see him beginning to cave. "Five minutes Mal…that's all I want." She said quietly.
He sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Fine, five minutes. Now talk."
"You need money right? Ships looking a little run down…this transaction will net you and your crew enough to fix your ship and not have to take another run for at least a year or two depending on how you spend it."
He nodded and gave a tight smile, "Nothing is ever this easy or that good, sorry."
"Let me show you what I'm selling and you'll understand." She said. "It's in my bag." She told him pointing behind him where she'd been forced to leave her duffle.
He turned and picking up the duffle threw it at her feet.
"Not here Mal, you want me to get robbed? Can we at least take this inside?" She hissed.
"Your pushing it Jo."
"Five minutes…remember?"
"Yeah and you've used three already…"
She shook her head, "You have always been so Goddamn stubborn."
He arched an eyebrow but picked up the duffle and motioned her toward the ramp.
She nodded, "Great…thank you."
She noticed the long looks she got from the crew as he led her up the ramp and into the ships hold. He placed the bag on a large crate and motioned her toward it.
She stepped around him and unzipped one side. Reaching in she felt her heart steady as her fingers touched the soft box she lifted out. Turning her back on the open ramp she turned the box to face him and lifted the lid. She saw his face change and his eyes go round as he stared at what she held. "It's real Mal, and it's worth at least two thousand of your ships over."
He finally met her gaze, "I'm listening."
"All I have to do is get it to the buyer, we do the sale and I walk away with a lot of cash. You and your crew get me safely there, escort me to the sale and bring me safely back to Persephone again and like I said, you take home a lot of money."
"How much?" He asked not breaking eye contact.
She smiled then, "A hundred thousand give or take a little."
"Where would you be going to do the sale?" he asked staring back at what she held.
"New Melbourne."
She saw him take in a breath and let it out slowly, "It'd take us a week to get there avoiding alliance interference, I assume that's what you want?"
"Discreet would be good yes and before you ask, this isn't stolen…it's a family heirloom."
Mal locked gazes with her again and gave a deep sigh as he mumbled, "Jing-tsai...'
"Sarcasm doesn't suite you." She said with a smile.