DISCLAIMER: I do not own Firefly.
The heist had gone bad. He felt it. Simon wasn't psychic, but he had a feeling. It was her first time out and maybe she had gotten hurt. He kept pacing the hangar- back and forth. Kaylee sat on the steps watching him. She was quiet while the rest were gone. Simon had walked from his sister's room back to the hangar a thousand times. He was getting anxious until he heard Wash's voice on the com, "Simon, get the infirmary ready. Someone's hit."
The doctor didn't speed to his work place. He knew that it was ready. He watched as Kaylee hit the console to let the ramp doors open and the mule sped in. As far as he could tell, no one was hurt until he saw Mal carry River to the in infirmary.
"Doc, stray bullet hit her stomach. She hasn't gone into shock yet." Mal said as he delicately carried the girl to her brother's working area. He laid her on the main patient table and got of the doc's way. Simon put on an apron and surgical gloves. He stopped as he was about to start. There was his mei-mei, his little sister, with a bullet wound in her abdomen. He would have punched the captain right now but he needed all the time he could get.
Everyone crowded into the little area next to the infirmary. Simon could see Mal looking through the window as he cleaned up. River would be out for a few hours and healing would take another few days. As he walked out of the infirmary, Simon made sure that his rage towards the captain had subsided. After all, at any time, Mal could tell them to leave.
So as he walked into the area, Simon looked at Mal with only one question on his mind. "What happened?"
Zoë and Jayne looked at their leader as if telling him to repeat the events that happened hours before. With great hesitation, Mal began to tell Kaylee, Wash, and Simon what had occurred.
"Everything was goin' fine until some gorram kids decided to join in on the fray. They started to threaten us and all. They shot at us, we shot back."
"And my sister was just in the way?" Simon asked harshly.
"She didn't say anything. So either she knew what was gonna happen or by the time she realized it, it had already started." Mal said back the same way.
Zoe decided to speak up, "By the time the kids had left, the captain noticed she was on the ground. Got hit by a stray bullet."
"And we took off." Jayne said, joining the fray. No one spoke but Kaylee got up and walked into the infirmary. She had taken River's hand and stroked it. She was mimicking the process that Book had done for her.
River had been awake for several hours and was talking to Kaylee in the infirmary. Simon walked in but decided to walk out.
"Simon, don't leave. I was gonna go check to see how Serenity's holdin' up." Kaylee said as she exited. "I'll come back later River." The girl gave a huge smile to her friend.
"How are you feeling River?" Simon asked professionally.
"I'm not your patient. Don't try to use formalities." River said looking at him. Simon smiled at his sister's sense of humor. "I knew it was going to happen."
"What?" Simon asked, completely clueless.
"The fight. I knew it was going to happen. I didn't tell anyone because I wanted it to be a test…for you." At this time River didn't look at her brother but at the blanket she had carried.
"A test for what? To see if I can perform surgery on someone who's dying?" Simon asked harshly.
"To see if you can hold back your emotions long enough to perform surgery on your sister who's dying." River returned the tone ten times worse. She was definitely in one of her lucid periods.
After this comment, they were calm and relaxed.
"I should let you rest." Simon said as he walked out. He headed towards his room. Once inside, he found a picture of him and River when they were young. He felt as if they had taken that picture this morning.
Forever in a day, that's what it felt like.