NirSighted Chapter 8: The Morning After

They landed on Snozlund the next morning before the sun was even up. While most of Serenity's crew still slept, Jayne donned his parka and boots and left the docks, headed for the commune where Jimena lived with other members of the Snozlund Militia.

He couldn't exactly blame her for contacting him. After all, as Jayne had learned, the Snozlund Militia forbade its officers from marrying or having families, although there was no regulation against dating or fraternizing with the other sex. Within a week of a superior officer discovering of a secret marriage or a hidden pregnancy, the Militia member in question would be given a length of time in which to clear out of the communal barracks at the commune. In Jimena's case, she had been allowed to stay for quite awhile. While most of the Militia members had family on Snozlund, Jimena had no one. Her closest family member was a half-sister on Garoulalek, which was farther away than the Militia was willing to pay for travel expenses. But at long last, the Militia's patience with Jimena had grown thin, prompting her wave to Jayne.

And here he was, coming to save her.

He had never considered starting a family, had no interest in marriage. He thought of himself as solely a Lone Ranger; no matter how long he lived on Serenity, he didn't feel like "one of the group." Even Doc and his crazy sister seemed to fit in better than Jayne did some days. He always felt that something was missing, a hole he couldn't explain and couldn't, for the life of him, fill.

Maybe Jimena and her – no, their­ – child was just what Jayne needed to fill that odd hole in his life.

The commune was already bustling when Jayne arrived, sweating from the fifteen-minute walk from the docks. The gatehouse guarding the entrance was manned by an elderly gentleman. The medals pinned to his navy coat marked him as a veteran of the Snozlund Civil War. He gave Jayne a cursory once-over, then barked, "Identification!"

Jayne fished in his pocket for his not-much-used identification card, which he slid through a slot in the glass partition. The old man picked it up, held it up, and peered over his glasses at it. He looked at Jayne once, apparently to confirm that Jayne was indeed the same person as in his photo. "Business here?" the man barked.

"I'm, uh, here to see Sergeant Jimena Flavez."

The man gave a quick burst of laughter. "She ain't a sergeant any longer, sonny, now she's got a bun in the oven."

Jayne took his ID back from the old man. The man's crude language seemed cruel to him, even though he knew that if it had been any other situation, any other woman, he would not have hesitated to make the same judgment. "Thank you, sir," he managed to say.

The guard pressed a button and the gates swung open, allowing Jayne into the commune. Most of the buildings were of steel and glass construction, starting to glimmer in the rising sun, but the barracks at the far west end of the compound were brick, rising six or seven stories into the air. Jayne headed towards the women's barracks. The double doors at the entrance were locked, but there was a slot in one of them. Seated behind the doors was a young woman, maybe seventeen, with short red hair and a dubious expression. Jayne slid his ID card through the slot and waited while she ran it through a carding machine. "Everythin' in order?" he asked as she watched the screen on the machine.

"You're here to see Jimena Flavez?" she asked without looking up.

"Yeah."

At last she looked up and said, "Everything checks out. Ms. Flavez is in room 341. Elevator's over there."

She pushed the latch bar on the door and it swung outward to let him in. He retrieved his ID card and got into the elevator, pushing the button for "3." On the third floor, he got out nervously, following the signs to room 341. Upon finding the door, he almost turned around and walked away. Then he remembered why he had come, and he steeled himself.

He knocked.

Back on Serenity, everyone was asleep. Wash had crawled back into bed moments after landing on Snozlund, and he slept peacefully now, curled next to Zoë. The ship was silent.

In a space where nothing had been before, something appeared. Or, rather, someone. She was not supposed to be there, but that had never stopped her before. From her pocket, she retrieved a small monitoring device and swung it right then left. Convinced that everyone slumbered serenely, she switched off the meter and found herself a small space to wait.

"Who is it?"

"Uh, it's me. I mean, it's Jayne."

The door opened and a blond woman was standing there. She had a stern face and her hair was pulled back into a severe bun. She wore a navy Snozlund Militia uniform, which included a crisply starched white neckerchief and shiny black shoes. "Mr. Cobb, I presume?"

"Uh, yeah. That's me."

Her fierce expression didn't change. "I'm Barbara Eden, Mr. Cobb. Please, come in."

The room behind the door was sparse, plain, and symmetrical, though larger than Jayne was expecting. Two twin beds took up most of the space; one was neatly made with a black wool blanket, the other was bare. The room contained two desks and two bookcases; one of each appeared "occupied," the other empty. Several pieces of rugged luggage were on the floor, black canvas with brown leather trim and heavy brass zippers, along with a few cardboard boxes.

Standing at the window with her back to Jayne and Barbara Eden was Jimena. She made no move to turn around as Jayne entered.

"Jimena, dear," Barbara said, trying to sound chipper, "Mr. Cobb is here."

"Then this is it, isn't it?" Jimena wondered dully. "Everything I've ever worked for down the drain because of one fateful night."

"I think it's time to go," Barbara continued as though she had not heard Jimena.

"That's just the way it goes… work hard to make something of yourself only to lose it because you can't control yourself, mate with any stupid, common slob who walks by."

"Hey!" Jayne said suddenly. "I ain't no stupid, common slob. I ain't a slob at all, matter o' fact. And I think ya had better be thinkin' about who yer talkin' to. After all, I am rescuin' ya from the Militia. Ya don't come with me, they'll kick ya out, and far as I know, ya ain't got anywhere t' go."

That got Jimena's attention. She turned from the window, and Jayne saw that behind her small glasses, her eyes were full of tears. "Oh, Jayne," she managed to sob. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean any of that, honestly, I promise."

Jayne took a few steps forward, until he was standing close enough to hug her. He put his hand awkwardly on her shoulder, patted it a few times. "'S all right, Jimena. I understand."

"I'll get a cart for the luggage," Barbara Eden said. Jayne had forgotten she was there, but as soon as he turned to look at her, she was already out the door in search of a cart. And Jayne was alone with Jimena.

She didn't look much different than she had a few months ago, when Serenity and her crew had last been on Snozlund. They'd been there to steal a famous set of mammoth bones, but the job had turned out to be a hoax. The Jimena Jayne had met then was petite, with soft brown hair and a take-charge attitude. He'd thought she was incredibly beautiful.

She was still petite, and her hair was still combed back neatly, clipped in place with a sterling-silver barrette in the shape of a knot. Her pale face, though now marred with tears and slightly rounder, still had that glow he'd admired when he'd first met her. In fact, the only major difference Jayne could discern was a round belly. Way round. About-to-burst round. It made him nervous. She was definitely pregnant, no doubt 'bout that. That was him in there. Well, half of him. He wasn't sure he liked it.

"Jayne?" Jimena asked, and he snapped back to reality, realizing that he had been staring at her. "Everything all right?"

"Yeah, sugar, everythin's fine," Jayne said. "Just… never been in a barracks a'fore."

"It's not anything special," she said, attempting a smile at him. It fell flat.

Before he could attempt to reply to that, Barbara Eden reappeared, pushing a cart that was nothing more than a metal frame, strung over with canvas, on wheels. "Let's load up and get you all back to the docks," she said cheerfully. "Mr. Cobb, will you help me with the luggage? Jimena, why don't you get your coat?"

As Jayne helped Barbara Eden put the boxes and bags into the cart, he watched Jimena go to the closet – not exactly a closet, just a metal bar screwed to the wall, divided in two by a wooden slat – and get her coat from the empty side. The other side was full of clothing – T-shirts, sweaters, dress pants, and overalls, plus two Snozlund Militia uniforms, and two pairs of shoes.

"Is that it?" Barbara Eden asked when they had finished loading everything into the cart.

"Just about," Jimena said softly. She crossed the room to the empty side, to the empty desk. She slid open one of the drawers and pulled something out, secreting it in her hand. She slipped it into her coat pocket. "Okay. Let's go."

Jayne pushed the cart down to the elevator and pushed the "down" button. Jimena stood stiffly as Barbara Eden hugged her. "Goodbye, Jimena," Barbara said softly.

The elevator arrived with a ding and Jayne wheeled the cart on. He held the sliding door open as he waited for Jimena. She got in and the door closed on Barbara Eden's worried face.

It was official. They were together, and they were leaving.