Screams… he was so tired of hearing screams. Each one an alert that someone he had come to care about was gone. Under other circumstances the remaining crew would pray together, grieve and offer comfort. Here such things were disallowed and a source of great frustration, doubly so since no one else seemed to resent the restriction enforced by the Captain.
The demon's mockery still weighed on him and he was ashamed that his faith had been shaken. He had not always been a Shepherd and there was a goodly amount of sin that he had yet to completely forgive himself for. The Lord was far more forgiving than he was. Some moments he was sure his faith was strong enough to stand against the dream Reaver, other times he wondered what kind of fool he was to even consider it. He wasn't trained in exorcisms and nothing he knew about fighting would help in this situation. He was just as helpless as the others.
He was still mulling over these unhappy thoughts when Kaylee stumbled in, her eyes red and swollen though she looked as if she was about to cry again. Book stood quickly and she lurched forward, hugging him tight enough to make breathing difficult. He began to ask if she was okay but she clearly wasn't. He began to reassure her that it would be alright but he was less sure of that by the hour. He simply hugged her and softly sang a hymn while she clung to him.
"I left him…" She whispered after a while, her voice unsteady. "Left him and he died… He thought River was watchin' over him but I distracted her and now he's gone…"
Book sighed. So it had been Simon… "It's not your fault. He knew how important it was to stay awake."
"I shoulda told River to go see him, shoulda told him to call for her, shoulda stayed with him... " She buried her face against his chest. "I killed him."
"No, Kaylee." He said firmly, his heart breaking for the poor girl. "Don't blame yourself. He was a bright young man and should have known to be careful. It's not your fault he made a mistake."
She wouldn't talk after that so he simply sat and let her remain with him as he recited sermons about grief and forgiveness. It was all he could do.