She was blinking furiously and breathing heavily. The crew could practically see smoke coming out of her ears as she tried to process this news. Finally, she looked up at Andrew.
"Is this your idea of some kind of joke? Because this is really sick, Andrew," she said. "Dental flossing my car to my mailbox is one thing, but this, disappearing for a week and then- and then kidnapping me? This- this has gone way too far."
Chelsea was flustered and furious, talking animatedly with her hands.
"Chelsea, this isn't a joke! Do you really think that I think this would be funny? Do you really think that's the kind of person I am?"
"Then what the hell is this? Where are we? Because Outerspaceville, Far Future, really isn't an applicable address!"
Both Andrew and Chelsea were on their feet, shouting at each other over the table.
Mal slammed a fist down on the table.
"Gorramit, that's enough! If you two're just gonna fight, I'll throw you both off my boat before we dock. I don't wanna do that, but if you're upsettin' my crew, I can't have that." He looked from one to the other. "I think you both owe each other an apology."
The blonde man snorted. Mal looked at him.
"I'm sorry Mal, you're a great guy and all, but you apologizing is rare. You telling others to apologize is priceless."
Mal glared back at him.
"Wash, do you wanna be off with them?"
The man named Wash shrugged.
Chelsea sat back down, but Andrew remained standing. Chelsea jumped as someone reached around her and set a steaming green mug on the table in front of her. She turned to see the elegant woman looking at her kindly.
"For your nerves. I hope you like Earl Grey."
"Thank you," Chelsea said, gratefully.
"I'm Inara."
"Hi," she said lamely.
"Andrew, why don't you take a seat, I'll make you a cup, too," Inara said. It wasn't so much as a suggestion as it was a command. Andrew sat down obediently.
Everyone was silent for what felt like a very long time. Chelsea looked up from her tea.
"I'm sorry, Andrew. I shouldn't have yelled at you, or assumed… I know you wouldn't do this to me, to anyone. I'm just having a very hard time believing any of this." She paused, and looked at the crew. "And, I'm sorry to all of you. I show up out of nowhere, and then throw a fit. Not a very good first impression, is it?" she smiled weakly.
The woman-girl smiled sweetly at her.
"That's ok, sweetie. You're scared, ain't nothin' wrong with that. I'm Kaylee."
Mal stood up.
"Alright, enough with the niceties, we got work to do. Simon, set up Book's old room for Chelsea."
He looked at Chelsea for a moment.
"Don't make yourself too comfortable. I ain't sure how long we'll be keepin' ya."
She nodded silently. The dark haired man, whom she took to be as Simon, stood and headed down the corridor to a lower area. She followed him down to a commons area. There were several sliding doors. They opened to small, but warm and inviting bedrooms.
The man laid out pillows and blankets on the empty bed. The walls were a perfectly flat, soft yellow, save for a few nail holes. He turned to look at her.
"So…" he said awkwardly, "how do you know about medicine?"
"There was a medicine class at my school, and a mandatory health class. We covered a lot of first aid in both of those classes. I excelled in it."
"I see. Were you… maybe considering it as a career?"
Chelsea shrugged.
"Maybe. I dunno. Possibly."
They stood awkwardly for a few moments, not looking at each other. He turned to leave, biting his lip.
"Hey, Simon?" Chelsea said, hoping she had gotten the name right.
He turned to look behind him.
"Thanks. For setting me up down here. I hope I'm not totally useless."
"I'm sure you won't be," he said with a gentle smile.
Chelsea sat down on her bed.
All she could do was think. How could this be happening? How did this work? Not an hour ago she had been going to her car, leaving her choir concert, and then she was on a goddamn spaceship. This was a disaster. True, she had found Andrew, but did it really matter if she would never have anyone else in her life that she had once loved? And would she even be able to stay here? The Captain didn't seem to like her very much, and had openly told her that she might be off on the next planet they stopped at….
A throat cleared at her door roused her from her reverie.
The Captain stood there, his pale blue eyes unsmiling.
"Captain?" She asked, a bit scared.
"I was thinkin' you ain't quite dressed for life on our ship," he said, gesturing to her outfit. Perhaps he was right. A deep blue polka dotted swing dress and supple congac leather slippers weren't exactly the best work clothes. He set a jumpsuit and t shirt down on the bed. "Kaylee's offered to let you borrow some of her clothes until you can get your own."
She picked them up. Rough, heavy duty canvas.
"That's very kind of her. I'll be sure to thank her."
Mal stood there, silent for a bit.
"We'll be touchin' down on Boros tomorrow. You'll be given a sum of money for buyin' food 'n the like. But seein' as you ain't done any work on this boat yet, you won't be getting' a paycheck. "
"I understand."
"You'll be needin' some new clothes though. My recommendation is that if'n you can part with any of those bits of precious you got with you, you can sell 'em. Boros is a poor planet, but there're a few there willin' to trade or buy somethin' pretty. I reckon that bracelet you got there'd fetch you a shirt n' pants, you bargain right. You'll need a few sets, n' some boots. The jacket you got'll work fine, but you'll prob'ly want a coat, 's well. Got any problems?"
Chelsea just shook her head. "No, captain. I'll see what I can do."
Mal just turned and left.
Chelsea set took off her jewelry and other accessories. A silver hair clip, a silver bangle, a silk scarf, sapphire earrings, a pearl necklace, and her shoes. Small things, but hopefully she'd be able to fetch some money for it.
"Hey sweetie," said yet another voice from the doorway. (Could Chelsea not get a moment alone to think?)
Kaylee was leaning on the door frame, her face lit up with her easy smile.
"I see the Cap'n brought you those clothes. I figured since we're about the same size, n' you ain't got nothin' but a dress, you could use 'em for a bit."
"Thanks," Chelsea said.
"Why you got your things all laid out?"
"The Captain wants me to buy some new clothes, but he's not giving me any money. He said I'd have to sell a few of my things. I can see where he's coming from. They're not the most practical things."
"I see." Kaylee pursed her lips and frowned. "Sweetie?"
Chelsea looked up at her.
"I know you're upset, and ya feel like no one wants ya here, but that ain't true. The cap'n takes a long time to warm up to people, 'n the same with Zoe n' Jayne. Simon don't got a problem with ya, neither does Wash or 'Nara. N' River… Well River's hard to tell with anyone. And you got your boy."
Chelsea looked up suddenly, an amused look on her face.
"My boy? Oh, Kaylee," she said, a real smile spearing across her face. "He's not my boy. Never has been, never will be."
The other woman looked at her with good natured skepticism.
"We'll see about that. Now, it's time for you to sleep. You gotta be tired, 'n we'll be touchin' down at about 7. It's roundabout 11 now, so get some shut eye."
Chelsea stood and gave Kaylee a hug. Kaylee seemed surprised, but returned it with surprising strength.
"Thank you Kaylee. For being so good to me, even when you had no reason to."
"Of course sweetie. Now sleep. Good night!"
"'Night Kaylee."
Kaylee slid the door shut behind her, and Chelsea laid back on the bed. She had meant to think. Instead, she fell asleep instantly.