Josephine stared at herself in the mirror, silently wondering if Inara had a touch of the "sight." After all, she had vehemently insisted that Jo take the dress she now wore, as though the Companion had been counting on them performing this particular subterfuge.
To call the gown red would have been an insult. It was too dark, too magnificent, to be given any description of color. This was especially true because, with every one of Josephine's movements, the fabric of the dress shimmered and appeared to become a different shade of red, as though it were the metallic carapace of some small insect.
The pest comparison ended there however. It's fabric was so silky smooth, so cool to the touch, that Josephine wouldn't be surprised if at some point during their little adventure, she forgot she was wearing anything at all.
The dress was form fitting without the discomfort of actually being tight and gathered slightly at the side of her waist. It's decolletage was a wide v-shape that dipped just below what was considered proper but managed to conceal everything with a fine smattering of lace. A long sleeved bolero style jacket, with a high stiff collar that sat close to Josephine's neck but magically managed to stay out of her way, completed the ensemble.
She sighed and finished pinning up her hair before turning to face Mira and Kaylee who sat quietly on the bed in Inara's old shuttle.
"Kaylee, you're sure you don't mind keeping an eye on Mira for awhile right?" Jo asked the young mechanic again, but received no response. Kaylee was staring, open-mouthed, at the dress Josephine wore, much like she had been ever since Jo had removed it from it's box.
"Um... Kaylee?" Josephine prompted.
The young mechanic blinked in surprise and raised her eyes to Jo's face. "Huh? Were you sayin' something?"
Jo smiled. "I was asking if you still don't mind looking out for Mira while we're gone..."
"Oh right," Kaylee spoke quickly, glancing at the scarred girl seated next to her. "Course not, it's no trouble... sorry for the zone out, I just don't think I've ever seen anything so pretty!"
"Tell you what Kaylee," Josephine spoke, turning back to the mirror, "when this is all over, it's yours." Jo grinned at her reflection when she heard the younger woman squeal from behind her.
"Can't give it away if it doesn't stay in one piece..."
Josephine's smile quickly turned to a grimace at River's words, and she turned to see the young pilot framed in the doorway.
"You think we're going to run into trouble River?"
River stared at her nonchalantly for a moment before turning away. "They're waiting for you," she called back over her shoulder.
Jo sighed again and made her way out of the shuttle, followed closely by Mira and Kaylee. They had landed at the Eavesdown docks just before dawn, giving her a little time to prepare before the first rays of light woke up the busy planet. Now that Persephone's many inhabitants had begun their day, Jo and the others could begin theirs. The plan seemed simple enough. They would walk the short distance from the docks to the hospital where Jo, in theory, would get them in. Of course this depended entirely on her ability to appear proud and haughty, and throw a status that didn't really belong to her in the hospital staffs faces.
She had no identification, nothing to prove she was who she said she was, and Mal and the others were counting on her simply being recognized as a prominent member of society.
At least I look the part, Josephine thought as she smoothed down the fabric of her skirt. The small group descended the stairs into Serenity's cargo bay, Jo's slight heels clicking softly against the metal.
River changed direction suddenly, affording Josephine her first glimpse of Mal, Jayne, Simon and Zoe where they stood waiting at the hatch, and she stopped in surprise. The make believe bodyguards were dressed in identical black suits, very similar to the ones Jo remembered Rawley's actual bodyguards wearing. But it was Simon who surprised her the most.
The Doctor had abandoned his usual casual attire of slacks and an untucked button down shirt and had instead opted for a coat and vest combination that screamed of the upbringing she knew he'd had. A white lab coat was slung over his arm, partially obscuring the black medical bag in his hand. At his feet sat what appeared to be a small white box with a shiny silver handle. After a few short moments, Jo realized it must contain the sample of Mal's blood and the amniotic fluid Simon had taken a few days ago.
Josephine shook her head slightly and focused her attention back on Mal and the others.
"Everyone looks... spiffy," she spoke quietly as she walked over to Mal.
The Captain smiled slightly as she approached. "Spiffy huh? Ain't heard that one before." He reached out and fingered the fabric at her collar when she was in front of him. "You look beautiful," he spoke softly.
Josephine made a clucking noise with her tongue. "I'm not supposed to look beautiful. I'm supposed to look like an arrogant, spoiled priss."
"Yeah well, that too," Mal smiled and turned to the others. "Let's get this over with. Zoe?"
The first mate nodded and opened the hatch.
A mechanical whir filled the ship's cargo bay but was soon drowned out by the bustling Eavesdown docks as the door opened completely.
Josephine watched as Simon kissed Kaylee goodbye before picking up the small white box at his feet and following Zoe and Jayne down the ramp.
Mal turned to the four that would stay on Serenity.
"Zoe's got the com if you need anything," Mal paused as Kaylee nodded. "Simon thinks it should take a couple of hours for him to run the tests, but it all depends on our cover and how quick we convince them to let us get where we need to get."
He glanced up at Wen who was standing at the top of the metal stairs, leaning on the railing. "And don't leave the ship or you might get left."
Josephine followed Mal's gaze and knew his comment was only meant for Serenity's new passenger.
Wen smiled slightly down at them and gave Mal a wave of acknowledgment.
"You ready?"
Jo jumped slightly and shifted her gaze from a smiling Wen to a serious, tired looking Mal. She nodded and Mal placed a hand on her right cheek, pulling her to him for a quick kiss.
Josephine let out a huff of air that somewhat resembled a sigh as they parted. "Let's get this over with," she spoke softly, copying Mal's words from earlier.
Kaylee spoke as they began to turn toward the ramp.
"Wait!"
Jo turned around in time to see the young mechanic launch herself towards her and was able to brace herself for the impact as Kaylee threw her arms around her.
"Don't you worry none," Kaylee whispered close to her ear so only she could hear. "Everything's going to be shiny."
"I hope your right."
"I know I'm right."
"Kaylee, we really gotta go so..." Mal trailed off as Kaylee let Josephine go.
They stepped down into the crowded docks to find Zoe, Jayne and Simon waiting for them. Mal used his hand on her arm to lead her a little ahead of the others as they began their trek into the heart of the city.
When Mal let his hand drop Jo glanced quickly back at the others. They had formed a sort of diamond pattern with she and Mal in the front, Zoe and Jayne a little behind them but side by side, flanking them, and Simon, now wearing his white lab coat, bringing up the rear.
Her eyes fell on Mal again but he stared straight ahead, his face hostile and his very presence threatening. As they passed row after row of ships, the docks other inhabitants glanced their way curiously but gave them a wide berth.
Here I am, she thought suddenly, back on one of the only planets I hoped to never return to.
In a way this place had been the start of it all. The beginning of what seemed like a lifetime of pain and anguish.
Persephone.
Queen of the underworld.
An image of her Aunt Caroline suddenly flashed into her head. They were sitting together on Jo's bed in her small room in the farmhouse on Sydney, like they had done so many times since her arrival there.
Every night when it was time for bed, despite the fact that Josephine was practically a teenager and, as she had pointed out many times before, just too old for this sort of thing, Caroline would sit and tell her
stories. Some were made up, some taken from history or fairy tales, but the others reflected the great passion Caroline had expressed for the ancient mythology of Earth-that-was. It was on these nights that Josephine had learned about Zeus and Hera, Apollo and Athena, and many other gods of the Greek pantheon.
Persephone had been one of them. Josephine remembered vividly the night Caroline had told her the passionate story of a young woman stolen away from her mother by the mischievous and cruel Hades and forced to live as his queen in the underworld.
While Persephone was away from Earth the land froze and became a barren waste, though just how Persephone had come to have this power over the Earth's fertility, Jo always questioned, only to be hushed by Caroline who would continue.
The people brought their sorrows and outrage to a surprised Zeus who then forced Hades to return her to the Earth, but before she left a wicked Hades tricked her into eating four pomegranate seeds...
("But what do pomegranate seeds have to do with anything?!"
"Hush Josephine...")
These pomegranate seeds forced Persephone to return to the underworld for four months every year. When she was on the Earth it flourished with vegetation and color but during those four months that she was away the Earth would die, becoming an infertile realm.
This, her Aunt had informed her, was how the seasons that they strove so hard to emulate through terraforming came about.
Josephine had questioned it at the time. Unable to accept the fact that Persephone was the embodiment of the Earth's fertility at the same time that she was queen of the underworld, and thereby, queen of death.
But it seemed to make sense now. After all, Josephine thought, unconsciously placing a hand to her stomach, you can't have life without death... without balance.
Mal stopped her suddenly with a hand at her elbow and she blinked in surprise.
She was astonished to realize she had walked all the way from Serenity, for all intents and purposes, without seeing. She had been so caught up in her musings that she hadn't noticed the enormous hospital before her.
The steps to Queen Persephone Memorial Hospital loomed directly in front of her and she had to blink into the sun to see where the hospital itself actually began. Just to the right of the steps Josephine noticed the large marble statue of Persephone herself, clad in familiar robes Jo had seen many times before.
"You gotta be kidding me," Jayne proclaimed loudly from behind her, "we gotta walk up all those!"
"Bi zui Jayne," Mal reprimanded the mercenary quietly. "You want to blow our cover?"
"If we go around to the other side the ground is more level and there's an elevator," Jo explained, "but we'd have to walk around."
"No, we go in here," Mal stated gruffly, staring forlornly at the hundred of stairs in front of him. He pulled Jo away from the others for a moment.
"You ready to do this?"
"Do I have a choice?" she asked sarcastically.
"Listen, just go in there and act like you're the most important person in the room." He paused and gestured to the statue. "Your Queen Persephone alright? This is your hospital and you make the rules, got it?"
She nodded and Mal smiled, leaning forward to give her a quick peck on the lips but Josephine stopped him with a hand on his chest and he looked at her curiously.
"You don't just kiss a Queen, Malcolm Reynolds."
Jo smiled at his surprised face and started up the stairs, the others following close behind.
They trudged up the stairs as quickly as possible, passing many curious onlookers along the way. They arrived, some what short of breath, at the top in about five minutes. The steps leveled off and they found themselves in the shadow of the great hospital, the sun now completely hidden behind it.
Mal steered Josephine towards a concrete bench to the left of the stairs and she collapsed onto it gratefully.
"I'd like to find the idiot architect that designed this place and give him or her a nice kick in the rear end," she spoke quietly up to Mal.
"When we're through here, I'll help you," he replied, his eyes fixed on the large glass doors leading to the hospital's lobby.
Jo followed his gaze, watching for a short moment as patients and visitors came and went before returning her eyes to Mal.
"It's a little late to be having second thoughts you know..."
"I know," he replied softly, "but in case you haven't figured it out, I'm real good at second guessing myself when it comes to certain things... it's a gift really."
"Uh huh," Josephine stood up, smoothing her hands down the front of her dress. "I had noticed that actually... does it change anything?"
"No."
"Well lets get this over with then... Simon?"
"Yes Ma'am?"
Josephine frowned at the Doctor and he smiled at her sheepishly.
"Just getting into character," he spoke quickly, "what do you need?"
"I just thought it might help if I knew where we were trying to go."
"Of course... the equipment should be in the Molecular Genetics Lab," he paused thoughtfully for a moment, "now I've never been inside this particular hospital but it's usually underground, basement level, and far from the patient's wings."
Josephine nodded, "So were looking for stairs or an elevator..." she paused and glanced at the doors again before turning back to Mal and the others.
"What now?"
"Now," Mal spoke quietly and pointed to the glass doors nonchalantly, "you're up..."
"Right..." Josephine took a deep breath and turned until she was facing the entrance, her back to the others. This was the part she'd been dreading, almost as much as she was dreading the actual test results. She had no faith in her ability to deceive and no plan of action to speak of except what Mal had told her... to pretend she was Persephone and this was her hospital.
She raised her gaze above the doors to where the hospitals name was emblazoned in large silver letters.
Queen Persephone Memorial Hospital.
An image of Persephone in her white robes appeared suddenly in Josephine's mind. She was tall and proud, her shoulders back and her head held high as she lorded over the lost souls of the underworld. Unconsciously, Josephine mimicked the posture she saw in her mind.
I can do this, she thought suddenly, taking a few shuffling steps towards the doors before stopping to address the others.
"Simon, stand at my side... the rest of you stay behind us," she spoke softly, her eyes never leaving the doors, trusting that they had heard her.
With a clang, she pushed two of the nearest doors inward and entered the hospital. Jo bypassed a medium sized line that she assumed had something to do with registration and walked hurriedly to her right, her eyes scanning the large room for something to point them in the right direction. A sign that read "looking to confirm the paternity of your unborn child? If so, basement access to the Molecular Genetics Lab is this way" seemed like far too much convenience to hope for.
"Excuse me?"
Josephine heard the small voice and glanced out of the corner of her eye in time to see one of the young women behind the desk moving towards them. Jo kept her eyes forward and walked deeper into the lobby, grateful for the comforting footsteps following closely behind her, and ignored the young woman.
"Excuse me!" the woman spoke louder and stepped in front of Josephine. "Can I help you?"
For a split second she froze, unsure of how to proceed, but the image of Persephone formed in her mind again and she forced her face to be as cold and stony as she could muster.
"I seriously doubt it," Josephine spoke quietly but with a menacing undercurrent and tried to step around her but the young receptionist was quicker than she looked.
"If you're here as a patient or visitor then you need to check in at the front desk," she spoke quickly, her hand extended in front of her as if to stop them.
"Listen... Arianne," Josephine spoke, taking a cursory glance at the woman's name tag for the first time, "I won't be checking in, so if you would just step aside..." Jo waved her hand to the side in a "shooing" motion and waited to see what the woman would do.
"Everyone registers, those are the rules," Arianne answered, not even pausing as she turned her head and glanced over her shoulder at an elderly security guard in the corner.
"You don't want to do that," Josephine spoke as Arianne turned back around and eyed her dubiously.
Jo heard Jayne mumble something from behind her and turned to see him step forward, his eyes on Arianne as his right hand slipped beneath his unbuttoned suit jacket.
"Stop," Jo spoke loudly and moved her arm in front of Jayne as she turned back to Arianne. The woman's
eyes had widened, clearly alarmed at the large man's sudden movement.
"You don't have to worry," Jo spoke quickly but much quieter, "my guards aren't here to intimidate you," she turned her head slightly to frown at Jayne, "they're here to protect me."
She stared past the large mercenary for a moment, her eyes focusing on the reception desk. The hospital's employees and those still in line stared back at her and she blinked in surprise.
This wasn't getting them anywhere, she realized suddenly, it was only making them the center of attention. With a small nod she turned back around and without giving herself time to reconsider, Josephine changed the plan. She decided to do something rash, something unthinkable really, and something she knew Mal wouldn't like, it was too risky. She met his eyes for a moment but quickly looked away and stepped forward, allowing a small smile to grace her lips.
She had decided to try being friendly.
Josephine placed a hand at the young receptionists elbow lightly. She began walking slowly, coaxing Arianne to turn her back on the others and join her.
"Do you know who I am Arianne?", Jo spoke quietly, her voice sticking sweetly in her throat almost enough to make her sick, and leaned towards her to be heard. "Or perhaps I should ask if you know who my husband wa... is?", she continued, silently admonishing herself for the near mistake.
Arianne shook her head and looked at Jo bewildered as she let her lead them farther away from the reception area.
"My husband is Bryce Rawley." Jo let her words hang in the air for a moment and began to worry when Arianne's face didn't show any immediate signs of recognition.
"Bryce Rawley..." Josephine repeated. "Surely you've heard of him?" Please, please, tell me you've heard of him, she thought to herself.
"Rawley? You mean the businessman... the really wealthy one?" Arianne spoke after a long moment and Josephine smiled in relief. It seemed Arianne knew just enough without really knowing anything at all.
"Not just a businessman dear. He was an entrepreneur, humanitarian, and most importantly, a philanthropist," Josephine lied sweetly... at least about the humanitarian part, but saying the truth, that he was a murdering, raping hundan, wouldn't help them at all. Believe it or not, Rawley had been a philanthropist in life, if only to keep up appearances, and Jo hoped to use his deceptively motivated good deeds to her benefit.
"In fact," she continued, "he made yearly donations to this very hospital. He was it's main benefactor."
Josephine frowned as she vividly remembered the hospital benefits in Rawley's honor that she had been forced to attend. As his wife in the public's eye she had been to many such events, but the ceremony for the hospital had always been the worst... forced to sit next to him, a fake smile plastered on her face, as the hospital board and guest after guest went on about Bryce's generous donations and what a wonderful man he was. And Jo would sit there, idiotic grin on the outside, while inside she was screaming... Screaming for them to wake up and see the truth.
Jo's eyes focused once again on the young woman in front of her. Arianne was watching with mild surprise and Josephine forced the frown from her lips, her countenance pleasant once more.
"I'll bet you've even seen his name on some of the plaques here," Josephine spoke quietly.
Arianne stared at her for a long moment before speaking. "What does that have to do with anything?"
Not as dumb as she looks, Josephine thought wryly as she glanced back at the others for the first time. She was surprised to see that they hadn't moved, not an inch. Avoiding Mal's persistent gaze, she instead focused on Simon for a second before turning back to Arianne.
"Arianne," she began, her voice losing some of it's previous sweetness, "I'm going to be frank with you because I'm keeping you from your work and your keeping me from completing the task I came here to complete."
The younger woman looked startled but nodded for her to continue.
"Do you see that man, the one in the lab coat?" Josephine pointed towards Simon and Arianne followed her outstretched hand. "He is my personal physician. The fact of the matter is my husband is away on business, he could be gone for sometime, and I am... unwell. The situation is such that if word were to get out of my being here, seeking medical attention well... I'd hate for my husband to be distracted when his energies are best focused elsewhere..."
"All registration information is confidential," Arianne interrupted.
"That's rubbish and you know it," Jo spoke quickly, the level of her voice raising to a volume that she knew would give them the room's attention again. "Do you think I don't read the papers! Everyday some gossip rag is reporting some wealthy residents admittance to this very hospital... all I am asking is that you let my doctor have use of some equipment... equipment most likely paid for by my husbands donations. That, if anything, should afford us some privacy!"
Josephine allowed herself to calm down as her outburst took effect and she looked over Arianne's shoulder in time to see the elderly security guard approach them.
"Is everything alright miss?" he spoke softly, as though he weren't used to richly dressed women causing scenes in the hospital.
Jo opened her mouth to answer him but Arianne beat her to it.
"Everything is fine, you aren't needed."
Josephine watched the old man walk away and allowed herself a small smile in victory.
"What do you need?" Arianne asked suddenly and Jo found herself blinking into her now sympathetic face.
"Pardon?"
"What exactly do you need? What kind of equipment... I mean to say, what's wrong with you?"
"No offense dear, but how do I know you aren't the one feeding the papers their information..." Jo shook her head. "No, all you need to know is that I need access to the equipment, just like I said."
Arianne nodded as though she had never expected to be told and bit her bottom lip in thought.
"I don't know how to get you a security card."
"What about that one?" Josephine pointed to the small plastic card with the hospitals emblem that hung from a cord around Arianne's neck.
Arianne reached a hand up to her neck and fingered the plastic card nervously. "I don't know... I could lose my place here for giving you this, how can I trust you?"
Josephine felt a pang of sympathy for the woman but smiled broadly as she answered.
"Well seeing as how my husband practically signs your paycheck..." Alright, that was pushing it she knew, but Jo was still surprised that the naive young woman hadn't asked for any proof that she was who she said she was, and it appeared to work. Jo did her best to hide her relieved smile as Arianne handed over her key card.
She grasped the woman's hand before she could pull back and held it in her own.
"Thank you Arianne, I can't tell you how much this means to me. I'll return it to you soon." Josephine released her hand and began walking towards two double doors with a sign on them that read "Staff Only." She turned her head and nodded at Mal and the others, who had already begun to follow her.
Josephine slid Arianne's key card into the reader and waited for the small light to change from read to green before pushing through the doors. She slipped the cord around her neck as they entered a medium sized white corridor and the others fanned out behind her as she began walking briskly. Numerous nurses and doctors gave them curious glances as they passed but soon their eyes shifted to the card hanging around Jo's neck and she was pleased when no one tried to stop them.
"Look..." Simon spoke as he stepped up next to Josephine, his right arm extended in front of him.
Jo followed his pointed hand to a door in the distance. It bore two signs. The first read "Labs" in large block letters and immediately below it, the other, slightly smaller sign read "Basement Access."
Josephine was surprised to find, upon reaching the door, that there was no card reader present. She half expected to find it locked and smiled when the knob turned freely in her hand. The door opened into a wide, brightly lit stairwell.
"Is it just me, or does the security here seem a little lax?" she mumbled as they started down.
"We're lucky it is," Mal answered from behind her. "Saint Lucy's was near impossible to get into..." he paused as Josephine turned back in confusion. "It's a hospital on Ariel... don't ask."
Their footsteps reverberated off the walls as they descended the staircase into another white corridor, much less crowded that the one above them.
Josephine stopped in the entrance to the hallway, waiting for the others to join her.
"I can't get over how easy that was," she spoke quietly once the others had reached her.
Zoe arched an eyebrow. "It was too easy. We best hurry before that woman realizes exactly what she did by giving you that." Zoe pointed to the card around Jo's neck.
She nodded and began down the corridor, Mal and Simon now on either side of her. She ignored the curious glances of the few people they passed, instead concentrating on finding the right door.
"That should be it," Simon spoke at the same sign that Jo saw the sign.
She slid Arianne's security card into yet another reader, but this time, instead of changing from red to green, the machine beeped at her angrily.
Jo tried it twice more with the same results before futilely twisting the door handle but it wouldn't budge. Frustrated, she turned back to the others.
"It won't work," she spoke quietly, even though no one else was in the corridor with them now.
"Huh? What do you mean it won't work?" Jayne all but shouted.
"Well apparently, Jayne, Arianne doesn't have access to the Genetics Lab," Josephine spoke, annoyance creeping into her voice.
"Access my jiroudi pigu..." Jayne mumbled as he pushed the others aside and stepped up to the door. "I ain't gonna come all this way for nothing." He reached under his suit jacket, pulling out a large revolver and aiming it at the door.
"Jayne!" Jo shouted as she pulled the raised arm down to his side. "Put that away! What are you thinking? You're going to get us caught, then it really will have been for nothing!"
The large mercenary shrugged his arm out of her grasp roughly but holstered the gun. "I was just tryin' to help," he grumbled. "Didn't see anybody else doing anything..."
"Actually, I have an idea," Simon spoke up, only to have Jayne glower at him.
"Oh this should be good," Jayne said as he stepped aside for Simon. "What are you gonna do Doc?"
"Something a lot less violent and a lot more subtle..."
Josephine watched and waited with the others, confused as to what Simon's plan was. With a small flourish, the Doctor raised his arm... and knocked.
Josephine stood with her mouth open for a few seconds before the sound of someone moving on the other side of the door roused her.
"Simon, what are you doing?" she whispered.
"When the door opens just barge in like you have every right to be in there."
Josephine frowned at him.
"Trust me, this will work... I think," he added quickly, just as the door began to open.
She barely had time to school her face back into the haughty manner she had adopted upstairs before the door was open completely. She only saw the briefest glimpse of glasses as she pushed the door flat against the wall with the palm of her hand and brushed past the young man that had opened it.
Josephine stopped in the middle of the room and took in her surroundings. Only two other men appeared to be in the room and they were both seated next to some sort of whirring equipment, mouths open as they stared at her in surprise.
"Thank you... get out."
She felt Mal and the others step up behind her and the techs shifted their gaze in confusion.
"Get out," she repeated, and still the two before just blinked.
The young man who had opened the door spoke softly, still standing in the same spot. "But..."
"We have private business to conduct," Jo interrupted, "I thanked you for opening the door, my security card appears to be malfunctioning, but if you don't leave now I will be forced to call your supervisor." She was taking a chance with that, hoping these three actually had a supervisor and one of them wasn't it.
"Alright," Door Man spoke after a short while and motioned for the others to get up. "How long do you need?"
Josephine feigned confusion for a moment and turned to Simon. "Doctor?"
"I'm not certain Ma'am," he turned to the men standing by the door, "a few hours at least... take a long break."
The two men who were sitting when they entered began to leave but the man who had opened the door was staring at Simon in a way that made Josephine nervous.
The bespectacled man clearly recognized him.
"If you would just leave..." she began, only to be interrupted.
"You're Doctor Tam!" the man cried out suddenly.
Josephine froze, unsure of what to do, and looked at Mal, Zoe and Jayne. Each one of them had their hands under their jackets as they watched the man approach Simon.
He stopped, with wide eyes, right in front of the Doctor and Josephine let out the breathe she hadn't realized she'd been holding when he reached out and shook Simon's hand vigorously.
"Doctor Tam, I can't believe it!" he continued still shaking Simon's hand heartily between his own two. "I saw you speak on Osiris a few years ago... completely changed my life!"
Simon blinked slowly at the young man. "You'll have to forgive me...I'm afraid I don't..."
"Of course you don't remember me, wouldn't expect you to," he interrupted and stopped shaking Simon's hand but didn't let go. "The hall was completely packed, but I did speak to you for a short while afterwards... about the benefits of performing a laparoscopic cholecystectomy over an open cholecystectomy... of course I was only speaking in theory because I'm not a surgeon," the man paused for a breathe at the end of his ramble, "just a lab technician after all."
"Yes of course..." Simon began, only to be interrupted again.
"I just couldn't believe how brilliant you were for being so young and I followed your career for awhile but then you just disappeared... what was that?"
"Um..." Simon's slightly panicked eyes looked towards Jo, who was standing nearest to him, for help.
"This is all very fascinating," she began, stepping next to the young man, "but I really must insist that you let us get to our work... and I'm afraid I'll need Doctor Tam's hand back for that."
The bespectacled man looked down in surprise and finally released the other man's hand. Simon's face appeared relieved and cradled his hand against his stomach as though it hurt.
"I'm so sorry, I guess I just got carried away... I'll leave you to... what is it exactly that your doing? I mean this isn't exactly where I'd expect to see a surgeon."
Simon opened and closed his mouth a few times before he could speak. "Well, um... well that's confidential you see..."
The young man raised his arms in front of his chest and began to back towards the door. "Of course, of course... I'll let you get to it." He paused at the open door. "But if you have the time later I'd love to pick your brain... how long do you think you'll be on Persephone?"
Simon's mouth fluttered open and closed again and Josephine stepped forward. "I'm sure Doctor Tam would love to arrange a chat later."
The man's entire face brightened as he gave his thanks and said his final goodbyes before finally closing the door behind him.
All eyes turned to Simon once they were alone in the room and the Doctor blushed furiously. "I really don't know what that was about," he spoke quietly.
"I do," Jayne spoke up, a grin plastered on his face. "Doc's got a groupie!"
Simon frowned and turned around but that didn't stop Jayne from coming up behind him and slapping a meaty hand onto his shoulder. "I bet he'd do just about anything to get back stage..."
"Bi zui Jayne," Mal spoke up as Simon pulled himself roughly out of the larger mans grasp. "Lets do what we came here for and get gone."
Simon nodded and stepped towards a large row of impressive looking equipment near the far wall and Josephine followed. She glanced over her shoulder to see Zoe and Jayne take up positions near the door and Mal come up behind her.
"What are you doing?" Mal asked and Jo turned back around to see Simon using an eye dropper to put small amounts of what she assumed was Mal's blood into several petri dishes.
"I've got to rupture the cells to separate the DNA from the other cellular components."
They watched in silence as he repeated the process with the amniotic fluid. After what seemed like a long time, he moved towards a particularly large machine that looked something like a giant cash machine with large square buttons.
"What is that thing?" Josephine asked quietly.
"A thermocycler," Simon answered, his voice laced with concentration. "Combined with the thermostable enzyme and a DNA primer I can amplify the STR's of the DNA molecule and compare them."
"STR's?"
"Short tandem repeats," Simon stated briefly.
"Oh," Josephine pretended to understand. "And then we'll know?"
"Not exactly... then I'll sort them using gel electrophoresis..."
"Meaning?"
Simon turned around suddenly and scooted back in surprise. Josephine had come up close behind him so that she could peer over his shoulder. Simon placed both hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back a few paces.
"Meaning, and then we'll know... but this isn't going to go any faster with you standing over my shoulder," he spoke kindly. "I suggest you find somewhere to sit and get comfortable... this could take awhile."
Josephine opened her mouth to speak but Simon shook his head, stopping her.
"You can't help, there's nothing you can do now but wait."
"Alright," Josephine acquiesced and allowed Mal to lead her to one of the chairs vacated by the young men. She sat down stiffly and let her eyes roam over the mostly white room. Zoe still stood by the door in silent vigilance but Jayne had sat down and begun to clean his gun. Her eyes fell on Simon again and she forced herself to look away, forced herself to look for something to take her mind off of the waiting. She scooted the chair around until her gaze fell on Mal. He had sat down on the floor, his back leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. She studied his face silently for a moment, the soft swell of his cheeks and lips to the harsh angle of his chin tilted back, until she came to a sudden realization. She got up swiftly and moved next to him, her back sliding down the wall until she was sitting.
His eyes opened and he turned his head to find her staring at him.
"Distract me," she spoke quietly and his eyes widened and glanced at the others in the room quickly before turning back.
"In front of everyone!?" he questioned, sounding startled.
Josephine rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant... tell me a story."
"I don't know any..."
"Sure you do," she continued. "You know so much about me, about my past... but I really don't know anything about yours. Tell me where you grew up, I want to know about your parents, about the war... how did you become a ship's Captain? I want to know everything about you... I love you."
Mal stared at her silently for a long moment before bringing a hand up to cup her cheek. "Where should I start?"
Josephine smiled slightly as she took his hand from her cheek and cradled it in her own. She broke eye contact and faced forward, leaning her head onto his shoulder comfortably.
"Where all good stories start Mal... at the beginning."
Josephine relaxed instantly when Mal started speaking in a low voice. He told her about growing up on a ranch on Shadow without a father, about how strong his mother was, about the ranch hands that all had a hand in raising him. He spoke of volunteering for the Independents army and becoming a sergeant, of all the battles he fought, his first glimpse of Zoe and how they'd taken to each other quickly. He spoke briefly but passionately about the last battle, the Battle of Serenity Valley and all the good men and women he'd lost that day and Josephine's grip on his hand tightened. He told her about finding Serenity and how Zoe had thought he was insane when he first showed her the battered ship but how he had instantly been in love with it. He told her about Wash and Kaylee, Inara and Jayne, Book and Simon and River. He told her about smuggling and close calls. About the sword fight he'd been in not far from this very hospital, about having cattle in his cargo bay, about a man called Niska, about getting a corpse shipped to him through the post, about Jubal Early... and about Miranda.
He spoke and spoke and spoke, until Josephine was surprised his voice hadn't given out. She listened with rapt attention, eager for anything and everything he wished to tell. She soaked it all in until she wasn't sure how much time had passed.
Eventually he stopped talking and the silence stretched between them. Josephine looked up only to find him looking down at her. Their eyes met and they held each others gaze for a long while before Josephine smiled slightly, squeezed his hand and spoke.
"And here I was thinking my life was messed up..."
Mal smiled and leaned towards her, placing a chaste kiss in the middle of her forehead.
"Ahem..."
They both looked up quickly as Simon cleared his throat. He was standing before them, only a few feet back, and they stood up swiftly. The Doctor's expression was trained into a professional mask that Josephine had seen before on many a doctors face. He held a piece of parchment in his left hand loosely.
"Well?" she questioned him timidly and Mal squeezed her hand from where he stood next to her.
Simon cleared his throat again and glanced at the Captain.
"It's ok Simon."
Simon nodded and glanced down at the paper in his hand. "I have the results and I've gone over them thoroughly..."
"Please Simon," Josephine interrupted meekly.
"And... Mal isn't the father."