A/N. This will be the second to last chapter of this story but I think I may begin another story soon. Just returned from vacation so it may be awhile while I clean up work issues before I can start on it. Thanks for the reviews and suggestions! Still brushing up my writing skills so any helpful reviews or critiques would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!
For what seemed like an eternity, Simon held his sister close as she continued to cry, trying to burrow deeper into the protection of his embrace. All Simon could do was wonder in disbelief what could have happened to River. Nonsense quietly tumbled out of her mouth. Simon held her tighter both to bring what comfort he could to her and to mask her sounds from the rest of the crew. He didn't know how they might react until he got a chance to explain. Not that he thought he'd have to explain anything before that damn lawman showed up.
"River, shush, shush, it's ok, I'm here, you're safe now." Simon kept repeating, trying to soothe his sister. He pressed his forehead to hers and rocked her slowly. Eventually, she began to respond to his ministrations and her loud sobs had ceased, with only an occasional whimper to accompany her still trembling body.
"What the hell is this?" Mal finally broke the shocked silence.
Simon looked over at Mal, his voice hardening. "This is my sister."
With those words spoken, a spell seemed to lift over the stunned crew. Jayne gave a hard look at Simon, turned on his heel and left the bay without a word. Zoe and Wash ascended the staircase, talking in hushed whispers. Inara rushed forward, removing her overdress and handing it to Simon to cover River. Simon quietly thanked her and managed to slip the garment over River without her having to let go of him completely. Even with clothing, she continued to shiver, eyes darting wildly around, refusing to break contact physical with Simon. She's entered into a new world he realized, just like me. She doesn't know where she is or what's going on. That's in addition to whatever they did to her. His heart broke for her, she seemed more like a frightened animal than his little sister at the moment. Silently, he cursed Captain Reynolds. She wasn't ready to wake up like that. The shock probably nearly killed her.
Simon guided River toward the door at the back of the bay leading to the infirmary. River stumbled alongside him, her limbs weak after not being used after a week in cryo. Catching her at one point, he glanced a look over his shoulder at Mal who continued to stare at him.
"Once you see to her, I expect answers like why you're smuggling your sister on my ship and what you did to attract an Alliance federal officer. You owe myself and the crew that much." Mal spoke with a quiet menace that Simon didn't miss.
Simon nodded, not trusting himself to speak at the moment, unsure whether he'd break down emotionally or fly into a rage at the captain. Probably both, he decided. Neither option would land him in Mal's good graces though.
Approaching the infirmary doorway, River stiffened. Her eyes grew wide and her breathing intensified. She began backpedaling before getting her feet caught in the long dress and stumbling. Simon caught her before she hit the deck and carefully brought her back to her feet. Her struggles became greater as they approached the doorway again.
"No, Simon, no. Don't make me go in there. No sun inside, light extinguished... No, no, no! No more needles, no more needles! Demons...Chaos everywhere...hands of blue...Demons!!!" she sobbed.
Simon didn't know how he held his emotions together long enough to explain. "Mei, mei, I promise not to hurt you. I'd never hurt you. Remember who I am? See the girl in there?" he pointed to Kaylee. "She's in here to get better, that's where I'm taking you. To get better." He gently took her hand again and led her into the infirmary with less resistance this time. With Kaylee still slumbering in the chair, Simon spread some blankets along the long counter at one end of the infirmary and boosted River up and gently positioned her in a reclining position along the counter. He filled a hypodermic with a sedative and brought it over to her. A deep ache filled his heart when her eyes flashed with fear again and she tried to scoot away.
"River...River..." he said as he took her hand in his. She slowly turned her head towards him and looked him in the eyes. The fear was still there along with...hurt. Deep hurt and trauma that he couldn't even begin to guess the what the root was. "I promise...I promise" he whispered to her. She lay back down as Simon took her arm. A single tear rolled down her cheek as he injected the drug into her vein. He held her hand as she watched him until her eyes closed and she drifted into an uneasy sleep. He stood there for what seemed like an eternity, holding her hand until he noticed the tear having run its course down the side of her face. He took his thumb and carefully wiped it away. He took one of the extra blankets and tenderly covered River, tucking her hands under so they would stay warm. Getting up, he rested both of his hands upon the counter next to her and bowed his head in exhaustion and grief. It wasn't until he opened his eyes and lifted his head that he noticed the wet spots on the counter and realized he was shedding tears of his own. For her.
"Doc..." Kaylee had awakened briefly and looked around, her eyes unfocused from the effects of the drugs.
Simon quickly wiped his eyes and moved over to Kaylee's side, unconsciously putting himself between River and Kaylee, blocking her view even though he didn't think she would have enough strength to move her head anyway even if she wanted to. Taking a deep breath, he slipped back into his professional bedside manner. "I'm here, Kaylee. Are you feeling any better?" he asked as he shined a small penlight in her eyes, noticing the constriction of her pupils. A good sign, her vitals were beginning to improve slightly.
"A little... stomach hurts though. Guess you were right about someone getting shot though but you did manage to patch me back up it seems." Kaylee coughed and managed a weak grin.
Simon smiled despite the seriousness of the situation. "Well, my talent goes only so far. It's you who is providing the strength to get through this. I'm going to give you something to help you sleep a bit longer. Everything looks good so far but the best thing you can do to help me is to continue to rest and let your body heal itself. Although, I seem to remember you saying you had some liquid painkillers that you brew yourself, perhaps you'd like me to get some of that for you?" Simon asked with slight upturn to his lips.
"Hell...no, Doctor that stuff is hard enough to drink... without a hole in your stomach." Kaylee said with a slight chuckle, wincing slightly at the movement.
"Well, we'll just go with the standard treatment, then." Simon replied.
Kaylee yawned again as Simon filled another hypodermic needle and injected it into her arm. "You're...the...doctor..." she managed to get out before sliding back into unconsciousness.
Slumped against a bulkhead outside the dining room, Simon only half-listened to the rumbles of conversation that drifted out. His thoughts were still back in the infirmary, divided amongst his two patients. He thought back to his brief conversation with Kaylee and wondered for a second if she would be all right. Gunshot wounds were always dicey and he'd been a nervous wreck since coming on board. He'd done all he could for her now and like he'd told her, her body just needed to rest and heal. He had always hated this part of the recovery. He felt helpless when he'd seen others give up despite his best efforts but from what he'd seen of Kaylee, he knew she wouldn't be like those patients. Pinching his nose between his thumb and forefinger, he wondered when was the last time he'd actually had a relaxing and peaceful night sleep. He was running on fumes and the situation now with the Alliance officer and Captain Reynolds couldn't come at a worse time. He had to push on though, not just for his sake but for River's as well. He thought he might have some of the crew and passengers on his side in the other room but he was unsure just how much sway Wash, Book, and Inara had over the captain. Zoe was a toss-up but she might be swayed by her husband's appeal if it came down to it. However, she seemed like she would follow the Captain's orders until her dying breath. Jayne would just as soon throw him out the airlock as look at him. But despite the uncertainties, he had to succeed. There just wasn't any other option. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he strode into the room.
Standing in front of the crew, Book, and Inara around the table, Simon began to speak. "I am very smart. As a child growing up, not only did I go to all the best schools, I went to them early. I had the best tutors, had the kind of education that gives a person a real advantage in the universe. When I went to the MedAcad on Osiris, it came as no surprise that I graduated in the top three percent of my class and finished my internship in eight months instead of the usual twelve. I quickly rose through the ranks of the doctors in one of the best hospitals on Osiris. Gifted, is the term that is used." Simon paused and looked out at each person around the table before continuing. "So when I tell you that my little sister makes me look like an idiot child, I want you to understand exactly what I mean. River was more than gifted, she...she was a gift. She could do almost anything with the ease that breathing comes to you or I. Math, physics, reading, languages, and even dance. She could soak up any information for use and recall it at a moment's notice." A small smile crossed Simon's face as a memory of River showing him an error in a medical book when she was only five flashed through his mind. A snort of impatience from Jayne snapped Simon out of his recollection. "My parents sent River to a government sponsored academy that had the most exciting programs. She could have gone anywhere but she wanted a challenge...she wanted to learn. " A lump began to form in Simon's throat as he began to recall the painful times that followed. "She was only fourteen when she went off. I received a few letters at first but they quickly degenerated into a series of nonsense that looked like the normal writings of a fourteen year old but River was not a normal fourteen year old girl. She spoke about events that never happened, jokes we never shared. She has a near flawless memory and there would be no reason for her to do this unless something was wrong. Her writings...they were a code based on one we'd created together as children to pass secret messages back and forth. It was one of her favorite things." Simon paused to take another deep breath. "The messages boiled down to a simple theme, always repeated. They're hurting us. Get me out."
At this Jayne, thumped his chair back on the ground and looked around. "I'm sorry, does this sob story have a point and if so what does that have to do with us?"
Mal shot a look at him and growled. "You best be letting the doctor finish before we get into anything else right now."
Simon looked briefly at the floor before continuing. "I couldn't get anywhere near the academy for over two years. I kept my eyes and ears constantly to the ground looking for any new information I could get. I was even picked up in a blackout zone talking to some men from an underground movement. After bailing me out, my father told me if this ever happened again, he wouldn't come for me. At that point, I knew I had to make a move, one way or another. I couldn't live my life with the knowledge I had discovered and not do anything. I managed to make contact with the underground movement again and arranged to work together with them to smuggle her out in cryogenic state. I went in with fake ID papers to look into a "medical emergency" at the academy while the movement created a diversion and provided an escape vehicle. When I was in there, I saw some of the most horrible things. My little sister had not escaped their attention either. They had...played with her brain. I'm still not sure of the extent of damage they did. I had to immediately put her in a sleep state once we'd cleared the lab. I never even got a chance to speak with her. I've lost everything I ever had other than the clothes and medicines I've brought on board with me and some of her things that I couldn't bear to part with but I have her back. I'd do it all again if I had to."
No one spoke for a moment until Sheppard Book looked up and gravely said, "That's quite a story son, one that speaks of a deep personal sacrifice."
Inara shot a glare at Mal and spoke. "It's good to know there are unselfish people still in the 'verse. Simon, please let me know there is anything I can do or provide you to help you or your sister."
More than annoyed that two people had spoken up in defense of Simon also had been causing him the most headaches recently, Mal spoke up. "Yes, it's a heart-breaking tale of woe. However, you've brought a whole heap of trouble on my ship and the people sitting here at this table along with one person down in the infirmary that was shot indirectly because of you."
"I never thought..." Simon began.
"No, I don't believe that you did ever think." Mal cut him off. "Believe me or not, but I do feel for you, if what you're saying is true. The Alliance took everything I had as well. All I have left is this ship and my crew, both which may be marked because of you. I have their welfare to think of too and you're adding to my problems."
"What are you going to do with us?" Simon asked.
"The airlock isn't a bad idea." Jayne muttered.
"JAYNE! For the last time, you will shut that mouth or I will shut it for you." Zoe finally spoke up. With a glance at the warrior woman, Jayne crossed his arms and fell silent.
"I'll make you a deal, Doctor. Kaylee, pulls through you get off at Whitefall. If she doesn't...well you'll be getting off a mite sooner." With those words Mal, swept through the room, heading for the bridge. All eyes turned to Simon as a look of fear mixed with anger crossed his face as he stormed off after the captain.
Rubbing his sore jaw, Simon looked for a general painkiller in the infirmary to relieve the newly revived throbbing in his jaw. Whether on purpose or not, Mal had managed to punch Simon in the exact same place as he had only hours before. Not that he had a death wish or anything but even the most dense person could see he was sorely testing the captain's patience. With Simon's limited exposure to fighting, he had certainly never been punched twice by the same person, let alone twice in the span of a few hours. The captain was surely not in a good mood. After storming past Simon, he snapped at Jayne to follow him down to the passengers' dorm to have a "friendly chat" with Dobson. If Simon hadn't remembered what Dobson had been trying to do to him and River, he would have actually felt sorry for him. Not only to be interrogated by Jayne but having to be in such close quarters with him.
Wash had come over and briefly spoken to Simon after the confrontation with Mal and recommended keeping his head down for a bit He had also inquired after River and passed on his good wishes for her to recover. River. Simon glanced over at the counter again and saw she was still asleep. He felt helpless looking at her, slightly twitching in her dreams. He hoped they were dreams and not nightmares she would surely experience as time went on. Seeing her sleep reminded him of growing up, he would read to her almost every night. The nanny would always tell her a story but without fail, River would always come to find Simon to read her the same story again because as she said "Nanny didn't do the voices right." He thought briefly for an instant. He had several books of hers that she had loved as a child in his room on the ship and more available on his palm sized computer. Even though she could read at levels far beyond people her age and past master's level on almost any subject, River always loved children's stories and fairytales the best even as she continued to grow up. She always seemed to have loved The Wizard of Oz the most and he knew he had her lovingly worn copy in his bag. He could retrieve it and read to her while she slept and maybe just for once in the past two years briefly feel like things would be ok. He had a feeling that even in her dreams, she'd be able to hear him.
As Simon rummaged in his bag, the ship's intercom clicked on with a scratch and Mal's voice came over the comm.
"People, we're passing close to what we've tentatively identified as a Reaver ship. Now they haven't made any movement towards us and may be on their way elsewhere. There's no need to panic right now. We're just going to slip past them and not make any sudden movements. Stand by." With that, the intercom clicked off.
Simon froze. Reavers? Surely those were just stories made up to scare children. He dropped his bag and headed out into the hall where he met Zoe, heading towards the bridge.
"Reavers are very real, Simon." Zoe explained. "If they board us, they'll rape us to death, eat our flesh, and sew our skins into their clothes. If we're very lucky, they'll do it in that order." With those words, she hustled up the stairs two at a time.
Simon couldn't move for several seconds. When his mind finally screamed at him to move, he increased his pace to the infirmary. If it came to pass, he'd be here when this world ended, doing whatever he could to protect his sister.