"I ain't so sure I'm ready for thrillin' heroics, Captain." Zoë said from just inside the door to the dinning room.
"What's wrong?" Mal asked. He and Wash both stood, leaning towards her without moving their feet.
"Nausea, dizziness." Zoë grimaced. "Who cooked? Smells…"
She turned and staggered back towards her bunk.
"I'll go get my med kit." Simon said in the shocked silence.
Wash followed his wife.
Mal exchanged glances with Kaylee, Book and Inara, then he sat back down. He sniffed at his bowl. Smelled fine to him.
There could have been worse times for Zoë to get sick. When they were fighting Reavers, maybe. Or if they were going to go see Patience. Well, this meet couldn't be put off. Looked like he'd be going alone, unless…
"What do you say, Shepherd, you up for some heroics?" Mal asked dryly.
Book looked mighty uncomfortable.
"Don't worry, everything's legal today. I just need someone to watch my back. We're meeting a contact to get a job, not looking for payment."
Simon scurried past, not quite running, medical bag in hand.
"Only if Zoë isn't up to it." Book smiled faintly. "This should be educational at the very least."
Everyone at the table looked up again as Wash and Simon escorted Zoë towards the infirmary. Then they turned back and stared uneasily at their lunch.
It was only a few minutes later that Wash returned, looking bemused. He slid into his chair and proceeded to pour sugar into his soup.
Everyone watched him.
"Will Zoë be all right?" Shepherd Book finally asked.
"We never did discuss maternity leave, did we, sir?" Zoë's dry voice turned all attention to the hatchway.
Kaylee reacted first. "You're having a baby?" There were at least two happy squeals in there.
Kaylee jumped out of her chair and rushed over to Zoë. Once she was there she paused, but only for a moment, before folding the older woman in an un-Zoë-like hug.
Mal realized suddenly that he was holding his breath for Jayne's ribald remark. The one that couldn't come with the merc lost. It also crossed his mind that he missed being able to send the man out of the room for it. What an odd commentary on his own self.
"Sir?" Zoë was frowning at him.
"You ain't leaving me, are you?" Was all he could think to say. "Leaving Serenity, I mean? You don't have to. We can work around this."
His gut curled around the thought of losing Zoë and maybe Wash too. They'd already lost too many of the crew. "Safety features, playroom, nursery, whatever you need."
Zoë looked at him a little sideways. "Nobody said anything about leaving you, sir."
"Oh. Good. Well." He realized numbly that he'd stood up at some point without realizing it. "Come over here."
Zoë obeyed, eyeing him warily.
When she was near the table, Mal guided her gently to a chair. "Sit here, next to Wash. Just take it easy."
Zoë didn't sit. She looked at her captain as if he'd lost his mind. "I'm six weeks along, sir, walking to the table isn't going to shatter me."
Mal stepped back. "Right." He laced his fingers together and rubbed them almost painfully together.
"Ray gave me a shot for the nausea, I already feel fine." Zoë inhaled the food smells and dished herself a healthy portion. "Looks good."
"A shot, is that…? I mean…" Mal worried.
"Mostly vitamins." Simon/Ray unrolled his sleeves as he entered the room. "Best prenatal medicine a person could steal from a major Alliance hospital." He grinned and sat back down.
Mal suddenly realized he was the only one standing and forced himself to sit.
"You kept prenatal vitamins from the Ariel job?" Kaylee asked. "Why is that?"
Simon blushed. He looked down at his plate before mumbling. "Well, when you have three beautiful, sexually active women on a ship, isn't it best to be prepared?"
"I take plenty of precautions, thank you." Inara said in an amused tone.
"Oh, I have those too…" His blush deepened. "Contraceptives, I mean. Actually, I kept quite a few things from Ariel that I thought might be handy."
"I'm going to be a father." Wash sounded like he still might fall over. "My beautiful warrior woman wife is pregnant."
"That's right, dear." Zoë patted her husband's arm.
"Huh." Mal said. He was still working his mind around the whole concept. At least Zoë was planning to stay. That was good.
"Well, I am grateful, Ray." Zoë said around a mouthful of food.
Kaylee was still frowning slightly, but the others didn't seem to notice.
"So, Mal, about that maternity leave…" Zoë smiled wryly.
Mal turned to Simon instead of answering. "Ray, what's your medical opinion?"
"Well, of course I'd prefer that she stay out of danger…" Simon began.
"Oh, me too! I vote for out of danger." Wash broke in.
"However," Simon continued, unhindered. "Zoë is quite healthy, and she should be the one to decide how much she can handle when."
"Sort of a one day at a time thing?" Mal asked.
"Yes." Simon agreed.
"Don't I get to say anything?" Wash asked.
"No, sweetheart." Zoë said fondly. "We all understand that you have a huge ball of cotton-wool you'd like to wrap me in for the next eight months." She smoothed the frown off his face with her fingers. "That's why I love you so much."
"Humph."
"If the question is, should she go with you to meet the client today," Simon continued. "Of course, as long as she feels well."
"And I do." Zoë said firmly.
"I suppose I'll eventually need to hire on another gun hand." Mal grimaced. He hated that idea. It made him feel like he was giving up on getting Jayne back.
"Or you could take less dangerous work." Inara said mildly.
"Yeah? Like what?" Mal asked. Didn't she know it was difficult and dangerous to make a living out here?
"Oh, I have a few ideas." She smiled enigmatically. She was good at that. "Give me a couple of days to look into some possiblities, and perhaps I will have a job for you."
After detailed research into the variety of construction possibilities outlined in the Settler's Handbook, Santha decided on a stone and mortar structure.
Always assuming she could get the mortar right. The instructions were slightly vague and incorporated a high number of variables.
"River, why the hell are you cooking rocks?" Jamie's voice was more confused than angry.
"Santha is attempting to concoct building materials, specifically lime for mortar." Except for the stress on her name, Santha projected more optimism for her project than she actually felt. "I'm afraid We may need a larger fire in a contained space."
"Mortar as in what you put between bricks?" Jamie asked, crouching next to her.
Santha nodded. "Although stone is a more likely prospect."
"Huh." Jamie was quiet while his mind made the connections necessary.
"We start with one small cave." She still liked that image of their new home. "We can expand later."
"We need separate quarters." Jamie said firmly. "Ain't right sleeping so close." He didn't say it aloud, but he thought his ma would tan his hide if he let that go on a moment past what was strictly needful.
Santha died just a little inside. His innate honor, while appealing, was also occasionally disheartening.
"We can wall off small sections for personal comfort." She snatched up a stick and started drawing in the dirt, distracting herself with calculations. "That actually helps. That makes the required structure ultimately smaller and therefore less time consuming."
"How big a 'structure' are we talking here?" Jamie asked, oblivious to her emotional upheaval.
"Small." She pointed to the one mostly straight line in her drawing. "That is the natural rock face. I want to build a vault." She shook her head. "No, not the bank kind. Arches in the ceiling."
As a child she'd been fascinated by architecture. She loved the delicate grace of a domed ceiling, the artistry. It didn't make sense to her to take the time and energy to build something that wasn't also beautiful. The Handbook didn't include that sort of thing, but the math involved was simple enough.
Truthfully, the books she'd studied as a child influenced her design more than anything. She incorporated details from both ancient Rome, especially Pompeii and medieval Europe. The explanation of method in those well remembered books was a great deal more comprehensive.
She emphasized five points on a circle. "I like five legs on the vault. Five is elegant. It must be tall enough for you to stand comfortably. The pillars should perhaps stand to your shoulder height. The spaces between the pillars should also be wider than you are tall." She frowned, factoring in new parameters.
"Wouldn't it be easier to build a square room than a circle one?"
Santha paused to look up at him. "No. Rounded walls provide the greatest interior space with the smallest effort."
She moved on in her calculations. "I noticed a long stone wall on our way here. That will be a good source of building materials. Someone else has done the gathering work already." Her calculations slowed. Placing their sleeping quarters outside of the vault actually reduced the total amount of rock hauling by at least ten percent.
"We will place the door here. There will be doors to each of our rooms here and here. The fireplace can go in this section and a window in this one. There should be an extended arch here at the door to the outside, at least the width of the door in length."
"How are we gonna haul all that rock?" Jamie was still frowning down at her drawing. "You really think we can build that?"
"Yes. We can build that." Santha closed her eyes. Hauling the stones was indeed a flaw in her plan. "We re-invent the wheel." She finally decided. "One wheeled carts are a traditional building tool."
Note: There is a (poor) visual of what River is planning over at my LJ. Yes, I do know square would actually be easier. (Unless you're River.) The finished building will resemble an odd igloo growing out of the cliff. What can I say, River is special.