35) Let's Paint The Picture Of The Perfect Place
If he didn't do something to take his mind off the potential train wreck this job could be he was going to run amuck, Riddick frowned to himself as he listened to Simon explain how they would get in and out of the hospital.
He didn't like how this sounded. How it would be Carolyn and Mal and River on the job. Without guns. Without any weapons at all except their wits. He stood as Simon began to explain the hospital schematic and River glanced at him.
When he went into the airlock outside of Inara's shuttle River followed him and leaned on the rail opposite his. "He worries," She regarded him with those dark eyes that saw more than he ever could even without a shine job.
"Carolyn ain't a gun hand," He reminded her. "You are but nobody can carry on a Core planet."
"Plastic and bone will not be detected," River assured him and produced a slender blade from a sheath within her belt. Thin but damn sharp and easily concealed.
"That makes me feel some better," He admitted. "But I still don't like it."
"Would rather face sky sharks a thousand times over than risk the safety of his ladies," The diminutive pilot smiled at him.
"Yeah, pretty much," He glanced at Inara's shuttle. He'd been kicking this idea around ever since Inara had let drop that yeah, she would be leaving. "You know if Mal's got plans to rent the shuttle out again?"
"Not for a while," She shook her head. "Not until he's certain of who would be renting. The probabilities of the Captain welcoming strangers to the boat when they won't be crew… very low. Realizes how lucky he got with Inara, no guarantee of such good fortune reoccurring." A tilt of her head, catlike, "Thinking of renting?"
"Thought it might be a good spot for Zoë and the baby," He admitted. "It's almost the same level as the galley and bridge, large enough for a bed and a crib. And it's got a head so she could bathe the baby in there too." At six and a half months Zoë's belly was getting bigger by the day and climbing up and down the ladder to her bunk couldn't be getting any easier.
"It is a good thought," River nodded. "We should ask Inara if we can buy the bed."
"You think?" That hadn't occurred to him, though it should have. Zoë would need to be able to stretch out and she wasn't a short woman.
"Yes," River nodded. "Let's ask." On the heels of her words, she moved towards the shuttle door and knocked.
Inara opened it with a curious look on her face, not that Riddick blamed her, she knew they were planning out a job.
"River," She looked past the younger woman, "And Rick. What can I do for you?"
"Wanted to speak with you about the bed," River got right to the point. Riddick could appreciate that the woman could parse words and dissemble with the best of 'em but given a choice she'd say what she meant. Now flirting and teasing, that was a whole other ballgame and damn if he didn't like that just as much.
"The…bed," Inara stepped back, silently inviting them to enter. "I apologize for the disarray. I'm trying to pack as much as possible before my appointments."
"Made bigger messes cooking," River waved off the concern.
A little bit of polite back and forth, offers of tea, take a seat, how are you, blah blah and finally Inara got to the point, "You said you wanted to speak with me about the bed."
"Yes," River nodded and glanced at Riddick.
"Well, it really depends on whether or not Mal will rent out the shuttle again," Riddick explained. "If he decides to rent it out then the idea won't work." He would usually take River's word on it, but it wasn't like her to hedge her bets and she'd definitely been waffling a bit. If anyone else (besides Zoë) would know Mal's mindset it would be Inara.
Inara and River exchanged a look, and he got the feeling that the two of them spoke volumes of history and knowledge that had gone on long before he'd come into the picture. "I…do not believe it likely that Mal would rent the shuttle out again. Not for some time." Inara spread her hands helplessly, "But Mal is…unpredictable."
Riddick looked at the two of them for a long moment, "You know, I'm big and I might look dumb but I ain't." He reminded them, "If there's some reason Mal won't rent the shuttle out right away, I don't necessarily need to know it. Not unless it changes the endgame."
River's lips curved in a half smile, "Could not believe that he is yú bèn de." She assured him quietly. "Safer for all concerned if the reasons go unspoken. So long as the reasons remain true, the result will be the same. Mal will not rent out the shuttle."
"Uh huh," He nodded and decided to leave it at that. He was no stranger to secrets, and it was clear the crew had plenty of them. It served no purpose to poke at them right now. "I had the thought that the shuttle would be a good place for Zoë and the baby. It's an easy walk from to the galley or bridge, minimum of stairs and most importantly, no ladders."
"Ah," Inara got the picture. "Thus the inquiry about my bed."
"Yeah," Riddick glanced at the piece of furniture in question. "River had the idea to ask you if we could buy it. Zoë'll need a place she can lie down comfortable and the bunks in the passenger dorms would fit her only marginally better than they'd fit me."
"I had wondered how you were doing with those tiny beds," Inara made a sympathetic face.
"I've slept on worse," Riddick shrugged. "I can relax there and that's the most important thing to me."
"Serenity feels safe," River nodded solemnly, and he glanced at her. Interesting that she chose that word. It wasn't the first thing people usually thought of when they considered where they were sleeping. Mercs always loved to call him an animal and he guessed thoughts of safety when sleeping were more of that animal hindbrain stuff.
"This is a ship that is loved," Inara agreed, affection in her face and voice. "It shows."
"You know what the first rule of flying is?" River's smile was a beautiful thing, "Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take a boat in the air you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home."
"Mal told you that," The Companion smiled more widely. "It sounds like something he'd say."
"Sentimental and practical, simultaneously," River nodded. She looked at Riddick and her smile didn't fade, "Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns. Dichotomy."
He wasn't sure if she was referring to him or to Mal still. Talking with River and Inara always gave him plenty to think on. "Do you think Mal and Zoë would go for it?" He asked in a return to the original subject.
"I think it's the best idea we've got," River nodded. "So can we buy your bed?" She grinned at Inara. "And the sheets and pillows and things? We don't have anything else on the boat that will fit the mattress."
"I think that can be arranged," Inara chuckled.
Mal and Kaylee were the ones going to the junkyard since Riddick would stand out like a sore thumb due to the goggles and eye shine. Not to mention his size. So, a quick word to Kaylee put her on the lookout for materials they could use to build a crib or bassinette for the baby once it was born.
"I can keep an eye out for sheets and stuff too," Kaylee enthused. "Even if they're too worn for the hospital to use 'em we could double up or piece separate ones together."
"Good idea," Riddick nodded. He nodded at Jack, sitting on the steps up to the catwalk. "Might wanna take her with you. She's got good eyes."
"And she cain't sit around makin' eyes at you if she ain't here," Kaylee giggled at him quietly and he rolled his eyes so hard they should've stuck wrong ways.
"Ha ha," He retorted dryly. "But if we can find foam or any sort of bedding, busted up baskets… between me, you and River we can figure out how to make some useful stuff."
"I'll pack the shuttle full and the ambulance too when we find one," Kaylee promised.
"Good," He looked at the bay. "I'm gonna make room for everything. Get the ship hooked up to the dock systems."
"Oh, that reminds me," Kaylee snapped her fingers as Mal came down the steps. "Cap'n, can we keep an eye out for a washin' machine? We could really use it an' with diapers an' such we're gonna need one."
"That is gorram brilliant," Mal declared. "We'll look for a washer and dryer. And we can rig up a line to hang things to dry too."
"Where'll we put it," Riddick didn't hate the idea, but he couldn't really figure out where they could put two fairly bulky machines.
"We could set it up in one of the passenger dorms," Jack suggested as she came towards them at Kaylee's beckoning gesture. "Or there's that space kinda behind the infirmary?"
"Passenger dorm'd be better," Kaylee looked at Mal. "We already got connections to water and sewage. Unless we can fit it in the galley somewheres."
"Let's find one first," Mal suggested. "No reason it can't sit until we figure out where to put it. Need to fix it too and that'll take a bit of time."
Kaylee grinned, pleased as punch, and Jack made a face at her. "Never seen anyone so excited to go to a junkyard."
"You ain't seen nothin' like these junkyards," Kaylee enthused. "An' a lot of it stuff that just needs a few bits and it'll run again."
"We'll see what else we can get," Mal suggested. "Wouldn't hurt to have some working hospital equipment to sell along with the drugs."
"Long's we can find the specs for it I can fix it," His little mechanic grinned and Mal wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her head.
"Got no doubt of that," He agreed. "I got the best mechanic floatin' or on the ground."
"Well, I'll take a look around, see where we can fit a washer and dryer," Riddick promised. "And make sure we've got room for whatever you haul back."
"We'll see you in a little while," Mal nodded.
Since he, Kaylee and Jack weren't exactly able to do anything but twiddle their thumbs and wait while Carolyn, River and Mal did the job they got a head start on fixing up the equipment.
Jack couldn't do much more than hand over tools and ask questions but since Kaylee liked to chatter that was fine. If she was chattering at Jack, she wasn't talking about her sex life at him. Thankfully she seemed to think Jack was too young for that sort of talk (so far) so he didn't have to overhear it either.
When the ambulance came into view Jack was already at the cargo bay door controls, ready to shut them behind the emergency vehicle.
Mal, Carolyn and River climbed out of the ambulance a few minutes later, "Did very well." River grinned. "Found the lenses for his eyes even."
Now that was some great news. He was looking forward to not needing goggles all the time. And not sticking out like a sore thumb was a big plus too.
The only fly in the ointment was Inara leaving. He had no clue how that was going to change the ship dynamics (big word, Inara and River must be rubbing off on him) or (more importantly) how Jack would react to training with River again.
Author's Note: Well now we've come up with a solution for Zoë.
Chinese Translations:
yú bèn de (stupid)