53) I Dreamt You Were Dressed In Mourning
"Where's Zoë," Kaylee's first question when she'd come out of the engine room to find Simon and River and himself back on board but without his First Mate. "Why ain't she with you?"
"She couldn't be moved safely," Simon gave the answer while River began to cook. Carolyn was frowning over a data pad and Mal guessed Rick was on the bridge moving them safely away from Paquin and the soon to arrive Alliance troops. Jack had occupied herself with the baby's basket, putting it on the galley table.
"But—" Kaylee looked about as lost as Mal felt.
"I know," He shook his head, feeling his stomach twist in knots. "River, what can we do about those warrants?"
"Have to deal with Badger," She frowned, and he knew she was both considering their potential courses of action and also the likelihood of success. "Dislikes you. Pleased to grease a few palms and provide 'evidence' of wrongdoing to act the wèi hǔ zuò chāng."
"Don't suppose us being involved in entirely different illegal activities is much of an alibi for the crime in question," Carolyn remarked glumly.
"No…" River tilted her head and stirred the contents of the wok, simultaneously reaching into the dry storage drawer for some other ingredient. "But cortex eyes did capture the Captain's image and ours on the street…far away from Atherton Wing's estate and approximately at the same time. Our circuitous route paid off in more ways than one."
"So, we prove Zoë an' the Cap'n are innocent, or 'least not guilty of what they're sayin' they did, and we get Zoë back," Kaylee's hopeful smile held more optimism than Mal had felt in more than a year.
"'Fraid not. Zoë knew why the Alliance was so quick to respond to the warrant," Mal shook his head. "They're still a mite…touchy 'bout that mess we made back near Blue Sun."
"We aren't officially wanted for it but anything we do… anything to draw their attention…" Simon spread his hands helplessly.
"So best we can do is not get caught doin' anythin' naughty," The Captain knew that he was explaining what didn't really require clarification but if he didn't occupy his mind with something he'd start throwing things.
Carolyn looked at him in concern, "We need to lie low? Lower I mean?" She gave him a half smile along with her weakly humorous quip and he nodded, his lips quirking upwards for a brief moment before the poor excuse for a smile faded.
"Means we gotta step twice as careful," Mal nodded. "Bad luck Wing's warrant got waved right when Zoë went into labor."
Emma woke and sputtered out an unhappy little cry and River's head jerked around immediately. "Hungry," She opined. "Kaylee, bottles… Carolyn, you have found the formula requirements?"
"Got 'em right here," Carolyn held up the datapad. "Jack, grab powdered milk and protein powder from the pantry." Jack ran, which good because Emma was working herself up to a real good cry. Kaylee rushed to another cabinet and pulled down the bottles and rubber nipples they'd bought whenever they came across a bargain.
"You got this," Mal moved towards Emma and (awkwardly he had to admit) scooped the unhappy baby girl up.
"Five minutes," River already had water heating on the stove. Likely (more than likely actually) she'd anticipated Emma's hunger back when she'd started to cook. Measuring cups were pulled from a drawer and she quickly explained what she was doing. "Three cups very warm water, a cup of the dried milk. A cup of the protein powder. Mix very well in the shaker bottle." She showed them an oddly shaped bottle with a strainer type thing in the center before she shook it more violently than a cat with a mouse. "Pour into the baby bottle, straining out any excess powder."
"Ain't that gonna be too hot for her," Jack, for once, wasn't copping an attitude when she talked to River.
"Shaking releases enough heat for it to be body temperature," River explained handing Carolyn the bottle. Kaylee pulled a cloth out of the cabinet from where she'd grabbed the bottle and put it over Mal's shoulder.
Mal found himself feeding Emma by virtue of being the one holding the baby. So, when Rick came back to the galley from the bridge, he got to see Mal holding a fussy Emma to his shoulder. "I ain't gettin' the point of this," He complained when all Emma did was cry in his ear. She had been happy with her bottle but now she was upset about something.
"Gimme," Rick sighed as if Mal were being incredibly stupid. "Kaylee, grab the cloth would ya, this is my only clean shirt."
Mal watched, more than a little shocked, when the biggest (meanest, scariest, dangerous-est) man he knew adjusted the cloth on his shoulder and hoisted Emma up, patting her little spine with firm but gentle taps until the baby had given up a truly uncouth belch and fussed unhappily about it.
"Did you get her to—" Simon stopped when he got to the doorway of the galley. He'd gone to get the diapers they'd stocked in the shuttle and at the time Mal had still been trying to figure out the point.
"She can't burp on her own yet Mal," Rick rubbed Emma's back soothingly. He wasn't using baby talk like the girls (and Simon and Mal which he wasn't admitting to one bit, no siree bob) but the huge man's voice was gentle. "It's okay Emma girl, I know it's undignified, but we won't hold it against you."
Mal shook his head, "Uh huh." He considered the whole situation and Rick's nose wrinkled suddenly.
"Okay, I got her to burp, which smelled bad enough," He said firmly and handed Mal the baby with the air of someone whose job was done for the moment. "I'm not changing her diaper too."
"I'll do it," Simon shook his head.
"You know how," Kaylee asked with a slightly amazed expression.
"Researched," River put in from her spot by the stove. "So that he would be prepared. Refreshes memory from the obstetrics courses in Med Acad."
Simon nodded as he held up the diaper bag. Well, that's what they were calling it. It was really a smallish duffle bag of canvas, stocked with diapers, a couple jars of baby ointments, rags and pins and a rubber mat to cover whatever surface they needed to use as the changing table. "Kaylee, did you and Jack get that pail and lid with vinegar, bleach and soap put together?"
"Yep, it's even got a strainer so we can lift the dirty rags an' diapers out an' throw 'em in the wash an' empty the rest into the toilets," Kaylee nodded. "Jack thought a that part. Figured that'd be easier than tryin' to fish 'em out with a tongs."
"Very nice," Simon's admiring tone had his sweetheart smiling happily and Jack gave him a half grin.
"Got the washin' machine hooked up too," Rick nodded. "The dryer's still a work in progress though."
"We've got plenty of diapers," Mal assured him. "We'll just need to make sure we wash 'em and get 'em hangin' to dry. Much as I don't like the space the machines take up in the lounge…"
"It was the only place that made sense," Rick reminded him, and Kaylee nodded.
"That wall common to the passenger head had all the plumbin' an' we only lost space for a couple of shelves," She agreed. "And we've got laundry lines already strung above 'em. Way the hull curves there we ain't really able to keep much else in the way of furniture in that spot no how."
"I know," Mal sighed. He was feeling crotchety and ornery and plain old miserable without Zoë aboard. She'd been aboard Serenity as long as he had. He tried not to inhale as Simon demonstrated how to change a diaper. Kaylee had (with commendable foresight and intelligence) included a plastic box to hold the dirty diaper and rags with a lid that sealed in any liquid. Thankfully.
Diaper changed, all the mess (which stank to high heaven, Rick wasn't wrong about that) cleaned up and stowed away, dinner was served. After the table got wiped down with disinfectant.
"How long before you think they'll move her," Carolyn asked quietly. Kaylee gave the blonde a look like she couldn't believe Carolyn had the nerve to ask.
Simon considered, "If she plays for time, cites discomfort or weakness, they'll likely wait every bit of five days before they even consider it. Regardless of her crimes, hospitals are legally required to be certain patients are healthy upon release. Especially if they're treating someone who's committed a crime. The Alliance is very insistent upon people being considered competent and able to stand trial."
"You really think Zoë'll play up any weakness," Rick was giving Simon a look like he'd thought the Doc was brighter than that.
"She knows she's likely going to be put in a jail, if not a prison, and she'll need every bit of strength and resources she can get," Simon pointed out.
"Zoë ain't yú chǔn," Mal said finally. "You both make good points." He didn't want to think about it, but he expected he'd have to consider the problem eventually, and… Yeah, River was giving him a look that said for him to put on his shorts and act like a Captain instead of a whiny private. "I think she'll stall as long as she can. If they aren't buying it though, Zoë ain't very good at lyin'…"
"We talked quite a bit about what to expect after she gave birth," Simon offered. "She's aware of the possibility of post-partum depression and other complications. Any of them would require her to remain under a doctor's care until she was completely well. She's aware of that too. We talked extensively about hospitals and the care they offer. My hope was we'd have access to one a bit more…hospitable."
The idea of Zoë feigning tears or emotional behavior seemed even more unlikely than her pretending to be ill or weak. "Either way, River, when that tell-tale of yours lets us know she's bein' discharged, we got any way to figure where they'll take her?"
"If they got a personal grudge," Rick's voice lowered thoughtfully, like a roll of muted thunder. "They'll put her in a double max slam at least. Somewhere they don't need many guards because the other prisoners or the environment does the work for them."
Jack had been watching Rick with a strange sort of eagerness, "Maybe we could make a list of all the slams like that? Is there a way to get at the records and see who's in each prison?"
Mal watched as River tilted her head, "It is a good thought. Will have to do some husking, see what we can find."
"We'll get her back." The Captain hoped like hell he wasn't lying. Because he had no clue what he'd do if they couldn't.
Author's Note: So everyone is just a bit shell shocked at the moment. Not that I blame them. But Zoë getting left on a hospital ship because of outstanding warrants will be familiar to anyone who has read those comics. Not that I liked those particular books but they had some nuggets of potential. They were just overwhelmingly awful in so many other ways.
Chinese Translations:
wèi hǔ zuò chāng (to act as accomplice to the tiger / to help a villain do evil - idiom)
yú chǔn (silly / stupid)