Post-Attack with Mal.

[badinlatin]

"But I'll be here when you're done..."

The first conscious thought that occurs to Captain Reynolds is that he is very cold, and that this condition might be due to the fact he has no shirt on and is lying facedown on an examination table.

Gorramitwelosti'mattheAcademy

Mal quickly attempts getting up - too quickly - and immediately falls back down on the table, pain zipping through his right side.

Once it passes through Mal's head that he should look around this room he's in, he might see Simon's meticulously-ordered medical supplies throughout this sterile room.

And the person about to enter into it.

Comments

[gonna_live]

"River's back. All of ours -- we're -- we're okay."

Long pause. Tear or two.

"'Cept you gettin' yourself laid up like this. But...but you're gonna be okay."

[badinlatin]

Mal sits up very carefully and pulls Kaylee over to him, giving her a hug and a kiss on the forehead.

"Ain't gonna be laid up for too long. Your Doc did real well."
Her Doc. Way its supposed to be.

Mal rubs his eyes before he thinks Kaylee will notice anything.

[gonna_live]

"'Course he did." Still crying. "We made it out, captain. We...we did it."

The thing got broken.

Then it got fixed.

[badinlatin]

Aw, fuck it.

Still hugging Kaylee, he lets his breath hitch and settle several times.

"Ain't nothin' in the 'verse I love more than you, and this ship, and everyone else on it. Nothing."

[gonna_live]

"Love you too, captain." She's trembling a little. "So much."

She's being very, very careful about how she hugs him.

"And we're all gonna be fine."

[badinlatin]

Mal finally lets Kaylee out of his grasp, smiling as bright as he can.

"Damn straight. Can't see it bein' any other way."

[gonna_live]

She wipes away her tears with the side of her hand, smiling. "Yeah. Now you lie down or when Simon comes back he's gonna yell, and we don't want that. You gotta be back up and be mean soon, anyhow, or Jayne's gonna take over the ship."

[badinlatin]

"Can't have that - either Doc yellin' or Jayne taking over." Mal leans back on his side, then back onto his stomach, watching Kaylee leave the infirmary out of the corner of his eye.
The heart of any ship is her engine. Takes talent to fix engines. Takes talent to fix hearts, too.