'Temporarily out of Service' A Firefly story part 1/2

[Salamander]

It's (another) Kaylee story because I'm still not over Firefly and this got too long for the drabble thread. Lots of platonic f/f caretaking and the beginnings of Kaylee/Simon.

 

.....................

The engine core of Firefly class transport ship, Serenity, spun around in it’s sockets and cast a pattern of shadows against the warm light. Each rotation brought a soft, rhythmical whir, some quiet clunks and the occasional stuttering fizz. They were all normal noises, healthy noises.

“Idtssch-ue!”

That was a less than healthy sound, for a person or a spaceship

One of the few non mechanical objects in the engine room was the rainbow striped hammock slung in the corner. From within, Kaylee Frye sneezed again and swore feircely when the motion nearly tipped her out.

She was trying to rewire a small component that belonged on the bridge. She didn't need to be in the engine room to do it, she just always felt better in the heart of her ship where she could feel the thrum of smoothly running machinery. Especially when she wasn't feeling so hot herself.

It was hard to concentrate when her nose was so stuffed up, and it itched something terrible. She scrubbed it on the edge of her sleeve as she tried to work but if anything that made it worse.

Her breath caught and her vision wavered as another sneeze threw her forward. “KSSch'nn... ugh...”

“Gesundheit.”

The voice startled her and she almost dropped the pliers she was holding. She rose to attention, expecting her Captain or God knew what else, buthe doorway to her right was graced by someone decidedly smaller and more feminine.

Ah, it was only River Tam. The young woman wore a floral dress that was too big for her petite frame. Her pale, bare feet showed underneath. Kaylee sat back into her hammock, relaxing.

“Gee, River., you scared me! What are you doing in here?”

River squatted down beside her and gave her a smile.

“I wanted to play but you're broken. Temporarily out of service.”

Kaylee used to find River's serious, unfocused demeanour unsettling, but she was used to it now. The girl meant no harm and could even be real sweet when she was calm.

“Huh? Oh-” She tallied the comment with her own unfortunate state and shrugged. “Yeah, figure I'm catching something. Ain't nothing to worry about.”

River came a little closer. “You have an elevated internal temperature,” She added, without touching to check.

“I do?” Kaylee hadn't thought about it, but that would explain the ache in her bones, the swim at the edge of her vision when she turned her head.

River just nodded, her serious, thoughtful expression not changing at all as she watched Kaylee draw a shuddering gasp and muffle a set of sneezes into her wrist. “ 'Kstch!-- Kstch!--hah-” In a moment of clarity beteeen hitched breaths, Kaylee rather wished the girl would avert her gaze like most folk. The scrutiny was unnerving- “ haah-- hah- KSCht-ue!”

“Ugh...” Kaylee sighed thickly. “'scuse me.” She tried to blow her nose but it was just too stuffed and she shook her head. “Ok, so maybe I'm a little broken.”

“Temporarily out of service. Easily fixed. The human body will recover from most flu-type viruses.” River assured her.

“That's real comforting.” Kaylee grumbled. “I feel like shit.”

River nodded. “Poor Kaylee,” She said, sounding more like a girl and less like a machine. “You should get some rest.”

The engineer agreed, rising to her feet, but sure enough the world went soft at the edges. She leaned on to the edge of Serenity’s engine column for support and was surprised to find it replaced by a warm, slender arm. River was surprisingly strong and took Kaylee’s weight easily.

“Thanks.” Kaylee said. “It's passed now. I'm shiny. You wanna come upstairs with me?”

Together they gathered Kaylee's things from the engine room and began the short walk back to the corridor above their bunks. Kaylee couldn't stop herself shivering and didn't mind at all when the girl kept a warm arm around her waist.

“You ain't taking me to the infirmary?” She asked.

River shook her head. “Needles and scalpels. Cut you open and mix you up inside. You don't need that, you're just sick.”

“Okay then…” Kaylee was too tired to puzzle that one out.

Getting down the step ladder to her bunk made her muscles scream in protest. Damn, she ached all over and her legs felt weak. It was all she could do to slump down onto her bed. River followed her down the ladder, light as a cat, and nodded approvingly to see Kaylee on the mattress.

Kaylee tried to speak but the congestion in her chest fought it’s way out in a fit of rattling coughs. She clenched around her fist to smother the soud but it felt like being kicked in the ribs. She opened her eyes blearily afterward to find River pulling the covers over her legs and tucking them up her to her chin with an expression so maternal Kaylee almost laughed.

“You're a real sweet girl.”

River nodded seriously. Kaylee’s eyes were closing against her will and she stopped fighting it. It was so gorram cold. Shivers chased up and down her limbs and she gritted her teeth to keep them from chattering. She was already falling into sleep when she heard River’s bare feet on the ladder and the click of the closing door.

….

When Kaylee woke again she felt colder still. She regretted opening her eyes almost immediately- the light hurt, her sinuses throbbed and her head ached something fierce. Before she could look around for what had awoken her, she sneezed hard, head bucking against her forearm.

“hah-KSChue!”

“Gesundheit.” Came a soft voice.

“River?” Kaylee lifted her head and squinted to see the girl at the end of her bed. Before she could speak more, her breath seized and she sneezed again, a quick painful fit of them that left her gasping.

“Bless you. And again.”

Kaylee nodded her thanks and kept a hand cupped over her nose

Something dry and warm was pressed into her hand- a whole pack of paper tissues. She could've kissed River then, but first she put one to her nose and blew hard. It didn't do much, she could still barely breathe but at least she wasn't dripping any more.

Head cleared, she opened her eyes fully to see River Tam hovering by the side of her bed. The girl’s loose hair was pushed back from her face and her huge, dark eyes were calm and clear. She looked as present, as normal, as Kaylee had seen her. A stack of objects wobbled in her arms. she set them down on the bed in a landslide of books and plastic packets from the infirmary.

River straightened and looked at Kaylee with a critical eye.

“What hurts?”

“Most everything,” Kaylee grumbled, then quickly amended, “It ain't nothin' serious. Don't fret yourself.”

“What hurts?” River asked again.

The girl was so serious that Kaylee actually answered, as though responding to a Doctor's inspection.

“Uh, my head and my chest. And my throat, when I talk.”

“Then don't talk. Sit up, Kaylee.”

Surprised by the firmness in the girl’s often vague voice, Kaylee found herself doing so. She shivered and drew the blankets around her.

River began to sort through the supplies on the bed. She came up with a thermos of water.

“First you need to be hydrated.”

Kaylee took a cup gratefully. Damn, she was thirsty and she hadn't even realised it. It felt good on her throat and she held it out to be refilled twice before she was ready stop.

While she was drinking, River opened a plastic packet and took out a small syringe preloaded with a little clear fluid.

“What’s that?” Kaylee asked. Her voice was hoarse and she had to sniffle hard to make it clear.

“Standard dose of analgesic. A painkiller.”

Kaylee sat back in the bed, wary. “Should… should you be giving shots , River? Shouldn't Simon…?” She would have protested more but her nose itched sharply and she hovered her hands in front of her face as she tried protest the injection. River watched impassively as Kaylee’s features collapsed in on themselves in two ticklish sneezes. “ - KSCHuh! -KiSChue!- ugh.” A tiny groan at the pain in her throat.

“Bless you. See, that hurt. This will make it better.”

River sat on the the edge of the bed to take her arm, gentle but firm. She rolled Kaylee’s sleeve to reveal her skin and even that extra intrusion of air made the her shiver. River’s dark chocolate gaze met her own, their faces very close together. A soft hand lingered on Kaylee’s forehead and the tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Ssh. Take a deep breath. It’s going to feel better in a moment.” Something about those words was odd and made Kaylee flicker her eyes closed in thought. She felt the injection as a tiny, expert prick.

“See? Finished already. Now you can lie down.”

“I'm not gonna complain.” Kaylee agreed. “Is there any more of that water?”

River nodded assent and Kaylee settled herself under the covers. She still felt shivers in her limbs but also an unpleasant, internal heat. Ugh, apparently she was really sick. She dragged her extra blanket over herself and the movement made her head swim.

The next moment River was there with a cup, holding it to her lips. Kaylee struggled to sit up a little so it didn't spill.

“I can sit,” she protested. “You ain't gotta do that.”

“I want to.”

Kaylee took the cup again but let River hold it with her. It felt strangely intimate.

“You really like playing doctor, huh?

River smiled, glad she was understood. “Learning must be put into practice to be assimilated. I read Simons textbooks when I run out of anything else.”

“Poor you.” Kaylee laughed. “We gotta get you some novels.”

“I prefer non fiction,” River said evenly. She reached over and took a cold gel pack, which she placed tenderly on Kaylee's forehead.

“Ineffective at lowering fever but it has some superficial soothing effects and makes the patient more comfortable.”

It was soothing, made the headache ease straight away.

“Sure thing. I feel like m’going to sleep.”

“You should.” River said.

Without further ado, she kissed Kaylee lightly on the top of her head and then lay down on the floor beside the bed with her legs kicked in the air. She had brought something to read and her drawing pad. Apparently she was in this for the long haul.

……..

Kaylee Frye got only a little sleep. She slid in and out of disordered dreams where the smothering congestion was a pool of water from which she couldn't surface, the throbbing ache in her head was the result of gunshots and the the pressure in her chest was a dark figure sitting on her and pressing-

She sat up with a racing heart, eyes trying to pierce the gloom. She thought she heard something in her room.

There was someone in her room-

Someone was-

“You're awake. So soon.” A quiet, solemn voice commented.

River.

Only River Tam, rising to her feet and coming to sit on the edge of the bed with a loose sweater hanging to her knees and her dark hair around her head like a halo.

Kaylee coughed and tried to clear her throat. “How long-?” She managed.

“About an hour.” River shook her head. “Your body needs to rest and shut down other systems in order to prioritise fighting the virus.”

“Can't. Too hot. And I thought- I thought-“ panic rose in Kaylee again, still half in the dream. She wanted to get up and run but only managed to tangle herself in the blankets. She was slick with sweat.

River sat down, taking gentle hold of her wrists and releasing them from the covers. “Just a dream. It was just a dream. Look at me- take deep breaths- good girl-“

Something about her phrasing was off but Kaylee just breathed, as instructed, and the deeper gasps set her gasping and choking, coughing herself raw. River passed her the water again and she sipped it until the fit passed.

Her head cleared and she managed to sit up properly, peeling she sheets off of herself and coming to perch on the edge of the bed. Even she could feel the heat from the mattress where she had been.

“Guess you're right.” Kaylee said, more to herself. “Guess I do have a temperature. Maybe we should tell the Doc...”

River cut her off with a hand on her back, gentle and soothing. The girl stroked Kaylee's neck and gently turned her head to make them look at each other.

“I can give you a fever reducer.”

“I- sure. That'd be good. Thanks.”

So River took another dose from Simon's medical kit This time Kaylee offered herself to the injection more easily- the girl, strange as she was, was surpringly good at giving shots. She barely felt a prick, just a slight, strange coolness as the fluid entered her bloodstream.

“You'll feel better soon.”

Kaylee's response was to sneeze again, barely managing to cover her mouth with a cupped hand.

“KiSChue! --hh-KiSChue--!”

The motion sent a wave of pain through her burning head.

“'scuse me.” She finished muzzily. “Think I gotta lie down.”

She half collapsed on the mattress, head barely making the pillow. River made to pull the sheets over her but Kaylee pushed them off. It was far too hot.

Instead, River fetched another cold pack and this time placed it at the back of Kaylee's neck. Her teeth started to chatter and she was at once too hot and too cold. She couldn't help but groan, shaking her head and swearing softly to herself. “... I really don't feel good.”

River responded by sitting a little cloer, smoothing her fingers through Kaylee's hair as though petting a cat, lifting it from her sweaty neck and letting the cool air in. She murmured softly, constantly, as she did it, almost lulling Kaylee back into sleep.

“Just rest. Your body needs to rest and this will pass. I'll stay with you.”

Kaylee blinked. There was that strangeness again. River seemed more lucid than usual, focused, but something about her phrasing-

“Where'd you learn to Doctor folk so good?”

Then Kaylee realised.

Simon.

These were Simon’s soothing words coming out of his sister’s mouth as though on a tape reel.

And it was really, really weird.

There was something not right about that. About how she felt about Simon, and his kid sister was- no wonder she liked that so much- it was like Simon was-

Kaylee feel back into a feverish sleep.

….............

Serenity was quiet, probably too quiet. Simon Tam realised he hadn't seen his sister since the midday meal. She was probably in her room drawing, reading, staring at the walls. It was only when he didn't find her there that he started to worry.

His hunt took him over most of Serenity. He was willing to search for a long time before he admitted to anyone else that he had lost his sister.

The infirmary had been… ransacked was a strong word. But it certainly wasn't how he’d left it- Simon would never leave medicines out on the table or drawers and cupboards open.

She had signed the objects out on the inventory. Her neat, tiny handwriting meticulously listed each item, signed R. Tam; Acetaminophen tablets, fever reducer, generic and branded pain reducing fluids plus the syringes to inject them. Cold gel packs. An entire sleeve of paper cups

Oh God. He couldn't think of anything good that involved River running off with half of his medication.

…...

END OF PART 1

Second part to follow shortly

[Dusty15]

Hehe! This is a fun one and I always love seeing Firefly fics! I love the discovery of Simon seeing that River has signed out half of his stock!

[NoV]

I'm a massive fan of Firefly and it was really great to read your fic - reading these characters takes me right back to when I first watched the series! I would have been over the moon even had there been no sneezes in it, but a sick Kaylee is just perfection  

16 hours ago, Salamander said:

Second part to follow shortly

[elizachoo]

This is SO good! Firefly is such a tough one to get right - there's such a specific voice to it - but you've done really well with it. Can't wait for the next part.

[Jelloicious]

I can never decide which of the characters in this show are my favorite.  You beautifully capture the voices of River and Kaylee!  And Simon's worry.   Keep going, please?

[Salamander]

Thanks so much you guys. I am such of fan of Kaylee, I love her with Simon, I love with Inara and I love her friendship with River.

Here's the final part:

 

The hatch door down to Kaylee's room was ajar, which usually indicated she was ok with visitors. The sign 'Kaylee's Room' and accompanying fairy lights were a welcome sign but Simon still felt like he was intruding.

Simon knocked, and heard a familiar voice in a sharp, “Sshhhh!”

“River...? What are you doing...?”

No answer, so he swung himself down the ladder and looked around, eyes adapting to the dim light. His eyes made out the form of his sister sitting on the edge of the bed, draped in an overlarge sweater and looking excessively pleased with herself.

“River, where have you been?”

“Ssshhh!”

“What?” He lowered his voice to a whisper on instict before he even noticed the prone woman sprawled across the rest of the mattress.

“She's sleeping!” River hissed, frowning seriously at him.

“Who's what?”

For better or worse, Kaylee chose that moment to sneeze heavily into the pillow and then raise a groggy head.

“Idtssch-ue! - m'awake. Hey Simon.” She managed, voice a congested whisper.

Simon looked from his sister, to Kaylee's dishevelled form, to the pile of medicines, and back again.

“You've been playing doctor.” He realised, unsure of whether or not to laugh.

River Tam frowned. “Not playing. Assimilating learning through action.”

“Playing with my medical kit.”

Kaylee began to cough and raised herself a little on her arm, one fist pressed to her chest as the rest of her shook. Both Tams turned to her, dispute forgotten.

Simon shook his head and knelt to get a closer look at the patient.

“Kaylee, what's going on? Are you really sick?”

“M' kinda sick.” Kaylee sniffled aplogetically. “Not really-really. Just-” Her features collapsed in a thick sneeze, barely shielded behind her forearm, “-KSChue!”

“A virus.” River said helpfully.

“Looks like it,” Simon conceded. “I'm going to come check you over.”

He seated himself on the edge of the bed and examined Kaylee more closely. He tried not to notice the way her blouse slipped off one shoulder, revealling a little creamy skin. Her face was flushed, eyes glassy and she was somehow still really pretty.

He tried to keep his mind on the job as he asked her to open her mouth and winced at her swollen tonsils. He placed the back of his hand on her forehead to get a rough guage on her temperature.

“When did you start having symptoms?”

“I started feelin' sick yesterday, didn't get all hot and cold til today.” Kaylee shrugged.

“Any nausea?”

“No.”

“She had a standard dose of fever-reducer two hours ago, it may be wearing off now.” River chipped in.

Simon snapped his head around to her.

“You gave her an injection? What else did you give her?!”

River pouted defensively and came to sit on the edge of the bed between them.

“Hey!” Kaylee managed weakly. “She did pretty good.”

“Nevertheless.” Simon frowned. He didn't relax until River fished out the empty packets of the two doses she had given her patient. He scanned them and his shoulders visibly lowered. Ok, so that was what he would have done himself. Still-

“River, you really shouldn't-” His eyes flicked to Kaylee and he lowered his voice, reigning in his frustration. “Let's talk about his another time, okay?”

“Shiny.” Kaylee nodded. “No shouting. Please. Thanks.”

“No shouting.” Simon agreed. He blinked and looked at Kaylee again, this time not as a Doctor. Her eyes were huge and tired and he couldn't help but move a little closer to her on the bed and place his hands on her cheeks.

“Feels good.” She said, tiredly.

“Yeah, you're pretty warm. Nothing dangerous, just enough for you to really feel it. I'm sorry there's nothing I can do for an hour until you can have another shot.” He paused, realising he'd held her face that whole time. She hadn't stopped him, either. “I- uh- you should rest as much as you can. I'll leave you in peace-”

He made to stand up and a hand pushed him back down on the bed.

He'd been so absorbed by Kaylee that he'd forgotten River was there but now she stood over him, face set in her stubbornest little-sister frown.

“We're going to stay here.”

“Mei-mei, Kaylee's sick. She needs to get some rest.” Simon raised a hand.

“Staying here. Kaylee doesn't want to be on her own.”

“River, you can't just- Kaylee? Is that right?”

Kaylee had pulled the blankets up a little higher and looked shyly from the handsome Doctor to his stubborn sibling.

She swallowed visibly and smothered a tight cough behind her wrist.

“-if it ain't no trouble.” She said, very softly, eyes averted.

“I...oh. No, I mean, it's no trouble. Of course we can stay. But it's late and there isn't a lot of room down here.” Simon Tam stammered.

River Tam just smiled.

That was how Kaylee ended up spending the night in Simon and River's quarters, laid beside River in her bed.

.

….......................................

 

Simon spent most of the night in his own bed, or tried to. The room he and River shared had a sliding paper screen to divide their two beds, but though he insisted the girls go in there and close the door, there was very little privacy to be had. He could hear every snuffle and sigh, every body turning on the mattress. River kept odd hours at the best of times and clearly wasn't sleeping, but he lay his head down in the hope of getting a little rest.

In the small hours of the morning he was woken by Kaylee's insistant coughing and couldn't keep himself away. He could hear his sister's low, encouraging voice and the other girl turning over. He rose, threw a sweater on over his bare chest and drew back the screen.

He was greeted by the sight of Kaylee half sitting up in the bed, hair and eyes wild. River Tam sat beside her one arm around her back and rubbing soothingly, the other pushing sweaty curls from her forehead. The mechanic's chest heaved with her breath as she coughed, a deep barking seeming to come from deep in her lungs.

“Her fever's breaking.” Simon said, and- “It's just the fever breaking.” River said, at the same time. The brother and sister's eyes locked and Simon actually smiled. Kaylee managed a smile too.

“I wake you up?” She asked.

“No, no.” Simon assured her. “And if you did, that's ok. That's what we're here for. How are you feeling?”

Kaylee leaned back, snuggling her head into River's shoulder. “Tired.”

“You're soaking wet.” River said, not seeming to mind.

Kaylee was indeed slick with sweat, her nightshirt nearly soaked through. She made a tired apologetic noise.

Simon fetched his kit and scanned her forehead with his thermometer. “The fever has gone down considerably.”

River nodded, satisfied. “She should have a shower.. Do you want a shower, Kaylee?”

“Does that involve standing up?” Kaylee frowned, burying her head deeper into the girl's shoulder.

“If you want one, we can help you stand.” River said, before Simon could say anything at all. He swallowed. It was looking his sister was catching him up the only arena he'd ever exceeded her at- caring for people.

Kaylee looked from one to the other. “Will y'all judge me if I say no?” She whispered.

Simon managed to get in ahead of the younger girl's bluntness. “Not at all. We've seen a lot worse.”

Kaylee took this for an answer and slowly lowered herself back on the mattress. River sat at the head of her bed and resumed the task of smoothing her hair again. She appeared to be falling asleep again as she lay there. Her eyes closed and she scrubbed a hand at her raw nose for a minute before letting i fall slackly.

“That's real good."

Watching the clear intimacy between the two girls set awkwardness rising in Simon's throat. This evening was just too, too weird. He couldn't resist leaning to brush her forehead once again, fingers lingering on her cheek.

To his surprise, River rose from the bed in one smooth, even movement. “Your turn.”

“It's what she wants.” She mouthed at Simon.

“What she- River? How do you-?” Simon spluttered.

“You're such a boob.” And his little sister shoved him down with such force that his knees buckled obentiently. He found himself sitting on the edge of the mattress. By the time he looked up, River was gone.

What the hell was River playing at, pushing the two of them together like that? He would never get used to her way of 'knowing' things.

Back in the world outside of Simon's head, the thump of his weight made the sleeping woman startle. Her eyes opened again.

“Simon? she says, surprised and pleased as thought she'd forgotten he was there. Maybe she had, she's been pretty out of it for most of the evening.

“Yeah, it's me.” He said lamely.

“Hey.” Kaylee looked as though she might say something more but then her expression went suddenly

Simon was ready with a concerned question but Kaylee managed a desperate “Think I'm gonna-hk- K'Schue!” and collapsed into a sneeze.

Simon winced and reached for a fresh pack of tissues. Kaylee took them in a pause between sneezes, tries to smile at him even as she is taken by another scissoring breath. Her head tipped into her cupped hands again and again. “IDgsh! -IDgsh! -IdgshUe!"

The fit came to an end but her lungs wouldn't settle. The sneezes simply transitioned into ticklish coughs that seemed to come from the bottom of her chest.

“Hey. Hey.” Simon had his arms around her before he could help it. He eased her into a sitting position. Kaylee slumped against him and he sensed the muscles in her back kicking as she fights for air. She was starting to look frantic, eyes wide. He could feel her trying to take a steadier breath and hear the crackling congestion that kept her from holding it.

Simon had spent a lot of time talking River through panic attacks. He didn't know if Kaylee ever has them, but he intervened on autopilot in almost the same way.

“Hey.” he said again, and other soft, meaningless things as he hoisted her up a little higher, pulled her hair back from her face and loosened the top of her shirt so she can at least feel like she's getting more air. He scoots on the bed to sit in front of her, and places his hands on her forearms where she braces her hands at her chest. “Slow breaths. With me. I'm here. It will pass really soon. Take some slow breaths for me.”

Kaylee obeyed and was surprised by how much it helps. The coughing abated in less than a minute.. She breathed tentatively lest it start again, but it was a relief to get some air.

“Think I'm done.” She said.

Simon provided her with a cup of water and followed it with a spoonful of a cough syrup he fetched from the infirmary on their way past. It's one of the few medicines that still comes as an injestible liquid. Kaylee actually let him direct the spoon to her mouth, passive and pliant in the wake of the fit. She seemed incredibly soft to Simon. Not the rumpled shirt and flushed cheeks but her demeanour. He never thought post-febrile exhaustion would be a good look on anyone but it has it's appeal, given the circumstances.

Kaylee slid down onto the mattress and fusses with the covers for a moment before rolling over to face him.

“There, you're ok now. You're gonna be ok.” Simon said, reaching to push her hair off her sweaty brow.

She caught at his hand to stop him, “Hey-”

“What?”

“River was talkin' like that to me.” She says, “Cause that's how you talk to her. It's kinda weird.”

“Oh.” It wasn't surprising, once she pointed it out. Simon flushed anyway. He didn't mean to treat the attractive, capable Kaylee like a mentally ill teenager. “Sorry. I didn't mean-”

“S'alright.” Kaylee coughs. “S'just funny. Hearing your coming from her.”
Her voice faded out as her eyelids fluttered closed. Simon Tam could practically see her brain shutting down into fever-worn exhaustion.

“Kinda nice how you too take care of each other. You don't have to stop...” And she was out like a light. Which was not a medical term but accurate none the less.

Simon reached to dim the lamp beside the bed. “River does pick up accents and mannerisms. Always has.” He said, to himself more than to Kaylee.

He sat there in the dark with her for a long time, just listening to the flow of her breath. It was harshly congested and more than a little snuffly, but he found he didn't mind. She was pale against the shadow of the bedclothes but he could feel that she was cooler, the fever receding to give her some real sleep. What had River said? “Temporarily out of service.” Nothing major. It was almost a relief to tend to a mild illness; a refreshing change for a trauma surgeon turned smuggling ship's doctor.

That was definitely why Simon lingered by Kaylee's side for so long. Nothing to do with the attractiveness of the patient. Not at all.

END.

I had a TON of fun writing Simon and River's interactions. Hope you enjoyed reading xx

[elizachoo]

*melts* 

[NoV]

You have really managed to capture the characters with your writing - I've had a great time reading this  Plus love the bonus 'Kaylee in a hammock' picture