[Disclaimers: Everything belongs to Joss, except for one character of my creation.

As regards that character - hopefully she's not so much of an obnoxious Mary Sue that she turns people off, but the story basically wrote itself in my head and needed to get out. This is my first fanfic ever, and the first writing of any sort I've done in awhile, so all comments are appreciated!

Rated PG for most of the story, mostly for salty language. There is some sex, but not for a few chapters yet. I'll try to put a warning at the beginning before it happens!

***ALSO...for the Chinese, I've set it up (thanks to those on this board who taught me how!) so holding the mouse over it should get the English translation to appear! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mal lay back reluctantly on the infirmary table, his shirt open, while Simon examined him. “I’m fine,” he protested. “Everybody’s makin’ a fuss.” He directed a withering look across the room at Kaylee, who was leaning against the wall near the doorway. Kaylee rolled her eyes and looked away. Simon popped a thermometer in Mal’s mouth, cutting off what would have been the next protest, and began examining his wounds. Alex had been getting a tour of the infirmary when Kaylee brought Mal in, and she set about assisting Simon. Kaylee had mentioned to Simon that Mal seemed out of sorts. Simon had noticed it himself, and decided the first order of business should be a checkup to make sure Mal was healing properly after his run-in with Niska. It had been just a little more than a week since the incident, and Mal insisted he was fine—but he was still moving gingerly, and he looked pale and tired constantly. Kaylee recalled what Alex had told her about having experience with torture victims, and maybe being of some use. She waited for an opportunity, and when she saw Alex with Simon, she seized the opening. She could get the captain to do almost anything for her just by turning on the smile and cajoling him; so she began smiling and cajoling and didn’t stop until she had worn him down enough to agree to accompany her to the infirmary. But that didn’t mean he had to like it; or be gracious about it. As soon as the thermometer was removed, the complaints began again. “Ow! Careful, huh?” Mal whined as Simon examined his wounds one by one. “Bein’ tortured once was enough!” Simon ignored him and began explaining to Alex what had caused the wounds. “These burns,” he said, pointing to reddened bilateral areas on Mal’s upper chest, “These are from electrical shocks. Wash has these, too.” He felt the areas with the pads of his fingers, checking the healing process. “Charming,” Alex said. “Ow!” Mal grumbled. “Oh,” Simon said, “And let’s not forget the personality changes the shocks caused—the whininess...the bad attitude...the turning into a big baby when the doctor so much as opens your shirt—” “—The inability to feel remorse after I kill the doctor with my bare hands!” Mal finished. Alex smiled. Simon moved to the next wound, a large, gaping hole centrally located at the base of Mal’s rib cage. The large wound had red lines branching off from it, traveling out in all directions, up to his neck, wrapping around his flanks, and leading down beneath the waistband of his trousers. “This,” Simon went on, “Was caused by some sort of...machine that,” he looked to Mal for help, “That apparently burrowed under the skin and—” “—And sent out tendrils under the skin in all directions,” Alex finished, leaning close to study the wounds. She looked up at Simon, then at Mal, and back to Simon again. “I saw this in the war,” she said. “I don’t know what it’s called, but it’s hideous. But this is—” she hesitated and looked fixedly at Mal as she spoke. “This is the first time I’ve seen these wounds on a living person.” Simon looked up at her. “This thing usually kills,” she went on. “I—I think it must be the shock and pain it causes. Captain Reynolds, you’re the first person I’ve seen survive this thing.” She smiled at Mal. “You must be pretty tough.” “Ow?” Mal ventured again, less convincingly. Simon snorted and began moving on with the exam—which involved undoing Mal’s trousers. “Hey!” Mal cried, slapping Simon’s hands away. “What in the seventh circle of hell do ya think you’re doin’?” “Examining you,” Simon retorted without missing a beat and reaching for Mal’s zipper once again. “In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s a lady here,” Mal said, grabbing Simon’s hand instead of swatting it this time. “A lady whom I don’t know and who don’t need to see the family jewels get taken out of their case!” “Your family jewels are safe in their little velvet sack,” Simon assured him. “I’m just looking at your belly wounds. Besides, she’s a nurse–she’s not going to see anything she hasn’t seen before.” Mal relaxed somewhat then, but kept one hand ready for a quick grab if the need arose. Simon continued speaking to Alex as he uncovered some small, deep cuts on Mal’s lower abdomen, explaining what had caused the wounds and what he had done to treat them. Mal muttered something in Chinese that neither Simon nor Alex quite caught. Then he got very quiet. Simon re-zipped his trousers and moved up to Mal’s head, Alex at his side, and reached for Mal’s left ear. “They cut his ear off,” Simon told her. Alex winced and made a face. “Niska gave it to Zoë when she went in trying to get them out. I was able to reattach it with a dermal mender.” Alex looked impressed. “You have a dermal mender? I thought you could only find those in Alliance hospitals?” “It’s a long story,” Simon said, a hint of a smile playing about his mouth. “I’ll have to tell you about it sometime.” They continued talking shop as Simon finished inspecting Mal’s ear and explaining to Alex how he had repaired it. Neither of them noticed at first how quiet Mal had gotten. Then Mal suddenly sat up on the table, jerking away from Simon. It was then that they noticed he was sweating, and even paler than before, if that was possible. “Captain—” Simon began. “I gotta go,” Mal said abruptly. “Enough of this fei hua! I got stuff to do!” His voice sounded thin, and his breathing seemed labored. He looked shaky as he rose from the table, and he had trouble buttoning his shirt with his trembling hands. “Captain,” Simon tried again. “You look terrible. You need to lie back down.” Mal muttered something unintelligible as he pushed past them and exited the infirmary. “Cap’n!” a clearly alarmed Kaylee cried, grabbing his arm as he passed her. He shook her off roughly. She looked wide-eyed to Simon and Alex for help. Simon started after Mal, calling his name, but Alex suddenly grabbed his arm. “Let him go,” she said. Simon stared at her. “Something’s wrong with him,” he said, starting away again. “I think he’s really in pain.” Alex tightened her grip on his arm. “That’s not a pain reaction,” Alex said to him, looking thoughtfully after Mal. “That’s a fear reaction.”

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fei hua= nonsense ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go to Chapter 5. Back to Chapter 3.