Phase One

A/N: First Part of Four. Enjoy!!!

PHASE ONE: Prologue

***** To see translations, hover mouse over Chinese word.*****

Day One

Simon absently massaged his temples as he ascended the staircase. There was one place left on the ship that he hadn’t looked for River in, and though he was reluctant to enter the engine room, he was getting desperate. He needed to feed her, and then he wouldn’t feel guilty about retreating to his bunk for a nap. Clearly, his lack of sleep was beginning to take its toll.

“Hey, Simon!” The cheery voice brought him out of his musings, and his eyes focused a moment later on Kaylee. The reason he hadn’t wanted to visit the engine room, she was always there. Not that he didn’t enjoy her company, anything but… he surveyed her smiling face. It appeared she had forgotten their earlier disagreement, and he was back in her good graces once again. He treated her to a rare smile.

“Kaylee,” he greeted, “Have you, er, seen River?”

Her face dropped almost imperceptibly at his broached topic, and he found himself feeling inexplicably annoyed, as opposed to the guilt he normally felt when he threw his fixation with River in the pretty mechanic’s face.

“No, sorry Doc,” Kaylee said, recovering quickly. “Sure she’ll turn up though.”

“Yeah,” Simon agreed, feeling suddenly awkward. He coughed.

“You okay there, Simon?” she asked, and the concern in her eyes unnerved him a little. What was wrong with him? He was being unusually immune to her often contagious good mood.

“I’m fine,” he assured her. “I just… need a glass of water.”

He left quickly and entered the galley, where River sat, looking at him expectantly.

“Food now,” she told him. “Then sleep.”

Simon nodded, moving to the kitchenette. “Didn’t you sleep well last night?”

“Not me, you,” she told him. He jumped; she was standing at his side, holding out a glass of water. “Need to sleep.”

Wearily, Simon gulped the water down, and nodded in agreement.

Day Two

It felt suspiciously like someone was trying to claw their way out of his skull, Simon considered. And Jayne’s voice was not helping. It had never occurred to him how loud the older man laughed before. In fact, everything seemed so much louder than usual.

“Simon?” Wash repeated, and Simon started.

“Sorry?”

There was an appreciative chuckle around the table, and Simon suppressed a wince.

“Y’alright, there, doc?” Mal asked, smirking over his genuine concern. “That’s the third time we’ve caught you in a world of your own today.”

Simon shook his head, as if to clear it. “I’m sorry. I’m getting a bit of a headache.”

Across from him, his sister rolled her eyes at his understatement.

“In fact,” added Simon, as his head gave a particularly painful throb, “I think I’m going to go lie down.”

“Can’t you take something, for the pain?” Kaylee asked, her eyes wide.

Jayne snorted. “That’s it, drug yourself up to the eyeballs for one itty bitty headache.”

Simon closed his eyes for a moment, and then stood. “I’ll be fine,” he told Kaylee, barely meeting her eyes, and walked unsteadily from the room, the entire crew watching him as he went.

Day Three

The knock was soft and gentle, so Simon could immediately rule out Mal and Jayne, which was a relief. “Come in,” he grunted, his throat dry.

“Simon?” Kaylee whispered anxiously, poking her head round the door. “You still in bed?”

It was a pretty stupid question, but Simon didn’t have the energy to point that out as he extracted his head from the pillowcase. “Yes.”

Her face flooded with concern, and Simon was struck, as he was several times a day, by how adorable she was.

“Can I getcha anythin’?” she asked, moving towards him.

He shook his head, determined to remain tough at all costs. “I’m fine.”

She placed a cool hand against his forehead, and it felt like bliss.

“Honey, you’re burning up,” she murmured. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” he confirmed, revelling in her touch. “I just need to sleep.”

Day Six.

Simon wondered, when he woke, if he’d been visiting the cargo bay in his sleep to lift weights all night.

It didn’t seem likely, but then, if he hadn’t left his bunk in three days, as he’d suspected, then why was every muscle in his body aching with vengeance? And why didn’t he have the energy to move?

Muting a harsh cough so as not to further provoke his headache, he sat up shakily. This had gone far enough. Stumbling out of his bed, he left his bunk, chills wracking through his body despite the fever which still clutched at him. Miraculously, he made it to the infirmary in one piece.

He’d been rummaging clumsily through the drawers for a few minutes when a voice disturbed him.

“Simon?”

He turned too fast, and swayed a little on the spot. Strong but gentle hands guided him to the bed, and Zoe’s face swam before his face. “Simon?”

“I, er…” he coughed, and she patted his back gently untill it passed. “I needed medicine,” he finished lamely.

“You don’t say,” she deadpanned, turning to the drawer he had been looking through, and pulled out the nearest bottle. “This one?”

Simon peered at the label, and nodded.

“Let me,” she said, as he reached for it.

Minutes later, Simon was back in his bunk, satisfied that the medication now pumping through his veins would have him back on his feet in a day or two.

“You want me to leave this here?” Zoe asked, holding up the bottle.

“Please,” he said weakly.

“How much you need?” she asked, placing it beside his bed.

“Twice a day, for the next couple of days.”

She nodded. “Anything else you want?”

When there was no answer, she looked at him. He was already asleep.

Day Eight

“Doc. Doc?”

Simon scowled, not yet opening his eyes. If the captain insisted on visiting him in this state, he could at least have the decency to call him by his name.

“Simon?”

Feeling a little shocked, Simon prised one eye open. “Yes?”

“Wo de ma, you sound like a freight train derailed in your throat,” Mal said, “I came to ask how you was feelin’, but that seems a mite pointless.”

Simon smiled weakly, not sure how to respond. Talking hurt too much, anyway.

“You got everyone a little worried,” Mal continued, picking up the bottle of medicine thoughtfully. “Everyone ‘cept Jayne, that is,” he added as an after thought. He turned the bottle over in his hands. “Zoe said you said this would cure you in a couple of days.”

“It’s only been two days. I’ll be fine,” Simon muttered.

Mal cocked an eyebrow. “You think? ‘Cos it seems to me you’re getting worse, not better. You sure this is the right stuff?”

Simon took the bottle from him, studying it carefully.

“It’s the right stuff.”

Day Nine

“Hey,” she said softly, kneeling by his side. He smiled at the sound of her voice.

“Kaylee,” he said, for some reason finding it difficult to form the word.

“How you doin’?” she asked jovially. “Enjoyin’ your time off work?”

He smirked. “Completely.”

She shook her head, mock-reproachfully. “The things people will do to get out of toting boxes of band-aid’s.”

They both laughed softly.

“Kaylee, you don’t have to…” he frowned. What had he been trying to say? “You don’t have to… feel like you have to come see me every day.”

He blinked, wondering at his own awkward phrasing, but she didn’t seem to notice. Probably used to me talking nonsense around her, he considered.

“Don’t be silly,” she said. “You’s my friend. I worry ‘boutcha,”

He smiled at the admission. “Worry about you too.”

Kaylee blushed at that, laughing it off. “What’ve you got to worry about me for?”

Simon met her eyes, feeling his cheeks going red, despite the fact that the fever had left him. “I just worry.”

Day Eleven

Simon shivered, and Jayne dumped another blanket on his sleeping form.

“Yer gettin’ even skinnier than you was before,” the man said gruffly, keeping his distance. “Little runt.”

“You’re too kind,” Simon said ruefully.

“Ha ha.” Jayne retorted sarcastically. “Don’t think you can be usin’ my weights, when you finally drag your carcass outta bed.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Simon said. “Are you taking shifts, or something?”

“What?”

“I just can’t think of any other reason why you’d be ‘looking after me.’ And I use that term in its vaguest sense.”

Jayne shrugged, ignoring his question. “Not contagious, are you?”

“If I had been, someone else caught, would have … by now,” Simon said, stumbling over the words. What had he just said?

“Huh?” Jayne said, eloquent as always.

“Nothing,” Simon said dismissively. “I’m just…tired.”

And with that, he turned over, and waited for sleep to take him once more.

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PHASE ONE: Part Two