‘To River, to record your thoughts, dreams and curiosities.’

Love Simon

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River traced the scrolled penmanship of her brother’s writing in her new journal.

She felt a twinge of pain in her heart, but assumed it was the emotions.

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Kaylee rushed outside at the sound of gunfire.

The Tig brothers, Zoe and Colter all watched as the smoking guns made both shooters jerk from being hit. However it was Bailey Tig that dropped like a dead weight, the blood from his mortal chest wound oozing through his clothes and melting the ice into a bright red slush. His heart was pierced through and through, there was no surviving.

Simon remained standing.

Though his face paled and he dropped his gun, grasping at his the left side of his chest. He fell to his knees, struggling for air, the world out of focus around him as the blood pounded in his ears. Lifting his hand away, he gazed at it, at the warm red liquid staining his blurring hand.

“BAILEY!”

Out of rage, the Tig boys quickly aimed at Simon to finish him off.

“SIMON! NOOO!” Kaylee raced out.

Zoe shot one in the head, Colter the other in the stomach before their fingers could squeeze the trigger. William with his busted knee saw his fallen brothers and crambled for his gun, tears of grief, pain and vengence streaming down his face. However Zoe kicked his gun away and struck him across the side of the head with the stock of her shot gun.

“Simon! Simon!” The mechanic stooped next to him as he weaved on his knees, ready to fall to the ground. She caught him and stared at him absolutely terrified.

“Kaylee?” He wheezed, chest rattling and heaving in shock.

“I’m right here.” She told him as Zoe knelt down. “You’re, you’re gonna be ok. Just hang in there, we’ll fix ya up.”

Zoe took Kaylee’s hand and pressed it down on the gunshot wound. “You keep that there, staunch the bleeding…”

“He’s gonna be ok right?” Kaylee blurted tearfully, focusing on the blood seeping through her fingers, warm and smooth.

Zoe didn’t want to say the truth, which was Simon had a chest wound and there wasn’t another doctor for forty miles. “We’re gonna find him a doctor.” Looking up at Colter she began. “You gotta hovercraft somewhere?”

“Give me a few minutes.” Colter took off.

People began to cluster outside, wondering that had happened.

“Is… is he… I don’t.. want him near…Kaylee..” Simon drifted off, normally clear eyes turning dull and foggy.

“You won Sweetie.” She hushed him, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Just stay with me.” Remembering something she looked to Zoe. “Zoe Simon brought his med bag! It’s in the wagon!”

“I got it.” She jogged over to retrieve the medical supplies.

“Kaylee…” Simon swallowed thickly.

“It’s ok.” Her voice cracked for it was more of a reassurance for her than him.

His lungs began to wheeze. “Love you.”

“I love you to, and… this is nothing. We’ve seen worse.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “We’re gonna patch you up, you’ll be right as rain.”

“Got it.” Zoe raced back, nearly skidding on the ice before she knelt and ripped the bag open. Rifling through it, she grabbed a packet and ripped it open, taking the pair of scissors. “Kaylee, lift your hand.”

Simon’s head lolled over to her to see what she was doing.

Cutting his clothes away from the site, Zoe dumped the contents of the packet, bright yellow powder, into the gunshot wound.

Simon lost his breath, writhing in pain and grinding his teeth in agony. Finally the pain peaked and he lunged forward. “Ahhh!”

“Simon!” Kaylee caught him as he struggled and jerked. “What did you do to him?!”

“Field treatment, sterilizes and clots the blood.” Zoe huffed. “Simon, hang in there we’re gettin’ a mule and hauling you to Serenity, take you to the doctor.”

“Not… Alliance.” He struggled, eyes fluttering as his face was white with near death. His blood had turned the snow a brilliant shade of crimson as Zoe took off her coat and wrapped it around him.

She gazed up at the crowd. “I need blankets right now!” A few people took off to fetch what was needed.

Kaylee noticed something wetting through her pants and gently lifted him up.

Simon struggled to breath. “Chest… close… it up….”

Her eyes widened. “Zoe, his back’s bleedin’.”

Blue eyes, haze, out of focus, fought to keep from rolling back. “Seal… the holes…”

“Air’s gettin’ around his lungs.” Zoe explained, ducking into the medical bag to see if anything could be used, however there wasn’t anything. Stumbling to her feet and racing into the store, she knew improvisation was going to have to work. The doors burst open, and she frantically searched for something to seal the holes to keep the air out. Grabbing two mason jar lids out of a box she took the flat seals out of them, then grabbed a jar of rubber cement. Hurrying back out, she saw Simon was barely conscious, and a shade of blue grey as people helped wrap him in blankets and someone set a self heating thermal pack on his torso to keep his core warm. The Hovercraft pulled up, and with him bundled for warmth two men picked him up and set him in the covered truck bed.

“Get in!” Colter hollered over the rumble of his old truck.

Kaylee and Zoe jumped into the back, and were jerked to the side as the craft roared out of town. Kaylee immediately took back up her post as Zoe grabbed opened the jar of cement. “He needs oxygen.” The mechanic sniffled. “He can’t breath.”

“No point of givin’ him o2 if his lungs can’t take it.” She explained, spreading the cement around the rim of the flat piece of metal, then pressing it against his chest and over the hole.

Simon bared his teeth, as the pressure around the wound seared in pain. His breath caught in his throat, and he blurred in and out of consciousness. “Kaylee…”

“I’m right here.” She stroked out his hair. “Wo ren he difang buqu.”

“Once this sticks, we gotta roll him over and seal his back.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mal had come up with the plan on the way.

The slave was delivered to the Serra estate, and Mal gave Pace a few of his last spending bills along with directions, telling him to pick up some clothes on the lower level of the Auction House, then join them back at the estate. Cadoc paid begrudgingly for the slave, Mal signed the papers stating he was the rightful owner, and they went home, spending the time on the ride reading information on the coretex. His mind wracked over what had just occurred as well as what he had just done in reaction to it. There was only one Hershel Reynolds he knew of, the one he had been told had died before he was born, the one that was in the beat up picture he had found when he was ten, and he hid from his mother because she didn’t like to talk much about him

Inara hadn’t come back yet as he stepped out of the hover craft and walked straight for the slaves quarters. It was away from the main house, out near the stables and kennels. It was all well kept, though much lower class than the siheyuan and packed with slave families. Directed to the right dwelling, he stepped inside to the room and found his purchase eating conjee and boiled eggs.

He looked up, face cleaner as Hershel had dunked it in a trough, however he was in desperate need of a bath and shave. Hershel seemed in a better state though, for he had looked weak on stage. With a meal and water though, the older Reynolds seemed more alert. Skimming the frame that came into the room, he set his spoon down. “Hello, Malcolm.”

Mal stood there, crossing his arms, what he was about to say fled his mind, as emotions he rarely felt overcame him.

“Saw your name on the digi contract.” Hershel Reynolds wiped his mouth, pushed his chair back and looked up with wise eyes. “Never thought I’d lay eyes on you again.” He sighed, thoughtfully, warmly, with a faint well of emotion. “Last time I saw you, smaller than a flour sack you were.”

“Well. Obviously I wasn’t all that cute nor important.” His shock, wasn’t obvious in his features. The tone of his words low and sharp. “I was always told you died before I came along, stampede and all.”

The older Reynolds stood, though he was aged and thin from Molehill, he was tall and kept presence. He took a deep breath and gazed at his solemn son. “She’s a world nicer then me, I would have told the whole hairy truth.”

“Well she was.” He agreed.

Hershel was confused. “Come again?”

“Died seven years back.” The tight announcement made him shift his own weight.

He rubbed the back of his neck, head bowed, brows knit and mouth frowning. “I’m sorry, Son.”

“No need. Never had your sympathy before and don’t need it now.”

Hershel squinted, as he felt some pain, but didn’t blame Malcolm. “Reckon you won’t accept an apology for me leaving now will you.”

“Don’t need one. I figure knowing you’re around and I got family in this ‘verse is enough for me and this lifetime.” Mal didn’t even blink.

“Sure you don’t wanna talk? There’s a lot of history between then and this moment right here.”

“Did the right thing, remembered my kin, sprang you, and that’s all the matters to me.” He answered back. “After we get you square, we part.”

The father could see the wounded heart his son carried. The wounds were old, but obviously he had put a fresh mark across the scars. “You sure you wanna do that? From what’s experienced kin is few and far in this galaxy. Your brothers Pace and Ezra would…”

“I got plenty of kin. And they don’t run out on their children.” He set his jaw.

“If you’d let me explain you might think differently.”

“Don’t need it, mind’s set.”

“Very well.” Hershel sighed. “So how does this pan out? The me ‘n bein’ freed part that is.”

“I gotta sign a few papers, doctor’s apparently gonna remove a chip they set in your chest cavity, then you can take yourself and board the transport you like.” Mal went to the door. “Pace will be back soon enough with clothes, wash and clean up.”

“You sure your aren’t interested in a logical explanation?”

"Certain."

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“Oxygen ain’t helpin’.” Kaylee whimpered as Simon’s breathing sounded raspy and shallow. He had shut his eyes a mile back, and hadn’t opened them since.

“Soon as we’re on Serenity we’ll take him to a hospital.” Zoe explained, for her skills as a doctor were crude, and she didn’t know anything beyond what she had just applied on their doctor. As she looked sideways, she could see Kaylee slowly falling apart, stitch by stitch. She remembered Wash, losing him, and knew what the mechanic as going through as Simon’s vitals slipped before their very eyes.

“There’s gotta…” She help back crying “There’s… there’s gotta be somethin’ else we can do.” Gazing up at Zoe, the first mate’s face said it all, there was nothing left in her knowledge. Slumping, she shook and sobbed. “Qingai Deshen，bu cai qu ta.” The words were hardly audible as she ran her fingers through his hair. “Bu cai qu ta.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mal’s lip twitched.

Whether it was a snarl or a word, it wasn’t known as the door opened and two young men came in. One was Pace, carrying a bag, and another was a slightly older, but still rather young looking man. Darker hair more similar to Hershel’s, same blue eyes and facial structure as his sibling. Pacey was back to more comfortable clothing than the outfit had been forced to wear to get into the auction; brown boots, canvas pants with suspenders and a faded salmon red thermal shirt with the sleeves rolled. While his apparent older brother was in a tan flight suit covered with patches that fell to his hips along with a heather grey tee that fit his young structure and an Alliance issued army jacket that had used to the black.

Hershel saw them and just stared, for it had been so long since he had last ruffled their hair and gone to war.

Mal watched as his brothers went over and embraced their father with a heart felt hug. How Hershel gripped them both at the same time, tears streaming down his cheeks. Ezra sniffled, grinning from ear to ear.

“I thought all of you…” Hershel swallowed thickly. “Word was they took a cutter missile to the valley.”

Pacey nodded his head, his eyes brimming with pain, for he had been nearby. “They uh… they did. I was in the city for supplies… but Mom… and the hands dad.. they.”

“Where was Ezra?” He turned to his son, eyeing him suspiciously, picking at the Alliance jacket in disgust. “And where the hell did you pick up this jacket?”

Ezra smirked a trademark Reynolds smirk as he looked down at his own coat. “I took it from the fed I shot. I…. I sorta left the ranch and went to flight school.”

“Air force?”

“Pirate. It pays better.” He wiped his eyes and composed himself.

Hershel smiled the way all proud fathers of the verse smiled, slight yet full of sincerity. “Well as my first birthday/Christmas present ta ya in eight years, we’re getting you a god damn brown coat.”

Ezra chuckled, nodding his head and he hugged his father again.

“I missed you boys.”

Mal folded his arms against his chest and watched like an angry child cast aside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the hovercraft pulled up to Serenity, where inside lay equipment that could save Simon Tam, Zoe checked his vitals as Kaylee was a crumpled mess of heartache next to her lover.

What she couldn’t feel frightened her.

He wasn’t breathing.

*** *** *** TRANSLATIONS/DEFINITIONS Wo ren he difang buqu: I'm not going anywhere Qingai Deshen，bu cai qu ta: Dear God, please don't take him Bu cai qu ta: please don't take him

****As always, the writer appreciates all comments whether they be positive, negative, or suggestions.**