E-mail: browncoat_malcolm@gmail.com

Status: Completed 9/13/2008

Word Count: 2590 _____________________ "_Kao!_" Mal spat as he was thrown against the medical bed. He grabbed the edge to keep himself from falling to the floor, gasping as his injured ribs hit the frame. A muttered curse caused the guard, who had turned to leave, to turn back towards Mal. The guard sneered and moved to strike Mal with his weapon, but was stopped by the medic.

"You will _never_ strike a patient in my med lab, _dong ma?_" The medic said, keeping a firm grasp on the guard's wrist.

The guard didn't answer; he merely glared at the medic for a few seconds then yanked himself free and stormed out of the med lab. To Mal, it had looked as if the guard had been considering hitting the doc.

"My name is Andy," the medic said as he approached Mal and helped him onto the bed.

"Mal." He accepted the medics outstretched hand and shook it briefly.

"Nice to meet you. Now, I need you to lay back and relax. I have to run a few scans to make sure there's no internal damage."

Mal did as he was told and remained still and quiet as the medic ran his scans. He ran several small hand-held devices over the length of Mal's body then put him under a large full body scanner. He also took a few blood samples as well as doing a bit more poking and prying. He did his best not to cry out when the medic hit a few of the more sensitive along his ribcage. When he was done with that, he hooked up an IV.

"You're pretty dehydrated. This will help with that," he began as he inserted the needle. "You're also malnourished." The medic frowned. "When was the last time you had any kind of real food?"

Mal stared at the man blankly. *Was that a trick question?* He wondered. *Forget "real food", I can't remember the last time I ate, period.*

"Yeah, that's what I thought." The medic inserted another IV. At the questioning look on Mal's face, he said, "You have some minor congestion in your chest, as I said earlier. This is for the antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, and pain meds." Seeming to sense that Mal was about to protest, he added, "I know you're in pain, Mal. Not just from your ribs either. That burn under your shoulder is pretty bad. The others are relatively minor, but I'm sure they hurt too." The second IV in, he picked up a clipboard and marked a few things on it then hung it from the foot of the bed.

After putting salve on his burns and bandaging them, the medic called a nurse over to them. "Help Sergeant Reynolds sit up," he instructed the woman. She nodded and moved beside Mal. Putting one hand behind his back and the other on his shoulder, she helped him into a sitting position. "Put some of this on the open wounds on his back," the medic instructed.

The position was extremely uncomfortable, but Mal did his best not to move. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt much at all when the nurse touched the open lashes on his back. When she finished, she handed the salve back to the medic who put it onto a nearby tray. He then went about binding Mal's ribs while the nurse supported him. He couldn't hold back the wince that escaped him as the medic pulled the binding tight.

"This will help reduce the pain when you cough and breathe or move around by restricting your movement," he explained, "as well as protect the open wounds on your back. Keeping them covered will help prevent infection. My nurse," he said, pointing to a woman sitting at a desk at the far end of the med lab, "will be here all night if you need anything. I'm going to see about getting you some food."

As the medic turned to leave, Mal grabbed his forearm. "And Zoë," he said firmly.

"Zoë?" The medic looked puzzled then realized whom Mal must have been talking about. "You mean your angry looking female friend who refused to leave with the others?"

"Yeah," Mal replied with a smile that was part affection and gratitude and part annoyance. "That'd be her. Might bit stubborn that one is." There was also a touch of pride in his voice.

"She's a good friend. Yes, I'll see about getting her some food as well. Rest now."

"Zoë first." Mal said, his voice was beginning to slur and his eyes were drooping. "Take care of her."

"Okay, Zoë first."

Realizing that the doc must have slipped some sleeping meds into the IV along with the pain meds and antibiotics. Assured that the doc would take care of Zoë, Mal decided not to fight it. He hadn't had any proper sleep in almost as long as he'd been without food and he was very tired. He allowed the drugs to pull him into a dream-filled sleep.

x x x x x x x x x x x x

Zoë was pacing again. It was a lot easier this time around, being alone and all. While she was willing to trust the medic a bit, she was still concerned about the sergeant. Although it was nearly impossible to tell the passage of time in the dimly lit cell, she was sure it had been several hours at least since Mal had been taken away again. She stopped and looked at the cell door when she heard boots and voices approaching.

The medic and a young guard came up to the cell door. The guard was giving the medic a skeptical look as he pulled out the key. The guard turned his attention to Zoë. "Back up. Stand against the wall and keep your hands where I can see them," he instructed.

"Are you sure about this, doc?" The guard asked as he opened the door, being sure to keep an eye on Zoë. "She's a rough one. I heard how she killed Sergeant Hawthorn when you were down here a few days ago trying to help that sick prisoner. I really should stay in here with you."

The medic walked into the cell and stopped in the middle. "I am armed and quite capable of taking care of myself, corporal. I said leave us. Return to your desk, I'll call you when I'm through here."

The guard gave the medic one last uncertain look than locked the cell and walked away.

When the medic turned back towards her, Zoë noticed that the medic was carrying a covered tray. He smiled at her, obviously trying to put her at ease.

"Your friend thought you might like something to eat," he said as he removed the cover from the tray.

Zoë's jaw nearly dropped as she stared at the food. She hadn't seen that much food in a long while. Especially real food. Since they had been picked up from the Valley, they hadn't been fed much. When they were fed, it was usually just protein bars and water. Not being the easily trusting type, she covered her surprise well.

"What friend?" she asked, though she had an idea who it might have been.

"I think you know. He's concerned about you." He walked closer to Zoë, stopping only a foot from her. He held out the tray. "It's not much really, some meatloaf, potatoes, green beans, some bread, and a sliced apple." Balancing the tray on one hand, the medic reached into his pocket, pulled out a bottle and set it on the tray. "I'm sure you'd prefer something with a little kick to it, but I think milk would do you more good right now. "

"How is he? He was wet and ice cold when they brought him back. Had him away from us for several days at least, I'm guessing."

A dark look passed over the medics face then was gone as quickly as it had come. "As I'm sure you heard me tell the major, he does some congestion in his chest. I'll keep an eye on it to make sure he doesn't develop pneumonia. I'm also sure you are aware of his other injuries. They are, thankfully relatively minor. I've got him on antibiotics to make sure the one bad burn doesn't become infected." He paused then motioned the tray towards her. "Eat."

With some hesitation, she accepted the tray. Zoë slid down the wall into a sitting position and set the tray on her lap. "Thanks," she muttered around a mouth full of bread. She kept a wary eye on the medic as she ate. So far, he seemed to genuinely care about all people, but she would never be able to bring herself to ever fully trust an Alliance man.

Zoë was a little disconcerted with the way the medic watched her as she ate, but said nothing. As she finished, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle. He tossed it to her and she put down the milk to catch it.

"They're vitamins. You are almost as malnourished as your friend. Take one a day." She looked at the bottle then put them in her pocket.

"I'll try to get you some more food later," he said as she finished eating and he took the tray from her. She handed him the empty milk bottle. He accepted it then turned and called for the guard. The guard arrived after a minute and unlocked the door.

"Hey, doc," Zoë called out to the medic as he left the cell. "Thanks. I'm grateful."

The medic turned and smile then nodded once and left.

x x x x x x x x x x x x

Early the next morning Mal woke to find the medic standing by his bed checking one of the IVs. "Hey, doc. How's Zoë?"

"Call me Andy, and she's fine."

Mal looked at him skeptically. "I'm getting the impression we have to different ideas on what "fine" is."

"She is malnourished, as I'm sure you know, but she has no injuries other than a few minor bruises. I brought her some food last night and I'll bring her more later on this morning if I can, and I slipped her a bottle of vitamins, which should help. I'm afraid there isn't much more I can do for her. I'm lucky the major is allowing me to treat you here in the med lab. I did bring you some food last night, but by the time I returned you were sleeping peacefully and I didn't want to disturb you."

Mal nodded. He sat quietly for a few minutes thinking about what the doctor said, and the situation that he and Zoë now found themselves in. The medic broke the silence first.

"So," Andy asked him, "what's the story with you and the major? I know he doesn't feel any love loss for you Browncoats, but he's never treated anyone so badly before. He usually picks one "toy" and sticks with that. It's obvious that he tortured you. From the burn marks, I'd say he used the cattle prod. That's his favorite. Your back is proof that he brought out the whip for a wile. Then there's the alternating between turning the "interrogation room"", he said making quote marks in the air with his fingers, "excessively hot and freezing cold." At Mal's surprised look, he added, "Yeah, I've heard about that being done before and that you were pretty wet and cold when you were brought back to the cell with the other prisoners. It certainly explains the congestion and, in part, the dehydration."

Much as he liked the medic, he still didn't trust him completely. Deciding that he didn't have anything to lose anyway, Mal said, "Seems the Major has a personal vendetta against me. Apparently he was in charge at Serenity Valley, so he's not very happy with me that his people got their asses kicked. The _yu bun duh tah mah duh hwoon dahn_ is _boo-tai jung-tzahng-duh_. Blames me for him being a lousy commander and all." Mal winced as he shifted his position a bit. "I suppose he was using the war to try and boost his career and all and it ain't panning out that way. Seems the Alliance brass are not particularly happy with his performance there. I reckon being held off by a lowly sergeant and a handful of half starved and sleep deprived troops with very little in the way of weapons and ammo isn't what they call a good command quality. That about sums it up. Near as I can tell, anyways."

"Really." The medic said.

Defensively, Mal said, "Hey, doc, you asked."

The medic looked around the med lab and Mal got the impression he was making sure they were alone. "It's Andy, and I believe you Sergeant. I have seen first hand what a petty man the major can be."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Tell me, Doc . . . Andy, you seem like an okay kinda guy, what are you doing working for the Alliance? Why would you support a government that suppresses and murders anyone who doesn't bend to their will?"

As Andy glared at Mal, he new he'd struck a nerve with the doctor. *Well, think I pissed him off.*

Andy sighed heavily. "Things aren't always as they appear, Sergeant. I believe in a unified government. I believe the benefits of one are endless. I don't believe in a lot of the Alliance's methods, but not everyone is like the major. I've seen how many of the border planets are. No proper medical care, lawless. Many don't have any kind of school system. The core planets have the best medical facilities; our crime rates are nearly nonexistent. Every child gets a good education. I have three children. I want them to grow up in a world that is safe."

"Well, that's a real pretty fantasy there, Andy, but at what cost? How many people have to give up their freedom, their way of life? How many have to die for you and the Alliance to have your Utopia?"

The two sat in uncomfortable silence for several minutes, until Reginald came barging into the med lab. Mal tensed as the major stormed over to his bed. Forcing himself to relax and to appear nonchalant, he asked, "Hey, Reggie, how's it going? Miss me already did ya?"

Reginald glared at him briefly then turned his attention to the medic. "Well?"

"Well, what, Major? He's hardly been here for twelve hours. How much progress do you expect?"

Ignoring the sarcastic tone of the medic's question, Reginald said, "I expect you to earn your pay, Doctor."

"I am well aware of what my job is, Major, and _I_ do my job well."

Reginald's face turned a deep red. He was about to say something when a lieutenant came bursting into the med lab. "Sir. General Stark sent a wave, sir. He wants to speak to you immediately."

The man had the good sense to leave immediately after delivering his message. Reginald stood fuming for a few seconds then left.

The tension drained from Mal, and Andy as they watched him leave.

"I'd hate to be him right now," Andy remarked with a smile. "I'm going to see about getting you and your friend some food." He gave Mal a light tap on the shoulder then turned to leave.

"Hey, Andy," Mal called out to the medic as he reached the door. When he turned around, Mal continued. "You're not so bad for a purple belly."

Andy laughed. "Yeah? Well, you're not so bad yourself."

TBC

Kao! = Fuck!

dong ma = understand

yu bun duh = stupid

tah mah duh hwoon dahn = Mother humping son of a bitch

boo-tai jung-tzahng-duh = not entirely sane