Doctor Bernard was puzzled. He had spent over forty years treating and diagnosing patients in hospitals as sophisticated as the ones on Ariel and rudimentary as ones on the rim. He had worked with every major piece of diagnostic equipment and could even, if necessary, whip up his own batches of vaccines for run-of-the-mill diseases. However, now he was puzzled.

The fact was, there was no reason he could find that this seemingly healthy 23 year old girl should be lying unconscious on the table before him. The young Doctor Tam, who obviously loved her more than his own life, was smarter than just about anyone Bernie had ever met. The fact that he had been unable to diagnose her did not bode well. And the fact that Bernie couldn’t either could almost be likened to a death sentence.

They had run blood tests and neural tests; they had checked every bone, every muscle, every synapse for clues. They had even run brain scans thinking that maybe something had just snapped – but there was quite literally nothing.

Sure, there was a slightly raised temperature and her heart was beating a little more quickly than normal, but her breathing was regular and she showed no outward signs of trauma. So why couldn’t she wake up?

The doctor was just getting ready to go over the test results again, when he heard the doors brush open. “I told you boy, you …”

“I’m sorry to interrupt you, doctor,” Inara told him, standing uncertainly in the doorway. “But I was hoping I could sit with Kaylee for a while.”

Blushing at his mistake, Doctor Bernard crossed the room to Inara and pulled her inside. “Of course, dear. I apologize for my outburst, I thought you might be the ardent Dr. Tam.”

Inara smiled at the description, as she took a seat next to Kaylee’s bed, taking a hold of her hand. “Yes, he is quite determined, especially when he sets his mind to something.” Inara gazed down at Kaylee’s peaceful face and thought of how determined the young mechanic could be as well. “He loves Kaylee very much,” she said wistfully, stroking Kaylee’s dark hair.

Doctor Bernard watched the two women for a moment and then bowed slightly. “I think I should leave you two ladies alone for a bit.”

Inara looked back to him, alarmed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disrupt your work. I can go.”

“No, no, child, not at all. Truth be told, I need some sleep. I imagine the young doctor will be back in a few hours and now that I’ve allowed him time to rest, he’ll be impossible to contend with. I had better get some rest of my own.”

“Will she be all right,” Inara asked quickly, gazing back to Kaylee. “Is there anything I should be watching for?”

“A change in her condition at this point would be a blessing,” Doctor Bernard told her. “If something changes, just press the button over here by the door, it rings directly to my quarters.”

Inara nodded once and the doctor was gone.

Turning back to look at Kaylee, Inara sighed heavily, unbidden tears springing to her eyes. “Oh Kaylee,” she whispered, inching her chair closer. “I could really use your advice right now,” she confided, squeezing her hand tightly. “You’ve got to wake up, sweetie. I mean, who else can I tell about Mal? I don’t know what to do,” she told her, her tears falling freely now. “I miss him and you and Serenity so much and things are different now, I guess,” she said, thinking back to her encounter with Mal a few hours ago. The two of them had left a lot of things unsaid and Inara wasn’t sure what any of it meant. Of course she knew what she wanted it to mean, but what was he thinking? It was too soon to tell.

“So, you see I really need you,” she told Kaylee, continuing to stroke her hair. She gazed at Kaylee for a few moments, and was disheartened when she didn’t see any change. “Come on Kaylee, you are the strongest person I know, you’ve got to wake up,” Inara ordered her, trying to put a steely resolve in her tone. It didn’t work.

Resting her head on Kaylee’s shoulder, Inara let her tears come again. She didn’t know what exactly she was crying about. It could be her unhappiness from the past three months or the fact that her best friend was dying or the fact that she was now hopelessly in love with a man who could probably never love her back. Truth was, Inara had never felt so lost and she needed someone, preferably Kaylee, to tell her everything would be all right.

A touch to her shoulder startled her. Sitting up quickly, she wiped her tears away and turned to face the other visitor. Why she was surprised to see Mal there she didn’t know. Of course he would come to see Kaylee; he loved the girl like a sister and her condition had him just as concerned as Inara.

“Mal I, I didn’t hear you come in,” Inara choked out, trying to take the sob out her voice. She rose quickly and turned away from Kaylee, facing Mal. “I should leave you two alone, to visit.” Inara wanted to get out of the room as quickly as possible. She seldom cried, but when she did, it was a long but cleansing process. She needed to release her emotions and she didn’t want to do it in front of Mal. Not when part of her sadness involved him.

She moved quickly, trying to pass by him, but he grabbed her arm. Choking back another sob, she froze as he said, “’Nara, please stay. I came to find you and I figured you’d be here.” He moved to stand in front of her and lifted her chin so her water-filled eyes were fixed on his face. “I’m worried about her too.”

Her chin started to tremble and Inara knew it was seconds before she would completely lose control. Sinking into his embrace, Inara said, “I just need her to wake up, Mal. She has to be okay.”

He held her tightly as she cried, stroking her hair. Resting his chin on her head, he could see Kaylee out of the corner of his eye. Truth was he felt the same way. He didn’t know what he’d do if the little spit-fire of a mechanic didn’t pull out of this. “I know,” he whispered, kissing her on the top of the head. “I know.”

***

River watched the captain and Inara through the door’s window and wondered what they were so worried about. Kaylee wasn’t in any pain and pretty soon, it wouldn’t matter anyway.

***

A half an hour later, Inara had calmed down and she and Mal sat side by side next to Kaylee, holding each other’s hands and one of the young girl’s. They didn’t speak, but instead tried to find the strength in each other to get through this ordeal. Mal had to admit it was comforting – more than he had expected.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to stifle a yawn, and he felt Inara’s gaze shift to look at him. “Why don’t you get some sleep,” she whispered. “You’re going to need to be alert tomorrow when Jayne starts complaining he wants to get off this rock.”

Mal smirked slightly at the thought; let Jayne start yapping, Mal could use a good excuse to kick some ass. “No, that’s all right,” he told her, squeezing her hand and turning to look in her direction. “I’m gonna stay –“

“Mal.” The look of alarm in Inara’s eyes sent his heart to his throat. “Mal, look,” Inara breathed letting go of his hand to point towards Kaylee.

Following her arm, he saw what had her so scared and inhaled sharply. In a matter of moments, Kaylee’s face and exposed arms had broken out in a vicious rash the color of purple grapes mixed with raspberries. In the same swift stroke, her breathing had also started to falter, causing a raspy sound to escape her lips as her chest struggled to lift up and down. The few instruments the doctors had hooked her up to started beeping in concern and Mal could see why. Something had gone drastically wrong.

“What in the –” Mal could barely get the curse out before Inara had rushed across the room and slapped the button the doctor had shown her earlier. “Doctor Bernard,” she yelled. “Hurry! Kaylee’s in trouble!”

***

Whether Simon had a six sense about these things or the timing had just been a coincidence, Mal would never know. Seconds after Inara called the older doctor, the boy came into the examine room looking a might better and a little more relaxed. The chorus of beeping and Mal and Inara’s panicked looks quickly took care of that.

“Out,” he ordered them both, pushing them towards the doorway as he rushed to Kaylee’s side. Picking up the stethoscope he’d left lying on the counter, he immediately checked her heart rate and his face blanched at what he heard. Looking to the frozen captain and companion, he yelled, “I said, out!”

Mal and Inara quickly left the room, standing on the other side of the door, and watched the scene inside concernedly through the small window.

All of Simon’s training had been to prepare him for moments like this, and thankfully, it didn’t fail him. Whatever was wrong with Kaylee she was having some sort of allergic reaction. Since she wasn’t on any medicine, except a saline solution to keep her hydrated, Simon quickly surmised that whatever had sent her into the coma was also causing the rash and heightened heart beat. This opened up a world of possibilities for diagnosing her and while Simon was heartened at the prospect, he knew if he didn’t tend to the matters at hand, she would soon go into cardiac arrest and then he and Doctor Bernard would have a whole new set of problems to deal with.

Grabbing the instruments he needed, Simon had injected her with the antihistamine by the time the older doctor arrived. Looking slightly disheveled, he was instantly alert as he joined Simon at Kaylee’s bedside. “Tell me what happened, son,” the other man ordered, checking her vitals and monitors as Simon continued to administer the anti-reaction drug.

“Her heart was racing at about 170 and it appears the rash showed up at about the same time. I given her 30ccs of the antihistamine and her heart rate is coming down. We should probably add the drug into her saline solution to get the rash down.”

The other doctor nodded at Simon’s assessment and treatment. “Agreed,” he told him, still studying Kaylee. “Well, that was close,” Doctor Bernard sighed as he realized the girl was out of immediate danger.

“I’ll say,” Simon told him, adjusting the IV. “How could you leave her alone like that,” he asked quietly, trying not to let his emotions get the better of him.

Bernard had been prepared for the boy to lash out. “I knew Inara would be here and I told her how to get a hold of me.”

“If the allergic reaction had been any more severe, Kaylee would have had a heart attack before you could have gotten here,” Simon bit out, circling the bed to stand inches from the other man’s face. “I trusted you to stay with her while I was asleep,” he told him. Backing away, he went back to check her monitors. “I won’t make that mistake again.”

“Look here Dr. Tam, you’re girlfriend is fine and if it weren’t for Inara she could very well be dead by now. I don’t think you have the kind of medicine you would have needed for that type of reaction aboard that tin can you fly around in.” Bernard let some of his anger escape. “You could show a little more appreciation for the kindness of friends like Inara and the kindness of strangers, like me.”

Simon was ashamed of his reaction, and the truth was he was more upset at himself than the doctor. He had slept longer than he’d intended and the thought that Kaylee might have died because of his laziness made him crazy with self-loathing. “I’m sorry, Doctor Bernard,” he said quietly, turning to face the other, and leaning against the counter behind him. “I have not behaved like myself the past few days and I apologize again for my rude behavior.”

“I’m sorry too, son, I should be more understanding of what you’re going through,” Bernard told him. “I lost my wife about five years ago. She was sick and I couldn’t fix it. I know what it’s like to watch a loved one slip away.”

Simon stiffened at his assessment. “I can imagine, but with all due respect, Kaylee is not going to die. In fact, I think this might give us a clue as to what’s wrong with her.”

Puzzled, Bernard asked, “How so?”

“She’s exhibiting signs, however delayed, of a severe allergic reaction. If that’s what’s causing her coma, then we should be able to isolate the allergen, develop an antidote and wake her up.” Simon let some of his hope creep into his voice. It was the first real lead they’d had.

Bernard started to catch on. “I see where you’re going with this, but where is this allergen,” he asked. “We’ve run every test and not seen anything odd in her system.”

Simon was bothered by that fact as well. Turning to face her, he saw with some relief that the rash was starting to go down. The color had already faded from a dark purple to a light blue – blue like …

“{Oh my god,}” Simon breathed, rushing to the nearest computer screen and pulling up a map of the system’s nearest planets. Finding Hera, he pulled up all the data he could on the planet’s plant and wildlife. “I don’t believe it,” Simon muttered.

“What is it, son? Did you find something?” The other doctor stepped behind Simon, glancing over his shoulder at the screen in front of him. He noticed a beautiful blue bud on the screen.

“The reason we can’t find the allergen is because it’s not in her blood,” Simon told him, turning to face the doctor. “It’s airborne. She breathed it in and that was all it took.”

Leaving Bernard to study the screen, Simon went to Kaylee’s side and squeezed her hand, “We found it, Kaylee,” Simon whispered, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “Just hang in there.”

***

“It was the flowers from Hera,” Simon explained. He had gathered the crew in the small lounge down the hall from Kaylee’s room to update them all on her condition. And now on the possible cure. “Most notably, the blue bud. It’s called a Hyressa and apparently its scent causes comas, while touching it can cause a rash, increased heart rate – in short, all the symptoms Kaylee’s been suffering.”

Everyone looked relieved – well, everyone except River, but she rarely if ever exhibited the same emotions of anyone else around her. Simon wasn’t concerned. But he was glad to see Mal crack his first true smile in over a week. “Well, doc, that’s great news,” he said jovially, slapping Simon firmly on the back. “When is she going to wake up?”

Glancing to his colleague, Simon shared a concerned like with the older man and then readdressed the crew. “It’s not that simple. We’ve tried synthesizing an antidote based on the makeup of the flower, but it hasn’t had any effect. We’re going to need to go back to Hera and get some in order to make a true cure.”

“Well, that’s not a problem,” Mal reported, looking to everyone in the room. “We’ll just take the ship and get some flowers, be back in a day.”

“You could, Mal, but even if I told you exactly how to get them without suffering the effects of the flower yourself, there is one little problem we’ve all been ignoring.” When no one arrived at Simon’s conclusion, he finished the thought. “Marcus. We blew out of Hera and barely left word for him. He’s an honorable man, and he will not take lightly to us neglecting to give him any kind of explanation for leaving him high and dry. As I remember, he was quite anxious to get that cargo off planet. I’m kind of surprised he hasn’t tracked us down.”

Mal’s face immediately settled into a determined state. “Look, doc, you let me worry about men like Marcus. You just worry about Kaylee and keep her healthy until we get back with the bud.” Turning to the room, he said, “Jayne, Zoe, you’re with me. River, I want you to stay here with the doc. I think I can pilot Serenity back and forth without a problem.”

River had studied everyone in the room as the conversation had progressed and now took her order from the captain with barely any recognition. As Jayne and Zoe stood to leave, she suddenly cocked her head to one side as though listening. Only Simon seemed to notice. He kept an intent eye on his sister, waiting for her to share whatever she was learning in her special way.

“You can’t,” she told them, her voice barely above a whisper. Everyone turned to study her. “Well, you could, but now you can’t. The ship has to stay here. Has to.”

Mal walked to stand in front of the young girl and took her gently by the shoulders. “What’s that, lil’ albatross? Why won’t the ship go?”

She turned her puddle-like eyes to the captian and told him, “Locked.”

At that moment a comlink sounded, startling them all. Sheepishly, Doctor Bernard took it out his pocket and muttered, “Sorry,” before flipping it on. “Yes, this is Bernard.”

“Bernie,” the voice on the other end spoke with a friendliness that seemed forced, but a tension that seemed genuine. “Bernie, it’s been a long time.”

Furrowing his brow in confusion, the doctor said, “Marshall, is that you?”

“Good man, I’m glad you remember after all these years. Look, Bernie I’m on my way to see you. Seems you’ve got a little bit of a rodent problem.” If the man knew others were listening it was hard to say, but the obvious code brought looks of frustration to both Zoe and Mal’s expressions.

The doctor seemed oblivious. “Marsh, look, I think you’ve been dipping into your old lady’s moonshine again,” he told him. “There’s no kind of –“

“I’m talking about criminals, you old fool,” the other man broke in harshly. “Two of ‘em, under your nose. If you hand them over, I won’t have to take you in, but if you try and protect them …” The other man trailed off content to let the threat be unspoken. “I’ll see you in ten.” The comlink went dead.

Spinning back to study River, Mal said, “When you say locked, you mean –“

“Can’t go.” River stated it matter-of-factly, as if she hadn’t understood or even heard the threat to her life not a minute before.

“We’re humped,” Jayne said gruffly, pulling his gun from its holster and cocking the chamber. “Time for a mad getaway.”