(no subject)
Title: You Live and You Burn
Author: damn_hero_zoe
Rating: PG-13 (for blood and mild language)
Prompt: (cause it helps me to have one) Fire
Word Count: 3,043
A/N: This is Post-Series, so everyone is there, but there are no specific episode spoilers.
Thanks to
stormkpr for the beta. :) and many, many thanks to
seguchiquatre for the assistance in writing. :*
For Mel (
sk850)… I hope you enjoy… :)
Title comes from “Burn (Alleged Remix)” by Alkaline Trio:
"Everyone learns faster on fire
Things took a turn, lost all desire
You live and you burn
You live and you burn "
Zoë entered the cargo bay, ready to go. Mal's arm still hung in its sling and he was grumbling again.
"We'll be fine, sir. Just picking up the cargo." She was waiting for Wash, the mule already prepped. Mal muttered something under his breath.
Wash hopped down the stairs and smirked. "Nothing to this job, Mal. Everything’s shiny." He jumped on the mule and turned it on.
Zoë climbed on the back and snaked her arms around her husband's waist. "We'll be back soon." She offered him a smile.
"Ready, baby?" she asked Wash, resting her chin on his shoulder for a moment.
"’Course." He took off from Serenity and down the path. It was dark out and the woods were quiet but this was the only time of night to be getting cargo like this. The Alliance wouldn't like them carting around meds in broad daylight -- or at all for that matter.
She snuggled close and kept an eye out for trouble. She wasn't expecting any, but it didn't hurt to be prepared.
There was the little house. Only not really little. More like an abandoned mansion. Wash jumped off the Mule and looked around. "Now what?"
She climbed off. "The cargo is supposed to be in the back." She slowly made her way around the house, towards where the kitchen was.
The door was locked, so Wash had to break the window to get in. He opened the door and looked around, sighing. The place was so huge; it might take them hours to find what they needed. The floor boards creaked as they walked and the whole house made Zoë shutter.
Zoë led him through the kitchen to a large room, probably was once the dining room. "There's supposed to be a hidden storage compartment in the floor." She knelt down, searching for it. There were no widows in this room, which seemed odd to Zoë but she pushed it to the back of her mind and looked around the dust-covered floor.
He kept his guard, looking around. He thought he'd heard a cracking, but that could have been the floor giving way under their feet.
She noticed some of the floor boards didn't look as dusty. She pried them up and found the cargo, three boxes of medicine. She wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. She looked up and smiled at Wash. "Got 'em."
He wasn't looking. Something had caught his attention, the brightness of the room and the heat had grown in the short time they'd been there. He walked to the door and put his hand against the knob and pulled it back.
She noticed it, too. She saw him recoil from the door. ‘Damn. It was a trap.’ "It's hot, isn't it?" she said. "Shit." There was one other door and she stood to check it. It was hot, too. Trendles of smoke found their way in under the door.
Wash had his back to the door when there was an explosion. The door slammed into him and fire took over the room, licking at the ceiling. He hit the floor hard, breath catching in his throat. The room was filling with smoke fast.
Zoë rushed over to him, panicing. "Baby, you okay?" Cargo be damned, they needed to get out of there alive.
He got up quickly, but the room was filled with flames and smoke. "No time to check." He looked around the room for any sign of a safe escape, but he couldn't see one.
The fire was spreading quickly in the old house, eating up everything in its path. Zoë frantically searched for a way out. The fire seemed to have started in the kitchen, probably a booby trap. They had to go the other way.
"Come on." She headed for the other door and pulled her jacket sleeve down to cover her palm. She flattened herself against the wall and motioned for Wash to do the same. "You ready to run, bao bei?"
He nodded and leaned against the way beside her. Taking her hand, he squeezed it, waiting for her to make the next move.
She held his hand tight and opened the door, the heat blasting into the room. She poked her head and saw that the flames were eating away at the wall they were leaning against, but they could make it to the wall of windows on the other side.
"NOW!" She pulled him towards those windows.
He pulled her with him and ran pulling her close and flying through them and out onto the lawn, rolling. The house fell into itself moments later, fire still going strong. Wash was laying over Zoë, coughing slightly.
She hit the flame on his shoulder, beating it out. She was panting and made no move to get up yet. She looked up at him. "You okay?" she coughed.
There was glass in his hair and all over the ground around them. He looked up at the house and then to her. He had cuts all over, scorched a little. He sat up and nodded, offering her a hand. She accepted it and hugged him tight.
He hugged her back and closed his eyes, squeezing her a little. He rested his head on her shoulder and stayed that way for a little while.
"I love you." She closed her eyes, grateful they were both alive.
"Love you too...but we need to get out of here...” He stood up quickly, the stain on his Hawaiian shirt soaking his side quickly. "Come on. We need to get back to the ship."
She kissed him quickly. "Let's go." She hoped the mule was still intact.
Maybe it was adrenaline, but he didn't seem to notice the pain of the bleeding. He just knew they needed to get out of there. The mule was still there and in tact. He helped her on and got on, taking off as fast as it would go.
She wrapped her arms around him and felt something sticky. She pulled on arm back and saw it was covered in blood.
"Bao bei, you're bleeding!" She kissed his cheek and lifted his shirt. A piece of glass must have caused that gash. She could fix it once they were back on the ship, but it needed to be taken care of as soon as possible.
"What..?" He looked down and shook his head. "I'm fine." He looked back at the smoldering rubble as it moved farther away.
"Just keep driving, honey." She knew the adrenaline would wear off soon.
He nodded until the mule slowed down. They weren't even half way there. What was going on? And then it stopped. The fuel was empty. Wash cursed and leaned forward on the steering wheel.
"Aiya." They didn't need this. She climbed off. "Come on, baby, leave it. We've gotta go."
"Yeah," he sighed and climbed down, taking her hand. They were walking. "You all right?" She looked a bit scratched and scorched too.
"I'm fine. Just worried about you." She kissed his cheek.
He shook his head and walked with her. "Nothin' to worry about. Just need to take our time." He was slowing down now. "We needed to get out of there. They used to make windows out of glass. GLASS! It's for ships, not houses...”
"Baby, don't slow down now. We're almost there." She put one arm around his back, urging him forward.
"I'm not...slow... slowing..." He stopped and fell back against her. His knees gave out and he hit the ground, holding his side. "Gorramit...”
"Shit!" She held him against her. "Wash, look at me." His eyes were starting to dilate. He was going into shock. She started to unbutton his shirt.
He looked at her, just wanting to lie back, but he was still sitting on his knees. "It's not that bad... I... it can't be that bad...” He rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes.
"Don't you dare close your eyes on me, Wash!" She pulled the shirt off him and lifted his well-worn undershirt. She swore. It was worse than she thought and she could barely see it. It was oozing blood all over her hands. She couldn’t tell how deep it was, but it was about as long as her hand. She rolled his shirt into a log and tied it tight around the wound. "Baby, you gotta stand."
He heard it, but he didn't really understand it. "Stand...right.." He opened his eyes again and pushed himself off the ground. He leaned against her again, but his knees gave out and he fell flat on his back, wincing. There was the pain. That could have stayed away, he thought to himself, but his thoughts came out as a yell.
"Wash!" She helped him to his feet and held him up. "Come on, honey, one step at a time."
"Zoë...Zo' I can't." He leaned against her with all his weight and closed his eyes again. He didn't want to be this weak, or give up this easily, but he really just didn't have it in him.
She kissed him deeply. "You've got to, baby, for me."
He opened his eyes again and looked out. No sign of the ship, he was feeling pretty low and her face was getting blotchy. Blurred. "One... at a time." He nodded and held her tight, taking little baby steps.
"That's right, baby. One at a time." She supported him and moved slowly with him. It felt like it was taking forever. She was panicing, desperately trying to stay calm. She didn’t know if there were people around, ones that had set the trap. Part of her didn’t care. Her only goal was to get Wash back to the ship so Simon could fix him.
He stopped a lot and he knew it was taking time. They hadn't moved that fair. "Baby... we gotta stop.." He clenched his eyes and put a hand on his side. It was sticky again. Blood was seeping through.
"We can't, baby, please." She tried not to look at the blood. Then she heard it, a gruff voice. She looked and Jayne was walking out from the trees. ‘Thank god,’ she thought. He ambled over.
Wash saw a blur that was Jayne. And that was that. He fell again, hitting the ground hard. He brought her with him, whispering how sorry he was.
"Oh, god, Wash, please. You can't fall asleep on me!" Jayne helped them up and picked Wash up.
"Careful of his side!"
He looked at her. "Man's gorram heavy, Zo'."
She gave him a look. "Hurry!"
Jayne ran to the ship, but River was going crazy in the infirmary, hurling things about. Wasn’t the place for an injured man. "Your bunk? I'll bring the doc after."
"Okay. Here, prop him up against me and climbed down." She held her hands out to him and he placed Wash on his feet. Her arms were tight around him. "You're gonna be okay, bao bei."
Jayne went down their bunk and called up to lead him down. Wash leaned against her, doing his best to stay on his feet. "Simon needs to look at you too," he whispered.
"After he looks at you, baby." She kissed his cheek and helped him down the ladder.
Jayne caught him and laid him on their bed. In the right light, the damage was brought into full affect. Zoë looked scratched and bruised as well. "What the hell happened?!" But he asked on the run to get Simon. Wash laid there, eyes closed, taking deep, calming breaths.
"Oh, baby." She brushed the hair away from his face. "Simon'll fix you."
He looked at her and clenched his side. He undid the knot on the shirt, soaked now. "T...Towel baby..." He pointed to the chair where there were a few towels.
She turned and grabbed one. She pulled the shirt off carefully, tears springing to her eyes at the sight of the blood and the wound. The gash looked deep. She pressed the towel on it, applying as much pressure as she could. The tears slipped silently down her face as she prayed.
He opened his eyes again and placed his hand on hers. "Don't cry.." he whispered. "Tears ain't gonna heal me." He smiled at her and looked to the ladder where Simon was climbing down.
"Wish to god they would." She moved and let Simon work.
Simon didn't like the sight of the wound, but he cleaned it and sewed it up. The stitching took a long time, but he wanted to make sure he was closed up. Wash faded in and out, staring at nothing and then answer simple questions Simon asked him to keep him awake.
Mal came down and looked at them all. "Easy job?! What happened?" He sounded mad, but he was really worried.
Zoë had wrapped her arms around herself, staring at Wash's face while Simon worked, clearly in shock herself. She looked up at Mal. "It was a trap."
Simon finished and cleaned the area again. "A large piece of glass tore his side open."
Mal looked at Zoë. "Glass?"
Wash swallowed. "Fire... had to get out of the house."
"Wash," Simon placed a hand on his chest. "You need to rest now.."
"Zo'… needs to be checked out.."
"Wash, shh." She looked at Mal. "There was a fire, probably triggered when we went through the kitchen. Almost didn't make it. Couldn't get the cargo either."
"He lost a lot of blood. And the shock on his body. But he should be. He just needs to rest a few days. Wouldn't be surprised if he slept for that long."
She rolled up her sleeve. "He need blood?"
He shook his head. "Actually better not to. Not now anyways. His veins have been drained. Fragile. He could clot of bleed internally. We should wait a while for that."
"Okay." She sat down on the chair. The adrenaline was gone and she took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself. He was going to be okay. He was going to be okay.
"You need to rest too." Simon checked her out and patched her up. "Let him sleep." She nodded. He left and took Mal with him. Wash was sleeping. Which Simon said was a good thing. So it was best to leave him sleeping.
She stood up and started pacing the room. She couldn't believe this had happened. It was supposed to be a simple job.
Mal popped down again a few minutes later. "Zoë? Ya' need ta' rest."
She looked up at him. "Right. You try resting when your husband has lost blood." She was snappy and she felt badly about it.
"I don't plan on havin' no husband. But I got a family and I know I'm worried too. But the doc knows what he's talkin' about." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't make me order you.."
"Fine." She pulled off her boots and lay gently on her side of the bed, watching Wash sleep.
Mal nodded and left the room. Wash slept through the night and into the afternoon, never stirring.
Zoë dozed and always woke with a start, imagining she heard him move.
Kaylee came down with food for them. "Zoë? You all right?"
She sat up, careful not to disturb Wash. "I'll be better when he wakes up." She looked at Kaylee. "Thanks."
Kaylee smiled and sat on the end of the bed, placing the tray down. She stared at Wash. "He looks all peaceful," she said hopefully.
"I know." She still looked worried. "Still, I want him to wake up."
"’Course!" She handed her a cup of tea. "He will when he's ready. Gettin' better now."
She held the tea, looking at his face. "He looks so pale."
"He didn't get enough sun anyways." She was trying to make Zoë smile.
“I guess.”
"So... the house, just caught fire? How old a house? Has glass windows.."
"Yeah. There was dust every where. Dunno how old it was. People who built it must have been rich."
"Rich is overrated." She sighed and looked at Wash again. "Zo!" His hand was rubbing his eyes.
She saw that and placed her hand gently on his arm, waiting to see if he'd wake up fully.
He pulled his hand away from his eyes and looked at her, sleepy. "Mornin'?" ‘Thank god,’ she thought as she relaxed, tears in her eyes. He was okay.
Kaylee smiled. "Think ya' missed it."
Zoë handed the mug back to Kaylee and leaned down to kiss him. "I love you, Wash, so very much."
He smiled against her lips and sighed slowly. "Love you too." Kaylee pulled her knees to her chin and watched them happily. "I miss dinner?"
"And breakfast too. But Kaylee brought lunch." She nuzzled his nose. "I'm just glad you're alright. I was so worried, baby.”
"Just tired." He smiled and looked up at Kaylee, giving her a smile.
She kissed him again, more softly this time. "Hungry?"
Kaylee excused herself, leaving them alone. He shook his head. "Naw… just tired." He smiled at her and took her hand. "You all right?"
"Better now." She smiled and squeezed his hand gently.
He rolled his head on the pillow to face her and continued to smile. He then lifted the blankets back and looked at his side. "That's a mess, huh?"
"A little." She pulled the blankets back over him and lay her head next to his, noses touching. "I'm just glad you're awake." She brushed her knuckles softly against his cheek.
"You know I like sleepin'," he smirked. He closed his eyes again and sighed.
She laughed softly. "Yes you do."
He sighed again and kissed her nose. "Bed time?"
"Yes, dear. Simon said to rest."
He nodded and nuzzled his pillow. He opened his eyes. "We got work to do though, don't we?"
"Not now. Our only job is to rest." She set the tray Kaylee brought down on the floor and curled up next to him.
"Sounds good," he whispered and slowly passed out again.
She kissed him softly. "Love you." She nestled in and passed out too.
Author: damn_hero_zoe
Rating: PG-13 (for blood and mild language)
Prompt: (cause it helps me to have one) Fire
Word Count: 3,043
A/N: This is Post-Series, so everyone is there, but there are no specific episode spoilers.
Thanks to
stormkpr for the beta. :) and many, many thanks to
seguchiquatre for the assistance in writing. :*
For Mel (
sk850)… I hope you enjoy… :)
Title comes from “Burn (Alleged Remix)” by Alkaline Trio:
"Everyone learns faster on fire
Things took a turn, lost all desire
You live and you burn
You live and you burn "
Zoë entered the cargo bay, ready to go. Mal's arm still hung in its sling and he was grumbling again.
"We'll be fine, sir. Just picking up the cargo." She was waiting for Wash, the mule already prepped. Mal muttered something under his breath.
Wash hopped down the stairs and smirked. "Nothing to this job, Mal. Everything’s shiny." He jumped on the mule and turned it on.
Zoë climbed on the back and snaked her arms around her husband's waist. "We'll be back soon." She offered him a smile.
"Ready, baby?" she asked Wash, resting her chin on his shoulder for a moment.
"’Course." He took off from Serenity and down the path. It was dark out and the woods were quiet but this was the only time of night to be getting cargo like this. The Alliance wouldn't like them carting around meds in broad daylight -- or at all for that matter.
She snuggled close and kept an eye out for trouble. She wasn't expecting any, but it didn't hurt to be prepared.
There was the little house. Only not really little. More like an abandoned mansion. Wash jumped off the Mule and looked around. "Now what?"
She climbed off. "The cargo is supposed to be in the back." She slowly made her way around the house, towards where the kitchen was.
The door was locked, so Wash had to break the window to get in. He opened the door and looked around, sighing. The place was so huge; it might take them hours to find what they needed. The floor boards creaked as they walked and the whole house made Zoë shutter.
Zoë led him through the kitchen to a large room, probably was once the dining room. "There's supposed to be a hidden storage compartment in the floor." She knelt down, searching for it. There were no widows in this room, which seemed odd to Zoë but she pushed it to the back of her mind and looked around the dust-covered floor.
He kept his guard, looking around. He thought he'd heard a cracking, but that could have been the floor giving way under their feet.
She noticed some of the floor boards didn't look as dusty. She pried them up and found the cargo, three boxes of medicine. She wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. She looked up and smiled at Wash. "Got 'em."
He wasn't looking. Something had caught his attention, the brightness of the room and the heat had grown in the short time they'd been there. He walked to the door and put his hand against the knob and pulled it back.
She noticed it, too. She saw him recoil from the door. ‘Damn. It was a trap.’ "It's hot, isn't it?" she said. "Shit." There was one other door and she stood to check it. It was hot, too. Trendles of smoke found their way in under the door.
Wash had his back to the door when there was an explosion. The door slammed into him and fire took over the room, licking at the ceiling. He hit the floor hard, breath catching in his throat. The room was filling with smoke fast.
Zoë rushed over to him, panicing. "Baby, you okay?" Cargo be damned, they needed to get out of there alive.
He got up quickly, but the room was filled with flames and smoke. "No time to check." He looked around the room for any sign of a safe escape, but he couldn't see one.
The fire was spreading quickly in the old house, eating up everything in its path. Zoë frantically searched for a way out. The fire seemed to have started in the kitchen, probably a booby trap. They had to go the other way.
"Come on." She headed for the other door and pulled her jacket sleeve down to cover her palm. She flattened herself against the wall and motioned for Wash to do the same. "You ready to run, bao bei?"
He nodded and leaned against the way beside her. Taking her hand, he squeezed it, waiting for her to make the next move.
She held his hand tight and opened the door, the heat blasting into the room. She poked her head and saw that the flames were eating away at the wall they were leaning against, but they could make it to the wall of windows on the other side.
"NOW!" She pulled him towards those windows.
He pulled her with him and ran pulling her close and flying through them and out onto the lawn, rolling. The house fell into itself moments later, fire still going strong. Wash was laying over Zoë, coughing slightly.
She hit the flame on his shoulder, beating it out. She was panting and made no move to get up yet. She looked up at him. "You okay?" she coughed.
There was glass in his hair and all over the ground around them. He looked up at the house and then to her. He had cuts all over, scorched a little. He sat up and nodded, offering her a hand. She accepted it and hugged him tight.
He hugged her back and closed his eyes, squeezing her a little. He rested his head on her shoulder and stayed that way for a little while.
"I love you." She closed her eyes, grateful they were both alive.
"Love you too...but we need to get out of here...” He stood up quickly, the stain on his Hawaiian shirt soaking his side quickly. "Come on. We need to get back to the ship."
She kissed him quickly. "Let's go." She hoped the mule was still intact.
Maybe it was adrenaline, but he didn't seem to notice the pain of the bleeding. He just knew they needed to get out of there. The mule was still there and in tact. He helped her on and got on, taking off as fast as it would go.
She wrapped her arms around him and felt something sticky. She pulled on arm back and saw it was covered in blood.
"Bao bei, you're bleeding!" She kissed his cheek and lifted his shirt. A piece of glass must have caused that gash. She could fix it once they were back on the ship, but it needed to be taken care of as soon as possible.
"What..?" He looked down and shook his head. "I'm fine." He looked back at the smoldering rubble as it moved farther away.
"Just keep driving, honey." She knew the adrenaline would wear off soon.
He nodded until the mule slowed down. They weren't even half way there. What was going on? And then it stopped. The fuel was empty. Wash cursed and leaned forward on the steering wheel.
"Aiya." They didn't need this. She climbed off. "Come on, baby, leave it. We've gotta go."
"Yeah," he sighed and climbed down, taking her hand. They were walking. "You all right?" She looked a bit scratched and scorched too.
"I'm fine. Just worried about you." She kissed his cheek.
He shook his head and walked with her. "Nothin' to worry about. Just need to take our time." He was slowing down now. "We needed to get out of there. They used to make windows out of glass. GLASS! It's for ships, not houses...”
"Baby, don't slow down now. We're almost there." She put one arm around his back, urging him forward.
"I'm not...slow... slowing..." He stopped and fell back against her. His knees gave out and he hit the ground, holding his side. "Gorramit...”
"Shit!" She held him against her. "Wash, look at me." His eyes were starting to dilate. He was going into shock. She started to unbutton his shirt.
He looked at her, just wanting to lie back, but he was still sitting on his knees. "It's not that bad... I... it can't be that bad...” He rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes.
"Don't you dare close your eyes on me, Wash!" She pulled the shirt off him and lifted his well-worn undershirt. She swore. It was worse than she thought and she could barely see it. It was oozing blood all over her hands. She couldn’t tell how deep it was, but it was about as long as her hand. She rolled his shirt into a log and tied it tight around the wound. "Baby, you gotta stand."
He heard it, but he didn't really understand it. "Stand...right.." He opened his eyes again and pushed himself off the ground. He leaned against her again, but his knees gave out and he fell flat on his back, wincing. There was the pain. That could have stayed away, he thought to himself, but his thoughts came out as a yell.
"Wash!" She helped him to his feet and held him up. "Come on, honey, one step at a time."
"Zoë...Zo' I can't." He leaned against her with all his weight and closed his eyes again. He didn't want to be this weak, or give up this easily, but he really just didn't have it in him.
She kissed him deeply. "You've got to, baby, for me."
He opened his eyes again and looked out. No sign of the ship, he was feeling pretty low and her face was getting blotchy. Blurred. "One... at a time." He nodded and held her tight, taking little baby steps.
"That's right, baby. One at a time." She supported him and moved slowly with him. It felt like it was taking forever. She was panicing, desperately trying to stay calm. She didn’t know if there were people around, ones that had set the trap. Part of her didn’t care. Her only goal was to get Wash back to the ship so Simon could fix him.
He stopped a lot and he knew it was taking time. They hadn't moved that fair. "Baby... we gotta stop.." He clenched his eyes and put a hand on his side. It was sticky again. Blood was seeping through.
"We can't, baby, please." She tried not to look at the blood. Then she heard it, a gruff voice. She looked and Jayne was walking out from the trees. ‘Thank god,’ she thought. He ambled over.
Wash saw a blur that was Jayne. And that was that. He fell again, hitting the ground hard. He brought her with him, whispering how sorry he was.
"Oh, god, Wash, please. You can't fall asleep on me!" Jayne helped them up and picked Wash up.
"Careful of his side!"
He looked at her. "Man's gorram heavy, Zo'."
She gave him a look. "Hurry!"
Jayne ran to the ship, but River was going crazy in the infirmary, hurling things about. Wasn’t the place for an injured man. "Your bunk? I'll bring the doc after."
"Okay. Here, prop him up against me and climbed down." She held her hands out to him and he placed Wash on his feet. Her arms were tight around him. "You're gonna be okay, bao bei."
Jayne went down their bunk and called up to lead him down. Wash leaned against her, doing his best to stay on his feet. "Simon needs to look at you too," he whispered.
"After he looks at you, baby." She kissed his cheek and helped him down the ladder.
Jayne caught him and laid him on their bed. In the right light, the damage was brought into full affect. Zoë looked scratched and bruised as well. "What the hell happened?!" But he asked on the run to get Simon. Wash laid there, eyes closed, taking deep, calming breaths.
"Oh, baby." She brushed the hair away from his face. "Simon'll fix you."
He looked at her and clenched his side. He undid the knot on the shirt, soaked now. "T...Towel baby..." He pointed to the chair where there were a few towels.
She turned and grabbed one. She pulled the shirt off carefully, tears springing to her eyes at the sight of the blood and the wound. The gash looked deep. She pressed the towel on it, applying as much pressure as she could. The tears slipped silently down her face as she prayed.
He opened his eyes again and placed his hand on hers. "Don't cry.." he whispered. "Tears ain't gonna heal me." He smiled at her and looked to the ladder where Simon was climbing down.
"Wish to god they would." She moved and let Simon work.
Simon didn't like the sight of the wound, but he cleaned it and sewed it up. The stitching took a long time, but he wanted to make sure he was closed up. Wash faded in and out, staring at nothing and then answer simple questions Simon asked him to keep him awake.
Mal came down and looked at them all. "Easy job?! What happened?" He sounded mad, but he was really worried.
Zoë had wrapped her arms around herself, staring at Wash's face while Simon worked, clearly in shock herself. She looked up at Mal. "It was a trap."
Simon finished and cleaned the area again. "A large piece of glass tore his side open."
Mal looked at Zoë. "Glass?"
Wash swallowed. "Fire... had to get out of the house."
"Wash," Simon placed a hand on his chest. "You need to rest now.."
"Zo'… needs to be checked out.."
"Wash, shh." She looked at Mal. "There was a fire, probably triggered when we went through the kitchen. Almost didn't make it. Couldn't get the cargo either."
"He lost a lot of blood. And the shock on his body. But he should be. He just needs to rest a few days. Wouldn't be surprised if he slept for that long."
She rolled up her sleeve. "He need blood?"
He shook his head. "Actually better not to. Not now anyways. His veins have been drained. Fragile. He could clot of bleed internally. We should wait a while for that."
"Okay." She sat down on the chair. The adrenaline was gone and she took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself. He was going to be okay. He was going to be okay.
"You need to rest too." Simon checked her out and patched her up. "Let him sleep." She nodded. He left and took Mal with him. Wash was sleeping. Which Simon said was a good thing. So it was best to leave him sleeping.
She stood up and started pacing the room. She couldn't believe this had happened. It was supposed to be a simple job.
Mal popped down again a few minutes later. "Zoë? Ya' need ta' rest."
She looked up at him. "Right. You try resting when your husband has lost blood." She was snappy and she felt badly about it.
"I don't plan on havin' no husband. But I got a family and I know I'm worried too. But the doc knows what he's talkin' about." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't make me order you.."
"Fine." She pulled off her boots and lay gently on her side of the bed, watching Wash sleep.
Mal nodded and left the room. Wash slept through the night and into the afternoon, never stirring.
Zoë dozed and always woke with a start, imagining she heard him move.
Kaylee came down with food for them. "Zoë? You all right?"
She sat up, careful not to disturb Wash. "I'll be better when he wakes up." She looked at Kaylee. "Thanks."
Kaylee smiled and sat on the end of the bed, placing the tray down. She stared at Wash. "He looks all peaceful," she said hopefully.
"I know." She still looked worried. "Still, I want him to wake up."
"’Course!" She handed her a cup of tea. "He will when he's ready. Gettin' better now."
She held the tea, looking at his face. "He looks so pale."
"He didn't get enough sun anyways." She was trying to make Zoë smile.
“I guess.”
"So... the house, just caught fire? How old a house? Has glass windows.."
"Yeah. There was dust every where. Dunno how old it was. People who built it must have been rich."
"Rich is overrated." She sighed and looked at Wash again. "Zo!" His hand was rubbing his eyes.
She saw that and placed her hand gently on his arm, waiting to see if he'd wake up fully.
He pulled his hand away from his eyes and looked at her, sleepy. "Mornin'?" ‘Thank god,’ she thought as she relaxed, tears in her eyes. He was okay.
Kaylee smiled. "Think ya' missed it."
Zoë handed the mug back to Kaylee and leaned down to kiss him. "I love you, Wash, so very much."
He smiled against her lips and sighed slowly. "Love you too." Kaylee pulled her knees to her chin and watched them happily. "I miss dinner?"
"And breakfast too. But Kaylee brought lunch." She nuzzled his nose. "I'm just glad you're alright. I was so worried, baby.”
"Just tired." He smiled and looked up at Kaylee, giving her a smile.
She kissed him again, more softly this time. "Hungry?"
Kaylee excused herself, leaving them alone. He shook his head. "Naw… just tired." He smiled at her and took her hand. "You all right?"
"Better now." She smiled and squeezed his hand gently.
He rolled his head on the pillow to face her and continued to smile. He then lifted the blankets back and looked at his side. "That's a mess, huh?"
"A little." She pulled the blankets back over him and lay her head next to his, noses touching. "I'm just glad you're awake." She brushed her knuckles softly against his cheek.
"You know I like sleepin'," he smirked. He closed his eyes again and sighed.
She laughed softly. "Yes you do."
He sighed again and kissed her nose. "Bed time?"
"Yes, dear. Simon said to rest."
He nodded and nuzzled his pillow. He opened his eyes. "We got work to do though, don't we?"
"Not now. Our only job is to rest." She set the tray Kaylee brought down on the floor and curled up next to him.
"Sounds good," he whispered and slowly passed out again.
She kissed him softly. "Love you." She nestled in and passed out too.