FIC: Under His Skin
“You’re hurt.” The words left Simon’s mouth before he could even register them. All he could register was the fresh crimson blot on Mal’s shoulder- that and the fact that the captain was leaning heavily on Inara for support.
Badger stood up to confront the captain. It took all of Simon’s willpower not to shove the slimy little weasel out of the way so he could… tend to his patient.
“You get us a deal?” Badger asked.
“I got a deal. Now get off my ship,” Mal countered.
“T’sall very much for a lovely night then.” Badger whistled, calling his men off.
Inara hastily lowered Mal onto the cushy chair Badger had pulled out for his brief stay on Serenity. The crew immediately surrounded him. Simon knelt down immediately to examine the wound to the captain’s shoulder. Fortunately it was not very deep, but the doctor had a sneaking suspicion there was a much worse wound plaguing him.
“Are you badly hurt?” Book asked.
“Oh ho,” the captain nodded, allowing himself to feel the pain coursing through his body.
“We was just about to spring into action, Captain. Complicated escape and rescue op,” Jayne piped up, trying to sound important. Simon held back an eye roll.
“I was gonna watch. It was very exciting.” As always, Wash attempted to lighten the mood. Mal winced, presumably out of pain from his wounds, not from the inanity of his crew.
“Yes, quite exciting,” Simon’s mouth was dry. “I need to get you to the infirmary to patch you up.”
“Now?” Mal whined. “I just got here, and this here chair is oh so comfy.
“Can’t you just do it here?” Kaylee asked, worry etched on her face. “He’s in so much pain.”
Simon swallowed. He was well aware that the captain was in pain. “There’s not enough light, and” he reached across Mal’s chest, gently pushing back his vest with two fingers to reveal the large blood stain on the captain’s side, “this needs to be tended to immediately.”
“Aiya! [i]” Kaylee gasped, as he expected.
Simon placed his hand gently on Mal’s shoulder. “It’s not that far. I’ll help you.” He made sure to look the captain in the eye, letting him know he was safe in his care. Although Mal’s eyes were slightly glazed, Simon felt that the captain trusted him. He hoped he was right.
“As will I, son,” Shepherd Book flanked the captain with Simon. Together they aided him into the infirmary.
“Wash,” Mal ordered, “set a course for Jiangyin soon as the cargo arrives.”
“Aye, aye sir!” Wash gave a cheeky salute before sauntering off to the cockpit.
Simon and Book settled the captain onto the examination table.
“What can I do?” Book asked.
“Unbutton his shirt.” Simon prepped some supplies over by the counter. When he turned around, Mal’s well muscled chest was exposed. Simon felt the blood drain from his face.
“Here.” He handed Book a gauze pad soaked with antiseptic. “Clean that one up,” he indicated the wound to Mal’s shoulder. “I’ll get started on this one.”
“M’I gonna live, doc?” Mal smirked.
“Dahng ran. [ii]” Simon focused on the task at hand. Once he’d cleaned the wound on Mal’s side, he realized it wasn’t as big as the blood loss seemed to indicate. He quickly went to work putting stitches in.
He felt Mal’s eyes on him, even as Book engaged him in conversation. Simon was grateful to the shepherd for attempting to distract Mal from the pain, but he could hear the strain in the captain’s voice.
“Thank you, Shepherd,” he interrupted once he’d secured a bandage over the stitched wound. “I think the captain needs to rest now.”
“Of course. Is there anything else you need, lad?”
“No, I think I can handle it from here.”
Shepherd Book nodded to Simon. He then gently placed his hand on Mal’s shoulder. “You’re in good hands, Captain.”
Mal nodded drearily, while Simon rolled an I.V. over to the exam table. He rolled up Mal’s sleeve, rubbing the crook of his elbow with alcohol before poking the I.V. needle into his skin.
“This is a painkiller,” he explained calmly. “It will make you sleepy, but you need to rest anyway.” He moved around to the captain’s other side and carefully slid his shirt down his arm slightly.
Mal closed his eyes briefly, reveling in the feel of Simon’s smooth hands on his skin.
“Sorry,” Simon blushed, sure he’d just caused Mal more pain in that one motion.
“I seem to have ruined my pretty shirt.” Mal muttered, opening his eyes again.
“I didn’t know you even had dress clothes.” The doctor started to stitch up the captain’s shoulder.
“Well, we can’t all be as bright and shiny as you, doc, with your starched collar and pedigree good looks.”
Simon blushed. “Pedigree doesn’t seem to count for much on this ship.”
“It has its place. Like tonight. You’da fit in at that chui niu [iii] party better’n I did. I’m sure Kaylee’d’ve rather been on your arm than mine.”
Simon blanched. He liked Kaylee fine, but truth be told, she didn’t strike his fancy the way their dear captain did. “Zhen de ma? [iv]”
“Oh sure,” Mal slurred a bit. The drugs were starting to kick in. “You should have seen the look on Kaylee’s face when I showed her that froufrou dress. She was so darn happy,” he smirked, “she didn’t seem to mind bein’ out with an old man like me.”
“You’re not an old man,” the doctor spoke softly, finishing up the last stitch.
“No?” Mal’s drugged eyes struggled to focus on Simon. They seemed… hopeful?
Tzao-goa [v]. He wasn’t supposed to hear that. The doctor quickly bandaged Mal’s shoulder. “Rest now.”
“Cold.” Mal shuddered slightly.
Simon slid his shirt back up his shoulder and started buttoning it back up. It appeared Mal had slipped off into a slumber. As his fingers deftly worked their way up to the captain’s collar, strong hands gripped his face. Simon was glad no one was there to hear the squeak that emitted from his throat.
“Doc. Simon.” Mal was heavily drugged. It was amazing his eyes were even open. “Duo xie. [vi]”
“Mei wen ti. [vii] Really.”
Mal’s eyes rolled back into his head as his arms dropped back to his side.
Simon inhaled sharply. Their faces were barely inches apart. Slowly, he pulled himself back up, releasing the breath he’d been holding.
That had been a close one. Sure, the captain hadn’t really been in danger of dying, so long as someone had patched him up properly so he didn’t get an infection. Still, in the three months he’d been on Serenity, this was the first time he’d had to patch up Mal. The man seemed invincible; and yet here he was in the infirmary, blood soaking his garments. Simon did not like this. He didn’t generally like for anyone to come back from a job wounded, but something about the captain got under his skin. He did not like to see his captain broken and bleeding, no matter how many scars littered the man’s body proving he’d endured far worse, so this one should be no problem.
Simon moved to grab a blanket to cover Mal while he rested. When he turned, he nearly jumped out of his skin to see River standing there in the doorway. “Shengsheng de gaowan! [viii]”
River didn’t even flinch, her eyes boring into Mal. “Feels the same,” she stated.
Simon clutched at his chest, willing his heart to sink back down from his throat. “River, what are you talking about?”
River just rolled her eyes. “You are such a boob.” And with that she floated away.
“Heeya! Heeya!” a gruff masculine voice that could only belong to Jayne came from the cargo hold. Simon wandered over to the infirmary door after covering the captain with a blanket. What he saw there was Jayne and a few of the client’s hands corralling a herd of cattle into the cargo hold.
“That’s the cargo?!” The doctor’s sky blue eyes bulged out of his skull.
“You got a problem with that, pretty boy?” Jayne sneered.
“No. That’s just… great.” His beloved captain had gone and gotten himself stabbed over…cows. Malcolm Reynolds was going to be the death of him.
[i] Aiya! - Damn!
[ii] Dang ran. - Of course.
[iii] Chui niu - Bull crap
[iv] Zhen de ma? - Really? You think?
[v] Tzao-goa - Damn it.
[vi] Duo xie - Lots of thanks.
[vii] Mei wen ti - No problem.
[viii] Shengsheng de gaowan! - Holy testicle Tuesday!