Ish good news, I's swear - Ending
“You didn’t hurt Simon too badly, did you?” River asked, glancing at her brother who was holding his head in his hands and being helped up by Kaylee.
“Nah. Think I only got in one or two shots afore the brawl started.” Jayne looked around surveying the damage. They had really wrecked the place. His eyes returned to River. “Help an old man up darlin’?”
River took a hold of one hand and tugged, pulling Jayne into a sitting position. After a few false starts and several grunts, he managed to pull himself into an upright position using both River and an overturned table as handholds.
Mal was on his feet but clutching a hand to his side. There weren’t no blood, so Jayne figured maybe it was a couple of bruised ribs. The Captain was sporting one hell of a shiner and a fat lip. The Doc was being supported by Kaylee and was holding the back of his head, and showing off a nice multicolour bruise on the side of his face. Jayne almost smiled, but it hurt a mite too much. Served the Doc right for hittin’ on him in the first place.
At least he was smiling until River hit him up the back side of his head. “Ow! What the gorram was that for?” he growled to his fiancé.
“Don’t wish ill of the injured.”
“So whadaya call it when you hit this injured man over the head?”
She immediately turned a bright smile on him and his anger receded, little witch had no doubt learnt that trick off a Kaylee.
“I’ll kiss it better,” she offered.
Jayne immediately stiffened at the thought. “That a fact, is it.”
Her grin widened and she nodded.
“That’s the case, then I think I gotta nother injury for ya to look at. A bit further south.” Jayne leered.
River’s eyes widened and she grabbed his hand, intent on pulling him back to the ship.
“Hold it right there!” Mal warned, wincing at the loudness of his voice. The pair froze in their tracks. “Afore ya go prancing off to God knows where, we all gotta have a talk about this.”
“Whys it we always gotta talk about e’rything on this gorram ship,” Jayne muttered under his breath.
“Jayne! Got something to say?” Mal asked, using his ‘not another word outta you’ tone.
“No Mal.” He was too gorram tired and sore for an argument this early in the morning. River ran a hand up and down his arm in sympathy, causing Jayne to smile down at her. She was one thing he was never gonna get tired of seein’ this early in the morning, and that was something he got to enjoy for the rest of his life.
Mal watched the byplay with an expression of slight disgust on his face, nowhere near as bad as the doc’s, but that weren’t something ya wanted to be seein’ after a hard night’s drinking. “Zoe?” He turned to look at his dependable first mate who had been dealing with the owner of this little establishment.
“It’s taken care of sir,” she said, leading the way out of the bar. The others followed at a slower pace, each of the women helping their afflicted man.
River was tucked under Jayne’s shoulder, trying not to be pushed into the dirt with each step the pair took. She knew last night had been difficult for him, telling her brother and the man she thought of as a father figure, that he was marrying their baby, and that they would soon be having babies of their own was enough to make any man drink. Still it was his own fault for getting so hammered that he couldn’t make it back to the boat.
Which is probably why she growled at him. “Drinking to excess will be forbidden once the stork brings the baby.” Causing Simon to come to an abrupt halt, his mouth hanging open and gaping at the pair.
“Baby?”
The End