OOI - Serenity

[naturaltalent]

Kaylee's in her little hammock in Serenity's engine room today, eating a protein bar and looking very thoughtful. Usually when she has free time, lately, she's hung out in the living area or the infirmary, wherever Simon was. But today...

Well, it's a lot to think about, the implications. And she likes to think alone in her favorite spot on the ship.

Comments

[mm-allfireburns.livejournal.com]

"If you're sure," he says, a little dubiously, smiling back at her. "It's just that quiet isn't a usual thing for you..."

[kaywinnitfrye.livejournal.com]

Kaylee shrugs a little, resting her head on Simon's chest and closing her eyes. She lays there for a moment, just feeling his chest rise and fall, hearing his heart beating faintly over the sounds of the engine.

"Simon?" she asks finally, softly.

[mm-allfireburns.livejournal.com]

He just lies there, resting his hand lightly on her back and playing with her hair with the other hand, comfortable to just be with her until she finally speaks.

"Hmm?"

[kaywinnitfrye.livejournal.com]

"I..." she stops and bites her lip. This is a lot harder to say, or ask, or... whatever than she expected.

She swallows hard. "I'm sort of... late."

[mm-allfireburns.livejournal.com]

If he were any other male, Simon might not realize exactly what she's talking about. But he's a doctor. So he knows exactly what she means, right away.

"How late?"

[kaywinnitfrye.livejournal.com]

She's not sure whether she loves that or hates that about him right now. Maybe both. She plays with the fabric of his shirt, absently. "'Bout three weeks. Little more, maybe."

[mm-allfireburns.livejournal.com]

He's trying not to slip into doctor mode right now, because that's just not appropriate to do with someone you're sleeping with. It's difficult, though.

"You could have told me earlier. Do you think you might be pregnant?" He's not sure how he feels about that. Doctor mode is safer after all.

[kaywinnitfrye.livejournal.com]

"Don't know," Kaylee says faintly, nervously. "But... I ain't been this late ever. Few days maybe, sometimes, but..."

[mm-allfireburns.livejournal.com]

"You should... um... I could do a blood test for you? I've got the equipment in the infirmary, it'll take maybe ten or fifteen minutes..."

[kaywinnitfrye.livejournal.com]

Kaylee nods mutely. Her throat's closed up a bit from nerves.

So many women do this and know the answer. Maybe it's a woman's intuition, but despite her age and her sexual activities, she's a girl. Woman's intuition just confuses her.

[mm-allfireburns.livejournal.com]

He kisses her forehead lightly, returning to playing with her hair. "Do you want to... do it now? It might be good to get it over with."

[kaywinnitfrye.livejournal.com]

"Hăo," she says softly. She'll need Simon to move before she can get out of the hammock.

[mm-allfireburns.livejournal.com]

Simon rolls out of the hammock, just as carefully as he got into it, and holds a hand out to her. Not like she needs the hand, but sometimes he feels the need to act like she does. It makes him feel better, if nothing else.

[kaywinnitfrye.livejournal.com]

Kaylee doesn't need the hand, no, but she likes it when he acts like she does. It makes her feel like a lady, like she's delicate, like she doesn't have grease on her face and knots in her hair but like she's got soft hands and fancy clothes and perfect hair. She likes that.

However, today it doesn't make her feel much better when she takes his hand and lets him help her out of the hammock.

[mm-allfireburns.livejournal.com]

Simon releases her hand gently as soon as she's out of the hammock and then leads the way out of the engine room, out into the hallway and to the stairs.

Mal passes by, giving Simon a suspicious look. Simon tries to ignore him, tries not to guess from Mal's look just what he thought Simon was doing with Kaylee in the engine room. Mal's the only one of the crew who still gives Simon looks like that - Zoe just acts amused, Jayne doesn't give a damn, Simon knows Kaylee talks to Inara about their sex life, and River is curious, albeit a bit too much for Simon's comfort.

[kaywinnitfrye.livejournal.com]

The smile Kaylee flashes at Mal should be enough to allay any suspicion of sex. It's a slightly nervous smile, uncertain, but slightly reassuring too. Things are fine.

When they get to the infirmary, she sits gingerly on the chair in the middle of the room. "So... whaddaya need to do?"

[mm-allfireburns.livejournal.com]

"I just need to draw blood... I got the equipment to run the tests when the Operative was fixing up the ship." Really, he'd all but bribed Mal to ask him for it. But you never knew what diseases the crew could pick up on whatever new planet they were visiting...

"It's really to test for sickness, mostly, but... pregnancy will show up too." As he speaks, he's finding a needle and a swab, his back turned to Kaylee.

[kaywinnitfrye.livejournal.com]

"Hăo," Kaylee bites her lip nervously. Tough girl she may be, but needles make her queasy. "This ain't gonna hurt much, right?"

[mm-allfireburns.livejournal.com]

"No, ài rén, it won't. I promise." He turns back to her, pushes up her sleeve lightly, and dabs at her arm with an alcohol swab.

While he's finding a vein, he asks gently, "Have you spoken to anyone about this? Inara?" And while she's hopefully distracted by his question, he slips the needle into her arm. She probably won't even notice.

[kaywinnitfrye.livejournal.com]

She'd been watching his hands, but she looks up to answer the question. "No. Wanted to be sure first, y'know? Anyway, it's our business first, right?"

She looks back down and notes with surprise that the needle's already in her arm. "How long'll it take?"

[mm-allfireburns.livejournal.com]

"I just wondered," he says with a faint smile. "I never know what you tell Inara."

It doesn't take long to draw blood, and then he withdraws the needle. "Ten minutes, fifteen at the most. It would be faster if the equipment were a little newer, but..."

Almost nothing on Serenity is new, except the engine parts Kaylee talks Mal into.

[kaywinnitfrye.livejournal.com]

And even those parts are few and far between. Before the Operative, the last new part they'd gotten was a good four months before Simon and River were on the ship.

"Well." She takes a deep breath and tries to smile. "Kinda unexpected, huh?"

[mm-allfireburns.livejournal.com]

Simon gives her a smile in response - weak, as smiles go, but he isn't exactly the most expressive person in the verse. "A bit, yes."

[kaywinnitfrye.livejournal.com]

"You ain't mad, are you?" she asks quietly, worried. That's her biggest fear.

[mm-allfireburns.livejournal.com]

"Mad? No, Kaylee, I..." He stares at her, mouth open. "Why would you think I'd be mad?"