simon_doctor (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
simon_doctor) wrote2009-08-05 10:57 pm
simon_doctor) wrote2009-08-05 10:57 pm
(no subject)
The night they find out the ship is going to be in dock on Praxed over a few days, including one particular day, they have a long and subdued conversation.
The day before they make planetfall, Kaylee has a few quiet words with Mal.
Serenity lands late morning, local time. They've each packed a small overnight bag, and Simon's found a good hotel not far from the docks.
They've got errands to run, but those will wait until tomorrow.
Kaylee's up before Simon is, and she's gone without a word in the morning.
The convenient thing is that she doesn't really have any contacts here -- just parts to buy at a decent price. She doesn't dress up and she doesn't smile when she walks in, so they try to charge her more; she haggles them down without any feeling, and the only reason it works is they'd rather make a sale than not.
She repeats this four times: walk in, inquire after part, haggle, pay, carry back to the ship, don't speak to anyone.
There's a stand where women are getting their nails done, and she can't even find it in her to be wistful.
She sees a family with two squabbling children and she wants to scream.
She puts her head down, and keeps walking.
Simon pays a visit to Valencia Hospital that morning. He'd much rather have put this off until the next day, but they agreed; get done what has to get done first.
He meets with Dr. Charbani, more to renew their acquaintance and catch up than because it's necessary. He tells him about the portable imager -- the older doctor has known of its existence, of course, but is delighted to hear that the mobile clinic now has one.
At one point in the conversation, Dr. Charbani asks him -- cautiously, politely -- if anything's wrong. No, he says with a smile, he's just a little tired, hasn't adjusted to local time yet.
They have time to exchange a few further pleasantries before Simon goes to pick up the supplies he came for. (And is paying well for; more than they're worth, even out here. This hospital deserves his support, and he can afford it.)
He takes the long way down from the office, to avoid passing near either Maternity or Pediatrics.
Serenity sounds pretty deserted. This suits Kaylee fine.
After she lugs everything in the cargo bay and secures it well enough so Mal won't get a little snippy later, she stands with her hands on her hips and looks at the staircase.
And thinks it might've been better all around if Lawrence the fed had managed to kill her after all, back at the beginning.
He can hear Wash and Naomi in the cargo bay when he returns, and waits silently until they've gone before he goes in to put things away in the clinic shuttle.
Under most circumstances he'd be happy to spend a few spare minutes talking to them.
Not today.
In the end, back at the hotel, they go to bed early and they don't talk about any of it.
I have nothing new to say about death.
The faster they pass out, the better: they make the day end.
The day before they make planetfall, Kaylee has a few quiet words with Mal.
Serenity lands late morning, local time. They've each packed a small overnight bag, and Simon's found a good hotel not far from the docks.
They've got errands to run, but those will wait until tomorrow.
Kaylee's up before Simon is, and she's gone without a word in the morning.
The convenient thing is that she doesn't really have any contacts here -- just parts to buy at a decent price. She doesn't dress up and she doesn't smile when she walks in, so they try to charge her more; she haggles them down without any feeling, and the only reason it works is they'd rather make a sale than not.
She repeats this four times: walk in, inquire after part, haggle, pay, carry back to the ship, don't speak to anyone.
There's a stand where women are getting their nails done, and she can't even find it in her to be wistful.
She sees a family with two squabbling children and she wants to scream.
She puts her head down, and keeps walking.
Simon pays a visit to Valencia Hospital that morning. He'd much rather have put this off until the next day, but they agreed; get done what has to get done first.
He meets with Dr. Charbani, more to renew their acquaintance and catch up than because it's necessary. He tells him about the portable imager -- the older doctor has known of its existence, of course, but is delighted to hear that the mobile clinic now has one.
At one point in the conversation, Dr. Charbani asks him -- cautiously, politely -- if anything's wrong. No, he says with a smile, he's just a little tired, hasn't adjusted to local time yet.
They have time to exchange a few further pleasantries before Simon goes to pick up the supplies he came for. (And is paying well for; more than they're worth, even out here. This hospital deserves his support, and he can afford it.)
He takes the long way down from the office, to avoid passing near either Maternity or Pediatrics.
Serenity sounds pretty deserted. This suits Kaylee fine.
After she lugs everything in the cargo bay and secures it well enough so Mal won't get a little snippy later, she stands with her hands on her hips and looks at the staircase.
And thinks it might've been better all around if Lawrence the fed had managed to kill her after all, back at the beginning.
He can hear Wash and Naomi in the cargo bay when he returns, and waits silently until they've gone before he goes in to put things away in the clinic shuttle.
Under most circumstances he'd be happy to spend a few spare minutes talking to them.
Not today.
In the end, back at the hotel, they go to bed early and they don't talk about any of it.
I have nothing new to say about death.
The faster they pass out, the better: they make the day end.