Radio Nowhere, Chapter 24
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firefly_fanfic
Title: Radio Nowhere
Author: Sarah-Beth (memorysdaughter)
Email: memorysdaughter@gmail.com
Summary: Fourteen years in the future, River takes a turn towards the more-crazy, leaving Serenity's crew to care for her daughter.
Series: Chapter 24
Rating: PG
Spoilers/Timeline: Post-BDM, except with two very important changes.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Never have been, never will be. The title comes from a Bruce Springsteen song.
Chapters 1-23
Radio Nowhere
“Rebecca?”
A shrill, chirpy voice jabbed into Beck’s dreams. She rolled her head towards the sound and tried to open her eyes. Her eyelids felt sticky, though, as if they had been coated with molasses or honey.
“Rebecca?”
A warm hand gently gripped Beck’s tiny wrist, and she tried to pull away. But her body was stuck in molasses, too.
“Celia, go and call Mr. Tam,” Beck heard Mother Tam order.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And tell him to hurry!”
Footsteps hurried away from Beck’s bed. A soft hand stroked Beck’s forehead.
Beck managed to force her eyes open. The world seemed fuzzy and distorted, and it swam around her like a badly-filmed Cortex movie.
“Oh, thank God,” Mother Tam cried. “Rebecca, keep your eyes open!”
Beck’s eyelids were heavy, though, and she let them droop a little. A tightness rose in her chest; she leaned her head back, trying to relieve it.
“Oh, God. Oh, God,” Mother Tam fretted.
Beck opened her eyes again, just in time to see Mother Tam grab for the suction tubing.
“Oh, God. Oh, God. Don’t you die on me,” Mother Tam pleaded under her breath. “My daughter… River would never forgive me if you died.”
It was the first time Beck had ever heard Mother Tam call River anything but “my daughter,” and it surprised her.
The suction surprised her, too, when Mother Tam dropped it down her trach, pulling up a glob of mucus and secretions. Mother Tam, she of the perfect clothing and neatly-coiffed hair and pointy-heeled shoes and makeup all over, had somehow learned how to properly suction a tracheotomy.
Mother Tam seemed to realize this, and smiled a little sheepishly at Beck. “Gabriel, he… when we were putting together the medical team, he asked them to teach me a little something. Just in case. I never thought I’d have to use it.”
Beck turned up the corners of her mouth slightly, which was as close to a smile as she felt like giving Mother Tam. The tightness in her chest had resolved, but now she was exhausted again. She closed her eyes, escaping from the fuzzy, too-bright world, just resting, just for a moment.
“We shouldn’t have let her go,” Simon said, resting his head in his hands. “This was a dumb plan.”
“This was yer plan!” Jayne reminded him.
“I know! That doesn’t make it any less ridiculous!”
“Listen, Doc, it may’ve been a fool plan,” Mal interrupted, “but it’s th’ plan we went with and it’s too late t’ go back an’ do it again. So we’re stuck with it. Now we go ‘n get Beck back.”
Simon took a deep breath and raised his head. “Yes. That’s what’s important.”
“They sent a ransom note,” Inara said.
“We ain’t gonna pay it,” Jayne said.
“Of course we ain’t gonna pay it,” Zoë said, as though Jayne was daft.
“Beck’s ours!” Kaylee said fiercely.
“Well, that,” Zoë admitted, “and… we ain’t got ‘nough t’ pay it even if we were in the mood fer payin’.”
“It’s nice bein’ poor,” Wash said poetically, a grin on his face.
“It’s crap bein’ poor,” Jayne retorted. “Some ladies like money, y’ know.”
“Anyway,” Mal interrupted.
“Why would they even ask for a ransom?” Wash asked. “They’ve got loads of money. Seems a little strange to me.”
“They prob’ly want somethin’ else,” Kaylee said.
“We ain’t got anythin’ else,” Jayne retorted, reaching for one of the bottles in the middle of the table. He pulled the top off and took a long swig. “Auggh! Who leaves tea in a wine bottle?”
Inara snatched the bottle. “That’s my tea!”
“Secrets!” Kaylee cried.
“Kaylee, it’s hardly a secret t’ keep tea in a wine bottle,” Wash said. “Although it is mighty questionable.”
“No, not the tea,” Kaylee said. “They want a secret, something River knows.”
“Aw, hell. We ain’t goin’ back t’ Miranda ‘gain, are we? ‘Cause they’re all still dead,” Jayne pointed out.
“No, not Miranda. Somethin’ else. Somethin’ that would benefit them.”
“I don’t think it’s something River knows,” Simon said slowly.
“Well, what else is it gonna be?” Kaylee asked, sounding a little testy.
“I think it’s something Beck knows.”
“Oh,” Kaylee said. “Ohh. That’s a good idea!”
“Ahh!” Jayne yelled, spitting tea onto the table. “Why are all th’ wine bottles filled with tea?”
“That one actually says ‘Tea’ on the side, Jayne,” Inara pointed out.
“Well, yeah, but… we goin’ t’ get th’ biter or not?”
Author: Sarah-Beth (memorysdaughter)
Email: memorysdaughter@gmail.com
Summary: Fourteen years in the future, River takes a turn towards the more-crazy, leaving Serenity's crew to care for her daughter.
Series: Chapter 24
Rating: PG
Spoilers/Timeline: Post-BDM, except with two very important changes.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Never have been, never will be. The title comes from a Bruce Springsteen song.
Chapters 1-23
Radio Nowhere
“Rebecca?”
A shrill, chirpy voice jabbed into Beck’s dreams. She rolled her head towards the sound and tried to open her eyes. Her eyelids felt sticky, though, as if they had been coated with molasses or honey.
“Rebecca?”
A warm hand gently gripped Beck’s tiny wrist, and she tried to pull away. But her body was stuck in molasses, too.
“Celia, go and call Mr. Tam,” Beck heard Mother Tam order.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And tell him to hurry!”
Footsteps hurried away from Beck’s bed. A soft hand stroked Beck’s forehead.
Beck managed to force her eyes open. The world seemed fuzzy and distorted, and it swam around her like a badly-filmed Cortex movie.
“Oh, thank God,” Mother Tam cried. “Rebecca, keep your eyes open!”
Beck’s eyelids were heavy, though, and she let them droop a little. A tightness rose in her chest; she leaned her head back, trying to relieve it.
“Oh, God. Oh, God,” Mother Tam fretted.
Beck opened her eyes again, just in time to see Mother Tam grab for the suction tubing.
“Oh, God. Oh, God. Don’t you die on me,” Mother Tam pleaded under her breath. “My daughter… River would never forgive me if you died.”
It was the first time Beck had ever heard Mother Tam call River anything but “my daughter,” and it surprised her.
The suction surprised her, too, when Mother Tam dropped it down her trach, pulling up a glob of mucus and secretions. Mother Tam, she of the perfect clothing and neatly-coiffed hair and pointy-heeled shoes and makeup all over, had somehow learned how to properly suction a tracheotomy.
Mother Tam seemed to realize this, and smiled a little sheepishly at Beck. “Gabriel, he… when we were putting together the medical team, he asked them to teach me a little something. Just in case. I never thought I’d have to use it.”
Beck turned up the corners of her mouth slightly, which was as close to a smile as she felt like giving Mother Tam. The tightness in her chest had resolved, but now she was exhausted again. She closed her eyes, escaping from the fuzzy, too-bright world, just resting, just for a moment.
“We shouldn’t have let her go,” Simon said, resting his head in his hands. “This was a dumb plan.”
“This was yer plan!” Jayne reminded him.
“I know! That doesn’t make it any less ridiculous!”
“Listen, Doc, it may’ve been a fool plan,” Mal interrupted, “but it’s th’ plan we went with and it’s too late t’ go back an’ do it again. So we’re stuck with it. Now we go ‘n get Beck back.”
Simon took a deep breath and raised his head. “Yes. That’s what’s important.”
“They sent a ransom note,” Inara said.
“We ain’t gonna pay it,” Jayne said.
“Of course we ain’t gonna pay it,” Zoë said, as though Jayne was daft.
“Beck’s ours!” Kaylee said fiercely.
“Well, that,” Zoë admitted, “and… we ain’t got ‘nough t’ pay it even if we were in the mood fer payin’.”
“It’s nice bein’ poor,” Wash said poetically, a grin on his face.
“It’s crap bein’ poor,” Jayne retorted. “Some ladies like money, y’ know.”
“Anyway,” Mal interrupted.
“Why would they even ask for a ransom?” Wash asked. “They’ve got loads of money. Seems a little strange to me.”
“They prob’ly want somethin’ else,” Kaylee said.
“We ain’t got anythin’ else,” Jayne retorted, reaching for one of the bottles in the middle of the table. He pulled the top off and took a long swig. “Auggh! Who leaves tea in a wine bottle?”
Inara snatched the bottle. “That’s my tea!”
“Secrets!” Kaylee cried.
“Kaylee, it’s hardly a secret t’ keep tea in a wine bottle,” Wash said. “Although it is mighty questionable.”
“No, not the tea,” Kaylee said. “They want a secret, something River knows.”
“Aw, hell. We ain’t goin’ back t’ Miranda ‘gain, are we? ‘Cause they’re all still dead,” Jayne pointed out.
“No, not Miranda. Somethin’ else. Somethin’ that would benefit them.”
“I don’t think it’s something River knows,” Simon said slowly.
“Well, what else is it gonna be?” Kaylee asked, sounding a little testy.
“I think it’s something Beck knows.”
“Oh,” Kaylee said. “Ohh. That’s a good idea!”
“Ahh!” Jayne yelled, spitting tea onto the table. “Why are all th’ wine bottles filled with tea?”
“That one actually says ‘Tea’ on the side, Jayne,” Inara pointed out.
“Well, yeah, but… we goin’ t’ get th’ biter or not?”
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-02 03:17 am (UTC)