The Rising, Chapter Eight
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firefly_fanfic
Title: The Rising
Author: Sarah-Beth (memorysdaughter)
Email: memorysdaughter@gmail.com
Summary: After the events in “Radio Nowhere,” Serenity’s family must go to great lengths to save a stranger.
Series: Chapter Eight
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Post-BDM, with two very important changes. And also post-“Radio Nowhere,” which you can read HERE
Disclaimer: Not mine, never have been, never will be. The title comes from a Bruce Springsteen song.
Chapters 1-7
The Rising
“Uncle Mal?” Daisy said blearily.
“Yeah, sweetheart?”
“Where’s Momma? And Daddy?”
“They went t’ bed, m’ lovely. Did ya want somethin’?”
“Can I have some water? An’ can Linnea… come in here?”
“Sure, sweetheart. Yer Daddy left y’ some water here on the counter, and I’ll go see if River wants t’ bring Linnea in here.” Mal picked up the little cup on the counter and held the straw up to Daisy’s mouth. The little girl slurped eagerly, drops from the cup falling on the fresh white bandages that covered her arm and chest.
“Ohh, it’s good an’ cold,” Daisy breathed happily.
Mal turned to set the cup down, and a sudden movement past the doors caught his eye. It was River, carrying Linnea. “Looks like yer wish’s granted, little lady,” he said to Daisy.
“Linnea?” Daisy turned her head eagerly, trying to see as much as she could.
River set Linnea on the infirmary counter. “Thought you could use some company, Daisy Mae.”
“Yes,” Daisy said. “Hi, Linnea.”
“Brought this for you, too,” River said, holding up the alphabet board. “Just in case you wanted to have a bigger conversation.”
“Thank you,” Daisy said.
“Linnea wants to spell something,” River said, and held the board up so the little girl could see. “Once for yes, and twice for no, pretty girl.”
She moved her finger across the letters, seeming to record each chosen entry. Finally she said, “Linnea says…”
“I know,” Daisy said. “I… saw. She said… are you angry?”
“Angry about what, pretty girl?” River asked, looking down at Linnea.
Linnea raised her eyebrows.
“Oh,” River said knowingly. “She wants to know if you’re upset about falling. She said it looked painful.”
“Does hurt,” Daisy admitted. “But… can’t have good times… without pain.”
That shouldn’t be true, Linnea told River.
“No, pretty girl,” River agreed. “You know that better than anyone else.”
Daisy hurts in ways I can’t begin to imagine. Beck told me… Beck told me what happened to her. How could somebody do that to a little girl? People shouldn’t hurt their kids – they should treasure them. They should hold them and never let them go.
River couldn’t think of anything to say. She brushed a strand of hair out of Linnea’s eyes. “You’re going to be held here, pretty girl.”
Somebody needs to hold Daisy too.
“They will, sweetheart. They will.”
When both Linnea and Daisy had fallen asleep, Mal looked down at the two girls. Daisy, drowsy from painkillers, had her mouth open, a string of drool drooping from her chin to her chest bandages. Linnea, hooked up to the ventilator, slept without seeming to move, except for her eyes, which danced under her eyelids. Daisy’s bandaged hand reached out to cross the gap between their respective sleeping places, and even in slumber, neither girl would let go.
“I love ‘em more than life itself,” Mal said quietly, to River. “Never thought I’d want kids… never thought I’d appreciate kids. But these two… and yer Beck… they make my life… absolutely beautiful. I’d… I’d die fer ‘em, I’d move heaven and several Earths-That-Were for ‘em.”
He looked down at Daisy and gently patted the drool from her mouth, being careful not to rub, which would tear open Daisy’s skin. “Is it ‘cause they’re fragile?”
“No,” River said simply. “It’s because they love us more than we could ever love them, and we can never repay them for that gift. It’s because they see us for exactly who we are, and they don’t look away. And it’s because they forgave us for their imperfections before they even realized they had them.”
“Roger wouldn’t take no fer an answer,” Wash said as Mal entered the cockpit.
“Well, then he’s outa luck,” Mal said, “’cause we’ve got another job.”
“We do? How often does that happen?”
“Don’t know, don’t care,” Mal said. “Head fer Odessa.”
“Odessa? What’re we gonna do there?”
“Our job,” Mal said.
“Ain’t it a whole planet full o’ holy women?”
“Sanctified virgins,” Mal confirmed.
“What d’ they want with us?”
“Not sure, but they pay well.”
Wash sniggered, pushing a handful of buttons.
“What?” Mal demanded.
“It’ll be the first planet we’ve worked in awhile where Inara doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of gettin’ a date,” the pilot said delightedly.
Mal rolled his eyes and left the cockpit. “Sometimes I think we need more entertainment ‘round here…”
“Linnea girl,” Daisy said softly. “Linnea girl… wake up.”
Linnea took awhile to open her eyes, but then she stirred, and blinked, Yes?
“Long time ago… ‘fore I came home to Momma… and Daddy… Beck talked to me. Same way she talks… to you.”
Yes?
“Can you… do that?”
Linnea furrowed her brow.
“Yes?”
No response.
“No?”
No response.
“Don’t know?”
Yes.
“Can you try?”
Linnea’s eyes darted away from Daisy’s, and then back.
“When Beck… talked to me… I would… sing. Didn’t know… I could talk.”
Linnea jutted her chin out, and managed to say, “Hnnn.”
“Good job,” Daisy praised. “Try again.”
“Hnnn,” Linnea repeated. “Hnnn… hnn.”
“Now say it… in your head,” Daisy coached.
“Hnn,” Linnea said.
“I hear you,” Daisy said in a singsong tone, although the opposite was true. “Say it… louder.”
“Harnnn,” Linnea offered.
“One more time,” Daisy said.
And then suddenly, as though carried by a burst of electric energy, she heard – “Hungry… want… eat?”
Daisy’s eyes went wide. “Pretty girl, that was you?”
“Hnn!” Linnea agreed.
“Do it again,” Daisy begged, enraptured.
“Story… tell… from Beck?”
“Yes, yes,” Daisy said eagerly, delighted by the ring of conversation tripping down her spine. “I hear you, little one!”
“Who are you talking to, sweetheart?”
Daisy looked up, delighted, as Simon came in. She scooched into a sitting position. “Daddy, little one… talks!”
“No, honey, we discussed this,” Simon said, coming in to check Daisy’s bandages. “Linnea doesn’t talk, like Beck.”
“No, talks!” Daisy insisted. “Show him.”
Linnea wrinkled her forehead, and opened her mouth a little.
Simon watched his daughter, and then suddenly he heard something, low and small in the back of his head: “Momma says… call you… Uncle?”
“Oh, my God,” Simon whispered. “Did you…?”
Linnea twitched her lips into a smile.
“How did you…?” Simon’s mouth hung open. “I can’t believe… wow.”
“Told you,” Daisy said smugly.
Author: Sarah-Beth (memorysdaughter)
Email: memorysdaughter@gmail.com
Summary: After the events in “Radio Nowhere,” Serenity’s family must go to great lengths to save a stranger.
Series: Chapter Eight
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Post-BDM, with two very important changes. And also post-“Radio Nowhere,” which you can read HERE
Disclaimer: Not mine, never have been, never will be. The title comes from a Bruce Springsteen song.
Chapters 1-7
The Rising
“Uncle Mal?” Daisy said blearily.
“Yeah, sweetheart?”
“Where’s Momma? And Daddy?”
“They went t’ bed, m’ lovely. Did ya want somethin’?”
“Can I have some water? An’ can Linnea… come in here?”
“Sure, sweetheart. Yer Daddy left y’ some water here on the counter, and I’ll go see if River wants t’ bring Linnea in here.” Mal picked up the little cup on the counter and held the straw up to Daisy’s mouth. The little girl slurped eagerly, drops from the cup falling on the fresh white bandages that covered her arm and chest.
“Ohh, it’s good an’ cold,” Daisy breathed happily.
Mal turned to set the cup down, and a sudden movement past the doors caught his eye. It was River, carrying Linnea. “Looks like yer wish’s granted, little lady,” he said to Daisy.
“Linnea?” Daisy turned her head eagerly, trying to see as much as she could.
River set Linnea on the infirmary counter. “Thought you could use some company, Daisy Mae.”
“Yes,” Daisy said. “Hi, Linnea.”
“Brought this for you, too,” River said, holding up the alphabet board. “Just in case you wanted to have a bigger conversation.”
“Thank you,” Daisy said.
“Linnea wants to spell something,” River said, and held the board up so the little girl could see. “Once for yes, and twice for no, pretty girl.”
She moved her finger across the letters, seeming to record each chosen entry. Finally she said, “Linnea says…”
“I know,” Daisy said. “I… saw. She said… are you angry?”
“Angry about what, pretty girl?” River asked, looking down at Linnea.
Linnea raised her eyebrows.
“Oh,” River said knowingly. “She wants to know if you’re upset about falling. She said it looked painful.”
“Does hurt,” Daisy admitted. “But… can’t have good times… without pain.”
That shouldn’t be true, Linnea told River.
“No, pretty girl,” River agreed. “You know that better than anyone else.”
Daisy hurts in ways I can’t begin to imagine. Beck told me… Beck told me what happened to her. How could somebody do that to a little girl? People shouldn’t hurt their kids – they should treasure them. They should hold them and never let them go.
River couldn’t think of anything to say. She brushed a strand of hair out of Linnea’s eyes. “You’re going to be held here, pretty girl.”
Somebody needs to hold Daisy too.
“They will, sweetheart. They will.”
When both Linnea and Daisy had fallen asleep, Mal looked down at the two girls. Daisy, drowsy from painkillers, had her mouth open, a string of drool drooping from her chin to her chest bandages. Linnea, hooked up to the ventilator, slept without seeming to move, except for her eyes, which danced under her eyelids. Daisy’s bandaged hand reached out to cross the gap between their respective sleeping places, and even in slumber, neither girl would let go.
“I love ‘em more than life itself,” Mal said quietly, to River. “Never thought I’d want kids… never thought I’d appreciate kids. But these two… and yer Beck… they make my life… absolutely beautiful. I’d… I’d die fer ‘em, I’d move heaven and several Earths-That-Were for ‘em.”
He looked down at Daisy and gently patted the drool from her mouth, being careful not to rub, which would tear open Daisy’s skin. “Is it ‘cause they’re fragile?”
“No,” River said simply. “It’s because they love us more than we could ever love them, and we can never repay them for that gift. It’s because they see us for exactly who we are, and they don’t look away. And it’s because they forgave us for their imperfections before they even realized they had them.”
“Roger wouldn’t take no fer an answer,” Wash said as Mal entered the cockpit.
“Well, then he’s outa luck,” Mal said, “’cause we’ve got another job.”
“We do? How often does that happen?”
“Don’t know, don’t care,” Mal said. “Head fer Odessa.”
“Odessa? What’re we gonna do there?”
“Our job,” Mal said.
“Ain’t it a whole planet full o’ holy women?”
“Sanctified virgins,” Mal confirmed.
“What d’ they want with us?”
“Not sure, but they pay well.”
Wash sniggered, pushing a handful of buttons.
“What?” Mal demanded.
“It’ll be the first planet we’ve worked in awhile where Inara doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of gettin’ a date,” the pilot said delightedly.
Mal rolled his eyes and left the cockpit. “Sometimes I think we need more entertainment ‘round here…”
“Linnea girl,” Daisy said softly. “Linnea girl… wake up.”
Linnea took awhile to open her eyes, but then she stirred, and blinked, Yes?
“Long time ago… ‘fore I came home to Momma… and Daddy… Beck talked to me. Same way she talks… to you.”
Yes?
“Can you… do that?”
Linnea furrowed her brow.
“Yes?”
No response.
“No?”
No response.
“Don’t know?”
Yes.
“Can you try?”
Linnea’s eyes darted away from Daisy’s, and then back.
“When Beck… talked to me… I would… sing. Didn’t know… I could talk.”
Linnea jutted her chin out, and managed to say, “Hnnn.”
“Good job,” Daisy praised. “Try again.”
“Hnnn,” Linnea repeated. “Hnnn… hnn.”
“Now say it… in your head,” Daisy coached.
“Hnn,” Linnea said.
“I hear you,” Daisy said in a singsong tone, although the opposite was true. “Say it… louder.”
“Harnnn,” Linnea offered.
“One more time,” Daisy said.
And then suddenly, as though carried by a burst of electric energy, she heard – “Hungry… want… eat?”
Daisy’s eyes went wide. “Pretty girl, that was you?”
“Hnn!” Linnea agreed.
“Do it again,” Daisy begged, enraptured.
“Story… tell… from Beck?”
“Yes, yes,” Daisy said eagerly, delighted by the ring of conversation tripping down her spine. “I hear you, little one!”
“Who are you talking to, sweetheart?”
Daisy looked up, delighted, as Simon came in. She scooched into a sitting position. “Daddy, little one… talks!”
“No, honey, we discussed this,” Simon said, coming in to check Daisy’s bandages. “Linnea doesn’t talk, like Beck.”
“No, talks!” Daisy insisted. “Show him.”
Linnea wrinkled her forehead, and opened her mouth a little.
Simon watched his daughter, and then suddenly he heard something, low and small in the back of his head: “Momma says… call you… Uncle?”
“Oh, my God,” Simon whispered. “Did you…?”
Linnea twitched her lips into a smile.
“How did you…?” Simon’s mouth hung open. “I can’t believe… wow.”
“Told you,” Daisy said smugly.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-04-18 04:59 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-04-19 04:53 am (UTC)I was having a shiny weekend up until I had an asthma attack, and it's kinda going downhill from here...
Tomorrow I have to write a paper... and all I really want to do is write fanfic and sleep.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-04-19 05:08 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-04-19 05:33 am (UTC)Thanks. :)