How We Used to Be
Mar. 24th, 2008 10:51 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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firefly_fanfic
Title: How We Used to Be
Author: Sarah-Beth (memorysdaughter, previously drummergirl47)
Email: memorysdaughter@gmail.com
Summary: Set in present-day America, an AU fic. Dr. Simon Tam thought he lost everything when his parents were killed in a car crash. Forced to move back home to care for his fifteen-year-old “vegetable” sister, River, Simon comes face-to-face with all of his fears and misgivings about the past. When it becomes necessary to take in boarders to keep the Tam home, he ends up finding a family he never thought could exist. But what will it take to make him see that things might turn out all right despite the odds?
Series: Chapter 25
Character(s): River, Simon, Jayne, and Shepherd Book(!)
Pairings: supports Wash/Zoe and Simon/Kaylee, eventually Mal/Inara
Rating: PG
Spoilers/Timeline: set in present-day America. This chapter is set about two weeks after chapter 24.
Disclaimer: Joss owns. I meddle. Things are good.
Chapters 1-24
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Stop kissing!” River ordered as Colleen rolled her into the kitchen.
Guiltily, Simon and Kaylee leapt apart as though their lips had turned into lava.
“Stop that, you,” Colleen said, giving River a gentle smack to the side of the head. “Let them kiss. Lord knows it’s easier than seeing them awkwardly dance around each other…”
“Well, yes,” River said, “but not that much better.”
“Um! Colleen, you’re here early!” Simon said as he blushed a dark red.
“I’m actually twenty minutes late,” Colleen informed him.
“Oh!”
“And thusly, you and your sister are also twenty minutes late for your appointment at Fairview,” Colleen added.
“Oh! Well, we better get going! River, why didn’t you come get me?”
River rolled her eyes. “Like I could! That’s why we’re going back to Fairview!”
“Oh, my goodness! I totally forgot!” Kaylee said. “Today’s Chair Day!”
River laughed. “Thank God Colleen showed up, or I would have been sitting in my room staring at those mobiles all day while you guys were in here playing tonsil hockey.”
“River!”
“What?”
“That’s a horrible term!” Simon said indignantly.
“It really is,” Colleen said.
“Thank you, Colleen,” Simon said.
“Well, for one thing, it’s totally inaccurate,” the nurse continued. “No pucks or sticks were used. And technically, when I found you, you were napping.”
“I had my eyes closed,” River said, not to be bested. “I was dreaming about my chair.”
Colleen laughed. “Whatever you say, blue eyes. Dr. Tam, you’d better be on your way. Do you want me to come with you?”
“I think we’ll be all right,” Simon said.
“Good,” Colleen replied. “I reviewed the paperwork from Albertson’s vent camp and I wanted to go over a few things with Kaylee.”
“Sounds good. We should be home around two,” Simon said, business-like.
“Oh-my-God!” River said in a high falsetto. “That’s nearly three hours until you two can kiss again! You might forget how!”
“I think I’ll be glad when you can go other places.”
River rolled her eyes. “Come on, we’re going to be late!”
Jayne was waiting for them at the clinic. He smiled when they approached. “A little out of breath there?” he asked Simon.
“We… were… late,” Simon panted, bending over to put his hands on his knees.
“Yeah, you were,” Jayne said, “but you’re here now. Are you ready?”
“I am so ready,” River said, beaming up at her “angel.”
“Come on back,” Jayne said, and led the way to the test lab. “My associate is bringing in your chair. It’ll be just a minute. Why don’t we get you unbuckled and ready to transfer?”
“Sure,” River breathed, obviously enthralled by the tall, grizzled man above her.
Jayne looked to Simon for confirmation. The doctor waved his hand with a wry smile; he had gotten used to River’s gigantic crush on the specialist. Jayne leaned in to undo River’s five-point harness and the straps keeping her feet on the foot-plates.
The door to the lab opened and a gray-haired man came in, steering a wheelchair.
“It’s beautiful!” River cried.
“You like it?” Jayne asked.
“It’s even better than all the dreams I had about it,” she said earnestly.
“Dr. Tam, River, this is my intern, Shep Book,” Jayne said. “He’s getting his degree in rehabilitation engineering.”
“Second degree,” the man said proudly. “I’ve already got one in microbiological research. Working for Jayne’s a little harder, though…”
“Does he make you carry buckets up hills?” Simon asked dryly.
“No, but sometimes we go out and do laps around the garden,” Shep replied. “It’s funny, but this old geezer can keep up with this strapping young fellow.”
“Okay, okay, chat later,” River said impatiently.
The three men turned to look at her, as though they’d forgotten she was there. “Of course, milady,” Jayne said. “Shep, will you switch it over to powered drive?”
“Sure thing,” Shep said.
“And as for you, little lady, it’s transfer time,” Jayne continued.
River grinned. Jayne lifted her and set her in the new chair. “Now, it’s important when adjusting to a new chair, to notice any spots of contact rash or any breakdown of the skin. If there are lots of areas of breakdown, it may suggest that we need to readjust the seat measurements; if it’s just a little irritation, some moisturizing lotion will take care of the problem.”
“Okay, good. Can I go drive around now?” River pleaded.
“Not yet. Every day you get up in your chair, you need to ask your brother a few questions. Repeat after me. Is my harness buckled?”
“Is my harness buckled?”
“Are my feet secure?”
“Are my feet secure?”
“Is the battery charged?”
“Is the battery charged?”
“Is the control module switched on?”
“… That’s ridiculous. I’m not going to say module. What is this, a rocket launch?” River demanded. “When do we get to count down from ten and suck some Tang through a straw?”
Jayne laughed. “Okay, okay, so that one’s not really necessary. But there is one more question…”
“What?” River asked, obviously ready to try out her new movement capabilities.
“After all that, you say, Do you love me?”
River laughed. “Do you love me?” she repeated.
“Now and always,” Simon replied.
“Good! Now can I please go drive around?”
Author: Sarah-Beth (memorysdaughter, previously drummergirl47)
Email: memorysdaughter@gmail.com
Summary: Set in present-day America, an AU fic. Dr. Simon Tam thought he lost everything when his parents were killed in a car crash. Forced to move back home to care for his fifteen-year-old “vegetable” sister, River, Simon comes face-to-face with all of his fears and misgivings about the past. When it becomes necessary to take in boarders to keep the Tam home, he ends up finding a family he never thought could exist. But what will it take to make him see that things might turn out all right despite the odds?
Series: Chapter 25
Character(s): River, Simon, Jayne, and Shepherd Book(!)
Pairings: supports Wash/Zoe and Simon/Kaylee, eventually Mal/Inara
Rating: PG
Spoilers/Timeline: set in present-day America. This chapter is set about two weeks after chapter 24.
Disclaimer: Joss owns. I meddle. Things are good.
Chapters 1-24
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Stop kissing!” River ordered as Colleen rolled her into the kitchen.
Guiltily, Simon and Kaylee leapt apart as though their lips had turned into lava.
“Stop that, you,” Colleen said, giving River a gentle smack to the side of the head. “Let them kiss. Lord knows it’s easier than seeing them awkwardly dance around each other…”
“Well, yes,” River said, “but not that much better.”
“Um! Colleen, you’re here early!” Simon said as he blushed a dark red.
“I’m actually twenty minutes late,” Colleen informed him.
“Oh!”
“And thusly, you and your sister are also twenty minutes late for your appointment at Fairview,” Colleen added.
“Oh! Well, we better get going! River, why didn’t you come get me?”
River rolled her eyes. “Like I could! That’s why we’re going back to Fairview!”
“Oh, my goodness! I totally forgot!” Kaylee said. “Today’s Chair Day!”
River laughed. “Thank God Colleen showed up, or I would have been sitting in my room staring at those mobiles all day while you guys were in here playing tonsil hockey.”
“River!”
“What?”
“That’s a horrible term!” Simon said indignantly.
“It really is,” Colleen said.
“Thank you, Colleen,” Simon said.
“Well, for one thing, it’s totally inaccurate,” the nurse continued. “No pucks or sticks were used. And technically, when I found you, you were napping.”
“I had my eyes closed,” River said, not to be bested. “I was dreaming about my chair.”
Colleen laughed. “Whatever you say, blue eyes. Dr. Tam, you’d better be on your way. Do you want me to come with you?”
“I think we’ll be all right,” Simon said.
“Good,” Colleen replied. “I reviewed the paperwork from Albertson’s vent camp and I wanted to go over a few things with Kaylee.”
“Sounds good. We should be home around two,” Simon said, business-like.
“Oh-my-God!” River said in a high falsetto. “That’s nearly three hours until you two can kiss again! You might forget how!”
“I think I’ll be glad when you can go other places.”
River rolled her eyes. “Come on, we’re going to be late!”
Jayne was waiting for them at the clinic. He smiled when they approached. “A little out of breath there?” he asked Simon.
“We… were… late,” Simon panted, bending over to put his hands on his knees.
“Yeah, you were,” Jayne said, “but you’re here now. Are you ready?”
“I am so ready,” River said, beaming up at her “angel.”
“Come on back,” Jayne said, and led the way to the test lab. “My associate is bringing in your chair. It’ll be just a minute. Why don’t we get you unbuckled and ready to transfer?”
“Sure,” River breathed, obviously enthralled by the tall, grizzled man above her.
Jayne looked to Simon for confirmation. The doctor waved his hand with a wry smile; he had gotten used to River’s gigantic crush on the specialist. Jayne leaned in to undo River’s five-point harness and the straps keeping her feet on the foot-plates.
The door to the lab opened and a gray-haired man came in, steering a wheelchair.
“It’s beautiful!” River cried.
“You like it?” Jayne asked.
“It’s even better than all the dreams I had about it,” she said earnestly.
“Dr. Tam, River, this is my intern, Shep Book,” Jayne said. “He’s getting his degree in rehabilitation engineering.”
“Second degree,” the man said proudly. “I’ve already got one in microbiological research. Working for Jayne’s a little harder, though…”
“Does he make you carry buckets up hills?” Simon asked dryly.
“No, but sometimes we go out and do laps around the garden,” Shep replied. “It’s funny, but this old geezer can keep up with this strapping young fellow.”
“Okay, okay, chat later,” River said impatiently.
The three men turned to look at her, as though they’d forgotten she was there. “Of course, milady,” Jayne said. “Shep, will you switch it over to powered drive?”
“Sure thing,” Shep said.
“And as for you, little lady, it’s transfer time,” Jayne continued.
River grinned. Jayne lifted her and set her in the new chair. “Now, it’s important when adjusting to a new chair, to notice any spots of contact rash or any breakdown of the skin. If there are lots of areas of breakdown, it may suggest that we need to readjust the seat measurements; if it’s just a little irritation, some moisturizing lotion will take care of the problem.”
“Okay, good. Can I go drive around now?” River pleaded.
“Not yet. Every day you get up in your chair, you need to ask your brother a few questions. Repeat after me. Is my harness buckled?”
“Is my harness buckled?”
“Are my feet secure?”
“Are my feet secure?”
“Is the battery charged?”
“Is the battery charged?”
“Is the control module switched on?”
“… That’s ridiculous. I’m not going to say module. What is this, a rocket launch?” River demanded. “When do we get to count down from ten and suck some Tang through a straw?”
Jayne laughed. “Okay, okay, so that one’s not really necessary. But there is one more question…”
“What?” River asked, obviously ready to try out her new movement capabilities.
“After all that, you say, Do you love me?”
River laughed. “Do you love me?” she repeated.
“Now and always,” Simon replied.
“Good! Now can I please go drive around?”