Mean Old Bear

INT. INFIRMARY - LATER

Mal is looking at River, silent.

KAYLEE 

Captain...?

He turns. She has woken, is woozy and quiet.

MAL 

Hey... Hey little Kaylee, 

what's the news?

KAYLEE 

I'm shiny, Captain. A-okay. 

Can't feel much below my belly, 

though. And I'm... it's gettin' cold.

Mal moves to get her another blanket, lays it on her -- 

all the while hiding his feelings at hearing that.

MAL 

You just gotta rest. Something on this boat's 

gonna break down real soon, and 

who else I got to fix it?

KAYLEE 

Don't worry none... Doc fixed 

me up pretty. He's nice.

MAL 

Don't go working too hard on that crush, 

< little sister >. Doc won't be with us for long.

KAYLEE 

You're nice, too.

MAL 

No, I'm not. I'm a 

mean old man.

KAYLEE 

He wasn't gonna let me die. 

He was just trying to... It's nobody's fault. 

Promise me you'll remember that?

MAL (takes her hand) I'll keep it in mind.

KAYLEE 

You are a nice man, Captain. 

You always look after us. 

But you got to... you got 

to have faith in people.

He says nothing, just holds her hand.

Her eyes drift to River, still sleeping.

KAYLEE (cont'd) 

She is a beauty, isn't she?

She smiles... and her eyes gently close.

Her hand slips from Mal's.

INT. INARA'S CHAMBER - LATER

Simon is there, as Inara hands 

him a couple of packets.

SIMON 

Thank you.

INARA 

This is just standard Companion-immunisation package. 

I'm not sure it'll help in this --

SIMON 

It won't hurt. The supplies down 

there are pretty rudimentary.

INARA 

Is there anything 

else I can do?

SIMON 

I don't think so. 

But I appreciate it.

INARA 

Kaylee's very dear. 

To all of us.

SIMON 

I'm sorry. For my part in what happened. 

I've never... I don't know how to --

INARA 

You're Lost in The Woods. 

We all are. Even The Captain. 

The only difference is, 

he likes it that way.

MAL (entering) 

No, the difference is, The Woods are 

the only place I can see a clear path. 

(to Simon) What's your business here?

INARA 

It's my business, the usual. 

I gave the boy a free thrust, 

since he's not long for this world. 

What are you doing on my shuttle?

MAL 

It's my shuttle. 

You rent it.

INARA 

Then when I'm behind on the rent, 

you can enter unasked.

Simon elbows his way out. Mal and Inara 

look at each other a moment.

MAL 

Thought you were leaving, anyhow.

INARA 

Well I guess that 

depends on you.

Mal turns and goes.

INT. CARGO BAY - CONTINUOUS

Simon is walking away, 

but Mal stops him :

MAL 

You'll ruin her, 

too, you know.

Simon turns.

MAL (cont'd) 

This is the thing I see 

you're uncomprehending on. 

Everyone on this ship, even a 

'legitimate businesswoman' like her, 

their lives can be snatched 

away because of that Fed. 

You got a solution for that? 

Got a way round?

SIMON 

I don't.

MAL 

Comes time, somebody's gonna have to deal with him. 

That should be you, but I don't think you have the guts. 

And I know you don't have the time.

SIMON 

What do you mean?

MAL 

Kaylee's dead.

He is steely, contained. Simon is quietly devastated.

Mal turns and walks toward the bridge. 

A moment, and Simon starts in a daze for the infirmary, 

running, unable to accept it as he enters:

INT. INFIRMARY - CONTINUING

To find Kaylee sitting up a bit, talking weakly but happily with Book. 

Simon turns and looks out where Mal left, true shock in his eyes.

SIMON 

The man's psychotic.

INT. BRIDGE - MOMENTS LATER

Mal, Wash, Jayne and Zoe are all laughing.

WASH 

Okay, you are psychotic.

MAL 

No, but you should have seen 

his face... ahhh.... I'm a bad man.

ZOE And Kaylee's really okay?

MAL 

I'll tell you the truth, I didn't expect her to heal this quick. 

The doctor knows his trade, I'll give him --

There is a noise from a console. Wash checks it out.

WASH We're being hailed.

MAL 

That'd be Patience. 

Put her up.

We briefly see an image on a screen, a weathered, 

pioneer-looking woman of about fifty.

PATIENCE I talking to Malcolm Reynolds?

MAL Hello, Patience. Long time.

PATIENCE Mal. Hear you got some treats for me.

MAL Delectable treats, three boxes, two hundred for the lot. In coin.

PATIENCE I'm not even sure I have that much paper, come on.

MAL Paper's no good to us, Darlin'. Coin. Cargo's worth it.

PATIENCE I might maybe scrounge up one fifty.

MAL I might maybe fly on to Three Hills.

PATIENCE 

All right. You got what I need. But I'm cross with you, 

holding me over a barrel in this time of need. 

You're not gettin' a kiss, don't even bother begging.

MAL 

My burden to bear.

PATIENCE 

Snake. I'll meet you at oh nine hundred, few miles out of town. 

Uploading telemetry and coordinates now.

MAL 

See you in the world.

He hits a button, ending the talk.

MAL (cont'd) 

Hell of lady. Dropped on that rock with nothing, 

owns half the damn town.

ZOE It's a trap?

MAL 

Oh yeah. She's gonna kill us. Not a doubt.

JAYNE She did give in awful easy.

MAL 

Time was, she never would've been... 

But I'm sure. It was in her voice.

WASH So, what, we fly on?

MAL We do not. We're gonna finish this. 

There's obstacles in our path, we're gonna 

deal with them. One by one.

INT. DOBSON'S ROOM - CONTINUING

We see Dobson sawing away at his bonds with a tiny, jagged piece of metal.

MAL (O.S.) 

And maybe, if we're any kind of lucky, 

we end this day alive and free.