Since We Found Serenity (A Firefly Fanfiction)

Chapter 4: Zoe's Secret

While River rambled on, Zoe glanced down the terminals. The engine lay still.

"Where is everyone?"

"The others are out picking up a shipment for another job. It's just me and my brother and my sister," finally the small face broke into a wide grin, "and you."

Zoe sighed, but there was no more grief in her. Only a latent sick feeling.

"Well good; I need the doc to make sure I'm all fit again," she stated.

River fidgeted, still standing outside the door to the docking bay. "I'll clean up," she said, and vanished into the bay.

Zoe didn't mind; all that crying had left the muscles of her torso as sore as if she'd been someone's punching bag. There was some mild dizziness still nagging the back of her mind, but that was probably due to staying in one room for so long.

She made it to the door of the makeshift medical bay. Simon stood at the table against the back wall, cataloging vials and syringes.

Zoe took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

"Hey, doc."

Simon jumped back and whirled around, relief flooding his face when he saw Zoe. "Oh! Hey, it's just you." He set down the vial he was clutching and gave her his full professional attention.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

Zoe gave another sigh, feeling her lungs loosen and relax as she did. "Better," she told him. "Thanks, I needed that."

Simon nodded. "We understand."

Zoe smirked. "Sounds like you all have had a terrible time while I've been out."

Simon shrugged. "You could say that; but it's nothing we couldn't help each other through."

The small struggle in her core wouldn't go away. "Doc, I just wanted your professional assessment to make sure I'm ready to be part of the crew again; I don't want to break down if the captain needs me. I was feeling really sick there for a while, so I just want to make sure it's nothing serious."

Dr. Tam nodded. "Understood; here, let me just take a blood sample to check for antibodies, or other abnormalities." He cleaned her fingertip, pricked it, and squeezed out a few drops of blood. Sliding them into a scanner, he assured her. "This will only take a moment."

Zoe waited patiently till the high-pitched beep signaled that the machine had finished. Simon studied the readout carefully.

"Hm, that's interesting..." He mused, adjusting the settings. He glanced at Zoe.

"So you said you were feeling ill a couple weeks ago... Any other symptoms?"

Zoe shrugged, "Aside from the vomiting? Well, I can remember feeling real tired, sometimes a little dizzy—but grief'll do that to you, won't it?"

Simon persisted in staring at her with a strange expression on his face. "Well, with all that you've been through, I would be inclined to think it was your typical influenza virus, like the captain was saying..." His voice trailed off.

Zoe's mind immediately leaped to a thousand different outcomes as she prompted, "But?"

"But the elevated presence of hormones in your blood, coupled with a few other abnormalities..."

Zoe rolled her eyes. "Plain English, Doc! Am I going to die or not?"

"Zoe," Simon finally allowed a smile to unfold on his face. "All these things seem to indicate that you're pregnant."