They’d been in the market more than an hour before they’d come back to the shuttle, just a little behind schedule and smiling, having actually had a great time together. River had been normal as she’d ever been and things had seemed like for once, a job would go smoothly for them. The commotion they’d heard from the streets behind them as they loaded up their purchases, however, put a damper on that. She remembered, she’d turned to River who’s face had turned a mask of foreboding. ”The hollow ones have come for us.” She’d spoke. Kaylee had rushed to the hatch to look out at the sky and seen it, a Reaver ship breaking through cloud-side. Some Chinese cures later, she was turning and running back in, the sound of the shuttle’s engine’s starting up greeting her as she entered. River had been at the controls and prepping for take-off. Kaylee’d seen the necessity of closing the hatch and securing the rest of the cargo right quick. Somehow the fact that River might not know what she was doing in a pilot’s chair’d never seriously crossed her mind back then. And she’d hated to leave without trying to take on a few from the colony, but there weren’t any near and if they’d stayed, they’d’ve died too. Sure as gravity.

”The shimmers don’t see us in here.” She heard spoke and turned to see River standing in the doorway and looking somewhere in the room she couldn’t tell where. All the sudden though, the other girl’s eyes found hers and River walked over to her and quickly knelt by her side. ”How’s your back?” She asked, her face full of concern and her eyes seeming to be searching for any visible problems.

”Hurts.” Kaylee replied simply. ”I tried to sit up, but didn’t like that. What happened?”

”We went down.” River spoke, looking interestedly at Kaylee’s arm and tracing one of her veins as though trying to figure out a puzzle. ”Simon’s not here.” She again met Kaylee’s eyes.

”Figured that.” Kaylee said. ”How bad do you think it is?”

”I know how to play doctor. It shouldn’t present a problem.” River spoke seriously, lifting up Kaylee’s shirt a little to reveal bandages holding her ribs in place. ”Two cracked ribs – fourth and eighth. One broken – second. You need to eat.” This last said urgently, getting up and going to scrounge around though their supplies.