”River…” Kaylee spoke, looking after her apparent physician.

”Calcium would be best, potassium and protean. Vegetable and potato soup is needed as well.” She turned to Kaylee. ”I made it bright.” She smiled, grabbing a few things and scurrying out the door back outside.

”River, wait…” Kaylee called out, wincing as she shifted a bit in the effort.

”Yes?” The girl’s questioning face showed around the corner of the door.

”I… Oh, never mind.” Kaylee said. ”Thank you.”

River smiled. ”Don’t worry. I won’t leave you.” She assured, and then she was gone again.

Kaylee sighed and laid back, glancing down at the bandages on her ribs again before laying her head completely back and looking at the ceiling again. ”I am in so much trouble.” She told the ceiling.

———-

Some minutes later, Kaylee had almost nodded off to sleep again, but River had reappeared with a fresh cooked meal she’d apparently prepared outside on a fire she’d started. Kaylee had been a little dubious about eating something the other girl had prepared, wondering if it’d cause her hair to turn funny colors or something. But it had smelled so good, and she had been really hungry. Starving hungry actually, now that the smell of food was there to remind her of it. She’d taken her first spoon full with an expectant looking River looking on, apparently intent on judging her reaction to the food with complete precision. And oh had the soup tasted good. The smile and look of delight on her face must have met with River’s approval for she’d declared herself a success and the smile on her face had shown just how much it meant that to her that she had been.

”It feels nice to be useful.” River spoke happily as they continued to eat, a silly look on her face as she alternated between looking at Kaylee and looking at the soup in her hands.

”Yeah… I guess it does, doesn’t it?” Kaylee mused, laying back a bit and looking over at River.

”Mm-Hmm.” River nodded. ”We’re not astronauts anymore.” She spoke.

Kaylee paused. ”What’s an ’astronaut’?” She asked.

River just pointed up and looked up at the ceiling. ’Astronaut’, apparently, being an old world term that didn’t get much use outside of a classroom or such anymore.