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toxic_cornSeries: When I Was A Boy
Title: Breathing (2/12)
Author: Toxic Corn
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Firefly belongs to Joss. I own nothing.
Notes: The sequel series to Songs From A Firefly. This one has Jayne and River's son as the focus and you can read the earlier chapter here.
Wash greeted them with a sober expression on his face when they came back from the first successful job they had in weeks. Jayne felt a premonitory chill.
“What is it?” Mal asked, automatically on alert.
“Jayne, you got a wave from home. I think it’s pretty important.”
Worry churned inside his gut and Jayne practically flew up the stairs to the cockpit. The first thing he thought of was River’s pregnancy. Something went wrong, he just knew it. He never shoulda left her and Jamey on land, no matter what his ma threatened him with.
He smiled humorlessly to find that the wave was from Ma. “What’s the trouble?”
“You need to get your pi gu back home, boy,” she said, shortly. “And bring that doctor brother-in-law o’ yers.”
“Is it River? Ma, is the baby okay?”
His ma hesitated. “It ain’t the baby. It’s… Jayne, it’s Jamey.”
Jayne dropped into the pilot’s chair. “My boy?”
“There’s this super flu goin’ around attacking the littl’uns. The Bakers lost their youngest girls and the shepherd here lost his son just this morning.” Ma took a deep breath. “And our little Jamey…”
An arm curled around his ma’s shoulders and River stepped into frame, her face flushed from crying. “Jayne?”
“Riv, baby, I’m on my way,” Jayne swore.
“Hurry,” River pleaded and disconnected.
Taking a shuddery breath, Jayne spun around. “Wash! Can-” He stopped when he saw the pilot already standing in the doorway, understanding in his eyes.
“Yes.” Wash stepped around him and started changing their course to Jayne’s home world.
~*~
Simon had done all he could and now all that was left to do was to wait. Ma wanted to stay but Jayne could see how exhausted she was from looking after River through the whole mess, so he sent her on home. She still resisted but he noticed the relief on her face as she went out the door. The doctor was here and that was the only thing that made leaving feel all right to her.
River was another story. It was plain she hadn’t slept in days but she fought him on going to bed. It wasn’t until he told her it wasn’t fair to the baby inside her to not be taking good care of herself that she went and curled up in their bed. She glared at him all the while and he almost felt guilty until he reminded himself that he was just doing what was best for her and their unborn child.
Now it was late. Wee hours of the morning late. Everyone else was asleep, Simon and Kaylee in the spare room that was gonna be the baby’s room, Mal out on the couch, and the others bunking at his Ma’s house. Only Jayne was awake.
He sat outside Jamey’s opened door, just in the doorway, listening to his son breathe. Every inhale and exhale settled Jayne’s nerves. They meant his boy was still in this world and wasn’t going anyplace.
His eyelids were getting heavier and heavier. His chin had just hit his chest when a small whimper from the bed snapped him awake.
“Jamey?” he whispered. He got up and shuffled over to the bed, dropping to his knees beside it.
His tiny, three year old son had kicked his covers off and was flushed, his brow furrowed in his sleep. Again, he whimpered.
“Shhh.” Jayne reached out and smoothed Jamey’s tangled curls back off his forehead. “Shhh, Papa’s here. Papa’s here.”
The boy seemed to relax and continued sleeping. Jayne kept on stroking his hair and started humming a song his ma always sang to him when he was a sprout and not feeling too good.
Eventually, Jayne dropped off himself, resting his head on the little mattress, careful to keep a hand on Jamey’s slowly rising and falling chest.
~*~
“You’re home!”
Jayne stirred and mumbled something, burrowing his head further into the mattress.
A little hand patted his shoulder. “Papadaddy?”
At the sound of the high, squeaky voice, Jayne instantly came awake and sat up to find his boy, his reason for being smiling sweetly at him.
“Hi, Papadaddy. Why you home? Are you going to take us to the black?” Jamey looked so hopeful that Jayne laughed, trying to blink back the tears stinging his eyes.
“You were real sick, Baby J.” Jayne reached out a hand and felt the boy’s forehead. Still a little warm, but nowhere near as molten as he’d been yesterday. He noticed the sheets were soaked and realized that Jamey must’ve sweat the fever out while they slept. “Your uncle had to come and look after you.”
Jamey’s eyes lit up. “Uncle Simon’s here?? And Aunt Kaylee?!”
“The whole gang. Everybody’s been worried about you, boy.”
“I’m sorry.” He looked guilty and Jayne laughed again, leaning forward to kiss his son’s nose. He snuggled close to Jayne and happily Jayne wrapped his arms around him and tugged him into his lap.
“Don’t you fret, you didn’t mean ta worry nobody. You feelin’ a little better?”
“A little. I feel kinda achey.”
“Are ya hungry any?”
Jamey’s tummy growled and he started to giggle, his sweet laughter a relief to Jayne.
“Take that as a yeah.” Jayne scooped Jamey up. “Let’s get ya some toast. Then phoo, get ya in a bath. Yer a little ripe.”
Jamey just kept giggling and Jayne tickled under his chin to keep the sound up.
“First let’s go see yer ma. She’s gonna be thrilled ta pieces ta see yer okay.”
For the first time in over twenty-four hours, Jayne could breathe easy when River came awake and the life returned to her eyes at the sight of their son beaming and reaching a hand out to her.
“It’s toast time, Mama!”
END
Previous < Sweet Baby James : Next > Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Title: Breathing (2/12)
Author: Toxic Corn
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Firefly belongs to Joss. I own nothing.
Notes: The sequel series to Songs From A Firefly. This one has Jayne and River's son as the focus and you can read the earlier chapter here.
Wash greeted them with a sober expression on his face when they came back from the first successful job they had in weeks. Jayne felt a premonitory chill.
“What is it?” Mal asked, automatically on alert.
“Jayne, you got a wave from home. I think it’s pretty important.”
Worry churned inside his gut and Jayne practically flew up the stairs to the cockpit. The first thing he thought of was River’s pregnancy. Something went wrong, he just knew it. He never shoulda left her and Jamey on land, no matter what his ma threatened him with.
He smiled humorlessly to find that the wave was from Ma. “What’s the trouble?”
“You need to get your pi gu back home, boy,” she said, shortly. “And bring that doctor brother-in-law o’ yers.”
“Is it River? Ma, is the baby okay?”
His ma hesitated. “It ain’t the baby. It’s… Jayne, it’s Jamey.”
Jayne dropped into the pilot’s chair. “My boy?”
“There’s this super flu goin’ around attacking the littl’uns. The Bakers lost their youngest girls and the shepherd here lost his son just this morning.” Ma took a deep breath. “And our little Jamey…”
An arm curled around his ma’s shoulders and River stepped into frame, her face flushed from crying. “Jayne?”
“Riv, baby, I’m on my way,” Jayne swore.
“Hurry,” River pleaded and disconnected.
Taking a shuddery breath, Jayne spun around. “Wash! Can-” He stopped when he saw the pilot already standing in the doorway, understanding in his eyes.
“Yes.” Wash stepped around him and started changing their course to Jayne’s home world.
Simon had done all he could and now all that was left to do was to wait. Ma wanted to stay but Jayne could see how exhausted she was from looking after River through the whole mess, so he sent her on home. She still resisted but he noticed the relief on her face as she went out the door. The doctor was here and that was the only thing that made leaving feel all right to her.
River was another story. It was plain she hadn’t slept in days but she fought him on going to bed. It wasn’t until he told her it wasn’t fair to the baby inside her to not be taking good care of herself that she went and curled up in their bed. She glared at him all the while and he almost felt guilty until he reminded himself that he was just doing what was best for her and their unborn child.
Now it was late. Wee hours of the morning late. Everyone else was asleep, Simon and Kaylee in the spare room that was gonna be the baby’s room, Mal out on the couch, and the others bunking at his Ma’s house. Only Jayne was awake.
He sat outside Jamey’s opened door, just in the doorway, listening to his son breathe. Every inhale and exhale settled Jayne’s nerves. They meant his boy was still in this world and wasn’t going anyplace.
His eyelids were getting heavier and heavier. His chin had just hit his chest when a small whimper from the bed snapped him awake.
“Jamey?” he whispered. He got up and shuffled over to the bed, dropping to his knees beside it.
His tiny, three year old son had kicked his covers off and was flushed, his brow furrowed in his sleep. Again, he whimpered.
“Shhh.” Jayne reached out and smoothed Jamey’s tangled curls back off his forehead. “Shhh, Papa’s here. Papa’s here.”
The boy seemed to relax and continued sleeping. Jayne kept on stroking his hair and started humming a song his ma always sang to him when he was a sprout and not feeling too good.
Eventually, Jayne dropped off himself, resting his head on the little mattress, careful to keep a hand on Jamey’s slowly rising and falling chest.
“You’re home!”
Jayne stirred and mumbled something, burrowing his head further into the mattress.
A little hand patted his shoulder. “Papadaddy?”
At the sound of the high, squeaky voice, Jayne instantly came awake and sat up to find his boy, his reason for being smiling sweetly at him.
“Hi, Papadaddy. Why you home? Are you going to take us to the black?” Jamey looked so hopeful that Jayne laughed, trying to blink back the tears stinging his eyes.
“You were real sick, Baby J.” Jayne reached out a hand and felt the boy’s forehead. Still a little warm, but nowhere near as molten as he’d been yesterday. He noticed the sheets were soaked and realized that Jamey must’ve sweat the fever out while they slept. “Your uncle had to come and look after you.”
Jamey’s eyes lit up. “Uncle Simon’s here?? And Aunt Kaylee?!”
“The whole gang. Everybody’s been worried about you, boy.”
“I’m sorry.” He looked guilty and Jayne laughed again, leaning forward to kiss his son’s nose. He snuggled close to Jayne and happily Jayne wrapped his arms around him and tugged him into his lap.
“Don’t you fret, you didn’t mean ta worry nobody. You feelin’ a little better?”
“A little. I feel kinda achey.”
“Are ya hungry any?”
Jamey’s tummy growled and he started to giggle, his sweet laughter a relief to Jayne.
“Take that as a yeah.” Jayne scooped Jamey up. “Let’s get ya some toast. Then phoo, get ya in a bath. Yer a little ripe.”
Jamey just kept giggling and Jayne tickled under his chin to keep the sound up.
“First let’s go see yer ma. She’s gonna be thrilled ta pieces ta see yer okay.”
For the first time in over twenty-four hours, Jayne could breathe easy when River came awake and the life returned to her eyes at the sight of their son beaming and reaching a hand out to her.
“It’s toast time, Mama!”
END
Previous < Sweet Baby James : Next > Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
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Date: 2006-10-19 05:38 pm (UTC)