Work Text:
Prompt: 005 – Emotions (list 2)
Word Count: 263
Progress: 5/100
He remembers the first time he thought to go looking in that big shiny box 'a the Doc's. Weren't but five, maybe ten minutes, since the younger man had finished patching Kaylee up from a gut shot. Mal's anger had been running so hot he was surprised he hadn't exploded.
They weren't even sure Kaylee was gonna live yet and Mal had looked at the Doc, standing there healthy and whole, and had vowed to himself the man wouldn't live two seconds more'n Kaylee – if'n she died. The Doc had done a good job, patching her up – Mal could admit that – but she wouldn't 'a been shot in the first place, t'weren't for him. And he had threatened to just let her die. At the time, he had wondered what could possible turn a sissy-Core boy like the Doc into a murderer and he had aimed to find out.
He remembers Simon's panicked look when he realized what Mal was gonna do. The Doc had chased after him to the cargo bay, but there weren't much he could do to stop the older man from opening the box, what with the hold Jayne had on him.
The anger that had already been burning him away went super-nova when the top opened to reveal a little girl, folded up on herself and naked as the day she was born.
He had turned to Simon, shaking, accusing him of all manner of unspeakable things and had known – sure as shooting – he was gonna kill the man.
And then the girl in the box had screamed.