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Grimacing, Mal swallowed the pill, drank the rest of the glass of water, then handed the glass back to River.
“So all the crew’s sick?” he asked, lying back on his pillow and pulling his blanket up to his chin.
“All but me,” River said.
“They musta done something to you at that academy,” Mal said, “make you not get sick. Anyway, give me a report.”
“I gave you a report this morning,” River said.
Mal thought intently for a moment, crinkling his forehead. “I don’t remember that.”
“I know,” River said. “Just like you don’t remember the report I gave you yesterday evening, or the one I gave you yesterday morning. It’s ‘cause you’re sick.”
“Well, give me the report anyway,” Mal said. “Maybe it’s somewhere down in my brain and I’ll remember it when I get well.”
“Yes sir,” River said, doing her best to hide her exasperation. “We landed on Persephone, sold the cargo of sweet potatoes at four percent profit. We picked up a cargo of medical supplies to take to White Horse — planetfall is scheduled in 2.12 days, 0.13 days ahead of schedule. While we were on Persephone, I used some of the profit from the sweet potatoes to refuel Serenity and restock food, medications, and sundries. And Jayne was exceedingly grateful that you authorized the purchase of the more expensive, ultra-soft facial tissues for his delicate little nose,” she said, enjoying poking fun at the fact that the big, burly mercenary was probably the worst patient of all of them.
“I did that?” Mal asked, surprised.
“Maybe not exactly,” River admitted, “but when I asked you about it, whatever you mumbled was far too many syllables to be ‘no,’ so I made the purchase.”
Mal chuckled as he closed his eyes and went back to sleep. “Heh heh, that’s some gorram magnanimity, that is.”
River just rolled her eyes and went to give Zoe her medicine.