Simon was grateful that the captain had made his comments long after a mouthful of soup, or they'd both have to think of ways of getting soup out of their clothes. And, the doctor knew Mal didn't have an extra change of anything at the moment. Well, he doubted it anyway.
"I was doing what with whom? I never laid a finger on her, except the time she got shot." He had forgotten, for propriety's sake the whole drunken night with the Mudders. "And, yes. I've found a job. There's no Alliance here, Captain Reynolds; I can actually work and help people. Not sure about proper, but respectable has never been something I've found offensive."
Simon coughed, trying to put off the whole knee jerk reaction - the one that made him want to deck the captain with his airs. Yes, Simon thought the captain had airs, even if he was just some Brown Coat.
"Apparently, you are from a different time line, captain. Perhaps you share one similar to River's. Or Zoe's, or even Inara's." Simon didn't think Mal would catch what he had said, but that was that. "Mal, why are you in the hospital? Are you hurt?" A beat. "Did you hurt someone?"