Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
DARBY
She squirmed under his gaze. “I’m sure there was just an error in reporting somewhere. Let me go back over the reports and—”
“I’ve already done that. You were the one who filled out the captain’s report of care.
” He picked up another paper from one of the neat stacks on the corner of his desk.
“I have it here. Though everything else is detailed, I can’t help but notice that the time of death is not marked.
It’s not like you to leave out such an important piece of information. ”
“I–I was tired. It was a long day.”
The doctor regarded her suspiciously. “And then there is the matter of the exchange I overheard just now between you and Private Wyss. You seemed to be quite confident in the fact that Captain Monstrego is not here in this hospital. If his body was not picked up by the undertaker and he’s not here, where is he? ”
Darby’s palms were clammy, and she could feel a bead of sweat dripping down her back. Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to frantically reach for a believable explanation.
Dr. Fransten placed his palms on his desk and stood up, leaning over her. Unlike her nerves, his voice was quiet and smooth. “What have you done, Shelton?”
She cracked. “I had to do something! You wouldn’t even try to help him. He sacrificed himself for his men and you just wrote him off as not worth saving.”
The doctor sank back into his chair, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.
“It was a question of resources, not of worth. He experienced two traumatic amputations, and likely profound damage to his internal organs. His heart, at the very least, and most likely more. Even if he somehow miraculously survived, the lasting effects of injuries at that level would severely affect his quality of life.”
“You don’t know that. And anyway, isn’t it in our oath to save and protect all life?” Darby crossed her arms stubbornly, her earlier anxiety forgotten for the moment. “We’re doctors; it’s what we do.”
“And as doctors, sometimes we need to make hard decisions.” Fransten opened his eyes and sighed. “Shelton, you are without a doubt the most brilliant student I have met in my lifetime, but no amount of talent can bring a man back from the dead. Now, where is Captain Monstrego’s body?”
“I don’t have it.”
“Don’t play games with me. You told Private Wyss he’s not here, which means you know where it is.”
“I don’t have it,” she repeated evenly, “because he’s not dead.”
Fransten froze. “What do you mean? How?”
“Medicine, and a little bit of magic. Okay, a lot of magic.” Darby’s shoulders fell as she sank back into the chair, relief and exhaustion overwhelming her now that her secret was revealed.
“But…his injuries.” The doctor shook his head in disbelief. “I know your limits, Shelton. You don’t have enough magic to repair that kind of damage. Even if he is alive now, it won’t be sustainable. His wounds will become infected, or his heart will give out.”
“I can take care of an infection,” Darby answered confidently. “And his heart won’t give out.”
“And you know this how?” He leaned back in his chair, resting his elbows on the armrests and looking at her skeptically.
“Because I built him a new one.”
“You did what?”
“Well, not completely,” she amended. “The right atrium and ventricle were undamaged. It was just a matter of fitting them with the left side and getting both materials to work together. He won’t be able to make a career as a sprinter, but as long as he stays within a reasonable rate of cardio exertion, he should be fine. ”
Dr. Fransten leaned forward, his eyes bright with interest. “How?”
Her anxiety made a sudden reappearance. Henry was the only other person who knew about her fascination with gears and metalwork, as those in the more “advanced” sciences of medicine and magic tended to look down on the industrial fields.
She twisted her fingers together. “I’ve been…
dabbling in ways to use metal and clockwork in the medical field.
The human body is essentially just a complex machine; it stands to reason there might be some ways to overlap.
A clock keeps even time just like a heart needs a steady beat. ”
“So you built Captain Monstrego a clockwork heart?” Darby couldn’t tell from his expression whether Dr. Fransten was impressed or horrified.
“And rebuilt the rest of him, too.” She smiled sheepishly, trying to mask her nerves. “He might never be a sprinter, but he could make a killing as a boxer now.”
The doctor was silent.
“I couldn’t stand by and do nothing. Not when I knew I could save him.”
Fransten sighed. “I understand, Shelton. I really do.”
Darby exhaled heavily in relief.
“But the Guild of Medicine isn’t going to be quite as forgiving.
If they find out that you not only removed a patient without permission, but also performed unsupervised, unsanctioned surgeries, using technology that has yet to be registered with the Guild of Inventors?
” He looked to her for confirmation, then continued as she shook her head sadly.
“At best, they’ll strip you of your license and remove you from your internship. A prison sentence is more likely.”
“I know.” She swallowed thickly and looked down at her hands. “But I had to do something.”
“If they find out.”
“What?” Her eyes flew back up to find Fransten looking at her with a slight smile pulling on his lips.
“Like I said, you’re the brightest student I’ve met—or am likely to meet—in my lifetime.
It would be a shame to let all that talent go to waste.
I’ve been around these circles enough to have earned myself some leeway, and a reputation for being just a bit unpredictable.
If anyone asks, tell them it was my idea. ”
Darby’s jaw dropped. “You would do that?”
He stood. “Medical advancements don’t happen by sitting back and playing it safe, and I believe in rewarding brilliance when it shines, rather than forcing it to dim. Now. Show me what you’ve done.”
Anxiety and suspense tangled in Darby’s stomach, sending a buzz of nervous energy through her veins that she hadn’t experienced since her final exams. She hovered in the doorway of her workroom with her hands clasped low in front of her waist in an effort to keep them from shaking as Dr. Fransten approached the desk in the center of the room that held Captain Monstrego’s sleeping form.
He was still exactly as she had left him, stretched out on the top of the desk with his clockwork arm and leg exposed.
His face had regained a little of its lost color, the skin now tinged with a hint of pink rather than gray, and, if not for the remnants of blood and dirt that remained, he almost looked peaceful.
“Incredible,” the doctor breathed as he leaned over to better examine her patient. His long fingers hovered just over the place on the Captain’s shoulder where skin and metal met. “And it will be fully functional?”
Darby swallowed thickly. “That’s the intent.
Of course, I won’t know for sure until he wakes and we can test the mechanisms.” Her voice wobbled slightly, then grew in confidence as she spoke.
“I’ll likely need to adjust some of the tension on the joints and do some recalibrations to make movement as smooth as possible, but the magic in the metal connects to his nervous system, and any signals from his brain to his limbs should pass through. ”
Fransten’s face was carefully impassive as he nodded. “And his heart? You mentioned needing to construct that as well?”
“Only the left half.” Darby reached for her stethoscope and handed it over. “The right was still salvageable.”
She said nothing else as the doctor pressed the end of the stethoscope to the captain’s chest. He was quiet for several long moments, then straightened.
“What you’ve done here is a miracle, Shelton.”
Darby felt her face begin to flush under his praise.
“A foolhardy, career-ending miracle.”
The warmth was immediately extinguished as her heart plummeted to her boots.
Fransten wordlessly returned her stethoscope, his face grim.
“But I thought…you said…” she faltered. Her hand dropped limply to her side.
The doctor exhaled heavily. “I know what I said, Shelton. And I will do everything in my power to protect you.” He circled the desk, pausing to study the haphazard pile of sketches and plans that she had shoved onto a half-empty shelf.
“But?”
“But this is far beyond the scope of an emergency, last-ditch attempt to save a man’s life.
No one will believe that a medical intern simply took my advice and cobbled a few pieces of metal together.
This shows a level of careful study and attention to detail that can only be the result of years of work. ”
Darby’s shoulders fell as she deflated even further. “What do I do?” she whispered. “I won’t let him die.”
“Certainly not.” Fransten tapped the papers thoughtfully as he turned to face her.
The smile on his face was reassuring and almost paternal.
“He’s already proven to be a survivor. Let me reach out to a few of my Guilt contacts.
I’ll drop a few hints that I’ve been working on some research ideas.
It will give us some time before we present your findings. ”
A heady feeling of relief filled her, and it was all Darby could do not to throw her arms around Fransten in a grateful hug. “Thank you, sir.”
“Of course. I’m here for you, Shelton. I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together.”