Sometime around mid-morning
Mary awoke with a gasp, her eyes scanning the room wildly. They fell upon a long slender man, hunched over a work table, his back to where she lay. The man was humming to himself what sounded like a bawdy tavern song. Mary tried to rise but found her arms and legs bound by padded leather straps to the table where she lay. She vaguely sensed some sort of tubing attached to her right arm. A wave of exhaustion overtook her, and she almost relapsed into unconsciousness. She tried to call out to the man, but her voice refused to respond to her commands. A raspy croak was all that emerged, but that was enough to gain the man’s attention. He practically jumped from his chair and rushed to her side.
“You’re awake. Very good,” the man said cheerfully. “Please, you must be terribly thirsty. You’ve been asleep for about thirty-six hours. Here, have a drink of water.” He grabbed a pitcher from a metal table beside the bed and poured the clear liquid into a small porcelain cup. “Careful now,” he said, gingerly lifting the cup to her lips.
She took a tiny sip and swallowed with difficulty. Her throat felt as if it had been rubbed vigorously with a rusty file.
“Are you in any pain?” the man asked, his hand on her arm. He was staring at her with a mixture of fascination and concern, as if she were an old friend who’d suffered some horrible accident. Mary was sure, however, that she’d never seen the man before in her life. She thought long and hard before attempting to answer his question. Her throat was dry, she was exhausted, and there was a dull sensation in her chest, but it wasn’t necessarily painful. Finally, she shook her head no.
“Great, I’ve got you on some intravenous painkillers. If you do start feeling any pain, please let me know immediately.”
“Who are you?” she was finally able to manage with some difficulty. Mary’s thoughts were so muddled in her head. She couldn’t, for the life of her, remember where or even who she was.
“Oh, my name is unimportant, for now,” he replied. “The better question is who are you? Do you remember your name?”
“I…” she began, but quickly fell silent. She squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated as hard as she could. “I can’t … it’s biblical.”
“Biblical?” the man responded, puzzled. “You mean your name comes from the Bible?”
Mary nodded her head in affirmation.
“Hmm, well that certainly narrows it down. Let me say some names, and you tell me if you can remember if one of them is yours. How about Eve? That’s the very first one.”
The woman shook her head. Definitely not.
“Well, Mary is the most famous, of course. Are you called Mary?”
Her eyes widened, and she nodded vigorously.
“Fantastic. Can you remember your last name, Mary?”
The woman squeezed her eyes shut. “It’s Knight, like a knight in shining armor,” she said finally.
“Great,” the man responded.
“Now, can you remember where you live, Mary?”
The woman thought hard again. She saw a hazy picture of a dark alley, a boarding house of some sort, with other women and small children occupying every piece of available floor space. Soiled mattresses were few and far between, occupied with those women with still suckling newborns. Then a face, friendly, with soft brown eyes, came into view. Her friend Ruth. Where was she? She didn’t check in last night.
“Where’s Ruth?” the woman asked.
“Ruth?” the man answered. “Another biblical name. Who is Ruth?”
“My, my … friend. She was supposed to check in last night. Where is she?”
“Wait, is this Ruth a … working girl, like yourself? Were you with her the other night? Working outside the Fox and Hound pub?”
“Yes,” Mary responded enthusiastically, more of her memory returning. “There was a man, a customer. We went behind the pub and … I can’t seem to remember anything after that.”
“Don’t worry, Mary. I’m sure it will come back to you.”
“Where am I?” she asked. While her body still felt exhausted, her memory was growing stronger by the minute.
“You’re in a … medical clinic of sorts. I’m afraid you were in an accident, Mary. It was lucky a constable happened to come upon you. It looked like you’d been stabbed. He took you to London Hospital, but they weren’t able to help you. Luckily, I was, but it took some doing. I’m afraid you’re going to be down for some time.”
“I … I … have to see Ben. He’ll be terribly cross. Oh, no, this is dreadful. I have to work. He’ll kill me.”
“Don’t worry about your protector, Mary. He can’t get at you here. I’ll take care of you. We’ll get you back to full health in no time.”
“But if I don’t meet my quota—”
“Mary, listen to me,” the man said sternly. “Look at me. Look in my eyes.”
She did so, and the crystal blue eyes seemed to wash over her, putting her at peace. The man was extremely handsome. She noticed then a long scar running alongside his chin on the right side of his face. It was an old scar, faded, and it seemed to enhance his beauty rather than detract from it.
“The most important thing right now is for you to get well. This man, Ben, cannot hurt you now. I have friends, Mary, in high places, on the police force, in the government. I can keep you safe. Please, trust me now.”
The conviction she saw in his face convinced her that the man could be trusted. She finally nodded her assent.
“Now, can I ask you some more questions. After this, I’ll go find your friend Ruth and let her know that you are safe. How does that sound?”
Again, Mary nodded.
“Good, now I see no need for these restraints. I don’t think you are going to do anything to hurt yourself,” he said as he unbuckled her the straps from her arms and legs. “Do you know what city you are in?”
“London,” she responded softly, gently rubbing her wrists.
“Very good. Now, you remember your protector, your friend Ruth, and your profession. Where did you grow up? Do you remember that?”
“Cheapside.”
“This is amazing, Mary. Absolutely amazing.”
The man seemed to be growing more and more ecstatic with every correct response from his patient.
“You’re doing much better than I anticipated.”
Mary had no idea what the man was on about, but she was starting to lose her focus. She felt as if she could barely lift her limbs. She desperately wanted to go back to sleep.
“Do you remember your parents? What were their names?”
Mary thought hard for several moments. “Bonnie, was my mother,” she replied. “Never knew my father.” The man nodded his understanding.
“How are you feeling now?” he asked. “Do you need to rest a bit?” She nodded at him, leaning her head back on her pillow and closing her eyes. “No problem, Mary. Take a little nap. You’ve done so well, I think we might be able to get you up and moving later.”
The man patted her hand and went back to his table, pulling out a notebook and furiously scribbling notes. He held up the piece of garnet, the crystal from which he had cut tiny pieces to embed into Mary’s heart. He turned it over in his hand, pondering the responses the woman had given him. She was exhausted and confused, but that was understandable. But she seemed a little too weak. He hadn’t expected her to jump up and do cartwheels, but he had hoped the mechanical heart would provide her with a little more energy. Regardless, at least he’d made some progress. And anything was better than his previous two attempts. At least Mary was alive and, if not well, functional. She was cognizant enough to tell her story someday. Of one thing, the man was certain. The latest design of the mechanical heart was working to perfection. Oxygenated blood was indeed moving throughout Mary’s body, giving her brain the blood flow it needed to function. Whether the garnet was the correct crystal was still up for debate, however. The man suspected he was going to need something a little stronger if his subject was going to be able to sustain decades of normal life. He would find out more when Mary awoke and he was able to get her up and moving about.